Cubs Rumermongering: Lowe, Lugo, and Roberts?
I caught a well-respected source shortly before he left for the winter meetings in Dallas today.
He didn’t have anything on which way Rafael Furcal is leaning, but he did confirm that the Cubs’ offer of five years and about $50MM is on the table. This is nothing new, but now you have one more source authenticating the fact that the Cubs guaranteed the fifth year. Some sources have claimed that the Cubs came out of the gate with 5/50, but in reality their initial bid was four years and $38MM.
The Cubs are still in on Juan Pierre. You’ve surely heard mention of interest from the Yankees, White Sox, and Padres lately. Just a reminder that the Cubs do indeed have Pierre on their radar currently.
We’ve been talking about Milton Bradley for a week now, and talks are heating up with L.A. Another name the Cubs are seriously considering is Derek Lowe. Lowe had a resurgent year in Los Angeles, and Hendry would feel much safer being able to pencil in 32 starts from him for ’06. You can never have too much pitching.
Here and there, you may have heard that Carlos Zambrano could be had in a trade. That’s absurd, of course.
Will Carroll mentioned in his Mill today that the Braves will snag Julio Lugo if Furcal departs. It works the other way too – the Cubs will be hot on his trail if Furcal re-signs with Atlanta.
Finally, the Cubs are thinking about dealing for Dave Roberts to help out as a sort of utility outfielder. The Padres have little need for him at this point.
Juan Pierre To Cubs Complete
670 The Score in Chicago and RotoWorld are reporting that the Cubs have finalized their deal for center fielder Juan Pierre. Left-handed starter Renyel Pinto and two other unknown prospects will head to the Marlins in the deal.
The trade was originally reported by Bruce Levine on ESPN Radio 1000 on November 14th. After speaking with Bruce, MLBTradeRumors.com was able to narrow the possible prospects down to a list of five pitchers.
The Cubs hope Pierre can bounce back after posting his lowest OBP since his rookie season. Pierre’s game is reliant upon his ability to get on base. He’s a subpar defender; Pierre posted the worst range factor in Major League Baseball in 2005 among regular center fielders.
The Marlins continue to stack up promising young pitchers as their fire sale continues. Pinto struggled mightily in six Triple A starts, but did an admirable job in 129 Double A innings this year. The stint in Triple A Iowa was his second failed attempt at that level. Pinto continues to be plagued by his high walk rate, but hasn’t yet gotten a fair shake in Iowa.
Baseball America ranked the 23 year-old righthander 6th among Cubs prospects entering the 2005 season. He has a good changeup, lively fastball, and deceptive delivery.
Juan Pierre To The Cubs: Update
Yesterday, Bruce Levine reported that the Cubs are in the "final stages" of a trade for Marlins center fielder Juan Pierre.
This afternoon, I was able to get in touch with Bruce to obtain a little more info on the deal. It seems that the Marlins are still a little shaky on this deal; they’re not sure whether to hold out and target top-tier prospects or to pull the trigger now just to dump Pierre’s salary.
Also, Levine confirmed that Rich Hill will not be part of any deal for Pierre. Levine said the Marlins are indeed looking for young pitching. As a refresher, here are some top hurlers from the Cubs’ minor league system who may be available:
Jae-kuk Ryu
Ricky Nolasco
Sean Marshall
Renyel Pinto
Angel Guzman
Chicago’s recent trade history with Florida has had mixed results. Most would agree the Cubs made out like bandits getting Derrek Lee for Hee Seop Choi, but that trade was motivated very much by salary concerns.
The Marlins’ unloading of Matt Clement and Antonio Alfonseca for Dontrelle Willis worked out in their favor, although Clement was an integral part of the Cubs’ 2003 playoff run.
Juan Pierre To The Cubs
Joe Capozzi of the Palm Beach Post has been floating Juan Pierre rumors for some time now. The Yankees have backed off, but apparently the Cubs are still very interested.
ESPN Radio’s Bruce Levine is reporting that the Cubs are in the "final stages" of a trade for Pierre. Levine claims that the Cubs would only surrender minor leaguers in the deal. Corey Patterson is not expected to be involved.
No names were mentioned, so it’s open to speculation. I doubt Pierre could bring in a jewel like Felix Pie or Brandon Sing. Top Double A West Tenn pitchers from ’05 included Jae-kuk Ryu, Ricky Nolasco, Sean Marshall, and Renyel Pinto. Angel Guzman has looked decent in the AFL.
Nolasco had a fine year in Double A after a rough turn in Triple A Iowa the previous year. Given Ryu’s questionable behavior in the past, he could be paired with Nolasco in the deal. Jermaine Van Buren is expendable as well. We’ll wait to see if Bruce Levine can expound upon the minor leaguers involved.
The 27 year-old Pierre’s stock dropped considerably in 2005. He posted a career-low .326. His defense was far from spectacular as well, but Pierre hasn’t really been a good defender for years. Pierre’s value as a leadoff hitter is very dependent on his OBP, so Hendry is banking that he can reach base 37% of the time as he did in 2004.
Durability is a point in Pierre’s favor. He’s played every single game for the last three seasons. Pierre is also somewhat affordable, although that could change after arbitration.
Thanks to Brian B. for the tip.