Cubs Offering Murton For Relief Help
According to John Perrotto of Baseball Prospectus:
"The Chicago Cubs desperately need bullpen help, and reportedly would part with outfielder Matt Murton in the right deal."
For a team built to win now, that might make sense. Sure, you’d rather see the more expensive Jacque Jones go, but teams would of course rather acquire the younger, cheaper Murton. Murton, 25, only has 87 ABs this year. Cubs fans hoped to see him get a full-time look following a solid .297/.365/.444 season, but Lou Piniella hasn’t complied.
What kind of deals might work here? To the Nationals for Jon Rauch or Chad Cordero? To the White Sox for Mike MacDougal? That’d be a tasty crosstown deal. Is he enough to bring in Scott Linebrink, Eric Gagne, or Akinori Otsuka? I have a hard time pinning down Murton’s market value because I’m a Cubs fan. He seems a touch more than a tweener, perhaps a guy who can become a healthy version of a late-20s Rondell White.
The Cubs got White from the Expos at the 2000 trading deadline for Scott Downs. Downs was a 21 year-old southpaw coming off a 1.35 ERA and 11.36 K/9 in Double A the year before.
2007 MLB Free Agents: Luis Gonzalez
When we last checked in with future free agent left fielder Luis Gonzalez, he’d been informed by the D’Backs that they didn’t want him back.
Now, Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe has a few interested teams for us:
"Don’t feel bad about Luis Gonzalez‘s Diamondbacks career being over. The Orioles, Tigers, Rangers, and Cubs are already considering him as a DH and/or left fielder for next year."
Word was that Gonzo wanted to stay in the NL, meaning a return to the Cubs might be at the top of the list. The problem? The Cubs already have a left fielder, and he’s having a fine age 24 season.
Matt Murton: .294/.359/.438
Luis Gonzalez: .274/.356/.453
Given that Murton is improving and Gonzalez is on the decline, and that Gonzalez will make significantly more money, the signing wouldn’t make much sense.
If the Cubs really are interested, that should mean one of two things.
1. They plan on using Murton in center field and letting Juan Pierre go (unlikely but not the worst idea in the world if Murton could somehow pull it off on defense).
2. They are considering trading Murton (possible).
If the Cubs want to make a major trade, say involving Miguel Tejada, Murton could be a coveted player.
Carlos Lee To Cubs Deal Imminent
MLBTradeRumors has learned of a blockbuster deal that is expected to go down by the end of the day. Talks between Jim Hendry and Doug Melvin are in advanced stages of a rare interdivision trade.
The Cubs will send Matt Murton, Rich Hill, and Angel Guzman to the Brewers for slugger Carlos Lee. Lee will be a free agent after the 2006 season, and the Cubs intend to lock him up after finishing the Derrek Lee deal. According to my source, the Brewers view Lee’s impending free agency as a distraction and desperately want to shed his $8.5MM salary.
Lee is expected to bat fourth between the other Lee, Derek, and Aramis Ramirez.
What do you think? Did the Cubs overpay to get the other Lee?
Williamson Surfaces In Trade Talks
Mike Kiley of the Sun-Times notes that "Other teams are highly interested in Scott Williamson, as they have been all winter in trade talks with general manager Jim Hendry." In a separate article, Kiley quotes Jim Hendry saying that Matt Murton, Ronny Cedeno, and Rich Hill have been highly sought after as well.
Hill came up in talks for Barry Zito and a possible Miguel Tejada deal. As a 26 year-old, Hill is far past prospect status. Despite pitching college ball as late as 2002, he didn’t pitch above A ball until 2005. Ridiculously high strikeout totals have been negated by massive walk totals. Hill finally got the walks down to an acceptable level in the minors in 2005. If his success continues in Iowa, it’s likely he’s dealt before the All-Star break.
Cedeno was mentioned in talks for Brad Wilkerson, but that was before the Dodgers signed Rafael Furcal. Missing out on him has taken away one of the Cubs’ best trading chips, as they’re now forced to rely on Cedeno as their starting shortstop. Concern has been expressed over Cedeno’s hitting prior to 2005, but he may have turned a corner at age 22. He kept his contact rate near 90% and may be able to couple a .290 average with good defense. At this point, trading Cedeno makes very little sense.
Murton should be fairly expendable, as he may not project to hit for enough power to play left field regularly. He’s a 24 year-old with a sweet swing and a good eye. The average National League left fielder hit .272/.348/.457 last year, and PECOTA projects Murton at .278/.339/.411 for 2006. Sure, there’s room for growth, but the Cubs probably can’t wait around for it with below average production at a power position. You might think of him as Rondell White without the health issues. He’s better suited for a developing team like the Pirates or Royals.
Williamson does fit the win now mentality, and he’s probably the one Cubs reliever with the potential to dominate. I would keep him around as closer insurance and not worry about having too many setup men. At $2MM something like his 2002 season would be spectacular (2.92 ERA in 74 innings). I can’t see how the Cubs would get a more useful player in return unless perhaps it was to bolster their bench.