Chasing Cubtober: What About Lou’s Athletic Outfield? and more
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by LMedina86
The dream of Lou Piniella bringing Alex Rodriguez to the Chicago Cubs looks like it will be nothing more than that at this point, but it doesn’t mean that the off season stops there.
The Cubs could survive at shortstop with Ryan Theriot or even Ronny Cedeno, but only if they improved the outfield.
First, they allowed outfielder Cliff Floyd to reach free agency, and on Monday they traded Jacque Jones to the Detroit Tigers. Those two moves put the Cubs in the market for a left-handed hitting outfielder, maybe two.
There had been rumors about the Cubs putting together a package in an attempt to acquire Tampa Bay Rays outfielder Carl Crawford, but those rumors were debunked yesterday. However, today the rumor regained life with the Cubs possibly sending starting pitcher Rich Hill and relief pitcher Carlos Marmol.
Sending both Hill and Marmol is a steep price to play, even for a player with the abilities Crawford has. I understand that you must give up something to get something, but giving up those two and presumably more would open more holes to fill.
The Rays and the Cubs seem to be a good match for a trade. The Rays have what the Cubs want in Crawford, a left-handed hitting outfielder with speed. The Cubs have what the Rays want, young and inexpensive talent. There seems to be a genuine interest there, only time can tell where this goes.
Another player the Cubs have been rumored to have interest in is Japanese outfielder Kosuke Fukudome. Fukudome is the type of player that would satisfy the dual factions of the Cubs front office.
According to scouting reports, he has the speed and defensive ability that makes him a legit five-tool player. In addition, he sports a career .397 on-base percentage, appealing to those in the organization who realize the importance of that statistic.
Fukudome is a free agent, meaning he could sign with anyone in Japan or in the United States. Fukudome has yet to show signs that he is willing to lean either way, but Ken Rosenthal of FOXsports.com thinks that Fukudome might stay in Japan.
That would leave the Cubs in quite a situation. I would hate for general manager Jim Hendry to make a move just for the sake of making a move, like he did before the 2006 season when he sent three minor leaguers to have Juan Pierre patrol center field for one year.
The good news is that the free agent market for outfielders doesn’t begin and end with Fukudome. The Cubs could look at players such as Milton Bradley, Mike Cameron, Jose Guillen or even Trot Nixon.
The downside of Bradley and Cameron is that each will miss significant time in the first few months of the 2008 season. Bradley will be recovering from injury and Cameron will be missing time due to a 25-game suspension.
Guillen is a right handed hitter, but possesses 25 home run power and is a solid defender. Nixon would be a relatively cheap addition. He would be best used in a right field platoon with Matt Murton. Nixon has a career batting average of .275 and a career OBP of .364.
This off season, I believe Hendry to make the right moves. If for no other reason, the conspiracy theory I hold that Piniella is the one pulling the strings from the dugout.
Think about it. He showed signs that he didn’t like Michael Barrett. Eventually he was traded. He wanted hard throwing strikeout pitchers. Carlos Marmol and Angel Guzman (among others) were called up and Wade Miller was never seen again.
Piniella knows what type of players he needs to put a successful team on the field, and I believe that Hendry can and will bring Piniella those players.
CUB NOTES:
- · T he Cubs traded Craig Monroe to the Minnesota Twins a player to be named later. He hit .204 in 23 games with the Cubs.
- · The Cubs activated pitchers Angel Guzman and Mark Prior from the 60-day DL, giving the Cubs 38 players on their 40-man roster.
- · Manager Lou Piniella finished fourth in the Manager of the Year voting. Piniella led the Cubs to the best record in the National League after June 2, and a 19-win improvement in 2007. Congrats to the winner, Bob Melvin of the Arizona Diamondbacks, who won 90 games this year.
