2008-2009 Cubs Offseason Thread

[Posey H8er]

It would be silly to add just an above average arm as a 5th starter since Marshall is a fine 5th starter already. Someone like Randy Johnson (he already signed with SF) would be a waste when Hendry could put money elsewhere to improve the team for the playoffs.

[ChronicKerr]

With the Derosa, Bradley, and Marquis deals now all wrapped up we can focus our efforts into acquiring Peavy from here on out. Get it done!!!!

[SportsWorld]

Rotowire:

According to the Chicago Sun-Times, those close to Cubs GM Jim Hendry expect him to restart the Jake Peavy talks with the Padres.

The Padres' new ownership isn't in control yet, but the assumption is that the team no longer really needs to move Peavy. At the very least, it seems likely that a bigger package would be required in return, and the Cubs weren't willing to meet their asking price when talks concluded last month.
Source: Chicago Sun-Times

[hermes]

dang

[The Sheik]

^^^

That sounds exactly like what would happen. Just give it up Jimbo. Work on solidifying the bullpen or sign Lowe and keep the prospects. Ill eat the crow if it happens, but I think a Roberts deal is more likely now than Peavy.

[Howling Mad]

Which guys did we just replenish the farm with? Are any of these guys wanted by Baltimore or San Diego? What prospects do those teams want in order to make a deal...any of the new guys, some of the old guys, a combination?!?

Been out of the loop for awhile..thanks

[The Sheik]

Derosa trade:

Jeff Stevens, Chris Archer, and John Gaub.

Of these guys Stevens is maybe a B- prospect.

Looking at San Diego this is who they likely want (or I guess wanted) :

Vitters, Hart, Castillo, Cedeno and at the time they wanted J.A. Happ from Phila (trade Derosa to Phila). For the Cubs to be able to acquire Peavy they have to give up Vitters, Hart and Marshall IMO. The Cubs are saying no to Marshall. Garrett Olson is a guy that has been thrown around in a Pie/another guy trade to the Orioles deal to get another young arm.

Here is the big problem. The Cubs have really no starting pitching prospect. They had one in Gallagher and they traded him for Harden. Marshall is all we have and obviously we dont want to give him up. Maybe a good relief prospect...we traded Ceda for Gregg.

If we can get Baltimore to bite on a Pie for Olson deal we could offer the Padres a package of:

Vitters, Stevens, Cedeno, Hart, and Olson. Stevens, Olson, Hart and Cedeno are all close to or are major league ready. If thats not enough for the Padres than I respect Jimbo for saying no to Towers.

[SportsWorld]

Rotowire:

10:37pm: Kevin Towers said tonight the Braves made a good offer for Peavy a few months ago, but it was unclear whether Peavy would approve a trade there. He also said a proposal from the Cubs "would fill several holes" on the Padres' roster. Peavy's agent Barry Axelrod says a framework was in place with the Cubs at the Winter Meetings but they were "trying to fill out that framework" by acquiring some pieces.

[hermes]

good thing Peavy doesn't like Atlanta, probably the only reason we're still in this

[ChronicKerr]

I still see no point in trading Derosa if we can't turn it into a Peavy deal. It wasn't selling high, we didn't get much. We used the money to go out and sign Miles/Possibly Aurelia??? for a 2 year deal anyways to replace him which I don't think would have saved us a whole lot. Git er done!!!

[GYBE]

I still see no point in trading Derosa if we can't turn it into a Peavy deal. It wasn't selling high, we didn't get much. We used the money to go out and sign Miles/Possibly Aurelia??? for a 2 year deal anyways to replace him which I don't think would have saved us a whole lot. Git er done!!!

It WAS selling high. He was coming off a career year and is a 34 year old free agent next season. I agree the return was less than I expected, but it was the right time to move him.

Fontenot against righties and Miles against lefties will outperform what DeRosa did last year. The one thing that really hurts is that we lose his ability to play in the outfield. That may cost us considering Soriano and Bradley are undoubtedly going to miss time like the usually do.

[SportsWorld]

good thing Peavy doesn't like Atlanta, probably the only reason we're still in this

I don't think he doesn't like Atlanta. I think he wants to come to a team that has a chance at winning a World Series this year.

[Posey H8er]

http://stations.espn.go.com/stations/es ... id=3738908

Also on the Cubs' front, the team has expressed interest in right-handed pitcher Aaron Heilman of the Seattle Mariners. The former Met is considered by the Cubs a possible missing link to their bullpen for next year. The Mariners are interested in obtaining a middle infielder, and now that the Cubs have added Aaron Miles to the mix, a player like Ronny Cedeno might be available in a deal for Heilman. Cedeno is out of minor league options, which means that if he doesn't stay on the Cubs 25-man roster throughout 2009, he must go through waivers, which means the Cubs would lose him.

Excluding last season Heilman was a solid bullpen arm.

http://www.baseball-reference.com/h/heilmaa01.shtml

[Howling Mad]

Ohhhh first time hearing this news, and I love it. Heilman was a stud with my Mets, last year he was kinda thrown into the fire. Taken out of his comfortable setup role into a psuedo closer role when Billy was out.

If we're looking at him as a 7th, maybe 8th inning guy, I'm all for it. Marmol, Shark, Gregg, and Heilman, I'd be real real comfortable with that. Left handed arms are weak, real weak, but we are so strong right handed, like last year.

What's interesting about those four pitchers is that two of them are actually better pitchers to left handers, so does that solve our left handed arm problem?!?!

Samardzija, last year, pitched pretty evenly with lefties and righties. 58 RHB, and 48 LHB. Pitching to right handers he gave up an average more than 100 points higher than lefties(.276 vs .167), while also giving up twice the number of hits to righties (16 vs. 8).

Kevin Gregg has the same thing going on, except he's done it for longer, and while closing out games!

Although we might seem like we need a lefty, the numbers tell a different story.

[Howling Mad]

Oh.... and thanks alot guys for clearing up the farm question!

[SportsWorld]

http://chicagocubsonline.com/archives/2 ... 9.php#more

Less than 24 hours after Bruce Levine reported the Cubs interest in Aaron Heilman, the story breaker mentioned if the Cubs are unable to land Jake Peavy they might turn to Randy Wolf.

During Talkin' Baseball on Saturday morning Bruce Levine changed his optimism on the fact the Cubs could still pull off a trade for Jake Peavy, citing both the Cubs and Padres ownership changes as the reason. A week ago Levine put the Cubs chances at 80% to land Peavy, on Saturday he said Jeff Moorad may want to keep Peavy and build his team around the ace

[nykfan757]

Call me crazy but being a Cubs fan in the northeast I had a chance to see Daniel Cabrera quite a bit.


I honestly think a signing like his and moving him to a power arm out of the bullpen would be a much better option. If he could just focus on his fastball/slider combo (his 2 best pitches) he could be a dominant reliever. He throws in the upper 90's with ridiculous movement. But he is not a starter and has been wasted so far trying to be pressed into one. He would be the kind of arm with Jeff, Gregg and Marmol that could really make the need for any other trade for another reliever meaningless.

I think the Peavy situation is a tough one. Yes he is a CY Young winner, he is filthy when healthy and probably the game's 4-5 best if healthy.

But trading Vitters worries me on 2 fronts...

1) The Cubs havent truly developed a position player that has been a better than average hitter (except Soto) in a VERY long time. Vitters is, by all accounts, going to be the reason either Ramirez or Lee could become trade bait in two years. If the Cubs hit a home run with a homegrown hitter and would never realize his impact because they traded him away and got stuck with aging corner infielders, it would be a tough pill to swallow.

2) The Cubs are truly in a position of strength in the Peavy deal. They simply dont need him. He is an absolute luxury at this point in the game. They have 4 borderline 1-2 starters already. Marshall is going to be a fine 3-4 at best and that's all that is needed. Plus he's a lefty. HE would also be included in these proposed deals, which the prospect of losing him AND Vitters as well as other possibly vital pieces in the system and the Cubs need to make sure that they not only remain contenders for a world series, but not absolutely demolish their future as well.


It just makes sense for the Cubs at this point to focus on shoring up the bullpen and if it just so happens you stumble upon a deal where you can get your hands on a potential frontline starter for a decent price (Harden) then you might take a listen. Until then...I think they're in good shape.

[SportsWorld]

Rotowire:

Barry Rozner of the Daily Herald (Arlington Heights, Ill.) believes a new Chicago Cubs owner might increase general manager Jim Hendry's payroll budget, which would make room to acquire Cy Young Award winner Jake Peavy from the San Diego Padres. Especially if that new owner is Tom Ricketts.

Ricketts will want to win and win fast, so if it's him and it happens soon his first call might be to GM Jim Hendry with the news that he can up the payroll and get Peavy out of San Diego, Rozner writes.

Ricketts is the CEO of a Chicago investment bank named Incapital. Rozner wrote that Ricketts is a local guy who loves the Cubs and will have only their "best interests at heart. He even, reportedly, met his wife in the bleachers at Wrigley."

Peavy has been the subject of trade rumors since the offseason began, and the Cubs have been mentioned often in the same sentence.

[Posey H8er]

This is pure speculation on Rozner's part but hopefully it is true.

[GYBE]

1) The Cubs havent truly developed a position player that has been a better than average hitter (except Soto) in a VERY long time.

Mike Fontenot.