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#Post#: 4977--------------------------------------------------
Re: CUBS IN 2012
DIR By: StrikeZone
Date: January 5, 2012, 3:40 pm
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LaHair is a HUGE downgrade at first base.
He'll OPS less than .700 at first base. The dude is a bum.
Barney is a bum.
Stewart is a bum.
DeJesus is fragile and will probably miss about 50 games or
more.
Catcher is a complete unknown.
Byrd is a bum.
Soriano is probably going to be given away for nothing and
replaced with another bum.
Matt Garza will probably be traded for another young league
average or worse pitcher.
The bullpen has been majorly downgraded.
Dempster is a coward.
The rotation is going to be awful if/when Garza goes.
They'll be lucky to get to 60 wins with Starlin Castro and a
bunch of nobodys in the lineup.
They had a shot to upgrade the offense at first base with an
impact bat but have (so far) refused to do so with Prince
Fielder.
#Post#: 4979--------------------------------------------------
Re: CUBS IN 2012
DIR By: Kaylynna23
Date: January 5, 2012, 3:54 pm
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WHEN is it going to be our time to have a good/great year...&
into the post-season?? Seriously, I'm about to give up on it
EVER happening.
#Post#: 4980--------------------------------------------------
Re: CUBS IN 2012
DIR By: blue
Date: January 5, 2012, 4:22 pm
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So much name-calling...
I'm looking at the stats of Lahair and an OPS under .700 doesn't
even remotely fit his history in the minors, as a matter of fact
it would BARELY fit with his playing time with the Mariners, and
that's a limited sample size. I'm not saying the dude is going
to make anyone forget about Pujols or Fielder... Neither of
which will be in the division anymore... But he certainly
doesn't figure to be a liability either. Or a "bum"... Whatever
nomenclature you want to go with. Oh that's right, I used the
word "nomenclature" Now that I look closer, his fielding isn't
much of a downgrade either, statistically anyway.
A little Byrdie (see what I did there?) says that both Byrd and
Soriano may be gone, but most definitely one of them will be,
and Brett Jackson will be starting unless they actually add
another better OFer with more experience in one of those deals,
which isn't likely since neither would net a player better than
Jackson anyway.
If I had to make a prediction, I would say Garza will be staying
put. The Cubs aren't looking to dump him, the just have a set of
standards under which they would be willing to part with him and
are willing to listen to anyone who thinks they can meet them...
Which so far no one has. They are actually pretty stiff
requirements.
They are adding depth and people they will control for while.
What they have right now is a roster that's deeper and a little
bit younger. The deeper part is where I would see improvement.
For example an injury in the rotation would NOT put James
Russell in the rotation. In my mind that makes them improved to
the point of being .500ish but not contenders. The major league
team is improved, the farm system is a little better off and
they will be on a much better trajectory.
It took me a little while to compose that analysis, so this time
I would hope for a more thoughtful response than "HE'S A
BUM!!!1! YARGH!"
#Post#: 4981--------------------------------------------------
Re: CUBS IN 2012
DIR By: StrikeZone
Date: January 5, 2012, 5:36 pm
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Bryan LaHair was in AAA for six years -- SIX.
During that time, anybody could have had him for nothing. That
is not an exaggeration. Every baseball team in the entire
Universe could have signed him for the exact dollar amount of
zero. That includes teams from Mexico, Taiwan, Japan, the
American and National Leagues.
Know how many went after him? Zero.
The dude simply cannot play.
The fantasy that the Cubs somehow "discovered" a 29 year-old
journeyman rotting away in AAA and are going to have better
production than Carlos Pena's 2011 OPS of .819 with a career
minor league roster filler is completely ridiculous and frankly,
insulting.
Also, Bryan LaHair is below average as a fielder, whereas Carlos
Pena is a Gold Glove caliber defender.
Slice it any way you want to but Bryan LaHair is a bum. Bum is
a term that is used to describe baseball players that are not
good and is not a comment on a person's value as a human being.
I doubt that the Cubs will trade both Marlon Byrd and Alfonso
Soriano. Soriano, I could see going if they could find a taker.
I would love for them to trade Marlon Byrd because the dude
can't play every day. Byrd is fine as a bench guy but he's
miscast as a starter and it was a poor idea to sign him to a
three-year deal, but that's Jim Hendry for you. Soriano was
also ill-advised but again, Jim Hendry.
I don't think that Brett Jackson will be thrown to the wolves as
an every day center fielder, which is probably why Theo
re-signed Reed Johnson, who, on this team, is generally useless.
An old, declining skills, redundant outfielder on a team that's
this bad makes no sense. Add to that the fact that they just
traded for a younger, better version of Johnson in Dave Sappelt
and it is even more redundant.
Yes, Johnson had a good year at the plate in 2011 but that was a
huge aberration.
This team is being assembled to lose and lose big. There is no
other way around it.
Depth is one thing but being knee-deep in garbage is another.
They are getting younger. Yippee. Just because a player is
young doesn't mean he's going to be any good. Chris Volstad is
going to provide about the same production as Carlos Zambrano
without the antics and with a whole lot less offense. Travis
Wood will be better than Casey Coleman and James Russell but
perhaps not a whole lot better. His 2011 wasn't encouraging at
all. Will those guys get any better going forward? I doubt it.
Ryan Dempster is being paid like an ace but doesn't pitch like
one and he's getting older and worse. Also, he is gutless. He
constantly walks hitters he should attack and gives up hits to
guys he should retire. The dude is simply terrible and the
sooner he's an ex-Cub the better. I don't care if he's a nice
guy and a comedian, when you are supposed to be a leader of a
pitching staff, be a damn leader and not a clown.
There's been talk about moving Jeff Samardzija into the
rotation, which has been a disaster in the past and I see no
reason to believe that it would turn out any differently. He
finally had a decent year in the bullpen and taking him out of
there would further weaken an already shaky part of the pitching
staff.
They are worse. They are much worse than the team that finished
with 71 wins in 2011. They have lost their two best offensive
players (Aramis Ramirez and Carlos Pena) and have, thus far,
replaced them with two players (Ian Stewart and Bryan LaHair)
that would be lucky to combine to match the homer output of one
of those players. Their starting pitching is probably a wash at
this point. If/when they move Garza, it's way worse. The
bullpen is weakened by the trade of Sean Marshall and loss of
Kerry Wood (at this point).
It's true that the division is weaker. However, the Cubs have
made the choice to not take advantage of the defections and
suspensions that have made the top of the division thinner.
Cincinnati has improved. Pittsburgh should be better as their
young players continue to improve. The Cardinals have done some
tinkering that should help them tread water. Houston is going
to battle the Cubs for last place all season. Milwaukee has the
starting pitching that will help them balance the suspension of
the cheating cheater Ryan Braun, who cheated, herpes or not.
At the end of the year, the Cubs will have around 58-60 wins
unless those young players somehow play out of their heads.
That just ain't happening.
I apologize for the time it took for me to respond. I was
distracted by commenting on a Baby Jesus buttplug on Facebook
and also Cash Cab.
#Post#: 4988--------------------------------------------------
Re: CUBS IN 2012
DIR By: blue
Date: January 6, 2012, 1:13 pm
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Your problem with Anthony Rizzo?
#Post#: 4991--------------------------------------------------
Re: CUBS IN 2012
DIR By: StrikeZone
Date: January 6, 2012, 3:23 pm
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--- Quote from: blue link ---
>
> Your problem with Anthony Rizzo?
>
--- End Quote ---
I have none.
That is a solid acquisition although I do regret the loss of
Andrew Cashner.
However, you do need to give quality to get quality.
Rizzo should start over LaHair at first base since they're
actively trying to lose. I don't have a problem with LaHair
being a backup in that situation.
#Post#: 4992--------------------------------------------------
Re: CUBS IN 2012
DIR By: blue
Date: January 6, 2012, 3:29 pm
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If they are actively trying to lose, shouldn't they start Jeff
Baker over both of them? (Sadly that actually does sound like a
move Quade would have made)
#Post#: 4993--------------------------------------------------
Re: CUBS IN 2012
DIR By: StrikeZone
Date: January 6, 2012, 3:38 pm
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--- Quote from: blue link ---
>
> If they are actively trying to lose, shouldn't they start Jeff
Baker over both of them? (Sadly that actually does sound like a
move Quade would have made)
>
--- End Quote ---
I don't even know if Baker will be on the team come Opening Day.
He's got some trade value as a platoon player at 1B/2B/3B and
even as a corner outfielder. Again, that makes Reed Johnson's
signing curious if they intend to keep Baker.
It also points out how stupid it was to hold onto Baker at last
season's trade deadline.
Once again, Jim Hendry, ladies and gentlemen.
#Post#: 4998--------------------------------------------------
Re: CUBS IN 2012
DIR By: EightyTwo
Date: January 6, 2012, 10:04 pm
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I seem to recall that they had offers to trade Baker but Hendry
decided that the team would be better off keeping him.
#Post#: 4999--------------------------------------------------
Re: CUBS IN 2012
DIR By: StrikeZone
Date: January 6, 2012, 10:57 pm
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--- Quote from: EightyTwo link ---
>
> I seem to recall that they had offers to trade Baker but
Hendry decided that the team would be better off keeping him.
>
--- End Quote ---
--- Quote from: StrikeZone link ---
>
> It also points out how stupid it was to hold onto Baker at
last season's trade deadline.
>
> Once again, Jim Hendry, ladies and gentlemen.
>
--- End Quote ---
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