Fourth Outfielder Watch: Jermaine Dye and Xavier Nady are the Top Choices
We’re getting very close to anointing this an obsessive watch, people. The only thing holding it back is that the acquisition of a fourth outfielder doesn’t have quite the same cachet as a Jake Peavy or Brian Roberts or a New Owner.
That said, a new report suggests the Chicago Cubs view Jermaine Dye and Xavier Nady as options 1 and 1A for the fourth outfielder spot, with only the latter being realistic at this point.
The Cubs have interest in former White Sox outfielder Jermaine Dye, but he probably wants more money than he would have on the North Side.
Unless Dye’s demands come down, one source said the Cubs’ top choice among free agent outfielders would be Xavier Nady. Scott Boras, the agent for Nady, told FOXSports.com in an email last week that the right-handed hitter is “on schedule to be ready in spring training,” following the second Tommy John elbow surgery of his career. FOX Sports on MSN.
Dye, because of his name-power if not his actual power, always did seem like a particularly aggressive choice for a fourth outfielder. Still, if he comes at the same price as all the other options, no one would complain if the Cubs landed him. Nady is probably still poking around for a gig with a little more starting possibility, but if he settles for a fourth outfielder role, he’ll be hard pressed to find one with more starts available than with the Cubs. Presumably he would start in right field against all lefties, and would spell Alfonso Soriano in left field with regularity.
This report, of course, stands in stark contrast to this weekend’s report from Dave Kaplan that the Cubs’ first choice is Johnny Gomes, with whom they’ve been negotiating. Frankly, any of the three options is pretty darn good for a fourth outfielder. Other options include Rocco Baldelli and former Cub Reed Johnson.
The same article notes that the Cubs would like to upgrade at second base, having considered Orlando Hudson and Adam Kennedy (he’s an upgrade?), but it - like signing Ben Sheets - is not a priority right now.
ShareCarlos Zambrano Would Accept a Trade to the White Sox?
Last week, when rumors of a possible Carlos Zambrano trade bubbled over, Chicago Cubs general manager Jim Hendry came forward with his rebuttal: it wasn’t happening. No, not because the Cubs love Zambrano and would never trade him (I still can’t get over the fact that Hendry did not say this); instead, Hendry’s reason? Zambrano has a no-trade clause.
Fair enough, I suppose, as all indications are that Zambrano would invoke that no-trade clause if the Cubs attempted to trade him just about anywhere. Anywhere except… Chicago?
[Zambrano] would invoke his no-trade clause unless it would be to the White Sox, because he wants to stay in Chicago. Baseball Prospectus.
Um, hello. Carlos Zambrano does have a good relationship with White Sox skipper and fellow crazy guy Ozzie Guillen, and perhaps he loves Chicago so much that it’s the only place he’d ever go. That said, it’s hard to imagine Zambrano being too crazy about going to the American League - I don’t think there’s a pitcher in baseball who enjoys batting as much as he does.
Also, there’s probably not too much to get antsy about here anyway: the same BP report noted that the White Sox would be unlikely to actually try and make a move for Zambrano after acquiring Jake Peavy last year.
h/t CCO.
ShareMerry Christmas, You Filthy Animals
‘Twas the day before Christmas, and all through the blog, not a rumor was stirring, not even one about freaking Jake Peavy or Brian Roberts.
The stockings were hung by the center field ivy with care, in the hopes that Curtis Granderson Mike Cameron Coco Crisp any-freaking-body soon would be there.
Ok, that’s all I got. Merry Christmas, friends. You can expect limited posting for the rest of the day and tomorrow. Obviously, if news breaks, we’ll have it here, but I’m not likely to finishing penning that scintillating Cubs Caravan piece until Sunday or so.
In the interim, enjoy some Cubs holiday parody news pieces - written by yours truly in another life - from the Cubs Brickyard.
Randy Wells Concerned to Learn that Carlos Zambrano is His Secret Santa
Lou Piniella: Ghosts of Christmas Past and Present OK, Ghost of Christmas Future “Kind of a dick”
Pie and Soriano on Surprise Christmas Party Makeout Session: “It was the Mistletoe!”
Jim Hendry Asks for Jake Peavy for Christmas - Result is Humorous, Disastrous
New Children’s Book “Where’s Soriano” Not Exactly This Year’s Tickle Me Elmo
ShareObsessive Curtis Granderson Watch: Cubs Are “Absolutely” Interested
Well, it’s that time, friends. You were there when it was Jake Peavy. You were there when it was (OMG) Brian Roberts. You were there for the only successful one of these - the new owner. And you’re still here for Milton Bradley.
Yes. It’s another obsessive watch. This time, it’s Detroit Tigers center fielder Curtis Granderson. I want him. You want him. And thankfully, the Cubs want him. Depending on how frequent the rumors, this may very well become an “OMGranderson Watch.”
A source close to the Cubs said Friday that general manager Jim Hendry “absolutely” is interested in offering a prospect-heavy package of players if Tigers GM Dave Dombrowski decides to trade the 28-year-old Illinois-Chicago product.
According to the source, Hendry and Dombrowski spoke about Granderson and other Tigers players during the GM meetings earlier in the week at the O’Hare Hilton. The question the Cubs and others are asking is whether the Tigers’ economic difficulties are severe enough that Dombrowski would trade a top young talent such as Granderson.
In the 48 hours after the Granderson rumors first surfaced, Dombrowski did little to discourage that idea.
“I feel very comfortable in saying there are generally a lot of conversations at these meetings, and this year there were really a lot,” Dombrowski told the Detroit News. …
A Cubs offer could be built around 19-year-old shortstop Starlin Castro, who is emerging as one of the top prospects in the minors. Third baseman Josh Vitters, 19-year-old Korean shortstop Hak-Ju Lee and minor league pitching from a group including Andrew Cashner, Jay Jackson and Chris Carpenter also could be part of deal.
A Cubs source suggests a Granderson offer also could include low-priced veterans whom the Tigers either could keep or move elsewhere. Those players include Jake Fox, Micah Hoffpauir, Tom Gorzelanny, Aaron Heilman, Mike Fontenot and Aaron Miles. chicagotribune.com.
Wow! Curtis Granderson for Aaron Miles, Aaron Heilman and Mike Fontenot! It’s practically a done deal!
Buuuut seriously. Although the price for Granderson would no doubt be steep, the fact that Rogers throws out the top five Cubs prospects indicates to me that he did not put much thought into it, nor did he have confirmation from the Cubs or Tigers that these are actually the prospects on the table. One from that particular list? Probably. Multiple? Probably not. The good news is that the Cubs finally have the kind of organizational depth necessary to part with a tip top prospect, and then a few very good prospects.
And not that you were worried, but I can’t fathom the Cubs trading Tom Gorzelanny while Ted Lilly is hurt and the number 5 spot in the rotation is currently a massless, shapeless void.
ShareObsessive Bradley Trade Watch: Exit the Padres?
Last week, San Diego Padres General Manager Kevin Towers said that they had enjoyed having Milton Bradley on their team, and all but said that if he’s traded, they’d be happy to take him back.
All of Cubs fandom was aglow with happiness, relief, and delight.
And then this weekend, Kevin Towers got the boot as the Padres’ GM.
“The organization is indebted to Kevin for not only the 14 years he served as general manager, but for the fact that the club is well-positioned to go forward into the future,” Moorad told the Union-Tribune in an exclusive interview before Friday night’s game at Petco Park. “I think we need to build a better baseball operations department, better skilled at the areas we’re committed to going forward.
“I admire (Towers’) skills very much and respect his relationships that exist around the game. But I think over the next period of time, our focus is on more of a strategic approach to drafting and development that has a chance to compete in the division year-in and year-out.”
Three weeks ago, in a conversation Moorad described as “emotional,” the Padres’ chief executive officer informed Towers that the club had decided to explore other options but had not yet reached a definitive decision about the future of its front office. SignOnSanDiego.com.
Replacing the GM does not, of course, necessarily mean the Padres are out as a possible destination for Bradley. But it takes out a guy who wanted Bradley and replaces him with an unknown. Bummer.
That said… um, note the strange statement that Towers was told three weeks ago that he wasn’t going to be back as the GM next year. And yet, just last week, he was out in the media making statements about the direction of the club and upcoming player personnel moves. Either the conversation Moorad and Towers had was a bit obtuse, or Towers just can’t help himself when it comes to jawing to the media.
Given his behavior this past offseason with respect to moving Jake Peavy, I’m guessing it’s the latter. So maybe the Padres were never a possible destination to begin with.
ShareOk, So This Carlos Zambrano for Jake Peavy Thing Isn’t Serious, Is It?
A couple of weeks ago, there was a (ridiculous) suggestion in the local media that perhaps the Chicago Cubs should explore a trade with the cross-town White Sox, swapping big contract righty Carlos Zambrano for big contract right Jake Peavy. For a number of reasons, the trade makes no sense.
But that doesn’t mean there might not be something there.
Some baseball people believe the White Sox could have interest in the Cubs’ Carlos Zambrano, possibly even for the newly acquired Jake Peavy. It would be a way for two teams without much money to spend to shake things up, but wouldn’t Peavy have more value than Zambrano at this point? chicagotribune.com.
To the latter question: no, of course not. Peavy’s career has been a constant vacillation between unbelievable and mediocre. His career ERA+, 119, is well below Zambrano’s 127. And Zambrano isn’t coming off a nearly four-month ankle injury.
To the former point: is it really worth a move like this simply to “shake things up”?
ShareObsessive Bradley Trade Watch: To the Giants for Aaron Rowand?
Yes, it’s time for another obsessive watch. Harden’s shoulder largely held up this year, the Cubs’ new owner is all but in place, and Jake Peavy ended up on the other side of town.
So let’s obsess about something we’ve already obsessed about for months: Milton Bradley. As the Cubs just finished a four-game set with the Giants, it is appropriate to speculate: might they be interested in Bradley? And might they be interested in dumping an equally unattractive contract like, say, Aaron Rowand?
[B]oth GMs are motivated sellers, and a Rowand-Bradley deal would not be out of the realm of possibility. Rowand has three years and $36 million left on his contract, while Bradley has $21 million and two years left on his deal. Obviously more players would have to be involved, unless the Giants were willing to pay around half of the $15 million difference in the contracts.
Rowand hit .309 with 27 home runs and 89 RBIs with Philadelphia in 2007, so it’s hard to believe he’s cooked already. But it’s a bad fit for him in spacious AT&T Park, and Rowand could be revived in his favorite city, perhaps even reunited with his old friend, Reed Johnson, who is a free agent.
It’s just one of many scenarios that will be speculated about as the Bradley Watch moves into high gear after the season next week. Hardball.
Calling things “___ Watch,” are we now, Paul Sullivan? I see how it is.
Rowand is a solid defensive outfielder, but one whose offensive prowess always seemed a mirage to me. That 2007 season, which Sullivan cites as proof that Rowand still has some top level offensive ability, seems more of an anomaly than anything else. It came during a five-year stretch where Rowand never topped .750 in the OPS department, except that 2007 season.
Worse, he played his home games at a very hitter friendly park in Philadelphia that year, and predictably, his numbers were much better at home than on the road.
If you held a gun to my head and forced me to choose between these two guys and their contracts, I think I might just see how fast I could run. Or see if my karate lessons are paying off. I’m a maroon belt.
ShareTrade Rumor: Carlos Zambrano for Jake Peavy?
There isn’t a whole lot of meat on this rumor - well, ok, there’s no real meat on it - but MLBTradeRumors is reporting that Baseball Prospectus says some folks in Chicago believe a Jake Peavy for Carlos Zambrano trade could be in the works.
It has already been widely reported that the Cubs are expected to shop Zambrano this winter.
It would seem strange for the White Sox to deal Peavy immediately after acquiring him, especially if he’s healthy. And it would seem strange for the Cubs to deal Zambrano straight up for another hard-throwing right-handed pitcher.
Zambrano has three years at about $18 million per left on his deal (with a vesting option as a possible fourth year - if he’s in the top two of the Cy Young vote in 2011, or in the top four in 2012), whereas Peavy also has three years left on his deal at an average of $16 million per. He’s also got a 2013 option, but it’s a club option ($22 million (ha) or a $4 million buyout). So the difference in deals between the two is almost nothing.
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