Adam Dunn Loves the Chicago Cubs
After trading Derrek Lee, the Chicago Cubs opened up a substantial void at first base – a void, though, that was likely to be opened after the season anyway. Lee is a free agent after this season, and the Cubs, who’d rebuffed Lee’s attempts to discuss an extension, seemed eager to explore alternatives for 2011.
One such alternative is playing on the other side of the diamond this week: National’s first baseman, Adam Dunn. Dunn, also a free agent after this season, has been discussing an extension with the Nationals with little progress to show for it. Would Dunn consider coming to the Cubs?
”It’s a great place to play,” said Dunn, who’s an old Cincinnati teammate and friend of Cubs clubhouse leader Ryan Dempster and who also has developed a rapport, if not a budding relationship, with Hendry.
”I know Jim from my Cincinnati days,” he said. ”We hit it off. He’s one of my favorites. And I hear nothing but great things about him.”
If nothing else, it sounds like a pretty good fit.
”Hopefully,” Dunn said, catching himself to reiterate his ongoing talks with the Nats. ”You never know.” CHICAGO SUN-TIMES.
Three quick thoughts:
1.) Obviously this is mega early. The Cubs wouldn’t actually be able to start pursuing Dunn until a couple weeks after the World Series.
2.) Dunn made some overtures toward the Cubs in 2008 regarding the team’s opening in right field before the Cubs chose, sigh, Milton Bradley. The Cubs were not interested at that time, though that could simply be because they didn’t feel he could handle right field. First base might be another story.
3.) Guys with Dunn’s skill set – big, hulking dudes, who are low on athleticism but big on power – do not generally tend to age well. Adam Dunn is not old, but he is now on the north side of 30.
Zambranogate: Carlos Zambrano to Start “Treatment” on Wednesday
The Chicago Cubs will be permitted to place Carlos Zambrano on the restricted list beginning tomorrow, and Zambrano will be starting “treatment” on Wednesday according to Carrie Muskat.
Jeff Stevens is expected to be called back up from AAA Iowa to take Zambrano’s roster spot. No word yet on how long Zambrano’s suspension will be or what exactly his “treatment” will be. I’m going to guess it’s going to be less intensive than Milton Bradley therapy, but slightly more intensive than herpes topical.
If Zambrano really does need therapy, I feel slightly worse for creating pictures like this (however appropriate they may be):
Carlos Zambrano Has Lost It
He’s lost it, and he’s been suspended indefinitely by the Cubs.
If you missed today’s Cubs/White Sox game, you missed some serious Carlos Zambrano related drama. Here’s a recap, and the money quotes:
Zambrano had to be separated from teammate Derrek Lee in the visitors’ dugout after surrendering four runs to the Chicago White Sox in the bottom of the first inning at U.S. Cellular Field.
It was unclear what upset Zambrano, but his frustration was directed at Lee. The two were face to face before manager Lou Piniella and others intervened. Zambrano also walked up and down the dugout shouting and knocked over a Gatorade cooler before Piniella told him to go home.
“His conduct wasn’t acceptable,” Cubs general manager Jim Hendry said. “His actions toward his teammates and staff were not acceptable.
“He will not be at the ballpark tomorrow. We’ll play with 24. We’ll play with 24 before we tolerate that kind of behavior.”
Asked if there was any doubt in his mind that Zambrano would pitch again for the Cubs this year, Hendry said he “certainly wouldn’t rule it out” and added “the rules of the game usually don’t allow long, long-term suspensions.”
Zambrano is in the middle of a $91.5 million, 5-year contract extension he signed in August 2007, and Hendry said he doesn’t think his behavior could nullify the deal.
“It becomes a bit of a tired act,” Hendry said. “People think that he hasn’t been spoken to by Lou and his staff or the general manager before. Things are sometimes construed as being let go or let slide by — that’s certainly not true. You have every right to say it like that, that it’s a recurring situation. And every time it recurs, it is a little bit more disappointing.”
Tom Gorzelanny replaced Zambrano in the top of the second, and the Sox went on to win 6-0 for their 10th straight victory.
“He was ranting and raving and out of control,” Piniella said. “We just couldn’t tolerate that. It was embarrassing. There’s no excuse for this, none at all.”
Piniella said he would support Hendry’s decision.
“It’s a serious matter,” Piniella said. “There’s no need for this, none at all. I’m embarrassed. Carlos should be embarrassed.” ESPN Chicago.
When the General Manager and Manager are immediately coming out with statements like this, you know things are not good. Indeed, their statements suggest that things haven’t been good for a while.
Frankly, if you didn’t catch a name, and it was 2009, you’d swear they were talking about Milton Bradley. There will be plenty to discuss about this in the days to come.
Laughing Because It Isn’t the Cubs: Actually, Milton Bradley is Making it Hard to Laugh
Early yesterday, it was very easy to laugh at the travails of Milton Bradley and the eternally hopeful Seattle Mariner fans.
Bradley, who is plodding through another disappointing season on the field, was 0-3 with two strikeouts on Tuesday when he decided it was time to pull a Bradley. According to reports, Bradley began jawing at the home plate umpire from the bench, and, when he was told by Seattle manager Don Wakamatsu to stop, Bradley decided instead to leave. That’s right, he simply left the ballpark. In the sixth inning.
But by late in the day, the laughter became more uncomfortable, with a spiteful edge (I’m not saying I stopped laughing). That’s when it was reported that Bradley had set up a meeting with Wakamatsu and general manager Jack Zduriencik to tell them simply, “I need help.”
Bradley reportedly told the two that he had seen this moment coming for a long time, and that his personal issues were interfering with his performance. It is unknown how long he’ll be out of the Seattle lineup or what kind of help he’ll be getting, but Milton is right: it was a long time coming.
As Cubs fans, we likely experience a series of reactions. First, we see this as a defense of the city of Chicago and the fans of the Chicago Cubs. Ultimately, the problem for Milton Bradley was not Chicago. The problem for Milton Bradley – as it has always been – was Milton Bradley.
There is some measure of validation in seeing Bradley disintegrate in Seattle just as spectacularly as he did in Chicago. There is some measure of schadenfreude.
Any perverse joy we feel in seeing him fail in the way only Bradley can fail is tempered by the reminder that this is simply a troubled, troubled guy. He didn’t come to Chicago to screw the Cubs. He didn’t sign a $30 million deal to inconvenience you. I have no doubt that he bought his changed-man persona just as we did.
I don’t know Milton Bradley. I know only the slices of him that he allows me to see publicly – but those slices suggest a man who needs help. So, to his credit, he’s now allowing himself to see that he needs help.
I guess we just wish he’d seen it before he came to the Cubs. Heck, I wish Jim Hendry had seen it, too.
Joel Sherman: Carlos Silva to the Dodgers for George Sherrill?
With a theoretical surplus of starting pitchers, and an actual need for a late-inning reliever, rumors about Chicago Cubs trades were bound to start swirling. And Joel Sherman of the New York Post offers a doozy, but one that mostly emanates from the penumbras of his mind – and not any concrete source. The thrust? Sending Carlos Silva to the Dodgers for reliever George Sherrill.
Carlos Silva (2-0, 0.95) is among the few Cubs bright spots, especially considering that Chicago flipped headache Milton Bradley (another terrible Cubs contract) for him. The Dodgers desperately need, at the least, an innings-eating starter or else their woeful rotation severely jeopardizes the chance to three-peat as NL West champs.
Key Dodgers relievers Hong-Chih Kuo and Ronald Belisario recently came off the DL, which makes George Sherrill more expendable. He makes $4.5 million in 2010 and utilityman Jamey Carroll makes $1.55 million. Put them together and you have the $6 million the Cubs are paying Silva (Seattle is picking up $3.5 million of Silva’s pact this year and $5.5 million next season). As a free agent signed last offseason, Carroll must give permission to be traded before June 1.
The dollars are a wash, which is vital for the Dodgers, who are in penny-pinching mode with their owners in divorce proceedings. Los Angeles would be obligated to $8 million next year on Silva, but that would be almost totally negated by the $2.3 million owed Carroll in 2011 plus not re-signing Vicente Padilla, who is making $5.025 million this year.
The Cubs get Sherrill’s closer pedigree and, by dealing Silva, reopen the rotation spot for Zambrano. The Dodgers get a workhorse-type starter to aid a rotation that had a 5.14 ERA and five of 15 starts go fewer than five innings.
Of course, Sherman offers no reason for why the Cubs would have any interest at all in Carroll, and incredibly light-hitting utility infielder. In fact, it appears as though Sherman considered only Carroll’s salary, and the fact that Dodgers would like to be rid of him.
As for Sherrill, the Cubs would likely be interested, though they would obviously prefer to pick up a right-handed set-up pitcher. Sherrill has struggled mightily thus far in 2010, but he was insanely good in 2009 (1.70 ERA and 1.116 WHIP in time spent between Baltimore and Los Angeles).
Ultimately, while this may be the kind of deal the Cubs consider, they would almost certainly not consider this one.
Carlos Silva in 2010: Lucky or Good?
When the Chicago Cubs dumped Milton Bradley on the Seattle Mariners, the trade was assuredly about saving some cash. The fact that the Mariners required the Cubs to take back some pitcher in the deal generally didn’t merit comment (except the requisite “Carlos Silva? But that guy sucks!”).
Now, it merits comment.
Together with Tom Gorzelanny, the back-end of the rotation fill-ins have, for the duration of this yet short season, been a bright spot on the club. So much so that, when Ted Lilly returned from injury, manager Lou Piniella preferred to do the unthinkable – bump Carlos Zambrano to the bullpen – than move either Gorzelanny or Silva. To date, Silva has started three games, all of them quality, and he’s put up a 0.95 ERA and a paper thin 0.632 WHIP.
But for all of Silva’s 2010 success thus far, aren’t we simply being fooled? It’s just three starts, after all, and this is a guy who was the worst starting pitcher in all of baseball from 2008 to 2009. If only there were some simple, back-of-the hand calculation that an admitted non-statistician could perform to give us a rough sense of whether Silva’s success this year has been the product of a Larry Rothschild-induced set of mechanical adjustments or merely a statistical fluke.
If only. (Here’s where the triumphant music kicks up – I’m thinking a trendy remix of We Are the Champions and Umbrella. Don’t judge.) For your consideration:
Carlos Silva had 6 starts in 2009, 1 of which was a “quality start” (three or fewer earned runs in six or more innings). In 2008, he had 28 starts, 10 of which were quality. Together, that’s a 32.35% chance in the last two years that when Silva took the mound, he’d throw a quality start. So what does that say about his 3 for 3 start to the 2010 season?
Well, if he were the same pitcher today that he was in 2008-2009, the odds that he would string together 3 consecutive quality starts are not good. Simple math here: .3235 times .3235 times .3235 yields a mere 3.38% chance that the Carlos Silva of 2008-2009 could put together three consecutive quality starts.
That suggests that his start to the 2010 season has not been luck. It suggests, instead, that this is not the same Carlos Silva. The calculation is conservative, too: Silva’s starts this year haven’t been merely “quality,” they’ve been above and beyond. Thus, the odds are long that Silva is simply a luckier pitcher than he was in 2008-09. The odds are long that his back-to-back-to-back excellent starts do not say anything about actual improvement in Silva this year.
Then again, when it comes to the Chicago Cubs, no odds of suck are too long.
Sigh: Carlos Silva is Getting My Hopes Up
When the Chicago Cubs dumped Milton Bradley for Carlos Silva in December, the reaction from fans was universal: sigh. This is the best they could do? Really? Really??
Silva had just struggled through what could very literally be the worst two seasons a pitcher could have and remain in Major League Baseball. Expectations were low. And then Silva showed up to Spring camp out of shape. Expectations were even lower.
And then Silva did something even worse: he pitched well.
“You can learn from a lot of people,” Silva said. “You have [Ryan] Dempster, you can learn from Ted Lilly. You have Marlon [Byrd]. I’ve known him for a long time. We were talking about the way I used to pitch before. [Byrd] said, ‘I want to see you do stuff like what I used to see.’”
The Cubs weren’t sure what to expect when they traded Milton Bradley for Silva last December. Will he be the pitcher who won 14 games with the Twins or the one who struggled the last two seasons?
“I don’t want to say I’m surprised,” Silva said. “This is what I’ve been working for. I’ve been taking this spring very seriously. I even asked [Esmailin] Caridad how he threw his slider. That’s what I’m looking for — I want to learn from everybody. I play catch with Carlos [Zambrano] every day and I ask him a million questions. I’m not surprised. I’ve been working very hard.”
He wrapped up his spring on Thursday, throwing five scoreless innings against the Rockies. In his six starts, Silva gave up nine earned runs on 27 hits and two walks over 21 1/3 innings. And six of those runs came in his first start March 6 against the White Sox.
“We recognize early in camp, even when we were at Fitch Park [before games started], that he was throwing the ball nice and free and easy,” Lou Piniella said. “Larry [Rothschild, pitching coach] and I talked about making a couple adjustments and you can’t pitch any better than he’s pitched here in spring Training.” Muskat Ramblings.
Let’s be clear on one thing up front: even at his best, Carlos Silva was never an ace. But if – IF – he throws like he did in his best years in Minnesota, he could be an excellent back-end starter for the Cubs.
And therein lies the rub: Silva’s performance and attitude are getting me excited, which kind of pisses me off. I was all too eager to chuck this guy out with the dirty, nasty bath water. But now, he’s started to elevate my hopes. We’ve all been burned like this before, so you’d think my defense mechanisms against dangerous hope would be better attuned.
But alas, here I am. Hoping that maybe Silva will be acceptable. Don’t get me started on good.
Just a Little More Milton Bradley
Each time I post a story on Milton Bradley, I sincerely believe that it will be the last one – at least for a long while.
But then newsworthy tidbits keep popping up.
Milton Bradley wasn’t in the Mariners’ lineup for Sunday’s game against the Cubs and when approached by Chicago reporters, the outfielder declined to talk.
“No chance,” Bradley said. “You guys ran me out of town.”
Bradley and Marlon Byrd were teammates in Texas, and when Byrd signed with the Cubs, Bradley called to tell him to “do what I couldn’t do there.” …
What drives Bradley?
“Being great,” Byrd said. “He’s a perfectionist. Sometimes when he doesn’t reach that, he’s very tough on himself. I think a lot of guys in baseball are like that.”
And Bradley has a different personality with his teammates.
“He’s a great teammate,” Byrd said. “I had one year with him. Everybody knows how he was in Texas. We had a great time and no run-ins, no nothing. It can happen with him. With [Ken] Griffey and Chone Figgins and those guys over there in Seattle, he’ll be fine.”
Obviously, there aren’t many media people on Bradley’s holiday card list.
“You have to approach Milton,” Byrd said. “You have to make sure every single day you talk to him and ask him how he’s doing. My locker was right next to him. Every game on the road, we were eating lunch. My relationship was a little different than everybody else’s. As a teammate, as a guy, you have to go up to him every day, ‘Hey, Milton, how are you doing?’” Muskat Ramblings.
Nothing quite like having to coddle a guy that probably wants to tear your face off (and eat/wear it). On the plus side, Marlon Byrd sounds like a hell of a nice guy and teammate.
On a related note, the Mariners recently announced that Bradley would be their cleanup hitter this year. That’s right. Bradley will be expected to be a run-producing, power hitter in the Mariner lineup – the very thing that he recently railed against the Chicago Cubs for doing to him. I sure hope he can survive under the weight of such unreasonable expectations – lest the good people of Seattle run him out of town.
