Remember Joel Guzman?
Filed under: Cubs Minor Leagues and Prospects, MLB News and Rumors
There was a time when a kid named Joel Guzman was basically the top infield prospect in all of baseball. He was 19, 20 years old, and he had the world laid out before him. Guzman was a lock to man shortstop or third base for the Dodgers for years to come.
And then, well, he just kind of stopped being awesome. A year later, he was marginalized, traded to the Rays, and hasn’t been heard from since. Until now, when he signed a minor league deal - sans Spring Training invite - with the Baltimore Orioles.
The Orioles have signed corner infielder/outfielder Joel Guzman, once one of baseball’s top prospects, to a minor league deal. He will not receive an invite to major league camp.
The former Los Angeles Dodgers’ ballyhooed prospect was dealt to Tampa Bay Devil Rays in 2006 as part of the Julio Lugo, trade-deadline deal.
He was with the Washington Nationals organization last year, batting a combined .268 with 12 homers at Double-A and Triple-A. Guzman, 25, batted .232 in 24 big league games with the Dodgers and Devil Rays. baltimoresun.com.
Why am I bringing this up?
I love the idea that Starlin Castro is the future for the Chicago Cubs at shortstop. I really do. He’s clearly got all the skills, but he still has to actually develop into the player we’re all projecting him to be. A lot can happen along that road.
And when folks talk about refusing to trade Starlin Castro in any deal, I would just ask: remember Joel Guzman.
ShareNo Joe Nelson for the Cubs
Free agent reliever Joe Nelson has signed a minor league deal with the Boston Red Sox, effectively taking him off the Chicago Cubs’ radar, if he was ever on it to begin with.
The Red Sox reached agreement with veteran reliever Joe Nelson on a Minor League deal with an invitation to Spring Training on Monday, the 35-year-old right-hander confirmed to MLB.com.
After a solid bounceback year for the Marlins in 2008 — when he sported a 2.00 ERA in 54 innings — Nelson struggled with the Rays this past season, posting a 4.02 ERA in 42 relief appearances before spending August and September in the Minor Leagues.
In 2009, Nelson sported an 8.53 ERA in May, but an ERA no higher than 3.00 in April, June or July.
For his five-year career, Nelson is 7-2 with a 4.07 ERA.
As of now, Jonathan Papelbon, Hideki Okajima, Daniel Bard, Manny Delcarmen and Ramon Ramirez (the one who posted a 2.84 ERA in 70 games for the Red Sox last season) look to have solidified spots in Boston’s bullpen. redsox.com.
Nelson was recently quoted as saying he really wanted to come to the Cubs, and given that he accepted a minor league deal on a team with a relatively crowded bullpen, we can surmise that the Cubs never made him an offer.
ShareReliever Joe Nelson Wants to Be a Chicago Cub
The Chicago Cubs continue to look for a reliever, but maybe they should just let the reliever come to them.
Free-agent pitcher Joe Nelson, who has made 101 appearances over the past two seasons, has expressed an interest in the Cubs.
Nelson, 35, is seeking an opportunity to be a late-inning reliever and help a young staff.
Nelson had a 2.86 ERA with Florida and Tampa Bay in 2008-09. He has allowed only 74 hits in 94 innings while striking out 96. His best season was in 2008, when he posted a 2.00 ERA in 59 appearances with the Marlins. He also has pitched for the Braves, Red Sox and Royals. Chicago Breaking Sports.
Nelson has had a bizarre professional career, having not really broken through until age 33 with the Marlins. He pitched in the bigs in 2001, 2004, and 2006 with an assortment of teams, with long minor league stints in between, before having a dominating year in 2008 for the Marlins. He was good, but not great, last year for the Rays. Given his erratic career, he’s unlikely to get a big money deal - just a one-year, small money deal. It might not even be a big league contract.
And by the way: could there be a guy who better proves that middle relievers are a total crapshoot?
ShareCubs Reportedly Prefer Chan Ho Park to Kiko Calero
Late last week, the Chicago Cubs reportedly entered negotiations with reliever Kiko Calero to fill the “need” for another right-handed, late-inning reliever. For whatever reason, those talks have cooled - with some speculating that Calero is holding out for a two-year deal, and the Cubs wisely sticking to a one-year offer, given Calero’s shoulder issues.
In the meantime, the Cubs have apparently started looking elsewhere, and their gaze has landed firmly on Chan Ho Park, according to Jon Heyman. Together with the Tampa Bay Rays, the Cubs are looking at Park for a bullpen spot following his successful - if not great - stint in Philadelphia last year. Park, who will be 37 next year, has had a roller coaster career - in his younger days, he was a successful starter before falling off the map. He reclaimed his career in 2008, putting together a great season for the Dodgers.
Park has started and pitched out of the pen the past two years, so the Cubs could be viewing him as another possibility to compete for a spot at the back end of the rotation. If the Cubs land him, hopefully it’s just for the pen: Park was dominant as a reliever last year for the Phillies, but as a starter, he couldn’t keep his ERA under 7.
At the outset of the offseason, Park turned down a $3 million offer from the Phillies, so one has to wonder what he’s expecting to get now. Presumably he would prefer more than one year, and probably more than $3 million per, but he’s highly unlikely to get both of those desires satisfied. At a minimum, let’s hope he doesn’t get them satisfied from the Cubs. Assuming he’s re-thought his previously rejection, a one year $3 million deal would be just fine.
ShareFourth Outfielder Watch: Cubs Looking at Rocco Baldelli
It’s almost an obsessive watch, but we’re not quite there yet.
Among the candidates for the Chicago Cubs’ fourth outfielder job is former Tampa Bay Ray prospect Rocco Baldelli according to the St. Petersburg Times. Baldelli, 28, was a breakout star as a young man in Tampa (though he was somewhat overhyped because of his young age), but has battled a myriad of injuries since turning 24, not the least of which was an elbow problem that resulted in Tommy John surgery.
He was an adequate reserve outfielder last year for the Boston Red Sox, putting up a .253/.311/.433 line. He can truly play all over the outfield, and still has a lingering bit of upside. That probably makes him something of a fall-back for the Cubs, together with Xavier Nady, from their current primary target, Jermaine Dye. Other rumored names have included Ryan Spilborghs and recently-departed Cub, Reed Johnson.
ShareNew Centerfield Names Emerging: Damon, Ellsbury, Perez
The Chicago Cubs continue to search for a new center fielder following the unceremonious dumping of Milton Bradley a few weeks ago. The most likely candidates come from the ugly free agent market, and include Marlon Byrd, Rick Ankiel and Scott Podsednik.
Thankfully, the Cubs recognize how unattractive those options are, and they’ve begun exploring alternatives - one if by free agency and two if by trade.
Probably the most intriguing new option, ESPN has suggested that if the Boston Red Sox re-sign Jason Bay or alternatively sign Matt Holiday, they may make Jacoby Ellsbury available. If that happens, the Cubs are expected to make a strong push for the young center fielder. Ellsbury is, of course, wildly overrated because he plays in Boston and because he had a tremendous 30-game stretch in his first big league taste at the end of 2007. In his two full ML seasons, he’s actually not hit particularly well. Last year would be fine as far as the Cubs are concerned, though - as he hit .301, had a .355 OBP, and stole 70 bases.
Perhaps even better, Ellsbury is considered one of the best defensive center fielders in the game, having been named the defensive player of the year by MLB.com this year. NESN has an interesting article about Ellsbury’s defense - specifically, criticizing defensive metrics as inadequately evaluating his true ability.
Ellsbury is under control for four more years - he’s not eligible for arbitration the first time until after 2010. Thus, he’s cheap, making him all the more valuable. The real question, then, is what would the price be? The short answer is high. Likely not as high as what the Tigers were seeking for Curtis Granderson, but some of the top names in the Cubs’ system will have to be considered. The other two new options, after the jump.
ShareA Far Better Bradley Trade That Never Was
It may shock you, but trading Milton Bradley for “pitcher” Carlos Silva was not the Chicago Cubs’ idea of the perfect trade. The Cubs actually almost participated in a four-team blockbuster (well, inasmuch as a whole bunch of salary dumps can constitute a “blockbuster”), which would have seen them land Pat Burrell and Luis Castillo.
According to ESPN’s Jayson Stark, a four-team trade involving Milton Bradley, Pat Burrell, Luis Castillo, and Gary Matthews Jr. fell apart at the winter meetings for an undisclosed reason.
According to a source, the deal would have sent Bradley to the Rays, Burrell and Castillo to the Cubs, and Matthews Jr. to the Mets. Burrell would have then been spun off elsewhere. No word on what the Halos would have received, though getting rid of Sarge Jr. and presumably at least part of his contract would have been a win. MLBTradeRumors.com.
Odds are, the deal was never particularly close to being completed. With this many overpaid players and this many teams involved, it’s highly likely they never got close on the money.
Still, how much sunnier would things look today if Milton Bradley was gone, Luis Castillo was penciled in at second base, and Obsessive Pat Burrell Trade Watch was kicking off?
ShareObsessive Bradley Trade Watch: Cubs Doing Great Job of Keeping Things Under Hat - Not
Remember when people used to say “not”? That was sweet.
So, if you were trying to sell your car, there were only a few potential buyers for the car, what are some strategies to get the best price? Extol the virtues of your car, while downplaying the negatives? Sure. Drive it around and show people how happy you are with the car? Check. Tell everyone in the world that you absolutely have to sell the car and there’s no way in hell you’ll be driving the car again next year? Um…
I fear that the Chicago Cubs haven’t sold too many cars, let alone a lemon.
Everyone affiliated with the Cubs, in any capacity, when asked about the possibility that Milton Bradley could return to the Cubs next year, has the same answer: zero chance. Outside of one lip-service comment by Jim Hendry a month ago that Bradley is “on the roster,” every message coming from the Cubs clearly and unequivocally states that the team must trade Milton Bradley. Here’s Ron Santo saying that Bradley “is going to be moved.” Here’s Jim Hendry telling a crowd of sponsors that they should expect to see Kosuke Fukudome in right field next year, with a new player in center field.
Just a tremendous strategy when you’re trying to squeeze every last dollar out of the three or so teams - the Tampa Bay Rays, the Texas Rangers, and the Seattle Mariners - rumored to still be moderately interested. None of those teams is particularly excited about acquiring Bradley, but the Cubs remain conflictingly steadfast in two propositions: (1) absolutely have to trade Bradley, and (2) aren’t willing to eat a majority of Bradley’s contract.
That’s a rock and a hard place, and they are both of the Cubs’ own making. But geez guys - you don’t have to tell everyone about the rock.
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