Cubs arms race

If I were the Padres I would fire Towers today with how bad he handled the peavy situation..... First towers says the train has left town with peavy (To the Braves) then the braves realize thier giving up way too much because they can sign a guy and not need to give up anything ..and then he says were only dealing with the cubs only to see the cubs sign dempster the day after ... and also dosnt want to hear anything from the Yankees....ya big dummy

First Carrie Muskat says the Cubs are still going after Peavy in her "Cubs not done with pitching" article, and now (less than two hours later" she says they are done. No matter what the Cubs do, she will be right. She would make a great politician.

I really think we should, at least, try to go after Jake Peavy. But only for the right price. Let's not forget, he won the Cy Young Award 2 years ago. And he wasn't that bad last year, going 10-11 with a 2.85 ERA, on a last place team. And if we do acquire him for San Diego, we will have the best rotation, not just in the NL but in the whole league.

The only way to get Peavy without sending our whole farm system to the Padres is by making that 3-way deal that the Padres GM is talking about. This is how it's gonna be done:
Cubs get- Jake Peavy (and maybe a minor league player)
Giants get- Derek Lee, Ronny Cedeno
Padres get- Matt Cain, Felix Pie, Kevin Hart

To replace Lee, we won't need to sign any big-name free agent. We have one in Micah Hoffpauir.

And the batting order will go like this:
1. Ryan Theriot (SS)
2. Mike Fontenot (2B)
3. Alfonso Soriano (LF)
4. Aramis Ramirez (3B)
5. Micah Hoffpauir (1B)
6. Mark DeRosa (RF)
7. Geovany Soto (C)
8. Kosuke Fukudome (CF)

The rotation:
1. Jake Peavy
2. Carlos Zambrano
3. Ryan Dempster
4. Rich Harden
5. Ted Lilly

No big changes are needed. Only minor upgrades. Let's not forget, we did win 97 games last year and we're one of the best hitting AND pitching teams in the NL.

What is it about you people trying to run D Lee out of town?? The man hit nearly .300, he's got the best defense at first base any of you have ever seen in a Cubs uniform and he's the only person that hit in the play offs. He makes the lefyt side of the infield look good. Ramirez and Theriot would have a lot more errors if it weren't for Lee. Hoffpauir doesn't have half the glove that Lee does and a good year in the minors doesn't mean anything. We did have the best record in the National league and all we needed was a couple of key hits to get going in the play offs. It will come but not without Derek Lee

I agree with everything that darylirvin is saying except getting rid of Derek Lee. Getting rid of Lee would be one of the stupidest moves of the offseason. Lee has proven he can hit solidly and is very reliable defensively. I like Hoffpauir but he really hasn't proven much yet. They can't just get rid of Lee and leave the whole season up to Hoffpauir I just don't think he is ready. I wouldn't mind if they tried Hoffpauir in Right though, but first base is way to important of a position.

THANK YOU gruff4!!!!!!!!!! I thought I was the only person that thought getting rid of D Lee would be stupid.

cubbyfanintx that has to be the worst batting order in baseball i would def no want theriot, *** u, fontenot, micah in one batting order nothing agaisnt theriot and fontenot just wouldn't be good. we need to upgrade not down grade.

No, you're not the only one who thinks getting rid of Lee would be a mistake, his defense alone would make him too valuable, plus his offense will rebound, I'm sure.

Here's my ideal starting 8, assuming no new names are added...(Names in parentheses are people I'd like to see added):

Johnson/Hoffpauer - RF
Fukudome - CF
Lee - 1B
Soriano - LF
Ramirez - 3B
DeRosa - 2B (Brian Roberts)
Theriot - SS
Soto - C

Rotation: Zambrano, Harden, Lilly, Dempster, Hill (Peavy, R. Johnson)

Pen: Gregg, Marmol, Smardzija, Wood (hey, I can dream),
Marshall, and Hart.

Cubbyfan, not a bad idea, but consider three things:
1. Derrek Lee's no-trade clause (think he wants to go to the Giants? We can't trade him away just cause we love micah hoffpauir; and i understand that - i do too).
2. Mark DeRosa has made it clear before - HE IS NOT A RIGHT FIELDER. He doesn't LIKE or WANT to play right field. In fact he put it like this, "I don't want to get lost in the outfield." He only plays there sporadically cause he's a trooper and knows his versatility makes him uber-valuable.
3. To pile on - One of many reasons Fukudome came to the Cubs is cause he likes playing right field. The Sox offered him more to play center. He refused.
Other teams don't seem to want much to do with Pie or Cedeno, or they'd already be gone. In conclusion - I have no idea what the Cubs should do. They're stuck in a corner offensively with their contractual situations. Maybe they SHOULD go after more pitching. They might have to give up some of the more popular young players to do so, the thought of which makes me vomit with rage. :-) *d

Look People...The Cubs NEED another starter to get to the World Series! I do not think the Cubs will land a huge left handed bat, they probably will go the way of some three to four million a year player if that. The Cubs rotation is good and i am happy that Dempster is back.....but with Harden's arm issues, Zambrano's emotions and that you really can't trust Marquis and Marshall as a fifth starter, the Cubs need a Jake Peavy or Randy Johnson to close the gap. Otherwise, my friends, it will be a good year and a short post season yet again. I know, the payroll is so high, but the post season is on the line!

Getting peavy is most likely not going to happen now. And i want no part of randy johnson. he is done.. I put more faith in rich hill coming back to be an upgrade over marquis.. and we need marshall in the pen.. also keep an eye on angel guzman. he is just getting healthy now.. he is young and has a great arm..as for the lineup, losing lee is not a good answer..putting him 5th in the order wouldn't seem out of line though.. lead off with whoever is in center, johnson or fukudome..who i think is better suited for leadoff with his patience at the plate.. i believe he will revert back to the way he batted the first part of the year..last year was a big adjustment for him and i expect much better from him this year..theriot 2nd. soriano 3rd.. ramirez 4th, lee 5th.. 6th, i would like to see hoffpauir get a chance, derosa 7th and soto 8th..... but sadly i don't see that happeneing.. because they seem to be in love with soriano leading off..grrrr.. and i don't think they will give hoffpauir a chance.. they will sign some middle of the road left hander to play right and that will be a mistake..i see they are interested in teahan from kc.. what is better about him than giving hoffpauir a shot?? one last thing.. marquis needs to be dealt somewhere. i don't even want him on the roster..we have 4 or 5 young guys as good or better than him..go cubs go..

sorry cubs aint getting peavey and they aint going far in the playoffs. u guys forget they r still the cubs(duh).

First off why do you have Harden, a #2 starter he is a great pitcher but what about his arm down the stretch, and Big Z his emotions Lilly and Demp are at least consistant. This trade for Peavy would be a great fit but I can thank of another 2 of trade options how about Marquis even if he has a no trade clause you bring in Peavy to your rotation Marquis already stated last year if he was going to be in the bull pen he would want traded so their you go and you could toss in their cotts, pie, and Hill who might spice it up a bit he might be back to his 2007 season form . As for Derosa why does everybody forget he had a pretty good post season and set season highs in hr's & rbi's why not try Fontenot in right I thank Derosa could have been a possible all star at second if we quit movin him around, plus Fontenot seems faster, which could make him more suitable in right.

Would Peavy look good in the Cubs rotation? Yeah. Can the Cubs put a package together to get him? No. According to the Padres and Mr. Towers. Therefore, another team must jump in or the Cubs wait for the asking price to drop. I say put a package of Marshall, Guzman, Cedano, Pie, and Tony Thomas or Josh Vitters on the table. Leave it there. If the Padres want to pick up the trade it's there. If not, then nothing lost.

We do not need Randy Johnson. Marquis and Marshall were good enough to help the Cubs win 97 games. Remember they didn't factor in the playoff losses either.

I would be terribly upset if the Ryan Dempster signing took the place of a Jake Peavy trade. Jake Pavy is younger, has a more established history of success and is a top-of-the-rotation guy. These pitchers don't grow on trees. Do we think Dempster can turn in numbers like he did in '08 for the next four years? I hope so, like I hope to date a supermodel, but I doubt it's too likely. If Peavy put up the numbers that Dempster did in '08, I'd say he under performed - for essentially the same money. At the end of Peavy's contract, he will be as old as Dempster is now. I'd like to see both pitchers on the Cubs, but if I had to pick I'd want Peavy - even with the prospects that it would cost and the possibility of other deals for those prospects.

I like whatall of you said, but what I think the cubs should do is trade dlee and zambrano to the yankees (who are looking for a first baseman and always want to upgrade their rotation) for robinson cano and a minor leaguer or 2. This would free up a lot of money. Next move derosa to right permanently. Then trade pie, cedeno, marshall, and other non-starter the padres want for peavy. This would give the cubs a true number one something they do not have. Finally, go out and offer whatever mark teixeira wants. He is just as good defensively as dlee, he switch hits, and he does not hit into a double play everytime up with a runner on base. Adding teix and cano would solve the lack of left handed bats the cubs have while giving them more power and speed. The lineup could go:
1) theriot
2) derosa
3)teixeira
4) rameriz
5) soriano
6) cano
7) soto
8) fukodome/johnson

I would love love love to see the Cubs get Peavy. I just don't see what the Cubs have to give for him. All the names mentioned: Pie, Cedeno, Hart, Hoffpauir, Marshall wouldn't make any GM complete the trade. And don't say Derrek Lee or one of the other stars because the Padres are cutting payroll. Unfortunately, the Cubs system is pretty drained of major league ready prospects right now.

Nice to hear some people NOT wanting to get rid of Derrek Lee. Great defense at first, a solid bat, no problems in the clubhouse and he had more hits in the playoffs than Ramirez, Soriano and Soto combined. If you get rid of Lee you might as well start dismantling the whole team that one 97 games and the division two years in a row. Why people are crying for Kerry Wood, who spent part of 2004 and most of 2005, 2006 and half of 2007 on the DL, but want to kick D Lee to the curb is beyond me.

I also think people have to stop thinking Micah Hoffpauir should be in the starting lineup until he's proved he deserves it. He looks to have potential but then again, the guy only has 83 major league at bats. All he's done so far is hit well for one season in the minors and suddenly some people want to drop him into the number five spot. Now that's delusional. If I'm the opposing manager I'll walk the consistent 100 RBI man Aramis Ramirez every time to get to Hoffpauir.

The biggest question right now is: who is our right fielder?

hey everyone...i live in oregon and am a HUGH Cubs fan...on the flip side i watch all the Seattle Mariners games...trust me..Raul Ibanez would look GREAT in a Cubs uniform...he hustles hits for power and average and is as humble as they come...there's your left handed hitter in right field...as for Peavy??? Thats a no brainer....go get him!!!!!!!

I would be amenable to adding Ibanez to right field. Of all of the free agents, he would be my target. Money is the object though. His last couple of years warrant a large contract, but his age contradicts that. I would like him in the lineup, but I worry about overpaying.

Listen people the cubs need a "true" leadoff man and that is plain and simple. I think the cubs should go after dereck lowe and get rid of marquis because he isn't good. I know the pitching wasn't there in the playoffs but it was there more than the offence. We need a true playoff hitter, someone who has been there and has proving themselves or maybe do what the ray and rockies did and have a couple of people who have nothing to loose. The cubs need that one hitter in the lineup who can spark the offence. I wish it could be aramis, but it can't his playoff numbers stink, it is time for a new leader. Soriano in a way is like Sosa, it's a home run or strike out but can drive in runs. For us to get Peavy we would have to get rid of Vitters and from what i hear and see he is the real deal and that is someone we should keep. The cubs also have some strong arms in the minors like donald veal and if he is healthy and keep his composure and throw strikes he is the real deal as well. We should go after dejesus if any from the royals because tehan isn't much of an upgrade from fukudome and if anyone wants to argue then comment back because i'm ready to debate my points.

those are some pretty wild ideas. if we can't trade for peavy then we really should get randy johnson. if he gets hurt or turns out to be a disaster we have so many players that could step up: samardzija, guzman, hill, marshall, marquis and probably more, but i think we should give randy a chance. especially cause you cant have too many arms especially with zambranos arm cramping and the fragile rich harden. plus, the veteran presence and hes lefty. as far as the lineup goes, we led the league in runs i believe, what we lack is clutch hitting...i say we keep the same lineup and hope we dont get cold at the wrong time. our offense went through that slump a couple times throughout the year and i think it just happend at the wrong time. im really ticked off with the bullpen situation tho, cubs dont usually treat their players like this, kerry said hed be willing to sign a one year deal, he deserves that for his loyalty alone. i think id rather lose with wood, than win without him. after all baseballs not all about winning, otherwise wed all be yankees fans rite

I love how so many posts talk about trading away half of our younger talent for Peavy... Yeah, umm... this is the Cubs we are talking about here. The instant we trade away a bunch of talent for 1 big guy, it always fails. ALWAYS. Last 60 years bad ideas like that have doomed the Cubs through and through. Stop talking about dumping the entire bench and bull pen for Peavy. Don't get me wrong, we could use another solid arm, but then again we have so much in house talent up and coming I don't think its worth the price. Marshall looks better every year, Samardzija, Randy Wells, a possible resurgent Hill, Guzman etc... We have enough in house talent to fill the five spot role. Lilly, Demp, Z, and Harden do don't deserve to be 5 hole pitchers. 5 spot pitchers are suppose to have .500 or worse records, they don't always pitch on a consistent basis and will never pitch in the playoffs in a starting capacity. So... the moral of the story is give Peavy a rest and try to find someone replace Michael Wertz in the pen because he's too inconsistent.

I can not believe if this was an either or thing that the Cubs chose to resign Dempster. I mean he is all right, I like him well enough. However he is not is the same league as Peavy. We need that stud #1 pitcher and Big Z is not it, he is too unpredictable at times and Harden is not it because of injury concerns

For those of you saying not to trade Lee for Peavy (if that even was an option) are lacking actual baseball statistics. I understand what he brings your ball club defensively, but sorry to inform you that all of his offensiv number have been in decline. Its reall easy to say someone can have a bounce back year....for me its even easier to say weve seen the best from him already and hes on the downside of his career. The Cubs have an opportunity to aqquire one of baseballs BEST pitchers. And I read a comment of waiting for in house talent to catch up...Names like marshall, Guzman, Hill. Someone should just erase that comment and ban them from this site. Marshall getting better every year? Guzman (Cubs "ace for the future") who cant even make it to the major league level for how many seasons? And Hill? OMG, are you serious? We are talking CY Young winner and not just a fluke season which only one of the 3 for mentioned pitchers have had. This reminds me of the '03 season where the Cubs came so close and were content with their roster and made only small moves like adding Hollandsworth. If the Cubs really wanted to go over the top, you would add Peavy to a 97 win team and forever remove Marquis from the talk of starting rotation (until Harden got hurt of course). I know money/sale of the team seems to have everyone thinking Hendry has a tight rope to walk with contracts, Im not one to blelieve this. In a sport with no salary cap and which seems the easiest sport to move personal via trades I cant find myself to believe this would be a financially crippling move for the team or a sale. Could easily move one of many bad contracts later down the road. And back to the whole give the inhouse talent a chance. Remind me since when this Franchise has been a team that builds from in house? They use their young talent to aqquire proven major leaguers. I for one am sick of waiting for Angel Guzman to to prove he has the stuff. Its either the Cubs have a extreme prob with overevaluating their own young prospects, or they reall just need a change of scenery. Let's just realize the situation here....we have a CY Young caliber pitcher who has obvisouly made things difficult on the Padres getting back equal value.....Let's take advantage of it and worry about the money later. If letting go of D Lee is truely the main component of aquirring Peavy, no question in my mind. Peavy entering the prime of his career while numbers show the decline in Lee's seems to be an easy decision for me. Being a Cubs fans, Ive learned up close and personal in the past two post seasons what a DOMINATE pitcher does the a dominate offense when it counts. Somoene tell me why a 280 lifetime hitter whos on the decline is worth keeping over a pitching stud like Peavy? Peavy>Marquis+Lee or Hoffpaur+Peavy>Lee

If you look at contracts through baseball (and talent period) whats easier to find...an above avg position player or a cy young caliber pitcher?

PS-Am I the only one who feels Dempster cant do any better? I feel he strived in a starting role yes...but for one year. Sorry but if comes back next year with a year of starting pitching now back in the scouting reports, something tells me he wont have anywhere close to as a successful year which earned him big money. Baseball more than any sport, career years seem to come out on contract years....wonder why

Id like Ibanez as a cub but we could trade for someone Jeremy Hermida (Marlins) or David Dejesus or Mark Teahan (Royals) to save money and get Wood back. And look at our farm system, we need to give Sam Fold he was called up that pst two years and from what i remember is a decent hitter and a great fielder.

The off-season is still young, but it's been a disappointing one thus far, in terms of Hendry's actions.

First of all, the Ceda trade was a terrible move. Trading a future closer with Marmol-like stuff who may be ready as soon as this year for a run-of-mill set up man is a terrible mistake. Scouts compare Ceda's stuff to Armando Benitez, which may not sound great, but in terms of pure stuff (not including the mental side of the game), Benitez was filthy. The Cubs basically gave away a key piece without getting anything much in return.

Now, for the Dempster situation: Hendry's love of Dempster, which has been inexplicable and at times intolerable over the last several years continues unabated. If Hendry can't trade for Peavy because of budget concerns, he should have waited longer to sign Dempster and continued to explore Peavy trade options longer. There is simply no comparison between the two. Peavy is one of the top five pitchers in the game and his current contract is a great bargain. Dempster has had one very good year in a long career as a starter, and one very good year plus a second decent one as a reliever. Everyone knows that Dempster is not going to pitch at his '08 level consistently over the next four years. In the market, Dempster would have gotten a good contract, but if you have a choice between Peavy and Dempster and you can only pursue one, Peavy is the clear choice to go after.

The Teahen trade talks are worrisome. We're talking about a guy with a career OPS below Mark Murton's. It's not inconceivable that Felix Pie will be an offensively superior player to Teahen if Pie is given a shot in '09.

The Cubs do need a big lefty bat in the outfield (and seem to be looking for one every offseason). The Cubs seem to be unusually preoccupied with right field defense, and would do well to either sign Dunn or give Hoffpauir a chance out there. Having below average defense at one outfield corner position is not going to ruin a season. Hendry claims that he can't afford Peavy's contract, which means he probably can't go after a free agent in RF who can legitimately hit in the middle of the Cubs' order, either. (Although I've read that they're ruling out Dunn based on defense, not contract demands.) I would prefer that the Cubs avoid giving guaranteed money to mediocre or aging players, or trading away valuable parts for a middling guy like Teahen. I think that, among Pie, Hoffpauir and Fukudome, one of those guys will have a good enough season to provide a decent lefty bat (if they really can't or don't want to sign Dunn). They ought to start out with a Pie/Johnson L-R platoon in center, and a Hoffpauir/Fukudome platoon of a different sort in RF: play Fukudome in games that when both teams have good starting pitchers (and you expect the game to be tight and defense+speed to be at a premium) and also in late innings of close games, and play Hoffpauir the rest of the time. Over the course of the season, things would sort themselves out and either Hoffpauir, Pie or Fukudome would probably emerge as a decent lefty bat (at least on par with the likes of Teahen).

As far as the rotation goes, I would hope that the Randy Johnson interest has subsided. Sean Marshall is a better option, unless they trade him away in a package for Peavy. In either case, the Cubs have no need for Johnson.

One thing to keep in mind is for a team to have an excellent roster from top to bottom (as the Cubs did last year), they have to do one of two things: either have a totally out-of-control payroll like the Yankees, or else get key contributions out of some guys who outperform their salaries, such as Soto and Dempster did last year. The first option is not going to happen, especially with the pending sale of the team, which means the Cubs need to, as much as possible, take advantage of the latter option. Signing mediocre or aging free agents (or making costly trades for similar players) is very costly in terms of what it does to the payroll. Sacrifices have to be made somewhere. The Cubs are best suited to either going after one guy who can make a huge impact and be had at a reasonabe price, in terms of salary (such as Peavy or Dunn), or else stick to younger "unproven" options, such as Pie and Hoffpauir, which gives them flexibility to acquire guys in mid-season if things aren't working out.

Why all this talk about trading Lee? Why not get rid of Soriano he is not a lead off hitter and is on the DL most of the time. This would also free up a lot of money. There people out there who might want him as a croud draw we could get some young talent in the trade as well.

whatever the case, get rid of jason marquis. granted, he's posted winning records each of the past two seasons, and had a few more decent outings last season than the one before, but he gives me the creeps every time he takes the mound. upon occasion, he'll pitch a decent game, but more often than not, he'll pitch, two or three innings before he collapses. i was shocked that they brought him back after his first season, when he couldn't buy a win in the second half after a strong start. trade him to a another team which is desperate for some pitching.

the cubs need to do whatever it thanks to make it past the 1st round of the playoffs and pitching wins championships. just image are rotation with peavy we would be tops of the national league in pitching. i say find a team that will take jason marquis and willing to send some prosepts to the padres and the cubs could also send a ronny cedeno, felix pie or kevin hart. i would be willing to give up rich hill for a 2yr removed cy young winning pitcher

The Cubs would be stacked if they had Jake Peavy. The Cubs need to part ways with Derek Lee, but im not totally sold on Micah Hoffpauir. Then again there are other pitchers out there. Ben Sheets, Matt Clement would be a great and cheap choice and he knows the organization. Oh and if i remember right he was aport of the 03 team. Maybe a Bartolo Colon. Erik Hinske is a great first baseman and hes only 31 and wouldnt cost much. Hes also LEFT HANDED. Him and Micah could platoon at first until Micah is ready then you have Erik to come off the bench. If the Cubs need a center fielder there Rocco Baldelli he would be great but then again you cant have all these players. I say trade Derek Lee and a few others to get Peavy. Play Micah and sign Baldelli. Trade Kosuke to get Teahen and a couple minor leaguers. You would have to add a third team to make that deal, but then the line up would look like this

1. Alfonso Soriano-LF
2. Ryan Theriot-SS
3. Micah Hoffpauir-1B
4. Aramis Ramirez-3B
5. Rocco Baldelli-CF
6. Geovany Soto-C
7. Mark DeRosa-2B
8. Mark Teahen-RF
9. Carlos Zambrano-P

And you also would have Erik Hinske off the bench and a great left handed hitter to come in at anytime.

The Cubs Pitching Staff would look like this:
1. Carlos Zambrano
2. Ryan Dempster
3. Jake Peavy
4. Rich Harden
5. Ted Lilly
This Pitching Staff is UNSTOPPABLE!!!!!!!!!

Yes the Cubs should go after Peavy. Here's my proposal.
Cubs Get:

Jake Peavy

2 Prospects (from Padres)

White Sox Get:

Fukudome

Padres Get:

Gavin Floyd

Jason Marquis

Felix Pie

Angel Guzman

Donnie Veal

Cash (To pay some of Marquis salary)



But there's more:

Tigers Get:

Chad Gaudin

Cubs Get:

Marcus Thames

And for Free Agents:

Garret Anderson (2-years 14 million)

Kerry Wood (1-year 6 million)


So here's my line-up and 25-man roster:

LF Alfonso Soriano

SS Ryan Theriot

1B Derrick Lee

3B Aramis Ramirez

RF Micah Hoffpauir

2B Mark DeRosa

CF Garrett Anderson (if you think he isn't right for Center just remember his range factor is the same as Fukudome)

C Geovany Soto

Bench:

Mike Fontenot (2B, SS)

Marcus Thames (LF, RF, 1B)

Ronnie Cedeno (SS, 2B, 3B)

Reed Johnson (CF, RF, LF)

_______ (C) I have yet to decide what to do here. Koyie Hill is not an option and there are plenty of back-up choices on the market.


Starters:

Carlos Zambrano

Jake Peavy

Ryan Dempster

Rich Harden

Ted Lilly

Rich Hill (Starting in Minors)


Bullpen:

CL Kerry Wood

Carlos Marmol

Kevin Gregg

Jeff Samardzija

Michael Wuertz

Neal Cotts

Sean Marshall (Long)

I think the most overlooked player is Mike Fontenot. Could he learn to play center? Regardless, he contributed positively time and again both offensively and defensively in that difficult part-time role. I say the more he plays, the better the Cubs do.

knoipkecki...you are not a Cub fan and I'd like to say to those who are not Cub fans this moron doesn't reflect our opinions. Anyone who says they'd rather lose with Kerry than win a WS w/o him they're not a real fan of the Cubs. Kerry is just one guy who hasn't done alot for this organization to start with. Frankly, I find your opinion kinda creepy. YOu have a man crush on him or something. I think most Cub fans would say we'd trade our whole team for a WS championship. Sammy Sosa was my favorite player, but when he showed his true colors, I had no problem ditching him and I haven't missed him at any point. The team is more important than any one player. The poster I mentioned is a Kerry Wood fan. He is not a Cub fan. Kerry Wood's legacy as a Cub is being an injury prone player who had ability that couldn't live up to his potential. If you think otherwise, you are dillusional.

Fontenot is definately overlooked. He came up with some clutch hits last year to win the cubs some games. They need to look to get him more playing time. Why not teach him how to play center and move fukudome to right??

I may be just a crazy person here, but I think the status quo is pretty fine. A team that wins 97 games in the regular season is a solid team. I would keep the team we currently have. I enjoyed watching that team last season, and I would enjoy watching that team again this season. Perhaps a minor tweak. Sign or trade for a left handed bat to give skipper Lou what he wants. Maybe tweak the order a bit a finally move Soriano down in the order one or two spots. Or, put Theriot in the nine spot when Zambrano and Marquis pitch so that Soriano has someone who hits well in front of him. In any case, I do not think this team has problems. I know it is difficult having been a Cubs fan my whole life now, but can't we just tip our hats to good Dodger pitching in the playoffs? Their staff was very good after all. If anything, let's talk about the bogus divisions and playoff system. Dodgers finish with something like the 16th or 17 th best record in baseball and "earn" a playoff spot? Give me a break! We have six teams in our division and the Angels have four? Give me a break! We have to play the White Sox every year, and the Cardinals get to play the Royals every year? Give me a break!

I love the cubs more than anything, I'm sure alot of you do. With that being said, I'm so confused that hardly any of these trade proposals that you've come up with include Alfonso Soriano. In my mind, he's the worst thing thats happened to the cubs as far back as I can remember. He's by far the worst leadoff hitter in baseball. He's slow, lazy, and the worst left fielder in the NL. (that includes man ram)
He did give us a handful of meaningless homeruns. He has one hot streak per year, which gives him decent numbers. I can only imagine how relieved the yankees were to get rid of this joke. Not to mention he's an absolute playoff nightmare. The scouting report on how to pitch him is-throw him balls. He'll swing at anything and everything. I don't wish injury on anybody, but I love when his one or two injuries a year come around. Cubs fans, open your eyes and notice how much of a burden he is on our team. Please get rid of this guy. He sucks.

If the Cubs are looking for a left handed power hitter for the outfield, why is everybody giving up on Jim Edmonds? Is he asking too much for one more year? He can hit for power and seems to be healthy again after concussion problems and a calf injury. Leave Fukudome in right and bat him 8. use power hitting Edmonds in center spelled by Pie. Reed Johnson is a nice player but does'nt produce runs. He can spell Fukudome and Edmonds. At worst you could use Edmonds as your pinch hitter also. Talking D. Wards spot. His leadership and experiance would be missed if they let him walk away. Its what this team lacks the most!

Srvhml, I like your thoughts on Jim Edmonds. He was a surprising and crucial part of a great 2008 Cubs team. I do however have to disagree with bringing him back for another tour. His offensive numbers last season exceeded anyone's expectations and bringing him back would just mean one more year under his aging belt. It is very unlikely he will ever come close to producing as well as he did last year. Plus there is significant speculation that he will retire.

Now, travishaima.... where do I start about how wrong you are about Soriano.

First here is, in no particular order, how many at-bats each of these major cubs players go between strikeouts. Note how Soriano's, while not great is certainly nothing for you to cry about.

Lee 5.24
Theriot 10
Ramirez 5.89
DeRosa 4.76
Fukudome 4.82
Edmonds 4.15
Soriano 4.4
Soto 4.08
Reed Johnson 4.9

I'd be more upset about Derrick Lee striking out or hitting into a double play seemingly every time runners are on base. But give em both a break. They had down years. Everyone does. Yes it is 2 in a row, but we won 97 games anyway, and I expect them to bounce back.

Now back to how wrong you are about Soriano.

453 at-bats is sufficient.

He is not a slow and lazy outfielder and is certainly not even close to being the worst outfielder in baseball. Yes there were times when he was slower last season, but he was fighting through a challenging injury to get wins for the team you supposedly love. Keep in mind that even with the injury his range factor was comparable to Mark DeRosa's. And just because he has a non traditional approach to the ball, i.e. the hop, does not mean he is lazy. It is kink he developed that he feels allows him to concentrate better. And if it makes him more comfortable why not do it. It also allows him to set up for a throw more effectively. And speaking of throwing, he has one of the better outfield arms in all of baseball. And he is consistently among the league leaders in Outfield assists. All this in a position he is not native to, an adjustment he humbly made to make this cubs team better.

Quit crying about his position in the order. It has been proven many times that leading off is the spot where Soriano can benefit the Cubs most, simply because it is where he is comfortable. Is he traditional, heck no. But people place far too much importance on that anyway. Think about what leading off actually means.
1. The "chance" at getting more at-bats in any individual game then other team mates.
2. Guaranteed to lead off an inning at least on time a game. (THE 8 OTHER INNINGS ARE RAMDOM!!!)
3. When batting (while not leading off an inning and while in a traditional line up) he will follow players who are slightly less likely to get on base.

Now if if we consider all that, what does it matter if he leads off?.... very little. If he doesn't feel comfortable in the middle of the lineup then let him stay at the top.

And as for your claim that his hitting isn't timely or important. The Cubs had there greatest struggles when he was on the DL this season and when he came back he was red hot. His performance alone carried the team to there hottest time of the season, and it is Soriano you have to thank for this years division championship. travishaima, get bent.

And here's another lovely sat for the Soriano leading off naysayers. This is the average number of at-bats between RBI's.

Lee 6.92
Theriot 15.26
Ramirez 4.99
DeRosa 5.8
Fukudome 8.64
Soto 5.74
Soriano 6.04
Edmonds 6.18
Johnson 6.66

Notice how Soriano did all this while leading off! This guy has skill and I'm sick of everyone bashing him cause he is not there personal picture of a traditional lead off hitter or a prototype left fielder.

alright here's my plan. we've already re-signed dempster so right there u have 4 solid starters. The plan is simple: you put kevin gregg in the trade package to the padres for Peavy since hoffman isnt comin back for them. then u re-sign KERRY WOOD(I HOPE YOUR READING THIS JIM HENDRY IF U DONT RE-SIGN KERRY WOOD YOU SHOULD BE THE HATED PERSON BY CUBS FANS) but anyway re-sign him to a 1 year deal like he told a certain someone he would take(JIM HENDRY), then you go for a fairly cheap left-handed bat or put derosa in right and fontenot at 2nd.

here's a pretty simple plan tht mostly every cubs fan should agree with if not every cubs fan. ok here it goes: you've already resigned dempster, now tht u have got tht done u should send kevin gregg into the trade package for peavy since the hoffman isnt goin back to the padres then u re-sign KERRY WOOD to a 1 year deal because if i recall he said he went to jim hendry MORE THAN ONCE AND SAID HE WOULD TAKE A 1 year deal if hendry doesnt re-sign wood he deserves to be hated by cubs fans, after u have done tht go for a fairly cheap left handed bat of put derosa in right and fontenot at 2nd

Being a third generation Cubs fan , I thought I would put my two cents in on the Peavy situation. It is my opinion that the Cubs should find a new home for Soriano to free up money for Peavy. Marquis should be put on the trade block also. those two are dead weight. Hoffpauer could take over left field and solve the left hand bat problem at the same time. I also think we should keep the services of Edmonds in center for one more season , and Wood on a one year deal.

OK Losers,
Here's the answer-SNAP OUT OF IT !!! Get Big Jake(Whatever the cost) He will be your NUMBER ONE STARTER!! They don't grow on trees. Pitching and defense wins WS!!!. Trade Soriano& Fuki!! Keep Edmonds! Trade D. LEE. Now your lineup looks like this:
LF- Johnson(Trade for l/h back-up)
CF-Edmonds/Pie
Rf-Hoffbrau(Trade for s/h back-up)
3B-Ramirez(Fontenot back-up)
SS-Theriot(Fontenot back-up)
2b-Brian Roberts(Trade for your new lead-off man)(DeRosa-back up).
1B-Derosa(D. Ward back-up).
C-Soto(L/H Back-up) Who can bunt!!
Starting 5
Peavy
Big Z
Dempster
Harden
Lilly
Fill in bullpen w a couple of lefties,Jeff s. as your set-up man,and of course C. Marmol as your closer!
In '09 we will dine(ON the Competition!)

SCOTTSSCHU--- I would love to hear more about how you plan to find takers for Soriano, Fukudome, and D. Lee. Getting enough in return to rent Brian Roberts and put Derosa on the bench in the final year of his contract. Ive decided that of all the proposed line-ups, many of them rediculous, YOURS IS HANDS DOWN THE WORST. If this happened Jim Hendy, whom i have faith in, should be fired and you should be shot.