Cubs not done pitching-wise

I definitely think Jake Peavy would be good for the Cub's rotation. I am, however, unsure of Rafael Furcal. Would SS then become a "shared" position like CF was this season? It will be interesting to see how a high profile player like Furcal would take to sharing that position with Theriot. Also, how would Theriot feel about sharing the position that he played so beautifully all season?

Well I would love a rafael furcal...yes hes been banged up, but they need him more than a middle of the order, left handed rightfielder. If they do indeed sign him, they could move theriot to second and then derosa to right.

While I believe Furcal would be a good addition to the top of the line-up I would be opposed to giving up young players for Peavy. The pitching this past year was better than adequate and while Peavy is a fine pitcher the starting pitching needs only to be tweaked, not added to by significant subtractions of young talent. I note Guzman was at one time believed to be a star in the making before injuries sidetracked his career. His stats this winter in the Venzuelan league are good. Last I Looked a 2.37 ERA with 2 wins and no losses - If his arm is healthy again give him a shot at the end of the rotation, or if not him then the Notre Dame kid - keep Pie, keep Cedeno, and for god's sake, keep Vitters - all of those kids can contribute and are still very young which means they don't cost much yet and are still learning. Enough of bartering away the best of the farm system -

2 things:

How in the hell did Theriot play shortstop "beautifully" last season?

"WOO! HE hit .300, that means hes awesome, right?!"

Theriot is a poor fielding shortstop, he can't hit doubles, triples, or home runs. He is a terrible base-runner, and he's already 29 years old, meaning he's not exactly some young gun out there. He had a .740 OPS last year, which is very middling at best. This year was basically his ceiling, and if anything, he's going to regress slightly next year.

He's a mediocre, almost 30 year old shortstop, tell me what exactly he deserves from the Cubs?

I really hope Theriot is moved in a Peavy trade, as we sign Furcal.

Guess what though, if we sign Furcal and don't move Theriot, that means that DeRosa would be in right field, and FONTENOT would be starting at second. Theriot would be on the bench, where he belongs. Mike Fontenot is the INSANELY superior offensive player while being a natural second basemen. He's just better than Theriot at everything.

i agree with some previous posters that I would like to have Furcal. He would be a better lead off man, a huge upgrade on defense, move Soriano to the #2 spot being protected by Lee and Ramirez, and then Theriot moves to 2B, DeRosa to RF and then we can platoon CF w/ Fukodome and Johnson. I think he adds a lot to the team. Then someone like Ibanez would be a great get and our bench then becomes the best in baseball with DeRosa and Fontenot.
I also don't think we should give up a haul for Peavy. I think find a good #3 or 4 starter on the market and replace Marquis is what we need. We'll see how the next 4 months play out.

Fontenot is the man but I like theriot to he should be the leadoff man to get on base for the big bats as for Furcal I don't think he is what we need he is just a subpar hitter but a good fielder, I think we DEF need to get peavy and not get rid of most of the batting lineup we had I mean we won 97 games last year with it why should we change that, we just need some expierenced pitchers for the playoffs and not choke

Now that we signed Dempster i think we can stop focusing on getting Peavey. (even though i wouldn't mind on seeing him in a Cubs uniform) hint hint... But i think we should offer a deal to Manny Ramirez! I don't want to hear how he has such a terrible attitude and his defense is terrible(look at sorianos), the guy can hit(even in playoffs!!)! We can then put Soriano at second base(remember those days with the Yanks) and put DeRosa in Right! As for Center we need to get a left handed at bat, personally i would like to see David DeJesus out there. I believe he would be a great fit.

Furcal is the switch-hitting, lead-off man the Cub's have been lacking. Theriot becomes your second baseman.

Look for DeRosa to be part of any trade for Peavy. The Cubs like DeRosa, but he might be at his peak trade value.

Furcal/Theriot is stronger defensively (important up the middle) than Theriot/DeRosa. Fontenot becomes your utility/swing-man to replace DeRosa. This gives Lou the lead-off man he's looking for, and Fontenot is a lefty utility guy.

This allows them to bring lefty slugger Micah Hoffpauir up to play right field (next year's rookie of the year), and you platoon Fukudome and Johnson in center field. Look for Pie to be part of any trade for Peavy. (I think it'll cost the Cubs Marshall, DeRosa, and Pie to get Peavy. San Diego might even greedily be asking for Cedeno.)

Now Lou would have the lefty balance the Cubs so desperately lacked last season.

Wow, are we trying to become the underachieving over-paid Yankees of the National League? First of all, we DON'T need Rafael Furcal. He turned us down a couple of years ago as a free agent to go to LA, he had his chance. I'm not a numbers guy so you can try and blame me for that if you disagree but as a die-hard Cub fan I appreciate what Ryan Theriot has done for this team. He's no Derek Jeter BUT baseball isn't all about stats and numbers. Theriot is a spark-plug in our offense and brings it 100% everyday. You can't say that about too many players in the MLB these days. He's kind of the modern day Mark Grace. If he's so bad how come we had the best record in the NL last year? I agree, keep the farm system solid, forget Peavy, maybe get a left-handed bat for right field, but even then Kosuke did a great job defensively last year. We have all the tools we just need to be ready to play in October.

Clearly we didn't have the tools, and that is why we have performed so poorly TWO post-seasons in a row. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. Now, you're willing to go number 3? Out of loyalty to multi-millionaires who couldn't care less about you?

Micah Hoffpauir cannot be a starter in the major leagues.

He is a 29 year old rookie for a reason. He's not some young gun prospect out there. He's a first basemen, and a very poor defensive one at that. He literally cannot play an outfield position.

Micah, at best, is the next Daryle Ward. He will be a lefty pinch-hitter his entire career. He does not have the offense to play at first base in the majors, and you need a lot of it to play 1b.

He just isn't good, end of story.

And how, if Shortstop was taken by Furcal, could you start Theriot over Fontenot?! Fontenot was insanely better last year, although in only 300 abs, but he had a .900 OPS! That's amazing for a 2b! If it comes down to Theriot or Fontenot starting at second, you would be massively ignorant to play Theriot over Fontenot. Theriot is just an awful fielder wherever you play him, at least Fontenot is serviceable at 2b.

getting peavy would be great, i think a deal sending marshall, cedeno, pie, and maybe dero or theriot would be great of course id miss dero but we could put fontenot at 2nd

Rafael Furcal is not needed our team is almost complete a trade for a leadoff man that plays center would be the only reason i would even want to trade pie or cedeno. My personal thoughts are to get rid of neal cotts and get a real lefty who can pitch out of the bin in short outings.
bating next year:
1 Alfonso Soriano_lf-r-
2 Mike Fontenot_2b-l-
3 Derrek Lee_1b-r-
4 Aramis Ramirez_3b-r-
5 Kosuke Fukudome-l-/ Reed Johnson _cf-r-
6 Geovany Soto_c-r-
7 Mark DeRosa_rf-r-
8 Ryan Theriot_ss-r-
off the bench:
Koyie Hill switch hitter
Ronny Cedeno
Micah Hoffpauir lefty power
Felix Pie lefty
the middle of the infield is solid witht he two LSU infielders
it works pick out the pin first then the lefty outfielder

How was ryan theriot a sparkplug??? the man batted 8th all season, and he would rarely come up big late in games. Im sick of cub fans being obsessed with the "intangibles"....Augie ojeda has the "intangibles" and last time I checked he is on the bench in Arizona (even though he did show up against us in 2007). Like someone said before, Theriot is not a kid in fact he is in his late 20s and for the last two years he has struggled down the stretch. Bring in Furcal and go after a rightfielder like Raul Ibanez.

Furcal would be a great addition for the Cubbies. If you sign him, you move Theriot to 2B and put DeRo in RF. Theriot would make a fantastic #2 hitter because you could hit and run when Furcal gets on (he doesn't strike out and hits everything to RF).


Peavy would instantly become our ace, and for a rotation with some question marks I think he would also be a great addition. Harden won't pitch 200 innings. Z's still young but he has a lot of wear and tear, and I can't be the only one worried about the way he finished '08. With Dempster and Lily, this is without a doubt the best 1-5 rotation in baseball. Having Marshall and Marquis to plug any holes due to injury is icing. If we have to give up some combination of Pie, Cedeno, Hart, Gaudin, and Hill, so be it.

Why are the cubs going after Rafael Furcal????
Ryan Theriot: .307, 38SB, 85 runs.

And why doesn't Mike Fontenot get any love????
Mike Fontenot: .305 (.323 w/ RISP), 9HR, 40RBI in 250 AB's.

And.......he is the LH Bat the cubs are looking for. It irritates me the cubs try to pick up FA's when the have the resources in their system (Micah Hoffpauir...).

I just hope they can find a way to get Fontenot more AB's. The guy is clutch.

Later

There's no way that if we acquire Peavy we hang onto Marquis. He would be come a 10 million dollar LONG RELIEF man. That would be the ugliest thing I've ever seen.

Hopefully he can be dealt for some low-mid level prospect on a team that would eat half of his salary like the Mets or Dodgers.

All intriguing points. Theriot too old? Fontnot too good...? Derosa too rich in trade value? and Furcal available? However, 2 things to remember 1) versalitlity and healthiness (hint: Furcal) among regulars lead to good defense and late inning success, 2) the money will dry up! Peavey of couse would be great, but it would cost the Cubs Fontonot not Derosa. Derosa will be nearly as valuable as a free agent as Brian Roberts, further, the pradres AND the Cubs won't compete. He'll be Type A and the Cubs will need the draft pick. Cubs will save money for other holes by staying young up the middle. Expect fontonot to develop into a more than capable second basmen, im thinking comparable to Mickey Morandinii, not the best but good enough for more than most. Theriot is not too old, hes healthly, versatile, good, and cheap. Other problems will present themselves in time and the cubs will need the payroll flexability. Peavy or no peavy they're still the best 1-5 in the national leauge. Dont get worked up Cubs fans. Yes, the Cubs are on their way to becoming the perrenial NL power house but dynasties aren't breed overnight. Anyone remember what happened the the dodgers and the mets when they hastely misappropreated resources to become the powerhouses (mets twice in recent memory, dogers consistantly)? Jim and his scouts have proved their pretty good at what they do.

MICAH HOFFPAUIR IS NOT A "RESOURCE"!

Micah is a 29 year old rookie. He is 100 times worse than Soriano in the field, and he has proven NOTHING offensively. He has no long career ahead of him, let it go, now. Stop bringing him up, PLEASE.

And what the hell are you talking about with Theriot? Stop using unimportant stats. Use stats like SLG, OBP, or the combination of both (OPS). OPS is the easiest and simplest way to rate a players overall offensive worth. Please, I ask all of you to learn it well.

Also, Theriot doesn't control the amount of runs he has, so don't try to use it to back your case up. Dumb stat, same as stolen bases. Also, you were REALLY wrong on the number. Theriot had 22 last year, while getting caught THIRTEEN FREAKING TIMES! That's HORRENDOUS! 22/35 is just pathetic, and hurts the teams scoring chances.

Theriot is a very mediocre shortstop who plays poor defense and has middling offense. I just personally dislike him as well.

Fontenot is the only one of those three that we DO respect, because he actually deserves it. He actually is a very good left-handed bat. He actually is GOOD offensively, and average defensively, better than Theriot on both accounts.

How could people not want Peavy? Look at what the Red Sox did. Gave up Hanley Ramirez to get Beckett and it produced 2 championships and the ALCS in other years. You put Peavy in a rotation with Zambrano, Harden, Demp, Lilly and we are UNSTOPPABLE.

Furcal would solve every problem we have, even if we had to lose theriot. DeRo can play RF at Wrigley and baby Ruth can play 2b and there is enough depth on our team to make it work for a year.

GET IT DONE win now!

It would be more logical to bring back Woody, to solidify the best front to back pitching staff, than spend the money on Furcal. At least signing Wood may give you the extra minor leauge inventory to complete the peavey deal. I assume both options would be non-starters.

To Dan Sisto. You are wrong, wrong wrong about Micah Hoffpauir. He is by far the best hitter in the Cubs minor leagues and can be the best hitter on the C Cubs this year.He tore up his leg mid-way thru '07 and missed the last half of that year. He would have been called up then expect for the injury. I saw him play in 2 series here in Albuquerque last year. In April it was still bothering him when he ran, but by July he ran much better. About that time the I-Cubs started playing him in the of for the first time on orders from the parent team. At first base, he is a good fielder, in the of he isn't, yet, but give him a full spring training there and he will be better that adequate. And the man can hit, hit, hit.

Let me help you Cub fans. Adding good players to a good team is how you win championships. Looking to our bench and proclaiming the amazing talents of Theriot and Fontenot is not going to lead to championships. If we can get Furcal and Peavy, we should.

Ha, Ok, I understand, Micah just needs more to get used to major league pitching because! Give him like 3 years on the bench, so when he's 32/33 he'll break out and be the young star of the majors!!

Do you know WHY he is the best hitter in the AAA leagues? BECAUSE HE'S 29 YEARS OLD. He's playing against 21/22/23 year olds, man. He's a fully developed man in the prime of his physicality, who been in the minors forever. Of course he's going to dominate them. He's not going to be a productive starter on any major league team, and you can't take that to the bank. His highest hope to to some day be a worse version of Daryle Ward. WOOT! Let's sign THAT guy to a big contract, right?

If you legitimately, think that Micah Hoffpauir will be the best offensive player on the Cubs, better than DeRosa, Soto, Soriano, Ramirez, or even Lee in a down year, then you have some serious head related issues.

OK, since Daryl Ward is gone due to free agency, it would be wise to leave Micha HOFFPAUIR on the cubs bench this year; just so he can help lee on his days needed off. Ward's left handed bat is gone -- so it would be a great idea to have him fill in Daryl's shoes. Second, furcal isn't a bad idea -- and we did try for him years ago (just before the Dodgers picked him up.) However, do you believe the Cubs can take on another priced salary in baseball? I don't think so; with the sale of the team and everything, it would be better to either trade for some one (Roberts) or buy some one like Ibanez who can play -- but isn't worth all of the money. Although I really like the Abreau idea -- that might also not work. They really just need to have a leadoff hitter, and an every day right fielder who can either switch hit -- or hit only from the left side. Maybe they could throw in a mediocre bullpen arm -- or upgrade from Howry who's also -- on the free agent market this year as well. Let Hart into the bullpen as a MRP or a LRP. I don't know if trading Marshall is a good idea, but if it gets us an arm like Peavy or a bat like Roberts -- it might be worth it. But I wouldn't trade fontenot or DeRosa -- let alone Theriot -- unless you can literally nail Furcal and or Roberts.

Does it really matter who the cubs get they will not win the the World Series. Destroy the ballpark change the uniforms get rid of Santo, Williams and Banks. Trade all the overpaid excuse driven bums. All I ever hear is there sorry for the fans. And told to be patient from the ballplayers. They need to be patient swinging at all the junk pitchers throw. There is only one thing this ball club does well in it's history and that's lose and that wont change. With furcal,peavy, Johnson who ever they bring here for big money flops. Your only cheating yourself if you think that they will the World Series.

Picture this....

1. Zambrano
2. Peavy
3. Harden
4. Dempster
5. Lilly

You can arguable make any one of those pitchers your ace!

Bottom line folks, it's the Cubs. They could sign every stud player and still find a way to blow it. Yet, we all come back for more! Seriously though, there are a lot of holes to fill. As long as Soriano is with the Cubs, there will be no other leadoff man. Piniella made that clear last year. Furcal would be a great leadoff guy, but Soriano is locked in. There are plenty of options on the current roster for middle infield. While Hoffpauir could be a decent big league hitter, he's un-proven. The Cubs really need a left handed bat that you know can go 150+ games in the bigs. Whatever they do, they really need to quit wasting their time on Pie. He's as big a flop as Corey Patterson. Trade him for a couple cases of baseballs and some sunflower seeds. Just get rid of him. Here's to next year!

Peavy would be the Ace in that rotation right there.

I mean, if Dempster regresses a little next year, his numbers very well could be ace-like.

And we all know that if harden can play a whole year, he could very well be the most dominating pitcher in baseball.

Zambrano hasn't really been an "Ace" in 3 years though. This year and the season before it, he had the numbers of a #3.

Lilly has been so consistently good with the Cubs, I just love everything he does. He would be a #2 or #3 on most staffs, but he could be the #5 here if we got Peavy! That's Sick!

Peavy would be the Ace in that rotation right there.

I mean, if Dempster regresses a little next year, his numbers very well could be ace-like.

And we all know that if harden can play a whole year, he could very well be the most dominating pitcher in baseball.

Zambrano hasn't really been an "Ace" in 3 years though. This year and the season before it, he had the numbers of a #3.

Lilly has been so consistently good with the Cubs, I just love everything he does. He would be a #2 or #3 on most staffs, but he could be the #5 here if we got Peavy! That's Sick!

Felix Pie is 23 years old, dude.

You think Hoffpauir deserves more time (He's 29), yet Pie needs to be given away for nothing?

Pie has never been given a change to succeed in the majors. He has NEVER started consistently, but you think he's done with. A play who's never had solid time as a start in the pros, a Top prospect, and you think he's **** because he struggled in bench duty and spot-starting?

Come on now...

Fucal passed us up once why chase this oft injured player?

Lets not give up on Fukudome too quickly. His decline started the same time his wife & child moved to the US. If mama ain't happy then nobody is happy. Lets give this talented played (and family) a chance to adjust.

Soriano needsd to be moved (either down in the order or off the team). Until he learns how to or decides he wants too, play small ball. If he bunted the ball he wouldn't loose his manhood!!!

Fontenot is a talented ball player who will never be a super star. If he has to go I'll be sad but we can't keep them all.

Acquiring Peavy would be like insurance and a good move. One of our starters is bound to have an off-year. If not then we just would have the best 1 thru 5 in baseball.

Don't mess with the chemistry of the team too much. Remember, 2008 was an exciting year with a bad finish. 2009 will be an exciting lifetime!

Does anyone remember that Furcal blew us off to sign with the dodgers? Go out and get a right fielder that bat's lefty. Before i went out to get Peavy which is ridiculous money for the next several years, I'd get a proven leadoff guy or Johnson bat's 1st (Unless we get a leadoff guy), Theriot or Fontenot bat 2nd, Soriano should bat 3rd, Ramirez 4th, Lee 5th, Soto 6th, Derosa 7th, 8th whoever is in right field and i would bring back Kerry Wood the cubs will be sorry if they don't. Randy johnson maybe?

Pie struggled as an everyday starter at AAA Iowa. He's another overhyped player. I don't think Hoffpauir is the savior either. I think they really need to get out there and get a solid left handed bat that plays decent outfield. Throw Soriano in as trade bait as well. He hasn't performed up to his contract. Just about everyone in the lineup choked in the playoffs this year and last. They really need a proven postseason guy to get the team going when they're struggling. Not one guy in the '08 lineup has performed well in the post season. I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm tired of waiting!

Ok, here's the deal. Everyone is talking about how Furcal is far superior to Theriot defensively and that's not necessarily the case. While he has an exceptionally strong arm (which is much more than I can say about Theriot) he makes terrible decisions. The guy is a given 22-25 errors a year. He's going to be 31 (which is only 1 year older than Theriot, but at least we don't have to pay Theriot $10 mil+ a year). Plus, he played only 36 (maybe 38?) games last year!! There aren't really any options on the free agent market to vastly improve our already potent offense. The left handed right field options are not even right field options anymore. Abreu, Ibanez, and especially Dunn are all DH or left field candidates at base, and need I remind you that right field at Wrigley is an incredibly demanding position defensively.
While I obviously wouldn't be opposed to getting Peavy, I don't think he's worth the haul we would have to give up. He's been awful in the postseason and big games (anyone remember game 163 last year against Colorado?). He's a max effort guy that would tax our bullpen (like Rich Harden) that's already been depleted by the replacement of Kerry Wood by Kevin Gregg (now if you'll give me a quick second to vomit while I think about how we gave up our best trade chip, Jose Ceda, for this bum).
We need a postseason proven lefty bat for the middle of our lineup and a proven starter (hell, sign El Duque for all I care) which will obviously require a lot of ingenuity on Jim Hendry's part. We need to move Lee and Soriano down in the lineup to make room for A Ram (clearly our best hitter) in the 3 hole, and we need to find a way for Fukudome to start earning his 12 mil a year.

If we get Furcal then Theriot would be moved to second base I am guessing. DeRosa would be out in right field platooning w/ Fukudome and filling in here and there as needed. As far as Peavy, why not go for it, any "prospects" we have seem to be years away or have no place to place, i.e. Hoffpauer. Still need a lefty bat somewhere though, and Hoffpauer looks to be a real possibility, he's no flash in the pan.

I really don't understand where all the Theriot bashing is coming from... and to whoever said that he wasn't a sparkplug because he was batting in the 8th spot last year... I'm not sure what Cubs team you were watching but Theriot had over 400 of his ABs last year in the 2-hole... he had more ABs leading off than hitting 8th... so yeah, you're a little misinformed there.

And yeah, Theriot isn't a Gold Glover but he's not as miserable a defender as people are making him out to be.

Theriot doesn't hit for power. No one's arguing there. But he gets on base, and any concerns you might have about him getting caught stealing can be addressed through coaching... I don't think anyone thinks that he needs to have a high slugging numbers... as long as he gets on base before Lee and Ramirez (and hopefully next year Soriano), he's making a huge contribution to the team. Theriot was solid even in the leadoff spot last year so I think that issue is easily resolved.

Pie is young. And he's generally been pretty impressive in the Minors so I don't know where the "struggled as an everyday starter" claim comes from. If someone can help this guy make the jump to the Majors, that's one more solid left-handed bat in the lineup.

Hoffpauir is not young. But I don't think you can legitimately make the claim that the only reason he hits well is because he's always in the Minors. In the few ABs he's gotten in the Majors, he's put up pretty solid numbers. As to his defense, can't say I really know how good he is considering how few innings he's played. However, if we didn't have Lee at first, I'm sure Hoffpauir would be an adequate replacement.

Once Fukudome gets his act together, our lineup will be in pretty solid shape... there's no need to be signing or trading for any big bats... instead get Peavy and resign Wood...

Does anyone besides myself think that the most possible solution for right field would be milton bradley? He would fit the budget and the hole. A left handed hitting right fielder with the highest OBP from the AL last year. He could be had for 2-3 years. His health is a concern but with Johnston, Fukdome, DeRosa, and possibly Pie or Haufpour he would get the rest needed to maximize his production. You would think he would hit 5th. but im certain it would lead to 3rd with Lee 5th. such a move would allow Lee to focus on his power swing instead of his "punch and Judy" approach; the very thing that has lead to his droppoff in RBIs. further seperation in the order between Lee and Soriano will enevitably lead to more RBI chances for Lee.
Note: guys who hit home runs always get the most RBIs and everyone knows RBIs win games. Therefore, Bradley would be addtion by well addition, and a compliment to field and plate . No need to consider another position player.

I think signing Furcal would be a huge step for the Cubs. I like Theriot, but I agree with another poster in thinking that Fontenot is a better player. On the other hand I disagree with another poster in saying that an acquisition of Peavy wouldn’t be good for the Cubs. An addition of Peavy would be good for any club. You could build a package of Theriot, Marshall and a couple of prospects (as long as Vitters is not one of the prospects) and bring Peavy to the Cubs. You would have a pitching rotation with 1. Peavy 2. Zambrano 3. Lilly 4. Harden 5. Dempster. Then your line-up could have 3 left-handed hitters and look like

1. Furcal SS
2. Fontenot 2nd
3. Lee 1st
4. Ramirez 3rd
5. Soriano LF
6. Soto C
7. DeRosa RF
8. Fukudome/ Johnson CF
9. P

I don't see the Cubs going after Frucal. Personally I think Theriot is better. If you look at Frucal's last few years (not counting 2008 when he only played for about a month) he is really no better than Theriot, he makes LOTS of errors. I am wondering if the Cubs will pick him up and package either him or Theroit in a trade to the Pad's for Peavy. SD is also talking about getting rid of Green so maybe this is the last piece of the puzzle. In the end if it means losing Theriot I am not a big fan of the idea.

That line-up is perfect, seriously, it's a thing of beauty.

it will be great to have peavy in a cubs rotation,i would love to see them do all they can to get him.frucal would be great at the top of the lineup.

That is a pretty good line-up and rotation there...and it's quite obvious that either Theriot or Fontenot would be going in the Peavy deal if theyre looking at Furcal. I love em both, but Id rather see Theriot go, Fontenot is just as good(if not better) offensively and defensively. I dont know if FURcal is the answer, but if we get Peavy were gonna have to let someone go that's probably going to piss some people off. Id rather have Peavy and someone else at Short or 2nd than Marquis and The Riot or FonteYEEESSS!!(sorry, had to do it)

If you don't see the value of Ryan Theriot, you're an idiot and everything you say must be taken with a grain of salt. Even if we DO get Furcal (which I would love...he's certainly an upgrade), and even if we have DeRosa in right, and even if you like Fontenot (me too) at second, you can platoon Theriot with Fontenot. Theriot haters can't see the value in David Eckstein either.

If you don't think we should get Peavy while losing Marshall (yawn), Pie (Patterson clone with less talent), and Cedeno (quality BENCH player)...you're crazy. Hell...throw in Ward/Haffpauir if they want.

I think the Cubs might be interested in Furcal, because they might have to give up Theriot to get Peavy. Just a thought.

Hell no what the heck we do not need Furcal plus hes always hurt so how would we know he would stay healthy all season. and for people who say we should trade theriot **** that hes gives the team a spark along with his buddy fonetenot and derosa and johnson those are 4 players we can not get rid of and theriot is getting up there with all the other good shortstops he doesnt make many errors and so what if he doesnt hit home runs he gets on base hes a constant hitter so if cubs ever got rid of theriot i would hate them Theriot is my all time favorite if we got furcal that would just be a sign like soriano (STUPID) plus if he wants a 3-4 yr deal we coulda signed wood with that money, signing furcal is nothing good plus hes the one that broke lees wrist that year so i hate the guy BOOOO FURCAL GO THERIOT!!!!!

6 Furcal
4 Theriot/Fontenot
3 Lee
5 Ramirez
7 Soriano
2 Soto
9 Derosa
8 Johnson/Fukudome
Zambrano, Peavy, Harden, Dempster, Lilly
Samardzija/Cotts, Gregg, Marmol...that's pretty sick.

Rich Hill/Angel Guzman anyone?

If the cubs read this post, and then do what i say, we will be a very good team next year.

They need to...
A. either sign furcal or trade for roberts. The cubs could use more speed, and they really could use a left handed hitter, or in furcals case a switch hitter. This would also finally give the cubs a reason to move soriano down in the order. he is not a lead off man,and never will be a leadoff man.

B. Sign a 3, 4, or 5 starter. This can be Randy Wolf, or for a little bit more money it can be oliver perez or derek lowe. We do NOT need to trade for peavy. the guy was hurt for the majority of last year, and while he is a very good talent, we would have to give up way too much to get him. The reason we got swept wasnt because of bad starting pitching, it was becuase we had no clutch hits, and out defense fell apart.

our ideal starting lineup

1. furcal/roberts
2.Derosa-rf
3. Ramirez--- ok everybody knows hes the best hitter on the team
4. Lee
5. Soriano
6. Soto
7. johnson/fukudome
8. Theriot/fontenot- platoon at 2nd
9. --Starting rotation
1 zambrano
2. dempster
3. harden
4. wolf/lowe/perez/ samardjia?
5. lilly

I'm pretty sure Theriot would be gone. I thought that was obvious.

i hope carrie muskat's wrong. if the cubs re-sign ryan dempster but make no new additions (Jake Peavy), theyre entering 2009 with the same exact rotation and we know how that turned out in the playoffs. Can you imagine having peavy, zambrano and dempster/harden for a three game series? it would be unbelievable.

I wouldn't trade for Peavy or Furcal. With Furcal, you have no idea how many games you're going to get from him. You might as well plan to have Theriot playing 100 games at shortstop again next year. As for Peavy, I would trade Sean Marshall straight up for him and that's it. I wouldn't trade DeRosa and I certainly wouldn't trade Pie. Peavy's best years are behind him. Trading DeRosa, who was often the Cubs only clutch hitter last year, would be a huge mistake. And Pie has too much of a future in front of him. He could be needed next year if Reed Johnson gets hurt (not unthinkable given his style of play) and Fukudome continues struggling at the plate.

dan.sisto@sbcglobal.net -if we sign furcal we dould have to trade marquis, and we would not have enough money for ibanez enless we traded antoher person or they bumped the payroll up even more.
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and as a side note no to peavy, i have a feeling that the padres are holding out on some info involving his health

If the Cubs are left like they were for the past two seasons there will be too much of the same. Heres what I say...Zambrano, Peavy, Dempster, Harden, Lilly. That would not only be the best in the National League, it would potentially be the best in baseball. Ibanez can rake. Thats what we need. Fukudome will figure out his deal over the winter. He is too good fundementally not to. Sign Furcal. He is an upgrade from Theriot plus Theriot would be a security blanket in case Furcal has any health issues. Leave DeRosa up the middle with Furcal and you have a pretty potent infield including Geo. Well see if the Wood decision is the right one at the half way mark next year. Other then that the pen should be solid yet again.
1. Furcal
2. Fukudome
3. Lee
4. Ramirez
5. Soriano
6. Ibanez
7. DeRosa
8. Geo

Am I the only one that remembers a team that won 97 games last year but just played three teribble games in the playoffs. And everyone saying Theriot needs to go should shut up. He batted 300 and was a above average shortstop fielding, anyone who knows anything about baseball to should agree he was one of our better players and a sparkplug for the team. As for Peavy it would be great to get him but we don't need to give half our farm system for him plus our rotaion will be good without him to. As for Furcal if we have the money to offer a four year deal to him why don't have enough for Wood. Thriot needs to stay at shortstop, Dero at second and trade for some like David Dejesus or Mark Tehean for right.

I like the Teahen Idea, but that wont solve our playoff problems...What I think that the Cus should do is get rid of the big three blunders we have, Lee, Ramirez, and Soriano. I say take the Peavy deal of Lee for Peavy/Gonzales, get rid of Gonzo, and try and get Teixeria, you move DeRosa to 3rd, and have Theroit at SS, Fontenot at 2nd. For LF I don't care for him, but Manny. Also another Idea is trade Theroit, get Roberts, and put Fontenot at SS and Roberts at 2nd.

The way I see it:
1. Johnson
2. Fontenot
3. Ramirez
4. Roberts
5. Teixeria
6. Derosa
7. Soto
8. Teahen
9. Pitcher

Rotation:
1. Zambrano
2. Dempster
3. Peavy
4. Lilly
5. Harden
Setup. Smardzija
Closer. Marmol

You may think I'm nuts, but look how good the lineup would be, and think about the playoffs...who cares they won 97 games. You could win 162, but if you dont win the first three of the NLDS it does't matter.

I'll agree Sroiano is a blunder but Rameriz and Lee Rameriz was tenth in the MVP voting and Lee may of struggled twords the end but he is the best fielding firstbaseman in the MLB.

God, so much to say, and so little time to type it. Some quick facts for y'all.

-David Eckstein has never, ever, ever, ever, EVER had a good season in the majors. In his career year in 2005, he was AVERAGE. Every other year he has been below average, to AWFUL. He's always been an awful fielder, and he cannot walk, and gets caught stealing at terrible rates, and can't hit ANY extra base hits. Literally, the ONLY thing he did, out of everything you do in baseball, was make contact. (And he couldn't even do THAT consistently). Every other thing there is in baseball, Eckstein did poorly.

ONE GOOD PLAYOFF RUN DOES NOT MAKE HIM A GOOD PLAYER. Get that through your minds, please. You can't justify every ******, small-ball player because one time, it worked. That's so illogical it makes me want to vomit.

-Fact: Theriot is a well below average defensive shortstop. He has an incredibly weak arm, and makes very poor decisions in the field. Pair that with his below average range and you have a terrible combination. How anyone can say Theriot is an ABOVE AVERAGE DEFENDER is just beyond my comprehension. It's just plain stupid. How Theriot is anyone's "All-time favorite player" just stupefies me.

-Someone just said "Furcal is always hurt". He is 31 years old, and he missed a majority of last year. Thats true. That is literally the ONLY time in his MAJOR LEAGUE CAREER that he has missed time due to injury. Know your facts please.

-Lee is no longer the "best defensive first basemen in MLB". Not even close, but nice try. He's not better than Teixera, Gonzalez, or Pujols just to name 3 off the top of my head. He used to be great, but at age 34 and at this point in Lee's career, he is just GOOD. Not a bad thing to say, but he is just a Good defender, not great or the best.

-How in the Hell is "Theriot getting up there with all the good shortstops"?! Last year, he was a middle-of-the-road shortstop at best. In 2007 he was literally one of the worst all around players in baseball, go check it out, it's pretty disturbing. So you make this assumption based on his awful year and his average year? This makes him up there with the Hanley Ramirez's and the Jose Reyes' of MLB...not even close, man. He's a middling shortstop, if ranked, he would fall somewhere between 12-16, being generous when considering his negatives.

Acquiring Peavy is obviously a great move based on the fact that he is a great pitcher, and Furcal would be another great addition. Furcal would bring the left handed bat they want into the llineup along with speed and great range at short. Remember, Theriot came into the majors and played some second base, and based on the guy's team first attitude along with his great work ethic i think he could fit back into 2nd, and DeRosa has proven to be solid at any position he plays, so you stick him in right and move Fukudome to Center.

ARE YOU PEOPLE SERIOUS???

It has been 101 years since the Cubs last won the world series and you are worried about giving up minor league players???

Trade the farm if you have to to acquire Jake Peavy!!!

Obvioulsy the fact he plays on the west coast means people dont understand fully how great of a pitcher this guy really is.

Pitching and defense wins championships. Our offense is solid already.

We do not need Furcal. We do not need to be dropping 4-5 year, expensive contracts on washed up infielders. Look at where we are at this year. We are coming off a 97 win season, which if we had still been in the hunt for a playoff spot through the season would have easily hit 100. I think we need to see more of Reed Johnson, add a reliable bat off the bench, and maybe replace Marquis. WE CAN'T and WONT dump Sori because of his contract, no one in their right mind would give up D-Lee even though he's more of a 5-spot hitter these days, we're stuck with Fukudome, even though I have a feeling that he will rebound some this season... My point is, there aren't going to be very many trades. If we could dump Fukudome, have DeRosa start in right, and Fontenot at second, all we would really need is one more solid pitcher and we would be good.

... (ran out of space...) But we won't. Peavy is our only real major pickup this season.

I think if there is anything we learned this year it is that ballgames aren't won by the longball, and theriot is a prime example of that. He gets on base all the time. Being a good base runner involves more than stealing bases. His defense was more than adequate and batting over .300 is no small feat. I find it hard to believe that of all the negativity you could place on the cubs this year that you would pin it on one of the key components to there success. Theriot is here to stay and the Cubs are a better team because of it.

The only starter Theriot was better than was Fukudome, and only slightly. And you know how much **** that Fukudome has gotten since the AS break. Theriot was massively outperformed all-around by every starter on the team, and Fontenot off the bench murdered Theriot's numbers. And he is not "more than adequate" defensively. When compared to shortstops across baseball, he is solidly below average. It's not up to argument, it's just a cold hard fact. He's an average-fielding 2B trying to play SS, and not doing it well.

Ryan Theriot is a really average shortstop that has a lot of flaws in his game, and at age 29, very likely won't be correcting them. He very likely is going to slightly regress next year, taking him from average to below average, making him necessary to upgrade. Even if you are a personal fan of his, you have to see how many flaws he has, and that he would be the easiest position to upgrade.

Common sense tells us that IF the Cubs acquire Peavy, Theriot will be part of the deal. The Pads are looking to deal Khalil Greene and will need ****. That's why the Cubs have an interest in Furcal. He's a better fielding SS, plus, the leadoff man they desperately need. I can see Theriot, Samardjia and maybe Marshall or Pie going to the Pads. NOT VITTERS. Jimbo, if they insist on Vitters hang up on Towers.

For everyone who thinks Theriot is not a above average shortstop here are some nice stats he was 3rd among reg. shortstops in Batting Average, lead Cubs Regualors. 2nd in walks among SS with 73 Hanley Rameriz has 92. Reyes 66 and Jeter 52. The Kid gets on base. he was ninetienth in Strike outs with 58 Hanley Rameriz had 122 Jeter had 85 and Reyes had 82. He was 5th in steal (granted he did get caught ALOT). And here are some nice fielding stats he had 14 errors Rameriz had 22 Reyes had 17 and Jeter had 12. He had a .975 Fielding percantage Jeter had a .979 Reyes a .974 adn Rameriz a .967 those three are all above average SS in my opinion and he is right there with them if not ahead of them in all catagories granted he doesnt have as much power as them

(ran out of room) but when you have Soriano whens hes hot Lee Rameriz Dero Soto and even Big Z do really need a whole lot of power?

You are using some of the worst and most misleading stats in all of baseball to try to aid your case on Theriot, and it isn't going to fly.

The Amount of errors an infielder has plays such an insanely low role in how good a fielder he is. Using Fielding % is a joke of a statistic, because the only thing it uses is the amount of errors. It's a terrible, terrible way to judge defense. Ryan Braun had ZERO errors last year, and he is one of the least skilled and worst outfielders defensively in baseball. He has a 1000 fielding %. See the flaws right there with that case, not to mention every other one.It doesn't show range, arm strength, or smarts. When put against the many other shortstops in MLB, Theriot proves in every aspect that he is below average. If you can watch Theriot play consistently, and STILL say you believe him to be a good fielder, then you have issues that I cannot fix. And then mentioning the strike-out like it is the worst thing in the world. A ground out or fly out is a fraction of a fraction of 1 percent better than a strikeout. WOOT! What a difference right? Not whatsoever. They make no difference if you still get on base and hit for power. Theriot is not even CLOSE to being in the league of the Elites like Hanley Ramirez or Jose Reyes, not even remotely close. He's not even close to the GOOD shortstops either, ala Derek Jeter, JJ Hardy, Stephen Drew, Jimmy Rollins, or Jhonny peralta. Then you have various guys like Alexei Ramirez or Christian Guzman, Max Aviles, Miguel Tejada or Micheal Young. At that point, you start to realize that there are around 10 to 15 guys considerably better than him, making him MEDIOCRE, AVERAGE, or pretty much a "Meh" player. Furcal is an offensive and defensive upgrade, and if we (hopefully) trade Theriot and others for Peavy, he should be signed. Maybe he's not worth the 10 million, but he's considerably better than Theriot.

Wow, you guys REALLY hate Ryan Theriot! I mean, you hate him A LOT!!!!

I will agree that yes, Rafael Furcal is better than Theriot. I will even agree that all Theriot does is hit singles, and his SB success rate is pretty poor. I agree that his fielding is, well, he's not going to win a Gold Glove. However, I saw somebody say that Mike Fontenot is a better player than Theriot, which is a pretty dumb comment if you pay any attention to Cubs baseball. Look, I like Fontenot too. I like Theriot also, to be honest. But here's the deal with Fontenot: HE CAN'T FIELD. He is what you call a "Defensive Liability". None of you may remember this, but Lou did actually try Fontenot at SS once last season. After the second inning of the game, when Fontenot had made THREE ERRORS IN TWO INNINGS, that experiment was put to rest. So, Fontenot is NOT the end-all be-all here. The Cubs don't need Peavy, they need a lefthanded power bat to hit 4th between Ramirez (#3) and 6-4-Lee (#5). And if McFail would get his head out of his rear end and pony up Brian Roberts already, the Cubs could hit him 1 and move Swing-at-everything-O to 6.

And what's with everybody playing Fantasy Baseball? Here's some facts for the uneducated:
- It's unlikely that the Cubs will be able to increase the payroll a whole lot this season, being that all of their contracts are backloaded and they are trying to make the Cubs a profitable commodity so they can sell the team
- If you think Kevin Towers wouldn't laugh in your face if you offered him Derrek Lee for Peavy and Adrian Gonzalez, you are a complete moron.
- Derrek Lee and Aramis Ramirez have NO-TRADE CLAUSES. That means, if either one of them are traded they would have to okay the deal first.
- NO ONE is going to want Alfonso Soriano, Kosuke Fukudome, or Jason Marquis UNLESS a big bag of money (see point 1) is sent with them
They might be able to get Lee to agree to a deal, but it's likely that if he did they would probably be playing Hoffpauir at first next year because they CAN'T AFFORD TEX. So, they'll tinker here and there, get a lefthanded hitter to bat between Lee and Ramirez, maybe even get a leadoff hitter. That's all they can do. I'm sorry, but there isn't a money tree sitting outside Wrigley Field.

Fontenot's offensive stats Murder Theriot's, and that's a hard fact.

Theriot on the Bench??? Thats crazy!!! With all the singles and with his speed it should be a no-brainer that Theriot is our leadoff hitter, somebody just needs to tell Pinella and striking out crybaby Soriano. Theriot is one hell of a hustler, and plays the game like it should be played. He reminds me of a Pete Rose who doesn't switch hit. I don't want Furcal. We need to get Peavy, Raul Ibanez, and resign Wood. He said he was open to a one-year deal with the Cubs and it is insane to let him go. Just think:

1. Theriot SS
2. Lee 1B
3 Ibanez/DeRosa RF
4. Rami 3B
5. Soto C
6 Soriano LF
7. DeRosa/Fontenot 2B
8. Kosuke/Johnson CF

Starters
1. Zambrano
2. Peavey
3. Dempster
4. Harden
5. Lilly

BP
1. Wood
2. Marmol
3. Gregg
4. Samardjia
5. Marshall

That would be scary to every team in the majors!!!

By the way, if someone can't see the value of Theriot, with his hustle, hitting .300 and taking walks while working the count, then the crack has done its damage. Brain cells don't reproduce.

Stop with the Theriot hatred. Remember, in 07 he was the first player Lou guaranteed him a roster spot first, and we have won two division championships since.

Just for the record, with his hustle and spirited play Theriot is my favorite player too. He does more with less natural talent than anyone on the Cubs. Furcal had his chance, and I would HATE to see the Cubs sign him. We didn't need him then, and we definately don't need him now. We need to try and get Peavey, Ibanez, and give the money they would waste on Furcal to Woody. Get real people, Theriot has been a winner everywhere he has played. That is not coincidence, he is ONE HELL of a team player!!

Thank you Dylan. People that dont see the value a person like theriot brings with hustle and heart, two things laking in baseball these days. I can honestly say i've never seen him take a play off or not sprint down the baseline when he makes contact. As for Furcal u wanna put all that money into some who played less games than most of the people in our bullpen last year. spend it on Wood.

1. As much as I am happy that Wood excelled as our closer last year, he deserves better than a one year deal. He deserves to cash in on his success for all of the determination he has shown. If the Cubs do lose him, then they gain 2 extra draft picks in the draft. 2. Samardzija needs to go back to the minors and work on being a starter. That should be his future. 3. Why can't we give Josh Kroeger a shot? He's hitting over .350 this winter. He hit over .300 in Iowa last year. He would be a lot cheaper than any other option in right field. I don't mind bringing in Teahen at the right price. Cedano and Hoffpair have had their chances, and they proved they are better fits on other teams. I like them and wish them well, but elsewhere.

Geckoboy i agree with you, but i think samardzija is ready to start instead of going back to the minors. he can get spot starts early in the year and then come june or late may then have him become a regular started but i would say that it is time we also think about converting vitters into an outfielder and bring veal to iowa i know his numbers went down but i believe he can do it all he has to do is throw strikes.

What's with the Furcal hatred? Didn't we all see his value against the Cubs during our meltdown? And enough with all the "unpredictable" crap. He missed significant time LAST YEAR and that's been it. He's as reliable as D-Lee in that regard.

I love Theriot and appreciate his value. He can move to second and platoon with Fontenot. Or we can lose him in a trade and Fontenot gets the job as we move around with Fukudome/Johnson/Derosa. Fontenot plays the same way as Theriot, with added power.

Not sure why all the Theriot bashing. Look at Furcal's career numbers and compare. Yes, he's got more pop and more range. But Theriot is .732 OPS and .976 fielding and Furcal is .764 OPS and .966 fielding.

If he's healthy, he'd be a great addition, but he also costs about $14 Million more a year than Theriot. Is he worth the price? or would the money be better spent on a power outfielder?

I'm not really in the mood to argue, but seriously you guys.

Fielding Percentage is literally the most useless and ******** statistic in all of baseball (Maybe right behind people who judge pitchers off their W-L record...). It plays such an incredibly, unimportant role in how to rate defenders, it's pretty sickening.

Think about it in other terms. You don't know the range of the player, you don't know his arm strength, and you don't know how fast his reaction-speed is. It basically is like picking a QB not looking at ANY of his skills, but saying "Quarterback A fumbled 3 times last year, and Quarterback B fumbled 1 time, therefore Qb B is the much better player. It's awful awful awful, and I urge all of you to ignore it for the rest of your baseball lives. Thank you very much for your time, Good night

Rafael furcal would be a perfect fit for the cubs. it gives a true leadoff hitter so we can use sorianos power to drive in runs. I dont see it being a issue of being a crowded middle infield due to cedeno should be used as trade bait and derosa will be used a utility player just as he has been his whole career and fontenot hasent been a everyday player yet for the cubs. this could also avioding signing mark teahan from the royals. we could platoon micah hoffpauir,Mark derosa and even kosuke fukudome at right