Mashings and ramblings of a nerd
Sports
Bears Biggest Mistake This Season…
Jan 24th
Out of the meandering of mistakes the Bears made this season, the biggest one might not be the most obvious which I will get to in a few minutes. But first, I wanted to highlight a few other issues I’ve noticed this season.
Extending Cutler three years might be a mistake due to his inconsistency. Rex Grossman took the Bears to the Super Bowl in 2006 and was wildly inconsistent. He’s now a backup for the Redskins after bouncing around a few other teams although he did get a shot at the end of the season after the benching of Donovan McNabb. He’s been one of the better options in the end under center than past years; Rex Grossman and Kyle Orton included.
Hiring Mike Martz as Offensive Coordinator: In the end this will probably be a positive, due to the fact the Bears don’t have a true number one caliber receiver. Johnny Knox is a great speed receiver, but doesn’t have at size to be a Larry Fitzgerald, Calvin Johnson or Andre Johnson. Devin Aromashodu seemed to have fallen into that role late last season and has a larger frame then the other Chicago receivers, but fell greatly out of favor with the coaching staff early this season for some unknown reason.
The Bears took through their bye week (week seven) to figure out the correct configuration to their offensive line. After the joke of a game versus the Giants, I was about ready to hang it up for the season. They did figure things out (for the most part), but they still have a TON of work to do in those regards.
Tampa Two defense. I don’t like this scheme much at all. With so many straight up better QBs in the league, picking part this zone defense is much easier. So many teams have put together fast drives versus this defensive scheme by just picking apart the wholes in the secondary that range in the 10-15 yard range between the linebackers and the safeties. So many teams have just “chunked” their way down the field when they needed to score. Thankfully, the D can clamp down when it needs to.
They need to keep Matt Forte and Greg Olson as an integral part of the offense. They’re the real deal and need to be kept involved at all times. Forte was 3rd in the NFC in total yards from scrimmage this season. He’s very reminisant of a St. Louis Ram running back that was under Mike Martz and the “Greatest Show On Turf” who is named Marshall Faulk. Forte probably won’t be leading the league in rushing yards, but he’s so good at receiving out of the backfield. He was about the only person on the Bears that didn’t seem sluggish. I’m happy to see him have a good season; hopefully he continues that future. Greg Olson. Oh what to do with you? Under the Martz system, the tight end isn’t in much of the plans, and does a large amount of blocking. I will say I was happy they brought him off the line from time to time in the slot. He’s got the talent to be a top tier TE. If the game in versus Seattle last weekend was any indication, he needs be involved more.
These ‘mistakes’ listed above wasn’t the biggest mistake made by the Bears this season. The biggest mistake occurred on September 4th 2010. They cut rookie QB Dan LeFevour in favor of keeping Todd Collins as the backup to Mr. Cutler. I watched some pre-season games this year, and LeFevour looked like the best QB out there. Collins was a joke in the games he was in this season. He looked like a lost deer for the two series played yesterday before being yanked for 3rd year pro Caleb Hanie. Apparently, he was injured as well. This move gave them a standing chance at winning the game. If Collins remains in this game, there is actually a negative percent chance of them winning that game. Regardless, he was snatched up the following day by the Bengals and make their 3rd string QB behind the Palmer brothers.
Need I mention while at CMU (Central Michigan University), he was a four year starter and scored over 150 TDs (102 passing and 47 rushing). In his Senior year he passed for over 3,400 yards with 28 TDs and only 7 INTs and ran for over 700 with 15 TDs. Sure, he was just a rookie, but was he worth giving a gift to another team by picking up Todd Collins late in pre-season? God NO! Hanie would have been fine as a backup and having LeFevour as the emergency QB.
We may not see LeFevour under center in a regular season game for a few seasons, but I have feeling he’s going to get a shot and do well.
Singletary: New Linebackers Coach For Viks
Jan 19th
It’s good to see that Singletary was able to find a new place this quickly. He’s got some good talent in the coaching department. The horrid seasons with the Niners were beyond his control. They have no steady quarterback. Their offense relies mostly on Frank Gore, who has been starting to break down late season with injuries. The receiving corp isn’t that good, out side of Vernon Davis, and the mostly underwhelming Michael Crabtree. They’ve got some good players on Defense, but the team as a whole is pretty much a mess at the moment.
I will say though, I really which he would been sucked in as the part of the former head coach empire the Bears are building within their coaching staff. Currently on staff are Mike Tice: Former Vikings Head Coach and current Offensive Line Coach, Rod Marinelli: Former Detroit Lions Head Coach and current Defensive Coordinator and Assistant Head Coach and finally Mike Martz: Former St. Louis Rams Head Coach and current Offensive Coordinator. I kinda like to refer to them as the Empire.
Growing up as a Bears fan, Mike Singletary was one of my favorites. The intensity he showed on the field was second to none. From one second he went from normal, to a HUGE eyed monster (of the midway), that sought terror upon his enemies. I really hope he does end up in Chicago. It would be very fitting for him.
As a Bears Fan……
Jan 16th
As a Bears fan, it does pains me to say this, but it’s the truth. I try my best to be a unbiased fan. I will admit faults of my favorite teams, as well as praise players I my not personally like for whatever reasons. Yes. Albert Pujols is probably the best hitter in the league. Do I like him? No.
The Green Bay Packers are the most underrated and underestimated team remaining in the playoffs. At the beginning of the season, I picked them to easily win the NFC North, with the Bears inconsistency, the Vikings having Brett Fav-ree on roster and the Lions being the Lions. Aaron Rodgers is probably the 2nd best QB in the NFC behind Drew Brees. Obviously, I say that before Mike Vick was the full time QB for the Eagles, but I think he’s probably better overall than Vick (excluding Fantasy implications) and has a higher QB Rating. I can’t find the exact stat anywhere, but I remember a commentator mentioning that Rodgers has something like 17 (if not more) rushing first downs this season. That seems like a pretty high number for a QB not named Vick.
Early on in the season the Defense had a lot of injuries to key players. Aaron Rodgers sat out one full game and was knocked out of another game this season. The last four games of the season, they’ve gotten themselves back to full force and ended up winning their last four games of the season, so needless to say they’re running hot into playoffs. Now with wins against the Eagles, and now completely dismantling the Falcons.
Rodgers has some of the best toys to play with in his receiving corp. Donald Driver. Greg Jennings. James Jones. Jordy Nelson, Andrew Quarless. All of those guys are good players. When you factor a healthy Jermichael Finley to the mix, it’s probably close to the best overall receiving team in the NFL. With the emergence of James Stark over the last few games of the season (after “practice issues”) as the true feature back, it gives them the full package as an offensive unit.
A few weeks ago I was not happy the when the Bears lost to the Pack in the last game of the season, because this allowed them to sneak in to the playoffs, knowing full well they’d be a seriously dangerous team. The caveat; however, was the Bears would not be able to face the Packers in the Divisional game because they were the six seed and the Falcons was going to be playing the lowest seeded team in the playoffs. That worked out well for the Falcons didn’t it? The Bears play the 7-9 team, and the Falcons play the 10-6 team. Oops.
Next weeks NFC Championship game between the Bears and the Packers is going to be a fantastic game. It’s the first time the two teams have played each other since the 1940′s. The Bears have really found a good groove the 2nd half of the season. A lot of that is due to Mike Tice getting the offensive line shuffled and to an optimum configuration. I’m pretty sure with the game being in Chicago, will make it a much more even game. It will be a very exciting game knowing an NFC North team will be in the Superbowl.
Cubs Sign Reed Johnson to Minor League Deal
Jan 13th
Former Cub and fan favorite, Reed Johnson, appears to be on his way back to town to try to make the team as backup outfielder. My father-in-law has called him “Speedy” ever since he made that amazing catch in Washington against the Nationals a few seasons ago. I like this move a lot both as a fan who likes Johnson, and as a analyst.
His super hustle and play hard every play demeanor rivals that of Cub center fielder Marlon Byrd. Word on the rumor mills is that if the season started today, Tyler Colvin is going to be the every day right fielder now that Carlos Pena is on board to cover the one bag position. Kosuke Fukudome has just fallen completely out of favor in the Windy City and with good reason. He hasn’t come remotely close to living up to the hype that brought him over from Japan. There have been some rumblings about Fukudome possibly being moved albeit with the Cubs on tap for probably most, if not all of his salary this season. Even if they can get a few minor leaguers…. ok, ok, a bag of peanuts out of Fukudome it should be explored. Alfonso Soriano in left field is a completely different story.
Sam Fuld was involved in the Matt Garza trade last week, and Xavier Nady left due to free agency, so the Cub technically are in the need of that 5th outfielder / utility guy. Johnson’s everyday gaming is all but over, but I see him as a good mentor for the young minor leaguers that are on the verge of making the big show. Johnson made it no secret that he like playing in Chicago, and hopefully this gives him a catch to compete on the team again. I like him as a defensive replacement, and pinch runner late in games, as well as giving players a day off here and there. Having that veteran presence, not named Alfonso Soriano is pretty big too. Marlon Byrd is a good team leader, but having Johnson on the team I think takes the team leadership up on more notch.
I hope after spring training, there’s room for ‘ole Speedy, on the roster.
Cubs Trade for Matt Garza
Jan 8th
The Cubs made a big move Friday to shore up their rotation for this season. They made a trade for pitcher Matt Garza of the Tampa Rays and two minor league players and the Rays will acquire 5 players.
Here’s a quick rundown of players that are involved in the deal.
Cubs receive:
Matt Garza. He was 15-10 last season with a 3.91 ERA and topped 200 innings for the season. He also threw a no-hitter versus the Detroit Tigers this past season. There’s been quite a bit of talk that he’s going to hop right into the rotation as the ace of the team. I’m not sure if that will actually happen though, but it doesn’t, he’ll easily start after Dempster and before Carlos Zambrano. I like Zambrano not being the opening day starter as his track record has not been good. Simply put, he’s not an ace, but as a 3rd starteer in the rotation, he could thrive.
Fernando Perez. Perez was up and down for the Rays in the 2008 and 2009 seasons. At the age of 27, he’s starting to hit that age where he needs to make a big jump in his career or fall in to that grouping of people that just never made it. He’s not particularly a strong hitter, but he’s got extremely good speed.
Zachary Rosscup. He’s currently a low A ball pitcher that’s only 22 that was drafted two seasons ago that tosses the ball from the left side. I don’t know much about him. He seemed to have a pretty decent 2nd full season
Rays receive:
Chris Archer. He was acquired in Mark DeRosa trade to the Indians a few seasons ago. Since then Archer has become the Cubs top pitching prospect and was their pitcher of the year in the Minors last season posting a 15-3 record with a 2.34 ERA between high A and AA last season. He’s only 21 now too. There was an outside shot he could have made the Cubs rotation out of spring training, but most likely he’ll start the season in AAA. He could develop into a top end rotation guy. The ceiling is pretty high for this kid. Although he is considered the top pitching prospect, with the likes Casey Coleman, Trey McNutt, Chris Carpenter (no no that Chris Carpenter), and potentially Jay Jackson, he can me moved to improve the team now.
Brandon Guyer. He was the Cubs minor league hitter of the year this past season. He hit .344 with 13 hrs 58 rbis and 30 steals. He’s played all three outfield positions this season, and it seems like he plays them reasonably with only three errors and 12 assists. Mumblings on the blog circuit seem to say that Guyer is only ever going to amount to a 4th OF at most. Seems to me with those sort of stats he could fit in pretty well as a 2nd hitter in a line up with quite a bit success. He could easily amount to a 20 hr guy with 50 sb in a full major league season; however, Brett Jackson is currently the OF of the Cubs future. With Colvin and Soriano on the team, with presumably Jackson filling in in a year or two, he’s expendable.
Hak-Ju Lee. The 20 year old shortstop from Korean is blocked by fellow youngster Starlin Castro. He’s a plus defender, and hit for a pretty good average, and has pretty decent speed. He could easily fit in as an Adam Everett type player, where he’s really good on the field, but most likely an 8th hitter or so. Depending on what the Rays do with Reid Brignac over the next two or three years, Lee could easily fill in that spot.
Robinson Chirinos. Former infielder Chirinos was moved to catcher in the 2008 season, but last season was his first time as a full time catcher. He hits the ball really well as he hit .326 with 18 hrs. The other interesting fact he struck out 43 times; however he walked 44 times in 380 abs between AA and AAA. He could easily be Jaso’s backup this season or next. He should be a pretty good player of the bench, but he probably won’t ever be an everyday starter, but a solid backup.
Sam Fuld. He’s a been a player that’s been up and down filling in for injuries and what not over the past several seasons. He’s a great defender and plays the game the right way, and plays hard every play, much like Marlon Byrd. He doesn’t have much power, but hits for a good average and hits the gaps pretty well. He’s got great speed and is a smart base runner. He often was a pinch runner late in games, and stayed in as defensive replacement. With Carl Crawford out of town, he’s got a solid shot at making the team as a 4th or 5th outfielder on the team, whereas he’d probably stay in the minors with the Cubs this season.
This trade will actually help both teams. For now, it obviously favors the Cubs since Garza is hitting his prime pitching years, and they will retain him for three seasons (including this one). Picking up prospects are such a gamble, but even if one of those players pane out, in the end the trade will wind up in the Rays favor. I’m fairly certain Chris Archer is going to end up in the majors, and contributing to a team. Garza has been getting better and better as his career grows, so hopefully he can continue that sort of success in Wrigley.
Why I Like The Cubs Signing Kerry Wood
Dec 17th
The Cubs and former Cub star, Kerry Wood, have signed a contract for one year $1.5 million base salary contract. The incentives and extras are still being worked out yet, and all of these is pending a physical with team doctors. It’s no secret that Wood’s career has been greatly hampered by injures since the 2003 season where he was an All-Star. After several surgeries and lots of time spend rehabbing numerous injuries, he was relegated to pitching out of the bullpen. He had some decent success in doing so. At point, he was closing games for the Cubs. With the emergence of Carlos Marmol as closer, and Wood showing that he can close games, sent Wood to The Indians for two seasons worth $20 million. Hendry said he should go out and explore the market and get that contract he deserves. Little side note: setting up for the Yankees after a deadline trade he pitched extremely well, and starting throwing the cutter like Rivera does. That could translate well in Wrigley as well.
The is a positive move by the Cubs for these reasons:
1. It allows the Cubs to invest more money in a starting pitcher they need. This contract that he signed with the Cubs is extremely cheap for what he could have signed at other places. Reports indicate that he left a bunch of money on the table with the other contract offers he had to come back home.
2. Andrew Cashner can safely change to a starting pitcher, where the Cubs think his future is at. Cashner was drafted all four years during his college days at Texas Christian University. Sure, while at TCU he was their closer, but with Carlos Marmol on the roster, he begun his minor league career as a starter. Having watched him last season, we can safely say the kid has awesome stuff. If you take out two bad outings he had last season, his ERA would dropped to 2.54 from 4.8. Not bad for a rookie. Heck, if he doesn’t make the rotation out of spring training, keep Cashner in the bullpen and it could very well be one of the better ones in the NL next season.
3. This gives the Cubs a lot of flexibility in the way the pitching staff is put together. With the trades of Derrek Lee and Ted Lilly, they acquired a couple of good young pitchers that are close to being Major League ready. Acquired in the Ted Lilly deal, Kyle Smit was progressing as a starter in the minors, but the Cubs switched him to be a reliever. That translated into a 5-1 record with an ERA under two. Ty’Relle Harris, acquired int he Derrek Lee trade, isn’t quite ready for the big leagues, but he’s pitching very well thus far. Chris Archer has a real good shot at making the rotation out of spring training this season. He was 8-2 in 13 starts with an ERA of 1.80. Couple that with Casey Coleman pitching well down the stretch as a starter, the Cubs potentially have some expendable pitcher they could use to acquire a super star during or after this season.
4. I recently talked about the Cubs losing their “face of the franchise” when Derrek Lee was traded. This move fills that hole perfectly. While Wood won’t be able to carry a team like DLee did, but he will be that leader in the clubhouse they need. It’s no secret that while with the Cubs, Wood was a fan favorite, and I expect nothing less from Cubs nation (including myself). Kerry Wood is a great human being in general. He has charity drives, like Kerry Wood’s Strike Zone, a yearly celebrity bowling tournament. I would expect much of this in the future.
5. This really isn’t necessarily a positive, but his contract is only for one season. I’m guessing we’ll see how well he holds up pitching out of the pen this season, before he starts thinking about a longer contract. It could also mean a “take it year-by-year” approach with Wood. I highly doubt that he’ll go anywhere from besides the Cubs to end his career with taking a deal like this. He doesn’t need money anymore; he’s earned $68 million so far in his career.
This deal actually makes them a straight up better team mostly because of the flexibility it gives the team and the money it saved them trying to find a veteran reliever. After watching his press conference, he stated he is always going to be a Cub, even after his playing days, he plans on sticking around. This is a great day for the Cubs and Cubs fans alike.
The boat has sailed for Carlos Pena and the Cubs…
Dec 10th
Alright, so I didn’t get who I wanted to play first base for The Cubs this upcoming season. I really think Lance Berkman would have been a better option at first base rather than newly signed Carlos Pena. For one, it would have saved some money that could have been put towards that veteran starter they wanted in their rotation. Secondly, I think Berkman will be set to have a bigger season than Pena in the end. Berkman could also spell Soriano in LF in order to give Tyler Colvin time at first, if that’s what The Cubs want. Obviously Colvin’s skills are better used in the outfield in this point in his career, but it’s best they keep their options open. Hendry has publicly said (prior to signing Pena) Colvin would be the opening day starter if the season started today.
Scott Boras, Pena’s agent, is taking the “sign for one year to get the big contract next year” approach, much like he did with Adrian Beltre last season. In Beltre’s case it’s going to pay off with some large dividends in the very near future. This too, is a better deal for The Cubbies as well. If he fails to produce this upcoming season, they’re just out the $10 million they spend this season. The one year contract will probably just be a placeholder for a larger acquisition next season. Rumor has it they will make a big push for Prince Fielder if the Brewers can’t keep him in town. It’s also possible they could promote within the organization in too as some of the young prospects develop this season.
This also show the large amount of faith they have in Rudy Jaramillo as their hitting coach. Since Pena’s career year in 2007, his production has decreased every season since. Hopefully playing in hitter friendly Wrigley Field coupled with the best hitting coach in the business, can turn him around this season. He did win a gold glove in 2008 with the then Devil Rays, so he won’t be a liability in the field, like Adam Dunn would have in comparison to Pena or Derrek Lee. This will also help in theory Starlin Castro cut down on this errors this season. Pena is shorter than Lee, so I wouldn’t expect him to get more balls thrown higher than Lee could, but scooping up the low balls could be improved upon. Pena also throws left-handed which will give the fielders a different look than they’ve seen in the past, but shouldn’t affect the overall outcome.
$10 million was a too much to pay Pena to be a one year plug. The Cardinals were able to sign Berkman for one season for only $8 million; however, this will be to play left field. Perhaps Berkman prefers to play left over first, or he just wasn’t on the Cubs radar? I’m not sure. I like the way Berkman plays the game. He’s plays hard and likes to have fun. The switch-hitting would be a good bonus too when they face a left-handed pitcher.
Pena isn’t the piece of the puzzle that they were missing to get back to the playoffs. I’ll be the first to admit that I was on the DLee train, when he came over in the Hee-Seop Choi trade after the 2003 season and it’s been pretty difficult to get off the train now that he’s going to end up somewhere else. He had become the leader and the face of the team. It’s hard to say where that will go this season. Castro is well on his way to doing that, but only being 20, he’s got a lot to learn. This move isn’t expected to make The Cubs an immediate playoff contender. I have a hard time seeing them making the playoffs the current way the team is built.
I hope I’m eating my words by the end of the season because that would mean that Pena would have a really productive season. In the end that’s all The Cubs need at first base for the time being. Even if The Cubs tank, they could still either get prospects in a deadline trade or supplemental draft picks if he stays all season and find a long term deal elsewhere. Either way those are win-win situations for The Cubs.
Besides this gives them a resounding lead in the Carloses. They now will have Carlos Zambrano, Carlos Marmol, Carlos Silva and now Carlos Pena all on one roster.
Offseason Free-Agent Options for the Cubs
Dec 4th
I know there always potentially more moves that could be completed via trade, but without being part of the Cubs organization, I don’t know what’s going on, so I’ll just address what they could do via Free Agency signings. The Ricketts have already publicly mentioned that they plan on cutting back the roster salary for this upcoming season. The big numbers off the books this season is Derrek Lee. That frees up $13.25 Million. The only other player to note was Xavier Nady, which was a $3.3 Million contract for the season he played in Chicago. It’s unlikely that he’ll be back with the team.
With that said, The Cubs need to fill/improve a few holes in on their roster. They need to obviously need to replace DLee. They’ve said they prefer a left handed power hitter to fill that hole. Let’s examine the free agent pool and see how they could fit into The Cubs plans next season. Thankfully, in my opinion, The Cubs passed on Adam Dunn. I think he’s a really good fit to the White Sox and potentially they’re coming to grips with possibly life with out Paul Kornerko, but that’s another story for another time.
Another transaction to note: Micah Hoffpauir who was an Iowa farmhand that had not a lot of success at the Major League level, and he probably wasn’t fitting in The Cubs plans, so he’s taking a chance at playing in Japan. This means they’re pretty limited with promoting from with in the organization, although LaHair bats left handed. He’s not exactly a Derrek Lee replacement, but could be the new Micah Hoffpauir as a bench player/pinch hitter. Justin Bour, who’s ended the season with the Peoria Chiefs could be an option in a few season as he batted .291 with 12 hrs and 87 RBIs.
Carlos Pena – TB: There have also been some mumblings that they are pursuing him. While his defense is very good, much like Derrek Lee, his .196 batting average scares me quite a bit. I think we could safely assume that should come up being in a fairly hitters friendly park like Wrigley Field. He could be a fairly inexpensive option, in comparison to Dunn. If this were to be completed I would want a one year incentive leaden deal, much how Adrian Beltre did, and it’s seemed to resurrect his career. I really wouldn’t want to put all The Cubs off-season stock in Pena. He’s probably one of the better options out there that should be relatively inexpensive even if he made just over $10 million.
Lance Berkman – NYY: I’ll go out on record with this statement: If The Cubs can offer what Lance Berkman what he wants for a contracts and they can afford it, they should SNAP him up. It’s true Berkman does have a certain injury risk with attached with him. He has missed almost 70 games between the last two seasons. With that being said, seven of his last eight previous seasons he’s been a workhorse. He’s publicly said he thinks of himself as a 1B/OF not 1B/DH as many are making him out to be. I think with a productive off-season, he could prove to be that yearly All-Star again. While he’s no Derrek Lee in the field, I think he’s pretty underrated at first base. Since moving to first base, he’s been practically perfect on the field. The switch hitting could also prove to be valuable for The Cubbies, because they’ve shown to teams their right-handed dominated lineup can not dominate left handed pitching. I love the way he plays the game, and, in a way, he’s quietly become a forgotten force in the last couple of years. That could prove good for The Cubs, if they pull the trigger on him. One thing to note: he made $14.5 Million last season, and The Cubs could spin his contract to be incentive laden until they get Fukudome off the books next season, freeing up $10 Million.
Russell Branyan – SEA: Branyan recently had his club option declined by the Mariners, making him a free agent. He’s ran into some back injuries recently that’s hindered his time in the field. He’s been very efficient the last few season doing damage with his at-bats when he gets them. He had 25 hrs in only 371 ABs with split time between the Mariners and the Indians. If extrapolate that over a full season of at-bats, He could easily hit 40-50 home runs. He could prove to be an inexpensive option as he made only $1.5 million last year. His health is a big concern, and could a big time crap shoot. It’s worth exploring if they want to explore other areas for their funds. They still need a relief pitcher and a veteran starting pitcher.
Ryan Garko – TEX: I don’t effectively see Garko being an option for The Cubs. He probably won’t amount more to anything than a backup 1B or OF. I don’t foresee him being what the Cubs are thinking as full-time replacement of Derrek Lee. They essentially have a kid name Bryan LaHair in the minor that is for the most part the same player that Garko is. He had a poor start to the season and sat in the minors all season. With the emergence of Mitch Moreland, it’s time to take his talents elsewhere, but Chicago isn’t the right stop for him.
Mike Jacobs – TOR: Oh, how the … uh… kind… of might have fallen? We all know Mr. Jacobs has a lot of power, but he strikes out a ton, and has a low average. He only played in 8 games with the Mets last season and ended up on in the Toronto’s minor leagues by the end of the season with out a call up. Again I think having LaHair in the minor would fill the hole that Jacobs would potentially fill. I doubt he’ll be considered.
Paul Kornerko – CHW: Paulie is a really good fielder and really good hitter. He’s going to command big money on the market unless he ends up staying with the ChiSox, which I think is still a good possibility. I think besides the big contract he’s going to get that’s too high for The Cubs budget, fact of the matter is he’s a right handed power hitter. There are a plethora those guys already there, and they need a lefty.
Casey Kotchman – SEA: Kotchman has definitely bounced around the last few seasons trying find a permanent home. He’s going to be fairly affordable making only $3.5 Million last year, and with some mediocre years, he’s not going to get a huge contract by any means. I don’t think he’s enough power in his bat to be concerned very seriously. He is an interesting option to keep on the radar if they miss out on other players.
Adam LaRoche – ARZ: I like LaRoche as a backup if they can’t land Berkman. He’s got a pretty sweet swing, and does play the field pretty well. With that said he’s not the most mobile guy on the field by only attempting one stolen base and being caught; however he’s very sound on the field with what range he does have. He ran to some problems finding a home after getting traded away from Atlanta, but with last season being a full season the Diamondbacks he hit .261 with 25 hrs and 100 RBIs. That would translate over pretty well in Wrigley, and I wouldn’t be upset if they ended up with him opposed to some other guys. He took a big pay cut to play for the DBacks last season, and with a productive season he could be looking at something like 3 years $25ish million, which seems pretty pretty fair and affordable.
Lyle Overbay – TOR: Overbay fields well, and has average power, so I would definitely rank him blow LaRoche and Pena on my order of free-agents I would want The Cubs to end up with. I wouldn’t be upset if they did, but only at the right price. He made just under $8 million last season, and I don’t want that much invested in him.
Ty Wigginton – BAL: I dont’ really consider Wigginton a first basemen, but he does play there if needed. He is a good power hitter, but being right handed, he won’t be considered. I hope he gets a chance to swing the bat full time for a team because he’s a serious gamer and can help out a team.
There’s what I think about the potential free-agents at the way it currently stands. I haven’t had time to evaluate all the non-tenders to see what options fall there either. Be as it may, here are my overall ranking on how I wish The Cubs pursue starting life with out Derrek being the face of the franchise, leader, and cornerstone of the field:
1. Lance Berkman|
2. Adam LaRoche
3. Carlos Pena
4. Russell Branyan
5. Lyle Overbay
6. Pursue other options
