Mashings and ramblings of a nerd
Posts tagged Warm Fuzzies
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.
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.
