I had a pretty emotional and lengthy absence here. I had to go away to attend a funeral for my grandfather. He was truly a great man will be missed. Unfortunately, I’ve spent the last day or so packing and catching up on missed Cubs stuff. I’m not fully caught up but there are a few things I can touch on before I get back to business as usual.
- Matt Murton and Rocky Cherry have returned to the 25 man roster replacing Billy Petrick and Jake Fox. I really can’t see anything wrong with this move. Matt Murton has been hitting the ball well and Cherry and Petrick at this point offer about the same value. Jake Fox was never going to be up long. He was rewarded for a great season and I imagine we will see him up again in September. I also see Murton’s call-up as a showcase. It is pretty obvious he does not fit into Lou Piniella’s plan. If Murton can show some of last year’s form he may still have some trade value. If not he’ll be a fine 4th outfielder when Jacque Jones is traded.
- Speaking of trades, I don’t expect the cubs to make any major moves today. Felix Pie will NOT be traded. Trading him with center-field wide open makes no sense. It is likely some minor deals involving Jones, Cedeno, or minor league Starters will be made. With the impending sale of the team, the Cubs cannot take on much payroll. Don’t be surprised if nothing happens.
- Kerry Wood has one final test before he is called up. He has come along way and is still throwing hard. He will be pitching in AA in the next day or two. If he pitches well and has no abnormal pain, he will be called up this week. I can’t even explain how huge of a lift that would be to have Wood in the bullpen.
- For those who are looking for a Mark Prior update. There really isn’t one. He underwent surgery this spring and he will not be able to pitch this year. According to the Mailbag for the Cubs is in San Diego. I honesty, would be surprised to see him pitching even early next year. If he does, it’ll likely be with another team. There is only so much money you can invest in someone who is not playing. I think the Cubs have reached that point. I still can’t believe he asked for raise in the off-season.
- The Cubs were rumored to be the leaders in the Gagne sweepstakes be he has been traded to the Red Sox. The still seem to be interesting in Jermaine Dye from the White Sox and Carlos Silva from the Twins. Dye would further that log jam in right field but would be an upgrade. He could put up some serious numbers at Wrigley. Carlos Silva is an average starter at best. He pitches to contact and puts up average numbers. Moving to the NL central could help his value a bit, but with the surplus of starters the Cubs have, I really can’t see the deal happening unless it is part of a bigger deal.
1 Comment
February 15, 2009 at 11:53 pm
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