Happy trails to Cal Eldred, Abe Nunez, and John Mabry.  I just learned that Nunie signed a 3 year deal with the Phillies, Mabry is going to the <I’m vomiting here> Cubs for 1 turn of the globe, and Eldred has retired.

First, Eldred, good luck in life.  You had a fine career despite some tough injuries and illnesses.  Thanks for the solid work in the ‘pen these last few years.

Second: Nunie.  Why oh why did he pick the Phillies?  It’s not a terrible move by any means, but if he wanted to win, as he says, then why not re-sign with STL – the team that DID make it to the post.  He is going to be playing the same role in both places.  I certainly don’t think it was team chemistry, it seemed like the fans and other players loved Nunez this season.  Maybe the Phils offered him more cash.  I guess I am just trying to find answers because I am disappointed to lose the best infield substitute I’ve seen.  With Rolen getting older, Grudzie’s future in question, and injuries bound to happen to someone every season, I wish we had Nunez to fill the hole.

Last but not least: Mabry.  I can’t say how much it will hurt to see Mabry in that blue uniform.  Mabry started with the Cards and has left and come back 2x already.  Mabry has always been a classy guy and one of my favorites even though he isn’t a starter.  And to see one of your favorites put on the uniform of your team’s #1 enemy is enough to make anyone turn their eyes away in horror.  But, at least I’ll have someone to pull for in that Cubbie Clubhouse.  I hope he does well, but not too well, if you know what I mean.

I am feeling a lot of loss right now, hopefully Walt has something up his sleeve.  If we lose Grudzie and Sanders too, I think I might go into mourning.  I don’t think any one or two players is worth losing all of these guys for.  Unless his name is Pujols, anyway (and we already have him).

Ok, suppose the Cardinals pick up AJ Burnett or someone else via free agency or trade.  With Anthony Reyes likely to take Morris’ spot, this would mean that one of our current pitchers would have to go… either Marquis or Suppan.  The question is: who goes and who stays?

It is a tough choice for me.  Marquis had a tough middle season on the mound, but pulled out of it with a few great pitching performances at the end of the regular season.  What I really like best about him is the fact that he can hit.  He won the silver slugger in ’05 for pitchers.  He even had a few pinch-hit appearances where he really came through.  There’s just something about a hitting pitcher that demands a lot of respect from me.  I mean, how many times this season did the heart of the order go down in flames, only for a few of the bottom-feeders to step up, get on base (Yadi, Grudz, Gooch, & the other usual suspects), and threaten a rally?  Then the pitcher is up and makes an easy out: inning=over, rally=dead, me=very upset.  But when Marquis is starting, he can hit a single or a double (or even a HR), knock a few RBIs, or at least keep the inning alive for the always productive Eckstein.  Not to mention that you have a extra pinch-hitter on your roster for free.  Little makes me happier than a scary bottom of the order.  The opposing pitcher never gets to relax.  I love that.

Then there’s Suppan who has been pretty consistent and can rise to the occasion in big situations.  He’s no #1 or #2 starter, but he is all that you can realistically want at the back of the rotation.

I guess, personally, I would keep Marquis only because I think it is harder to replace a good-hitting decent pitcher than it is to replace a better-than-average cleanup pitcher.  However, I think the young, slugging Marquis is a more attractive trade for other teams, so I guess it depends on what I’d get in return.

Who would you keep?

Living in a town with just about an equal number of Cubs and Cards fans, I get the opportunity to talk with a lot of Cubs fans (One of my best friends is a Cubs fan and so is my chumiest coworker.  My gf’s uncle and sister (& her boyfriend) are evil as well.  Even my own brother is a dirty Cubs fan).  Usually our conversations center around the latest head-to-head series, who’s leading in the division, or some other kind of smack-talk.  Along the way, however, I do gain a lot of insight into the latest poop (aka news) about the Cubs from them.  I am also forced to keep up with the Cubbies to have enough info to mount an accurate attack.  So, the Cubs are probably the team I know the 2nd most about.  I’m not a walking encyclopedia, but I know enough to be dangerous to smack-talk with.

So, after that long and laborious intro, here’s my current point: I don’t know if the Cubbies’ GMs just have bad luck or if they are just plain stupid.  I think it is a mix of both.  They have a history of poor trades and acquisitions, Brock-for-Broglio being the most famous (it was great for the Cards, though!!).  My co-worker Corey (a cubbie) commented to me that they always seem to pay high-dollar for a big name and little else – Nomah being the last example – and I would have to agree.  Nomar is a famous name, maybe a thrill for the fans, but just was not worth the money.  He is getting older and his numbers were not great coming out of Boston.
Nomah not only didn’t do great things for the Cubs in his first Fall
with them, he went on to be injured for more than half of the next
season.  He did alright for the last month of the season that he
actually did play.  But Chicago still had to pay him a year’s worth of
salary for a month of play – just to find out that Neifi Perez is
almost as good, if not better, and a whole lot cheaper.  I guess you
can’t blame the guy for tearing his groin, but it was just another in a
long series of overpaid players that didn’t pan out for one reason or
another.  To the Cubs’ credit, they don’t seem to be trying too hard to
keep him, he isn’t signed again yet and Neifi is.  I guess we’ll see.
It would be classic Cubs to keep him anyway.

Another notable hole in Chicago’s payroll is Kerry Wood.  Now, I liked Wood at first and he is absolutely dominating… 1-2 starts at a time.  But then you wait 6-8 weeks and he might be healthy enough to start again.  If you listen to some commentators and some honest Cubbies’ fans, they will tell you how hard Wood works when he is pitching.  Too hard.  His delivery is flawed and he throws out his arm because he has to put so much stress on it.  Compare Prior’s delivery to Wood’s and you will see what I mean.  Prior is an example of grace, control, and power (using his body for leverage).  Wood is bullying his arm to get the ball up there on fire.  I’ll admit this guy is strong to be able to do it primarily with his arm – but this is why he is great for a game or two but by then has destroyed his arm (I’m no physical trainer or pitching coach, this is just what I and some other Cubbies’ fans have seen).  Unfortunately, if you force Wood to change his whole technique, it is a lengthy process and he may never be able to throw like he does now.  So, the Cubbies keep pumping money into Wood and his medical support team, hoping one day it will pay off, but it most likely never will.  IMHO the best bet is to keep him in the bullpen, throwing short outings.  When the Cubs tried it, he pitched effectively for several weeks without injury.  It would be a shame, but it seems to me like the only way to stop the bleeding and get some play out of a very expensive (and talented) pitcher.  But of course the Cubs plan to start him again next year.  And I’ll bet anyone that before April (maybe May) is over, Wood will be back on the DL.

Let’s not forget about Sammy Sosa.  At least they finished paying for him in October (after 5 mediocre, if not miserable, years and a season on a different team).

The latest gamble for the Cubs is their new lefty setup pitcher Scott Eyre.  I personally didn’t know much about him, but after reading another blog on here (I’m sorry I can’t remember which one, if it was yours then email me and I will credit you!  It was featured on the MLBlogs home page and I think it was just a general baseball blog) and doing some statistical research, it seems that the Cubs have spent a pretty penny ($11 million, 2 years) on this guy, who is older (33) and who is coming off a career year (2-2, 2.63 ERA, 2.50 SO/BB, 86 apps).  However, this past season is the apex of a mediocre career on the whole (18-25, 4.52 ERA, 1.50 SO/BB, 408 apps).  For comparison, STL’s 2005 setup men, Ray King (18-18, 3.12 ERA, 1.68 SO/BB, 447apps) and Julian Tavarez (72-55, 4.33, 1.52 SO/BB, 642 apps) are better, but still what I would consider moderate relievers.  Tavarez’s numbers are a bit surprising because he seems better than that – probably because he is much better at coming through in clutch situations (significantly better winning %) than King and especially Eyre (.567 vs .500 vs .419).  So the Cubs shelled out too much on a guy who had a good year, but is more likely to fall back to his normal, mediocre form or get injured than to have a repeat career year.  It could happen… but we all know how blue the Cubbies’ luck is.  We’ll just have to wait and see.

But I want your opinion: Bad luck or bad decisions?

Also, does anyone know how much Tavarez’s and King’s contracts were worth and for how long (for comparison)?  Tavarez will get a new one this winter, so that should be easy enough.

This is late, I know, but I just gotta say I am ecstatic about this year’s NL MVP and Cy Young. 

For Pujols, it’s about time you got what you deserved!  D. Lee was worthy competition, he just plays for the wrong team (the really really wrong team to me).  I’d still take Pujols any day.  5 years playing and 5 years that he could easily have been the MVP.  To bad they don’t give out MVPs for multiple-year performances.  Pujols is probably the greatest hitter I’ll ever see in my lifetime.  As far as Jones goes, yeah, he hit a lot of HRs but that is about it.  People who know me know that I have little respect for HR-or-strikeout hitters anyway.  He simply was outclassed by Pujols’ exceptional performance in EVERY category.

Carpy had a great year and I’m thankful he’s on our team.  The end of Sept was the only blemish on an unbelievable season.  I could understand D-train deserving the award as well, but I just had a feeling Carpy would win.  And I couldn’t be happier.

As far as Bobby Cox getting Manager of the Year, I just don’t know.  I guess he’s good.  I just don’t think he was better than LaRussa.  They both battled key injuries, but I think LR did a better job of managing to get wins. As in, the most wins in the Majors.  But I could be biased.  I am a rabid fan after all… and the Braves are the only team I hate more than the Cubs.

Wow, sorry I haven’t posted in a while!  Been too busy working and without the constant distraction of Cardinals baseball (not that I am complaining!) I just haven’t made the time to post.

Not a lot has changed, but there are a few things I’ll comment on:
A.J. Burnett:  The prospect of signing this guy turns me on.  He is a great pitcher and our staff could only be described by one word… DOMINANT.  But…. (there’s always a but) he is looking for a 5-year deal and he has a less than perfect record when it comes to injuries.  I think I would do it, since I’m the eternal optimist and he is the prize of the market this year.  But then again, there might be a reason I’m not the GM of a Major League Club.  I think Walt will do what is best for the team.  He’s done a bang-up job in the past.

Suppan: Option was accepted.  Solid decision as I suggested previously.  He’s great for a #4 or #5.

Grudz: Not looking good if the buzz is to be believed.  I’ll be sad to see him go.  He played great and he should have won the Gold glove at 2ND hands-down.  I just don’t think Walt wants to pay for him.

King: Yeah, he’s sorry for what he said and he always seemed before to be a classy guy, but… I’d probably still trade him, unless there was just nothing worth trading for.

Tavarez: I think you gotta keep him.  I’m not sure at this point if we can repair the bullpen like it was for most of 2005.

Outfield?: I haven’t heard anything.  If they drop a chunk of cash for Burnett, I dunno what will be left to spend on the OF.  Keep Reggie at least one more year.  If we can’t find a good deal, we always have Gooch and (hopefully) Mabry.

Offense: We need 1 more bat.  We need a 2004 Walker.  Other than that, we’re good IMO.  Spend the rest on Burnett or the bullpen.