Tuesday, May 06, 2008

Cubs Win and Trade Rumors

The Cubs got a much-needed solid outing from Carlos Zambrano on Tuesday. He went 8 strong innings to improve to 5-1, but more importantly it gave me something to feel good about after a walking out of my Grad School Final. I now have 31 hours that are now finished. That leaves two classes this summer and I will have my masters.

Also, there is a lot of talk that Lou wants to add a Left-Hand hitting OF that can protect Ramirez and Lee. Hmm, let me think.....

I'm going out on a limb here, but I think I have an answer. But first lets look at some of the canidates of some other teams. I will look at teams that are either not going to contend, teams that off to rough starts or players that are close to end of the contract.

Player A: .317/.407/.495 (902 OPS) 3 HR 14 RBI
Player B: .300/.347/.531 (878 OPS) 6 HR 33 RBI
Player C: .235/.313/.378 (692 OPS) 4 HR 15 RBI
Player D: .222/.376/.414 (790 OPS) 5 HR 15 RBI
Player E: .269/.402/.433 (834 OPS) 3 HR 14 RBI
Player F: .270/.372/.435 (807 OPS) 3 HR 15 RBI
Player G: .257/.310/.317 (627 OPS) 0 HR 11 RBI


Ok, so who are these guys?

A. Milton Bradley - a guy the Cubs looked at two years ago, but passed to let Cliff Floyd and Matt Murton play in outfield. Bradley is doing what he does early on at any stop, play well until times get hard. He does have the highest OPS out of anybody on this list, but also is most likely to tear an ACL barking at a fan in the on deck circle.

B. Josh Hamilton - no way the Rangers trade him, but we had him two years ago and passed him for cash. So, do you think Hendry would still do that today?

C. Ken Griffy Jr. - Junior will play somewhere else this year, but it won't be in Chicago and this point, I'm not sure he helps the team, because we lose a little on defense.

D. Adam Dunn - the second Red on the list, but Dunn is your all or nothing hitter. He does three things well: hits home runs, strikes out and walks. Dunn will stay in Cinnci for at least a little longer, but he could be moved if the Reds can't find a taker for Griffey.

E. Brad Hawpe - Here is an interesting thought. A younger player that Colorado can't hang on to if they expect to resign Matt Holliday. That may or may not happen, but he has a lot of upside and we have a some arms that could pry him away.

F. Brian Giles - Giles is older, but he still gets on base at a good clip. Giles is the kind of guy that isn't flashy and his numbers might improve heading away from PETCO.

G. Randy Winn - Winn's numbers pretty bad, except against LHP, but we don't needas much help this year.

I left out one player. Would you want these numbers:

.276/.480/.565 1.045

Who is this?

Barry Lamar Bonds.

I hate to say it, but the Cubs want a Left-hand hitting OF that can hit in the middle of the lineup. Well, I have to say that it doesn't get much better than Bonds. Soriano could move to Right and Barry could play left on most days. Imagine Ramirez getting pitched to with all those fast balls and Soto behind Bonds. I really want this to happen. I think one-year of Barry is worth a championship and it would cost a single prospect. Just think about it.