Results tagged ‘ Carlos Zambrano ’
WISH LIST STUFF
Here is my old list.
1. Bring Sandberg back to the Cubs organization.
2. Hire a quality manager. We hired Dale Sveum.
3. Keep Greg Maddux in the front office.
4. Go after Prince Fielder. Sounds like it may happen. We may even go after Pujols.
5. Make offer to Aramis Ramirez (this one goes hand-in-hand with number 4 and I’ll explain later) Does not appear likely.
6. Trade Carlos Zambrano. (Even is he says it won’t happen again I know it will)
7. Trade Alfonso Soriano. Sounds like this could happen.
8. Sign Kerry Wood again or find him a job with the Cubs. Might happen.
9. Strengthen the pitching staff
And here is my new and improved wish list.
1. Sign Prince Fielder. He could be the center piece to build around.
2. Trade Carlos Zambrano to the Marlins.
3. Trade Alfonso Soriano to any AL team that will take him!
4. Sign Kerry Wood.
5. Sign either Paul Maholm or Edwin Jackson. We need pitching depth.
6. Wipe the slate clean, don’t sign Prince, trade Soriano & Zambrano. Then trade Matt Garza to the Reds or Rangers in a huge deal. Follow that up by trading away Marlon Byrd, Geovany Soto and Randy Wells too.
Whatever direction the Cubs decide to go I hope they start making moves soon. I just want to know what to expect for the next couple of seasons under Theo and Co..
Winter Meetings Almost Here!
I am getting excited! The anticipation is almost like a child waiting for Christmas morning so they can open their presents. Next week’s Winter Meetings have gotten me excited as they do every year. However, this year I expect the Cubs to really be active. I am betting on trades and free agent signings to happen with Theo at the helm. I’m still aggravated that he allowed Greg Maddux to leave and that he didn’t bring back Ryne Sandberg. However, if he can put together a winning team all will be forgiven.
The acquisition of David DeJesus was a great signing. It was an inexpensive move as well. Now we need to strengthen our pitching staff, find a left handed slugger (Prince…maybe) and make some trades.
Speaking of trades, I would love to see the Cubs trade Alfonso Soriano and Carlos Zambrano. I doubt we will be able to trade both of these players, but I think we can swap at least one of them. I’m betting that Soriano may be playing for another team in 2012 and it will most likely be in the AL.
I’ve also read that the Cubs may shop Matt Garza around. I really, really like Garza. However, if we are able to get a bountiful return for him then I have no problem letting him go. I don’t see Theo and Hoyer accepting a trade for him without getting 4-5 minor league players in return.
Next week is kind of like a holiday for me. I am a baseball nerd who loves this part of the off-season and cannot wait for it to begin.
UPDATING MY WISH LIST
At the beginning of November I created my wish list for the Cubs this off-season. Here it is and along with a few changes.
1. Bring Sandberg back to the Cubs organization.
2. Hire a quality manager. We hired Dale Sveum.
3. Keep Greg Maddux in the front office.
4. Go after Prince Fielder. Sounds like it may happen. We may even go after Pujols.
5. Make offer to Aramis Ramirez (this one goes hand-in-hand with number 4 and I’ll explain later) Does not appear likely.
6. Trade Carlos Zambrano. (Even is he says it won’t happen again I know it will)
7. Trade Alfonso Soriano. Sounds like this could happen.
8. Sign Kerry Wood again or find him a job with the Cubs. Might happen.
9. Strengthen the pitching staff
So two of my wish’s have already been rejected. However, the Cubs may pursue Pujols or Fielder which is a good thing.
HOT STOVE SEASON HAS BEGUN! PLUS, MY NEW WISH LIST FOR THIS OFF-SEASON
Okay, the Cubs have been busy over the last month. Theo Epstein has been brought in as President of Baseball Operations for the Cubs and he has gotten Jed Hoyer, from the Padres, as the new GM. Theo also landed Jason McLeod as the Director of Scouting and Player Development. These three amigos are tasked with turning a century of losing into a championship contender on a yearly basis. That is an enormous challenge!
Theo and crew has already started by “releasing” Mike Quade from his position as manager of the Cubs. Theo then called up Ryne Sandberg and notified him immediately that he would not be considered for the newly vacated managerial position. I think that was a good thing to do. Don’t lead Ryno on and let him believe he has a chance at the job like happened last year. However, I do hope Theo is able to get Sandberg back into a Cub uniform as a major league coach or minor league manager. I’ve read that the Cardinals are interested in him and that would just kill me. If he took over for the Cards in 2012 and won a World Series……..well, it wouldn’t be a good thing for me.
Anyway, before I worry too much about this worst case scenario, I have to remind myself that Theo realizes knows what he’s doing.
The search for a new manager is underway and I have a feeling that Theo will make a wise and educated choice.
Here is my wishlist for this off-season.
1. Bring Sandberg back to the Cubs organization.
2. Hire a quality manager.
3. Keep Greg Maddux in the front office.
4. Go after Prince Fielder
5. Make offer to Aramis Ramirez (this one goes hand-in-hand with number 4 and I’ll explain later)
6. Trade Carlos Zambrano. (Even is he says it won’t happen again I know it will)
7. Trade Alfonso Soriano
8. Sign Kerry Wood again or find him a job with the Cubs.
9. Strengthen the pitching staff
My goal over my next few posts will be to address all 9 of these items on my personal wishlist. I will also add new ideas to my list when I can come up with something feasible. I look forward to the HOT STOVE season and I plan on blogging about it as much as I can.
A LITTLE BIT OF EVERYTHING
I’ve been really busy over the last two weeks. Since my last post, the baseball season ended with excitement. The Rays and Cards came back in the month of September to make the post-season. It was exciting for baseball and even me. I’ve watched as much as I can of the playoffs up to this point. However, I haven’t been able to watch an entire game, yet. Like I mentioned, I have been busy. I am learning that having three children requires a lot of work and time.
As for my Cubs, I am expecting a huge change this off-season. I think Aramis Ramirez and Carlos Zambrano won’t be back next season. We will have a new General Manager soon and I wouldn’t be surprised to see Ryne Sandberg come back to the organization in a coaching or managing position on the big league team or in the minors. If he isn’t brought back, I expect some other organization to snag him and make him their big league manager.
I keep reading rumors that the Cubs will pursue Theo Epstein. I think that would be a great fit for the Cubs and the Ricketts’ family. We have a lot of money that is coming off the books this year and after next season as well. I believe that Theo would spend that money wisely if he actually becomes the GM for the Cubs. If he doesn’t, I’m fine with that as long as we hire someone soon.
I awoke today to see that Steve Jobs had passed away. I finally bought my first IPOD just a few weeks ago. I absolutely love it. My wife has had one for quite a few years, but I’ve been too cheap to buy one. Glad I finally did. Rest in peace Steve.
WHAT A DAY!
Well, the Cubs have finally parted ways with GM Jim Hendry. I would like to wish him the best. He did help guide the Cubs to three appearances in the playoffs under his watch. He made some great trades early in his tenure. But his massive contracts to Alfonso Soriano, Carlos Zambrano and Kosuke Fukudome have hurt the Cubs tremendously. I give him credit for the teams he put together when the Cubs were winning and I hold him accountable for the team he has assembled this year as well. Thank you Mr. Hendry for your time with the Cubs. I know you tried.
In December of 2010, I wrote two posts on Jim Hendry as our GM. Here are the links to both posts.
http://strictlycubsbaseball.mlblogs.com/2010/12/20/a-closer-look-at-jim-hendry-part-i-free-agents/
Now comes the hard part. Who will the Ricketts family choose to replace Hendry. I hope that Greg Maddux would want the job, but I’m not sure he does nor do I know if he would be able to do it. I would like to believe that Maddux would be a great GM and lead the Cubs to the World Series. He was a special assistant to Hendry so I’m guessing he won’t even be considered for the position. I think the Ricketts family will be looking for a GM with more experience. Time will tell.
Finally, today the Cubs won a great game over our Arch Rival, the St. Louis Cardinals. The game was won in extra innings with Tyler Colvin knocking in the game’s winning run. This game was unique though. I’ve watched a lot of Cub games this year and they’ve seemed a bit flat as a team. Today was different. When Colvin drove in Soto to win the game the Cubs celebrated as if they had clinched the division. It was pure joy and excitement. I don’t know why it seemed different today, but it did. Maybe it was a tribute to Hendry. Maybe it was because the clubhouse downer, Carlos Zambrano, wasn’t there. Maybe it’s because the Cubs had fun playing baseball today. Whatever it was, I know I enjoyed today’s game. The Cubs never gave up and their excitement at the end of the game was refreshing.
Oh wow, just turned on the Little League World Series game between Pennsylvania and Kentucky and there is over 41,000 people in attendance. WHAT A DAY!!!!
THOME AND MORE
First, I am really excited to see Jim Thome reach 600 homeruns. He did it the right way in my opinion. I have never suspected him of using PEDs to reach this historic number. Thome and Griffey, Jr. are the two players from the steroid era that I believe did not cheat. Maybe I am being naive, but I believe strongly in both players abilities without the use of steroids or any other PED. With that said, CONGRATULATIONS!!!! JIM THOME!!!!!
On to some Cub news. It appears the Cubs are going to keep GM Jim Hendry. I don’t like it necessarily unless he can regain some of his magic that he used when acquiring Derrek Lee and Aramis Ramirez. His history of trades has been decent but his big free agent signings and even one of his big contract extensions have been busts. Kosuke Fukudome, Alfosno Soriano and Carlos Zambrano are all players that received nice contracts from Hendry. That’s not good.
I still wish the Ricketts family would make Greg Maddux GM. Imagine him bringing his brother, Mike Maddux, over from Texas as our new pitching coach. That would be great! I trust Maddux and would love to see him as our GM some day soon.
While the Cubs have been playing better baseball as of late I am not sold on our potential roster for 2012. I know it’s early, but Ricketts and Hendry better come up with a serious game plan for the future.
RANDOM RANTS
Well, the Cubs have actually played decent baseball as of late. We’ve won something like 4 consecutive series. We are finally playing as I had hoped back in April. There are still some things that need to be figured out for next season though.
1. What to do with Carlos Zambrano? I say he’s gone, but who’s going to take him???
2. Find out if Tyler Colvin can play everyday? I think he can.
3. Find a way to improve our starting rotation.
4. Are we going to resign Pena again or go after Albert or Prince?
I think our rotation will have Dempster and Garza for certain. Anything after that is up in the air for next season. I really doubt the Cubs take Big Z back and it’s probably for the best. I am hoping that Andrew Cashner will be healthy next season too. I believe he has a high ceiling and the Cubs could use another good arm in the rotation. I think Randy Wells will be a back of the rotation guy next season. I like his competitiveness, but he’s a number 4 starter at best. We could use another quality starter, but I don’t know who that would be as of today.
I think Tyler Colvin needs to play everyday in order to be effective. I think this season proved that he is one of those guys that can’t be a successful as a platoon or bench player. The early season platoon with Fukudome hurt his development. He was sent down to Iowa and is finally hitting the ball since getting called back up and playing more regularly.
While I like Carlos Pena we need someone that can hit over .225. His power is undeniable, but how many times have I seen him called out on a third strike with runners on base??? It’s killing me!!!! Go after Albert or Prince!
Finally, I think Quade should have read my blog back in April. I wanted the Cubs to bat Ramirez third in the lineup and Byrd fifth. Well, he kept batting Byrd third and the Cubs struggled to score runs. Look at the difference now though. ARAM is hitting third and clubbing the ball like we expect from him. Should have been hitting there all season!
ZAMBRANO AND LARUSSA
Should I really be surprised with the latest drama surrounding Carlos Zambrano……probably not. There is no doubt that Big Z was blessed with a lot of talent as a pitcher. Unfortunately, he has no control of his emotions! As a baseball fan and Cubs fan, I am embarrassed by his actions. Anytime any player behaves so foolishly it is bad for baseball. Zambrano has had numerous second chances in my opinion. It’s time to let him go. I hope he does retire personally so the Cubs can be rid of him and his crazy actions. I am tired of trying to defend him to other fans as well.
If Big Z is to stay in baseball I think there are two managers that he would fit in well with, Ozzie Guillen and Tony LaRussa. I think Ozzie would actually be able to get through his thick skull for at least a season and even get a 20 win season from him. I think LaRussa, along with pitching coach Dave Duncan, could help Big Z too. However, I can see him turning into a whiner just like LaRussa so, maybe that’s not the best idea.
Don’t get me wrong folks, I don’t like being negative on this blog…..especially about my own team. Yet, there are times when you must hold players and coaches accountable for their actions. This is one of those times. From everything I am reading and hearing so far, it appears the Cubs organization is prepared to part ways permanently with their former ace. I hope they do!
On another note, I mentioned Tony LaRussa earlier and I would like to expand on that. Just google “LaRussa complains” and you get over 38,000 hits. Google “LaRussa upset” and you get over 230,000 hits. So, I did a little research and he does have quite a track record of complaining. Makes sense now why Brandon Phillips made his comments last year. Anyway, his latest complaint with the Brewers scoreboard at Miller Park was just another example of TLR being TLR. The scoreboard in Milwaukee, the balls not being rubbed down enough in Cincinnati, too much smoke in Cincinnati after fireworks from a homerun, the pitcher’s mound in Colorado not being the right slope are all examples of his complaining and it has infected some of his players. Instead of all his complaining, I would be grateful for having Pujols, Holiday and Berkman in my lineup. But that’s just me. So, yeah, I may be a biased Cubs fan, but it’s not like I’m making this stuff up. Since I do live in Cardinals territory I asked several of my Cardinal friends and most of them already knew all of this. They accept TLR because he wins and that’s the bottom line. If Carlos Zambrano had Justin Verlander stats this year I am sure I would tolerate his actions. Winning has a way of changing everything.
JUST A DREAM OR TWO
Okay, I mentioned that the Cubs should create a contingency plan in case we fall out of the race this season. After the back to back wins against the Marlins, I’m hoping we get on a hot streak and stay in the race for the NL Central title. With that said, I wanted to mention some players that I think the Cubs could or should pursue through trades and free agency over the next two years.
I’ll start with hitters first. While everyone in baseball, including myself, have been interested in the Cubs chances at acquiring Albert Pujols, there is another power hitting slugger that plays first that I would like the Cubs to sign as a free agent at the end of this season. That’s Prince Fielder. He’s younger than Pujols by about 5 years, has plenty of power and is a left handed hitter. Plus, I think he would cost the Cubs less then Pujols.
Another player that I have obsessed about is Chris Davis. He’s a corner infielder with the Texas Rangers and is only 25 years old. He has plenty of power and I think he would be a great fit for the Cubs. We would have to trade for him though and I’m not sure what the Rangers would want from us.
Another free agent at the end of this season is Jose Lopez of the Colorado Rockies. He’s still relatively young and hasn’t hit well this year or last year. However, I think he may be worth a shot if he can start hitting again like he is capable of. He can play 1B, 2B and 3B.
Another third baseman I like is Kevin Kouzmanoff. He’s a stud with the glove and I would like to see what he could do in a full season in a hitter’s park. He’ll be a free agent in 2013.
If you can’t tell, I am wanting some power hitting corner infielders and preferably ones that are younger and just beginning to hit their prime. I also have some starting pitchers in mind as well.
I’ll start with Jeremy Bonderman. He’s currently not in baseball to my knowledge even though he’s only 28. I suggest the Cubs sign him to a minor league contract, if he’d accept, and see what he has left in the tank. I could see him as a starter or reliever and I think he would help out the team.
I wouldn’t mind us trying to sign Edwin Jackson after this season either. While it seems like he’s been around forever, he’s won’t turn 28 until September of this year.
There are a few pitchers that will potentially be free agents at the end of next season that I would love to see in a Cubs uniform too. They are Matt Cain, Fausto Carmona, Zack Greinke, Cole Hamels, Francisco Liriano and Anibal Sanchez.
Finally, there is one pitcher I would love for the Cubs to trade for, but I doubt it happens, and it’s Felix Hernandez. Imagine King Felix, Big Z and Matt Garza in a starting rotation together!!!!! There would be a lot of energy on the mound when those guys pitched!
Anyway, I’m just dreaming a bit today.
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