Lots of Cubs rumors and notes-
- The deal for Roberts is off the table according to Hendry and Andy. No Roberts for now.
- Lou said he is considering having Fukudome lead off against left-handed pitching and batting 5th against right-handed pitching.
- The Cubs have released Alex Cintron. Cintron has battled some injury woes but had a good Spring batting .325 with a .333 OBP and was really clutch. This means either a deal is close with Felipe Lopez or they are content with Mike Fontenot(batted .283 and OBP of .356) and Ronny Cedeno(.311 avg. and .353 OBP). To keep in mind Cedeno is out of minor league options and has to clear waivers to be sent the minors. There is no way he clears, he would get claimed by someone.
- Sean Marshall and Carmen Pignatiello will battle for the lefty spot in the bullpen with Eyre starting the season on the DL.
- Matt Murton seems to be the odd man out in the outfield. The Cubs have Reed Johnson to fill in all 3 spots and Murton does not add much value to the big league club. Murton is expected to start the season in Iowa unless traded. Hendry is currently taking offers for the red head.
- Cubs second baseman Mark DeRosa was scratched Wednesday because of sinusitis. Poor guy, it has been a rough Spring for Mark.
- Pie hit 2nd today and looked good doing it. He went 3 for 5 with 2 runs, a RBI, and 2 stolen bases. If Pie hits 2nd I would like to see this-
Theriot SS
Pie CF
Lee 1st
Aram 3b
Soriano LF
Fukudome RF
Soto C
Derosa 2b
Pie would see a lot of fastballs with hitting in front of Lee and behind Theriot( assuming he gets on base). Soriano, also a good fastball hitter, would be in an ideal situation batting behind Aram and in front of Fukudome. He would see a lot of fastballs and have a lot of RBI situations. I really like this lineup!
- The Angels are interested in acquiring a veteran pitcher to help there rotation considering Escobar is out for the year. According to League Officials the Angels have inquired about Ryan Dempster and Jason Marquis. The Angels, who have outfield depth, could be offering Reggie Willits or Juan Rivera. The Cubs have asked for young pitching in return, something the Angels have a lot of!
4 comments:
I'm a little surprised they didnt put Cintron on the DL so that we could hang onto him a little longer... unless they respect his chance to catch on somewhere else in time for Open Day. He would have been nice insurance since Cedeno and Font are still young and can show inconsistency.
I'm really surprised Lou didnt give Pig a spot even with Eyre healthy. With Eyre out the only thing I would hold against Pig is his inexperience... which if he struggles would be a problem cause we wouldnt have any other leftys in the pen and would have to call up Marshall or another option.
I like the line up suggestion you mentioned. I know its only been one game, but if Pie looked good, and it is true he will see more fastballs, then this is actually an "ideal" line up because the leftys are more evenly spaced out in the order as opposed to "bunched" towards the bottom.
Quick question... does F Lopez have lead off experience? I just remember him being a pesky switch hitter with some speed and at worst a good glove.
But I thought I read somewhere that he isnt as fast anymore, doesnt hit as well as he used to, and his glove is just avg now. If that is the case, isnt that an Alex Cintron?
Kamel i think the reason Cubs let Cintron go is they kept Cededo. Cintron had surgery and doesn't throw like he use to. Lopez has better range than Cintron or Theriot,with his OBP he probably would not be much of a leadoff man. This is just me putting my 2 cents in but i think Cedeno will be starting at short by june or earlier. He has better range and arm than all of them.
I agree nick i... Cedeno is better defensively. He was known early on in his career as one of those kids who made the great plays but took mental naps on the routine ones... but he has been focused since. He's shown flashes with his bat too... but yet to be consistent with it at the MLB level.
Only question I would have is... who would lead off if Cedeno took over for Theriot?
Joe that would probably be Soriano again. leading off.
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