Thursday, May 15, 2008

Cubs notes.

Here is some notes from today-

- Edmonds started for the Cubs today in CF and hit 6th. He was cheered and booed but more cheering him on than anything. I say welcome Jim!

- Ward will be sent to the 15 day DL with a sore back. The guy they bring up to take his place is likely Micah Hoffpauir. Lou said whoever they bring up will be left handed. I doubt it will be Pie, but you never know. Another option would be Patterson or Torres but Micah is likely candidate.

-Big Z and Jimmy put past behind them.

http://chicago.cubs.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20080515&content_id=2705570&vkey=news_chc&fext=.jsp&c_id=chc

- Gallagher will make his second start tomorrow against the Pirates.

- Maddux said if it comes down to it he will be open to being traded. He is rumored to maybe find a home in Atlanta, Milwaukee, or on the northside of Chicago. I would take him back! Would the Pads take Marquis straight up for him??? lol I doubt it.

Wednesday, May 14, 2008

Cubs sign Rhee, Chen, and Hak-ju.

Thanks to MLBRUMORS for this one-

The Cubs have signed Korean shortstop Lee Hak-ju out of high school and sent him to the Australian Baseball Academy to prepare for American minor league baseball. Hak-ju, 18, was signed by scout Steve Wilson, who recently signed Cubs pitching prospects Hung-Wen Chen and Dae Eun Rhee. Both Rhee and Chen are off to good starts for the Peoria Chiefs, something you have to like to see considering the Cubs have always struggled to find good pitching. Hak-ju has been compared to Ichiro mostly because of his speed and ability to make contact, but his fielding is what is really impressive. Scouts have said that his fielding tools are better than Derek Jeter's at that age. He has room to grow, and probably will, considering he is 18. He is listed at 6'0 170, but people who have watched him say he is closer to 6'2 185. We'll know more when makes his professional debut in the States.

Rhee, Chen, and Hak-ju are all apart of the Cubs new plan to improve their scouting in the Pacific Rim. If you are a Cubs fan, you better hope the Cubs can use these players along with their money to lure Japanese phenom Yu Darvish when he becomes a free agent.

I like to see the Cubs just not sticking to the US and really expanding and searching for the best talent around the world. I really hope Hak-ju turns out as good as he sounds.

Edmonds a Cub! The Pros and Cons of inking Edmonds.

Jim Edmonds is a Cub pending a physical, which he will receive tonight. Edmonds is expected to start against Maddog tomorrow in CF and Pie is expected to go to Round Rock where the ICUBS start a 4 game series tomorrow.

Before I get to the "Pros and Cons" of Edmonds signing, I would like to share with you what I heard on 1460 KXNO Des Moines. David Kaplan was on there and here is what he had to say-

- He said he thinks, along with Maddux, that Edmonds still has a lot left in the tank and can really help the Cubs.

- That Pie needs to grow up before he comes back to Chicago. According to Kap, Pie really likes the night life in Chicago and is one of the last guys to show up to the ballpark on game days. Pie has actually got under the skin of some of the veterans on the team because of his antics. Some of those antics include talking on his cell phone, showing up late, and hanging out at his locker when he should be getting mentally and physical prepared for the game. To me this is not acceptable.

- He also said that Edmonds would not talk to any club before he talked to the Cubs first. In fact he called Jim Hendry and said he really want to stick it to the Cards for trading him this winter. He also promised Jim he has a lot left both defensively and offensively. He wanted to be a Cub more than anything!

- Edmonds is expected to start tomorrow against Maddux.

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OK, now onto the "Pros and Cons" of getting Jim Edmonds.

THE CONS-

- He has been a steady decline both offensively, defensively, and health wise. This year he is batting .178 with 1 homer, 6 RBI in 90 AB. The Cubs were looking for a left handed power bat for center and Edmonds the past 3 years has not hit over 19 homers. Along with that his OBP and SLG has dropped dramatically.

- Edmonds is now 37 years old and does not play the outfield like he use to. He is much slower and that is expected as you get older. You cannot expect him to be the Edmonds of 2002-2003. He is no longer a full time player.

- He is Jim Edmonds. LOL, I had to put that in there. Jim has been hated by Cubs fans for the past 8 seasons, he has always hit well against the Cubs. He has made great catches and clutch hitting against the northside, and that is why we dislike you so much Jim. All that can be wiped clean if you tear up the Cards and help us win a title.

The Pros-

- He is a low risk signing because if he does not do well you can release him and call up Pie. You have nothing to lose really.

- By having him in the lineup you can bat him 5th and Fukudome 2nd which looks pretty good 1-6. Plus Fukudome would be hitting in front of Lee and behind Soriano so he will see a lot of pitches to hit. Not to mention Fukudome is a high OBP, great bunter, and fantastic fundamentally. All ideal for a #2 hitter. You are also not losing protection for Aram because Jim still can hit a little and I think he will prove that in a Cubs uniform. I also like how he balances out the lineup.

- He vows to show the Cards that they made a mistake by trading him. I like that fire in a players, especially one that is in cubbie blue!


All in all I do not hate the signing but I think maybe we could have done a little bit better than him. But who knows he could prove me wrong. I will say that I have not cared for Edmonds( mainly because he was a Cardinal) but now that he is a Cub I do not mind him as much.

Go Cubs!

Monday, May 12, 2008

MLBTR, ESPN 1000, and Chicago Tribune confirm Cubs like Edmonds.

You heard this first a couple of day ago here on "Hot Stove Cubbies", the Cubs are exploring the option of bring in Edmonds.

Here is the tidbit on MLBTR-

According to Dave van Dyck of the Chicago Tribune, the Cubs are "exploring the possibility" of signing center fielder Jim Edmonds. This was first reported by Bruce Levine of ESPN Radio 1000 yesterday evening.
Edmonds, 37, was let go after hitting .178/.265/.233 in 103 plate appearances. It's hard to say whether Edmonds has anything left. He did hit relatively well in the last two months of 2007. Van Dyck says Edmonds would replace Felix Pie on the Cubs' roster.