Filed:February 25th, 2010
Lost amongst the news of Carlos Zambrano's secret handshake with Kevin Millar, Angel Guzman being shut down, Ted Lilly being flu-ridden, and the existential question of should Lou Piniella tweet or not tweet, came a small snippet out of Arizona expanding on the Cubs competition for spots on the pitching staff. According to Piniella, he regards it as a race between Jeff Samardzija, Carlos Silva, Tom Gorzelanny, and, wait for it...Sean Marshall.
With that statement comes something of a drastic change in position, as the organization has long maintained that Marshall lacks the stamina to start, vacillating instead between using him in the bullpen out that fact, or as a matter of necessity.
I don't buy the argument; never have. While there is certainly a drop-off in statistics when Marshall starts (1.35 vs. 1.43 WHIP, for example), his numbers as a starter are on par with your expectations for a back-of-the-rotation guy, if not better.
Think I'm kidding? Take a look at some of the free agent class of 2007 for a comparison, which was the off-season after the year that Marshall broke into the majors. Needless to say, all were paid substantially more over the last few seasons than Sean.
Sean Marshall (as starter) - 4.86 ERA, 1.43 WHIP, 6.1 SO/9
Jeff Suppan - 4.69 ERA, 1.43 WHIP, 4.9 SO/9
Adam Eaton - 4.90 ERA, 1.43 WHIP, 6.5 SO/9
Gil Meche - 4.42 ERA, 1.40 WHIP, 6.6 SO/9
Jason Marquis - 4.40 ERA, 1.41 WHIP, 5.2 SO/9
Get the point? I think the Cubs have. And if nothing else, it's a good signal that the on-field management doesn't feel the least bit obligated to assure acquisitions Gorzelanny and Silva of anything. I'm scoring one for Lou.
Filed:February 12th, 2010
Dodgers reliever Ramon Troncoso
What? They're still looking?
With less than a week before the official opening of Spring Training camp, the Chicago Cubs are still looking to fill arguably their greatest off-season need, a reliable right-handed setup man for newly-minted closer Carlos Marmol. After kicking the tires on a host of external candidates; Frasor, Park, and Gregerson, amongst others, they are left with no better solution in place than the day last season ended.
For the Cubs, the internal options are not terrible. John Grabow may have possibly found his stride, as indicated by his 3.24 ERA and 1.24 WHIP in his stint with the Cubs. And certainly, Angel Guzman finally delivered on his promise, and showed he's capable of being at least an adequate late-inning man.
However, apparently the Cubs don't agree, and as such we have the search. While there are certainly some fine options still on the free agent market, and the aforementioned trade scenarios may yet come to fruition, I'd like to suggest a couple of alternatives that could fill this void.
Manny Corpas (Rockies) - Corpas falls into what I like in a competent reliever, with upside. Forced out of his closer role last season by the Huston Street acquisition, then out of the bullpen altogether by injury, Manny looks like he's on his way back to health this year, and is expected to be ready for Opening Day after his elbow surgery last season. Unfortunately for him, the combination of Street and Rafael Betancourt is a talented one that leaves him a bit out in the cold, and this writer at least wondering if this isn't a good time to send the ex-closer packing, if only for the sake of chemistry.
Dustin McGowan (Blue Jays) - With all the talk about Toronto trading away either Jason Frasor or Scott Downs after their signing of Kevin Gregg, little has been said about the anticipated return of McGowan, arguably the most talented of them all. According to press reports, he's throwing smoothly, and is looking great. The problem for the Jays however is that as a pitcher out of options, they'll need to keep him on what looks like an already competent staff, or place him on waivers & release him. A better solution might be to move him for a similar talent who at least has options available, allowing them to get out in front of the issue now, and not lose value if he has a bad camp. The Cubs might be better able to take a risk on him, working him into the role as he competes for setup innings with Grabow.
Ramon Troncoso (Dodgers) - If you believe the rumor mill, the Dodgers would much prefer to make the George Sherrill contract go away, keeping Troncoso instead. And this writer would prefer to have him. But Sherrill isn't going anywhere, and economic conditions preclude LA from addressing the back of their rotation without that relief; well, almost.
If, the Cubs are confident about the medical status of Ted Lilly, and if you believe that the Parisi/Samardzija/Marshall/Silva group can provide adequate innings for the first six weeks or so of the season, quietly moving Gorzelanny for Ramon might be an adequate solution for all involved. Given the spacious parks of the NL West, and fly ball graveyard that is Chavez Ravine, this might even be great for the Dodgers, as they would alleviate the Gorzelanny fly-ball tendencies.
Personally, I think the Cubs might do well sticking it out with Guzman for awhile in that role, given some of the options available. However, if they're going to beef up the bullpen, the low -risk/high -upside players mentioned are likely a much better play than the solutions that have been discussed to date.
Filed:February 4th, 2010
What? You're wondering what the picture above has to do with Carlos Marmol? Good question. Over the last few years of shooting Chicago sports, I haven't found a better photo yet that exemplifies the life of the pro athlete, and the high-dollar club that they are members of. You know the club. Where members of even the most marginal talent are all but assured of making millions over their career, if not in a single season. And that's just the scrubs.
Yes, that is a cigar in his mouth. And yes, they did light it with $100 bills. No, just kidding. It was only a $50.
And with his new deal, a one-year pact worth $2.125 million, Marmol is officially its newest member. Don't get me wrong; it's a fine deal that if anything doesn't fully recognize his worth, but then again first-year arbitration deals very rarely do.
And now, with Spring Training less than two weeks away, we wait for Ryan Theriot to join the party, the last remaining unsigned player for the Cubs.
My guess? This one is going to be a little ugly. There are two problems with Theriot's case that we should probably keep in mind. One is that he's 30 years old, and given that he would hit the free agent market around 33, which is at the point in which most stop considering you to be an everyday shortstop, we should expect that Theriot may fight a little harder for arbitration dollars, as he'll likely never have the big free agent payday, and knows it.
The other is that the Cubs have inadvertently inflamed the situation with their high public regard for super prospect Starlin Castro, letting Theriot know in a not-so-subtle way that he's not in the long-term plans.
For the Cubs, it's simple. If you keep Theriot below $3 mil this season, then you probably won't have to go above $4 mil next season, making Theriot a nice solution for the next two years certainly time to have Castro ready for the majors. If you pay Ryan his submitted $3.4 figure now, you probably will have to be ready for $5 mil next season, which makes it possible that the Cubs might be more inclined to cut him loose, and look for a one-season solution in 2011.
In short, expect this battle to be very personal, and a little ego driven. But hey, either way Ryan's going to be smoking his cigar in a couple of weeks too, one way or the other.