SB Nation - Jake Fox

Fox, Miles, Cassevah, Vaughan: An Inside Scouting Report

Nico — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 02:00:17 -0000

Now Media Relations director for the Fresno Grizzlies, Noah Frank was with the Chicago Cubs in 2008, then in the Texas League (with the San Antonio Missions) in 2009. As a result, Noah had a chance to become familiar with Jake Fox, Aaron Miles, Bobby Cassevah, and Beau Vaughan, recent A's acquisitions through trade and the Rule 5 drafts. Here is Noah's "up close" analysis of these newest additions to the A's puzzle...

Greetings, AN. I am a long-time A's fan, raised in the East Bay, and have been working in professional baseball the last several years. I know Nico from my time in Berkeley, and when I saw the recent flurry of player movement involving players that I have recently seen first-hand, I thought I might be able to contribute some insight and shed some light on the newest members of the Green and Gold.

Specifically, I worked for the Cubs in '08 and was in charge of compiling the Minor League Report, so I got a heavy dose of Jake Fox that year. In '09 I worked as a Media Director in the Texas League and saw both Bobby Cassevah and Beau Vaughan up close. I also got to hear what all the Big League scouts thought of them in the press box, so I feel like I have a pretty good handle on what they have to offer.

In 2008 Fox, after a slow start in Iowa and a demotion back to AA-Tennessee, came on strong and tore up the Southern League at ages 25/26. He really turned it on late, going .324/.383/.676 with 9 HR in July and .362/.465/.695 with 10 HR in August. While admittedly old for AA ball at that point, it seemed like he might have finally found his groove after under-achieving throughout his minor league career. Sure enough, he came out red hot in '09 with Iowa, going .409/.495/.841 with 17 bombs in just 45 games, earning his promotion to the bigs.

A classic late bloomer, my discussions with our baseball ops guys of which older Cubs' prospect would still have a productive career was always between Fox and Micah Hoffpauir. While I loved Hoffpauir (and still do), they always seemed to have a soft spot for Fox. While the power has always been there for Jake, the plate discipline has finally come along for the ride the last couple years. Fox's highest year-long OBP had been .357 in the Florida State League in '05 before his turnaround in '08 and '09.

Fox also offers the A's another interesting piece -- he is a right-handed power hitter who has consistently performed better against right-handed pitching, both for average and power, throughout his career. His ability to be at least serviceable defensively in the corner outfields as well as the corner infields should allow the A's to move him around and shape the rest of their lineups according to specific pitching matchups. All in all, I like the pick-up, although I'm unimpressed with Aaron Miles in almost every way, and wish the A's could have gotten a better second piece.

As for Cassevah and Vaughan, I saw them both a couple times last year in the Texas League. Cassevah was really impressive for much of the year, and was on quite a roll when he came to San Antonio as the proud owner of a 12.2 inning scoreless streak. However, he did not retire any of the six batters he faced that night, giving up four hits and walking two, watching all six runs score.

That led to a poor finish for Cassevah, as his control seemed to get away from him late in the year. It put a damper on what was, overall, a very nice year out of the 'pen. Prior to that game in SA, he carried a 2.11 ERA and a .216 BAA with better than a 3.8:1 GO/AO rate. The biggest question mark for the now 24-year-old will be his BB:K rate. If he can keep the walks down, he is a good enough control/ground ball pitcher to be effective in middle relief.

Vaughan bounced back-and-forth between Double-A and Triple-A, looking far more impressive in Frisco than he did in Oklahoma City. While he wasn't bad at the higher level, he was even more dominant than his basic numbers showed in the Texas League. In 18 appearances he was 3-0 with eight saves and a 2.35 ERA, limiting opponents to just a .198 BAA. He allowed only a single homerun and walked just three while fanning 20 over that span with a good mix of pitches.

While he's a pretty big guy (6'4" 230 when drafted, and he's added weight since), and he's certainly an old prospect at 28, Vaughan could be a nice piece of the bullpen puzzle for the A's. In addition, he brings a Swisher-esque personality that Oakland has been lacking since, well, the departure of Swisher. It will be nice to get a little more color back in the clubhouse.

I hope that gives you a little better feel of what to expect from the newest Oakland A's.

- Noah

P.S. After watching Midland dominate the TL this year (with and without Chris Carter), once all the hitting joins the young pitching I think it may be the A's year in 2011.

Around the majors, SB Nation style!

Ed Valentine — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 15:12:01 -0000

We know our New York Yankees are the only team that really matters. There are, however, 29 other major league teams out there.

I thought that, throughout the off-season, we should tour the other SB Nation baseball blogs and see what is going on with those other teams who are trying to catch up to our World Champion Yankees.

Lookout Landing has information on the Seattle Mariners signing of Chone Figgins in posts here and here. SBN's Angels blog, Halos Heaven, has posted a Figgins Appreciation Thread. Personally, I'm glad the guy is out of Anaheim.
Athletics Nation analyzes the team's trade for Jake Fox. Maybe I'm out of touch, but I had never even heard of the guy.
BlueBird Banter is polling its readers on Edgar Martinez' Hall of Fame worthiness.
Over The Monster discusses Mike Lowell, whom the Red Sox seemingly aren't sure what to do with.
Bleed Cubbie Blue says Mike Cameron is drawing interest from the Cubs.
Don't forget to frequent MLB Daily Dish to keep up with the latest rumors and transactions from the Hot Stove.

A Good Trade Doesn't Have To Be Foxy

Nico — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 03:36:16 -0000

Since the Jake Fox trade (which is totally different from "the Jeff Gray trade"), I've heard mostly two predictions in regards to Jack Cust's future with the A's: Either this means Cust will be non-tendered or traded or it means humanity will be enduring the defensive stylings of either Cust or Fox in 2010. One way, the A's very bad offense of 2009 just got a bit worse. Another way, the A's have decided to emulate their favorite company softball team out in the field. However, I really don't see either of those two as the strongest possibility.

NO! Don't jump!!! You have so much to live for!!! {sees left side of the infield} Never mind. Jump.

Remember that Jake Fox is under contract control for 5 years. Is it not possible, even likeliest, that Fox will simply be Cust's "heir apparent" at DH in 2011? Fox could certainly get some ABs against LHP in 2010 and thus combine with Cust to be an even better version of Cust at DH, and then take over as the team's "klutz who can hit and doesn't cost much."

What the Fox acquisition tells me, more than suggesting anything about Cust's immediate future with Oakland, is that the A's don't have designs on DHing Wallace or Carter over the next 2-3 years -- which is as it should be. If you look at a "5-year plan," as Beane must, Cust isn't in very much of it no matter what, and someone has to be. So don't write off Cust, or buy him a new glove, just yet.

In other news, the Marco Scutaro story -- that he turned down more money from Oakland to sign with the Red Sox -- continues a disturbing trend. Free agents don't want to come to Oakland, even when the A's open up their pocketbook and try to compete financially.

Apparently Oakland's clubhouse facilities are embarrassingly run down, and we know that attendance is so low even Thomas Edison would have difficulty discovering any electricity there on a typical weeknight. The A's have a team that figures to be good pretty soon, so "lack of competitiveness" should be less and less of a factor each year right now. Yet the results are the same: Players will pay Oakland in order not to play for them. This makes me a sad panda. New stadium, please -- Oakland, San Jose, My House. Anywhere.

Who Replaces John Lackey: Halolinks

WiHaloFan — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 16:08:47 -0000

More photos » by M. Spencer Green - AP

"Curtis Granderson is available?" asks Los Angeles Angels general manager Tony Reagins.

Browse more photos »

Halos have options if Lackey leaves - angelsbaseball.com
They'll no doubt explore various options, in free agency and the trade market, but they're not exactly desperate with candidates such as Matt Palmer, Dustin Moseley, Sean O'Sullivan and Trevor Bell in house to fill the need.

Palmer, Moseley, SOS, and Bell? Not too excited about those replacement names.

Angels' owner not quite ready to see Lackey go - FOX Sports on MSN
Club officials had all but decided to part with Lackey during the team's organizational meetings at the end of the regular season, according to multiple major-league sources. But Moreno, after watching Lackey pitch well in his three postseason starts against the Red Sox and Yankees, decided that the Angels should renew their efforts to sign him, the sources said.

Hey! Who's running this team? Oh yeah, nevermind.

Winter meetings: AL West primer - Yahoo! Sports
Despite their desire to keep payroll at about $113 million, the Angels likely will acquire one marquee player because they know standing pat would result only in another playoff loss to the Red Sox or Yankees.

One marquee player? But who? Jamie Carroll?

A's acquire Fox, Miles from Cubs for three players - CBSSports.com Baseball
The Oakland Athletics took a big step toward boosting their lackluster offense. The A's acquired third baseman Jake Fox, second baseman Aaron Miles and cash considerations from the Chicago Cubs on Thursday for three players. The Cubs got right-handed pitcher Jeff Gray, minor league outfielder Matt Spencer and minor league righty Ronny Morla.

Well, I guess that marquee player's not going to be Jake Fox.

Source: Red Sox agree to deal with INF Scutaro - FOX Sports on MSN
The Boston Red Sox have reached a deal with infielder Marco Scutaro, pending a physical, according to a major-league source. Scutaro, 34, spent the past two seasons with the Toronto Blue Jays. He hit .282 with 12 home runs and 14 stolen bases last season.

Or Marco Scutaro.

Braves make another pitching move, add ex-All-Star reliever Saito - CBSSports.com Baseball
Saito, who turns 40 in February, has 83 saves in four major league seasons after a long career in Japan. He made the National League All-Star team in 2007, when he had 39 saves for the Los Angeles Dodgers. Last season, the right-hander went 3-3 with two saves and a 2.43 ERA in a setup role for the Boston Red Sox. Saito is expected to remain in that spot with the Braves, who signed closer Billy Wagner to a $7 million, one-year deal on Wednesday, though there might be an occasional chance to save games.

Or Takashi Saito.

Dick Enberg hopes to show he's still got his fastball - SI.com
Enberg began his full-time broadcasting career in 1965 in Los Angeles as the radio and television voice of the California Angels, UCLA basketball and the Los Angeles Rams.

Or Dick Enberg! Dammit, somebody call and wake up the Angels front office!

Texas Rangers ownership race takes bizarre twist, keeping Ryan in mix - Star-Telegram
But based on confirmation from those close to the situation, Nolan would have resigned his position if Hicks’ new ownership partnership with Dennis Gilbert, a Californian, eventually had been approved by Major League Baseball.

Those damn Californians screwing things up in Texas again!

Poll

If the Angels stay within the organization to replace John Lackey (if he is not re-signed), who should it be?

Matt Palmer

247 votes

Dustin Moseley

109 votes

Sean O'Sullivan

188 votes

Trevor Bell

69 votes

613 votes | Poll has closed

Friday's Frosty Mug

KLSnow — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 14:46:08 -0000

More photos » by David J. Phillip - AP

Randy Wolf: 2010 Brewer?

Browse more photos »

Some things to read while combining restaurants.

There's been a (likely unsubstantiated) rumor floating around that the Brewers have reached agreement on a three year deal for Randy Wolf. Again, odds are it's nothing, but it's still probably the top story on a slow news day, so here's some reaction to it:

In-Between Hops says the move would "make the Brewers starting rotation 50% better than it is right now."
Jorge Says No! thinks "this deal could turn into Jeff Suppan 2.0."

My reaction to the deal would depend on the price. If it'll take Suppan money to sign Wolf, then I'm not interested. But if the price is the rumored 3 years/$27 million, then we're getting close to the acceptable range. A third season for Wolf might be a bit risky, but the price is low enough to not be crippling.

Meanwhile, the Brewers are also still rumored to have interest in Gregg Zaun. FanGraphs has targeted Zaun as one of the players they'd like you to stop by and project today.

Assuming the front office isn't preparing to announce a Randy Wolf deal, they're most likely getting ready for next week's Winter Meetings. Adam McCalvy has a preview, including the Brewer needs, and once again raises the possibility that Jason Kendall could be back next season. McCovey Chronicles ranked Kendall seventh in their Future Free Agent Mistake Power Rankings.

Could Manny Parra be more effective out of the bullpen? I'm not sure I'm sold on it, but Keith Law said the Brewers should think about it in yesterday's chat, as noted over at View From Bernie's Chalet. Law also isn't too high on either Mat Gamel or Casey McGehee as a long-term solution at third base.

I know at least one BCB'er is already in line to get in, but if you were still trying to decide on checking out the Clubhouse Sale at Miller Park this weekend, John and Cait have a preview of the items that will be featured. After seeing it, I wish I had time to go.

If you're looking to do some Christmas shopping but you're more of the minor league type, the Brevard County Manatees also have some holiday specials going.

Alcides Escobar and Hernan Iribarren will be back in the states this weekend, as the Venezuelan Winter League plays a two game series in Miami to showcase Venezuelan baseball in the US. Escobar and Iribarren's Lara team will take on a Zulia team which used to feature Brendan Katin. I'm assuming Katin has left the team, as he hasn't appeared in a game in over a month.

Elsewhere in the winter leagues, Mat Gamel went 0-for-2 with a strikeout in his VWL debut for Caracas last night. You can read about that and more in today's Winter League Update.

Around baseball:

Astros: Signed pitcher Ryan Sadowski to a minor league deal.
A's: Acquired Aaron Miles and Jake Fox from the Cubs for reliever Jeff Gray and two minor leaguers.
Braves: Signed Takashi Saito to a one year deal.
D-Backs: Removed reliever Kyler Newby and catcher Luke Carlin from their 40-man roster. (h/t AZ Snakepit)
Mets: Signed Henry Blanco to a one year, $1.5 million deal.
Phillies: Signed Placido Polanco to a three year deal worth $18 million.
Rays: Released pitcher Ramon Ramirez.
Red Sox: Signed Marco Scutaro to a two year deal with a mutual option for 2012.

If some of the Brewers' current pitching targets don't turn out, might they be interested in Gil Meche? MLB Trade Rumors says the Royals are expecting to receive offers for him once the free agent market starts to heat up. Meche is owed $24 million over the next two seasons, but has posted a sub-4.00 ERA in two of the last three years.

All three of these guys will probably come up in connection to the Brewers again at some point: Lookout Landing has a look at the upsides of Rich Harden, Erik Bedard and Ben Sheets, and explains why Harden is in a better position than Bedard for 2010.

Happy birthday today to:

Carlos Gomez, who turns 24.
Harvey Kuenn, who would have turned 79.

Oh, and no matter how disappointed you are in the offseason so far, at least we can all be glad Doug Melvin isn't responsible for these robocalls.

Drink up.

Cubs trade Jake Fox, Aaron Miles to Oakland

Eli Greenspan — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 23:35:32 -0000

More photos » by Paul Sancya - AP

Browse more photos »

The Cubs have traded infielder-outfielder Jake Fox and infielder Aaron Miles to the Athletics for pitcher Jeff Gray, pitcher Ronny Morla and infielder-outfielder Matt Spencer. Fox was versatile player for the Cubs last season, who hit .259 with 11 home runs in 2009. He could play the field for the A's, but he'll likely see most of his at-bats come from DH or first base.

Miles is an interesting acquisition for the A's. Miles played in only 74 games this past season, and was far from impressive hitting just .185. However, he can play second, third, and short, which should help solve some of the A's infield issues.

Gray, 27, appeared in 24 games for the A's last season, posting a 3.74 ERA and 19 strike outs to 4 walks. He'll be given a shot to crack the Cubs' bullpen next season, but likely will start in Triple-A.

Morla, 21, is a hard throwing right hander who is dealing with some control issues. He struck out 73 to just 24 walks, but can't break out of the Low-A league. The Cubs may decide that converting him to a full-time reliever could pay dividends down the road.

Spencer, 22, hit well after joining Double-A, compiling a .294 average with 9 home runs and a .347 on-base percentage. He'll likely start in Double-A in 2010.

Lunchtime Prowl: Dombrowski In-Depth, Granderson Rumors, Centerfield Options, and Magglio's Homer

Ian Casselberry — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 17:00:21 -0000

This week at Mack Avenue Tigers, Kurt Mensching takes an in-depth look at Dave Dombrowski's work as general manager since he's been in charge of the Tigers. How does he approach his work? How has he remade the franchise in his eight years with Detroit? How has he developed the minor league system? What is his approach to making trades?

Dombrowski's taken quite a bit of criticism so far this offseason, so this "big picture" look at his tenure as Tigers' GM comes at the right time. And maybe it clues us in as to what can be expected in the weeks to come.

The Chicago Tribune's Phil Rogers had three Tigers-related notes in his Sunday "Whispers" column: 1) The Brewers were interested in Curtis Granderson before they dealt J.J. Hardy to the Twins, but Detroit wanted more than a shortstop in return. 2) The Cubs want Granderson, but not at the cost of Carlos Marmol or Starlin Castro. 3) The Tigers are one of several teams scouting Jake Fox (11 homers in 241 plate appearances this year).

If Granderson was traded, who takes over in centerfield? Jason Beck addresses this question, and eliminates Wilkin Ramirez from consideration. Mostly because he's played all of two games in center during his minor league career.

Beck also says signing a veteran centerfielder, such as Mike Cameron, would be another possibility. (I wish Detroit would sign Cameron to play left field.) But Cameron made $10 million this season. Even if he took a pay cut, he'd probably cost more than Granderson.

One more note from Beck: The Tigers received $590,731.18 in postseason shares for their second-place finish in the AL Central. (The Twins got $1,772,193.48 for winning the division.)

Big League Stew ranked the 10 best "big moment" home runs of the past decade. Magglio Ordonez's 2006 ALCS-winning homer is on the list. But would you have ranked it higher or lower, or did 'Duk get it just about right?

Top prospect rankings are en vogue this time of year. Lynn Henning takes a crack with his top 20 Tigers prospects, and it's interesting to compare his list to others. Casper Wells, for example, rates higher with Henning than Kevin Goldstein.

If eight teams are interested in reliever Takashi Saito, as NPB Tracker says (I'm going to trust their translation), could the Tigers be one of them? This year with the Red Sox, Saito struck out 52 and walked 25 in 55.2 innings. He posted a 3-3 record and 2.43 ERA, all for $1.5 million.

(via MLB Trade Rumors)

This isn't Tigers-related, but Big Al's our buddy, so we link to him when we can. His explanation of the most annoying types of Lions fans is spot-on. And unfortunately, it hits a little close to home with me. I often talk about how the Lions have broken me as a fan and I intend to switch my allegiances elsewhere.

In my defense, however, as much as I talk about becoming a Seahawks or Jets fan, to name a couple of dalliances, I never actually follow through. I wish I could quit the Lions.

Why (And How) The Cubs Should Trade For Curtis Granderson

Al — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 17:39:01 -0000

by Duane Burleson - AP

In addition to a good bat, Curtis Granderson would give the Cubs plus defense in CF.

View full size photo »

I'm not sure I really have to convince anyone here of the premise of the headline of this article; numerous people have already posted here about how useful Curtis Granderson would be in the Cubs' outfield, and several traditional media articles in both Chicago and Detroit have discussed this possibility (and those are just three examples of dozens of such articles). Granderson himself is busy this winter pitching a reality TV series:

The Detroit Tigers player has agreed to host a TV and online series titled "Stadium Secrets" where he takes sports fans on an exploration of stadiums.

The concept is similar to Authentic’s "Cities of the Underworld" on History channel.

"Authentic will be providing an exclusive, VIP experience for fans everywhere – a behind-the-scenes journey that will be exciting for all of us. I am eager to begin working on this project and look forward to a successful partnership," Granderson said.

Sounds interesting. I'm hoping Granderson gets to explore Wrigley Field in detail starting next summer. In the meantime, after the jump I'm going to examine Granderson's numbers in detail, explain why he's a perfect fit for Chicago and the Cubs, and look at who the Cubs might have to give the Tigers in exchange.

We have to first start this discussion with a couple of assumptions. First, we assume that Milton Bradley has been, or will be, traded before any Granderson deal, thus opening up center field for the Cubs (with Kosuke Fukudome moving back to right field, a position he plays better; this would solidify Cubs defense in two positions). It is, of course, possible that Bradley could be part of a deal for Granderson, but I am going to operate here under the assumption that he's not, that Bradley will be dealt to some other team (the Rays?) and that any Granderson trade would be a separate transaction.

Second, I think you have to assume that Granderson has to be, at this stage of his career -- he will be 29 on March 16, not old, but getting toward the end of his "best" year capability -- platooned, at least to some extent. His career splits:

vs. RHP: .292/.367/.528, .894 OPS
vs. LHP: .210/.270/.344, .614 OPS

Last year it was even more extreme:

vs. RHP: .275/.358/.539, .897 OPS
vs. LHP: .183/.245/.239, .484 OPS

Against RHP, Granderson hits almost as well as Aramis Ramirez -- All-Star level. Against LHP... well, he's basically Aaron Miles. So you'd probably want to re-sign Reed Johnson to give Granderson a break against LHP. Johnson doesn't hit righthanders, but against LHP his career line is .313/.378/.463, an OPS of .841, nearly as good as Granderson vs. RHP. These two together would produce outstanding offensive numbers from the CF position and good defense. The Tigers started Granderson in 155 games in 2009 because, well, they really didn't have any other choice. The other eight (remember, the Tigers played 163 games in 2009) games were started by Josh Anderson (1), Clete Thomas (2) and Ryan Raburn (5), and of those guys, only Raburn can hit (he hits LHP pretty well -- the Tigers could have gotten more offense out of CF if they had played Raburn there a bit more often vs. LHP).

So a modified platoon of Granderson and Reed Johnson would be, in my opinion, the ticket to success for the Cubs outfield. I say "modified" because Johnson would also have to spell Fukudome in RF from time to time; on those days, Granderson would have to start in CF vs. LHP. Sam Fuld would stick with the team as the fifth outfielder, someone who could take over in the late innings for Alfonso Soriano. The Cubs' outfield would be very good defensively and close to outstanding offensively.

Granderson's contract, though it has three full years to run (and a 2013 option) is not onerous. Like many Jim Hendry contracts in recent years, it's backloaded. In 2010, Granderson is due to make a somewhat-reasonable $5.5 million; that increases to $8.25 million in 2011 and $10 million in 2012, with a $2 million buyout in 2013 (all figures, as always, from the excellent Cot's Baseball Contracts), that would increase to $13 million (with some escalators to that based on performance) if the option is exercised. That would make the total financial commitment $25.25 million (presuming the buyout is done), spread over four years from 2010-2013. That's not unreasonable for a player of Granderson's ability.

Now -- how do you get him? The Tigers seem to be in partial-sell mode; that is, they'd like to shed some of their big-dollar contracts, but not get into full rebuilding mode. Thus, you'd need to get them at least a couple of players who could step in right now and contribute at the major league level. I can't find the link right now, but in a recent Baseball America online chat, a question was asked to BA's Jim Callis about this type of deal:

Q: Would Josh Vitters, Jake Fox, and Jay Jackson be enough for the Cubs to land Curtis Granderson if he really is available? Would you do that deal if you were the Cubs?

Jim Callis: I would think so. The Tigers have to dump salary, so I might try to hold onto Vitters and see if Detroit would take Ryan Flaherty, or hold onto Jackson and offer a lesser pitcher. But the Cubs are in win-now mode, and I think they'd bite.

I'd do this deal. Starlin Castro may be the flavor-of-the-month after his .376/.396/.491 performance in the Arizona Fall League, but I think he has higher upside than Vitters, who also hit well in the AFL (.353/.380/.455), and I would not trade Castro. It's entirely possible that Vitters will become a good major league player -- but you're getting a good major league player in return. Jake Fox is miscast in the National League; though he worked hard at playing 3B, C, LF and RF, his best position is DH. Throw in the fact that he played college ball at the University of Michigan, and he's a natural for Detroit. Jay Jackson has been up and down in the Cubs organization and while he has talent, I'm not quite sure what role the Cubs have in mind for him. He was exclusively a starter in 2009 after starting and relieving in 2008.

Callis thinks this would get a deal done and I'd do it -- but I suspect the Tigers might ask for Andrew Cashner instead of Jackson. That's a high price to pay -- Cashner has a shot at the major league bullpen for the Cubs in 2010 and he could even be viewed as a closer candidate by the Tigers, who are likely to let Fernando Rodney walk. (Rodney had a decent year in his first full season as closer, but will be 33 in March.)

I'd still do Vitters, Cashner and Fox for Granderson. For those of you who say, "No way! Keep those prospects! We can't give up both Vitters and Cashner!", I say that one of the things you can do with your prospects is turn them into productive major league players. The Cubs did this in acquiring Derrek Lee and Aramis Ramirez; when D-Lee was acquired he was just about the same age Granderson is now.

I might even do Vitters, Fox, Cashner AND Jackson for Granderson. To illustrate why, let me tell you a little story I just read about from Cubs history. Take it for what it's worth, because it came from the new edition of Leo Durocher's (ghostwritten by Ed Linn) autobiography, "Nice Guys Finish Last" (mini-book-review: recommended, for its interesting take on Durocher's era in baseball history). In it, he describes having discussions along with GM John Holland, with the Baltimore Orioles in the winter of 1971 about trading for Frank Robinson. According to the book, the Orioles asked for five young players -- pitchers Earl Stephenson, Jim Colborn, Bill Bonham, Joe Decker and outfielder Brock Davis. Durocher's book says they hedged, asking to make it four-for-one, not wanting to give up both Decker and Bonham.

You know what? They should have offered Baltimore GM Frank Cashen a handshake and done the deal right then and there. The next day, Robinson was traded to the Dodgers -- for four minor leaguers, only one of whom (Doyle Alexander) had a significant major league career.

The day after that, the Cubs traded Stephenson, Colborn and Davis to the Brewers for Jose Cardenal. Stephenson and Davis never had any significant impact in the major leagues. Colborn did have a few decent major league seasons, winning 20 games for the Brewers in 1973. Bill Bonham never became the big winner the Cubs thought he would; eventually he was traded to the Reds for Woodie Fryman and Bill Caudill. Joe Decker was traded to the Twins (with Bill Hands) a year later for Dave LaRoche.

None of those deals would have had the impact that getting Frank Robinson to play right field for the 1972 Cubs would have had. At 35, Robinson was past his best years, but would have been a far better hitter in Wrigley Field than he was in Dodger Stadium that year. (Robinson also got hurt in 1972 and missed almost 60 games; whether that would have happened to him as a Cub is unknown, obviously.)

The 1972 Cubs finished fourth in the league in runs scored and would have been a better offensive team with Frank Robinson than they were with Jose Cardenal; neither Bonham nor Decker had any significant impact on the '72 team.

The point is, that sometimes you have to take team "prospects" -- who may never pan out to what you hope they will -- to win now. Trading Vitters and Jay Jackson -- or even Vitters, Jackson and Cashner -- may provide dividends to the Detroit Tigers two or three years down the road. But acquiring Curtis Granderson, who, in addition to his talent on the field, is also, from all reports, a good clubhouse guy who spends a lot of time giving back to the community (and is a native Chicagoan), would go a long way to helping the 2010 Cubs return to the playoffs and give them a chance to win it all.

And isn't that what we all want?

As we often say here... GETITDON EJIM.

MLB Trade Rumors: Curtis Granderson to the Cubs for Starlin Castro?

raygu — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 16:00:28 -0000

More photos » by Duane Burleson - AP

2 months ago: Detroit Tigers' Curtis Granderson rounds the bases after hitting a solo home run against the Minnesota Twins in the eighth inning of Game 2 of a baseball doubleheader Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2009, in Detroit. The Tigers defeated the Twins 6-5. (AP Photo/Duane Burleson)

Browse more photos »

Yesterday Phil Rogers from the Chicago Tribune confirmed that the Cubs are indeed interested in trading for the Tigers outfielder Curtis Granderson. Here's a snippet:

A source close to the Cubs said Friday that general manager Jim Hendry "absolutely" is interested in offering a prospect-heavy package of players if Tigers GM Dave Dombrowski decides to trade the 28-year-old Illinois-Chicago product.

According to the source, Hendry and Dombrowski spoke about Granderson and other Tigers players during the GM meetings earlier in the week at the O'Hare Hilton.

Rogers goes on to mention that the Cubs highly rated prospect SS Starlin Castro could be one of the main pieces in a deal for Granderson:

A Cubs offer could be built around 19-year-old shortstop Starlin Castro, who is emerging as one of the top prospects in the minors. Third baseman Josh Vitters, 19-year-old Korean shortstop Hak-Ju Lee and minor league pitching from a group including Andrew Cashner, Jay Jackson and Chris Carpenter also could be part of deal.

Rogers also mentions that the Cubs could offer 3B/OF Jake Fox or Mike Fontenot in the deal for Granderson as well. Fox would make a perfect DH for the Tigers, or any other AL team for that matter.

Should the Cubs deal for Granderson, I wouldn't be surprised to see them try to deal 3B prospect Josh Vitters before offering Castro, as it appears that Castro could be closer to the big leagues than Vitters is. Then again, I am sure Tigers GM Dave Dombrowski prefers a major league ready prospect in return for Granderson.

Poll

Should the Tigers ask for Starlin Castro or Jake Fox/Josh Vitters in a deal for Curtis Granderson?

Castro-he's close to being ready

191 votes

Fox/Vitters

215 votes

406 votes | Poll has closed

MLB Trade Rumors: Derrek Lee to Braves for Javier Vazquez??

raygu — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 15:00:52 -0000

I was thinking recently of who the Braves will trade one of their starting pitchers to since they will be trading one of them this offseason, or so they say. It's obvious that Derek Lowe will be hard to deal due to his contract (although all the experts thought he was a good value last offseason), and the Braves would be crazy to trade either Jair Jurrgens or Tommy Hanson. So Javier Vazquez is the obvious choice. But to who?

I say they deal him to the Cubs for Derrek Lee. Both Lee and Vazquez are in the last years of their deals with Lee making $13 million in 2010, and Vazquez making $11.5 million in 2010. Pretty even trade salary-wise, and the deal fills a need for both teams.

The Cubs need a starting pitcher after losing Rich Harden to free agency. Vazquez would join Carlos Zambrano, Ryan Dempster and Randy Wells in the rotation. With Lee gone, the Cubs could put hitting machine Jake Fox at first base on a full time basis. Fox is limited as to where he can play on the field as he is a poor defensive player, but he can hit and hit for power.

Here are Fox's 2009 stats:

Player	AB	R	H	HR	RBI	BB	KO	SB	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS
Fox, Jake 1B CHC	216	23	56	11	44	14	47	0	0.259	0.311	0.468	0.779

Fox's HR/FB% was 13.3% in 2009, and he had a LD/GB/FB slash line of 19%/34%/47%, which tells me he hits alot of fly balls. Fox hit 11 HRs in just 216 ABs in 2009, and I think he could hit 25+ HRs if given a full time job in 2010.

But the Cubs have to wonder if they will get the same production out of Lee in 2010 that they got from him in 2009. I think they get something in between his 2009 and 2008 seasons. And Jake Fox can probably give them that for alot less money.

From the Braves point of view they get the big bat they need for the middle of their lineup, and he also fills their need for a first baseman. Lee would probably hit in the middle of the Braves lineup between Chipper Jones and Brian McCann.

Poll

Should the Cubs trade Derrek Lee to the Braves for Javier Vazquez?

Yes, they need the starting pitcher

204 votes

No, Fox can't field a lick. Sign a free agent pitcher and keep Lee.

249 votes

453 votes | Poll has closed