http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/blog/index?entryID=4326466&name=gammons_peter

Interesting take on the Cubs, though the Pierre suggestion is pretty ridiculous. Soriano might be the best example of what I'm calling Hendry Disease -- a move that makes sense without considering the cost (trading Marquis for nothing, signing Bradley to a deal that was much more than comparable free agents received, etc.)

When the moves don't work out, they look really, really bad and hamstring the team.

And the Harden news is really depressing.

The Sun-Times reports today that the Indians were interested in trading DeRosa for Marshall, http://www.suntimes.com/sports/baseball/cubs/1643290,CST-SPT-cub29.article. The story doesn't say what else the Cubs would have had to give up -- I'm guessing at least one minor-league arm. But it's an interesting question: Would Marshall have been too big a price to pay to get DeRo back?

My initial reaction was no -- not because I dislike Marshall but because I don't consider him to be a dominant pitcher in any way. Also, I think Fontenot is the least likely of the starting Cubs (yes, I know the plan was for him to platoon with Aaron Miles) to bounce back in the second half. Assuming I'm right, DeRosa would have had a spot when Aramis returns (if Fontenot was having a great season, I don't think we'd care about the whereabouts of DeRosa nearly as much as we do). Still, Marshall has been good out of the pen and he is our only lefty reliever. He provides backup in case Harden gets hurt, and he's a quality guy.

I don't think Hendry is the kind of person who would have refused to get DeRosa back to save face. Maybe he and Lou just thought the price tag was too high. And, if DeRosa had gone to most other teams, I'd agree.

But I think I would have given up Marshall and a prospect to reacquire DeRosa AND to keep him out of St. Louis (or Milwaukee, for that matter). I should also point out that I don't think DeRosa is Ruth, Mays, DiMaggio or even an All-Star -- but he is a valuable player who would have solved a lot of the Cubs issues, IMO.

Finally, if this was discussed in one of the threads, I apologize. Couldn't find any mention of it searching for both players names.

Discuss -- and please don't flame me for DeRosa talk. This is my first (MAYBE second) post on the matter.

MLB trade rumors, http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2009/02/the-remaining-f.html, noted that Grudzielanek is still looking for work. I was a fan of his when he was with the Cubs in '03-'04, and I started wondering if he could be the righty bat who could back up Lee and Ramirez. If he can play second, surely he could play first and third, right?

I seem to remember that he upset Cubs management before the '04 season when he complained publicly about taking a pay cut to stay with the team. Assuming there's no bad blood -- there may be -- why not sign Grudz to something like half of the guaranteed money Orlando Hudson got?

Remember -- when the Cubs got Grudzielanek before '03, he was behind Bobby Hill for the starting second-base job. Grudz was huge for the '03 team, and played well, despite injuries, in '04.

I'll note that I'm only for this if he comes at a bargain, but I think he might. The only reason I see the Cubs not being interested, other than price, is the fact that he might not be a good enough pinch-hitter.

The other question is whether Grudzielanek would accept a reserve job ..

And don't flame me if this has already been discussed. I searched for Grudzielanek's name and nothing recent came up.

It struck me today that I have no idea who will back up Lee at first next season -- now that DeRosa has been traded and Ward and Blanco are unlikely to return. We all remember how difficult it was to replace Lee in 2006 (Phil Nevin, Mabry) and how Lee faded during the '04 stretch run without a capable backup. The Cubs are arguably deeper now, but I still don't have a clear idea on who will or should back up D-Lee.

Granted, I'm sure most of the Cubs' infielders could handle the position, with my first thoughts going to Fontenot or Miles. But I also considered Ramirez and Soriano, and maybe even Milton Bradley (though I don't know much about Bradley to think that he would be a good fit).

It's also possible that the Cubs still intend to sign a backup. Al has suggested Kevin Millar ... ?

Oh, and I'm having a tough time figuring out the "Attach Poll" option, so I'll just do this free form. Who will likely back up Lee next year, and -- within reason -- who would you want to back him up? I say the last point to discourage suggestions of trades that are completely off the wall and/or that have never been even rumored.

Assuming Lee is hurt for an extended period, and not just getting the day off, I'd be curious try Soriano at first. If Lee is out for a game or half a game, my pick would probably be Miles.

Rosenthal just posted that the Rockies are considering trading for Marquis or signing Tim Redding, http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/8963778/Teixeira-will-get-his-payday,-but-is-he-really-worth-it?. The mention is in the Around the horn section.

I'd be all for trading Marquis, but I'm not sure who would become the Cubs' No. 5 starter. The obvious option is Marshall, but that would seem to create some issues in the bullpen, where Neal Cotts is the only other lefty.

Presumably, the Cubs would get at least $3 million or $4 million in savings from the deal. Should the Cubs use that money to sign Randy Johnson? Should they sign another lefty reliever and give Marshall the No. 5 spot? Should they use the money to up the offer to Milton Bradley or another right fielder? Any other suggestions?

And, please, don't suggest a Hermida or Kubel trade. Might be great ideas, but let's focus on things that are being discussed as possiblities by people OTHER THAN BCB posters.

Apologies if this has been discussed in other threads, but I think the news that Atlanta has pulled a trade for Javy Vazquez, http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=3740201, could have an impact on the Cubs.

I've been in the camp that Peavy probably won't end up a Cub -- especially after re-signing Dempster. Essentially, I didn't think the Cubs would spend a bunch of money (Peavy is owed around $60 million) plus a lot of young talent to get Peavy, when the rotation is already pretty deep and expensive.

But now that Atlanta has already traded some prime talent to get Vazquez, I wonder if San Diego will think Atlanta is out of the Peavy sweepstakes, increase efforts with the Cubs, and work harder to find a third team to swing the deal.

Frankly, I only see Peavy in blue pinstripes next year if someone currently in the Cubs' rotation (Marquis? Harden?) can be dealt to clear payroll. And I'm not advocating a deal for Peavy unless the price is *extremely* right.

But I think the above scenario is more likely now -- maybe 10 percent instead of 1 percent -- thanks to the Vazquez deal. At the same time, I know a lot of us are really tired of hearing/reading about Peavy AND I guess it's possible that Atlanta could be after two starters (I think I remember reading that), though I wonder if they could afford Peavy and Vazquez.

Anyway, I figured I'd get the discussion going ..

Just saw the three above heavy-hitters eating lunch at Harry Caray's in Wrigleyville. Kenney and the gov walked in together with a third guy whom I didn't recognize. Hendry walked in a few minutes later, talking on his cell phone.

The question is, what were Kenney and Hendry talking to the gov about? The sale of Wrigley? I was too far away to hear anything that they were saying.

I nodded at Hendry, and he nodded back. The gov shook a few hands (though not mine).

I don't think this has been discussed before (at any length, anyway), but I think Milton Bradley could really be the best way to solve the Cubs' lack of left-handed hitting.

I had hoped that the Cubs could trade Lee and sign Adam Dunn to play first base. Bruce Miles' reporting makes that sound unlikely. I'm pretty tired of Lee, but I guess he's not going anywhere.

As I see it, Bradley fits the Cubs very well. He's a switch-hitter who can place center or right. That might be very important given our right-handed-heavy lineup and Fukudome's struggles.

Bradley's two biggest drawbacks: injury history and behavior.

The Cubs are deep enough to absorb losing Bradley for a month, assuming it happens during the regular season AND it doesn't happen when one of the other big bats is also hurt. I, for one, am willing to take that risk, depending on the money needed to sign Bradley. And, actually, his injury history might make Bradley a slightly cheaper option.

As for his attitude, I'm willing to risk that, too. The Cubs have enough headliners where Bradley could (conceivably) slip under the radar. That's (essentially) what happened in Texas with Josh Hamilton's big year in '08. That's assuming Bradley doesn't have a Jacque Jones kind of start.

If memory serves, the Cubs considered Bradley a couple times during the Baker years. I think they should do so again.

http://news.cincinnati.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080925/SPT04/809250404/1062/SPT&referrer=NEWSFRONTCAROUSEL

The rumor is probably crap, but it's kind of funny. I know some of the regulars here are tired of Dusty mentions, but I thought this one was so odd that it was worth posting.

Final thought: How in the hell has Corey fallen SO far? I mean, he was clearly an overrated prospect who swings at everything, but he was a good player for us in '03 and '04 (with a bad September in '04 bringing down his numbers).

Hi everybody,

I think this was discussed a few weeks ago, and it probably has been discussed a few other times over the years. Seems to me you can buy tickets at face value at the Wrigley box office on the day of the game -- maybe very early in the morning?

As you can probably guess, I'm wondering if there's any chance I can get to the White Sox series without paying a ridiculous markup. If it meant standing in line at 5 a.m., I'd be OK with that.

Any advice, input or insight would be much appreciated.