Since we narrowly escaped Luis Castillo - how does Curtis Granderson grab ya?
Let's see if anyone is still coming out here.
The Tribune's Phil Rogers is beating the drums for the Cubs to trade for homeboy Tiger Curtis Granderson. Ok, Phil, I get it...you love Grandy. So do we. He would be a perfect fit for us, and I believe that the Ricketts could find room on their spreadsheets for him.
Ah, here's the thing, though. The Tigers don't want Milton Bradley for him. No no no no no...they want young, fresh meat. To the tune of Josh Vitters AND New Great White Hope Starlin Castro (yeah, I know he ain't white. It's an expression). And probably our best pitching prospect, whoever that is.
This would be a classic, textbook case of utterly mortgaging the future for the present. If Castro and Vitters are as good as the Propaganda Arm makes them out to be, then the left side of our infield is good for pretty damn near the entire next decade. Or, is Hendry shrewdly pumping up these guys to inflate their trade value, in anticipation of this off season? It was made clear to him that he would NOT be pursuing free agents this winter - and probably, after the past couple of years, he probably doesn't want to anymore. Can't blame him.
So, riders? Do you trade the future for the now? Or do you ride 2010 out, waiting for what could be the greatest wave of position talent to come up from the Cubs' farm since the mid-eighties, if not the mid-sixties? Keep in mind that Derrek Lee, Aramis Ramirez, and Alfonso Soriano are all on the clock. Lee is a free agent after this year, and A-Ram has an opt-out at the end of 2010.
Yes, no wait, no, um, yes
A) Vitters has never seen a pitch he doesn't like. AA and AAA rosters are filled with hyped prospects in their late twenties and early thirties who never learned to lay off bad pitches. He plays D like a first baseman in the making, hasn't shown any power (yet), and stands a fair chance of fizzling out in the upper minors. I'd guess a 30 % chance that he never makes the majors, 30 % that he has a Corey Patterson-type career, 30 % chance that he has a Pedro Feliz-like career, and 10% that he becomes a star. Me = not a fan.
2) Starlin Castro has had about 6 months of good results. He's a wait-and-see, and I wouldn't do anything with him right now.
III) I can't defend Bradley, but the cost of getting rid of him will be probitively high, and this deal wouldn't help us get rid of him. Unless we gave the tigers 20 million dollars.
on the other hand...
Fourthly) Bradley is a poison who makes coming to work miserable for other guys.His presence is more costly than the stats show, and the stats show something crappy: though he got on base, singles and walks don't equal a #5 hitter with a 30 million dollar contract.
Also) Granderson would be nice.
So I say no/yes to the deal! I can't decide what to do. I give up.
Well Profi you officially
Well Profi you officially confused me.
I would be willing to deal one of Josh Vitters, Starlin Castro, or Andrew Cashner. Granderson is a good value. He has averaged a 19 million dollar value over the last four seasons. He plays plus center field. He is coming off of a bad season and his value is lower than say in 2007 or 2008. I don't think it would take all three or even two of them. But what the hell do I know. I was all in favor of signing Milton Bradley.
No doubter
I think you have to trade the future for now. The roster is aging, salaries are escalating, and the window is closing. With little financial flexibility, the cubs are left with the option of trading to improve and little else. It will take a significant package of prospects to land Granderson, but its hard to argue that he couldn't help this team in many ways. In my opinion, one of the biggest areas the cubs need to improve is up the middle of the diamond, and Granderson is a means toward that end. If anyone was willing to spend 10 mil per on MB, how could they be opposed to spending that same money on a player like Curtis Granderson? I say give up what it takes to get him, but hold onto both SS prospects if at all possible -
I haven't quite made up my
I haven't quite made up my mind yet...but I will say that Granderson hit under .250 last season with an OBP of .327...ehhhh. Are we sure we want to make this guy the center of our off-season efforts?? I'm not saying either way...just a thought....
Crawford over Granderson
I think if we are going to trade for someone go after Carl Crawford. To me it seems like he would be a better option (there are reports that he is not happy and wants out of Tampa). Granderson is a good player but he reminds me a lot of Soriano with good power and speed. Crawford on the other hand would bring outstanding speed to the 2010 cubs which is what they are lacking. Power can already be supplied by Aram, Lee and hopefully Sori. What do you guys think Crawford or Granderson?
Crawford > Granderson, but...
...the guys that run the Rays are not so stupid anymore, and would insist on the entire King's ransom for him. In fact, they probably would want more than we have. Whereas the Granderson deal is more feasible; we have what they want, plus the Tigers are more receptive to the idea than the Rays are. If I were the Rays, I'd do whatever it took to make Carl happy again.
Don't trade the future
No deal! This guy can't hit a lefty to save his life! That will give you 2 guys out there that can't hit lefties, Fukudome and Granderson. Do you platoon at both positions? Yes they haven't had a real center fielder for ages but I would rather just see Fukudome out there or maybe give Colvin and Fuld shots at winning a job this year. I would rather they hold on to the talent coming up and sign a free agent or 2. Who will leadoff if you get Granderson? Theriot? Not enough speed. Granderson leading off would be comparable to Soriano. That worked out real well!