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| Date | Question | Answer |
|---|
| 2009-07-30 14:00:00 (link to chat) | Doesnt it make sense for the Cubs to attempt to . upgrade in the middle infield? It appears that there are several low-cost, both in terms of prospects required and contractual obligations, available to them(Cabrera,Scutaro,Kennedy). Mike Fontenot has been doing his best to turn the lower part of their lineup into a black hole.
(Matt from Chicago) | The Cubs have two problems in trying to make a trade right now. One, is they aren't allowed to make any big expenditures with the sale of the team in flux. Two, they don't have many propsects that teams are interested in. (John Perrotto) |
| 2009-02-17 13:00:00 (link to chat) | Bryan, have you picked up on Jim Hendry's fondness for Notre Dame players? I'm wondering if you think it's beginning to cloud his judgment (i.e. the acquisition of Aaron Heilman)?
(Shane from Bucktown) | I brought this up to Paul Mainieri -- coach of LSU, former coach of Notre Dame, who was with the Irish when Heilman and Samardzija and Grant Johnson and the rest went there. Mainieri laughed, and reminded that the connection runs deeper: Paul and Ryan Dempster are still good friends since Dempster committed to ND (ultimately choosing pro ball out of high school), and infields Ryan Theriot and Mike Fontenot are LSU grads, both of whom Mainieri has become friendly with. Don't be surprised if the Cubs draft a LSU player or two in the upcoming draft ... it's always been a fondness for Mainieri moreso than for Notre Dame. (Bryan Smith) |
| 2008-11-14 13:00:00 (link to chat) | Steve: Loved the book on Casey. There's nothing else like it. The Swisher trade is a great deal for which Cashman deserves a lot of credit-first of all in finding him, hadn't the Sox put him in the Witness Protection Program? But I digress. I do have the opinion that the Yankees must move on with Robinson Cano. While his trade value has been diminished, wait til you see what it is this time next year! Proposed replacements: (a) Available inexpensively: Mike Fontenot, who is a free agent. Available expensively: Jeff Kent (please NO!), Brian Roberts. Am I jumping the shark on Cano?
(BeplerP from New York City) | Thank you, BeplerP, for reading Forging Genius and for the kind words. The question isn't whether you've jumped the shark on Cano, but whether Cano himself has jumped the shark (I've never heard jumping the shark used to signify that one might be ahead of the shark). I don't think he has, given his age and post-April rates of .297/.326/.448. The problem with Cano is that he seems like he doesn't care half the time. He's locked in for a week, and then he goes 0-for-20 swinging at first pitches and starts making careless plays in the infield. This makes him immensely frustrating to watch, not least of all to the Yankees themselves. How do you keep this guy locked in? They don't know, so the temptation is to make him someone else's problem--and it wouldn't be the end of the world. You could get a 2B who has lower highs but also higher lows, or lower batting averages but is better at getting on base. In that case, the decision to make a change depends on who you can get--the Yankees really need to stay focused on offense. But if your question is, "Will he rebound and improve his value?" I think yes, he will. (Steven Goldman) |
| 2008-06-27 14:00:00 (link to chat) | Given that Theriot's performance has likely entrenched him in the starting lineup, and Ronny Cedeno's performance seemingly has him getting the lion-share of middle infield spot starts, what is Mike Fontenot's use now? Does he have any value in a trade? He seems like he could possibly bring the offensive value of Mark Derosa if he got the playing time.
Also, what does Rich Hill have to do in order to return to the majors? Change teams?
(mlapointe from chicago) | Fontenot's getting starts at second with DeRosa moving out to left in the positional wheel that Piniella has been employing whenever his roster's Soriano-free, and it works pretty nicely. Add in that it means that he's got a bench player kept sharp with a goodly amount of playing time, and it makes for a better stabbity to go after the opposition with when he's back to pinch-hitting. And if Theriot or Cedeno or DeRosa goes down, it's a happier thing to be the team that still has Fontenot. He'd make for a mediocre regular, and while that might make him wealthy, I think it's more useful to keep him on this roster, especially as the lefty alternative to the righty-hitting Reed Johnson off of the bench.
Hill... it's a gut-wrenching thing to see a guy's control just go away like that. I'd trade for him, but I'm not sure the Cubs can afford to trust him until he gives Iowa a good month or so. It's interesting that Will brought up the Cubs in today's lead article about dealing for Sabathia--I would think that Hill would make a pretty important piece in such a swap, although it would be a bit risky to have both Cliff Lee and Hill in the same rotation. That would be sort of a southpaw roller-coaster ride that would require splatter shielding to protect bystanders. (Christina Kahrl) |
| 2008-03-06 13:00:00 (link to chat) | Ronny Cedeno and Eric Patterson--are they in the Cubs' plans for '08? Should they be?
If I may indulge one more, what do you expect from Franklin Morales in '08 and down the road?
Thanks!
(jromero from seattle) | At the moment it certainly doesn't seem like either is the Cub's first choice for a starting spot in the middle infield. Theriot would be pretty easy to displace at short, but Cedeno, as good as his minor-league numbers are, simply hasn't hit in his major-league opportunities.
As for Patterson, the Cubs are even deeper at 2B, with Mark De Rosa and Mike Fontenot, another Piniella favorite ahead of him. Patterson's got youth and more upside, but the other two were a pretty capable tandem last year, and PECOTA likes both of them - they're .360 OBPs and average-plus fielders, whereas Patterson's a .340 OBP type with below-average D.
Morales - as critical a part of the Rox run last year, I see him struggling a little bit. He's got to cut down the walks to succeed at Coors. (Jay Jaffe) |
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