Mark Prior and the Cubs Reunited

Everyone knows how Mark Prior went from future and present phenom to just another injured pitcher with the Chicago Cubs. He had shoulder surgery, was not tendered a contract, signed with San Diego, had another shoulder surgery and was out of baseball as quickly as he got into it. Let’s fast forward.

Prior has endured 2 painful shoulder injuries, and 2 long and strenuous rehabs. He has not given up on his dream, and not given up on his goal, and he went from the million dollar bonus baby, to the guy that’s riding long bus trips as an independent league pitcher.  So why would the Cubs want Mark Prior back?

Right now, Mark Prior has been throwing in the upper 80′s to low 90′s. That’s extremely encouraging from someone that’s had the shoulder injuries Prior has had. That’s roughly 3-4 mph off of what he was CONSISTENTLY at. Sure- back in the day- he could reach back and find 97, but mostly- he was 92-94 and painting the corners. If right now- he’s 89-92, what will he be with another off season of strength training, flexibility stretches, etc? Could he reach back and find 95 again? Throw 92-93 and sustain it through a game? I don’t think I can answer that- but why not look at him and give him an invite to spring training?

What if Mark Prior is another “Jim Morris?” What if Mark Prior re-finds the magic? The Cubs could potentially re-sign their brightest star at one point for peanuts and a plane ticket. The fact Prior is still going at it, tells you how much he loves the game of baseball. I’ve also endured 2 injuries to my pitching arm (Tommy John and a torn labrum) and I understand completely what Mark Prior has gone through to even get back on a mound again, and I’ll tell you what- if you don’t love the game…you don’t put yourself through it. Period. End of Story.

The Cubs should seriously consider taking a harder look at Prior for next year’s spring training. Give him a shot- and who knows what will happen. At the very worst- you end up cutting him in spring training- not costing you a thing. At the very best? You get a top of the rotation starter. At the mid level- you get a 4 or a 5 that knows how to pitch, or you get a reliever that could potentially be a key part of the bull pen. So again- since it’s risk free….why the heck not? Mark Prior coming back in Cubby blue would be the ending most of us would want to see.

Starlin Castro’s Quest for a Batting Title

Coming into the off day this Thursday, Starlin Castro is hitting a mean .317, good for third in the National League. He is currently behind two outstanding hitters in Carlos Gonzalez (.329) and Joey Votto (.325). However, Castro doesn’t necessarily need those two to fall off the table to win it.

It’s a stretch, to be sure, but if Castro can stay hot all the way through September, he can definitely make a run at the batting title. He should see at least 100 ABs this month, and if he can manage to bat .400 during that time, he’ll be right in the thick of the race.

For a little perspective, there has only been one rookie in the history of baseball to ever win the batting title. Tony Oliva did it for the Minnesota Twins in 1964 in a Rookie of the Year campaign.

If Castro does pull off the unlikely and wins the batting title, I think the BBWAA would have a really tough time not picking him for NL Rookie of the Year. Buster Posey’s been great, but has slumped lately. Jaime Garcia has been fantastic, and would deserve to win it, as well. But doing something only one other player in baseball has ever done when every other player in baseball had a chance to do it (since everyone was a rookie at one point) would be very impressive, and tough to overlook if I was voting.

Cubs and Mets: This Winter’s Best Potential Blockbuster

I’ll tell you why. The Cubs right now have a couple youngsters that have major league potential to be pretty darn decent behind the dish. (Wellington Castillo and Robinson Chirinos just to name a couple) While everyone searches for the next Joe Mauer, I for one would rather have a Yadier Molina type guy behind the plate, a catcher that can carry a pitching staff, slow down a running game, do the things that basically go un-noticed, and if he hits .240 with 5 homers and 40 RBIs hitting in the 8 hole…so be it. Soto has had a fine bounce back year offensively. It’s hard to ignore 15 bombs 40 plus RBIs, an OBP over .400, and arguably one of the best 5-8 catchers in baseball. Well- I rate his calling a game average, his arm average, and his blocking ability average. Geo worked his tail off last off season to get into shape, so you gotta give the guy credit, but he’ll be up for a contract extension relatively soon, and do you wanna pay him top dollar? Or could you potentially deal him in trade as a sweetener to land a big fish? I would go for the big fish here.

Now I’m just throwing this out on a whim- but could the Mets POTENTIALLY be interested in a Carlos Zambrano, Geovany Soto, Tyler Colvin trade for Jose Reyes and Carlos Beltran? Before Met fans freak out- lets think about this in baseball logic for both sides.

1) The Mets rotation is still plenty bad…more than plenty good. Even Johan isn’t as dominating as he once was, but is still a good option as a 1. Carlos Zambrano could use a change of scenery, and he has pitched well lately…and I think he would be much more effective in a bigger park. Johan, Pelfrey, Niese, Zambrano looks a lot better than what they currently have….unless RA Dickey is the real deal. Even so, Dickey in the 5 isn’t exactly awful. The money? Well- if they swapped Zambrano’s bad contract for Beltran’s bad contract- the difference wouldn’t be significant for big market clubs. Would Zambrano waive his no trade clause? That would be the HUGE question.

2) Carlos Beltran has had some pretty serious knee problems over the last few years. Making his deal look real bad this time around. Angel Pagan has really stepped up this year, and has shown that he could handle an everyday position, and hit leadoff. They also have Fernando Martinez still in the mix as a young kid that could be a real good major league player. They’d also add a kid like Tyler Colvin whose got some pop to hit in the middle of the order, is an above average outfielder, with an above average arm. He’s cheap, talented, young. Not a bad return at all.

3) Jose Reyes has been banged up the last couple years. He’s also got an 11 million dollar club option.  Are the Mets willing to buy him out for 500k and watch him leave for FA? The grumblings of Reyes not wanting to play baseball continue to surface, and I think it could be time for him to get out of New York,and start fresh. The Mets would free up a lot of money and would be able to play one of the rising young shortstops in the system consistently. Clearly- the current Mets team is going nowhere fast, and it’s time to make some moves there. Geovany Soto would be able to take over the catching duties and provide a nice bat in the middle as well- and could hit as high as 2nd if he continues to improve his plate discipline. He’s also still young, still cheap, and could be a heck of a guy to add as well….the Mets could surely trade Beltran and Reyes for minor league players, but that would mean a complete overhaul- so why not deal them for current, young major leaguers with tremendous upside? It would also allow them to make a couple deals on the FA market because it would free up some money. Perhaps a 2B/SS like Omar Infante, Jhonny Peralta, Alex Gonzalez, or Orlando Hudson could come on over when Castillo isn’t resigned?

Potential 2011 lineup-
1) Pagan-CF
2) Soto- C
3) Wright- 3B
4) Davis- 1B
5) Bay- LF
6) Colvin- RF
7) One of the options playing 2b/ss

8)  One of the options playing 2b/ss, two of the above options, Reese Havens, Ruben Tejada.

So as you can see- the lineup would be just as good if not better,while being much cheaper to make a run at the stacked free agent class of 2012. The rotation would certainly be stronger.

Lets take a look from the Cubs side.

1) Adding Beltran would immediately make the Cubs better. Yes- he’s been hurt. Yes he’s getting paid a ton of money, but hitting in a park like Wrigley, should immediately make him more dangerous. He’s a switch hitter, and I don’t think he would have to play CF every day seeing as a mystery player is over there. Wait…what? A mystery player? What do I mean by that? Keep reading… It’s a smaller outfielder, so no matter where he plays- I think he would be just fine in a smaller park. You also can stick him in the 3 hole immediately, which would be outstanding because the Cubs lack that left handed thumper in the order.

2) Jose Reyes could force Castro to 2B, a position a lot of scouts believe will be his future position. Either way you cut it, that would be one heck of an athletic middle infield with Reyes being in a contract year. You stick him in the lead off hole, and it gives the Cubs a running option for the first time since Juan Pierre. He creates runs with his legs, and him on base in front of Castro, Beltran, Aramis Ramirez would be salivating. A lot of guys LOVE coming over to Chicago…love playing for the Cubs. I think Reyes would love the city, the atmosphere, and the fans.

3) Losing Zambrano wouldn’t be that tough a loss, because as I’ve stated several times- he’s not the guy he once was. His contact is bad, and I think swapping him for Beltran’s money would be WELL worth it. So how do you replace him? Simple- you make a trade for Zack Greinke who supposedly isn’t happy with Kansas City and their never ending rebuilding process. What would it take to get done? Take a look at my opinion on that one here. That’s one solution…how”s this for another. Andrew Cashner, Hak Ju Lee, Marlon Byrd, Jay Jackson. Holy dominoes falling! Why would the Cubs trade Marlon Byrd? Simple- his contract is at a respectable 5 million a year on average (3 years 15 million) and he’s coming off a career year. The Cubs wouldn’t pick up any of the money seeing as they’re taking all of Greinke’s contract. So who plays center you ask?

4) Brett Jackson is next year’s center fielder. The kid has played well in the minors- and I’d LOVE to see what he can do. Trading Byrd would free open that money and would only be a 21 million dollar hit for a guy like Greinke…not bad right? Now the Cubs would need a first basemen- Lyle Overbay? Not a bad option for a year- Adam Dunn would probably be forgotten if this trade went down. And the Cubs would still be in a better position financially to make a run at one of the big boys in 2012 (Pujols, Gonzalez, Fielder).

The Cubs 2011 lineup if something like this went down.

1) Jose Reyes 2b/ss

2) Starlin Castro 2b/ss

3) Carlos Beltran rf

4) Aramis Ramirez 3b

5) Alfonso Soriano-LF

6) Lyle Overbay- 1B

7) Brett Jackson- CF

Chirinos or Castillo

with the rotation looking like-

1) Greinke

2) Dempster

3) Wells

4) Gorzo

5) Open competition with Trey McNutt, Chris Archer, Chris Carpenter, Jeff Samardzjia etc.

Is anyone else tired after reading this? Whew- a lot of moving parts as you can see.

All I know is that both teams have players that aren’t working on each side. Is it that out of the question that both teams could like the others pieces for their own puzzle? Heck no. It’ll be an important off season for each club- so let the dominoes fall where they may, and here’s to hoping both of these teams try their best to rid some of these guys from their respective team.

Chicago Cubs vs Pittsburgh Pirates Live Chat Tonight 7:00pm Central

Follow me tonight as I’ll do a live “cover it” chat as the Chicago Cubs take on the Pittsburgh Pirates at 7:05 central time. The Cubs came out swinging the sticks last night and romped the Pirates 14-2 in front of an unusually small crowd on the north side of Chicago. Starlin Castro and Aramis Ramirez led the way with big offensive nights, and Carlos Zambrano went 5 plus and whacked his first homer of the year.

Ryan Dempster takes the mound tonight for the Cubbies.

Mike Quade the Difference Maker? Or are the Cubs Just Young

I know a lot of fans out there that root for the Chicago Cubs are thinking to themselves…”man, was Lou really THAT bad at managing and getting most out of his players?” Those thoughts are brought upon by the Cubs sudden resurgence at the plate, and quality pitching (starting and relief) from the mound.

My answer to that? Absolutely not. The Chicago Cubs have a team full of young kids. They’ve had these young kids since they broke camp way back in the spring time. When you’re playing with that many kids, it’s going to be tough to play well all year long. It’s true that the Cubs are playing well right now, but let’s keep in mind…they are still playing the Pirates and Nationals. Yes I do know the Pirates have beat up on the Cubbies this year, but it still doesn’t change the fact they are the joke of the major leagues once again this year. The Nationals just lost Strasburg, so clearly they had to have some of their wind taken out of their sales before a Cubby sweep, and even though the Cubs took a game in Cincy, they cost themselves a couple with a ton of terrible fundamental play- across the board.Which is going to happen time to time with guys like Starlin Castro, Tyler Colvin, and the rest of the youngsters.

It’s nice to see Mike Quade doing a nice job with the young kids, but let’s not split hairs right now- they will go through another spurt before the year is over where guys struggle, and the team struggles. That’s not a knock against Mike Quade- that is simply the norm when your dealing with 22 year old rookies.

I’d like to see Aramis Ramirez and Marlon Byrd take on a LARGE leadership role for these guys. Aramis isn’t known as that kind of guy, but he’s in the prime of his career, has been to the postseason, has been to an all star game, it’s time for him to stand up to the pressures of being the guy. Marlon Byrd by all accounts is an outstanding locker room presence, but when the time is right, he should be able to kick someone in the rear and say “that’s not how we do things up here kid.” The team this year will be better off, but most importantly- the team NEXT year will be better off.

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