On New Years Eve, it became apparent that General Manager Jim Hendry was going to make a bunch of moves to retool the Chicago Cubs, a 97 win ballclub in 2008 but a team that is a combined 0-6 in their last two NLDS appearances. Well today, Jim Hendry completed the deal that sends RHSP Jason Marquis to Colorado for RHRP Luis Vizcaino.
So everything has been completed as was rumored last week. Now we turn to Jim Hendry’s quest for another starting pitcher. Any deal for Jake Peavy is going to have to get through the obstacle of one or two pending sales of the ballclubs involved. There are certainly plenty of FA’s out there that could be of interest.
Earlier this offseason, before the Cubs had even resigned Dempster, I was dying to see the Derek Lowe’s name come up some time. Since then, his market has kind of fallen apart, and could probably be had at a fair price.
Not sure if they’ve enough payroll left, but if the Cubs appear willing to reopen discussions for Peavy, it would stand to reason afford Lowe.
However, I’m sure the fact that Peavy is only due $8M next season appeals to Hendry since the ‘09 payroll is almost at its ceiling.
I think that is a real good question Jack. The market for so many of these free agents seems to be falling apart. Guys like Dempster who signed early were smart. I think the closer we get to ST we will start to see many of these guys sign for fewer years and less money than we imagined. I know originally Lowe’s demands were pretty high. I seem to remember a rumor in the last few weeks that the Mets were offering 3 yrs/$36 million. I’m not sure if the Cubs can match that. But who knows? He has not signed yet and we have seen Boras clients wait until the very last minute (Maddux in 2004) to sign.
I don’t think the Cubs can add ‘REAL PAYROLL’ to the roster at this point. I think they will need the ownership decision to be made. At that point it is possible that a new owner would want to make a splash with the signing of a guy like Lowe or Sheets (will any of these guys be left at that point?) or making the often rumored deal for Peavy.
Your probably right. Until the ownership situation is resolved, it’s imposssible to say for sure exactly how much flexibility the Cubs have.
If the new owner does decide to allow for a signing though, I certainly Lowe becomes the top target. Whichever team is lucky enough to land him is going to be getting a hell of a pitcher at a hell of a price. Going into this offseason, Lowe was probably the safest bet of any pitcher to provide value for what he signs, and that was before it became clear he’d have to settle for way less than his original demands.
Lowe’s a groundball pitcher who has of history of doing well in big games. I think he would look awfully good on this ballclub. (and the Cubs could keep the young arms they got for DeRosa and Vitters too)
Couldn’t agree more CCD. Obviously not everyone reads into this kind of stuff, but I just think it would be silly to ignore what Derek Lowe has done in the postseason.
Also, the fact that bringing in Lowe or any other FA pitcher wouldn’t require giving up anything in players (namely, Josh Vitters)– is huge.
As much as I love this idea though, you’ve gotta be realistic. Considering Lowe already turned down the Mets’ 3/36 offer, I have a hard time believing the Cubs could offer to anything more than that.
FWIW– MLBTR had a rumor about the Cubs perhaps being interested in brining in Braden Looper on a one-year deal. If you take a look at the numbers, it’s safe to say that Looper is a little bit better than Marquis, and could be a solid Plan C if he can be had at a discount.
BTW CCD– I wanted to ask you about something but I don’t have your e-mail anymore. Is there an address for wpbc i can reach you at?
I’m sure people can prove me wrong on this one and I am probably contradicting myself: as much as I don’t believe in clutch hitting, I do believe in big game pitchers. Lowe has been that throughout his career. He’d be a nice addition come October.
sure man, anytime…
wpbc(at)ymail(dot)com
thx. message sent.