Cubs/Marlins swap pitchers

[RedsoxRockies]

My question still stands.

Ok, well what if my team does not need him? Or has no interest due to his health? Then we do not need to hear his terms

[HoustonGM]

Ok, well what if my team does not need him? Or has no interest due to his health? Then we do not need to hear his terms

You said you'd never sign him unless you were "desperate." There are many situations that I could envision that aren't "desperate" in which I would sign him.

[RedsoxRockies]

You said you'd never sign him unless you were "desperate." There are many situations that I could envision that aren't "desperate" in which I would sign him.

So you feel he is healthy? And I am sure he will ask for too much. Maybe with an insencitive based deal I would consider him, but I would be extremely weary

[HoustonGM]

So you feel he is healthy?

I don't know. I have no access to his medical reports.

And I am sure he will ask for too much. Maybe with an insencitive based deal I would consider him, but I would be extremely weary

And that just leads me back to my original question. Why wouldn't you SEE how much he's asking for before automatically dismissing the possibility of signing him? That'd be just flat-out foolish general managing.

[RedsoxRockies]

I don't know. I have no access to his medical reports.


And that just leads me back to my original question. Why wouldn't you SEE how much he's asking for before automatically dismissing the possibility of signing him? That'd be just flat-out foolish general managing.

I would look into more stable options first, and only turn to him if in need

[Reade]

If he's healthy, he's a decent closer. I mean how many guys go out and save 25 or so games in their first relief appearances in their career. I wouldn't try to make him a starter again. I also wouldn't try to sign him to a long term deal though.

[justanewguy]

Except he probably isn't going to GET a lot of money (nobody is giving him a long term deal), so you could probably get him for a year at a decent rate.

I agree, and this is somewhat in line with the point I tried to make.

However, I think he'll get more than one year. And he WILL get a fair amount of money, although it won't anywhere close to KRod or Fuentes money, and probably won't even touch Cruz or Hoffman money. If I were a GM, I wouldn't hesitate to sign him for 2 years if the price was right. Maybe 3... but I'd probably want to have it be a heavily incentive-based contract. With enough incentives and a low enough base salary, 4 years isn't completely out of the question, but I'd bet that he ends up with 3.

There aren't too many teams out there looking for closers, and there's quite a bit available on the market. I think the majority of GMs will pass on Wood, based on the name "Kerry Wood" alone. I think many GMs will be of the mindset that they'd rather look elsewhere than pay someone to lose an arm and pitch in simulated games.

Personally, I think the relief role will keep Wood from getting injured, and really, he probably should have been a reliever all along.

[BINGLEBOP]

Yeah... I guarantee he won't be signing a one-year contract. At least two or three years.

[BBMogulLover21]

Boras is not Wood's agent... his agent's name is Pat Rooney... and from what I hear in Chicago Radio stations seems like Hendry did this move because it seems like someone is going to try to give Wood like a 4 year deal... I may be wrong but thats what it sounds like

[Slingshot]

"Marlins get a steal for Gregg

Getting Jose Ceda for one year of Kevin Gregg is a heist for Florida, and could really end up as a disaster for the Cubs, given how they intend to realign their pen.


The Cubs say they're going to move Carlos Marmol into the closer role, removing him from the seventh-eighth inning role where Lou Piniella was willing to stretch him out to get more than three outs in a single appearance. It also increases the chance that Marmol will be wasted in save situations where the Cubs have a three-run lead (that is, a relatively low-leverage save situation).


They may use Gregg in the setup role, even though there's not much reason to anticipate he'll be more than a middle reliever in performance. Gregg has an average arsenal, sinker-slider-split, and other than occasionally running the fastball up to 94 doesn't have a plus pitch. His control is below-average, with 72 unintentional walks over the last two years in 152 innings, and only a fluky-low home run rate in 2008 kept his ERA under 4. He's not quite Antonio Alfonseca redux, but he's no replacement for Kerry Wood, either.


The Marlins, meanwhile, have picked up another free arm for a player they simply didn't want or need for 2009, and this arm is very good. Ceda sits in the mid-90s with a sharp slider with hard diving action, and he has a good track record of missing bats in the minors, including 42 strikeouts in 30 AA innings this year. His stuff would play in the majors right now, and the Marlins aren't afraid to promote guys with big velocity quickly.

You don't give arms like Ceda away for one year of a middle reliever's time. Nothing is guaranteed with pitchers and especially not with pitching prospects, but I could see Gregg posting a 4.50 ERA and leaving as a free agent while Ceda becomes a star reliever in Florida for the next six years."

[HoustonGM]

---By Keith Law

[Slingshot]

---By Keith Law

That's why I had the quation marks.

[HoustonGM]

That's why I had the quation marks.

I know. I was just supplying the proper credit!