Soriano should never play in another game, he sucks!. Fire Lou Pinella. He should have been fired last year when the stubborn bastard wouldn't ever think making a defensive replacement for Soriano in late innings. Soriano cost the Cubs a few games last year by blowing routines plays and not making any tough plays.
Need #1 is a good middle infielder that can defend and get on and steal bases from the leadoff spot. Could be either SS or 2B -- if it's SS then Theriot moves to 2B. I guess Balt is still not trading Brian Roberts? Or maybe Chone Figgins and play him at 2B.
Then I would like to see Soriano dealt but man that won't be easy. Eat some salary of course and give Jake Fox a shot at LF regularly with Fuld and Reed Johnson in the mix for defensive help.
Those are really the only major moves I can see the Cubs making. Catcher has been disappointing but I think you pretty much still have to bring Soto and Hill back and let them work it out.
Then I would like to see Soriano dealt but man that won't be easy. Eat some salary of course and give Jake Fox a shot at LF regularly with Fuld and Reed Johnson in the mix for defensive help.
Those are really the only major moves I can see the Cubs making. Catcher has been disappointing but I think you pretty much still have to bring Soto and Hill back and let them work it out.
Lou should play the guys who give him the best chance to win. Soriano is the worst defensive left fielder in the majors. Soriano is a 200 hitter who strikes out 50 % of his at bats. Cub fans have been saying for years that he wasn't a leadoff man, but dumb Lou kept listing 1st on the lineup sheet. Soriano is the biggest defensive liability in all of baseball, but Lou keeps marching him out to left field and never replaces him. Lou is afraid of change, afraid to shake things up. I hope dumb Lou quits!
The problem with the Cubs is that they have three position players who should never see the field (DH only)
Fox (solid bat -- terrible in the field)
Soriano (11 errors in left field?) -- only 5 more years on his back loaded fat contract
Bradley (team cancer wherever he goes) -- I'm sure there are tons of teams that are going to want to pay him the $11M he is due in 2011
2nd base is a joke.
Fonteno is terrible (good D but no bat)
Miles is awful (worst free agent signing, ok maybe 2nd behind Bradley)
Catcher is a big problem
Soto one year wonder (came to team completely out of shape)
Hill is a backup -- nothing more
The one thing the Cubs have is starting pitching. Very possibly have the best starting pitching in the NL. Thats how bad the hitting has been
The Cubs are locked into many back loaded high priced contracts. I fully expect this team to suck for at least the next 3 years until some of these contracts are off the books.
Jim Hendry should be launched for getting the Cubs into this mess.
Fox (solid bat -- terrible in the field)
Soriano (11 errors in left field?) -- only 5 more years on his back loaded fat contract
Bradley (team cancer wherever he goes) -- I'm sure there are tons of teams that are going to want to pay him the $11M he is due in 2011
2nd base is a joke.
Fonteno is terrible (good D but no bat)
Miles is awful (worst free agent signing, ok maybe 2nd behind Bradley)
Catcher is a big problem
Soto one year wonder (came to team completely out of shape)
Hill is a backup -- nothing more
The one thing the Cubs have is starting pitching. Very possibly have the best starting pitching in the NL. Thats how bad the hitting has been
The Cubs are locked into many back loaded high priced contracts. I fully expect this team to suck for at least the next 3 years until some of these contracts are off the books.
Jim Hendry should be launched for getting the Cubs into this mess.
Well Fox was never a planned position player. He's done way better than expected both at the plate and in the field. Tough call as to whether they should give him a more permanent role. I don't think he's *that bad* in LF really.
Soriano is and was a mistake and has become plain awful. Biggest probem on team.
Bradley is just still a head case. He can still hit though. If someone could just somehow talk some sense into him. Getting off to a terrible start was a killer.
2nd base is a joke. Biggest need.
Catcher, plenty of teams have problems. Might as well bring them back next year and see what happens.
I just don't know how the Cubs can trade Soriano. He's been so bad lately, they need him to do something so they could have some hope of dealing him and eating some salary. Maybe some how the Yankees would take him back?
agree with the majority of this assessment, except i dont think we will "suck" for 3 years...some minor changes can be made to get back to last year's form....injuries were as big a key factor this year, as anything......i do think Bradley probably has to go, just for team morale....
I dont think Soriano is the problem....if he even starts to revert to 80% of what he was when we got him, he above 75% of the league..
