It’s a pitching situation

Add comment June 18th, 2008

 

The Chicago Tribune’s Paul Sullivan is reporting that the Cubs are preparing a multi-player package, including Matt Murton and Rich Hill, to trade for Red Sox free-swinging center fielder Coco Crisp.

I don’t mind dealing out either player (Murton: I really like the guy, but the Cubs clearly see no future in him and his Triple-A numbers make him great trade bait. Hill: Many will say it’s too soon to give up on him. But his horrid start to the season and his shoddy Iowa appearances make it seem that he peaked last season), but do the Cubs really need another center fielder, let alone an outfielder?  

Jim Edmonds has grown on Cubbie Nation and shown he’s more than worth the $250,000. Reed Johnson is the perfect player to rotate between left and center. And when all else fails, the ultimate jack of all trades Mark DeRosa can easily hold down left and give Fukudome a day off in right.

First and foremost, what needs to be addressed is the Cubs pitching staff. God knows they have done wonders so far this season and there is little to complain about. But, how much longer will a first place rotation/bullpen be able to maintain the wear-and-tear into the playoffs without making any upgrades?

One concern is the endurance of Ryan Dempster. Can the one-time closer continue to pitch like a No. 2 into September? After all, before this season, he’s only had six starts since 2004. Also, there will come a point where the void in the bullpen will need to be filled by someone other than Chad Fox, Kevin Hart, Sean Marshall, Jose Ascanio, Carmen Pignatiello or Neal Cotts.

As far as rotation pitchers go, the options are out there in C.C. Sabathia, A.J. Burnett, Erik Bedard, Randy Wolf and even Greg Maddux.

The next Gary Scott?

Add comment April 1st, 2008

Kerry Wood just showed why you can’t get too excited about spring training. He looked like the perfect closer with nine straight scoreless appearances. Even more important, he had zero walks during that stretch. Well, he beaned a batter with his very first pitch of the 2008 season and also walked a batter in giving up three runs in one inning of a tie game. It reminded me of rookie third baseman Gary Scott hitting almost .400 in spring training the one year I covered the Cubs from Arizona all the way through September. He then couldn’t get the ball out of the infield in April and became the cursed name of all cursed names for failed Cub phenoms.

Anyway, Wood will rise or fall as a closer on his control. No one wants another Mitch Williams, who walks the bases loaded, then strikes out the side. Those kind of wild tight-rope walkers have a very short shelf life as closers. If Kerry Wood throws strikes, he should be one of the National League’s top four closers. If he doesn’t, the Cubs should move him to the seventh inning, in front of setup man Bobby Howry, with Carlos Marmol as closer. I’d give him no more than two or three weeks to find his control. Chicago has too many other good options — even Howry could close, although I like him better as the setup man — to stick with a shaky closer for long.