Cubs Interested in Japanese Closer Kyuji Fujikawa

[Tryptamine]

I'd love to have him. Given his age he'd make great trade bait in '13 or '14. Teams always pony nice packages for a closer.

[Bluefire]

Also love to have him, even if the Cubs don't move Marmol til mid season. The Cubs need quality arms and he is one. Just sign him to a reasonable contract.

[ABTY7]

Team is attempting to unload Marmol (again)... Have their sights locked in on Fujikawa, KRod and Mike Adams...

[CPorter07]

Between Alberto Cabrera, Michael Bowden, Trey McNutt, Jaye Chapman and (likely) Vizcaino, this bullpen has some pretty fun potential. Hell, didn't even mention Dolis who in spite of his poor season in 2012 has enough action on his stuff that it isn't inconceivable that he could become, dare I say, more than serviceable. Sign Fujikawa or Mike Adams to pair with Russell and the most unlikely player to repeat his 2012 performance on this roster Shawn Camp and you've got yourself something there.

[Yagyu+]

Apparently the Angels are shopping Walden, too, now that they signed Ryan Madson on Wednesday.

[KyleJRM]

Between Alberto Cabrera, Michael Bowden, Trey McNutt, Jaye Chapman and (likely) Vizcaino, this bullpen has some pretty fun potential.

I'd agree but the three best pitchers on there are being used as starters with varying likelihoods of success (but none good) in that role.

[Max Power]

Team is attempting to unload Marmol (again)... Have their sights locked in on Fujikawa, KRod and Mike Adams...

Wow. If that happens we go from a completely awful pen with little hope, to a potentially very good one.

[terencem]

I have very little faith in Trey McNutt at this point. He was a pop-up prospect for one season and hasn't been able to duplicate that success over the last 2 seasons. I'd continue to give him chances to pitch from the bullpen but I don't know if he has the stuff and control to cut it.

[CubbieSteve]

Apparently the Angels are shopping Walden, too, now that they signed Ryan Madson on Wednesday.

Marmol for Walden would work with me.

[terencem]

I'm not sure why they'd take an older more risky closer coming to the end of his contract for a younger cost-controlled effective relief pitcher.

[Yagyu+]

Marmol for Walden would work with me.

I'm sure there's plenty of competing interest out there seeing that he's young, cheap and still in his pre-arbitration years.

[CubbieSteve]

Yeah, I guess the whole Haren thing was mainly due to the fact that they weren't going to get anything for him...wishful thinking I suppose.

But as for Fujikawa, I'm down.

[DavidH]

Team is attempting to unload Marmol (again)... Have their sights locked in on Fujikawa, KRod and Mike Adams...

All of them?

[Yagyu+]

All of them?

I'm sure they're prioritized in some order or another. If we miss on Fujikawa, then the front office quickly moves on to the next one.

Two out of three would be a shot in the arm. That has a chance to net us around an additional three wins out of the pen. Paired with Russel and Camp, we'd be getting some nice value from relief pitching.

[KyleJRM]

Yes, please, to two or three good relief pitchers. Please please please.

That's basically my bellweather for whether or not they are trying to put out a credible team this season.