2012 Free Agent and Trade Ideas Thread 18

[cubbybear2290]

FO still talking to Oakland about Coco Crisp...

Really? I mean, I like Coco, and would welcome him manning CF. But I'm curious as to why Theo is trying so hard to get him, or so it would seem in my mind.

Because I feel like this is now the 3rd (?) time that Thed Epstoyer has tried to acquire in the past season and half or so, though i could be very, very wrong.

Personally i kinda want Coco lol.

[KyleJRM]

He's Soriano on defense. He's not Soriano on offense in his wildest, wettest dreams.

[Max Power]

Ian Stewart has posted an ops+ over 100 (102) once in his career. He was slightly better than average one season in his career. Ian Stewart getting the 3b job, helps those betting on 100 losses.

[RedHeadsRule]

Disagree. I'd much rather have a 25 year old Brown than a 37 year old Soriano going forward. I wouldn't be shocked if Brown even outperforms him in 2013.

[gocubs2118]

Which version of Soriano are we going to get going forward? The 2012 version or the 2011? If it's the 2011 version, you can easily make a case that Brown will be more valuable.

[SenorGato]

Yeah, I still like Brown's offensive potential alot. He's loaded with tools and athleticism, two things the Cubs do not have alot of in the OF (outside of Soriano).

You know what would be nice? If Phillie would do him for DeJesus. The city of Philly haaaaaaaates Domonic Brown for coming up and not immediately living up to the hype, which is their right.

[KyleJRM]

Much like the Ian Stewart trade last season, before we even talk about what we're giving up, I just don't want Domonic Brown taking up a roster spot.

[SenorGato]

The way for the FO to get my heart back would be to land Porcello and land Olt (this year's Rizzo) in trades this offseason. They could do many other things, but I really think those two fit The Vision that I have for this f'n franchise.

As far as Brown, I like his potential obviously but my major problem is the idea of that being a one for one. It's not good value for Soriano.

[bulldog312]

Much like the Ian Stewart trade last season, before we even talk about what we're giving up, I just don't want Domonic Brown taking up a roster spot.

Who would you rather use it on? I mean, I'm hardly a fan of Brown at all, but at least the upside is there. If you aren't competing, that is what you need to be looking at going forward. I hardly see who we would be leaving off for him that has a better chance of being a useful piece moving forward in the future.

It looks like Bill James has him projected to hit .274/.347/.445. I'd certainly take that.

[jtsunami]

A lot of you are really selling Soriano short. He will probably regress from his 2012 but he'll be better than 2011 thanks to his improved defense.

[ABE32]

I am nor arguing with people who are not open minded. Stewart is better than what most seem to think and might be even better if the wrist injury is behind him. Dominic Brown has not even scratched the surface of what he could become.

[ABE32]

A lot of you are really selling Soriano short. He will probably regress from his 2012 but he'll be better than 2011 thanks to his improved defense.

I don't think it's a knock on Sori as much as a knock on his age. I love Sori but I would rather move forward and see what Brown has in him.

[bulldog312]

As far as Brown, I like his potential obviously but my major problem is the idea of that being a one for one. It's not good value for Soriano.

I do agree, but sometimes it's not about getting good value, it's just about getting the best value in a deal that helps the team. There is no doubt in my mind that the Cubs are better off taking a chance on Brown moving forward, so the only question for me is can they find better value anywhere? I'm not sure if they can.

[KyleJRM]

Who would you rather use it on? I mean, I'm hardly a fan of Brown at all, but at least the upside is there. If you aren't competing, that is what you need to be looking at going forward. I hardly see who we would be leaving off for him that has a better chance of being a useful piece moving forward in the future.

It looks like Bill James has him projected to hit .274/.347/.445. I'd certainly take that.

The Bill James projections (which Bill James does nothing but collect rights fees for) overproject everyone by a ton.

There was a funny Royals blog a few days ago that got all geeked up because they plugged the Royals' Bill James projections into a simulator and came up with 94 wins. Unfortunately, they then did the rest of the league and found out that was only good for third place. The Tigers were projected for 108 wins, and every American League team but the Astros were projected to be above .500.

Just like Stewart, I don't see the upside. The whole "let's find former top prospects who've been hurt and also bad" thing has really run it's course. He's been bad at baseball for a few years now, and the safest bet is that he'll continue to be bad at baseball.

[bulldog312]

A lot of you are really selling Soriano short. He will probably regress from his 2012 but he'll be better than 2011 thanks to his improved defense.

I think he will be solid in 2013. But it appears that this team isn't going to try and compete, so 2013 doesn't really matter to me much. I'm already looking forward to what is best for 2014. 2 years of decline from Soriano scares me.