Due to the Cubs stalemate with the Baltimore Orioles in an effort to obtain Brian Roberts, the Cubs face a problem all teams wish they had. The Cubs have a nicely stocked organization of talent with a fair amount of talent in the minor leagues as well as a pennant contending Major League baseball team. While the ceiling of talent can be questioned, I don’t think anyone can question this current Cubs organization is one of the most stockpiled team in the last 25 years. With the Cubs trying to get to the playoffs in consecutive years for the first time since 1908, the Cubs will need all the talent possible to be ready to go to war as the Cubs seek to conquer the baseball world which has not seen them win a World Series title in 100 years.
The Cubs still have a couple of days to strike a deal but there are plenty of ballplayers to talk about who may not play vital roles on the 2008 on the current roster. We take a look at those players:
Matt Murton: Left Fielder
When you go out and sign a player for 8 years and 136 million dollars, that guy is going to be the guy to play. Murton, unfortunately, played a position where the Cubs decided to go for the best possible offensive player available in the 2006 off season. Now the 26-year-old is in a very hard place because the Cubs can’t find a place for him on their roster. Murton played actually played more games in Right Field than Left Field last season but the Cubs also picked up a certain Japanese sensation for big money (4 years 48 million) this past off season. What’s left? Center Field is the only place left that is a lock but the Cubs don’t believe that Murton can handle the responsibility of the assignment. Instead, the Cubs recently snagged Reed Johnson who was waived by the Toronto Blue Jays. In his MLB career, Murton has posted a .296 BA with a .365 OBP. He has slugged 28 HR’s and driven in 98 runs in his 830 career at-bats. It wasn’t enough power for the Cubs’ liking. Murton is intriguing enough to possibly attract a suitor in a trade as long as Jim Hendry feels he is getting a valued piece back. We are most likely seeing the last days of “Big Red” in a Chicago Cubs uniform but, if the Cubs decide to hang onto him, he will be a readily available major league ball player.
Sean Marshall: Starting Pitcher/ Reliever?
The Cubs have monkeyed around with the idea they might make Marshall a reliever while Scott Eyre is unable to pitch. With the Cubs currently having no lefty in the bullpen, the Cubs have looked to their 6′ 7″ starter to make the switch to reliever. This is a surprising development given the success Marshall had as a starter last year. With a very respectable 3.92 ERA last year, the Cubs might be better served to start Marshall at AAA. He will provide great insurance in case the Cubs have a real disaster with injuries this year with the starting staff. Otherwise, the Cubs might want to deal him to the many clubs that need starting pitching help.
Sean Gallagher: Starting Pitcher
Gallagher is another one of those many mentioned players offered to the Baltimore Orioles. Gallagher got a short taste with the Chicago Cubs last year appearing 8 games. It was a rough stay with the big league club for Gallagher who posted and 8.59 ERA while walking 12 batters in only 14 2/3 innings. He has done very well in the minors his entire career.His ERA has never been above 3.39 at 7 different spots/seasons during his minor league career. During his minor league career, he has also struck out a batter an inning while compiling a .714 winning percentage with a 25-10 career record. While his talent isn’t admired greatly by scouts around baseball, Gallagher has proven he has talent to be given a serious shot at becoming a regular starting pitcher in the majors. With so many pitchers ahead of him on the depth chart, Gallagher will be a prime suspect to be involved in a trade which will add more talent on the major league roster.
Eric Patterson: Second Baseman
Now here is a very interesting ball player to me. I truly don’t believe that Patterson has the glove to be an everyday major league infielder. But, Patterson’s bat really interests me in that I think he can be an above average offensive second baseman. He has also been playing some outfield because the Cubs might be trying to turn him into a very versatile player in hopes they might be able to make him “rosterable” (I just made up a word). Patterson also came into camp ready to play and showing a pretty good bat. For what its worth, Patterson did not make an error this Spring while playing 13 games in the Outfield. He is another most likely to be traded candidate but Patterson might be in demand for the Cubs if say Mike Fontenot has a very poor year off the bench.
Billy Petrick: Reliever
Petrick really impressed me last year with his confidence and very good fastball. The problem with Petrick is he has had trouble staying healthy. This will be a good test for Petrick this year because, if he can stay healthy, he may finally show promise that has made him a Cubs prospect on the radar. Of course, the Cubs bullpen is pretty well stocked but Petrick might be able to be a future serviceable reliever. I also think the experience he got last year with the Cubs will help him in spades. He also might entice a ball club who like power arms.
Here are 5 guys I believe will be ready to step into roles if needed this season for the Chicago Cubs. I know many people don’t see some or any of these guys as solid prospects but they are players I think will be able to possibly make an impact. I also think players such as Jose Ceda, Jeff Samardzija, Jake Fox, and Angel Guzman (won’t be ready until at least August) might be closer than some of expect. There is also younger talent to be excited in Josh Vitters, Tony Thomas, Josh Donaldson, and Tyler Colvin. Hopefully, the Cubs won’t need any of these guys because life will be going smoothly in Cubdom. But going smoothly doesn’t happen to the Cubs too much so maybe having a load of talent is a good thing.
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on Friday, March 28th, 2008 at 2:44 am and is filed under John's View, Cubs News.
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