Cub fans all knew Felix Pie wouldn’t go anywhere today – during a trade deadline that came and left with only a whimper – but still, it’s a little unsatisfying to see the deadline come and go with no further tinkering to the Cubs’ roster.
Supposedly the Cubs were in on Eric Gagne until the end, but that pursuit only prompted Boston to up its offer to include two of its best (and one major-league-ready) prospect for Gagne. Maybe there’s something in the water up there – the Celtics just shipped out their entire roster last night, including Marty Barrett, the Cask & Flagon, Cam Neely, Paul Revere, a leprechaun, and seventy copies of The Departed for Kevin Garnett. (Granted, it was a good move, even dealing with an idiot.) Perhaps the Sox were similarly charitable.
Anyway, the trade deadline is always fun. Message boards create heroes and villains, and every armchair GM is positive he could pay seventy cents for a dollar (And if you’re actual GM Jim Bowden, you’re sure of it.). Check out these Cubs doozies that didn’t happen – maybe holding steady was actually OK.
- Felix Pie for Gerald Laird. Rumored early, but the Cubs have been shuttling backup backstops all season. And they’re gonna hand over Prospect Numero Uno to do it again?
- Sean Marshall and Ronny Cedeno for Jon Garland. I know, this came from a blog just as recommendation, but nobody mentioned how painfully idiotic it was until the Trib’s Sully weighed in. Seriously, Marshall is better and younger than Garland right now.
- Jermaine Dye for anyone. I’ve been pretty clear – Matt Murton is better than Cliff Floyd. Isn’t he also better than Dye, who’s aging in dog years?
- Eric Gagne for, presumably, Felix Pie. I’m sure the Rangers were asking for Felix here. Gagne was a hot commodity.
- Reggie Sanders for prospects. The Royals shopped Sanders aggressively; I’m kind of surprised at no takers. He’s old and brittle, so maybe that scared people off.
- Carlos Silva from the Twins. Silva scares me – he’s hot and cold to a fault. Which, actually, makes him a perfect Cub player.
- Bobby Kielty after his DFA. This could still be coming, and Gammons is even still pushing it. I’ve always kind of liked Kielty and Dustan Mohr, who remind me of one another for no particular reason. Plus, having two outfielders with insanely red hair, like Murton and Kielty would have been kind of fun. AAH! My head’s on fire!
- Xavier Nady or Jonny Gomes. If there was any truth to these rumors, I think either would be a Cub. Gomes offers right-field pop at second and would have allowed DeRosa to move to right field. Nady can shuffle back and forth between center and right, and he’s a better slugger than Murton, Jones, DeRosa, or Floyd.
- Ken Griffey Jr. for Felix Pie, Matt Murton, Sean Gallagher, and Ronny Cedeno. Several variations on this – I would have pulled the trigger had any been legitimate, unless they included some variation of Bronson Arroyo for Rich Hill, but, whatever. Pie could be good, and Murton is good – but it’s Ken Griffey Jr.! Even if the Cubs fell short with Junior, Tyler Colvin and Eric Patterson are also hot prospects who can play center.
So deadline dealing is filled with conjecture and rumors and hearsay, and even now, I see some of the names above and think what might have been. The season’s end is all too close, the deadline signifying the crescendo of the first two thirds of the year. And, lo and behold, the Cubs (who have tinkered all year) are totally in this thing; neck and neck in the loss column with Arizona (WC leader) and the Screwers (Central leader.) Who would have thought?
So perhaps predictably, with a future owner still in doubt, Chicago made zero knee-jerk moves at the deadline, which actually, probably, will turn out okay. The Cubs got this far, and rolled off their June and July run by circling the wagons (Yeesh…I just thought of Chris Berman) – who’s to say they can’t become even more cohesive during the last few weeks?
Yep, it should be fun at Wrigley. At least.
That is, if the Cubs can get through the next week. Say what you will, they’ve been atrocious against the NL East all season long – after the Phils-Mets-Marlins-Braves schedule run in May, we all were ready to jump off a cliff. The darkness before the dawn, perhaps.
And now it’s the Cubs’ test again. The Phillies, replete with their “Cavalcade of Pitchers Who Beat the Cubs Like a Drum,” are currently slugging it out with our Boys in Blue. (Seriously, Brett Myers, Cole Hamels, Jaime Moyer, Adam Eaton – and even newcomer Kyle Lohse have all turned in more than one stellar performance against the North Siders over the last decade. You can look it right the hell up. What’s with these guys?) After that, the Cubs welcome the Mets. Four and three (even with last night’s loss) is the dream. Three and four doesn’t kill the Cubs. Worse than that? Er, it just might.
So off we go. Look, the sky’s the limit for these guys. I don’t know how good they are – still - even after having an idea by quality starts and run differential. They still give too many at-bats away, each quality start is mere pitches from devolving into catastrophe (Ask perpetual tightrope-walker Jason Marquis) and the bullpen will give me a coronary by September.
But they’re still here, and still battling away. And isn’t that all we ask for? Well, besides Xavier Nady. And Bobby Kielty. And Junior. And on…
