According to Phil Rogers of ChicagoBreakingSports.com, the Cubs are one of several teams interested in signing former closer Takashi Saito. Saito pitched out of the bullpen this past year for Boston where he posted a 3-3 record and a 2.43 ERA in 55.2 innings. He had two saves in four opportunities.
Prior to joining Boston on a one year contract in 2009, Saito pitched for three years with the Dodgers where he earned 81 saves in 91 opportunities over a three year period. Saito was dominate for the Dodgers after taking over for injured closer Eric Gagne in 2006. From 2006 to 2008, Saito posted ERAs of 2.07, 1.40, and 2.49 respectively.
I like the fact that the Cubs are taking a look at Saito. As I’ve mentioned previously, I don’t trust Carlos Marmol to handle the closing duties for a Cubs team that is supposed to be a playoff contender next year. He’s too wild and too inconsistent. The Cubs need a true closer.
Of course, someone like Billy Wagner (free agent) or Francisco Cordero (trade) would be expensive and the Cubs don’t have much money to spend. Saito could be a nice alternative. At age 39, he’s probably only expecting a one-year deal for around 1$ – $2 million per year. He earned $1.5 million last year and Boston declined his $6 million option for 2010.
Saito could be a perfect compliment to Marmol. He could serve as a right-handed set-up man and if Marmol falters, Saito can step right in and take over as the closer.
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Yahoo! Sports took a look recently at the Cubs and their needs for the off season. It’s a good report, although it doesn’t cover any new ground or offer any new insights.
However, the one paragraph that caught my eye read:
“The Cubs completed their third consecutive above-.500 season for the first time since they did it six times in a row from 1967 to 1972. But it wasn’t good enough to get them into the playoffs, as they missed for the first time since 2006. The Cubs certainly aren’t in need of an overhaul. As manager Lou Piniella pointed out, they need better health and bounce-back seasons from a couple of key players in 2010.”
There are a few things to take from this one paragraph. First, 2009 completed the first three year stretch of winning seasons for the Cubs since 1972. Seriously, that’s pathetic. However, rather than looking too far back in horror, let us all rejoice in the fact that the Cubs are coming off three consecutive winning seasons as they enter the 2010 campaign. That’s good. That’s positive. It’s something to build on.
I think a lot of fans look at the 2009 season as a complete disaster. True, injuries and season-long slumps took their toll on the team, but the fact remains that the Cubs finished the season with a winning record. And that brings us to the second point I want to make about the above-quoted paragraph.
Lou Piniella is right when he says that the Cubs are going to be just fine in 2010 if they can stay healthy and a couple of players (Alfonso Soriano and Geovany Soto) can have bounce-back seasons. Honestly, that’s not too much to ask. Every team’s success hinges on the health of it’s players, so Piniella isn’t asking for anything that every team asks for every season.
As for bounce-back years, history would indicate that Alfonso Soriano is going to have a much better year in 2010 than he had in 2009. Just look at his career numbers. His 2009 season was an aberrtion.
Geovany Soto could go either way. Was 2009 an aberration for him, or was his 2008 rookie season? My fear is that it’s the former, but I hope it’s the latter. Only time will tell.
The final point I want to make about the paragraph from Yahoo! Sports is what it doesn’t say. I suspect that if they had quoted Lou Piniella directly rather than paraphrasing him, he would have said something to the effect of “The Cubs will be fine next year if we can stay healthy and get bounce-back years from a couple of players AND if Jim Hendry can move Milton Bradley, add a second baseman who can hit lead-off, and a center fielder who is also a middle-of-the-order run producer.”
I agree that the Cubs need to stay healthy in 2010 and that Soriano and Soto have to produce like they have in the past. But that’s only two-thirds of the equation. Jim Hendry also has to do his job and fill the holes that the team currently has. And that can’t happen until he can trade Milton Bradley.
I don’t have any inside information, but I wouldn’t be surprised if a Milton Bradley trade happens this week before the Winter Meetings. Hendry has to move Bradley so he can concentrate on the team’s other needs as the GMs head to Indianapolis for their annual off season pow wow.
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Chicago Cubs Online has a recap of the Saturday Talkin’ Baseball show on Chicago’s ESPN 1000 with Bruce Levine and Jonathan Hood. Again, nothing earth-shattering, but I was interested in the comment concerning the death of any possible trade of Milton Bradley to the Texas Rangers.
“According to Bruce Levine, the Rangers are no longer a possibility for Milton Bradley. Due to the ownership situation, the Rangers must receive approval from Major League Baseball to spend money … Texas is in receivership. They cannot even hire a coach without receiving permission.”
Last week, the talk was that Texas would be interested in Milton Bradley, provided the Cubs pick up $16 million of the $21 million owed to him over the next two years. Apparently that’s not even a possibility any more. Is there any team that has any interest in Milton Bradley?
