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mrschroeder08 partyvancaptain pee_callus25 Tags 2010 Preview 5 Million Dollar Black Hole AAAA Aaron Heilman Aaron Miles Alfonso Soriano Andres Blanco Angel Guzman Aramis Ramirez Arizona Diamondbacks Atlanta Braves B.J. Ryan Baltimore Orioles Bob Brenly Bobby Scales Bonehead Booing Boston Red Sox Brett Jackson Bullpen Canadian Concoction Captain Kneejerk Cardinals Carlos Marmol Carlos Silva Carlos Zambrano Chad Fox Chad Tracy Chicago Cubs Chicago White Sox Cincinnati Reds Cleveland Indians Cold War Colorado Rockies Contracts Cubs-Cardinals Rivalry Cubs sale Cubs Curtis Granderson Daniel Herrera David Patton Derrek Lee Designated Hitter Detroit Tigers Disabled list Dominance ERA+ ERROR Esmailin Caridad ESPN Sucks Eternal frustration Eternal Optimism Farewell Farney Florida Marlins Free Agency Future Gatorade Geovanny Soto Geovany Soto Gerald Perry Grades Houston Astros I-Cubs Injuries Jake Fox Jason Marquis Jason Waddell Jeff Gray Jeff Samardzija Jim Hendry Jim Wolf Joey Gathright John Grabow Jose Ascanio Kansas City Royals Kerry Wood Kevin Gregg Kevin Hart Kevin Millar Koyie Hill LaTroy Hawkins Legendary Lineup Los Angeles Angels Los Angeles Dodgers Lou Piniella Luis Vizcaino Man Crush Mark DeRosa Marlon Byrd Micah Hoffpauir Middle Infield Midwestern Bias Milton Bradley Milwaukee Brewers Minnesota Twins Minor Leagues MLB 2K9 Neal Cotts New York Mets New York Yankees Oakland Athletics October Offseason Opening Day OPS+ Payroll Philadelphia Phillies Pittsburgh Pirates Playoffs Randy Wells Rant Rich Harden Ryan Dempster Ryan Freel Ryan Theriot Sam Fuld Sam Zell Sammy Sosa San Diego Padres San Francisco Giants Sandy Alderson Sean Marshall Seattle Mariners St. Louis Cardinals Steroids Strikeouts Suckiness Tampa Bay Rays TBS Texas Rangers Tom Gorzelanny Tom Ricketts Toronto Blue Jays Trade Tribune Company Tyler Colvin Von Joshua Waivers Walks Washington Nationals WTF Xavier Nady RSS Feed I will make another post later, as I have some thoughts about the current roll the Cubs are on, but first, a quick analysis for today's trade with Pittsburgh which saw the Cubs acquire John Grabow and Tom Gorzelanny for Kevin Hart, Jose Ascanio and a single A infielder, Josh Harris. Bottom line, I think it's a good trade. I don't think it's great, but the Cubs have no where near the money or the farm system to make a great trade. So: I am giving Hendry credit on this one. We need a lefty in a bad way, and B.J. Ryan is throwing mid 80's heat in the minors right now, which does not bode well for him making an impact with the Cubs. Grabow, whose numbers against lefties are actually worse than his numbers against righties, is at least decent enough to either take some load from Marshall, or free up Marshall for a return to the rotation. Either one is fine. If by some chance Ryan regains his velocity, then we have a good stable of lefties available. The one thing about Grabow though that isn't as publicized is that he is on course to be a type A free agent. If the Cubs offer him arbitration, which they should, and he declines, the Cubs will get a nice draft pick, so either way, Grabow helps the Cubs beyond 2009. Tom Gorzelanny is a throw in that could be a decent pitcher this year or the next few years. He had a good season in 2007, but has been battling injuries and conditioning issues lately. His AAA numbers are promising, so he could do something. It can't hurt to have him around. As far as what the Cubs gave up, no big losses there. Kevin Hart has had a good run, but this is clearly a sell-high scenario. He had a couple of good starts, but his control is suspect and he's not super young. Honestly, I think Gorzelanny and Hart are roughly a wash, with Gorzelanny having a more proven track record, and Hart having more recent success. Therefore, we will see Gorzelanny or Marshall take that 5th spot until Lilly comes back. That didn't hurt the Cubs at all. Ascanio is an average bullpen arm, but with Gregg, Marmol, Guzman and the recent (though brief) emergence of Jeff Stevens, Ascanio adds nothing to the Cubs that they don't already have. Josh Harris is a low level prospect, so who knows what will happen? My bet is on not much. Overall, I cannot complain about this trade. I have to admit Hendry has done a decent job with the current situation he's in. (To be fair, he's the one that put the Cubs in the situation with bad contracts.) Maybe the current run has made me soft, but I think getting Jeff Baker for really nothing was a good deal, and Baker hasn't done too bad with the Cubs. B.J. Ryan was definitely worth a gamble, even if it doesn't work. And today's trade was another good, cost-efficient move that will help the Cubs long term. And let's be honest, the Cubs need all the long term help they can get. Posted in: John Grabow, Tom Gorzelanny, Pittsburgh Pirates, Kevin Hart, Jose Ascanio, B.J. Ryan, Trade | ||