The Outfield Dilemma

To be honest, I’m kind of torn over what I think the solution is for the outfield. It sounds like the Cubs are intent on moving Fukudome back to RF, and since Cameron is heads and shoulders better than any other free agent CF, it definitely makes sense to bring his name up. I have to say though—I find it curious that the Cubs are backpedaling on Fukudome and moving him back to his original position. UZR didn’t think that highly of him as a center fielder (-9.1 on the year), but I thought the motivation behind moving Kosuke to center was because they felt like there was an opportunity cost in allowing him to play a position where they could otherwise add the power that he wasn’t providing. The signing of Milton Bradley seemed to reinforce that thought. Now all of a sudden they don’t feel like there’s anything to be lost from letting him play right? I just find this kind of interesting. Kosuke may in fact be more valuable to this team as a right fielder, but to me this begs this question—how do you solve the original problem? Which, I though was the lack of an impact left-handed bat in the everyday lineup. Cameron is a good player, and figures to be a wise investment for whichever team scoops him up, but I’m not convinced that he fits this roster that well as it’s currently constructed. To me, maintaining a balanced lineup should be a priority to the front office, and the absence of a quality left-handed bat has been a legitimate weakness of this team’s the past two years. The way this year’s plan backfired on them so badly may lead to them deciding against insisting on adding a left-handed bat, but I hope that’s not the case. If it is, and the Cubs decide to rule out Cameron, then I think we’re very likely to see Hendry make a trade. He has been much better at acquiring talent via trades (with the exception of Nolasco, Pinto et. el. to the Marlins for one year of Juan Pierre) compared to his forays into the free agent market, which has been more of a hit-or-miss proposition with Hendry. He deserves credit for giving out pretty great contracts to DeRosa, Lilly, and Marquis in that big offseason spending spree, but he’s also missed on a number of free agents since taking over as GM. So, to be honest, I think Cub fans should hope for a trade. It’s tough to say at this point if any really good centerfielders figure to be available this offseason, but you really never know what could happen. The bottom line is, there are probably better players to be had in the trade market this offseason, and since the team already figures to be on a tight budget, choosing this route seems pretty sensible. A name I’m gonna throw out just for the hell of it and because I think people might enjoy discussing it—Josh Hamilton. Unlike other impact center fielders like Carlos Beltran and Grady Sizemore (not that I think either of them are available) is that Hamilton hasn’t signed a big deal yet, and is a contract that the Cubs would be able to take on in a trade. He had an injury plagued 2009, and, for a number of reasons, is a pretty tough player to project going forward. The Rangers probably aren’t all that motivated to deal him, but I think it might be worth it for Hendry to call up Jon Daniels and knock his socks off with a big offer for Hamilton. Another idea I threw out in one of the recent threads was Milton Bradley plus prospects to Oakland for Rajai Davis. Oakland finished 9th in the AL in runs this year, and could be looking for some offensive upgrades. Bradley enjoyed a relatively healthy and productive stint in Oakland a couple years ago, and could possibly be interested in selling high on Davis. Granted, Oakland is definitely one of the organizations that can properly value a player like Davis whose value is largely tied up in his defensive abilities, so they just as easily might rather keep him. If the Cubs were able to pull off a deal, depending on how good of a player you really think he is, he could be viewed as a perfectly suitable everyday center fielder. At the very least, he’d be an excellent fourth outfielder to have on a roster that has some big question marks in the outfield. He’s a great defender, and I think his presence on the roster would allow the Cubs to possibly employ a platoon in center field with him and Fukudome, which would allow the team to spend some money in right field if they were so inclined. I have a feeling most people won’t like this idea, but if for some reason the Cubs decide to spend money in right field instead of center, Bobby Abreu would make some sense. He’s not a great defender, but he’s a good enough hitter to justify signing him to a 2-3 year deal worth $10M annually. And really—there might not be a more consistent player in all of baseball. He’s a dependable, left-handed bat who plays 150 games a year, isn’t susceptible to left-handed pitching, and at the right price, can be a very valuable player. Mike Cameron isn’t a bad idea by any means, but I think the Cubs should really consider guys like Hamilton, Abreu, and Davis. I don’t really think there’s any indication that they will, but I thought they were names at least worth mentioning.