Trade Marquis?

Now, I'm not sure that Maddog's opinions are reflective of everyone's here, but if they are then I have to saya?"I'm not exactly sure why everyone is waiting on pins and needles for Hendry to deal Marquis. Admittedly, I have been pretty critical of Marquis the past couple yearsa?"and the fact that he is due $9.875M is certainly frustrating-- but (like MD said) at the very least you know he will provide capable if not stellar innings. And the reason this is relevant is because I disagree over what Jeff Samardzija's future holds for him. Personally, I think his peformance in the minors just prior to being called up is indicative of the fact that at the very least Samardzija has potential as a starter. I'm not sure that his command will ever reach a point where he'd be a possible #1 or 2, but as a #3 or 4 he'd be much more valuable to the club than he would be as simply a 7th/8th inning guy. I say at the very least, give him a chance to go down to Iowa and prove himself as a starter. Hang on to Marquis until at least June or July and if come summer time Samardzija is pushing him for his job, then consider dealing him. Because in my opinion, restricting him to relief work would be selling Samardzija short and it would be an unfortunate instance of the organization neglecting to maximize the value of a critical resource. And to clarify herea?"the reason I believe the Cubs can afford be patient with Samardzija is because for better or for worse, I think both Wood and Dempster will end up re-signing with the team. Not that I have a ton of evidence to support this claim, but I just think that considering both of these guys' highly publicized love affairs with Jim and Hendry and the city of Chicago, they have to be considered likely to return. To put it bluntlya?"I'd be willing to bet a considerable amount of money that on Opening Day of 2009 that the Cubs' rotation and bullpen will include both Ryan Dempster and Kerry Wood respectively. Just ask yourself this: With our incumbent Ace and #2 starter (however you choose to arrange them) coming off a season in which they combined to toss just 336.2 innings, are you really that anxious to move a pitcher who is a mortal lock to take the ball every fifth day? And furthermore, is Sean Marshall really a viable alternative for the rotation? Over the course of the past three years Marshall has been given ample opportunities to prove to the the organization that he can cut it in the rotation. Thus far, whether it's been due to health concerns, or ineffectiveness, Marshall hasn't been able to lock down a spot in the rotation (as a starter, his career ERA is 4.80 versus 3.03 as a reliever). In my opinion, given his experience as a starter and his success as a reliever, Marshall's role on this club going forward should be as the long-man in the 'pen. Like I said earliera?"I've been one of the most outspoken Marquis bashers the past couple years. He definitely can be a frustrating pitcher to watch. But considering the lack of viable in-house alternatives, and the understanding that one of Zambrano or Harden is a safe bet to miss some time next year, I think that trading Marquis would be a mistake.