Yardbarker: Mark Prior

Ten Moves I Wouldn't MInd the Cubs Pursuing

Tue, 01 Dec 2009 04:05:41 -0500

Before the first "the Cubs can't afford that "comment, let me preface all this by saying I wouldn't mind the Cubs making any of these moves, not necessarily all of them. And it's just a bunch conjecture and speculation and "damn, I'm bored, let's make up some stuff". I did attempt to be reasonable at least.

1. Sign Kelly Johnson if he's non-tendered and non-tender Mike Fontenot. There's probably not a big difference between the two, but I like Johnson better. I'm also not opposed to a trade for Johnson for some marginal low-level minor league talent.

2. If the Tigers decide to move Granderson for prospects only - as opposed to major league pre-arbitration talent - something along the lines of Josh Vitters, Darwin Barney or Hak-Ju Lee and Chris Carpenter (although you have to think Rafael Dolis, Andrew Cashner or Jay Jackson would need to be included). Welington Castillo, Sam Fuld, Tyler Colvin or Ryan Flaherty I imagine could also be of some interest to the Tigers.

Although I still think the Tigers wll only move Granderson if they can attach one of their bad contracts with him or get some early arbitration or auto-renewal players.

3. While they're talking to the Tigers about Granderson, see if adding Randy Wells and one more pitching prospect would get Edwin Jackson. Hell, let's propose a blockbuster: Vitters, Lee, Jackson, Colvin and Wells for Granderson and Jackson. Mix and match at your discretion.

Tampa Bay Rays vs Detroit Tigers." width="166" />

4. Trade Milton Bradley for Pat Burrell, suck up the 2nd year of the deal or see if adding Jake Fox into the trade could get the Rays to take some of the salary. I'm under the assumption that this is the only reasonable offer the Cubs have and it's just a matter of how much the Cubs are willing to pay at this point. I have doubts the Cubs can do any better and Hendry should learn from his Sammy Sosa mistake about waiting too long on a deal. While the Cubs would probably then have to pay someone to take Burrell off their hands, Burrell wouldn't be a terrible bench/platoon/"when Soriano gets injured" option.

5. Bring back Reed Johnson to platoon for Fukudome and possibly Granderson if the Cubs can get him. One year deal max though.

6. Offer Rich Harden arbitration. On the off chance he accepts it -which he wouldn't - there are worse things that could happen then having a guy with an ERA barely over 3 the last two seasons and 51 starts around.

7. When Harden goes somewhere else, see how Ben Sheets is doing.

8. Kick the tires on the following starting pitchers assuming no Harden and Ben Sheets arm isn't working: Justin Duchscherer, Randy Johnson, Brad Penny, John Smoltz, Erik Bedard and Mike Hampton. See what a one year deal with incentives would cost.

9. Sign one of these relievers, Billy Wagner, Takashi Saito, Kiko Calero, Kelvim Escobar or J.J. Putz with the caveat that Escobar and Putz medical records and rehab give them a clean bill of health. Wagner's the only one I would go past a year deal on.

10. Give Mark Prior a tryout. I'm only half-joking, but I would love to see him make a comeback, even as a reliever. And if it means I could unretire my Prior jersey, all the better.

In the comments yesterday I suggested the following potential roster for the Cubs.

Starters: Granderson, Theriot, Lee, Ramirez, Soriano, Fukudome, Soto, K. Johnson/Baker

Bench: Burrell, K. Johnson/Baker, Hill, R. Johnson and Miles (or Blanco if they can move Miles)

Rotation: Z, Dempster, Wells, Lilly, Gorzelanny

Bullpen: Marmol, Guzman, Grabow, Saito, Marshall, bullpen musical chairs for the last 2 spots

That's a team I could live with next year. Johnson and Burell can platoon for Fukudome and Granderson on most days. Oh sure, the outfield defense will suck on those days, but there's no such thing as a perfect baseball world. Plus, you're probably not gonna do a strict platoon with Granderson anyway. Replacing Fontentot for Kelly Johnson isn't gonna make much of a difference if that falls through. Of course, it unravels like a house of cards if the Cubs can't swing a trade for Granderson.

And now your turn to mock me in the comments...

Mark Prior is still alive

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 08:00:31 -0500

Yes, believe it or not, 29-year old Mark Prior is alive and kicking (he’s not kicking too hard, though, as it would likely lead to a broken leg). After signing a one-year deal with the Padres a year ago (he also signed with them in 2008), Prior, whose arm is the the human equivalent to [...]

The Annual Deja Vu

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 08:00:36 -0500

It must be the off-season since it’s time for the annual Mark Prior inspired period of optimism. Yesterday Buster Olney reported the 29-year-old is prepared to work out for scouts soon enough. Three entire Major League seasons have passed since Prior last threw a pitch in a regular season game in the majors or minors. [...]

Paul Sullivan Has A Problem, Pt. 1,304,562

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 15:07:18 -0500

From the Frumpy Hobbit’s Twitter feed: Buster Olney reports Mark Prior is throwing on flat ground, plans to work out for scouts. BYOT: Bring your own towel. RT @Buster_ESPN Given the state of Prior’s shoulder when doctors finally operated on it, it’s quite likely that Mark Prior, whether he was throwing a baseball or a towel, spent much of his career in Chicago in an excruciating amount of pain. And despite the laundry list of injuries Prior sustained, and the repeated ...

Prior to attempt comeback

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 11:40:43 -0500

It wouldn’t be an MLB off season if there wasn’t news that Mark Prior was hoping to pitch this coming season, and the free agent pitcher was planning to throw in front of teams at some point. That Mark Prior still wants to pitch isn’t surprising. He was pretty good while a member of the Chicago [...]

Happy Birthday, Mark Prior

Mon, 07 Sep 2009 13:57:50 -0500

Happy birthday to Mark Prior, who turns 29 today. In 2003, at the age of 22, Prior threw 211 1/3 innings, with a 2.43 ERA, striking out 245 hitters, walking just 50, and allowing 15 homers. He was third in the Cy Young balloting, 9th in the MVP balloting, and looked like the guy who would be a dominant pitcher for the next decade. He threw 118 innings in 2004, 166 innings in 2005, 43 innings in 2006, and hasn't pitched in the majors since. In 2003, Prior averaged 113.3 pitche...

Is Mark Prior Done For Good?

Sat, 01 Aug 2009 13:46:47 -0500

In the tragic saga of former Cub wunderkind Mark Prior, today’s news, via MLBTR, may be the ending note. From MLB.com’s Corey Brock: Hearing the Padres will release RHP Mark Prior from his Minor League contract, possibly as soon as today. Hasn’t thrown since April. That’s really too bad. I loved Prior when he came to the Cubs. When he pitched, I had to watch. I called in to work twice so I could go watch him pitch. It was almost an obsession for me. That smooth m...

Mark Prior May be Done

Sat, 01 Aug 2009 12:58:13 -0500

Almost everyone already sort of knew that Mark Prior was done as a major league pitcher, and now apparently the last hold-outs, the San Diego Padres, have come to grips with this fact as well. “Hearing the Padres will release RHP Mark Prior from his Minor League contract, possibly as soon as today,” tweets Follow the [...]

Olney : Reyes Is The Mets’ Mark Prior

Sat, 06 Jun 2009 17:29:44 -0500

While we wait for Jose Reyes to recover from an injury that was either misdiagnosed or re-aggravated, ESPN.com’s Buster Olney grimly suggests the Mets’ shortstop’s career travails are analogous to those of oft-injured former Cubs hurler Mark Prior, observing “they (the Cubs) let themselves be held hostage, in effect, by Prior’s potential.” There are talent [...]

Prior reports pain in shoulder after session

Fri, 01 May 2009 09:48:52 -0500

Mark Prior has reported pain in his shoulder after a bullpen session Tuesday. The Padres’ who resigned Prior this off season after paying him to sit on the DL last season have been hoping that Prior could offer the team something late in the season or going forward. Prior had missed all or parts of the [...]

Will Scott Boras Redefine the MLB Draft?

Sat, 21 Mar 2009 16:17:42 -0500

Over the years, mega agent Scott Boras has become one of the most hated men in baseball. He is viewed as a money hungry villain, who will do almost anything to get his clients the richest contract he can get his hands on. Boras has repeatedly redefined the limitations of free agency by continually getting his guys gigantic contracts that most fans did not believe were humanly possible. Even after some missteps over the past few seasons (A-Rod, Manny), Boras still remains one of the best agent...

PRIOR: TIME’S RUNNING OUT

Fri, 20 Mar 2009 21:52:59 -0500

Interesting read from Yahoo! Sports about Mark Prior’s struggles to get back on a big league mound, and what may have caused his injuries. The column is filled with different theories/reasons for his injuries. The standout to me is this: “The universal consensus is that Cubs manager Dusty Baker abused Prior at the end of the 2003 [...]

Padres re-sign Mark Prior

Tue, 13 Jan 2009 19:41:23 -0500

Looks like the San Diego Padres are giving Mark Prior another chance. Last season the Padres paid Prior $1 million to not pitch in any type of game be it spring training or during the season. It?s been two years since Prior has pitched in a game at any level and now at the age of [...]

MLB: Mark Prior signs with San Diego Padres

Wed, 26 Dec 2007 23:14:38 -0500

Former Chicago Cubs top prospect Mark Prior, who was released by the Cubs earlier this month, has signed a 1 year deal with the San Diego Padres. The contract has a $1 million base salary, no option and incentives that could bring the total value to about $3 million...read more @ FrontRowSportsReport.com

Padres Pickup Prior

Wed, 26 Dec 2007 19:21:09 -0500

Mark Prior has signed a contract with the Padres