Monday, January 5, 2009

Milton Bradley to the Cubs: Good Move?

















After another humiliating collapse in the playoffs, getting swept in the first round after achieving the best record in the NL during the regular season, the Cubs were dead to me. Well, maybe not, but at least I haven't been following their offseason moves quite as fervently as I usually do. Well, they've finally sucked me in with this Bradley deal.

The Cubs have undergone quite a makeover this offseason. Let's review:
Gone: Kerry Wood, Mark DeRosa, Hank White, Jason Marquis
The New Guys: Kevin Gregg, Aaron Miles, Paul Bako, Milton Bradley

Well Jason Marquis AKA "The Big Creplach" deserved the boot, but Hank White was a fan favorite and surprisingly good backup catcher, and Wood and DeRo were basically the heart and soul of last year's team; Wood was the same old Kid K, who obviously loved being a Cub and was a pretty scary closer (and for once, it was scary for the other team), and DeRosa played a bajillion positions really well and was a great guy all around.

Bako has returned. I remember him well and not fondly.
Miles, who is in effect, replacing DeRosa, had a fairly respectable OPS+ of 99 last year, but has averaged only 83 over the last 3 years. Compare that to DeRosa, whose OPS+ has been over 100 each of the last three years and this is looking like a pretty poor exchange. Miles is only a year younger than DeRo so he probably isn't going to be improving much and he really only plays second base and shortstop whereas DeRo had extensive experience at second, third, right field, left field and shortstop. Miles, if anything, is a slightly worse defender too. So that kind of sucked.
The Gregg for Wood tradeoff is pretty shitty as well. Gregg is also only a year younger than Wood and had worse stats in ERA, WHIP, and SVs last season. Sounds like the same old Cubs that I've loved usually for worse my whole life.
Now there's Bradley who the Cubs just signed to the tune of 3 years and 30 mil. Bradley is awesome when he's healthy. He had an OPS+ of 163 last year which is pretty ridiculous. The only problem is, he's barely ever healthy. Last year was only the third time in his nine seasons in the big leagues that he's played in 100 games. He also has a notorious anger problem. Examples of this include tearing his ACL, which effectively ended the Dodgers '07 season, while arguing balls and strikes with the first base umpire, and, last year, trying to confront Royals announcer Ryan Lefebvre. Seriously? The Kansas City Royals announcer? Why, man? Anyway, this could turn out to be quite a shitty move for the Cubs, whose luck hasn't exactly been stellar over the past, oh, hundred years. Then again, the biggest reason the Cubs got swept in the postseason was that they didn't have a bat that could carry them in the playoffs. Bradley, in case you're wondering, is hitting .310/.383/.667 in 42 postseason at-bats. So, I guess, you never know.

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