A Pitch for Bedard
A solid left-handed starter would be a far better Bird in the hand for the Cubs than second baseman Roberts
January 18, 2008
The Cubs usually like to make news right before the Cubs Convention so they don't have to see angry faces. But signing Jon Lieber doesn't count. So the convention starts today, and all the anticipation is about Brian Roberts, Baltimore's All-Star second baseman/ leadoff hitter/steroid cheat.
Hey, two out of three is great, right? I don't see how the Cubs, or anyone else, can justify signing anyone named as a cheater in the Mitchell Report. But let's take steroids out of Roberts' case for a minute.
The Cubs still are going after the wrong Orioles player. Roberts is an excellent player and certainly would help the lineup. He would allow power hitters to slip into power spots and provide a legit -- sorry, bad choice of words for Roberts -- top-of-the-order hitter.
But we keep hearing reports that the Orioles might not trade Roberts until after they have traded pitcher Erik Bedard. And people just say that, as if it's a burden for getting Roberts.
Hello? Erik Bedard?
The Cubs need him much more than they need Roberts. Anyone could use Bedard, a young, left-handed, experienced, big-time starting pitcher.
The Cubs won the division last year and have added outfielder Kosuke Fukudome from Japan, and I can only imagine the lovefest that this convention is going to be. They have made good moves.
But not enough. They seem to be stuck, and Roberts would give the lineup a little juice -- oops, bad word again -- but he still wouldn't leave the Cubs World Series-ready.
Bedard might.
Pitching should be priority
Let's get real about the Cubs' season last year. It was a failure. They bought a team to try to win the World Series, not to sneak past little Milwaukee. Beating the Brewers should be a given for the Cubs, who have far more resources than any team in the division.
So they won a weak division after manager Lou Piniella masterfully manipulated the lineup. And then they were completely outclassed by Arizona in a first-round playoff sweep.
They were decent in the regular season, failures in the postseason.
Bedard would not only solidify a shaky rotation for the regular season, but also provide an excellent 1-2-3 punch for the playoffs with Carlos Zambrano and Ted Lilly.
The Cubs need top-of-the-rotation pitching because Lilly is going to come back to earth this year. He'll be good but not nearly-great again. But instead, the Cubs are talking about pitching depth.
That can get you to October, but a serviceable sixth starter doesn't mean much in the National League Championship Series.
It starts with pitching. It always starts with pitching.
Alfonso Soriano proved to be a selfish leadoff hitter, and Roberts would fix that problem. But the Cubs seem to be ready to make one more big move, just one. And if that's the case, it should be for Bedard.
The asking price? Look, the Cubs have plenty of prospects to trade. They have starting pitchers Rich Hill and Sean Marshall to pick from. They have Felix Pie.
You don't want to give up Marshall and another young pitcher, as the rumor has it, for a second baseman. Young pitching is worth too much.
Bedard, who turns 29 in March, still counts as young pitching. And he managed to go 13-5 last year on a terrible team. He was fifth in American League Cy Young Award voting.
Seattle supposedly was going to get him, but now the buzz is that that deal has fallen through. So the New York Mets want him.
Hello? The Mets? The Cubs have to get past them if they want to get to the World Series.
Pen should be Lieber's home
It has been a little surprising to see the coverage of the Cubs' ''big'' announcement the other day that they had signed pitcher Jon Lieber, 37. I've seen several analysts say Lieber opens the door for the Cubs to make the Roberts trade.
It does not.
The Cubs cannot be serious about counting on Lieber in the rotation. As is, this rotation isn't good enough to win anything major. Maybe it can beat Milwaukee again, but big deal. Lieber was an excellent signing because he's a veteran with lots of experience and miles, albeit surgical scars, too. This door-opening idea is that with Lieber, the Cubs are free to trade away Marshall.
But Lieber is a guy you can use in the rotation if there's a disaster. Mostly, he's perfect for long relief, a guy who works fast, throws strikes and understands the game. He's an excellent insurance policy, and that's it.
Give him this, though: At least he isn't in the Mitchell Report, the ultimate symbol of a cheating era.
But we're not talking about that here.
