Filed under General
In this edition of the VFTB podcast we introduce the Strike Three Format in which I pick three topics and quickly break them down.
Strike 1 – Rich Harden’s Dominance
Strike 2 Spread on dvd – The 7 and 8 hole in the lineup
Strike 3 – The Red Offense
You can also subscribe to the show via iTunes and in your normal blog reader using the subscription info on the left of the site.
I think that Sabathia is a better pitcher than Rich Harden right now.
And the biggest reason is that Sabathia pitches more efficiently and goes deeper into game.
Pitching wise Sabathia is a better pitcher. But, I would still pick Harden over Sabathia. When the FA market hits, Sabathia will be asking for the world. Harden’s demand will be more reasonable. With Big Z and Harden (when healthy) the Cubs would have one of the most dominate 1-2 pitchers in baseball. I would put that up against anyone’s 1-2. With Dempster (if this year is not just a one year wonder) and Lilly, the Cubs could have a very very solid rotation for the next 3-4 years.
The Cubs hold a $7.5 mil option on Harden for next year. Unless his arm falls off, that is a no-brainer pickup, and makes him very very cheap for next year. It is difficult to project his FA value at that point; if he is nasty and healthy through all of next season, it will be high.
Jose, Dempster is a free-agent after this year. And he will be the toughest off-season decision for Hendry. His great year and positive clubhouse presence will generate tons of interest. His age, and the fact that this is a career year should give pause. We need a legit #2 next year, but Demp may price himself out, and we have in-house options, notably Samardzija and Marmol (yes, Carlos should be considered for a starting role).
Sabathia is making himself millions with every CG. He figures to make Santana-esque big money. CC and Yankees are a match made in heaven.
Yes, Demp will be a tough choice. I wonder if the team can afford him. It’ll be interesting to see what the budget will be when the team is sold. Let’s not forget that Wood is a FA too. Top closer money is now in the 10-12 million range. This makes me glad we have Harden signed for next year at a reasonable amount relative to the current market.
Samarjdzia needs to be on for the rest of the season. With basically a month of NL Central games in September, the Cubs cannot rely on Bob Howry in critical situations. He had a nice stretch in late June and early July, but has not been consistent enough to be the 7th inning guy. Too many blowups and too many long balls are his downfall. I see the bullpen as our possible weak link going into the final stretch.
Sorry to be off topic, but is there a list of who will be singing the 7th inning stretch? My g/f is a huge Eddie Vedder fan, and he’s in town this week finishing up a solo tour.
Vetter was in the beachers at Wednesday’s game. He will be doing the 7th inning stretch on Friday’s game.
I could be mistaken though. He was commenting about Chris Chelios and I found this on WGN’s site….
August 19, 2008
Singers For This Homestand
Tuesday – NU Women’s NCAA Champion Lacrosse Team
Wednesday – Dan Tani (Shuttle astronaut)
Thursday – Dan Plesac
Friday – Chris Chelios
Saturday – Fred Willard
Sunday – John Cusack
Thanks, Thomas – We already saw Chelios sing last year, and we were hoping to see Eddie.
Keep the faith!