Who Gone?
With Nomar-Wood-Williamson set to join the major league club tomorrow, who gets chopped?
IDEALLY
DFA - Remlinger, Macias; Mitre back to Iowa
REALISTICALLY
Mitre, Wuertz, Cedeno back to Iowa
...
I will be shocked (shocked!) if Sergio is not sent down to Iowa. For awhile he was riding a sharp slider-decent fastball and looked ready to break out as a decent #4 or 5 pitcher. Instead he seems to have lost control and his slider is not the weapon it was two months ago.
Wuertz seems to be in Dusty's Doghouse(tm) with Novoa currently being the young-arm dujour. Wuertz has the talent and I think given enough work/experience can be an effective reliever for the Cubs.
Like many other bloggers/posters, I wish Cedeno could have been given the starting job for the past month or so. He brought a spark to the big team and seems to have a baseball sense about him. I hope he gets significant playing time next year in the majors (with the Cubs!).
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re: who gone?
I think you're probably right. Mitre, Wuertz, Cedeno.
Probably for the best. At least Cedeno will get to play at Iowa; even if he got all of Macias's playing time, it wouldn't be enough to justify having him in the Majors.
I'm not convinced that Wuertz is anything other than Just Another Guy. At any rate, I don't think he's worthy of a roster spot ahead of either Wood and Williamson.
re: re: who gone?
I agree -- Wuertz, like Jon Leicester (who's absolutely disappeared from the radar screen) is Just Another Guy.
I also agree that it is for the best that Cedeno gets sent down. With Garciaparra not on the roster, he hasn't played. He's certainly not going to get any playing time whatsoever if Garciaparra is on the roster. I like Cedeno, and won't be disappointed if he gets an opportunity next year, but I think the best scenario would be to re-sign Garciaparra at a bargain rate on another one-year contract.
By the way, how nice is it that Wuertz, Mitre, and Cedeno are about to be replaced by Wood, Williamson, and Garciaparra? I know -- it's hard to have expectations given the injury histories of the latter three, but the hope they provide is much greater than the hope that the former three provide.
Swooooon ...
That last line brings back some memories. As on "old" Cub fan, I have been through plenty of Augusts where the start of the month is full of hope and "what if's".
About the middle of the month we get treated with the familiar August Swoon, where runs are scarce, pitchers find a way to botch things up and fundamentals are forgotten. By the beginning of September it's all Bears, and maybe hoping to see which Cubs rookies get significant playing time.
I am looking forward to seeing Woody as a reliever, but not for $10M/year long-term. If Williamson can find his groove, that would further help the stretch run. Of most importance is a third hot bat to go with DLee and ARam. If Nomar can deliver, watch out!
Wuertz v. Novoa
According to Baseball Prospectus's Expected Wins Added stat, Novoa has been .2 wins below replacement level this year. Wuertz has been .1 wins above replacement level. Neither all that good, but should Wuertz rather than Novoa be the one staying? (Remlinger, by the way, is second on the team in Expected Wins Added, adjusted for level of opposing hitters, at .7 (Dempster is at 2.4).
re: Wuertz v. Novoa
Well, there's not much difference between -0.2 and +0.1, so I'd be reluctant to make a decision on that basis alone. Given their similar performances this year, I'll take the guy with more upside, Novoa. He's considerably younger (23 v 26), has generally had better minor league numbers, and has managed to make a similar contribution as Wuertz despite only 21 IP above AA ball before this year.
Watching the Cubs.com active roster list
I'm watching the cubs.com active roster page for a clue as to who is being moved to make room for Nomar, Wood and Williamson.
http://chicago.cubs.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/t...
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Couple of more hours
My guess is that we won't know for a couple of more hours, shortly before game time, when it will be officially announced.
Hairston, Mitre and Remlinger...
The answer is Hairston, Mitre and Remlinger.
08/05/2005 4:27 PM ET Cubs reinstate Garciaparra, Williamson and Wood
The Cubs also placed infielder/outfielder JERRY HAIRSTON on the 15-day disabled list, optioned right-handed pitcher SERGIO MITRE to Iowa (AAA) and designated MIKE REMLINGER for assignment.
I'm bummed to see Remlinger go. With that gotee he reminded me of the Master in the Doctor Who tv series. I suspect that he'll end up on another team and like Farnsworth and Borowski, amaze everyone there.
Hairston (a former Saluki) is a favorite player and will be back in a couple weeks. I imagine we'll see Mitre again in September.
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Photos from a Cubs game at Wrigley