Cubs To Pursue Top Prospects and Young Players at Trade Deadline Published by adming - On 12.22 - This post haved 0 komentar

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According to ESPN's Bruce Levine, the Cubs intend to pursue top prospects and young players at the trade deadline.

They're just not exactly sure if they're going to approach it as buyers or sellers.

Buy or Sell? Whatever the Cubs do they should focus on accumulating as many assets as possible.

Approaching it as sellers would seem to be the obvious answer at first glance, but that may not be easy to do.  Trading Carlos Zambrano or Alfonso Soriano would require the Cubs to send over a significant amount of money -- and teams still may not be willing to give us a top prospect in exchange.  That's a decision that's going to have to come down from Tom Ricketts and the rest of the executive crew.  Should the Cubs pay a significant amount to tear things down and start over?

Keep in mind, that it's still a business.  Most fans want to see the Cubs compete.  Even the allure of Wrigley Field can't save a potential year or two of 90 loss seasons as Cubs break in young players.  Ricketts wouldn't be saving much if he has to pay significant chunks of money for teams to take his players -- and he could end up pay dearly at the box office if the team becomes a welcome mat in the NL Central..

Personally, I think you accumulate assets by whatever means necessary.  They could go in as sellers and try to shave some salary off for next year.  Get what prospects you can, put them in the mix with our own prospects, and then pursue a couple of younger players through trades or free agency in the offseason -- but, at the same time, you keep your ears open.  If someone is offering you a couple of top, near major league ready prospects for Carlos Marmol or Geovanny Soto, you have to listen. 

If you think you have the depth to replace them then it's a net gain overall.   I'd rather have 2-3 good prospects, for example, then an expensive closer on a 90 loss team.  The more depth you have in your farm system, the more flexibility you have when it comes to making trades.  You have options.  You can keep your prospects or trade from depth, but either way it puts the Cubs in a position of strength. 

It's time for the Cubs to start building instead of constantly re-shuffling the deck, and the only way you can truly build is to get as many assets as possible -- buy, sell...whatever gets us the best net gain for 2-3 years down the road.  Even if it means we have to suffer through a painful season or two.  I can deal with it if the Cubs have a plan and are moving forward with players whose arrow is pointing up and not down.

24 Jun, 2011

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Source: http://www.chicagonow.com/blogs/cubs-den/2011/06/cubs-to-pursue-top-prospects-and-young-players-at-trade-deadline.html
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