Post latest rumors on the Roberts trade here...

[skiba7]

BTW, I think we've got a good shot at contending in 2009 if everything goes well over the next year AND we sign Texiera and one other big FA next offseason.

I'm sorry, but that sounds silly to me.

[skiba7]

He can only hit, which he has done EVERYWHERE he has been.

It doesn't really impress me to see a 26/27 year old guy putting up good numbers at AA/AAA.

[clapdiddy]

I'm sorry, but that sounds silly to me.

Tell that to the Tigers...

[skiba7]

Tell that to the Tigers...

That's a poor comparison. The Tigers were much closer.

[JTrea81]

BTW, I think we've got a good shot at contending in 2009 if everything goes well over the next year AND we sign Texiera and one other big FA next offseason.

I agree but although think Tex should be our #1 target in FA, our other big acquistition should come via trade - Khalil Greene should be another target next offseason.

Greene and Tex should be enough to upgrade us to contenders, provided we take a good step forward this season.

[Number5]

I'm sorry, but that sounds silly to me.

Come on Skiba, a Cub fan above any other should not try to take away a fan's hopes and dreams. Suffice it to say, the Orioles have a plan to be competing by 2010 if possible. We'd love to be there in 2009, but we won't be upset if we aren't IMO.

[Number5]

I agree but although think Tex should be our #1 target in FA, our other big acquistition should come via trade - Khalil Greene should be another target next offseason.

Greene and Tex should be enough to upgrade us to contenders, provided we take a good step forward this season.

I'd love to get Greene, JTrea, but I'm not sure about trading for him next off season. He's a free agent after 2009 and you can't negotiate an extension with him prior to trading for him. I'm pretty sure that would be tampering. Might be better to wait until he's a free agent and try to sign him than to risk what it would take to get him in a trade, only to have him walk after one year IMO.

[Insomniac]

Both players are/were Georgia High School SS's and project as solid defenders. Beckham (18) could comparitively be the higher ranked player, in terms of where is chosen in the draft, and from a scouting viewpoint at the same age. However, Nelson (22), chosen 8th overall by the Rockies in 2004, projects to have more power and certainly has the advantage in that he is already more advanced being the older and more experienced player. Nelson will play SS unless he is asked to man 2B for the Rox upon his call up, however he has only had this one breakthrough season and will need to continue to improve at the plate to be the player that many scouts thought he could be when drafted. Beckham is the more exciting prospect, but he has a ways to go to get to where Nelson is now... among the best SS prospects in baseball.

Edge to Nelson at this time.

Thank you very much for the insight. I still just wish PA would have let the Os draft Nelson instead of Townsend back in 2004...

[Bloopandablast]

You want me to debate seriously with you when you type things like this in an argument? LOL, I don't argue with nonsense and quoting batting average is nonsense.

Majors

http://www.baseball-reference.com/pi/bsplit.cgi?n1=scottlu01&year=c

Minors

Minors

http://www.minorleaguesplits.com/pl/432/432928RouPCLb06.html

http://www.minorleaguesplits.com/pl/432/432928RouPCLb05.html

You should really look at these stats for Luke Scott. You sound really silly arguing that he can't hit lefties unless he is spoonfed. The guy mauled lefties in the minors.

Compare those to Murton's 200ish point differential and your argument becomes really amusing. The stats just don't back up what you're trying to say.

Never considered to argue that BA is the most important stat. Truth is that you do not see a lot of guys coming up has hitters (not slick fielding ss) that have never hit 300 in the minors. Especially one who came up as late as Luke.

Help me understand if he is such a good hitter against lefties how he gets platooned?

[clapdiddy]

Bull, the Tigers were much worse than us two years before they made the big jump. It may not happen, but don't come on here telling us what sounds funny. You don't know our MiL system.

Why do you guys continue to argue with us? We get it. Murton is a God and we'd be lucky to have him. You don't really want or need BRob. Your debating skills are so finely honed that steroid user, citing career OPS for a player with 7 years experience, and saying someone never had a 300 batting average are a good logical bases for an argument to you. OK. Good luck to you. I think you'll need it once you leave that weak division.

Thank you! I was going to chime in this after reading that!

The Tigers went from a 43-119 team in 2003 to a 95-67 team in 2006. They had two years in between with 72 and 71 wins, repectively.

I believe its quite possible for us to be competitive and in the playoff hunt within 4 years.

[Flosman]

Just a question about Scott. Isn't most of the reason his career is a couple of years behind most because of a Major Injury? A shoulder I think? Plus being blocked for a time in Houston's system?

[Big Mac]

Never considered to argue that BA is the most important stat. Truth is that you do not see a lot of guys coming up has hitters (not slick fielding ss) that have never hit 300 in the minors. Especially one who came up as late as Luke.

Help me understand if he is such a good hitter against lefties how he gets platooned?

Maybe because Houston had 3 guys named Lee, Pence, and Berkman.

[Bloopandablast]

Bull, the Tigers were much worse than us two years before they made the big jump. It may not happen, but don't come on here telling us what sounds funny. You don't know our MiL system.

Why do you guys continue to argue with us? We get it. Murton is a God and we'd be lucky to have him. You don't really want or need BRob. Your debating skills are so finely honed that steroid user, citing career OPS for a player with 7 years experience, and saying someone never had a 300 batting average are a good logical bases for an argument to you. OK. Good luck to you. I think you'll need it once you leave that weak division.

Don't know quite where to start with this one, because you are referring to comments by more than one poster, taking things out of context, putting words in our mouths and telling us we do not know anything about the O;s MiL system.

So here goes:

What we do know is that all these "vaunted ratings systems" prior to the Bedard trade had as many top 100 players in the Cubs system as the Orioles, yet as we have been told over and over the Cubs system is not good. HM...

The more I slice and dice Murtons stats the more I value him. View him as a god, hardly. I am acutely aware of what he can and can not do.

I really am not all that interested in Roberts joining the Cubs for a variety of reasons. I do enjoy the dialogue about players though and that is why I am here. If they get him will I cheer for him...yes, but I will curse Hendry if he opens the floodgates for some misdirected attempt at ending the 100 year slump. Just such bad decisions have helped put us in the mess to begin with and a desperate attempt to end it will only extend it.

Steroid user could very well be an issue. If we see a guy with a smaller shirt size and he mysteriously turns back into the singles hitter he was back earlier I would be pissed if he is in Cubbie blue and we traded a lot to get him.

The seven years career OPS stat must have come from elsewhere. I do not recollect that one.

Any way. Good luck to you guys in your rebuilding.

I think you are on the right track, but that it will not come quickly, mostly because of the division you are in and because the Rays have made some pretty good strides with all of their young guys.

:002_scool:

[waroriole]

What a huge blanket statement. Soriano is blocking him. Not many young guys play over Soriano.

Oh, and if you want Cedeno/Fontenot/Patterson, then you can have them. Fontenot? Really?

If you only want to make snide comments then why respond to the question. Anyway, I would take the IF's b/c that is what we need, in addition to Gallagher and Marshall.

[Number5]

Guys, I know that a discussion involving Murton is related to a potential Roberts trade, but there is another thread running right now specifically about Scott and Murton and this is the Roberts trade rumor thread. Could you guys please consider continuing the Scott/ Murton discussion in the Scott/Murton thread? I'm not trying to be the police here, but I had a question about Bigbird's and Peace's posts regarding a Roberts trade that kinda got lost in your discussion 3 pages back and I was hoping to get some opinions on that. Like I said, I know Murton is related to the Roberts trade thread, so if you want to just keep the discussion here that's OK, but I'm asking you to please consider the other thread. Thanks.