7/12/2004 10:08:00 AM by Rob

EXHALE!!

Ahhh, the All-Star Break!

Thank God for the A-S-Break, because I am on my absolute last nerve with this year's team. Maybe by Thursday, I will have calmed down enough to start enjoying the Cubs again. I doubt that it will happen, but I'm shooting for Thursday to stop being angry, that's my story, and that's as positive as I'm going to be.

Both Chicago papers reported a possible "Gonzalez-n-high quality pitching prospect" for Orlando Cabrera trade today. Let's look at this news a couple of different ways.

If this is supposed to be a nugget, leaked by the comely Sharon Panozzo, to help us faithful beloved feel better, JEEZ! Is THAT the best you can do? What kind of sizzle does the name Orlando Cabrera have? Are they gonna have to put in an extra shift at the Majestic Sportswear plant to handle the demand for "Cabrera" replica jerseys? Now, if you were talking Nomar...now you'd have something!

Looking at the money, curiously enough, both men make about the same money. So to make it worth it to the financially-imprisoned Expos, we are going to have to a) send money and b) send a major prospect, which means pitching. I don't know if this means Beltran, Guzman, Brownlie, and so on. It's gonna be an expensive trade.

Looking at it psychologically, which is my personal preference, it appears that Hendry is trying to catch this year's Aramis Ramirez. Cabrera had a monster 2001, I believe. Since then, he has pretty much coasted, waiting to be rescued from the Bingo Long Travelling All-Stars. Ramirez cost us Bobby Hill, which at the time was the cherry of our Farm System. Right now, it looks like a steal...an RBI-machine, in return for a light-hitting cocky bastage.

Verdict? You figure we're gonna send them the max, $3M. In addition, if I could send them Gonzo AND Grud, I'd do it. Gonzo and Guzman...no. I'm not sure how far down the pitching list I would go, because we are gonna need something to go after Ugie Urbina, Shawn Chacon, or Jorge Julio. Because, kids, if you tell me I have to watch LaTroy try to close games the rest of the year...I'm NOT watching!

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