Cubs sign Aaron Miles 2yr/$4.9 million; DeRosa traded to Indians for 3 pitching prospects

[JohnBriggs12]

Cubs continue to make moves, holiday week or no. As for Brewers, all we're hearing is the sound of crickets.

[JoeHova]

This is just their Craig Counsell move, I'd have to think. I'm not jealous about this at all. If they actually want to play him a lot, so much the better for Milwaukee.

 

The bigger problem is that the Cubs are rumored to be on the verge of signing Milton Bradley, who led the AL in OBP and OPS last season. He doesn't usually play many games because of injuries but when he is on the field, he is very good.

[JohnBriggs12]

This is just their Craig Counsell move, I'd have to think. I'm not jealous about this at all. If they actually want to play him a lot, so much the better for Milwaukee.

 

Yeah, he's just like Counsell only he's younger and can hit. Oh and they got him for less than the Brewers paid Counsell.

 

They also are on the verge of trading DeRosa for young pitching from Cleveland. Both the DeRosa and Marquis moves opened up salary to pay Bradley.

Hendry is not sitting on his hands after a 97 win season.

 

Meanwhile Melvin can't move Cameron, won't move Hart or Weeks, and hasn't sniffed either any decent FA pitcher, starter or reliever, or a decent FA bat. Maybe he will, but so far all we have is Trot Nixon.

[JoeHova]

If Miles can hit, so can Counsell. Miles' carer OPS+ is 77 and Counsell's is 78. I'm not saying the Brewers got a good deal on Craig.

[TooLiveBrew]

This is the type of depth move the Brewers can't afford right now. There is nothing lost that the Cubs signed Miles, but for them he's not a bad 4th MIF option. This would have been wasted cash for the Crew.

[JohnBriggs12]

If Miles can hit, so can Counsell. Miles' carer OPS+ is 77 and Counsell's is 78. I'm not saying the Brewers got a good deal on Craig.

 

Miles OPS+ in 2008: 99. Counsell's was 76 and that was an improvement over the 65 and 69 in his other two seasons as a Brewer.

[RobertR]

Counsell is also better defensively than Miles. Not to say that I thought Counsell was a particularly good deal, but veteran utilitymen are pretty interchangable, just with different plusses and minusses.

 

What's curious is that I didn't know the Cubs needed another middle infielder. Especially one that's no great shakes at SS.

 

Robert

[Ennder]

So the Cubs added at best like 1/10th of a win with this deal and probably actually are downgrading the team if he even plays. I'm supposed to feel bad about this?

[Thurston Fluff]

Miles OPS+ in 2008: 99. Counsell's was 76 and that was an improvement over the 65 and 69 in his other two seasons as a Brewer.

 

Since Counsell isn't on the team next year what does it matter? If you are comparing Melvin and Hendry getting a 4th infielder it should be compared to what Melvin does for his bench for next year not what he did for last year's team.

None of the moves either team has made so far are ones that has any sort of time restraint on them. This move could as easily been made in January as it was today so I don't know why it's a big deal that Hendry made it now and Melvin is taking more time to make that sort of deal.

[Fear The Chorizo]

DeRosa just got traded to the Indians, too - only thing that makes this series of moves by the Cubs sane is if the package of players they get back for DeRosa gets added to Fontenot/Cedeno + a few prospects in a trade for Peavy. If the move is a straight salary dump - replace DeRosa with Miles or Fontenot/Cedeno at 2nd, the Cubs just got worse.

 

looking at the prospects involved with the Derosa/Indians deal, and I don't see them being part of a Peavy deal at all...nothing special. If anything, this trade and a possible trade of Marquis to the Rockies frees up money for the Cubs to sign Milton Bradley, who I would assume would be their centerfielder (and not a good one defensively at that).

[TooLiveBrew]

Miles OPS+ in 2008: 99.

 

Miles BABIP in 2008: .343

 

First season in his career that he batted over .290, and he nearly hit .320. Now Briggs, I hope you're not going to argue that he's suddenly become a .320 batter, because that's about what he has to hit (given his low BB rate & lack of power) to provide anything more than marginal value (as Ennder noted). The Cubs just overpaid for at best mediocrity & in all likelihood a replacement-level player.

[BrewCrewForever]

I hated Miles as a Cardinal so I imagine I will hate him and he will kill us as a Cub to. He is like a more talented Eckstein.

[silversurferr]

Let 'em sign Bradley; He'll blow a gasket or a groin by late August. I like our team if we sign Sheets and add a closer. But I am getting nervous.

[Brian the Automator]

Cubs continue to make moves, holiday week or no. As for Brewers, all we're hearing is the sound of crickets.

I'd rather Melvin make moves that make sense, even if it means waiting, than just make moves just to appease fans.

[Ennder]

I hated Miles as a Cardinal so I imagine I will hate him and he will kill us as a Cub to. He is like a more talented Eckstein.

You mean less talented right?

[Milltownhooker]

All the moves have been salary dumps to get Bradley. In the NL he'll get 400 AB's max. They really can't add Peavy until ownership is settled they are maxed out on payroll.

[crewcrazy]

Two days ago, Cubs fans were even more disgruntled about their team's lack of moves than Brewers fans are now. Miles is a meaningless signing, and getting Bradley would just replace what they lost in DeRosa. I could see them spinning some of the prospects from a DeRosa trade into a deal for Peavy, but I've been bracing for that deal all winter anyway and I'm not convinced Peavy without the benefit of Petco would make the Cubs all that much better. They were going to win the division next year, anyway, even if the Brewers signed Sabathia, Sheets, and everyone under the sun.

 

NSBB's thread on the DeRosa trade says they're getting Jeff Stevens, Chris Archer, and John Gaub -- anyone know if those are the type of guys that San Diego would have interest in for Peavy, or are they just the type of mid-level guys you'd expect to get in return for a solid player like DeRosa?

[Ennder]

Still on that Cameron soap box I see, you make it sound like Melvin is desperately trying to get rid of him or something instead of one team approaching him about a trade and not offering enough.

[SoCalBrewfan]

Stevens is the best of the three pitchers in the Derosa deal I think...he is an interesting relief prospect, lots of Ks and apparently good stuff, but he's 25 and hasn't yet pitched in the big leagues...and relief prospects aren't usually the most valuable commodities around. (He's a former Loyola Marymount teammate of Steve Kahn, for those who follow Brewers drafts.) This looks like a salary dump more than anything, though it's possible that SD likes a minor league reliever..they seem to have an eye for these guys.

 

I'm not sure I'd get bent out of shape about seeing our rivals replacing DeRosa with Miles, though it's a lefty bat and they've been looking to add lefties. (As have the Brewers, apparently.) That's a step backwards, IMO. Bradley is of course hugely talented, a great hitter when he's healthy. The questions about his durability and personality can't be overlooked, though...perhaps he and Zambrano will serve as calming influences on one another. Between Derosa and Marquis the Cubs have cleared a bunch of salary...

[MJLiverock]

Now we'll see them unload a bunch of spare parts and swag for Peavy and have 4 starters better than what the Brewers will trot out in their rotation.

[BrewCrewForever]

I hated Miles as a Cardinal so I imagine I will hate him and he will kill us as a Cub to. He is like a more talented Eckstein.

You mean less talented right?

No, I mean Miles is more talented then Eckstein. But he is that same kind of scrappy little player who always kills the Brewers.

[endaround]

Eckstein can play short, Miles can't. Eckstein is(well,was) better.

[Fear The Chorizo]

to this point in the offseason, the Cubs have done nothing that will improve their team - honestly, the moves they've made to this point put them in a worse spot than they were last season.

[monty57]

While it is possible that the Cubs are clearing room to add a higher priced player, it's also possible that they are clearing room because their ownership just went bankrupt and they're looking to sell the Cubs in a down economy.

 

DeRosa's a good player. Replacing him with Miles made the team worse.

 

Trading for Peavy would easily make them World Series favorites, so I hope that doesn't happen.

 

Milton Bradley has been left to walk from every team he's ever played on. I know the stat-guys don't think attitude matters, but for some reason the teams he's played with haven't wanted him back. One of the things that impressed me about the Cubs last year was how much they came together as a team. One example is when they saw Fukudome in ST and decided as a group that they'd work the count more, and everyone took more pitches and the team OBP went up. I almost hope they acquire Bradley. He'll disrupt team chemistry, play horrible CF defense and get hurt enough to throw any continuity out the window.

[TSack27]

Eckstein can play short, Miles can't. Eckstein is(well,was) better.

He did spend about 20% of last season at shortstop for St.Louis; but then again, he also took the mound for them (so he can play short, no comment on whether he can play short well). They're probably looking for (economic) versatility like they are losing from DeRosa.