Kuzul

There is no doubt that the Jays’ Jose Bautista is having a terrific season in Toronto. Likewise, the Jays seem willing to part with the right fielder.

But just how much should a club be willing to part with for a guy who suddenly comes out of nowhere to post astronomical numbers that are extremely out of line with his career norms?

Look, in the steroid era, we would be very suspicious of a guy like Bautista, who has already hit 30 homers this season after never having hit more than 16 in a season previously.

So, what are we to make of Bautista now? Is he the rare athlete still willing to risk PED testing or has HGH somehow helped him? Or, is he simply finally figuring it out?

Meanwhile, perhaps he is just having a lucky season. No matter what, the issue is are you acquiring a guy who will continue to hit for power, or are you dealing for a guy who is a one-hit wonder?

It matters in terms of what the expected return is for the Jays.

Bautista is drawing more walks than normal, as his .366 OBP is currently the highest of his career. A right-handed hitter, he is actually hitting better against right-handed pitchers.

On the face of it, there is no urgency for Toronto to pursue an extension with Bautista. His $2.4 million salary isn’t a burden on the Jays’ books.

He will be affordable through salary arbitration next year. He isn’t scheduled to become a free agent until after the 2011 season.

But they always say to sell high, and this is the perfect example of that.

While Bautista has played third base, his fielding is so bad, according to advanced metrics, that his overall WAR is only 3.4 despite 27.6 in batting.

So what should a team be willing to give up for a guy who plays bad defense and is in the midst of an unprecedented offensive season? 

Not much, if it was me.

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The Twins have acquired former Nats’ closer Matt Capps for catching prospect Wilson Ramos, according to Steve Stone of the White Sox.

Capps was enjoying a terrific season with Washington, while Ramos is a solid prospect for the Twins.

Capps has 26 saves in 30 opportunities, with a 2.74 ERA and just nine walks in 47 games. 

Ramos throws very well and while his receiving needs work, his bat plays well despite a lack of plate discipline.

Meanwhile, what does this mean for the rest of the AL Central?

The division certainly appears to belong to the White Sox, who seem to be almost unbeatable lately.

But will this push the Sox in their ongoing efforts to obtain Adam Dunn, Prince Fielder or Lance Berkman?

Likewise, what will Detroit’s response be? Perhaps more than any contender, the Tigers need to make a move.

With their injuries, especially the loss of Magglio Ordonez, the Tigers may end up on the outside looking in if they stand pat.

While the Tigers must have been bolstered by the surprisingly decent start by Rick Porcello last night, they need help if they are going to be a factor in this race, given the play of the Sox.

The Tigers are currently 5.5 games behind the Sox, and while the Twins are only one game back, the Sox impressive play has to have the division worried.

But Capps will help the Twins, even though you can’t pinpoint closer as a problem for the Twins, despite the early loss of stud Joe Nathan.

Let’s see what, if any, the Tigers and Sox response will be.

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Rebuked in their efforts to obtain Adam Dunn and Prince Fielder, the White Sox have turned to Houston in an effort to bolster the left-handed side of their lineup.

The Astros are definitely willing to part with Berkman, who is having a rough season in Houston.

The ‘Stros first baseman is hitting just .245, though he has an impressive .372 OBP. He has drawn 60 walks, but his power totals are down from his career averages.

After averaging 33 homers per 162 games in his career, Berkman is on pace to bag 22 this year. But this is in line with his recent play, as he has hit 29 and 25 the last two seasons, following campaigns of 45 and 35 the previous two years.

The White Sox, who look to be on their way to the postseason, may be looking to Berkman for his playoff experience as well as his switch-hitting bat. He has a .321/.428/.566 slash in 29 career postseason games.

Berkman has a no-trade clause and can veto any deal. About $5.4 million remains on Berkman’s $14.5 million salary this season. The Astros hold a $15 million option for next year, but they can buy it out for $2 million.

Astros GM Ed Wade thinks that recently acquired Brett Wallace is their heir apparent at first base to Berkman.

Meanwhile, the Sox would likely look to Berkman to be their DH the rest of this season and possibly replace Paul Konerko at first if the free-agent-to-be leaves as expected.

Unlike Dunn or Fielder, the Sox could potentially obtain Berkman without having to consider moving Gordon Beckham, who is off-limits now to other clubs.

In fact, depending on how much of Berkman’s contract they are willing to assume, the Sox may be able to get the slugging first baseman without even having to surrender Daniel Hudson.

Another potential target for Sox GM Kenny Williams is Colorado’s Brad Hawpe, according to Troy Renck of the Denver Post. Hawpe has a disappointing .259/.337/.439 line. The 31-year-old has about $2.8MM remaining on his contract this year and will earn $10MM in 2011 with a $500K buyout.

Of course, it’s also possible that the trade deadline passes without any movement from the Sox. While this does not seem very Kenny Williams-like, the asking price on many of the available players has simply been astronomical this year.

Berkman to the Sox has legs, and those legs could be off and running as soon as Friday.

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Sure, it’s Lee’s right to decline any trade, something the man has earned through his  “10 & 5” rights, not to mention his no-trade clause.

However, if Lee was thinking about anyone other than himself, he would acquiesce and go to the Dodgers for another chance at the playoffs, while giving the Cubs an opportunity to land a prospect and secure some salary relief.

But no, it seems that D-Lee either doesn’t want the pressure of being in a pennant race as the new face on a winning team, or he just wants to stick it to the Cubs.

Either way, it’s a selfish move that greatly diminishes his credibility.

Now, if you think this is a sign of loyalty, think again. Being loyal would mean trying to help the team. Plus, just how loyal do you think he will be as a free agent?

Look, Lee is lucky anybody wants him with the kind of season he is having. Meanwhile, this is the second year out of the past three that Lee has stunk up the joint.

I tell you, if I was Jim Hendry, I’d sit him down and tell him to his face that if he wants to stay, fine, but he’ll be sitting on the bench while Tyler Colvin learns the position.

I wonder if that would make Lee change his mind?

Either way, it’s not just petty resentment that I am proposing; rather, it is a move that makes sense since Lee is not likely to return and the Cubs do need to find out what their options are.

Colvin should be someone they look at to replace Lee as the next Cubs first baseman, barring a trade. They have no one at the minor league level ready to take over, and Colvin has the kind of power you want at that position.

But we don’t know if he can play first base, which is why he should get the opportunity now, while the Cubs continue to sink anyway, giving Hendry a more informed opinion as he builds next year’s team.

But Hendry doens’t have the backbone to stand up to Lee this way, so he’ll probably continue to play every day and bat third in the lineup while walking away at the end of the season.

Again, it’s his right. But the Cubs should exercise their rights as well.

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Bobby Valentine is said to be a solid strategist in the dugout, which would be a refreshing change from asleep-at-the-wheel Lou Piniella. And he is a winning manager.

So what’s not to like, right?

Wrong.

Simply put, Valentine reportedly has an ego-driven personality and is much more interested in himself than the team he’s managing.

Instead of “Bobby-V,” he should be known as “Bobby-Me!”

But how can a manager be successful on the field if he doesn’t care about winning?

Oh, but I never said that the man doesn’t want to win. He does, if for no other reason other than to highlight his “legend in his own mind” status.

Look, Piniella wanted to win too. But again, for the wrong reasons. While the reasons are much different, they are similar in the sense that both mens reasons are the wrong reasons.

In Piniella’s case, he no longer had the fire. But he saw an opportunity in which he would have a huge payroll to work with, so he could guarantee entry into the Hall of Fame, something his friends insist is very dear to his heart.

He even admitted that he never thought the job would be this difficult when he told Cubs reporters, “this is a tougher job than I thought it would be, I’m going to be honest with you.” 

Likewise, Valentine wouldn’t be taking the job because he desperately wants the Cubs to win. He wants Bobby Valentine to be the talk of the town.

Unlike Lou, he loves the scrutiny, the debate, the media attention. He craves it, he eats it for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

The man is so obsessed with himself that he has a large self-portrait hanging in his hallway.

OK, I made that last part up, but it wouldn’t surprise me.

Now, Valentine was loved in Japan. How big is Valentine in Japan?

Well, a free section of the team’s stadium has been christened the “Bobby Seats,” and a street near the stadium is named “Valentine Way.” He’s also the only foreigner to win the Shoriki Award for contributions made to Japanese baseball. 

But they were impressed with his larger-than-life persona, as a refreshing change to the normally stoic, serious-minded Japanese culture.

Despite this obvious love, he was not asked back. Now, even his friends won’t hire him.

Valentine has had a long-running friendship with Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria and seemed to have the job nailed down.

Still, when he didn’t get the job, instead of taking the high road, he blasted his friend on national TV.

“If this is a major-league process, I hope I’m never in the process again,” Valentine said on ESPN’s Baseball Tonight. “It’s very disturbing, confusing and it was insulting at times, but it’s over.’

The Marlins reportedly balked at his demands for control over personnel decisions.

So if Jim Hendry wants a manager to do both jobs, he’ll hire Bobby. But if Hendry likes being the GM, despite most Cubs fans objections, he will hire a manager who is content to just be the manager.

Now, that isn’t necessarily an endorsement for Ryne Sandberg. I’d prefer someone with major league managing experience.

But Valentine has been fired twice in two countries for personal conflicts with the front office and ownership over a variety of issues.

Plus, I’d be concerned about his patience with the young players, like Tyler Colvin and Starlin Castro.

I just don’t see Hendry taking on a manager with any history of adversarial relationships with ownership.

Sorry Bobby.

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Last year, Kenley Janson was the Netherlands’ starting catcher in the World Baseball Classic. Now he’s pitching for the LA Dodgers.

Janson is among a short list of guys who used to be position players but couldn’t hit their weight or perhaps field their position, so they turned into pitchers instead.

Meanwhile, there were other guys who switched from pitcher to position player, though not all of them did so because they couldn’t pitch, as we will see.

Jansen recorded a save on Sunday in his second big-league game, so he’s the story du jour. But he’s not the first, or only major league player to have started his career one way and then was converted.

Here are some of the other guys…you may recognize some of these names.

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Sure, it’s always nice to beat the Cardinals, and any win is a good win when you’re a long-suffering Cubs fan as I am. That said, it may surprise you that I am not happy about the Cubs recent “surge”, for lack of a better term.

By starting to win now, it may lead Jim Hendry and the Cubs brass into the false assumption that they actually are a contender.

That would also mean that they would hold off on trying to trade their movable pieces — a mistake that could prove costly for the Cubs in the long run.

Look, the Cubs are playing well, but to think they have a chance is simply fool’s gold.

They sit 9.5 games behind division-leading Cincinnati, and would have to climb over two teams to overtake the NL Central.

Meanwhile, the ugly truth is that the Cubs are still eight games under the .500 mark. Now, before you bring up the White Sox as an example, that kind of impressive turnaround just doesn’t happen that often. 

I still insist the Cubs should be sellers. But I’m concerned that the Cubs will decide not to sell, which is the danger of winning now, along with keeping Lou Piniella on as manager.

Lou wants to win games, plain and simple. Despite words to the contrary, he doesn’t care about the long-term future of the team and will do whatever he needs to do to win as many games as possible.

He won’t take kindly to any perceived fire sale, and he seems to still have the ear of Hendry for some reason.

But the Cubs can’t have a true fire sale anyway, since too many of their players have exhorbitant contracts that can’t be moved without eating the money.

Yet they could, at least, move Kosuke Fukudome, Ted Lilly and perhaps Derrek Lee, despite his no-trade clause.

And if they can get someone to eat even half of the remaining contract owed to Carlos Zambrano, they should jump at the chance.

I’m not saying to completely rebuild. Again, that isn’t even possible given the team’s payroll obligations.

No, I’m just hoping the Cubs will get something in return for guys like Lee and Lilly who are both likely to leave as free agents following the season.

Plus, I’m hoping the Cubs get some payroll relief, which they can use to help fill in the obvious holes that this club has.

So yes, it’s a much better team we’ve been watching lately and perhaps the kind of team the Cubs should have been all along. But you can’t turn back the hands of time, so here’s hoping that Hendry and the Cubs won’t buy the fool’s gold.

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In a lot of ways, it has always been about the numbers in baseball. Fans, writers, and historians have long focused on the precious statistics in baseball, and there have been specific “standards” by which players are considered Hall of Fame material.

Well, all that’s a thing of the past, for now the numbers have been deflated by steroid-cheating needle pushers like Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa, Rafael Palmeiro and especially Barry Bonds, who has obliterated the most precious of all records with his insidious ways.

Meanwhile, people can debate the merits of one Andre Nolan Dawson until they’re blue in the face and it won’t matter. The man’s a Hall of Famer now, and he’s worthy.

Look, he produced honest stats. He wasn’t all bulked up like A-Fraud. No sir, these were genuine accomplishments that were not made in a laboratory somewhere.

If anyone could have benefited from a little HGH to speed recovery time, it was The Hawk. His knees were like hamburger by the time he was 30.

Never mind that it took hours of preparation before and at least one hour after every game just so the man’s knees would stop barking long enough for him to play. That stuff didn’t matter, for he just loved the game.

Dawson didn’t look for the easy way out like a lot of athletes since then. The shortcuts taken to artificially inflate their bodies beyond the size of their egos was so absurd, it was beyond disgusting.

Andre Dawson would have none of that. He was a natural, true “five-tool” player who could hit, hit with power, run, play defense, and throw with the best of them.

While guys like Big Mac and Jose Canseco were bash-brothering their backsides with holes, Dawson was finishing up a career that rivaled the best.

Sure, his OBP was less than stellar, but only five other players have combined to hit more than 300 homers and 300 stolen bases in their career.

And only Bonds was younger when he accomplished the feat.

But those are mere numbers and that is not what this is about. Again, we’ve entered unchartered territory in baseball—3,000 hits, 3,000 strikeouts, and 500 homers just don’t have the same cache anymore.

You can blame guys like Bonds for that. He took baseball’s sacred records and made a mockery of them.

Which makes Dawson’s induction that much more worthy, in my opinion.

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Following Cubs skipper Lou Piniella’s announcement that he will be retiring after the season (and here I figured he had retired a long time ago), much speculation has centered around who will be Sweet Lou’s replacement.

While wondering why anyone would want to manage this mess of a team, I decided to play Vegas bookie and lay odds on each of the known candidates.

So here we go, presenting the next manager of the Cubs may be a crapshoot, but this will help to “even” the field, so to speak.

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So…two or three weeks of anger management classes and suddenly Cubs pitcher Carlos Zambrano is a new man, huh?

You’ll have to forgive me if I’m not buying what the Cubs are selling.

Apparently “cured” of the anger issues that have prevented Zambrano from reaching the full potential of his obvious talent, Big Z has been cleared to begin his baseball rehabilitation in Mesa.

From one “rehab” to another “rehab” and—Poof!—magically, all is well again.

Zambrano, who was suspended following a June 25 dugout tirade at U.S. Cellular Field, threw 25 pitches Thursday in Mesa, AZ. ESPN’s Bruce Levine reports that “Hendry said the Cubs and Zambrano will get together at some point next week and decide where he’ll continue his rehab in the minor leagues.”

Look, this is a joke. Except the joke’s on us because if the man truly does have a mental illness—and let’s be honest, that’s what we’re talking about here—then you can’t expect years and years of problems to be worked out in a two-week session.

Let’s face it: This is a marriage that is irrevocably broken. Jim Hendry and the Cubs simply have to do what it takes and send Zambrano packing.

That means having to eat the majority of his contract, and that is a dish that Hendry has no appetite for.

But if this is allowed to continue, it’s going to fester into something far worse than what we’ve witnessed to this point. Simply put, at some point, Zambrano’s frustration will boil over to the point of no return.

And I doubt that any of his teammates or management want to be hit by the shrapnel from that explosion.

Meanwhile, cognitive restructuring (changing the way you think) takes time. Trying to change years of destructive behavior is not easy to do.

According to the American Psychological Association, “Sometimes it’s our immediate surroundings that give us cause for irritation and fury.” They suggest that a change of surroundings may be necessary.

If so, then that lends even more credence to the idea that Zambrano has to go. For his good and the good of the organization.  

For you know that Zambrano isn’t going to be happy having both to face teammates that don’t like him and to return to the bullpen, a role he truly dislikes.

It’s time for Mr. Hendry to forget about trying to “fix” the man. Likewise, do not have the illusion that you can trade Zamrbano for prospects or find a team willing to absorb the approximately $45 million remaining on his contract.  

Just end this thing before someone gets hurt.

After all, deep breathing and meditation only go so far.

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