Cubs Trade Barrett to San Diego in Exchange for Garbage

[The Troll 97,527]

**** you, Jim Hendry.

[The Troll 97,527]

You're right. You cannot find a catcher with a .256 AVG, a .307 OBP, a .734 OPS, and 9 HRs anywhere. Or one who has never hit over 20 HRs in his career. Or one who has made 5 errors this year with 8 passed balls and a whopping 17 % of runners out this season.

Those are really diamonds in the rough. Needle in a haystack.

Michael Barrett's last four seasons:

2004: .287/.337/.489

2005: .276/.345/.479

2006: .307/.358/.517

2007: .256/.307/.427

Barrett has had a down year thus far, but he had multiple hits last night and he is still one of the 5 best offensive catchers in baseball. He was the fourth most dangerous hitter on the Cubs' team and they traded him away for absolute ****.

[The Troll 97,527]

Which of those players does he have better stats than other than Hernandez who was injured?

Pudge 7Hr-39 RBI's-.292 avg.

Molina 6-34 - .294

Varitek 7-31 - .265

Barrett 9-29 - .255

Barrett is a better power hitter than any of them. And he hit .307 last season.

Don't try to hold RBIs against Barrett. Like it's his fault that no one can get on base ahead of him. That is what happens you hit behind Jacque Jones.

[The Troll 97,527]

20 HR seasons-

Jason Varitek- 2

Pudge Rodriguez- 5 (and 3 others with 19)

Michael Barrett- 0

Who's the better power hitter then?

.307 is pretty decent considering he is a lifetime .267 hitter. And why does everyone continue to ignore the fact that Cecil Fielder could steal on this guy and his 17% thrown out ratio? Or the fact that his mother probably doesn't like him due to how bad of a clubhouse guy he is?

Homers over the last four seasons:

Varitek: 59

Pudge: 53

Barrett: 57

[The Troll 97,527]

You said he was a better power hitter than any of those guys on the list. Apparently you were mistaken. Admit it. Move on.

Didn't this whole debate start whenever you referred to Barrett as a "run of the mill" catcher?

Are Varitek and Pudge also run of the mill offensive catchers?

[The Troll 97,527]

Offensively? Neither are as good as they used to be. But I didn't just say offensively from the beginning. I talked about defense the entire time, which is more important as far as catchers are concerned. You factor in Tek's CERA and his leadership and he is a better catcher than Barrett, regardless of their ages. Pudge has been around a long time, and while he is still well above average defensively and he is coming around at the plate, I'd have to say he is barely a top 10 catcher in MLB.

I am not talking about defense. I never said Michael Barrett was Brad Ausmus. He isn't. He sucks behind the plate. But, he is a very good hitter.

Did you know that Rob Bowen is ALSO a mediocre defensive catcher? And he doesn't have the bat that Barrett does.

So, I shouldn't be pissed about this trade? That is where everything started. I was pissed, you called Barrett run of the mill and said the Cubs were better off. They aren't. They are a worse team today than they were three days ago. Because they traded a mediocre defensive catcher with a very good bat for a mediocre defensive catcher with a ****ty bat. Oh, and a prospect that hit .200 in rookie ball last year.

Jim Hendry for GM of the Year!

[The Troll 97,527]

I did call him run of the mill. I didn't say they were better off, although he is a clubhouse cancer and it isn't like the Cubs have any legitimate shot at the playoffs, so get what you can while you can. And he doesn't have a very good bat. He has a very mediocre bat. It's addition by subtraction, if your teammates don't want you there, you aren't going to be there very long.

If Barrett's bat is mediocre, then so are Varitek's and Ivan's.

Barrett is third among catchers in HR this season. I guess every catcher besides John Buck and Victor Martinez is also mediocre.

And it is not addition by subtraction. It is taking your fourth best hitter out of your lineup permanently and not replacing him. I guess you would have no problem if the Sox traded Youk or Mike Lowell for scraps, right? Especially if the rest of your "offense" consisted of guys like Ryan Theriot, Mike Fontenot, Jacque Jones, and Angel Pagan.

[The Troll 97,527]

You're going in circles. Catching is made up of more than just hitting. I understand he was a decent hitter for you team. Varitek and Pudge also have better BAs, scored more runs, had more RBIs, and are both great defensive catchers. Barrett is a liability behind the plate. And I suppose if Mike Lowell or Kevin Youkilis were disliked by their teammates, I could see them being moved. Sometimes you have to just get rid of a guy to make your clubhouse better. It's no fun being a losing team, it's even worse when someone is trying to fight someone new every day.

I am not sure where you are getting the impression that Barrett was some sort of clubhouse cancer. As far as know, the whole Zambrano incident is the only knock against Barrett. In fact, the Padres were willing to trade for Barrett on the recommendation of Greg Maddux. I doubt Mad Dog would have told the Padres that it was a good idea to trade for a guy that is a cancer.

And I am not sure why you keep talking about defense. I have already said that Barrett absolutely blows at his position. Barrett was very useful, strictly from an offensive point of view. If we had a lineup like the Sox or Yanks, he would have been more expendable. But, we don't. Without Barrett, the Cubs lineup is on the verge of horrible.

[The Troll 97,527]

There was that whole thing with Rich Hill last week too. And to be honest, with Barrett the Cubs lineup was on the verge of horrible.

The Rich Hill thing was blown out of proportion. It was a conversation.