Lottery Winners?

From the Chicago Tribune: “Piniella also announced Tuesday he would announce his closer by the end of this week. Kerry Wood, the probable closer, will pitch back-to-back outings for the first time this spring Wednesday and Thursday.”

We should know by tomorrow night if our $3 Mr. Wood will be the closer for the Cubbies to start the season. He’s been excellent since his second outing this spring, and if he can pitch well on Thursday, his first back-to-back game, he’s in.

Nothing beats a cheap closer. Except, as the Cartel would point out, two of them. Change Wood’s projected pitching value to $25 from $2, and the Pecklers move up into the top group of keeper lists, with the Cartel, the Bums, the Rips and the Cappers.

Not the Falkuhns? Still waiting on that trade, Mr. Dot. I'm sure it will be a doozy.

Good trade yesterday between the Bums and Any 9 for both teams. The Bums look like they will go with $1 Mike Hampton as their #10 (it still leaves Saito as #11, and they might keep him). So they traded part of that deep, cheap pitching staff, John Maine, for the #1 pick in the minor league draft. They could afford to give away their 2 draft picks, as they have Schierholz and another minor league guy I’ve never heard of that they want to keep.

Any 9 gets a quality pitcher at a good price ($10) for 2 years (yeah, right, like anyone could stay on Kenny 9’s roster for 2 full years besides Ryan Howard), and he also gets a third draft pick. He’ll now be picking 12, 13 and 24.

Where are those other trades? Lotsa talk, no action.