Hey, wait a second…that doesn’t sound half bad. Fuld, Colvin, Fukudome with Reed Johnson as our fourth and heavily relied upon outfielder. Three guys who aren’t afraid to hustle after a ball and own the glove where would be bloop singles go to die. Three guys who aren’t afraid to get a face full of ivy in exchange for a much needed out. Three guys who aren’t injury prone and beyond their prime. Three guys who don’t have handicapping attitudes that effect themselves, their teammates and the entire organization. Three guys Cubs fans could really get behind.
So then what do we do with Soriano and Bradley? Well come on. Bradley? I don’t care what his mother says. “My son is willing to come back to the Cubs if they are willing to have him back”. Or however she put it….give me a break. If the Cubs DON’T trade him, of COURSE you’re coming back to the Cubs. And you better hope that 24 other guys in Cubs uniforms, your manager, your general manager, the general public and Cubs fans (especially those who sit in the bleachers) have a really short memory. Anyway, bottom line….Bradley? You trade Bradley. Get rid of him. Apology or no apology. I read a blog from an Orioles blogger suggesting perhaps the O’s would be willing to take a chance on Bradley. Really?!? Great! How about Roberts for Bradley? How about that? No scratch that. Give us a quality reliever to throw into the seventh or eighth inning to set up Marmol. That would be a huge help and a great answer to ‘then what do we do with Bradley’.
As for Soriano, make him our 2B. Seriously. Trade Fontenot and see what other bullpen help we can get or package him in a deal that may land us more depth on the bench or a quality 2 or 3 starter. Let Baker and Soriano platoon at 2B with Blanco as the key reserve off the bench. You put Sori at 2B and we keep his bat in the line up while returning him to his defensive roots.
If we did that, our opening day lineup 1-8 could look like:
Fukudome RF
Theriot SS
Lee 1B
Ramirez 3B
Soriano 2B
Colvin CF
Fuld LF
Soto C
It honestly doesn’t look as intimidating without Bradley’s name on paper. But hey, we’re three and zero in games without him since his suspension. The beginning of these few games have been filled with hit parades and tons of runs. Maybe having something that looks good on paper shouldn’t be the goal. Maybe it’s going to take the old faithfuls (Lee, Rami, Sori) with a good mix of reliable (Theriot, Fukudome, Soto) and a healthy mix of talented, hungry youngsters (Colvin, Fuld). That may be what we need after all. Maybe keeping up with the Joneses doesn’t necessarily require spending like the Joneses at all, even though we’re in a major market. Forget spending like the Joneses and try scoring W’s and making the playoffs like them. That’s what’s important and maybe a little mix up of the line up with some new blood is just what we need. And what’s easier to root for than homegrown talent? Straight out of the farm system? Very cool and very exciting for fans regarding the organization as a whole.
So in 2010, if I were Piniella (who I believe will be given one more shot at this thing, along with Hendry) I would heavily consider an outfield of Fuld, Colvin and Fukudome left to right. No fear and an extreme desire to succeed. Sounds like a brilliant recipe to me. What do you think? Go Cubs Go!
Prose and Ivy 
All well and good with your thoughts, and that does look like a pretty good outfield. The problem is with Soriano being moved back to second base. His defense there is worse then it is in left field. While it would settle the outfield situation, it still leaves us without a true leadoff hitter who can get on base at a high rate and steal bases. My dream would be for Chone Figgins, but that will likely not happen as he will be costly. Many teams, including the White Sox and possibly Yankees, will be after him.
All well and good with your thoughts, and that does look like a pretty good outfield. The problem is with Soriano being moved back to second base. His defense there is worse then it is in left field. While it would settle the outfield situation, it still leaves us without a true leadoff hitter who can get on base at a high rate and steal bases. My dream would be for Chone Figgins, but that will likely not happen as he will be costly. Many teams, including the White Sox and possibly Yankees, will be after him.
Your points sound great to me, and a shakeup to our lineup can only help. The only change I’d make would be to give Jake Fox time in the outfield and occasionally at first or third, just to get his bat in the lineup.