I found this interesting. Marlon Byrd is the lesser of the two "going forward" and yet Texas wants Gallagher thrown in? How about just the sledgehammer and some melons.


Matt Murton-OF-Cubs Jan. 26 - 2:16 pm et

The Dallas Morning News believes the Rangers turned down an offer of Matt Murton for Marlon Byrd.

Murton is the better bet of the two going forward, but it's still no surprise that the Rangers declined the offer. They'll reconsider if the Cubs add a quality pitching prospect to the deal (possibly Sean Marshall or Sean Gallagher). Murton is also rumored in deals with the Padres.

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Stupidity irritates the crap outta me... and yes, I irritate myself far too often.

The Rangers are surely an interesting bunch. Byrd is a 29 year old who had his best year last year with 10 home runs! WOW! He just signed a contract avoiding arbitration for 1.8M.

Murton makes in the 400K range and is 25.

The Rangers are not known for fiscal restraint.

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Stupidity irritates the crap outta me... and yes, I irritate myself far too often.

^ lol at your name + your avatar

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Can someone refresh my memory, I thought Murton was mostly okay off the bench last year. It will be his role next year having Soriano and Fukudome in the regular lineup. I would prefer to trade him for a stronger centerfielder.

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i like murton. i dont know what his contract situation is, but you have to imagine he cant be thrilled with how the last couple years have gone for him as a cub. he needs to find a team that will give him a chance. he has been a good soldier and hasnt complained too much about playing time, but i see him moving on, starting somewhere, and becoming a pretty solid big-league hitter. put him in a d-rays uni and let the man play!

Im sure he would be excited about hitting in Texas.

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Thanks. The name doesn't exactly flow off the tongue. It's the dynamic marking for hitting every single key on the piano at the same time.

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Stupidity irritates the crap outta me... and yes, I irritate myself far too often.

I thought Murton was a butcher in the outfield?
Where is he going to play? Center field????

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President of Blake Shetlon fan club

No - he's definitley a butcher in the outfield. In my book, the inability to catch the routine fly ball at the major league level = butcher. His arm is better than most outfielders that have been in a Cub uniform lately (except Soriano), but his glove is horrible.

No, you misunderstood. I meant he's an excellent butcher. I buy all of my best cuts from him. He backs his little BMW SUV up outside of the players lot after day games and opens the hatch. I highly reccomend his lamb chops. They're especially tender and mild if you can get that little blond fiance of his to rub the special seasoning on there....

I wouldn't trade Murton for Byrd, (time for Pie to step up). I like the idea of Murton coming off the bench for the Cubs and an occasional spot start.

But I don't see him as a quality starting player. He hasn't shown to be a big run producer (62 RBIs in 455 AB in 2006, 22 RBI in 235 AB in 2007). He grounded into 16 DPs in 2006 and seems to be a ground ball hitting machine without a lot of speed.

And has been said, his defense is poor.

I see Murton as one of those players (a lot like the Bears Adrian Petersen) who looks good in limited duty, but the more he plays the less effective he becomes.

This is kind of like trading a quarter for a two dimes and a nickle.

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"Play until it hurts, then play until it hurts to not play."
http://soundcloud.com/darkside124 HOF 2013, MM Champion 2014

More like trying to make a dollar out of fifteen cents (a dime and a nickle).

He was given 105 AB in April/May last year (very comparable to the 112 AB in Sep/Oct) and hit 1 HR and drove in 8 RBI.

It seemed like he was given consistent AB in 2006 (a little over 400) and hit 13 HR and 62 RBI. Over 600 AB that comes out to 17 HR and 81 RBI.

What his numbers indicate to me is that he is prone to an occassional hot streak, like in Aug or Sep, but overall he will not produce a lot of runs.

For a corner OF without much speed or defense his offensive numbers need to be better.

I certainly could be wrong and Murton may develop more power with the Cubs or someone else. But on a good team I see him as a fourth outfielder.

This is a near perfect example of a Cub fan post. Use late season numbers and attempt to extrapolate them to a full season. Then use that extrapolation as a basis for comparison to show how the player is better than a legitimately very good major league veteran.

Jerry Owens did a decent job when he came up the second time last year but I would not be excited to see him get handed the CF job next year for the Sox.

Yes indeed. How DARE any Cub fan express optimism based on actual performance numbers.
That somewhat disingenuous ridicule and painting with a broad brush has made your post an example of the insecure White Sox fan post. Irony abounds.
Now we sit around waiting for Frank to chime in and the cycle shall be complete.

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Stupidity irritates the crap outta me... and yes, I irritate myself far too often.

Extrapolations aside, if you look at the past 3 years for each player, they both have the same number of at-bats and Murton has the much better hitting statistics - more runs, more HRs, .025 on his average, more walks, 60 fewer Ks.

Byrd out-SB's him 13 to 8 however.

I don't think it's being a "Cub fan" to think Murton is a better hitter.

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You know me like that.

Nas compared him to Adam Dunn. Feel free to defend that comparison.

Alright.

Let me work on that.

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You know me like that.

My insecurity with my team this year is independent of my eternal derision of your north side warm and fuzzies.

Murton is now on manager number 3 and organization number 2 who does not think he is an every day corner outfielder...but I guess this is the time of year for optimism.

That's easy....
Red hair, poorly chosen facial hair (at times), bad glove.

Done!!!

Murton would be united with The OG

At least you're honest about it. I'll give you that.
Insofar as Murton goes, he's an outfield butcher. A poor man's Adam Dunn may well be an apt comparison. That's not exactly a glowing endorsement as Dunn's deficiencies in the outfield and BA+Ks are quite large.
The warm and fuzzies you seem so ill at ease with amuse me to no end. They have NOTHING to do with your good guys in black, and yet seem to make otherwise sane people say the most remarkable things.
Southsiders win or lose, their fans gnash their teeth in nihilistic angst, ridicule other fans for having the temerity to be optimistic, it matters not to me. It's a fascinating sociological study, but it doesn't define my rooting interests for the Cubs as it seems to define you and Mac amongst others in your rooting for the southside ballclub.

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Stupidity irritates the crap outta me... and yes, I irritate myself far too often.

As I wrote earlier, my love of the Sox is entirely independent of my enjoyment in mocking those cute baby bears. Yin and Yang.

I can love Chris Rock and hate Pauley Shore without any internal conflict.

Murton had two fewer AB in April compared to September in the same amount of games and only 5 fewer at bats in August compared to May. It seems like a very fair comparison. And how many of the at bats in September came against minor league call ups?

Murton is a spray hitter without power, speed or defense. I am not wrong on that.

Murton does have a nice career batting average and can contribute to the Cubs. But I don't think he is a quality starting OF. And I still question over a full season, when he has too face the best pitchers and handle the grind of a 162 game season, whether he be able to keep his average near .300.

He also doesn't take many walks, unlike Adam Dunn who averages 100 BB per year. Looking at his numbers, over a 600 Ab season Murton would walk 60-65 times.

I am tired of talking about Matt Murton and it's not even February

I don't have to, I choose to.

It really isn't hate. It's just that they and their followers provide an endless supply of humor.

OBP, SLG, which leads to OPS, RBI.... I (well not me, but more proficient propellerheads) could pull up additional stats. It's a preposterous argument to say he is the equal of Dunn (and don't minimize the importance of the home run).

He has not hit .300 in any year that he has gotten significant ABs. Even if he did, his deficiencies in just about every other phase of the game would necessitate him hitting about .330 for him to be an every day corner outfielder.

We all have our irrational hard ons for players that we do not want to give up. Hell, I still think Lyle Mouton is the answer in left field for the Sox. At some point, you just have to admit that in regards to that particular player "your methods have become unsound" and just keep the thoughts locked in our head.