Free Pie

"If I hold this pose long enough, maybe they'll think I was turned to stone instead of just sucking!"

So here's a move that I didn't expect. The Cubs just sent Felix Pie, their ex-CF of the future, to the Orioles for two lottery tickets. It makes sense for the Cubs to say, "OK, Pie sucks let's get rid of him," but it's entirely another to trade him without getting an immediate return. Pie is - contrary to the image above - the only other fielding CF not named Reed Johnson. If anyone thinks that Fukudome can cover ground in CF, you are sorely mistaken. Not the best idea in terms of the depth, but trading him to the Orioles - where he might have been useful in one of 3,000 proposed Brian Roberts packages - is also unusual.

In return, the Cubs get Olsen (young AAA/ML with future potential) and Williamson (class A reliever). Neither are really going to get the job done this year. Unless Olsen is really some sort of raw talent that needs just needs a nice trip to the North Side (his career stats say he's a Homer Bailey type - amazing in the minors, but can't make the transition). Even if Olsen pans out this year, he's not going to be starting. Sean Marshall has been waiting for that 5th starter spot for a small eternity (and likely will outperform Olsen in ST), so it seems that the Cubs are making a "future" move. Expect Olsen to "compete" for a job, but not to win it. Maybe one more season in the minors (barring a rotation injury) before getting a full-fledged call up.

Williamson is really more of a toss-in than anything else. There doesn't seem to be a whole lot of information about him or his ability, other than that he had a ~3.00 ERA in A ball. For Cubs fans everywhere, you've gotta hope that Reed Johnson stays healthy and that this one doesn't come back to bite in the ass.