Tuesday, Oct. 12, 2010
3:50 PM
Steve Stone dives into his mailbag toanswer your questions about the Cubs' managerial opening, Victor Martinez, Tyler Flowers and more!
John - Chicago, IL: Now that the season is over, who do you think is the front-runner for the Cubs job?
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Steve Stone: I still believe the same thing that I mentioned three months ago and that is that the best candidate for the next manager of the Chicago Cubs is Joe Girardi. This is not meant to denigrate the job Quade did but my feeling is if you sat down and listed every qualification you could want in a manager for the Cubs, I believe that the logical conclusion would be that the man who fills every qualification would be Joe Girardi.
Rebecca - Bolingbrook, IL: Do the Cubs have a shot at Victor Martinez? He would look awfully good at first base for us.
Stone: Victor Martinez would look good wherever he was, wherever the Cubs use him assuming you understand he is better for the right side than the left. That being said, he is occasionally behind the plate or at first base, Victor would be a wonderful addition to the Cubs' ball club but you have to understand probably one being well known, that being that the Red Sox having Victor and Beltre as free agents, Martinez would be the cheaper of the two options and so they are more likely to get a deal done with him. One thing that can't be underestimated, Victor Martinez is exceptional in the clubhouse. He would be a team leader on a team desperately looking for a leader.
Roger - Palatine, IL: Do you see Paul Konerko and A.J. Pierzynski back with the White Sox next season?
Stone: I believe the White Sox are going to attempt to bring them both back and the rest comes down to business decisions, how much are you willing to allocate and how much do each of these individuals want. It always comes down to money and years. Paul will have to decide and then the rest will play itself out in due time.
Dave - Westmont, IL: Where do you think Tyler Flowers fits into the White Sox organization? Can he be the starter next season?
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Stone: Everything really depends on what happens with A.J. If you bring him back, the combo of him and Ramon Castro which did so well this year is something they could live with next year which complicates things for Flowers. As far as being a starter, I really don't know, I haven't seen enough as far as catching is concerned. Buddy Bell and very good talent evaluator gave him a thumbs up in the minors for his catching.
Roberto - Chicago, IL: Do you like the idea of starting the season earlier next year, thus having an earlier World Series?
Stone: I like the idea of an earlier World Series, I don't know how delighted we will be with the season opening April 1st. Weather problems in the East and West; I don't think you can continue the World Season ending close to November, so next year they will experiment, I think there are more down the road and we will have to see how this particular early season goes. We do know it will be cold and there will be some that are snowed out - there usually are. It depends if it's a very wet early spring but that will be hard to tell not having my farmers almanac handy.