It seems that people in the Cubs message board are pretty well divided on the issue, especially now that Matt Williams is available. Here is one of the quotes from RotoWorld.com

 

Cubs manager Dusty Baker is interested in bringing Matt Williams to Chicago.

''Right now we don't know exactly what is going to happen. Matt is one of my favorite guys. It's a matter of how he can play and how much he has left,'' Baker said. If Williams joins the Cubs, he might get the majority of the playing time at third base.

 

Not exactly hard evidence, but something to keep in mind. Any thoughts?

and now the Dodgers... :confused

 

Dodgers to make pitch for Lowell

 

By Mike Berardino

and Juan C. Rodriguez Staff Writers

Posted June 1 2003

 

There's a new contender in the Mike Lowell Sweepstakes.

 

Like the Chicago Cubs before them, the Los Angeles Dodgers have made the Marlins' All-Star third baseman their top trade priority, major league sources said Saturday.

 

Former Marlins manager John Boles, now a senior adviser in the Dodgers' front office, apparently came away impressed after watching Lowell in a four-game series against Montreal last week. During a subsequent organizational meeting, sources said, the Dodgers decided to focus on acquiring Lowell to replace enigmatic third baseman Adrian Beltre.

 

As bait the Dodgers plan to use Triple-A second baseman Joe Thurston, who lost a spring battle with Alex Cora for the starting job. Thurston, 23, is hitting .284 with four homers and 20 RBI for Las Vegas.

 

Young right-handers Joel Hanrahan and Edwin Jackson and hard-throwing lefty Steve Colyer also could figure in the deal, sources said. Hanrahan and Jackson have ERA's in the low twos at Double-A Jacksonville, while Colyer had a 1.02 ERA in 16 relief outings at Triple-A.

 

The trouble is finding a taker for Beltre, hitting .203 with four home runs and 17 RBI entering Saturday's play. It's possible the Dodgers could include Beltre in a prospect-laden package, with the idea the Marlins would then move Beltre, 24, at a later date.

 

However, Miguel Cabrera, the Marlins' top prospect, is hitting close to .400 at Double-A Carolina and is considered close to big-league ready.

 

Beltre and Lowell have the same salary status: $3.7 million this year with the chance to earn a substantial raise next winter through arbitration. Both will have five-plus years of service time at season's end, although Lowell's strong start puts him in line for a much bigger contract than Beltre.

 

A major league source said the Dodgers are somewhat interested in Marlins second baseman Luis Castillo, a free agent at season's end.

 

Top prospect demoted

 

The Marlins demoted struggling first-base prospect Adrian Gonzalez from Triple-A Albuquerque to Double-A Carolina on Friday.

 

Rated the organization's No. 3 prospect by Baseball America, Gonzalez hit .216 with a .286 on-base percentage in 39 games for the Isotopes.

 

With Gonzalez struggling, the Marlins may have to think twice before pulling the trigger on any trade involving first baseman Derrek Lee. It does not appear Gonzalez, 21, would be ready to take over before the July 31 trading deadline.

 

Lee is one of seven arbitration-eligible players with five-plus years of service time. He is earning $4.25 million and will likely command at least $7 million in 2004, making him a prime salary dump candidate.

 

Jim Fleming, Marlins vice president of player development and scouting, said he was surprised to see Gonzalez struggle in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League. The No. 1 overall pick in the 2000 draft, Gonzalez took a .291 career average into this season.

 

Fleming attributed Gonzalez's problems to being sidelined most of the offseason and half of spring training recovering from wrist surgery. He added that the wrist has not hindered Gonzalez's swing.

 

Fellow first-base prospect Jason Stokes, the Marlins' 2002 Minor League Player of the Year, isn't doing much better at Class A Jupiter. Through 47 games, he is batting .233 with 12 walks, 53 strikes, and reaching base at a .272 clip.

 

PEP TALK

 

Left-hander Armando Almanza received a pep talk from Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria on Saturday. Loria sought out the struggling reliever after batting practice and took a walk with him up the first-base line toward the bullpen. The conversation lasted a good 10 minutes.

 

"He's that type of person where he really encourages his players," Almanza said.

 

FRUSTRATING FOUR PACK

 

Catcher Pudge Rodriguez's slump reached new depths on Friday. He went 0 for 5 and struck out four times in a game for the first time in his 13-year career.

 

"I've talked to him about trying to do too much, trying to get the contract for next year," hitting coach Bill Robinson said.

I think the article was posted yesterday, as was the Matt Williams update

oopss!!! sorry!!! didn't know... I'll try to be more accurate next time... :unsure :