11/25/2003? 7:10 PM ET

Cubs-Marlins deal should help both

By Mark Newman / MLB.com?

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? Cubs swap Choi for Marlins' Lee

With Tuesday's trade that sent first baseman Derrek Lee from Florida to the Cubs for Hee Seop Choi and a player to be named later, the defending world champions have created payroll room to retain priority pieces and the team they eliminated in the National League Championship Series is now officially rock-solid at the infield corners.

 

 

Here is a look at how the deal affected both clubs:

 

Marlins

Jack McKeon told David Letterman recently that some of his "best successes" as a manager have been with young players, so who better to manage Choi? McKeon certainly demonstrated that proclivity in 2003, with players such as Dontrelle Willis, Miguel Cabrera and Josh Beckett.

 

Choi, 24, was the Cubs' Opening Day first baseman and won NL Rookie of the Month honors in April, batting .241 with five homers and 14 RBIs. He never was quite the same after that horrific collision June 7 with teammate Kerry Wood, and the acquisition of left-handed platoon player Randall Simon had meant a virtual end to his season. This new environment might suit the first Korean position player ever to reach The Show.

 

Choi also would give the Marlins a left-handed bat in the lineup, something they were somehow able to overcome during their title run. After leadoff lefty Juan Pierre and switch-hitter Luis Castillo, the lineup was typically all right-handed through No. 8.

 

But let's face it: This move is mainly about making room for the most important offseason personnel matters in Florida. General manager Admin Beinfest said the move was necessary for the team to remain within its payroll range of $55-$60 million. Castillo reportedly wants a four-year deal and is pegged as the Marlins' top priority. Beinfest has said discussions with both Castillo and fellow All-Star Mike Lowell, who received a multi-year offer tied to a new stadium, were "well down the road." The Marlins are committed to signing their arbitration-eligible pitchers, including A.J. Burnett, who is recovering from Tommy John surgery.

 

And then there is free agent catcher Ivan Rodriguez, whose re-signing might be more difficult. His agent, Scott Boras, seeking a multi-year contract for his client, has said he expected to be contacted by the club "sometime after Thanksgiving or late November and would let us know what their intentions were." If the Marlins do not sign Rodriguez by Dec. 7, the last day teams can offer salary arbitration to their free agents, he will not be the Opening Day catcher.

 

Maybe the most mind-blowing aspect of this trade is the fact that the scout who signed Choi -- former Cubs Pacific Rim coordinator Leon Lee -- is Derrek Lee's father.

 

Cubs

Cubs fans probably should not expect to see Castillo at second and Rodriguez behind the plate at Wrigley after what happened Tuesday, but this move certainly was a poignant one. The Cubs grabbed a player who was a chief protaganist during that infamous eight-run eighth in the Game 6 that got away last month.

 

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It remains to be seen how the Cubs will handle second base, where Mark Grudzielanek has moved into the free agent netherworld, but they have solidified at first just as they filled a big weakness last summer by acquiring Aramis Ramirez to play third. Lee is in his prime, with power numbers that have improved for three consecutive years. He had 21 homers and 75 RBIs in 2001, 27 and 86 in 2002, and 31 and 92 in 2003. The Cubs need that power boost after finishing ninth in the league in runs scored and eighth in home runs with 172 -- 40 of them by Sammy Sosa.

 

Just as important, Lee had a career year in the field with only five errors and won his first Gold Glove. As long as he is still hungry after that final champagne celebration, this is a perfect pickup for the defending NL Central champs.

 

Lee also gives the Cubs more speed. He has hit at least 20 homers in each of the last four seasons and has 40 steals over the past two years -- the most by any Major League first baseman. It remains to be seen how he will fare with what presumably would be less speed in front of him than he enjoyed in 2003. During the regular season at Wrigley Field, Lee was 5-for-13 with a home run. Two-thirds of his at-bats in 2003 came in the No. 6 hole for Florida.

 

At the GM meetings last week in Phoenix, the Cubs' Jim Hendry used the term "fine-tuning" when discussing the organization's approach to the formation of the 2004 club. In other words, not a tremendous amount of money is expected to be doled out this winter. Eric Karros, who platooned at first with Simon, was not expected back -- he had an $8 million option and Simon is arbitration-eligible. Lee, who brings more upside potential at this point in his career than Karros, had made it clear that his priority was finding a contract extension from someone, an issue that reportedly scuttled a possible trade to Baltimore.

 

Mark Newman is a writer for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

 

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Wow! So we have to sign Pudge by Dec 7? Extreme!