Jason Marquis is not a smart man. I mean, I don’t know him, maybe he’s just the best at Brain Age or something, but he sure isn’t smart when it comes to taking the temperature of the room. The Cubs have quietly, but noticeably, been offering him up to other teams in trade proposals this off season. (That’s the only way his name gets in rumors; no other team is looking for Marquis.) The Cubs are giving him a shot at staying in the rotation in the meantime, less because of his promise and more because of his contract, but Jason Marquis still has control of his own destiny.
Today, Marquis took that control and gave up 2 runs in 2 IP. Not good, but it’s not going to bury him this early. Jason words can do a lot better
“So as much as I want to be here in Chicago — I love it, I love the fans, I love the stadium — I also have a family to worry about, too. I think I can take my services elsewhere if that’s the case and I can help another team, in that capacity as a starter.
“So, my value doesn’t lie in the bullpen in my mind.”
Marquis need to worry more about his budget if the current 3 year/$21 mil contract he signed is not enough to support his family, because it’s probably the biggest he’ll ever see.
Lou’s response was brilliant:
“Sure it’s a surprise,” he said. “We’ve got seven guys here that are competing for spots in the rotation and everyone is going to be given an equal chance. After the first start of spring training, saying if I’m not going to make the rotation I’d like to go somewhere else?
“He can go somewhere else right now if he wants. How’s that?
I don’t think Lou gets his wish, quite yet. (Beat guys can start writing the “they had a meeting and everything’s straightened out now” stories now.) If this was the NBA, I’d think the Cubs would buy out Marquis’ contract by June. This being MLB, I bet he’s traded away for junk (and the Cubs paying most of his salary) by the same time, and the Cubs will be better off for it.