Jack Cust will sign a minor league contract with an NL team, reports Troy Renck of The Denver Post (on Twitter). That team is not the Rockies however, and we can also rule out the Astros since they released him this morning.
Cust, 33, signed a non-guaranteed Major League deal worth $600K with Houston in January. The one-year contract had also included a club option for 2013. Cust posted a .213/.344/.329 line with three home runs in 270 plate appearances for the Mariners in 2011, when he earned $2.5MM. However, the TWC Sports client averaged 28 homers and 103 walks with the A's from 2007-09.
Even though he lasted like two weeks in the system over the summer, I wouldn’t rule out the Phils.
I was kind of thinking it might be the Phillies.
cubs
I’m guessing Padres. Why? Because right now I have a 1 out of 14 chance of being right.
(1 out of 12)
nevermind, wasn’t thinking, was thinking AL for some reason
Phillies most likely
Phillies had him last season and dumped him after a few weeks.
Pirates
I wouldnt be surprised if its the Braves since they are looking for a backup outfielder. Uggla and Cust in the lineup = way too may K’s
Please no.
Mets? Just an uneducated guess.
That’s what I was thinking if he can play some OF
Reds. He fits their MO; an over-the-hill player they can pick up cheap. So, instead of Lucwick and Heisy for Left Field it would be Ludwick and Cust with Heisy either getting demoted or traded.
Then the Reds would have plenty of “veteran presence” with Scot Rolen, Miguel Cairo, Willie Harris, Wilson Valdez, Brandon Phillips, Bronson Arroyo, Ryan Ludwick and Joey Votto.
No way they would trade Heisey at this point, but MAYBE they would demote him. I don’t see Cust being able to push him off the roster in any way possible. If he even made the 25-man he’d be for bench purposes only. Right now he’s minor league depth at the most, in no way has he earned the chance to be part of a platoon with Ludwick over Heisey.
I’m sorry but you throw Votto casually into a group of names including Cairo, Valdez, and Harris… I’m just having trouble figuring out how you’re making a point.
No, seriously.
Phillips too. Dude what is dis guy tokin bout
Please! Not the Mets!
Sound logic. People will stop talking about his lousy bat once they see him playing in the field.
Ummm…please no…please God no…oh man I know what’s coming and I hope I’m wrong 🙁
i got my money on the cubbies
Please don’t say Braves. Please don’t say Braves. Please don’t say Braves.
well, I guess he’s better than Parraz…and he could definitely swing the stick a few years ago. But nowadays…yeah…
I included Votto and Phillips because they are veterans on the team. If you listen to Jocketty all he talks about is “veteran presence” when signing an older player. If you watch Baker, he will take an overpaid, over-the-hill veteran with little to no chance of helping a team now or in the future over a young/inexperienced, inexpensive player with upside most every time.
Jack Cust is an overpaid, over-the-hill player with “veteran presence”.
As far as a player signing a Minor League contract ruining a team’s chances of making the Post Season, may I remind you that Corey (two pitch At-Bat) Patterson signed a Minor League contract and Toothpick Baker proceeded to not only play him in Center Field and bat him lead off, he continued to do so WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY after the fact it had been proven he was both worthless AND hurting the teams chances of winning.
Toothpick did the same thing with Paul Bako, Jerry Hairston Jr (the second year), Wily Taveras, Jonny Gomes the second half of 2010 and all of 2011. There was also Darnell McDonald and Jim Edmonds.
Overpaid? It’s a minor league deal..
Seriously? Does anybody remember how he played for the Mariners? …and wasn’t good. He’s washed up. Like others said, if he couldn’t make it with the Astros…
For the first five years with the Giants, Toothpick Baker had one of the highest team payrolls in all of the NL and a young Barry Bonds and look what happened. He had two winning seasons and three losing seasons including 1996 where the Giants had the WORST record in ALL of the NL.
Then Bonds started taking steroids and look what happened. Winning season after winning season.
Then Toothpick moved to the Cubs where they had one of the highest team payrolls in the NL and an alleged steroid abuser batting in the middle of that line up (Sosa). The first two years there he had winning seasons (2003 and 2004). Then, look how things turned out.
Baseball instituted PED testing in 2004 and strenghthened the penalties in 2005. WIth a hig h team payroll, Baker led the CUbs to a losing record in 2005. WIth a high team payroll, Baker led the Cubs to teh WORST record in all of the NL in 2006. After that, the Cubs didn’t bring Baker back. Instead, they hired Piniella and then went on a spending spree to get more players.
If Toothpick was “all that” then WHY didn’t the Giants bring him back after he led them to the World Series in 2002? Why didn’t the Cubs keep him after 2006 and spend the money on the players?
During his four seasons in Cincinnati, the Reds have had the highest team payrolls in their history and the teams have had more talent on them than any other since Jack McKeon was Manager. Yet, in three of those fouyr seasons the Reds had LOSING records.
In 2010, the Reds got lucky. Other teams in the NL Central didn’t play well. Meanwhile, Jonny Gomes thought he was Babe Ruth during the first half of the season and Scot Rolen was healthy. Then, during the second half of the season and the Play Offs, Gomes remembered he was a platoon/fourth outfielder and Rolen remembered he wasn’t supposed to make it through a year without being injured and look what happened.
No, if fans ilke you want to credit Baker for 2010 then what is your excuse for 2011 when he had basically the SAME team?
The answer is and always will be, Baker isn’t good. History shows it takes a team with a payroll in the upper third of the NL and a steroid abusing power hitter in the middle of his line ups to overcome his ineptness at managing.
fourfeathers,
You want more proof of Baker’s stubborness and ineptness? In his five years with the Reds look who his Short Stops have been; Alex Gonzalez, Orlando Cabrera, Edgard Renteria, Paul Janish and Zack Cozart. Guess where ALL of them spent most of the time batting in the line up? Second.
Fvie years, five different players and ALL of them mostly hit second. Never mind they didn’t have high Batting Averages, high On Base Percentages and couldn’t hit for power. Nope, the Short Stop just HAS to bat second for Baker.
Here is another one.
King Griffey Jr and Adam (one tool Dunn), both of whom bat Left Handed, were supposed to be the best hitters on the Reds in 2008. Where did they mostly bat in the line up? Third and fifth. Who hit in between them? A Right Handed batter (mostly Brandon Phillips).
The last couple of years, Left Handed batters Joey Votto and Jay Bruce are/were supposed to be two of the best hitters the Reds have. Where have they been in the line up? Third and fifth. Who has hit between them? Brandon Phillips, Jonny Gomes and Scot Rolen. ALL of whom are Right Handed batters.
Earlier this year in Spring Training, Baker had the Short Stop batting second, Votto third, a Right Handed batter fourth, Bruce fifth and the Catcher eighth. Sports writer John Fay asked him about the line up and Baker got huffy and said “don’t read too much into it”.
Here we are with about a week to go until the regular season starts and what did Baker’s line up look like? March 27 against the Cubs. Cozart, SS, hit second, Votto third, Rolen fourth, Bruce fifth and Navarro, Catcher, hit eighth.
Yeah, don’t read too much into something that Baker has done NUMEROUS times before……
with the news of the dodgers being sold…i wonder if johnsons group said will offer 2billion only if you sign jack cust and he is on the team before we take over…lol jk
Still predicting Jack Cust will see significant ABs with the Atlantic League’s Somerset Patriots this season….. his father has connection with the ownership group….
Oh no – the Yankees are moving to the NL! Amazing how writers never “tweet” when their reporting doesn’t pan out.
I wish the Yankees would move to the NL!