The Cubs just signed a guy who's so fast, he already has run past Felix Pie on the outfield depth chart and looks like he's about to run Pie right out of the organization.
What's certain is this: Former Rays and Royals outfielder Joey Gathright is a left-handed hitter with more experience, at least as much defensive versatility and better baserunning ability and instincts than Pie, and he made a better impression on manager Lou Piniella with Tampa Bay than Pie has made in Chicago. ''We're a long way from Opening Day,'' Cubs general manager Jim Hendry said of the effect on Pie of signing Gathright to a one-year, $800,000 deal. ''It doesn't exclude anybody from being on the club on Opening Day.''
Short of an injury, it does. With the Cubs pursuing free-agent outfielder Milton Bradley and with three other outfielders locked in, there's room for only one Gathright-Pie type.
It's doubtful Pie -- who recently was considered the organization's top prospect -- will last the offseason without being traded, considering he's out of options and was a long shot to make the 25-man roster out of spring training even before Gathright was signed.
Gathright, 27, rates a top scouting score of 80 for speed and has backed it up by stealing 78 bases in 105 career attempts (74.3 percent). He also is an adept bunter and a .263 career hitter in 399 games.
''We've been looking for a guy like this for quite some time,'' Hendry said. ''He's arguably one of the fastest guys in the game, if not the fastest. Our people think he can be even better in the National League because of double switches and the other roles.''
Pie, 23, has flopped in limited big-league stints over the last two seasons, hitting .223 in 130 games and attempting only 12 steals (11 safely) despite high-end speed.
As for the higher-profile moves the Cubs want to make, Hendry wouldn't talk about specific details, although he said he has been approached by other teams about trades since returning from the winter meetings last week.
The Cubs have had talks about the framework of a potential deal for Bradley and at least one other free agent.
