Jim Edmonds is old; Cubs interested

So, the Cubs are sniffing at Jim Edmonds these days. The guy who always came up roses in center field now has a fragrance that can be described as "oderiferous" in recent seasons. Edmonds is very apparently in the twilight of his career, but credit Chicago for exploring every option to shore up their pathetic platoon in center of Reed Johnson and Felix Pie.

That combo's combined stat line vs. Edmonds this year:

Johnson/Pie: .243 avg./2 HR/20 RBI in 173 AB
Edmonds: .178 avg./1 HR/6 RBI in 90 AB

Certainly the Cubs see something in the 37-year-old who smoked them for a quarter of his 12 home runs with the Cardinals in 2007. For eight long years he tracked down their gap-shots and took home runs away at Busch. Edmonds, however, is just a shell of his former self. His numbers have been in steady decline for three-plus seasons now. His HR totals for the four seasons prior to 2008: 42/29/19/12. The Padres, who need outfield help, released him due to his poor performance both at the plate and in the field. He once dominated defensively, and to add insult to injury, the Padres called-up former Cubs scrub Jody Gerut to take his place.

If the Cubs sign Edmonds it's only because they have little or no faith in Johnson and Pie. Remember, Johnson's always had a light bat, and he was released by the Toronto Blue Jays in spring training. Johnson couldn't make a roster with the likes of Shannon Stewart and another former Cub, Matt Stairs holding down left field.

Fantasy impact: If Edmonds is signed he likely platoons with either Johnson or Pie, not both. The Cubs just don't have room on the roster for that many outfielders. Alfonso Soriano and Kosuke Fukudome aren't going anywhere, and Daryle Ward is a good left-handed bat off the bench who can also spell Derrek Lee at first. If Edmonds comes to Chicago, expect Pie, who hasn't hit a bit, to be moved back to Triple-A. Edmonds, who bats left-handed and Johnson (right-handed) would likely form a platoon in center, splitting up at bats and diminishing fantasy value. There wasn't much value there in the first place. Dear Cubs, sniff elsewhere. P.S. Fantasy owners should, too.