The General Managers' Meetings Thread

[YearofDaCubs]

Im going to take back what i said earlier in this thread that nothing gets done in this meetings. Jim Hendry drove the Brinks truck to this years winter meeting and Mark DeRosa is driving it home. Nice.

 

No. Hendry hired a driver to take care of it and he chartered a private jet for DeRosa to take home.

DeRosa just became a life-long Cubs fan after Hendry give him his bloated, set for life contract.

[Tedward]

I havent seen it posted anywhere, but over on ESPN, they are reporting the Giants are in serious discussions with Pierre on a 3 year $30MM deal. They can have him.

[USSoccer]

I havent seen it posted anywhere, but over on ESPN, they are reporting the Giants are in serious discussions with Pierre on a 3 year $30MM deal. They can have him.

 

For $10m per?

 

Insane.

[TruffleShuffle]

I havent seen it posted anywhere, but over on ESPN, they are reporting the Giants are in serious discussions with Pierre on a 3 year $30MM deal. They can have him.

 

For $10m per?

 

Insane.

 

now THIS is a ridiculous contract

[shnsajax]

I havent seen it posted anywhere, but over on ESPN, they are reporting the Giants are in serious discussions with Pierre on a 3 year $30MM deal. They can have him.

 

For $10m per?

 

Insane.

 

now THIS is a ridiculous contract

 

Starting to really wonder whats going on with the market right now. Soriano must be smiling if this is true.

[UMFan83]

I havent seen it posted anywhere, but over on ESPN, they are reporting the Giants are in serious discussions with Pierre on a 3 year $30MM deal. They can have him.

 

Apparently they were really impressed with his HR robbing abilities

[TXCubsFan]

I havent seen it posted anywhere, but over on ESPN, they are reporting the Giants are in serious discussions with Pierre on a 3 year $30MM deal. They can have him.

 

For $10m per?

 

Insane.

 

now THIS is a ridiculous contract

 

#-o

[nilodnayr]

The good about Westbrook...his ERA has been bloated the last two years. His peripherals suggest he actually had better years. I don't have his BABIP, but I'm guessing 06 was high because of his big jump in hits/9 and relative stability everywhere else. Hes an extreme ground ball pitcher who keeps the ball in the yard and doesn't give up the walk (the anit- Zito).

 

The bad about Westbrook...I fear his acquisition would justify keeping Izturis as the SS. Unless we also get Hudson, it might not be worth it. Of course Izturis will probably be the starting ss regardless, but at leat it would be justified with those two in your rotation.

 

Note: I don't want Hudson. Hes very comparable to Westbrook but costs twice as much and may net more talent in return.

[CheeseHead Cubs Fan]

Perhaps this is the wrong spot to post this...

 

rotoworld.com

The Giants are involved in talks with free agent Juan Pierre, ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick reports.

That sounds like Brian Sabean. Crasnick says the word in Naples is that Pierre could get a deal for three years and about $30 million, a humongous sum for the game's premier outmaker.

 

But I thought it was hilarious.

Edited November 15, 2006 by CheeseHead Cubs Fan

[Laura]

Jim Salisbury / The Philadelphia Inquirer[/url]"] As Phillies officials wound down their operations at the general managers' meetings on Tuesday night, they still had not made an offer to free-agent slugger Alfonso Soriano, a source close to the situation confirmed.

 

However, one could come Wednesday as team officials are scheduled to meet face-to-face with Soriano's representatives. ....

 

The only hitch is that Soriano is looking for a multiyear contract that could be worth substantially more than $100 million, and the Phillies don't appear eager to play in that neighborhood. The Cubs, Angels, Dodgers and Astros are all in the hunt for Soriano.

 

Trading Pat Burrell is not a requisite for adding a middle-of-the-order bat, but the Phillies clearly would like to do that. With a limited number of big bats on the market, Gillick sounded optimistic that he could move Burrell as the winter unfolded.

 

"I think something could happen," he said. "Soriano and [Carlos] Lee are the only two guys with some pop. So maybe when those two shoes drop, something might happen." ... Gillick revealed that the Phillies met with the representatives of two free agents (pitcher Adam Eaton being one) and discussed trades with two American League clubs.

 

Earlier this off-season, the Phils had spoken with free agent Mark DeRosa, an infielder/outfielder who quarterbacked the football team at Penn. DeRosa reached an agreement on a three-year, $13 million deal with the Cubs on Tuesday. All along, the Phils had seemed more interested in free agent Wes Helms, who fits Gillick's desire for a "semi-regular" who could play corner infield positions, particularly third base. The Phils are still in the hunt for Helms, who hit .329 in 140 games for the Marlins in 2006.

 

The Yankees are also reportedly interested in Helms.

[Blueheart05]

"I love our infield," Hendry said. "I feel great about it. You've got two Gold Glove winners [in Izturis and Lee], a great player at third base and I like our young players."

 

Looks like we are getting Izturis and Derosa next year up the middle.

 

2007 is over before it even had a chance to begin.

Nonsense. That is silly. Why does it end anything?

 

Exacly,the Cubs can still sign two more A/B free agents and, for what it's worth, ESPN AM 1000 is reporting that the Cubs have been talking to the Indians about acquiring Lee or Westbrook for bullpen arms so a trade may be in the works as well.

 

Who are they trading? Hendry clearly thinks Izturis is the answer at SS. I've seen little to indicate Jacque would be traded...if anything, Hendry will take Jacque's numbers from last year as vindication for his contract and feel he has to hold onto him. These are the kind of things you have to keep in mind with our GM. He makes baffling decisions for seemingly ridiculous reasons. Murton seems to be the only one with a chance of being the odd man out.

 

 

 

 

 

They didn't mention trading an outfielder for either Lee or Westbrook. "Bullpen arms" was specifically used so I take that to include Novoa, Ohman, Wuretz, etc.

[Sammy Sofa]

Which Lee are you talking about?

 

And while trading for pitchers with the bullpen is fine, what does that address about the offense?

[UK1679666180]

Which Lee are you talking about?

 

And while trading for pitchers with the bullpen is fine, what does that address about the offense?

 

Cliff Lee, I assume.

[Sammy Sofa]

Which Lee are you talking about?

 

And while trading for pitchers with the bullpen is fine, what does that address about the offense?

 

Cliff Lee, I assume.

 

Gotcha.

[questionmarkgrace]

I guess the contract that wes helms gets will probably be the best measuring stick for DeRosa's contract.

[questionmarkgrace]

I like westbrook's consistency. This is a quote from his mlb 2006 highlights.

 

The sinkerball-throwing Westbrook put together another consistent season in which he was one of the Indians' more reliable arms. Only six times in 32 starts was he unable to last six innings or more. Westbrook went the distance three times, with shutouts in two of those complete games. For the year, he tied a career high by winning 15 games, going 15-10 with a 4.17 ERA.

[Laura]

Phil Rogers' latest column.

 

Two days after showering money on third baseman Aramis Ramirez, the Cubs handed utility man Mark DeRosa a job at second base and a three-year, $13 million contract.

 

Then general manager Jim Hendry offered up words rarely heard around Wrigley Field.

 

"I love our infield," Hendry said Tuesday night, referring to first baseman Derrek Lee, shortstop Cesar Izturis, Ramirez and DeRosa.

 

Hendry then was off to continue spending money at a pace never seen by a Chicago baseball team. The targets remaining in his sights include outfielder Alfonso Soriano and two starting pitchers from a list that includes left-hander Ted Lilly, right-hander Vicente Padilla, right-hander Miguel Batista and Japanese left-hander Kei Igawa.

 

Record revenues have loosened purse strings around the major leagues, and the need to become as competitive as the cross-town White Sox has put the Cubs in the eye of a spending hurricane.

 

The Boston Red Sox beat them to the rights for Japanese ace Daisuke Matsuzaka, but it wasn't because the Cubs didn't try. The Red Sox won those rights with a reported bid of $51.1 million, which was about $21.5 million more than the Cubs are believed to have offered the Seibu Lions.

 

It remains to be seen how far beyond $100 million the Cubs will go in pursuit of Soriano, whose 40-40 leadoff skills might establish them as a favorite in the National League Central—Soriano is believed to be seeking a "Carlos Beltran," seven years, $17 million-a-year deal—but the Cubs have set quite a tone with their deals in recent days.

 

Phil thinks the DeRosa signing moves Theriot into the first supersub role ahead of Cedeno (which sounds fine to me).

 

The DeRosa signing represents a lost opportunity for the undersized Ryan Theriot, who hit .328 in 53 games late last season, and Ronny Cedeno, who played his way out of the Cubs' plans by hitting .229 in the second half of last season.

 

Hendry indicated Theriot—a clone of World Series MVP David Eckstein—probably figured in plans for the bench but that Cedeno would need a strong spring to avoid the minor leagues.

 

I didn't think Theriot was all THAT tiny ...

[beowulf28]

Phil Rogers' latest column.

 

Two days after showering money on third baseman Aramis Ramirez, the Cubs handed utility man Mark DeRosa a job at second base and a three-year, $13 million contract.

 

Then general manager Jim Hendry offered up words rarely heard around Wrigley Field.

 

"I love our infield," Hendry said Tuesday night, referring to first baseman Derrek Lee, shortstop Cesar Izturis, Ramirez and DeRosa.

 

Hendry then was off to continue spending money at a pace never seen by a Chicago baseball team. The targets remaining in his sights include outfielder Alfonso Soriano and two starting pitchers from a list that includes left-hander Ted Lilly, right-hander Vicente Padilla, right-hander Miguel Batista and Japanese left-hander Kei Igawa.

 

Record revenues have loosened purse strings around the major leagues, and the need to become as competitive as the cross-town White Sox has put the Cubs in the eye of a spending hurricane.

 

The Boston Red Sox beat them to the rights for Japanese ace Daisuke Matsuzaka, but it wasn't because the Cubs didn't try. The Red Sox won those rights with a reported bid of $51.1 million, which was about $21.5 million more than the Cubs are believed to have offered the Seibu Lions.

 

It remains to be seen how far beyond $100 million the Cubs will go in pursuit of Soriano, whose 40-40 leadoff skills might establish them as a favorite in the National League Central—Soriano is believed to be seeking a "Carlos Beltran," seven years, $17 million-a-year deal—but the Cubs have set quite a tone with their deals in recent days.

 

Phil thinks the DeRosa signing moves Theriot into the first supersub role ahead of Cedeno (which sounds fine to me).

 

The DeRosa signing represents a lost opportunity for the undersized Ryan Theriot, who hit .328 in 53 games late last season, and Ronny Cedeno, who played his way out of the Cubs' plans by hitting .229 in the second half of last season.

 

Hendry indicated Theriot—a clone of World Series MVP David Eckstein—probably figured in plans for the bench but that Cedeno would need a strong spring to avoid the minor leagues.

 

I didn't think Theriot was all THAT tiny ...

 

Two things:

 

First, I'm seriously depressed about JH loving our infield, and mentioning Isturis as our SS. Sort of precludes getting either Lugo or Tejada! :roll: :x

 

Second, didn't some team already win the rights to negotiate with Igawa?

Edited November 15, 2006 by beowulf28

[Outshined_One]

Second, didn't some team already win the rights to negotiate with Igawa?

 

Red Sox won the Matsuzaka Sweepstakes, the Devil Rays won the bidding for Akinori Iwamura.

 

To my knowledge, Igawa's bidding has yet to commence.

[beowulf28]

Second, didn't some team already win the rights to negotiate with Igawa?

 

Red Sox won the Matsuzaka Sweepstakes, the Devil Rays won the bidding for Akinori Iwamura.

 

To my knowledge, Igawa's bidding has yet to commence.

 

Thanks.

[WrigleyField 22]

I'm definately intrigued by Cliff Lee or Westbrook.

 

I'd be comfortable with either in the number 3 spot.

 

Lee for next 3 years:

$2.75M $3.75M $5.75M w/ option for $8M

 

Westbrook is set to make $6.1M next year and then will hit free agency

 

I would think the Indians would be more inclined to trade Westbrook based on this.

Eyre and Marmol? too much? too little? just right?

[vance_the_cubs_fan]

Maybe the Indians regret letting Howry get away. We could send him back to them.

[WrigleyField 22]

Maybe the Indians regret letting Howry get away. We could send him back to them.

 

Howry and Eyre and Marmol for Westbrook and Lee!

[RichHillIsABeast]

Maybe the Indians regret letting Howry get away. We could send him back to them.

 

And Novoa just b/c we're feeling generous.

[Guest]

Westbrook's numbers are pretty good for the AL. I would approve of that move. I love the cubs corner infield.