Cubs sign DeRosa for 3 yrs/$13M

[CUBZ99]

I don't think there's a snow ball's chance in hell that DeRosa will match Walker's offensive production.

I think that's a bit strong:

Walker's OPS

2003: .761

2004: .820

2005: .829

2006: .754

 

DeRosa 2006: .813

It's not as if Walker was some super offensive force at 2b. He was what DeRosa was last year: above average. I'm not saying that DeRosa will match his numbers from last year, but the difference between the two doesn't seem to be as large as you make it out to be. And I'll take a slightly lower OPS for the ability to turn a double play.

 

While DeRosa's line from 2006 looks great and I pray to Kent he can repeat it, I can't ignore his 2005 line of 243/325/439 and his 2004 line of 239/293/320 and his 2003 line of 263/316/383. He has a career year last year in a hitter's park. If he repeats it great, but what if he puts up his career norm of 273/331/404? While not horrible, when combined with Izturis, it's some pretty weak production from the middle infield. Furthermore, we're paying over 4 million a year for that.

 

Somewhere in this lengthy thread there was a poster that said DeRosa was hurt in 2005.

[vance_the_cubs_fan]

I don't think there's a snow ball's chance in hell that DeRosa will match Walker's offensive production.

I think that's a bit strong:

Walker's OPS

2003: .761

2004: .820

2005: .829

2006: .754

 

DeRosa 2006: .813

It's not as if Walker was some super offensive force at 2b. He was what DeRosa was last year: above average. I'm not saying that DeRosa will match his numbers from last year, but the difference between the two doesn't seem to be as large as you make it out to be. And I'll take a slightly lower OPS for the ability to turn a double play.

 

While DeRosa's line from 2006 looks great and I pray to Kent he can repeat it, I can't ignore his 2005 line of 243/325/439 and his 2004 line of 239/293/320 and his 2003 line of 263/316/383. He has a career year last year in a hitter's park. If he repeats it great, but what if he puts up his career norm of 273/331/404? While not horrible, when combined with Izturis, it's some pretty weak production from the middle infield. Furthermore, we're paying over 4 million a year for that.

 

Somewhere in this lengthy thread there was a poster that said DeRosa was hurt in 2005.

 

But even if he was, his 05 line is not much different than his 2003 or 2004 line. The one line that looks out of place is last year's. I think his 2003-2005 lines are more indicative of his performance. I hope I'm wrong, but the probablility that he'll return to career norms is a whole lot greater than he'll reproduce anything similar to last year.

[jjgman21]

I was hoping to find a ray of light in DeRosa's minor league numbers.

 

minor league career OPS of 720 in over 2000 abs.

[Andy]

"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.

Eyre/Ohman, one of our young arms, and somebody else maybe?

[Transmogrified Tiger]

I was hoping to find a ray of light in DeRosa's minor league numbers.

 

minor league career OPS of 720 in over 2000 abs.

 

And he was old for his levels too.

[BigbadB]

 

It's been way too frustrating for that. I just became an uncle today for the 3rd time and the wife and I officially became homeowners today, so Hendry isn't spoiling this day for me no matter what he does.

 

Welcome to the Cubs, Mark DeRosa.

 

Not to Thread steal but I am impressed B. To own a home right now in San Diego is a major accomplishment. Congrats and I am tremedously jealous. My wife and I can't afford one here in the San Jacinto valley much less SD. My biggest desire in life right now is to own a home.

 

Congrats on being an uncle too!

 

Thanks and we are very excited.

[frostwyrm]

If the everyday MIF is now set with Derosa/Izturis then the last open position is CF. Unless he wants to move Jones to CF Jim has little choice but to go all out for Drew or Soriano.

[Guest]

 

It's been way too frustrating for that. I just became an uncle today for the 3rd time and the wife and I officially became homeowners today, so Hendry isn't spoiling this day for me no matter what he does.

 

Welcome to the Cubs, Mark DeRosa.

 

Not to Thread steal but I am impressed B. To own a home right now in San Diego is a major accomplishment. Congrats and I am tremedously jealous. My wife and I can't afford one here in the San Jacinto valley much less SD. My biggest desire in life right now is to own a home.

 

Congrats on being an uncle too!

 

Thanks and we are very excited.

 

time for one of your own papa!

[Guest]

If the everyday MIF is now set with Derosa/Izturis then the last open position is CF. Unless he wants to move Jones to CF Jim has little choice but to go all out for Drew or Soriano.

 

what about pierre? Team limpbats needs a leader.

[RichHillIsABeast]

You want to know what's even more scary than DeRosa at 2B?

 

 

DeRosa was our backup plan in case ARam left. :shock:

[Laura]

You want to know what's even more scary than DeRosa at 2B?

 

 

DeRosa was our backup plan in case ARam left. :shock:

 

Think of all the cash-ola the Cubs would have saved! :lol:

 

(thank you, Aramis!)

[frostwyrm]

I have a feeling Soriano will get a huge offer from Jim.

[Neuby]

I remember reading an article somewhere where Derosa has learned a lot from Micheal Young and his hitting approach has changed. I don't mind the Derosa signing because he can play anywhere and 4 million isn't too much for a really good utility guy. The market is gone crazy and bargins are gonna be hard to find. This just puts pressure on Hendry to move Jones and find a way for two big bats in the outfield.

[Laura]

I have a feeling Soriano will get a huge offer from Jim.

 

Who is his agent?

 

We know Hendry likes to keep his manager happy if possible and Piniella hasn't been shy about liking Soriano.

 

The Angels really want to burn through some money, though.

[WrigleyField 22]

I'll live with this signing if Izturis is gone (or at least not starting) and Jones gets a platoon or we uprgade the position altogether. So that means find a masher and leadoff guy from SS and CF

 

I can see it now

Roberts CF

DeRosa2B

Lee 1B

Ramirez 3B

Jones RF

Barrett C

Murton LF

Izturis SS

 

Yuck

 

DeRosa=fine choice if used as number 8 hitter or super-sub

[Warren Brusstar]

Looks to me like the Cubs are envisioning:

 

1 Soriano, CF

2 DeRosa, 2B

3 Lee, 1B

4 Ramirez, 3B

5 Jones, RF

6 Barrett, C

7 Murton, LF

8 Dr. Glove, SS

[A New Era]

Looks to me like the Cubs are envisioning:

 

1 Soriano, CF

2 DeRosa, 2B

3 Lee, 1B

4 Ramirez, 3B

5 Jones, RF

6 Barrett, C

7 Murton, LF

8 Dr. Glove, SS

 

That looks pretty decent to me. You? (with pitching improvements ofcourse)

[imb]

So what? Soriano is probably worth 20 mil in this market. Zito 17. Doesn't mean we have to sign it.

 

This can one of two ways, either DeRosa can play just like he did last season, for the next three years, and this signing will look great, and Hendry will be hailed as a hero.

 

That isn't likely, however, seeing as how he

 

1.) is 31

2.) has only had an ops of .800+ once in 10 years of professional ball.

 

Now, in a vacuum, this doesn't look terribly horrible. DeRosa might be ok, and it's only 4mil and a change a year, not too hefty a sum. Even if he goes back to his old ways, his contract wont keep us from upgrading, and it shouldnt keep us from going all out towards improving the team this offseason.

 

But.

 

In the big picture it continues to pain Jim Hendry as a guy that would rather overpay a little for a little, instead of overpay for a true difference maker, and that's what pisses everyone off.

 

Glendon Rusch, Neifi Perez, Jose Macias, Mark DeRosa.

 

DeRosa might be allright, he might even be good, but based on what we know about him, he will more than likely be bad, and if there's one thing we don't need, it's more bad players, and if there's one thing Jim Hendry doesn't need, it's to sign more bad players

[Brian]

Looks to me like the Cubs are envisioning:

 

1 Soriano, CF

2 DeRosa, 2B

3 Lee, 1B

4 Ramirez, 3B

5 Jones, RF

6 Barrett, C

7 Murton, LF

8 Dr. Glove, SS

 

I'd rather have Soriano 5 or 6 and Murton lead off with those players.

[Laura]

In September 2006, Kat O'Brien of The DFW Star-Telgram[/url]"] DeRosa has put up career-best numbers in virtually every statistical category -- batting average, at-bats, runs scored, RBI, doubles, home runs, on-base percentage, slugging percentage. He has also shown remarkable versatility in playing all over the diamond, including 25-plus games at second base, third base and in the outfield.

 

"I guess what I'm most proud of is getting a second chance to play every day and capitalizing on it," said DeRosa, whose first chance came with the Atlanta Braves.

 

After joining the Rangers before last season, DeRosa overhauled his swing with the help of hitting coach Rudy Jaramillo. He implemented a toe-tap, much like Rangers shortstop Michael Young does. The results took about half a season to show up, as he was coming off a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee. But DeRosa entered Monday batting .303 this season.

 

"I'd like to play the infield, I really would," DeRosa said. "I enjoy playing right field, I do, but if I've allowed myself a chance to play every day, if the year I've had allows me to pick where I play, I'd like to play the infield."

 

"Offensively, his performance has been at a level that it hadn't previously been at," [Rangers GM] Daniels said. "To do that while moving around, it's a unique skill that is sometimes overlooked. It's one thing to be versatile. It's another to be versatile and productive."

 

Jaramillo believes DeRosa's game will remain at this high level. The 31-year-old was a pretty good hitter early in his Braves career, batting .287 in 2001 and .297 in 2002, though in fewer at-bats.

 

"This kid is so loose mentally," Jaramillo said. "He's a great athlete, he loves to play, and he's got a mental toughness....He's doing it now while playing every day, so it shouldn't be any different [in the future]."

[WrigleyField 22]

Hmmm very interesting...

 

Nice link Serena.

 

I'd still like him as a number 8 hitter and seeing Izturis get far away from this team.

[CubFanPhilly]

Aren't we limited to signing 4 Type A or B FA's? Ramirez is one since his deal was signed on Sunday. DeRosa makes two. That leaves only two more.

No, Ramirez isn't one. He never filed the paper work.. The offices of MLB are open M-F. He may have missed the exculsive deadline, but never filed. so, we still can sign 3 more.

 

Free agency isn't automatic, you must file.

 

Ramierez filed a few days after the filing period opened. At least a week ago.

 

Ramirez files

You are wrong. They had an exclusive period BEFORE he could file. You should read up on how it works.

 

Thanks for the advice, but I have read how it works. In fact I posted the whole bloody section of the CBA and highlighted the relevent sections in this thread. It couldn't be clearer.

 

I'm done with the pointless debate. Everyone can read it and decide for themselves.

[don_kessinger_was_good]

This can one of two ways, either DeRosa can play just like he did last season, for the next three years, and this signing will look great, and Hendry will be hailed as a hero.

 

That isn't likely, however, seeing as how he

 

1.) is 31

2.) has only had an ops of .800+ once in 10 years of professional ball.

 

Now, in a vacuum, this doesn't look terribly horrible. DeRosa might be ok, and it's only 4mil and a change a year, not too hefty a sum. Even if he goes back to his old ways, his contract wont keep us from upgrading, and it shouldnt keep us from going all out towards improving the team this offseason.

 

But.

 

In the big picture it continues to pain Jim Hendry as a guy that would rather overpay a little for a little, instead of overpay for a true difference maker, and that's what pisses everyone off.

 

Glendon Rusch, Neifi Perez, Jose Macias, Mark DeRosa.

 

DeRosa might be allright, he might even be good, but based on what we know about him, he will more than likely be bad, and if there's one thing we don't need, it's more bad players, and if there's one thing Jim Hendry doesn't need, it's to sign more bad players

 

Not sure it's fair to lump DeRosa in with those other stiffs. He has actually improved for TWO consecutive years now, his OPS was nearly 800 in 05, that's not bad for a guy that can basically play six positions on the field. Lou values production, if DeRosa struggles and Theriot looks good again in 07, I don't think he'll hesitate to swap their roles and make DeRosa the supersub and Theriot a starter.

 

I just don't think $4MM for a guy that DOES have some value and skills is something to get worked up over. I posted in another thread that if you carefully walk through all the other supposed 2B options, there really wasn't anything out there that was strikingly better than this deal, with the sole exception (IMO) of Iwamura. That would have been my choice.

[CubFanPhilly]

The Club shall be deemed not to have signed a free agent for purposes of paragraph (5) of this Section B when a Player accepts salary arbitration pursuant to this paragraph (3).

 

CFP, thanks, but I've read the applicable passages of the CBA. I've bolded the passage I was referring to in my hypothetical.

 

If a team signs one of its own free agents via the arb process, that signing doesn't count against the quota. If that doesn't count, I don't see why a non-arb agreement would. It could, but it would be altogether nonsensical (of course, I wouldn't put nonsense past MLB).

 

 

Jeff

 

Yes, the acceptance of a salary arbitration offer by a former player also exempts the signing from the quota. I don't agree that this makes the first rule nonsensical.

 

Its seems reasonable to me that a Club can make an arbitration offer to a player who refuses to sign during the election period and then, if later, the player accepts arbitration that he shouldn't count as a FA signing. The Club has made every reasonable effort to resign their player and the fact that the arbitration acceptance deadline is later than the FA election deadline shouldn't count against the Club.

 

CFP

[WrigleyinEngland]

Not sure where i got this from but Derosa will earn$5.5 in his final year. At least his signing won't give Hendry an excuse to bail out on Soriano. I can see us going as high as 5 yrs $90 mill on Soriano with an option for a 6th year. If we were to get Lugo Cedeno,Izturis in with Jock or a couple of prospects might get us something nice from someone dumb like.............Jim Bowden??!! Jones,Izturis,Marshall for Kearns,Church?