Cubs sign DeRosa for 3 yrs/$13M

[fromthestretch]

I'm not sure what's worse...the amount of money or the length of the contract. I don't mind DeRosa as a super-sub type of player. But over $4 mil per year? For 3 years? Just doesn't seem like a wise investment for a soon-to-be 32-year old that never had over 400 plate appearances or an OPS over .800 before 2006.

 

$2.5 mil for two years would have been overpaying, but it would have been a lot more tolerable.

[USSoccer]

I doubt we'll see him play 2B everyday. He'll play some at 2B, he'll back up Ramirez at 3B, and he'll platoon with Jones in RF. I expect him to get around 300-400 at bats. This number could go up or go down, depending on what Theriot and EPatt do with opportunities given to them.

 

I like him as a back-up to Ramirez.

 

You like paying him $4.3m to back him up?

 

yes, but not just 3B. I like an .800+ OPS to get 450 AB's at various positions.

 

He's being paid like a regular. Even the Yankees don't have super expensive bench guys.

[CoolHandLuke]

Well, it could be worse...

 

http://www.sportsline.com/mlb/story/9803038

 

To be honest, I don't see how signing a bunch of guys to cheap deals to fill out your minor league rosters is worse than paying a guy, who has been for the most part mediocre and is coming off of a career year at age 31, 13 million dollars.

[goonys evil twin]

Blame this on the crowd that thinks Placido Polanco was the Detroit MVP.

[Vinestal]

Alot of negative talk on this guy, I think he could put up similar numbers to his 2006 numbers for a couple of years, he can platoon with JJ and play some infield. I really think EPatt could be ready as soon as mid season and this move alows them to bring him along slowly. Im not dancing in the streets over this move but I hardly think its a bad move or a major blunder.

[CuseCubFan69]

I doubt we'll see him play 2B everyday. He'll play some at 2B, he'll back up Ramirez at 3B, and he'll platoon with Jones in RF. I expect him to get around 300-400 at bats. This number could go up or go down, depending on what Theriot and EPatt do with opportunities given to them.

 

I like him as a back-up to Ramirez.

 

You like paying him $4.3m to back him up?

 

yes, but not just 3B. I like an .800+ OPS to get 450 AB's at various positions.

 

He's being paid like a regular. Even the Yankees don't have super expensive bench guys.

 

Unless Lou asked Hendry to beef up the bench big time due to the day games and this might put a couple of young guys on the bench to save some dough..

[fromthestretch]

Well, it could be worse...

 

http://www.sportsline.com/mlb/story/9803038

 

To be honest, I don't see how signing a bunch of guys to cheap deals to fill out your minor league rosters is worse than paying a guy, who has been for the most part mediocre and is coming off of a career year at age 31, 13 million dollars.

 

Especially Foppert. If he can stay healthy (very big if), he has some talent.

[Burtonbell]

Well, it could be worse...

 

http://www.sportsline.com/mlb/story/9803038

 

To be honest, I don't see how signing a bunch of guys to cheap deals to fill out your minor league rosters is worse than paying a guy, who has been for the most part mediocre and is coming off of a career year at age 31, 13 million dollars.

 

I meant the ordonez signing in the article...you want him back? I'll take a team of Derosa's starting over him...Yuck...

 

 

But I agree with you 100% on this issue.

[RyCubsFan]

He's being paid like a regular. Even the Yankees don't have super expensive bench guys.

 

Unless Lou asked Hendry to beef up the bench big time due to the day games and this might put a couple of young guys on the bench to save some dough..

 

Ding ding ding ding!

I think you hit the nail on the head.

[sporrer17]

DeRosa would be a great #2 hitter if he keeps up last year's numbers. Now SS is up for grabs between Cedeno/Izturis/Theriot. Let Theriot have a shot there in the spring, PLEASE!

 

I thought I read DeRosa could play SS too?

 

DeRosa hasn't played more than maybe 10-20 games at SS in a quite a while...He reminds me a little bit of Mark Bellhorn...he can play all the IF spots and corner OF, but SS is going to be shaky and he won't hit enough to play 1b/3b/LF/RF full-time. If him playing SS gets Theriot on the field rather than Izturis, I'm all for it.

[goonys evil twin]

Alot of negative talk on this guy, I think he could put up similar numbers to his 2006 numbers for a couple of years,

 

He could. It's not likely. But he could. There is negative talk because this guy has absolutely sucked for significant portions of his career. He could repeat his fine 2006. But he could also repeat his abysmal 2004. We don't know. It doesn't make much sense to sign a player with that amount of uncertainty to this kind of contract. People would die if this money went to a free agent Kerry Wood. But at least Wood offers significantly greater upside. (not that I would have given him that money).

[UMFan83]

Well, it could be worse...

 

http://www.sportsline.com/mlb/story/9803038

 

Rey Rnez!

[A New Era]

i heard the belliard thing before the barfield trade, so take it with a grain of alt

 

http://www.geniusdv.com/weblog/archives/altkey.gif

[USSoccer]

He's being paid like a regular. Even the Yankees don't have super expensive bench guys.

 

Unless Lou asked Hendry to beef up the bench big time due to the day games and this might put a couple of young guys on the bench to save some dough..

 

Ding ding ding ding!

I think you hit the nail on the head.

 

But you still didn't have to run out and pay him 3x what he deserved. We way overpaid. If we paid him about $2m, I wouldn't care. If that extra $2m per is the difference between a crappy OF and JD Drew, I'm going to be bloody ticked.

[YearofDaCubs]

Well, it could be worse...

 

http://www.sportsline.com/mlb/story/9803038

 

To be honest, I don't see how signing a bunch of guys to cheap deals to fill out your minor league rosters is worse than paying a guy, who has been for the most part mediocre and is coming off of a career year at age 31, 13 million dollars.

 

I meant the ordonez signing in the article...you want him back? I'll take a team of Derosa's starting over him...Yuck...

 

 

But I agree with you 100% on this issue.

I would rather have Theriot or somebody else instead of a Derosa making over 4mil per year. That money should be used to IMPROVE the team. I don't see how signing Derosa does that.

[justlikethecubs]

The money is really the only bad thing I see here. He's a good super sub like everyone has been saying and I dont think Lou will play him if he doesnt win the job. If Theriot plays well, he'll just be an expensive super sub. If this signing was to somehow stop us from getting one of the bigger targets, then its bad, but I think if another 2-3 million will get us who we want, Hendry will go for it. His job is on the line.

[ThePenguin11]

I don't dislike DeRosa, but when you really break it down, isn't he Todd Walker at best? Walker was making a lot less money too. I'm nonplussed but I'll give Hendry the benefit of the doubt for now.

[CubColtPacer]

He's being paid like a regular. Even the Yankees don't have super expensive bench guys.

 

Unless Lou asked Hendry to beef up the bench big time due to the day games and this might put a couple of young guys on the bench to save some dough..

 

Ding ding ding ding!

I think you hit the nail on the head.

 

But you still didn't have to run out and pay him 3x what he deserved. We way overpaid. If we paid him about $2m, I wouldn't care. If that extra $2m per is the difference between a crappy OF and JD Drew, I'm going to be bloody ticked.

 

If we paid him 2 million, we wouldn't have gotten him. I'm not sure if that's what we would have wanted at that point, but he wasn't coming here for 2 million dollars.

[YearofDaCubs]

He's being paid like a regular. Even the Yankees don't have super expensive bench guys.

 

Unless Lou asked Hendry to beef up the bench big time due to the day games and this might put a couple of young guys on the bench to save some dough..

 

Ding ding ding ding!

I think you hit the nail on the head.

 

But you still didn't have to run out and pay him 3x what he deserved. We way overpaid. If we paid him about $2m, I wouldn't care. If that extra $2m per is the difference between a crappy OF and JD Drew, I'm going to be bloody ticked.

And I believe that is what's going to happen. Just like a couple years ago we signed Neifi, Rusch and Burnitz to terrible deals when we could have added most of that money together and possibly could have gotten a top tier FA like Drew, and possibly Beltran.

[JGalt73]

Just for fun, last year PECOTA pegged his 2007 production at replacement level and declined to rank 2008 or beyond as he was predicted to be out of baseball with only a 1/3 shot at remaining in the league in 2007.

[USSoccer]

He's being paid like a regular. Even the Yankees don't have super expensive bench guys.

 

Unless Lou asked Hendry to beef up the bench big time due to the day games and this might put a couple of young guys on the bench to save some dough..

 

Ding ding ding ding!

I think you hit the nail on the head.

 

But you still didn't have to run out and pay him 3x what he deserved. We way overpaid. If we paid him about $2m, I wouldn't care. If that extra $2m per is the difference between a crappy OF and JD Drew, I'm going to be bloody ticked.

 

If we paid him 2 million, we wouldn't have gotten him. I'm not sure if that's what we would have wanted at that point, but he wasn't coming here for 2 million dollars.

 

Then I'd live with missing out on him. He made $675k last year. He would have taken $2m, because I cannot imagine another team giving him more per.

[WrigleyinEngland]

If we're not going to give an oppotunity to Cedeno,Theriot,Moore then Hendry better find someone to take them that will give us a legit power bat in return. What spot did Derosa hit in last year??.

[goonys evil twin]

He's being paid like a regular. Even the Yankees don't have super expensive bench guys.

 

Unless Lou asked Hendry to beef up the bench big time due to the day games and this might put a couple of young guys on the bench to save some dough..

 

Ding ding ding ding!

I think you hit the nail on the head.

 

But you still didn't have to run out and pay him 3x what he deserved. We way overpaid. If we paid him about $2m, I wouldn't care. If that extra $2m per is the difference between a crappy OF and JD Drew, I'm going to be bloody ticked.

And I believe that is what's going to happen. Just like a couple years ago we signed Neifi, Rusch and Burnitz to terrible deals when we could have added most of that money together and possibly could have gotten a top tier FA like Drew, and possibly Beltran.

 

Except the excuse will be they weren't interested in Drew and this money had nothing to do with it. It's pretty clear DeRosa was the guy they had their eyes on after the meetings.

[Flames24Rulz]

I don't dislike DeRosa, but when you really break it down, isn't he Todd Walker at best? Walker was making a lot less money too. I'm nonplussed but I'll give Hendry the benefit of the doubt for now.

 

Thats what I thought of this signing; a right-handed version of Walker. I don't feel particularly bad about this signing, but not particularly great either.

[gflore34]

Hendry' trying the Cardinal MO:

1. sign average to below average player - DeRosa - check

2. average to below average player goes on to have career year - check whoa there, not so fast, Jocketty would have gotten him for 2 years/3 million and the career year was last year.

Edited November 14, 2006 by gflore34