Zell to Purchase Tribune Co., Sell Cubs

10man · April 3, 2007

I still haven't heard a convincing explantion for how all these big contracts Hendry just gave out are supposed to increase the value of the team. They have

A) created $300 mil in debt for the organization

B) placed the Cubs in the position of needing to maintain one of the largest payrolls in the NL to contend until 2011.

If I'm a prospective buyer I can't imagine how these things would make me want to pay more for a team. I can very well imagine them making me want pay less though.

But the $300 million in debt is spread over many years. The fact remains that our payroll is very reasonable for a big market team. Why would this be bad? If people are willing to spend upwards of $600 - 1 billion, I hardly think a 100-110 million dollar payroll would matter...

Actually I would disagree that the $300M is a debt. What it actually is, is a liability. But the fact is that this franchise's assets more than make up for all the liabilities put together and so the Cubs as a franchise is most definitely NOT in DEBT.

This team easily earns more than it spends every year even with a big market payroll and that is what any potential buyer/owner will look at.

frostwyrm · April 3, 2007

I still haven't heard a convincing explantion for how all these big contracts Hendry just gave out are supposed to increase the value of the team. They have

A) created $300 mil in debt for the organization

B) placed the Cubs in the position of needing to maintain one of the largest payrolls in the NL to contend until 2011.

If I'm a prospective buyer I can't imagine how these things would make me want to pay more for a team. I can very well imagine them making me want pay less though.

But the $300 million in debt is spread over many years. The fact remains that our payroll is very reasonable for a big market team. Why would this be bad? If people are willing to spend upwards of $600 - 1 billion, I hardly think a 100-110 million dollar payroll would matter...
Actually I would disagree that the $300M is a debt. What it actually is, is a liability. But the fact is that this franchise's assets more than make up for all the liabilities put together and so the Cubs as a franchise is most definitely NOT in DEBT.

This team easily earns more than it spends every year even with a big market payroll and that is what any potential buyer/owner will look at.

Yeah I'm aware the team is a profitable business. That's why people want to buy it. That $300M is definitely a debt though. Those are guaranteed contracts and those players will be paid that money, and I don't think most of these contracts could be moved without eating a large chunk of their value. I don't want to turn this into a Soriano-bashing thread but his contract alone would be enough to make me reduce my offer for the Cubs, since I believe it will become one of the great stinkbombs in the history of pro sports. The Trib better hope Soriano has a good year, because if he gets shifted to a corner OF spot and regresses to his TX numbers it will have a bad effect on the ultimate sale price of the team.

CubColtPacer · April 3, 2007

I still haven't heard a convincing explantion for how all these big contracts Hendry just gave out are supposed to increase the value of the team. They have

A) created $300 mil in debt for the organization

B) placed the Cubs in the position of needing to maintain one of the largest payrolls in the NL to contend until 2011.

If I'm a prospective buyer I can't imagine how these things would make me want to pay more for a team. I can very well imagine them making me want pay less though.

But the $300 million in debt is spread over many years. The fact remains that our payroll is very reasonable for a big market team. Why would this be bad? If people are willing to spend upwards of $600 - 1 billion, I hardly think a 100-110 million dollar payroll would matter...

100-110 mil. is still a very big payroll for an MLB team, and really it won't be enough to to field a contender in 2008 and especially 2009, assuming Z eventually gets signed. It'll take at least $125M to make a repectable attempt at contention in 2009, and very likely a good deal more than $125M. If I'm a prospective buyer that's the type of crap that would make me walk the asking price down, not up.

I don't agree at all that it is likely that it would cost a good deal more than 125 million to contend in 2009.

Adding in 17 million for Z, if no contracts are jettisoned that is 89 million for Soriano, Lee, Ramirez, Lilly, Marquis, DeRosa, and Z with the .3 buyout of Blanco's contract. So that is a lineup of:

C-?

1B-Lee

2B-DeRosa

SS-?

3B-Ramirez

LF-?

CF-?

RF-Soriano

P-Z

P-Lilly

P-Marquis

P-?

Bullpen-none

Ok, let's start filling in some of the blanks. Hill should have one of the starting pitcher slots, and hopefully Murton and Pie will take the two outfield slots. Those are all at least somewhat cheap players-I think everybody in that group that I mentioned would not be free agents until at least after 2010, so none of them will even be in their last arbitration year. The other starting pitcher slot will also likely be taken by a cheap player, whoever that is by that point (the Cubs have enough of them to project at least one will make it there).

So that leaves C, SS, and the bullpen, and probably 20-25 million left of that 125 million. If one of C or SS is filled by a cheap player (Cedeno?) and a few of the bullpen arms are, which shouldn't be a problem, then the payroll shouldn't have to go above 125 and quite possibly even under it in 2009, which is easily the worst year for a money crunch. That's also assuming that none of the contracts get traded, and I see it as somewhat likely that one of the group of DeRosa/Lilly/Marquis will be gone by that time.

Edit: Lol, of course the Bench..forgot about them, but they don't really detract from my point. The Cubs will likely have a cheap backup C by then, Theriot (if DeRosa isn't traded), and probably one cheap backup outfielder along with 2 other veterans to fill the bench spots-so that's only going to add 3-4 million.

Edited April 3, 2007 by CubColtPacer

shnsajax · April 3, 2007

I still haven't heard a convincing explantion for how all these big contracts Hendry just gave out are supposed to increase the value of the team. They have

A) created $300 mil in debt for the organization

B) placed the Cubs in the position of needing to maintain one of the largest payrolls in the NL to contend until 2011.

If I'm a prospective buyer I can't imagine how these things would make me want to pay more for a team. I can very well imagine them making me want pay less though.

But the $300 million in debt is spread over many years. The fact remains that our payroll is very reasonable for a big market team. Why would this be bad? If people are willing to spend upwards of $600 - 1 billion, I hardly think a 100-110 million dollar payroll would matter...
Actually I would disagree that the $300M is a debt. What it actually is, is a liability. But the fact is that this franchise's assets more than make up for all the liabilities put together and so the Cubs as a franchise is most definitely NOT in DEBT.

This team easily earns more than it spends every year even with a big market payroll and that is what any potential buyer/owner will look at.

Yeah I'm aware the team is a profitable business. That's why people want to buy it. That $300M is definitely a debt though. Those are guaranteed contracts and those players will be paid that money, and I don't think most of these contracts could be moved without eating a large chunk of their value. I don't want to turn this into a Soriano-bashing thread but his contract alone would be enough to make me reduce my offer for the Cubs, since I believe it will become one of the great stinkbombs in the history of pro sports. The Trib better hope Soriano has a good year, because if he gets shifted to a corner OF spot and regresses to his TX numbers it will have a bad effect on the ultimate sale price of the team.

So are players under contract not considered an asset?

Soul · April 3, 2007

Here's an interesting blog/article to chew on:

http://dealbook.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/04/03/who-will-go-to-bat-for-the-cubs/

They cite Cuban and Colangelo as serious contenders. Let me just say, if Colangelo is indeed interested I would be very happy to have him buy the Cubs. His accomplishments in the desert speak very loudly -- this is a proven, successful sports owner who has already built a World Series Champion. From scratch. Think what he could do with the Cubs.

frostwyrm · April 3, 2007

I still haven't heard a convincing explantion for how all these big contracts Hendry just gave out are supposed to increase the value of the team. They have

A) created $300 mil in debt for the organization

B) placed the Cubs in the position of needing to maintain one of the largest payrolls in the NL to contend until 2011.

If I'm a prospective buyer I can't imagine how these things would make me want to pay more for a team. I can very well imagine them making me want pay less though.

But the $300 million in debt is spread over many years. The fact remains that our payroll is very reasonable for a big market team. Why would this be bad? If people are willing to spend upwards of $600 - 1 billion, I hardly think a 100-110 million dollar payroll would matter...
Actually I would disagree that the $300M is a debt. What it actually is, is a liability. But the fact is that this franchise's assets more than make up for all the liabilities put together and so the Cubs as a franchise is most definitely NOT in DEBT.

This team easily earns more than it spends every year even with a big market payroll and that is what any potential buyer/owner will look at.

Yeah I'm aware the team is a profitable business. That's why people want to buy it. That $300M is definitely a debt though. Those are guaranteed contracts and those players will be paid that money, and I don't think most of these contracts could be moved without eating a large chunk of their value. I don't want to turn this into a Soriano-bashing thread but his contract alone would be enough to make me reduce my offer for the Cubs, since I believe it will become one of the great stinkbombs in the history of pro sports. The Trib better hope Soriano has a good year, because if he gets shifted to a corner OF spot and regresses to his TX numbers it will have a bad effect on the ultimate sale price of the team.

So are players under contract not considered an asset?

If they are paid top dollar for what they contribute then no, they are not an asset. The Cubs roster is really rather bad for its price.

UMFan83 · April 3, 2007

Here's an interesting blog/article to chew on:

http://dealbook.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/04/03/who-will-go-to-bat-for-the-cubs/

They cite Cuban and Colangelo as serious contenders. Let me just say, if Colangelo is indeed interested I would be very happy to have him buy the Cubs. His accomplishments in the desert speak very loudly -- this is a proven, successful sports owner who has already built a World Series Champion. From scratch. Think what he could do with the Cubs.

And then almost bankrupt the team..

oldcubsfan · April 3, 2007

Here's an interesting blog/article to chew on:

http://dealbook.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/04/03/who-will-go-to-bat-for-the-cubs/

They cite Cuban and Colangelo as serious contenders. Let me just say, if Colangelo is indeed interested I would be very happy to have him buy the Cubs. His accomplishments in the desert speak very loudly -- this is a proven, successful sports owner who has already built a World Series Champion. From scratch. Think what he could do with the Cubs.

And then almost bankrupt the team..

And forced out as the general partner.

KingCubsFan · April 3, 2007

Yeah I'm aware the team is a profitable business. That's why people want to buy it. That $300M is definitely a debt though. Those are guaranteed contracts and those players will be paid that money, and I don't think most of these contracts could be moved without eating a large chunk of their value. I don't want to turn this into a Soriano-bashing thread but his contract alone would be enough to make me reduce my offer for the Cubs, since I believe it will become one of the great stinkbombs in the history of pro sports. The Trib better hope Soriano has a good year, because if he gets shifted to a corner OF spot and regresses to his TX numbers it will have a bad effect on the ultimate sale price of the team.

Anyone who buys the Cubs will be

A) A Cubs fan

B) Someone who wants the Cubs because they are profitable

No prospective owner will care whether Soriano's OBP slips. If anything, he is a benefit because he is one of the most marketable, popular players in the league and will most likely remain so for the next few years.

C.C. · April 3, 2007

I still haven't heard a convincing explantion for how all these big contracts Hendry just gave out are supposed to increase the value of the team. They have

A) created $300 mil in debt for the organization

B) placed the Cubs in the position of needing to maintain one of the largest payrolls in the NL to contend until 2011.

If I'm a prospective buyer I can't imagine how these things would make me want to pay more for a team. I can very well imagine them making me want pay less though.

But the $300 million in debt is spread over many years. The fact remains that our payroll is very reasonable for a big market team. Why would this be bad? If people are willing to spend upwards of $600 - 1 billion, I hardly think a 100-110 million dollar payroll would matter...

100-110 mil. is still a very big payroll for an MLB team, and really it won't be enough to to field a contender in 2008 and especially 2009, assuming Z eventually gets signed. It'll take at least $125M to make a repectable attempt at contention in 2009, and very likely a good deal more than $125M. If I'm a prospective buyer that's the type of crap that would make me walk the asking price down, not up.

I don't agree at all that it is likely that it would cost a good deal more than 125 million to contend in 2009.

Which is what the Cubs should be spending. Look no futher then Boston spending what 150 million. If the new owners had to raise tickets prices then so be it.

frostwyrm · April 3, 2007

Yeah I'm aware the team is a profitable business. That's why people want to buy it. That $300M is definitely a debt though. Those are guaranteed contracts and those players will be paid that money, and I don't think most of these contracts could be moved without eating a large chunk of their value. I don't want to turn this into a Soriano-bashing thread but his contract alone would be enough to make me reduce my offer for the Cubs, since I believe it will become one of the great stinkbombs in the history of pro sports. The Trib better hope Soriano has a good year, because if he gets shifted to a corner OF spot and regresses to his TX numbers it will have a bad effect on the ultimate sale price of the team.
Anyone who buys the Cubs will be
A) A Cubs fan
B) Someone who wants the Cubs because they are profitable
No prospective owner will care whether Soriano's OBP slips. If anything, he is a benefit because he is one of the most marketable, popular players in the league and will most likely remain so for the next few years.

Soriano's popularity will disappear very quickly if he can't hack it in CF and puts up an OPS slightly above .800, as he did in TX for the 2 years before 2006. Then he'll be a barely above average corner OF who's owed another $126 mil. That's not something a buyer would consider attractive.

C.C. · April 3, 2007

Yeah I'm aware the team is a profitable business. That's why people want to buy it. That $300M is definitely a debt though. Those are guaranteed contracts and those players will be paid that money, and I don't think most of these contracts could be moved without eating a large chunk of their value. I don't want to turn this into a Soriano-bashing thread but his contract alone would be enough to make me reduce my offer for the Cubs, since I believe it will become one of the great stinkbombs in the history of pro sports. The Trib better hope Soriano has a good year, because if he gets shifted to a corner OF spot and regresses to his TX numbers it will have a bad effect on the ultimate sale price of the team.
Anyone who buys the Cubs will be
A) A Cubs fan
B) Someone who wants the Cubs because they are profitable
No prospective owner will care whether Soriano's OBP slips. If anything, he is a benefit because he is one of the most marketable, popular players in the league and will most likely remain so for the next few years.

Soriano's popularity will disappear very quickly if he can't hack it in CF and puts up an OPS slightly above .800, as he did in TX for the 2 years before 2006. Then he'll be a barely above average corner OF who's owed another $126 mil. That's not something a buyer would consider attractive.

Let's get real. A bad year from Soriano isn't going to deter people from buying the Cubs.

CubinNY · April 3, 2007

Yeah I'm aware the team is a profitable business. That's why people want to buy it. That $300M is definitely a debt though. Those are guaranteed contracts and those players will be paid that money, and I don't think most of these contracts could be moved without eating a large chunk of their value. I don't want to turn this into a Soriano-bashing thread but his contract alone would be enough to make me reduce my offer for the Cubs, since I believe it will become one of the great stinkbombs in the history of pro sports. The Trib better hope Soriano has a good year, because if he gets shifted to a corner OF spot and regresses to his TX numbers it will have a bad effect on the ultimate sale price of the team.
Anyone who buys the Cubs will be
A) A Cubs fan
B) Someone who wants the Cubs because they are profitable
No prospective owner will care whether Soriano's OBP slips. If anything, he is a benefit because he is one of the most marketable, popular players in the league and will most likely remain so for the next few years.

Soriano's popularity will disappear very quickly if he can't hack it in CF and puts up an OPS slightly above .800, as he did in TX for the 2 years before 2006. Then he'll be a barely above average corner OF who's owed another $126 mil. That's not something a buyer would consider attractive.

Let's get real. A bad year from Soriano isn't going to deter people from buying the Cubs.

No, but it drove Trib stock price down for a day or two. :D

CubColtPacer · April 3, 2007

Yeah I'm aware the team is a profitable business. That's why people want to buy it. That $300M is definitely a debt though. Those are guaranteed contracts and those players will be paid that money, and I don't think most of these contracts could be moved without eating a large chunk of their value. I don't want to turn this into a Soriano-bashing thread but his contract alone would be enough to make me reduce my offer for the Cubs, since I believe it will become one of the great stinkbombs in the history of pro sports. The Trib better hope Soriano has a good year, because if he gets shifted to a corner OF spot and regresses to his TX numbers it will have a bad effect on the ultimate sale price of the team.
Anyone who buys the Cubs will be
A) A Cubs fan
B) Someone who wants the Cubs because they are profitable
No prospective owner will care whether Soriano's OBP slips. If anything, he is a benefit because he is one of the most marketable, popular players in the league and will most likely remain so for the next few years.

Soriano's popularity will disappear very quickly if he can't hack it in CF and puts up an OPS slightly above .800, as he did in TX for the 2 years before 2006. Then he'll be a barely above average corner OF who's owed another $126 mil. That's not something a buyer would consider attractive.

Soriano even if he regresses will likely be a 30/30 player (he has only missed once on each of those in the last 5 years, and with Lou running the team, he'll have many more chances to run the bases than in Texas, and he'll likely get enough at-bats from the leadoff spot to have 30 home runs). Soriano would be very overrated if he regresses like that and wouldn't be a great asset to help the team win, but his home runs and steals would make him very popular with the fans.

frostwyrm · April 3, 2007

Yeah I'm aware the team is a profitable business. That's why people want to buy it. That $300M is definitely a debt though. Those are guaranteed contracts and those players will be paid that money, and I don't think most of these contracts could be moved without eating a large chunk of their value. I don't want to turn this into a Soriano-bashing thread but his contract alone would be enough to make me reduce my offer for the Cubs, since I believe it will become one of the great stinkbombs in the history of pro sports. The Trib better hope Soriano has a good year, because if he gets shifted to a corner OF spot and regresses to his TX numbers it will have a bad effect on the ultimate sale price of the team.
Anyone who buys the Cubs will be
A) A Cubs fan
B) Someone who wants the Cubs because they are profitable
No prospective owner will care whether Soriano's OBP slips. If anything, he is a benefit because he is one of the most marketable, popular players in the league and will most likely remain so for the next few years.

Soriano's popularity will disappear very quickly if he can't hack it in CF and puts up an OPS slightly above .800, as he did in TX for the 2 years before 2006. Then he'll be a barely above average corner OF who's owed another $126 mil. That's not something a buyer would consider attractive.

Let's get real. A bad year from Soriano isn't going to deter people from buying the Cubs.

Of course not, but it would put a big dent in the sale price of the club. Current projections of the Cubs' price don't include a player who looks like a $126M bust.

papabear58 · April 3, 2007

Yeah I'm aware the team is a profitable business. That's why people want to buy it. That $300M is definitely a debt though. Those are guaranteed contracts and those players will be paid that money, and I don't think most of these contracts could be moved without eating a large chunk of their value. I don't want to turn this into a Soriano-bashing thread but his contract alone would be enough to make me reduce my offer for the Cubs, since I believe it will become one of the great stinkbombs in the history of pro sports. The Trib better hope Soriano has a good year, because if he gets shifted to a corner OF spot and regresses to his TX numbers it will have a bad effect on the ultimate sale price of the team.
Anyone who buys the Cubs will be
A) A Cubs fan
B) Someone who wants the Cubs because they are profitable
No prospective owner will care whether Soriano's OBP slips. If anything, he is a benefit because he is one of the most marketable, popular players in the league and will most likely remain so for the next few years.

Soriano's popularity will disappear very quickly if he can't hack it in CF and puts up an OPS slightly above .800, as he did in TX for the 2 years before 2006. Then he'll be a barely above average corner OF who's owed another $126 mil. That's not something a buyer would consider attractive.

Let's get real. A bad year from Soriano isn't going to deter people from buying the Cubs.

Of course not, but it would put a big dent in the sale price of the club. Current projections of the Cubs' price don't include a player who looks like a $126M bust.

I maybe just a little behind here, but shouldn't we wait to see how he works out before we call him a bust? I mean, he did have an ok spring, and Piniella has coached players similar to him (ala Ken Griffey power hitter and steals guy). Give him a chance, because if he's doing 40/40/40 again, it would be a huge boost to the sale. It's a two edged sword here.

C.C. · April 3, 2007

Yeah I'm aware the team is a profitable business. That's why people want to buy it. That $300M is definitely a debt though. Those are guaranteed contracts and those players will be paid that money, and I don't think most of these contracts could be moved without eating a large chunk of their value. I don't want to turn this into a Soriano-bashing thread but his contract alone would be enough to make me reduce my offer for the Cubs, since I believe it will become one of the great stinkbombs in the history of pro sports. The Trib better hope Soriano has a good year, because if he gets shifted to a corner OF spot and regresses to his TX numbers it will have a bad effect on the ultimate sale price of the team.
Anyone who buys the Cubs will be
A) A Cubs fan
B) Someone who wants the Cubs because they are profitable
No prospective owner will care whether Soriano's OBP slips. If anything, he is a benefit because he is one of the most marketable, popular players in the league and will most likely remain so for the next few years.

Soriano's popularity will disappear very quickly if he can't hack it in CF and puts up an OPS slightly above .800, as he did in TX for the 2 years before 2006. Then he'll be a barely above average corner OF who's owed another $126 mil. That's not something a buyer would consider attractive.

Let's get real. A bad year from Soriano isn't going to deter people from buying the Cubs.

Of course not, but it would put a big dent in the sale price of the club. Current projections of the Cubs' price don't include a player who looks like a $126M bust.

Not really. You're talking about 17 million a year. What is a billionaire going to say okay instead of buying the cubs for 600 million you better minus Sori contract? Soriano is not going to be a bust, so it's really a moot point. He's hit his whole career and is in great shape. He's not going to all of a sudden lose it.

Chocolate Milk · April 3, 2007

Yeah I'm aware the team is a profitable business. That's why people want to buy it. That $300M is definitely a debt though. Those are guaranteed contracts and those players will be paid that money, and I don't think most of these contracts could be moved without eating a large chunk of their value. I don't want to turn this into a Soriano-bashing thread but his contract alone would be enough to make me reduce my offer for the Cubs, since I believe it will become one of the great stinkbombs in the history of pro sports. The Trib better hope Soriano has a good year, because if he gets shifted to a corner OF spot and regresses to his TX numbers it will have a bad effect on the ultimate sale price of the team.
Anyone who buys the Cubs will be
A) A Cubs fan
B) Someone who wants the Cubs because they are profitable
No prospective owner will care whether Soriano's OBP slips. If anything, he is a benefit because he is one of the most marketable, popular players in the league and will most likely remain so for the next few years.

Soriano's popularity will disappear very quickly if he can't hack it in CF and puts up an OPS slightly above .800, as he did in TX for the 2 years before 2006. Then he'll be a barely above average corner OF who's owed another $126 mil. That's not something a buyer would consider attractive.

Let's get real. A bad year from Soriano isn't going to deter people from buying the Cubs.

Of course not, but it would put a big dent in the sale price of the club. Current projections of the Cubs' price don't include a player who looks like a $126M bust.

Not really. You're talking about 17 million a year. What is a billionaire going to say okay instead of buying the cubs for 600 million you better minus Sori contract? Soriano is not going to be a bust, so it's really a moot point. He's hit his whole career and is in great shape. He's not going to all of a sudden lose it.

I doubt a potential buyer of the Cubs is going to base the amount of his offer on the OPS of particular players.

Elrhino · April 3, 2007

People will line up to buy the Cubs because, now that baseball has managed to get out of its own way in the wake of labor peace, owning an MLB team is a license to print money. The revenue from the audio and video streams from MLB.com has been such a cash cow that the site is conservatively valued at $5 billion. That is money that didn't exist 5-8 years ago that goes evenly into the pockets of the 30 teams, without having any middlemen or network broadcasters taking a chunk of it. When the Royals can afford to spend $10 a year on a pitcher, regardless of what you personally think of the acquisition, its a sign that even small market teams have cash flow at hand. Even the A's are operating at a payroll over $70 million.

With the Mavericks Cuban is paying $90 million in salary this year in a sport with half the home games, in venues that only seat half the attendance of baseball.

Edited April 3, 2007 by Elrhino

shnsajax · April 3, 2007

Yeah I'm aware the team is a profitable business. That's why people want to buy it. That $300M is definitely a debt though. Those are guaranteed contracts and those players will be paid that money, and I don't think most of these contracts could be moved without eating a large chunk of their value. I don't want to turn this into a Soriano-bashing thread but his contract alone would be enough to make me reduce my offer for the Cubs, since I believe it will become one of the great stinkbombs in the history of pro sports. The Trib better hope Soriano has a good year, because if he gets shifted to a corner OF spot and regresses to his TX numbers it will have a bad effect on the ultimate sale price of the team.
Anyone who buys the Cubs will be
A) A Cubs fan
B) Someone who wants the Cubs because they are profitable
No prospective owner will care whether Soriano's OBP slips. If anything, he is a benefit because he is one of the most marketable, popular players in the league and will most likely remain so for the next few years.

Soriano's popularity will disappear very quickly if he can't hack it in CF and puts up an OPS slightly above .800, as he did in TX for the 2 years before 2006. Then he'll be a barely above average corner OF who's owed another $126 mil. That's not something a buyer would consider attractive.

Let's get real. A bad year from Soriano isn't going to deter people from buying the Cubs.

Of course not, but it would put a big dent in the sale price of the club. Current projections of the Cubs' price don't include a player who looks like a $126M bust.

I maybe just a little behind here, but shouldn't we wait to see how he works out before we call him a bust? I mean, he did have an ok spring, and Piniella has coached players similar to him (ala Ken Griffey power hitter and steals guy). Give him a chance, because if he's doing 40/40/40 again, it would be a huge boost to the sale. It's a two edged sword here.

Not in the eyes of negativity.

Omar · April 4, 2007

Well since Tribune has a new owner, when will they likely choose the new owner of the Cubs?

seanimal · April 4, 2007

Well since Tribune has a new owner, when will they likely choose the new owner of the Cubs?

Hopefully the process will take place throughout the season, with much of the selection process completed before the season/post-season ends, otherwise, the impending sale could hamper whatever the club plans on doing as far as upgrades/personnel changes. We'll see though, it could drag out.

frostwyrm · April 4, 2007

What I'm wondering is what happens mid-season if the Cubs are in the hunt and need one piece of the puzzle at the trade deadline. For example, what happens if DLee gets injured on July 15th and they need a big bat to stay in the race? Could they afford to take on another big salary, or would they just have to put Daryle Ward at 1B every day and hope for the best?

Andy · April 4, 2007

What I'm wondering is what happens mid-season if the Cubs are in the hunt and need one piece of the puzzle at the trade deadline. For example, what happens if DLee gets injured on July 15th and they need a big bat to stay in the race? Could they afford to take on another big salary, or would they just have to put Daryle Ward at 1B every day and hope for the best?

Cubs general manager Jim Hendry said he has been assured the financial resources still will be in place if he wants to pull off a midseason deal to beef up the roster for a stretch run despite the impending sale of the team announced Monday.
-- Chicago Tribune

J.R. · April 4, 2007

LA billionaires study Tribune options

reuters.com[/url]"]Two Los Angeles billionaires could launch a counterbid for Tribune Co. after the publisher and broadcaster spurned their earlier offer in favor of a rival bid from Chicago real estate entrepreneur Sam Zell, a source familiar with the matter said on Tuesday.

Philanthropist Eli Broad and supermarket investor Ron Burkle are meeting with their advisers and "continuing to study Tribune opportunities," the source said.

Zell to Purchase Tribune Co., Sell Cubs

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