Wood Wants to Start?

[Wheelimus]

If Wood is willing to take a "make good" contract to be a starter, I have absolutely no problem with it. Kerry Wood, best 5th starter in baseball? It's worth a 3 million guaranteed lotto play, with incentives if his arm doesn't fall off.

 

Better bet than much of anything on the free agent market too.

 

I like it.

[jiml60]

This issue just reminds me of a reoccurring nightmare, depend on Wood as a starter and re-sign Prior just in case he's healthy someday. Both players were talented but it's time to cut the ties.

 

I don't understand why Cub fans keep saying this. The time to cut ties will be when neither shows they can pitch again. The Cubs have spent a lot of time and money on both and it would be foolish to let them both walk away with nothing in return.

 

Sure everyone would love to see Wood and Prior revert to their 2003 form but a more realistic view is that one or both are healthy enough to knock Marquis from this staff.

[CuseCubFan69]

This issue just reminds me of a reoccurring nightmare, depend on Wood as a starter and re-sign Prior just in case he's healthy someday. Both players were talented but it's time to cut the ties.

 

I don't understand why Cub fans keep saying this. The time to cut ties will be when neither shows they can pitch again. The Cubs have spent a lot of time and money on both and it would be foolish to let them both walk away with nothing in return.

 

Sure everyone would love to see Wood and Prior revert to their 2003 form but a more realistic view is that one or both are healthy enough to knock Marquis from this staff.

 

Is it less foolish to continue paying for their rehab and have them on the DL? I think depending on Wood to start is even more foolish, unless the Cubs have 2 arms ready in the minors to take over for him and 4 minor arms if they are depending on Prior + Wood and they deal Marquis.

[Sammy Sofa]

They're only "depending" on Wood if they have no other options.

[CuseCubFan69]

They're only "depending" on Wood if they have no other options.

 

And you would be comfortable with that?

[Sammy Sofa]

They're only "depending" on Wood if they have no other options.

 

And you would be comfortable with that?

 

Of course not. Seeing as they're not relying on him or Prior for anything, that's simply not the situation the Cubs are dealing with.

[Guest]

I say let's go ahead and let Woody be a starter. Then when his arm inevitably falls off in May, Mark Prior can take over for him.

 

But in all seriousness, Woody should remain a reliever.

[CubColtPacer]

I still cannot believe we gave Marquis a 3/21 contract. Terrible.

 

Quit thinking like that...now its 2 years 14 million...still bad, but not as bad.

 

Actually, it's $16.25/2. Even worse.

 

And while I get the "only 2 years left" plan for making yourself sane, the truth is that we can't pretend that he didn't have an effect on our team in 2007. Both in performance and salary that could have been allocated in areas of greater need.

 

I don't think that 5 million would have helped anywhere in 2007 in another area. In fact, if we just look at last year, that 5 million for Marquis was much better than anything else we could do with that money (look at all the other players who got 7 million or less, it's not a pretty sight). There was no minor leaguer that could replace Marquis's production from last year or any free agent in that price range.

 

Those next 2 years are probably going to make the contact a whole lot worse though, although it depends on if Marquis can stay around average, and if the pitching market continues to be insane (the latter probably more likely than the former).

[Bull]

I say let's go ahead and let Woody be a starter. Then when his arm inevitably falls off in May, Mark Prior can take over for him.

 

But in all seriousness, Woody should remain a reliever.

 

what he should do and what the Cubs should offer are two different things.

 

He'd be better off in the 'pen, but if he wants to start, Hendry better make sure he knows he can do that in Chicago.

[jiml60]

This issue just reminds me of a reoccurring nightmare, depend on Wood as a starter and re-sign Prior just in case he's healthy someday. Both players were talented but it's time to cut the ties.

 

I don't understand why Cub fans keep saying this. The time to cut ties will be when neither shows they can pitch again. The Cubs have spent a lot of time and money on both and it would be foolish to let them both walk away with nothing in return.

 

Sure everyone would love to see Wood and Prior revert to their 2003 form but a more realistic view is that one or both are healthy enough to knock Marquis from this staff.

 

Is it less foolish to continue paying for their rehab and have them on the DL? I think depending on Wood to start is even more foolish, unless the Cubs have 2 arms ready in the minors to take over for him and 4 minor arms if they are depending on Prior + Wood and they deal Marquis.

 

It is foolish to base your offseason moves on both guys being ready to pitch, as Hendry has done in the past.

 

The fact is that since Hendry and the Cubs have spent the money on Wood & Prior to rehab, why not see if they can bounce back? Yet there are fans who would rather throw away the money that was spent instead of finding out if your investment will pan out?

 

How foolish would it be to cut bait now and see both of them pitch well for other teams?

 

I say, if they can't pitch for us, better make damn sure they can't pitch for anyone else.

[badnews]

I say we cut ties with Prior and Wood to teach them a lesson, and so we can move forward.

 

Ha, that's what one of them would say. The misconceptions are amusing. Like Wood and Prior's money is keeping us from obtaining Johan Santana or something. And "depending" on them. Yes, we're "depending" on them like we "depended" on Sean Gallagher, Angel Guzman, Rocky Cherry, Steve Trachsel, etc. that is, you see if they can help you and if not you move on to someone else.

 

After this year Prior is a free agent. No one believes that Prior could pull some kind of Adrian Beltre BS and have a big year and sucker some team into giving him a big contract?

[javy knows my name]

I say we cut ties with Prior and Wood to teach them a lesson, and so we can move forward.

 

Ha, that's what one of them would say. The misconceptions are amusing. Like Wood and Prior's money is keeping us from obtaining Johan Santana or something. And "depending" on them. Yes, we're "depending" on them like we "depended" on Sean Gallagher, Angel Guzman, Rocky Cherry, Steve Trachsel, etc. that is, you see if they can help you and if not you move on to someone else.

 

After this year Prior is a free agent. No one believes that Prior could pull some kind of Adrian Beltre BS and have a big year and sucker some team into giving him a big contract?

 

In hindsight, that has to be one of the most profitable walk years in the history of professional sports.

[frostwyrm]

I'd tell Kerry he could start, but only if he takes a $500K base salary. He's such a godawful poor health risk as a starter that he doesn't deserve any more than that.

[frostwyrm]

I still cannot believe we gave Marquis a 3/21 contract. Terrible.

 

Quit thinking like that...now its 2 years 14 million...still bad, but not as bad.

 

Actually, it's $16.25/2. Even worse.

 

And while I get the "only 2 years left" plan for making yourself sane, the truth is that we can't pretend that he didn't have an effect on our team in 2007. Both in performance and salary that could have been allocated in areas of greater need.

 

He makes $9.88M in 2009. Will he even be more than a mop-up man by then? It's entirely possible he may be out of baseball altogether.

[Bote McBoteface]

If Wood injures his arm one more time his carreer would probably be over. I'd prefer him in the bullpen for, at the bare minimum, one more year.

 

I'm pretty sure every pitcher in the majors would prefer to be a starter over a reliever, but in Wood's case I think he should just be thankful he still has the ability to even throw a baseball.

[biittner77]

The cold hard facts regarding Wood is that the Cubs are already spending a lot of money on the BP since they are paying 4 guys (Howry, Eyre, Wood and Dempster) closer money. While it's nice to have Kerry Wood as an effective every 3rd day/ 7th inning try to hold them close guy, the real issue is could that money be better spent elsewhere.

[Sammy Sofa]

The cold hard facts regarding Wood is that the Cubs are already spending a lot of money on the BP since they are paying 4 guys (Howry, Eyre, Wood and Dempster) closer money. While it's nice to have Kerry Wood as an effective every 3rd day/ 7th inning try to hold them close guy, the real issue is could that money be better spent elsewhere.

 

It's really not fair lump Wood in with those guys since he made, what, $1.5 million last year? More than what most cheapie young relievers get, granted, but let's not act like he's getting paid what those other guys are. Out of the 4, his salary was by far the least of their problems.

[badger1679666666]

Can't he take a hint!!?!!? The Starter thing is ova. Serioulsy. He has the potential to be an elite reliever the 2nd half of his career so why can't he accept that.

 

Have you ever been great at anything in your life? Have you ever been competetive anything in your life? I'm guessing a big negative on that one.

[CUBZ99]

I still cannot believe we gave Marquis a 3/21 contract. Terrible.

 

Quit thinking like that...now its 2 years 14 million...still bad, but not as bad.

 

Actually, it's $16.25/2. Even worse.

 

And while I get the "only 2 years left" plan for making yourself sane, the truth is that we can't pretend that he didn't have an effect on our team in 2007. Both in performance and salary that could have been allocated in areas of greater need.

 

He makes $9.88M in 2009. Will he even be more than a mop-up man by then? It's entirely possible he may be out of baseball altogether.

 

Lets not get carried away. Marquis is not a top tier pitcher, but the investment the Cubs made in him last year was not bad. I don't know if he will continue to produce at the same rate, but there are plenty of teams out there that would have loved to have the numbers Marquis put up last year near the end of their rotation. My guess is that Hendry trades him this offseason.

[CUBZ99]

Can't he take a hint!!?!!? The Starter thing is ova. Serioulsy. He has the potential to be an elite reliever the 2nd half of his career so why can't he accept that.

 

Have you ever been great at anything in your life? Have you ever been competetive anything in your life? I'm guessing a big negative on that one.

 

He won't get paid as much as a reliever.

[C.C.]

Can't he take a hint!!?!!? The Starter thing is ova. Serioulsy. He has the potential to be an elite reliever the 2nd half of his career so why can't he accept that.

 

Have you ever been great at anything in your life? Have you ever been competetive anything in your life? I'm guessing a big negative on that one.

 

He won't get paid as much as a reliever.

 

I don't think that matters as much to players like Wood. He could've got more last year if it was all about the $$$.

[wastra]

I don't know.

 

The wood and prior situations ahve been nightmares for us as fans, and I'm sure for the organization.

 

However, I sort of thought last season was a step forawrd for BOTH. Why? Well, to be honest, it seems like the first time we've actually got a real diagnosis of what was really WRONG with both of them. They found the tear in Wood's shoulder that had been eluding them, so they finally knew what they were treating. Prior finally had real surgery, which might be a GOOD thing, given that he can finally actually being a real recovery phase.

 

So, basically, if wood was worth a chance last year, you have to think he's worth more than just a 'chance' this year, given that last year's uncertanties are a little bit clearer. Last year, no one knew if Wood would be healthy because we didn't really know what was wrong with him. Same for Prior.

[jiml60]

I don't know.

 

The wood and prior situations ahve been nightmares for us as fans, and I'm sure for the organization.

 

However, I sort of thought last season was a step forawrd for BOTH. Why? Well, to be honest, it seems like the first time we've actually got a real diagnosis of what was really WRONG with both of them. They found the tear in Wood's shoulder that had been eluding them, so they finally knew what they were treating. Prior finally had real surgery, which might be a GOOD thing, given that he can finally actually being a real recovery phase.

 

So, basically, if wood was worth a chance last year, you have to think he's worth more than just a 'chance' this year, given that last year's uncertanties are a little bit clearer. Last year, no one knew if Wood would be healthy because we didn't really know what was wrong with him. Same for Prior.

 

EXACTLY.

[badnews]

There are a lot of teams who would want Jason Marquis? What was his ERA after the month of May, 5.40? Who wants that at an escalating salary?

[Guest]

I say let's go ahead and let Woody be a starter. Then when his arm inevitably falls off in May, Mark Prior can take over for him.

 

But in all seriousness, Woody should remain a reliever.

 

what he should do and what the Cubs should offer are two different things.

 

He'd be better off in the 'pen, but if he wants to start, Hendry better make sure he knows he can do that in Chicago.

 

He can start in Chicago if and only if he takes a low base salary with a lot of incentives. There is absolutely no reason to guarantee him any significant amount of money next year as a starter. Now you can, by all means, let him work his way up to $5+M through incentives as long as there's a low base. I have no faith in him to hold up for even half a year as a starter let alone a full year.