Re: Sullivan: Cubs working on two year deal for Prior

[Bruno7481]

Sullivan says Cubs are working on a two year deal for Prior. But said they would trade or non-tender him if he does not agree.

 

http://chicagosports.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/cs-071126cubsbits,1,5133952.story?coll=cs-cubs-headlines

Edited November 27, 2007 by Bruno7481

[Sammy Sofa]

Man, I hope this gets done. What's he making now, just under $4 million a year, right? So maybe if they offer him $6-7 million per with incentives that could get it as high as $10-12 million per for two years?

[fiver]

Man, I hope this gets done. What's he making now, just under $4 million a year, right? So maybe if they offer him $6-7 million per with incentives that could get it as high as $10-12 million per for two years?

 

I'm not sure I'd be willing to guarantee Prior anything more than he's making presently. Any contract would need to be incentive laden.

[Post Count Padder]

I hope they get something done. I don't want him to become good/healthy again with another team.

[CubColtPacer]

Man, I hope this gets done. What's he making now, just under $4 million a year, right? So maybe if they offer him $6-7 million per with incentives that could get it as high as $10-12 million per for two years?

 

I don't understand why the Cubs would rather lock him into a deal that guarantees him 2 years and 12-14 million (and if he pitches well than it's 2 years and 20 million) when they can have him pitch this year for 2.2 million and then sign him to a deal for a lot of money if he pans out at the end of the year. That's way too much money guaranteed when the alternative is having the first year being only 2 1/2 million guaranteed. The Cubs are going to want much, much lower base salaries than 6-7 million per year if Prior is to come back.

 

Also, for Prior to be good value with your contract, he has to come back and be the old Mark Prior at least 75 percent of the time. I think Prior has a reasonable chance to come back and be very good, but certainly nowhere near 75 percent.

[SouthSideRyan]

Give him the low base this year ~4M and make the option high like 9M next year.

[CuseCubFan69]

Trade the guy now before they lose even more money. If he comes back in 2 years and does well for someone else fine but why pay this guy a lot of money to be on the DL. I don't care if he "haunts" the Cubs by having a 1.4 WHIP for some other team.

[David]

Trade the guy now before they lose even more money. If he comes back in 2 years and does well for someone else fine but why pay this guy a lot of money to be on the DL. I don't care if he "haunts" the Cubs by having a 1.4 WHIP for some other team.

 

 

Great idea. Selling as low as possible is always smart.

[CuseCubFan69]

Trade the guy now before they lose even more money. If he comes back in 2 years and does well for someone else fine but why pay this guy a lot of money to be on the DL. I don't care if he "haunts" the Cubs by having a 1.4 WHIP for some other team.

 

 

Great idea. Selling as low as possible is always smart.

 

Almost as smart as spending 14 for a guy on the DL.

[Banedon]

Trade the guy now before they lose even more money. If he comes back in 2 years and does well for someone else fine but why pay this guy a lot of money to be on the DL. I don't care if he "haunts" the Cubs by having a 1.4 WHIP for some other team.

 

 

Great idea. Selling as low as possible is always smart.

 

Almost as smart as spending 14 for a guy on the DL.

 

Which is why you put most of his money in "games started" incentives.

[Little Slide Rooter]

The fact is that the Cubs organization has put too much time and money into him to just let someone else have him.

 

If hes even a shell of what he was supposed to be its worth it, especially with the lack of quality pitching out there. If he sucks, just suck it in, wait it out, and let him sign a minor league deal with the Orioles in 2 years.

[Guest]

Trade the guy now before they lose even more money. If he comes back in 2 years and does well for someone else fine but why pay this guy a lot of money to be on the DL. I don't care if he "haunts" the Cubs by having a 1.4 WHIP for some other team.

 

 

Great idea. Selling as low as possible is always smart.

 

Almost as smart as spending 14 for a guy on the DL.

 

It won't be anything like 14 if he's on the DL.

[cybercub]

The fact is that the Cubs organization has put too much time and money into him to just let someone else have him.

 

If hes even a shell of what he was supposed to be its worth it, especially with the lack of quality pitching out there.

 

I agree 100%.

 

1 year, low base ($4M) with incentives. Similar to Woody's deal but with an team option for a 2nd year ($7-9M) that vests if a predetermined number of starts/innings pitched is reached.

 

Does anyone know if Prior will be ready for ST?

[anabiono]

i think it is late may at the earliest for prior

[David]

Trade the guy now before they lose even more money. If he comes back in 2 years and does well for someone else fine but why pay this guy a lot of money to be on the DL. I don't care if he "haunts" the Cubs by having a 1.4 WHIP for some other team.

 

 

Great idea. Selling as low as possible is always smart.

 

Almost as smart as spending 14 for a guy on the DL.

 

Who, aside from a poster here, said anything about $14M? There's not a chance in hell he gets that much.

[frostwyrm]

I'd give him one year with a low base but I'd need a team option. No option = no deal.

[gerby23]

I say keep him. Its kinda like being "pot committed" in poker. We simply have too much invested at this point to let him go IMO.

[jersey cubs fan]

Low guarantee in 2008 (2m), incentives that can take it to 5-6 based on starts/innings pitched, with a relatively high team option for 2009, let's say $8m, with more incentives for starts/inning that could take it to 12-14. Make that team option kick in automatically if he pitches something like 180 innings this year.

 

If Prior just signs a one year deal for 3-4m this season, and he pitches reasonably well for a significant amount of innings, he'll probably be able to get a 3/30 type deal next offseason, or at least a 1/12-14. You have to give him incentive for giving the team control of 2009.

[CubColtPacer]

I say keep him. Its kinda like being "pot committed" in poker. We simply have too much invested at this point to let him go IMO.

 

I'm not saying we shouldn't keep Prior, but it has nothing to do with being pot committed. All that money the Cubs spent in the past is sunk cost now. The Cubs can't get that money back, and so they can't think about all the money that they've invested in him. The decision has to be made solely on the money the Cubs would have to invest on him going forward and the production that he would give you going forward.

 

That being said, his possible benefit probably outweighs his possible cost, but it depends on what type of contract he's demanding.

[Have a seat, Neifi]

Low guarantee in 2008 (2m), incentives that can take it to 5-6 based on starts/innings pitched, with a relatively high team option for 2009, let's say $8m, with more incentives for starts/inning that could take it to 12-14. Make that team option kick in automatically if he pitches something like 180 innings this year.

 

If Prior just signs a one year deal for 3-4m this season, and he pitches reasonably well for a significant amount of innings, he'll probably be able to get a 3/30 type deal next offseason, or at least a 1/12-14. You have to give him incentive for giving the team control of 2009.

Agreed. I'd make the team option for 2009 a relatively high amount to put Mark and his agent at ease (in the event that Mark returns to effectiveness this year) over taking a 2-year deal with a low base salary in the coming year (2008).

[CuseCubFan69]

Trade the guy now before they lose even more money. If he comes back in 2 years and does well for someone else fine but why pay this guy a lot of money to be on the DL. I don't care if he "haunts" the Cubs by having a 1.4 WHIP for some other team.

 

 

Great idea. Selling as low as possible is always smart.

 

Almost as smart as spending 14 for a guy on the DL.

 

Who, aside from a poster here, said anything about $14M? There's not a chance in hell he gets that much.

 

Maybe not but to keep putting money into a sinking ship is foolish. If he accepts a high incentive deal fine but any guarantee high money would be a very poor move to make.

[Keener98]

Trade the guy now before they lose even more money. If he comes back in 2 years and does well for someone else fine but why pay this guy a lot of money to be on the DL. I don't care if he "haunts" the Cubs by having a 1.4 WHIP for some other team.

 

 

Great idea. Selling as low as possible is always smart.

 

Almost as smart as spending 14 for a guy on the DL.

 

Who, aside from a poster here, said anything about $14M? There's not a chance in hell he gets that much.

 

Maybe not but to keep putting money into a sinking ship is foolish. If he accepts a high incentive deal fine but any guarantee high money would be a very poor move to make.

 

Why is Prior a "sinking ship"? The guy was hurt, trying to pitch and make comebacks while hurt, so he looked terrible. He has now had surgery on his injury(finally), so he is no sinking ship. Do I think Prior will come back like the Prior of old? Not at first, but there have been far more detailed, and bigger surgeries done on pitchers, than what was done on Prior, who have come back as good or better than they were before.

[Sammy Sofa]

Trade the guy now before they lose even more money. If he comes back in 2 years and does well for someone else fine but why pay this guy a lot of money to be on the DL. I don't care if he "haunts" the Cubs by having a 1.4 WHIP for some other team.

 

 

Great idea. Selling as low as possible is always smart.

 

Almost as smart as spending 14 for a guy on the DL.

 

Who, aside from a poster here, said anything about $14M? There's not a chance in hell he gets that much.

 

Wait, wait, wait...I said it, and only as the high end estimate of a deal where he likely met all of the incentives in the deal offered. Please don't toss that out there like I said the Cubs or anyone should just pay him $14 million per, because nobody said that.

[David]

Trade the guy now before they lose even more money. If he comes back in 2 years and does well for someone else fine but why pay this guy a lot of money to be on the DL. I don't care if he "haunts" the Cubs by having a 1.4 WHIP for some other team.

 

 

Great idea. Selling as low as possible is always smart.

 

Almost as smart as spending 14 for a guy on the DL.

 

Who, aside from a poster here, said anything about $14M? There's not a chance in hell he gets that much.

 

Wait, wait, wait...I said it, and only as the high end estimate of a deal where he likely met all of the incentives in the deal offered. Please don't toss that out there like I said the Cubs or anyone should just pay him $14 million per, because nobody said that.

 

I don't think that's what I did.

[jersey cubs fan]

Trade the guy now before they lose even more money. If he comes back in 2 years and does well for someone else fine but why pay this guy a lot of money to be on the DL. I don't care if he "haunts" the Cubs by having a 1.4 WHIP for some other team.

 

 

Great idea. Selling as low as possible is always smart.

 

Almost as smart as spending 14 for a guy on the DL.

 

Who, aside from a poster here, said anything about $14M? There's not a chance in hell he gets that much.

 

Wait, wait, wait...I said it, and only as the high end estimate of a deal where he likely met all of the incentives in the deal offered. Please don't toss that out there like I said the Cubs or anyone should just pay him $14 million per, because nobody said that.

 

You still listed a guarantee (6-7m per year) that is obscenely high, given the circumstances. That's $12-14m guaranteed. They could just offer arbitration and probably pay him $3.5m or lower this year and worry about next year much later.