Levine: Fukudome a Cub (was Kosuke coming to U.S.)

[YearofDaCubs]

Fukudome would be smart to take the Cubs' offer. He will be making more money here and second, I'm sure he wants to show that he can put up major league numbers. If he were to play in Petco for half the games, I think his numbers would look pedestrian.

[wekse]

Wasn't it similar situations that lead to bad contracts with Mo Vaughn and the Red Sox and Albert Belle in Baltimore or do I have my history wrong. Logic has no worse enemy then a GM scorned. All hail King Furcaldome!

 

i'm not sure the albert belle contract was all that bad...he was on his way to the HOF if not for his arthritic hip.

[Little Slide Rooter]

Sounds like the CUbs and Pads are neck and neck. Maybe we should offer some forgotten Japanese player a minor league deal to hope it will lure him over. Shingo Takatsu or Hideki Irabu looking for work?

[roadster]

Not sure if posted or not (don't want to go through pages upon pages) but Steve Stone was quoted on the radio saying that the Cubs' offer would be for 4 years/52 to 60MM - yikes...

 

I wouldn't be upset with 4/60, if it's backloaded and the 4th year is either a player option or it includes a player opt out. If the first three years pay something like $39-42m, it may not be awful. Odds are he'll wind up opting out after 3 years and look for one last big major league contract, at the age of 32/33. At that point, hopefully the Cubs will be able to replace him with some more reasonably priced internal option, or maybe even another import.

 

I do recall someone saying (not sure if it was his agent) that he will only sign a 3 year contract.

[minnesotacubsfan]

Wasn't it similar situations that lead to bad contracts with Mo Vaughn and the Red Sox and Albert Belle in Baltimore or do I have my history wrong. Logic has no worse enemy then a GM scorned. All hail King Furcaldome!

 

 

the Mo contract was witht he Mets wasnt it?

[nilodnayr]

Sounds like the CUbs and Pads are neck and neck. Maybe we should offer some forgotten Japanese player a minor league deal to hope it will lure him over. Shingo Takatsu or Hideki Irabu looking for work?

 

How does it sound like the cubs and pads are neck and neck?

[jersey cubs fan]

Not sure if posted or not (don't want to go through pages upon pages) but Steve Stone was quoted on the radio saying that the Cubs' offer would be for 4 years/52 to 60MM - yikes...

 

I wouldn't be upset with 4/60, if it's backloaded and the 4th year is either a player option or it includes a player opt out. If the first three years pay something like $39-42m, it may not be awful. Odds are he'll wind up opting out after 3 years and look for one last big major league contract, at the age of 32/33. At that point, hopefully the Cubs will be able to replace him with some more reasonably priced internal option, or maybe even another import.

 

I do recall someone saying (not sure if it was his agent) that he will only sign a 3 year contract.

 

It's been widely reported by many outlets that he wants a 3-year deal, so he can either "go back to Japan" or sign a bigger free agent contract after proving himself in the majors (I would assume the latter is much more likely). I believe that you can entice him by throwing on a 4th year, either in player option form, or with an opt-out after year 3, as an insurance policy incentive against him underperforming for 3 years. At the age of 32/33, odds are he will much rather go for a new contract, rather than play for 1 year at $15-17m, even if he fails to live up to the highest expectations. He'd have to be injured, or terrible to choose to play out that last year. And my guess is he won't be terrible.

[jyoung55]

Sounds like the CUbs and Pads are neck and neck. Maybe we should offer some forgotten Japanese player a minor league deal to hope it will lure him over. Shingo Takatsu or Hideki Irabu looking for work?

 

Beause that makes sense. :roll: Just because he's Japanese doesn't mean he'd be more comfortable around any other Japanese player. There are plenty of white guys that I despise and wouldn't want to be on a baseball team with.

[anabiono]

i have a good feeling about this guy...

 

i don't care what the deal is...get it done...if there were rumors of either fukudome or a starter...then i might be worried, but apparently everyone is content with our rotation...so...if that is the case...sign him...sign him...sign him

[shnsajax]

Was he still wanting a 3 year deal, or was that just the initial reports?

[Soul]

i have a good feeling about this guy...

 

i don't care what the deal is...get it done...if there were rumors of either fukudome or a starter...then i might be worried, but apparently everyone is content with our rotation...so...if that is the case...sign him...sign him...sign him

 

Neh. You always have to look at the dollars and what makes sense. Get the guy here, but don't hamstring us even further. We're already carrying some contracts that hurt, or are likely to start hurting.

[jersey cubs fan]

Was he still wanting a 3 year deal, or was that just the initial reports?

 

Not sure anybody knows.

 

It makes sense that he wanted a 3 year deal when the talk was 3/24-27. That would leave him with 3 years to prove he's worthy of a big deal. However, once talks went from $8m a year to over $10m and close to $13-15m, 4-5 year contracts would look a lot more enticing.

 

If the 5/75 Bruce Miles suggested could be out there, was the eventual offer*, that's got to be better than 3/36, even if he's "throwing away" the chance for free agency after 3 years.

 

 

 

*Edited to clarify the point made by Bruce. He had a story last week in which he wrote the Cubs may go as high as 5/75. He didn't report that was the offer, or even suggest it was the likely offer. I believe he said, "it could got as high as" 5/75.

Edited December 11, 2007 by jersey cubs fan

[minnesotacubsfan]

If the 5/75 Bruce Miles suggested was the offerquote]

 

 

HOLY BJEEBES, IS THAT REAL!!??

[Soul]

So when would this thing likely, you know, actually happen?

 

I just want to know how long I've got to sit on pins and needles waiting for the yea/nay.

[Sammy Sofa]

5/75?

 

Ye Gads.

 

I can only pray Cuban ends up with this team.

[jersey cubs fan]

So when would this thing likely, you know, actually happen?

 

I just want to know how long I've got to sit on pins and needles waiting for the yea/nay.

 

MLK day.

[BleacherBadger]

If the 5/75 Bruce Miles suggested was the offerquote]

 

 

HOLY BJEEBES, IS THAT REAL!!??

 

that's what she said.

[abuck1220]

So when would this thing likely, you know, actually happen?

 

I just want to know how long I've got to sit on pins and needles waiting for the yea/nay.

 

MLK day.

 

because respect is so important to the japenese, he's going to announce it on MLK day (as MLK was a very respectful person).

[Lefty]

The eggs are all in one basket.

 

Is this a bad strategy?

[The Voice of Reason]

So when would this thing likely, you know, actually happen?

 

I just want to know how long I've got to sit on pins and needles waiting for the yea/nay.

 

MLK day.

 

because respect is so important to the japenese, he's going to announce it on MLK day (as MLK was a very respectful person).

 

Yeah, he'll probably sign with the Padres because they respected him by offering good weather, better beaches and a location two hours closer to Japan instead of matching the Cubs offer. :roll:

[minnesotacubsfan]

So when would this thing likely, you know, actually happen?

 

I just want to know how long I've got to sit on pins and needles waiting for the yea/nay.

 

MLK day.

 

because respect is so important to the japenese, he's going to announce it on MLK day (as MLK was a very respectful person).

 

 

every day, you seem to get more and more out there

[Post Count Padder]

I just got back from class and don't feel like reading the past few pages. What is our definite offer and what is the Padres'?

[Rob]

I just got back from class and don't feel like reading the past few pages. What is our definite offer and what is the Padres'?

 

Nobody has that info.

 

Speculation is that the Padres have offered somewhere slightly north of 3/30. Cubs' estimates are all over the map... anywhere from 3/45, to 4/60, to 5/75.

[ctcf]

Rotoworld said 50 mil this morning. Where'd Bruce say 5/75?

[anabiono]

i have a good feeling about this guy...

 

i don't care what the deal is...get it done...if there were rumors of either fukudome or a starter...then i might be worried, but apparently everyone is content with our rotation...so...if that is the case...sign him...sign him...sign him

 

Neh. You always have to look at the dollars and what makes sense. Get the guy here, but don't hamstring us even further. We're already carrying some contracts that hurt, or are likely to start hurting.

 

yeah, but our current window is small...we have to give it a go