Cubs will allow Prior to walk

[BigbadB]

I really don't care how it got to this point, but it seems to me Prior took the low road in the end. It's not that money should buy character, even if the Cubs made him rich without playing, because players in this era rarely show a need to prove contract status or worth.

 

But the next three years the Cubs project to be playoff contenders in a weak division. And the GM actively seeks to improve more, signing the best OF FA available. By forcing his way out, Prior now shows no desire to play for a winning team.

 

So he's demonstrated he's not a team player and now he shows he doesn't want to win. From my pov, he's turning out to be a mercenary.

 

I agree with most everything you said in the first 3 paragraphs. I don't necessarily agree with the 4th paragraph, however. He might want to win, just not with the Cubs. The relationship died a long time ago, IMO.

[SouthSideRyan]

Prior is being selfish... Sure... But this will come back and bite them right in the ass. Far from a "good riddance."

 

How bout good riddens?

[C.C.]

I'm just curious to see if he winds up in Cincy. What will that say about Dusty being the one ( or part of the problem) that destroyed his career.

[SouthSideRyan]

FROM CHICAGOSPORTS.COM

 

The Cubs offered Prior a one-year, incentive-laden contract with an option for 2009, hoping Prior wanted to stay enough to delay free agency by a year and thus reduce the Cubs' risk. But the proposal never was considered seriously and, after accepting a salary cut last winter after filing for a slight raise in arbitration, Prior realized the road was greased for his departure.

 

Upon his demotion to Triple-A Iowa near the end of spring training in March, Prior repeatedly answered questions about his Cubs future by saying: "I'm just an employee."

 

 

FROM MLB.COM

 

The Cubs would've preferred to non-tender Prior and re-sign him for less than last season's $3.575 million and include a club option for 2009. Negotiations on a possible 2008 deal for the arbitration-eligible pitcher were unsuccessful. His agent, John Boggs, said Andrews expects Prior to be ready for the Major Leagues in mid- to late May, but told the Chicago Sun-Times on Tuesday that "if you want to be conservative, tack a few months onto that."

 

 

Mark Prior wanted a raise. He wanted 3.5 mill plus to sit on his butt until July at least.

 

I haven't a clue how from what you quoted you come up with.

 

A. Prior wanted a raise.

B. Prior will be sitting on his butt til July.

[nilodnayr]

The logic behind non-tendering him is this (and only this).

 

A) You absolutely know that he will not be ready to pitch before August

B) You absolutely know that no team will be interested in trading anything of value for him

C) You are unsure of either of the above, but you absolutely need his $3M in another deal to improve the team.

 

C) Seems like the most likely scenario to me

 

So, let's see if Hendry does something in the pitching department, and then let's revert to the name calling.

I am not upset at all by this. I still think Hendry is going to make 2 or 3 more moves.

 

Hoops, have you heard the name Kei Igawa anywhere?

 

I'd have to believe he'd be a pretty perfect target for the cubs.

 

Hes 7th on the Yanks starting rotation depth chart

Cubs were extremely interested in him in the past

Signed to only 4M/year contract for 4 years

Pitched very well in AAA last year

 

He probably could be had for a bucket of balls and should be serviceable in the back end of the rotation. Hes quite cheap and only 28.

[SouthSideRyan]

Prior is being selfish... Sure... But this will come back and bite them right in the ass. Far from a "good riddance."

 

I agree..Selfish..Didn't we pay him a 10 Mil bonus when we drafted him? Plus all the millions while he was injured? If he wanted to show any loyalty to this origanization, he wouldv'e given us the '09 option..I remember, before he was drafted, he wanted to be on a team that could win and preferred the west coast...Dont blame Henry or the Cubs..He just didn't want to be here..

 

We definitely didn't give him a 10M bonus when we drafted him. We gave him a major league contract because he was major league ready. How bout the peanuts he was paid for '03-'05? This expectation of loyalty out of guys is odd. Maybe the Cubs should be loyal for what Mark gave them in those 3 years.

[SouthSideRyan]

Oh and I really think a lot of people in this thread aren't understanding the arbitration process. Even if Prior was holding out for a big contract, all the Cubs had to do was tender him an offer. The case would likely go to arbitration and Mark would get a 1 year deal for 3M. It wasn't a pay Prior 8M for one year or release him decision.

[JeffH]

Hoops, have you heard the name Kei Igawa anywhere?

 

Let's hope not.

[Post Count Padder]

Hoops, have you heard the name Kei Igawa anywhere?

 

Let's hope not.

Dear God no.

[TheDude]

I really don't care how it got to this point, but it seems to me Prior took the low road in the end. It's not that money should buy character, even if the Cubs made him rich without playing, because players in this era rarely show a need to prove contract status or worth.

 

But the next three years the Cubs project to be playoff contenders in a weak division. And the GM actively seeks to improve more, signing the best OF FA available. By forcing his way out, Prior now shows no desire to play for a winning team.

 

So he's demonstrated he's not a team player and now he shows he doesn't want to win. From my pov, he's turning out to be a mercenary.

 

I agree with most everything you said in the first 3 paragraphs. I don't necessarily agree with the 4th paragraph, however. He might want to win, just not with the Cubs. The relationship died a long time ago, IMO.

 

It doesn't matter though. If Prior is truly upset over things like being labeled soft or sent to the minors, then he is letting petty concerns overcome a desire to win. The ugly years should be behind him. He should be motivated to play for a winning ball club, especially Chicago.

 

The fans in Chicago would have embraced Prior more readily than fans elsewhere will in the future. The Chicago fans don't think he's nearly as soft as the rest of the world. I've taken so much crap from friends and co-workers over my 'this is the year Prior comes back' attitude. Everyone I know wouldn't wish Prior on their team for anything.

 

If he thinks Chicago was tough, other big market teams with a yearly shot at winning are tougher, and he won't have the 2003-inherited Cub fan will behind him.

[jersey cubs fan]

At least they came to terms with Neil Cotts.

[Brendan]

Oh and I really think a lot of people in this thread aren't understanding the arbitration process. Even if Prior was holding out for a big contract, all the Cubs had to do was tender him an offer. The case would likely go to arbitration and Mark would get a 1 year deal for 3M. It wasn't a pay Prior 8M for one year or release him decision.

 

i'm a little confused. when the cubs.com article says they offered him a 1-year deal, etc., etc., isn't this tendering him a contract?

[jersey cubs fan]

Oh and I really think a lot of people in this thread aren't understanding the arbitration process. Even if Prior was holding out for a big contract, all the Cubs had to do was tender him an offer. The case would likely go to arbitration and Mark would get a 1 year deal for 3M. It wasn't a pay Prior 8M for one year or release him decision.

 

i'm a little confused. when the cubs.com article says they offered him a 1-year deal, etc., etc., isn't this tendering him a contract?

 

No. The tender, I believe, requires some official paperwork. I'm sure the offer was more or less verbal, and probably significantly below the permissable arbitration level.

 

In other words, they would have had to tender a contract offer of $3m (or close), and they probably said, "Hey Mark, we'll offer you 1 year for $1.5m".

[Brendan]

Oh and I really think a lot of people in this thread aren't understanding the arbitration process. Even if Prior was holding out for a big contract, all the Cubs had to do was tender him an offer. The case would likely go to arbitration and Mark would get a 1 year deal for 3M. It wasn't a pay Prior 8M for one year or release him decision.

 

i'm a little confused. when the cubs.com article says they offered him a 1-year deal, etc., etc., isn't this tendering him a contract?

 

No. The tender, I believe, requires some official paperwork. I'm sure the offer was more or less verbal, and probably significantly below the permissable arbitration level.

 

In other words, they would have had to tender a contract offer of $3m (or close), and they probably said, "Hey Mark, we'll offer you 1 year for $1.5m".

 

gotcha .. makes sense. thanks.

[SouthSideRyan]

Bye bye nancy boy Prior, you non-trying towel throwing slumpy body language girly man. Karma really bit you for screwing over the Cubs and the fans the way you did you just ducky stiffing mph losing getting hurt on purpose can't throw 150 pitches wussy. I hope you didn't strain your vagina when you found out Hendry finally pulled you off the Cubs' teat and took away all that free money you've been getting. What's that, you could have made many many more millions if you weren't hurt? Don't give me that nonsense, I know you aren't even hurt and even if you were you did it on purpose so you could get paid for nothing and live the highlife back in SoCal with all your wimpy pretty boy jerkheads.

 

A+ for the Just Ducky reference.

[abuck1220]

 

Untrue jersey. I have in the past wrote that what i don't like about Prior is when he is getting hit, he fads away mentally.

 

that's just a ridiculous statement.

[JeffH]

Oh and I really think a lot of people in this thread aren't understanding the arbitration process. Even if Prior was holding out for a big contract, all the Cubs had to do was tender him an offer. The case would likely go to arbitration and Mark would get a 1 year deal for 3M. It wasn't a pay Prior 8M for one year or release him decision.

 

i'm a little confused. when the cubs.com article says they offered him a 1-year deal, etc., etc., isn't this tendering him a contract?

 

No. The tender, I believe, requires some official paperwork. I'm sure the offer was more or less verbal, and probably significantly below the permissable arbitration level.

 

In other words, they would have had to tender a contract offer of $3m (or close), and they probably said, "Hey Mark, we'll offer you 1 year for $1.5m".

 

gotcha .. makes sense. thanks.

 

In essence, for an arbitration-eligible player (3-6 years service time), "tendering a contract offer" is exactly the same as "offering arbitration".

[BigbadB]

It doesn't matter though. If Prior is truly upset over things like being labeled soft or sent to the minors, then he is letting petty concerns overcome a desire to win. The ugly years should be behind him. He should be motivated to play for a winning ball club, especially Chicago.

 

The fans in Chicago would have embraced Prior more readily than fans elsewhere will in the future. The Chicago fans don't think he's nearly as soft as the rest of the world. I've taken so much crap from friends and co-workers over my 'this is the year Prior comes back' attitude. Everyone I know wouldn't wish Prior on their team for anything.

 

If he thinks Chicago was tough, other big market teams with a yearly shot at winning are tougher, and he won't have the 2003-inherited Cub fan will behind him.

 

It's all speculation, but I think Prior blames the Cubs for many of his injury problems over the years, and he probably wasn't happy with a lot of things that likely got said over the years by Cubs management.

 

I don't think Prior will be in a big market next year. My guess is he'll be in San Diego. I wouldn't doubt that San Diego and Prior had a handshake agreement in place if he was nontendered by Chicago.

[Elrhino]

I have no problem the Cubs letting him go if he wouldn't agree to a team option, and I really have no problem with Prior wanting to start fresh somewhere else. He's like OJ in the Naked Gun. Let's see ... shoulder, elbow, achielles, hit by a line drive, bad case of the flu that caused him to lose a lot of weight ... any belief that he was going to be healthy in the next 12 months is complete fantasy. The slim chance of return on investment was going to come in '09 or not at all. Plus, I know it's believed by some that he just has a flawed throwing motion, and I would have to say that the injury history highlights that there probably is something wrong.

 

http://www.chrisoleary.com/projects/Baseball/Pitching/RethinkingPitching/Essays/MarkPriorPitchingMechanics.html

 

I think the chances of Prior making the Cubs eat crow are about as good as Corey Patterson's were. Maybe less, and that's saying something.

Edited December 13, 2007 by Elrhino

[GoCubsGo1679625768]

I also blame the Cubs for forcing him to take PEDS. What a bunch of meanies.

[MemphisVol]

I don't know if this has been mentioned yet, but what do y'all think the odds are that Prior will be named in the report coming out this afternoon? Any chance that could have played a role in the Cubs decision?

[GoCubsGo1679625768]

I don't know if this has been mentioned yet, but what do y'all think the odds are that Prior will be named in the report coming out this afternoon? Any chance that could have played a role in the Cubs decision?

I'd say those odds are pretty good. The leaked report already has his name on it.

[Roast]

I also blame the Cubs for forcing him to take PEDS. What a bunch of meanies.

 

As much as I hate this emoticon, this is the perfect place for it:

 

:roll:

[Sammy Sofa]

He should be motivated to play for a winning ball club

 

Well, now I completely understand why he's leaving.

[soapy]

Bye bye nancy boy Prior, you non-trying towel throwing slumpy body language girly man. Karma really bit you for screwing over the Cubs and the fans the way you did you just ducky stiffing mph losing getting hurt on purpose can't throw 150 pitches wussy. I hope you didn't strain your vagina when you found out Hendry finally pulled you off the Cubs' teat and took away all that free money you've been getting. What's that, you could have made many many more millions if you weren't hurt? Don't give me that nonsense, I know you aren't even hurt and even if you were you did it on purpose so you could get paid for nothing and live the highlife back in SoCal with all your wimpy pretty boy jerkheads.

 

Glorious