Cubs will allow Prior to walk

[soapy]

Also of note, Mark Prior had more innings pitched in 2003, 2005 and 2006 than everyone's golden boy Kerry Wood. Not to mention the fact that he was better than Wood two of those years and was paid less (I think. Cot's is blocked here at work).

 

What does that matter? Prior was in his arby years and Wood had more service time. He wasn't being underpaid relative to his experience and performance.

 

It matters only because people are acting as if Prior has been (over) paid to do nothing the last several years and Wood is Captain America because he came back "cheap" this year (which was the best deal he was offered).

 

This isn't intended to be a slight at Wood. I love what he's done and I'm very glad he's back. I just think the double standard here is amazing.

[CuseCubFan69]

Also of note, Mark Prior had more innings pitched in 2003, 2005 and 2006 than everyone's golden boy Kerry Wood. Not to mention the fact that he was better than Wood two of those years and was paid less (I think. Cot's is blocked here at work).

 

What does that matter? Prior was in his arby years and Wood had more service time. He wasn't being underpaid relative to his experience and performance.

 

It matters only because people are acting as if Prior has been (over) paid to do nothing the last several years and Wood is Captain America because he came back "cheap" this year (which was the best deal he was offered).

 

This isn't intended to be a slight at Wood. I love what he's done and I'm very glad he's back. I just think the double standard here is amazing.

 

I look at each player and not group them together. I don't understand why every time Prior is mentioned Wood has to be thrown in there too. They are at different points in their careers.

[TruffleShuffle]

i know we're all very emotionally invested in the cubs. we wax nostalgic about what was and what could've been. we get swept up in all of it. but, let's be honest about this: it was strictly a business decision. the cubs don't feel that the risk associated with the uncertainty of prior's health was worth meeting his demands (remains to be seen). prior thinks he can get more money with another team (definitely). prior probably felt disrespected. hendry probably felt disrespected. but, the bottom line is, money mends all wounds.

 

Right...it went both ways and they decided to part. I feel empathy for those who really loved Prior because it is hard to see a guy go that you really enjoyed watching play for the Cubs and the wonderful potential he had. Again, I wish Mark well as long as it doesn't interfere with the Cubs being successful.

 

:lol: good one... thanks for the laugh, this thread was getting too sad and serious, glad someone was able to crack a joke

[abuck1220]

i feel like jason marquis owes the cubs after pitching well below his value last year. if he were a man, he rip up his existing contract and play for $300 this year.

[Brendan]

i feel like jason marquis owes the cubs after pitching well below his value last year. if he were a man, he rip up his existing contract and play for $300 this year.

 

didn't turk wendell try to do that? pitch for free or something? or get paid in shark's teeth?

[Tyrant]

This isn't intended to be a slight at Wood. I love what he's done and I'm very glad he's back. I just think the double standard here is amazing.

 

I think it's probably an issue of race.

[minnesotacubsfan]

well, that blows. only because i think back to the dynamic duo days of Wood/Prior. crap.

 

I guess we werent expecting much from him this season anyway.

[JeffH]

This may have been hit on somewhere, but I'm too lazy to look.

 

Did we tender Neal Cotts a contract offer?

[C.C.]

Now, lets say from here on out he NEVER goes on the DL again. However, he also isn't the pitcher he could have been . . . lets say slightly less than that of a Jamie Moyer. Win percentage of .522 and a career ERA of 4.22. Do you think he could ever wear a Cubs Jersey again? Maybe next time he is on FA market?

 

 

I'm going to venture out and say HELL NO! He'll never wear a Cub Uni again.

[davecubsfan]

People should quit mis-stating the amount of money the Cubs gave Prior. Unless I'm mistaken, he got not only $15MM, but also a (then-record) signing bonus of $10MM. That's $25MM to a guy that won 42 games for the Cubs spread over SIX major league service years (02-07). Yeah, I'd say he owes the Cubs something. Karma's a drag, Mark.

 

 

You seem to be forgetting the amount of towels he threw during this time. I think the amount of towels he threw during his Cubs career more than made up for the 25 million :)

[RedIvyCub]

I'm gonna go out on a limb and say that I highly doubt any quality pitcher in this league would do what Prior's doing. Big market team drafts you, sticks with you, pays you, rehabs you, and then opting out of this situation for a marginal contract upgrade.

 

 

Yes I'm bitter, but then again, I'm a Cubs fan

 

Exactly...Look at Kerry Wood..Loyal, Dedicated guy...Mark Prior...Bottle and bib..

 

Yeah, heaven forbid a guy doesn't have loyalty for as team that fanned rumors of his "wussiness" which ended up delaying a surgery he needed for two years.

 

 

The guy wants more money..for doing what?...Kerry Wood needed the surgery and time too..Came back like a man and said "I love this team and I owe them something" and took way less money..If Prior wants to sabotage the team,The big market team that drafted him, paid his dollars and has been loyal to him,through thick and thin,and then called himself " just an "employee" ..He can take freakin hike..Bottom line, he has hard personal feelings towards the Cubs and does not want to be here..Not anyone in the Cubs orginizations fault.

 

You do realize Kerry Wood took the best contract offered to him this offseason? Neither of them owed the Cubs a thing. And I don't see how Prior wants to sabotage the team.

No he didn't. Kerry had two year deals on the table from other clubs. He showed loyalty to the organization that paid him to do nothing. Prior on the other hand, didn't. Which is fine, not everyone is as great a person as Wood and wants to be a Cub. If Prior doesn't want to be here, screw him.

 

If you spent three years with an injury that needed surgery to repair and the "boss" told you that you were a head case and weren't hurt, would you be very loyal? Cubs spent three years telling this guy there was nothing wrong with him when he knew he was hurt and was willing to have surgery if need be. They called him a head case and mentally weak (where do you think the media got this).

[Tedward]

This may have been hit on somewhere, but I'm too lazy to look.

 

Did we tender Neal Cotts a contract offer?

 

Apparently we must have. I just checked the wire over at ESPN, and they only have Mark Prior listed on the Cubs non-tender list

[Wheelimus]

It would probably take a new group of people running things who throw Hendry & Co. under the bus for Prior's troubles just to get him to talk to us. If things really are as bad as we're led to believe.

 

Sad.

[C.C.]

I'm gonna go out on a limb and say that I highly doubt any quality pitcher in this league would do what Prior's doing. Big market team drafts you, sticks with you, pays you, rehabs you, and then opting out of this situation for a marginal contract upgrade.

 

 

Yes I'm bitter, but then again, I'm a Cubs fan

 

Exactly...Look at Kerry Wood..Loyal, Dedicated guy...Mark Prior...Bottle and bib..

 

Yeah, heaven forbid a guy doesn't have loyalty for as team that fanned rumors of his "wussiness" which ended up delaying a surgery he needed for two years.

 

 

The guy wants more money..for doing what?...Kerry Wood needed the surgery and time too..Came back like a man and said "I love this team and I owe them something" and took way less money..If Prior wants to sabotage the team,The big market team that drafted him, paid his dollars and has been loyal to him,through thick and thin,and then called himself " just an "employee" ..He can take freakin hike..Bottom line, he has hard personal feelings towards the Cubs and does not want to be here..Not anyone in the Cubs orginizations fault.

 

You do realize Kerry Wood took the best contract offered to him this offseason? Neither of them owed the Cubs a thing. And I don't see how Prior wants to sabotage the team.

No he didn't. Kerry had two year deals on the table from other clubs. He showed loyalty to the organization that paid him to do nothing. Prior on the other hand, didn't. Which is fine, not everyone is as great a person as Wood and wants to be a Cub. If Prior doesn't want to be here, screw him.

 

If you spent three years with an injury that needed surgery to repair and the "boss" told you that you were a head case and weren't hurt, would you be very loyal? Cubs spent three years telling this guy there was nothing wrong with him when he knew he was hurt and was willing to have surgery if need be. They called him a head case and mentally weak (where do you think the media got this).

 

Man, that is impressive insider information you got there. Just curious, do you work for the Organization in some kind of capacity?

[HoopsCubs]

This may have been hit on somewhere, but I'm too lazy to look.

 

Did we tender Neal Cotts a contract offer?

 

Apparently we must have. I just checked the wire over at ESPN, and they only have Mark Prior listed on the Cubs non-tender list

 

Now that Ohman is gone, I guess Cotts will compete with Pignatiello and Marshall for that wonderfully coveted role: 2nd lefty in the pen. I am assuming, of course, that Marshall is not in the rotation plans. I still think he will be dealt.

[wrigley23]

you people that wanted him back are zippidy doo da. he will never be healthy again. in fact, he won't even pitch this year until at least june/july. he has lost velocity & movement. he was on record saying he was looking to become a free agent in a year so we'd be dumping more money towards a player that wouldn't be effective this year & would then walk. the lesson is "don't chase stupid".

[fromthestretch]

you people that wanted him back are zippidy doo da.

 

That's going to sit well with the mods.

[C.C.]

you people that wanted him back are walkers with attitude. he will never be healthy again. in fact, he won't even pitch this year until at least june/july. he has lost velocity & movement. he was on record saying he was looking to become a free agent in a year so we'd be dumping more money towards a player that wouldn't be effective this year & would then walk. the lesson is "don't chase stupid".

 

 

N00b Rage!!!!

[minnesotacubsfan]

you people that wanted him back are Frankin the Turtle. he will never be healthy again. in fact, he won't even pitch this year until at least june/july. he has lost velocity & movement. he was on record saying he was looking to become a free agent in a year so we'd be dumping more money towards a player that wouldn't be effective this year & would then walk. the lesson is "don't chase stupid".

 

 

lay off the personal attacks. as far as wanting Prior back, whynot? he has a ton of potential, and this club has shown its willingness to rehab others.

[abuck1220]

the only way i can defend this move is if prior was not going to be able to pitch until july/august and he told the cubs he would absolutely not want to return to chicago after this season.

[Transmogrified Tiger]

People should quit mis-stating the amount of money the Cubs gave Prior. Unless I'm mistaken, he got not only $15MM, but also a (then-record) signing bonus of $10MM. That's $25MM to a guy that won 42 games for the Cubs spread over SIX major league service years (02-07). Yeah, I'd say he owes the Cubs something. Karma's a drag, Mark.

 

You are mistaken. EVERYTHING included, Prior made 15.725 million as a Cub from 2002-2007.

[CubsInNC]

For the record, according to BR, Prior made ~15M while pitching for the Cubs. He certainly more than earned the salary he took from them. I'm damn sick and tired of hearing about how Prior was stealing money from the Cubs while rehabbing after being one of the best pitchers in the majors in '03 and being damn above average in '04 and '05.

 

This whole thing just sickens me.

 

BR and Cot's vary significantly on this. I wonder which one is right. Either way, don's way off base with $25mil total payments.

 

Cot's lists Prior at:

 

2002 $250k

2003 $650k

2004 $1.6m

2005 $2m

2006 $3.65m

2007 $3.575m

 

It indicates he got a $4mil signing bonus. It appears to have figured in his $100k for his AS selection in 03, as well as the $500k escalators in 04 and 05, for that. I wonder which one is right. If either of them.

[HoopsCubs]

you people that wanted him back are music lovers. he will never be healthy again. in fact, he won't even pitch this year until at least june/july. he has lost velocity & movement. he was on record saying he was looking to become a free agent in a year so we'd be dumping more money towards a player that wouldn't be effective this year & would then walk. the lesson is "don't chase stupid".

 

I think the argument people are making is that many mistakes were made to bring the situation to this point. In a vacuum, you can't argue with Hendry's decision to non-tender Prior. Paying him $3.5M with no certainty on when he'll pitch in 2008, if at all, with full certainty that the player will explore free agency would not have been a good financial decision. Several media people were saying he does not wish to be here anymore.

 

The analysis really needs to focus on how both parties got to this point. So, I commend Hendry for making the right vacuum decision yesterday, but pan him for allowing the situation to reach the point where the player no longer wishes to be part of this franchise.

[minnesotacubsfan]

the only way i can defend this move is if prior was not going to be able to pitch until july/august and he told the cubs he would absolutely not want to return to chicago after this season.

 

you know abuck, I actually agree with you precisely.

[abuck1220]

People should quit mis-stating the amount of money the Cubs gave Prior. Unless I'm mistaken, he got not only $15MM, but also a (then-record) signing bonus of $10MM. That's $25MM to a guy that won 42 games for the Cubs spread over SIX major league service years (02-07). Yeah, I'd say he owes the Cubs something. Karma's a drag, Mark.

 

You are mistaken. EVERYTHING included, Prior made 15.725 million as a Cub from 2002-2007.

 

and his 2003 alone was worth that.