San Diego over Chicago?

[Sweet Swinging Billy]

Obviously Prior thought so...but Fukudome didn't. The Padres appparently offered more (in the case of Prior-- they offered less) money but Kosuke said that money wasn't a factor. He signed with the Cubs because of Chicago, Wrigley Field, and because the Cubs wanted him as a right fielder. He thought it would be better for his family. And I understand that there's a Japanese community in Chicago, as well. So, we may have lost Prior but that's okay, I would much rather have Fukudome. Take that Padres.

[Sammy Sofa]

This is an important thread.

[Fro]

Prior hasn't won any titles since high school... Fukudome is a world champion.

[Clem Fandango]

Prior hasn't won any titles since high school... Fukudome is a world champion.

 

*cough* 2003 NL Central Division Title *cough*

 

And I know you're kinda joking around, but for no apparent reason I'd like to add that I hate when certain players are labeled as "winners" and "this guy wins everywhere he plays" when it's completely obvious that one man can not take a baseball team anywhere by himself. That kind of analytical nonsense really gets on my nerves. I hope people don't use that in the future when writing articles about Fukudome

[rocket]

pitchers probably want to play in san diego and hitters probably would rather play in chicago. for obvious reasons.

[Rob]

pitchers probably want to play in san diego and hitters probably would rather play in chicago. for obvious reasons.

 

The chicks in San Diego only dig pitchers? And Chicago girls love the men with big sticks?

[vance_the_cubs_fan]

San Diego is home for Prior. I think the original post fails to take that into account. If someone is going to need to spend a bulk of his time for the first few months rehabbing under the supervision of some team's doctors, it's not hard to see why he would want to do it at home.

 

Had Prior gone to St. Louis, Cincinnati, Houston, or some other place, maybe we could draw these off the wall conclusions, but he decided to go home.

[Soul]

They signed Mark for 1 yr, 1 million dollars.

 

Put it this way, Mark Prior is basically Wade Miller at this point.

 

I love what Mark meant to us in the past, don't get me wrong. But right now he's reduced to a project that's worth a lone million bucks just in case it pans out. That's a far cry from what the man was just 4 years ago. He's got 1 foot out of the league.

[Omar]

If any of us made it to the majors, wouldn't we take pay cuts (and other measures) just to play for our favorite team/hometown team? In this case the Cubs. I know I would. I don't blame Prior for his decision.

[rocket]

If any of us made it to the majors, wouldn't we take pay cuts (and other measures) just to play for our favorite team/hometown team? In this case the Cubs. I know I would. I don't blame Prior for his decision.

 

i'd hate to sound like i'm lying, but i'd like to think that i'd try to be loyal to the team that drafted/scouted me.

[Clem Fandango]

If any of us made it to the majors, wouldn't we take pay cuts (and other measures) just to play for our favorite team/hometown team? In this case the Cubs. I know I would. I don't blame Prior for his decision.

 

i'd hate to sound like i'm lying, but i'd like to think that i'd try to be loyal to the team that drafted/scouted me.

 

I think I'd be a mixture of both. I'd give the team that drafted me priority over my favorite team, but only if they made me a better/equal offer.

 

Like if I had a breakout year for the Mariners if they drafted me, and they and the Cubs offered me a a contract to the tune of 3/20 or something reasonable, I might stick it out in Seattle. If Seattle offered me 3/25 and Chicago offered me 4/40, I'm on the next flight to the Windy City.

 

And by these numbers and my skillset, it means days/cents.

[Banedon]

The factor that's missing from the original post is that Mark has a history with the Cubs. Obviously in some fashion, that hasn't been a good experience for him, whether we agree with how the Cubs treated him or not. Fukudome has zero history with American baseball in general. But Piniella is a familiar face to Japanese baseball fans. I think there's two very different decision making processes at work here, and I don't think they are comparable.

[abuck1220]

They signed Mark for 1 yr, 1 million dollars.

 

Put it this way, Mark Prior is basically Wade Miller at this point.

 

 

just because hendry pissed away that money on wade miller doesn't mean that's his true value. every team in baseball would rather have 2008 mark prior than 2007 wade miller.

[rawaction]

It's not like Prior has the loyalty to the Cubs. They didn't really scout him and coach him thru the minors. He was a consensus #1 pick that fell into the Cubs lap. He was pretty much major league ready when he was drafted, and started few games in the minors. Very different situation from say, Kerry Wood, who they drafted at a young age and w/ raw talent. Also, different from Zambrano who they scouted heavily and signed at 17 and gave him several years in the minors.

[Sweet Swinging Billy]

vance_the_cubs_fan wrote: "San Diego is home for Prior. I think the original post fails to take that into account. If someone is going to need to spend a bulk of his time for the first few months rehabbing under the supervision of some team's doctors, it's not hard to see why he would want to do it at home..."

 

---Yeah Vance, I'm aware of that. I didn't need to mention that because I quoted the section of the article, that dwelt with the fact that Prior had been offered better deals (maybe the Cubs were one of them, who knows)... but the bottom line is he wanted to go home. And no I can't fault him for that (Cliff Floyd, although it was just for one year wanted to come home to Chi Town). And Banedon, yes I know that Prior has a history with the Cubs, whatever that might be. I tried not to repeat what I said in earlier posts with regards to Prior still being a member of the Cubs. The bottom line is: I'm disappointed. Almost angry that Mark Prior is no longer a Chicago Cub. I know he's not Kerry Wood but I just wish he had shown a little loyalty. Mark did just sign a one year contract --- who knows maybe after just pitching a month or two and showing some promise, maybe the Cubs will offer him an incentive-filled contract.

[TruffleShuffle]

Obviously Prior thought so...but Fukudome didn't. The Padres appparently offered more (in the case of Prior-- they offered less) money but Kosuke said that money wasn't a factor. He signed with the Cubs because of Chicago, Wrigley Field, and because the Cubs wanted him as a right fielder. He thought it would be better for his family. And I understand that there's a Japanese community in Chicago, as well. So, we may have lost Prior but that's okay, I would much rather have Fukudome. Take that Padres.

 

he lied.

 

in related news, a-rod signed with the texas rangers because they had a strong farm system, and mike hampton signed with the colorado rockies because they had a good schools for his kids to attend.

[Ding Dong Johnson]

this thread makes me hurt

[Danny82]

Obviously Prior thought so...but Fukudome didn't. The Padres appparently offered more (in the case of Prior-- they offered less) money but Kosuke said that money wasn't a factor. He signed with the Cubs because of Chicago, Wrigley Field, and because the Cubs wanted him as a right fielder. He thought it would be better for his family. And I understand that there's a Japanese community in Chicago, as well. So, we may have lost Prior but that's okay, I would much rather have Fukudome. Take that Padres.

 

he lied.

 

in related news, a-rod signed with the texas rangers because they had a strong farm system, and mike hampton signed with the colorado rockies because they had a good schools for his kids to attend.

 

If the Cubs had offered Fukudome the most money, those might be relevant analogies.

[TruffleShuffle]

Obviously Prior thought so...but Fukudome didn't. The Padres appparently offered more (in the case of Prior-- they offered less) money but Kosuke said that money wasn't a factor. He signed with the Cubs because of Chicago, Wrigley Field, and because the Cubs wanted him as a right fielder. He thought it would be better for his family. And I understand that there's a Japanese community in Chicago, as well. So, we may have lost Prior but that's okay, I would much rather have Fukudome. Take that Padres.

 

he lied.

 

in related news, a-rod signed with the texas rangers because they had a strong farm system, and mike hampton signed with the colorado rockies because they had a good schools for his kids to attend.

 

If the Cubs had offered Fukudome the most money, those might be relevant analogies.

 

he chose the cubs over the white sox and more money, not the cubs over the padres and more money.

[Sweet Swinging Billy]

TruffleShuffle wrote:"he chose the cubs over the white sox and more money, not the cubs over the padres and more money".

 

--- My sources tell me that both the White Sox and the Pads offered an overall better deal to Fukudome, than the Cubs. Certainly 48 million (or whatever it was) would appeal to any player but as he stated in the article, he chose the North Siders for other reasons...which I don't plan on mentioning--- you can read the article. Why would one think that Kosuke lied about his decision in choosing the Cubs? Do you have evidence that he has lied in the past?

[Vanilla Ice]

TruffleShuffle wrote:"he chose the cubs over the white sox and more money, not the cubs over the padres and more money".

 

--- My sources tell me that both the White Sox and the Pads offered an overall better deal to Fukudome, than the Cubs. Certainly 48 million (or whatever it was) would appeal to any player but as he stated in the article, he chose the North Siders for other reasons...which I don't plan on mentioning--- you can read the article. Why would one think that Kosuke lied about his decision in choosing the Cubs? Do you have evidence that he has lied in the past?

 

Clever

[NoDak]

If any of us made it to the majors, wouldn't we take pay cuts (and other measures) just to play for our favorite team/hometown team? In this case the Cubs. I know I would. I don't blame Prior for his decision.

 

i'd hate to sound like i'm lying, but i'd like to think that i'd try to be loyal to the team that drafted/scouted me.

 

OK, Chicago DID NOT OFFER A CONTRACT to Mark. He was non-tendered. So, he should just not sign any contracts on the off chance that Chicago would re-sign him. Both sides need to agree to the contract and CHC did not offer him one. I, for one, do not blame Prior one bit and wish him the best of luck (outside of Cubs games). I don't think this has anything to do with "loyalty." In fact, I could argue that the Cubs gave up their loyalty to him by not offering a contract.

[rocket]

If any of us made it to the majors, wouldn't we take pay cuts (and other measures) just to play for our favorite team/hometown team? In this case the Cubs. I know I would. I don't blame Prior for his decision.

 

i'd hate to sound like i'm lying, but i'd like to think that i'd try to be loyal to the team that drafted/scouted me.

 

OK, Chicago DID NOT OFFER A CONTRACT to Mark. He was non-tendered. So, he should just not sign any contracts on the off chance that Chicago would re-sign him. Both sides need to agree to the contract and CHC did not offer him one. I, for one, do not blame Prior one bit and wish him the best of luck (outside of Cubs games). I don't think this has anything to do with "loyalty." In fact, I could argue that the Cubs gave up their loyalty to him by not offering a contract.

 

i wasn't trying to take a shot at prior. i was just answering omar's question.

[baldprof]

The factor that's missing from the original post is that Mark has a history with the Cubs. Obviously in some fashion, that hasn't been a good experience for him, whether we agree with how the Cubs treated him or not. Fukudome has zero history with American baseball in general. But Piniella is a familiar face to Japanese baseball fans. I think there's two very different decision making processes at work here, and I don't think they are comparable.

 

 

What he said. I would add that everyone knows about the Cubs, Japanese fans included. :D

[TruffleShuffle]

TruffleShuffle wrote:"he chose the cubs over the white sox and more money, not the cubs over the padres and more money".

 

--- My sources tell me that both the White Sox and the Pads offered an overall better deal to Fukudome, than the Cubs. Certainly 48 million (or whatever it was) would appeal to any player but as he stated in the article, he chose the North Siders for other reasons...which I don't plan on mentioning--- you can read the article. Why would one think that Kosuke lied about his decision in choosing the Cubs? Do you have evidence that he has lied in the past?

 

that's funny, my source - namely sandy alderson, who happens to be CEO of the padres, says that the padres offered a smaller deal to fukudome than did the cubs.