Is this statement about Prior true?

[Old Style]

http://sandiego.padres.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20080601&content_id=2813827&vkey=news_sd&fext=.jsp&c_id=sd

 

Prior became a free agent in December, when the Cubs opted not to offer him a contract for 2008.

[SouthSideRyan]

Yes.

[Transmogrified Tiger]

Technically yes, practically no.

[javy knows my name]

Where have you been, yo?

[NCCubFan]

The Cubs tried to get Prior to agree to a one-year contract with a team option for a second year, but Prior wouldn't accept the option. So the Cubs chose not to formally tender a contract, because they didn't want to pa Prior to rehabilitate for a half year or longer only to have him walk at the end of the year. They wanted some assurance of a return on their investment, and Prior wouldn't give it. So technically it was the Cubs' decision, but really it was Prior's.

[LeftCoastCubFan]

Nothing technical about it. Prior was under control of the Cubs. The Cubs chose not to offer a contract/arbitration.

[Banedon]

Nothing technical about it. Prior was under control of the Cubs. The Cubs chose not to offer a contract/arbitration.

 

Only because they knew that he didn't want the offer that they were prepared to give.

[Jehrico]

They couldn't pay him more than some percentage less than what he made last year, which meant we couldn't pay him any less than something around 3 million this year. They knew he wouldn't be able to pitch effectively, if at all, this year. They also knew he was a FA after this last year, and he hadn't conveyed that he had any interest in staying around after that. So the option was offer him arbitration, and pay him nearly $3 million to rehab and likely go somewhere else next year, or cut your losses early. Hendry made the right move.

[cubfan]

Maybe it was mentioned some where else, but I thought I heard on the news last night that Prior had surgery again and would be out for the rest of the year. I'm not happy to hear it, but it sure looks like the Cubs made the right choice in not keeping him around.

[shnsajax]

They couldn't pay him more than some percentage less than what he made last year, which meant we couldn't pay him any less than something around 3 million this year. They knew he wouldn't be able to pitch effectively, if at all, this year. They also knew he was a FA after this last year, and he hadn't conveyed that he had any interest in staying around after that. So the option was offer him arbitration, and pay him nearly $3 million to rehab and likely go somewhere else next year, or cut your losses early. Hendry made the right move.

 

I believe thats 5%

[craig]

The Cubs couldn't control/keep Prior without paying him at least $2.6. (he signed for well below that with San Diego.) They wanted a deal in which they'd be able to keep him for 2009, and he didn't like that. They wanted a deal for less than $2.6 for 2008 alone, but he preferred the San Diego deal. They never renewed his contract because the contractual price would have been higher than they wanted to pay, and they never were able to get very close on an alternative free-agent type one or two-year contract. So they never tendered him or formally offered a one or two-year deal.

 

He is going to have another shoulder surgery, so at minimum he should miss this year and most, probably all, of next year as well. http://chicagosports.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/cs-080601-mark-prior-shoulder-surgery-chicago,1,7829819.story

[NCCubFan]

Maybe it was mentioned some where else, but I thought I heard on the news last night that Prior had surgery again and would be out for the rest of the year. I'm not happy to hear it, but it sure looks like the Cubs made the right choice in not keeping him around.

There's a thread about it in General Baseball Discussions.

[BigSlick]

What is the big deal people, you gotta cut your emotions from something like this. It was a good baseball decision.