Misc. Free Agent News

[Irrelevant Dude]

Lopez will earn $900,000 if he is on the major league roster or $235,000 if he is in the minor leagues, according to the source.

Surely the Cubs must have a better use for $235,000?

[biittner77]

of all the scrubs that were thrown out there last season, Lopez probably did the least awful.

 

Isn't this what Iowa is for? A placce to store depth role players in case they' re needed?

[Little Slide Rooter]

of all the scrubs that were thrown out there last season, Lopez probably did the least awful.

 

Isn't this what Iowa is for? A placce to store depth role players in case they' re needed?

 

You can never have too much pitching depth, but if it's a "lost season", why not just give guys like Jackson, Struck, Rusin, or Cabrera a look if the need arrises?

 

WSR style version.

Assuming nobody is traded, we have 6 big league starters. 7 if you count Casey Coleman. So we have 6 big league starters. In a normal season in which the goal was to win as many baseball games as possible and play well into October, I'd say $235K was a reasonable price for extra pitching depth rather than scrambling for any non medicare eligable former big league starter. However, the likely direction of this season seems to be to audition young players for the future and to figure out what holes will need to be filled in the long run. Therefore, I'd prefer to give someone like Jackson, Struck, Rusin, or Cabrera the opportunity if one arrises. Even if both Garza and Dempster are traded, we'd still have Wood, Maholm, Volstad, Wells, Coleman, Jackson, Rusin, Struck, and Cabrera. As ugly as that may look, Lopez isn't going to make it much prettier.

 

[TruffleShuffle]

nobody counts casey coleman as a big league starter, not even casey coleman.

[Little Slide Rooter]

Rays To Sign Carlos Pena

By Ben Nicholson-Smith [January 20 at 11:01am CST]

The Rays have agreed to sign Carlos Pena, Jon Heyman of CBS Sports tweets.

 

 

Very interested to see what the years and dollars are. A big part of me wanted to see the Rays go against the grain and sign Fielder to a big deal.

[jersey cubs fan]

Carlos Pena to Rays on a 1 year deal for $7.25m.

 

Pillow 2.0

[Post Count Padder]

Carlos Pena to Rays on a 1 year deal for $7.25m.

 

Pillow 2.0

So he took one year, 10 mil after a bad year, then had a better season and took another one year pact for even less money. Are we sure Boras is still his agent?

[Clem Fandango]

Carlos Pena to Rays on a 1 year deal for $7.25m.

 

Pillow 2.0

So he took one year, 10 mil after a bad year, then had a better season and took another one year pact for even less money. Are we sure Boras is still his agent?

 

He is, but other teams aren't being run by Jim Hendry, so...

[Rob]

Given that's the best deal Pena could muster, we're lucky he didn't accept the offer of arbitration.

 

But he didn't. And now that he's signed elsewhere, we get a draft pick.

[BCVM22]

Danny Valencia indicating that the Cubs have signed infielder Matt Tolbert.

 

https://twitter.com/#!/dannyvalencia19/status/160495427412705282

[Rob]

Isnt that OMC's cousin or something?

[Derwood]

Isnt that OMC's cousin or something?

 

I think so. Did Tolbert play middle infield for the Twins?

[davell]

I'm glad we got the pick, although it sucks for Pena to not get a multiyear deal. Still, we've got 4 top 60ish picks now.

[BCVM22]

Yes. Mostly second, short and third with the Twins from 2008-2011.

[Little Slide Rooter]

Danny Valencia indicating that the Cubs have signed infielder Matt Tolbert.

 

https://twitter.com/#!/dannyvalencia19/status/160495427412705282

 

The good news is he can play all over the field and he's a switch hitter. The bad news is that he has a career .630 OPS. With him, Rodrigo Lopez, Jaramillo, Amezaga, Joe Mather, and Edger Gonzalez, the Iowa Cubs are shaping up to look like a middle of the pack indie league team.

[TruffleShuffle]

it's like wsr forgets every offseason that all AAA teams have several late 20s to mid 30s injury replacements and career minor leaguers.

[Little Slide Rooter]

I don't know about this many. We're not even talking about 1 time prospects here, just run of the mill junk. Then again, aside from Vitters maybe Lake, and of course Jackson if he doesnt start the season on the big league team, I don't know what worthwhile position player prospects we have that are AAA ready, so let them have their fun.

[TruffleShuffle]

I guess rizzo is either starting the year with Chicago or is run of the mill junk.

[Schwarber Fan]

OMC must be throwing a party

[TruffleShuffle]

http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/index.php/red-sox-need-outfield-help/

 

basically says that the red sox need outfielders (they definitely do) and marlon byrd would be a good fit there.

[davell]

Send him and Carpenter over for Jacobs and consider the Theo comp situation closed.

[Little Slide Rooter]

I guess rizzo is either starting the year with Chicago or is run of the mill junk.

 

I forgot Rizzo.

[Little Slide Rooter]

Send him and Carpenter over for Jacobs and consider the Theo comp situation closed.

 

Who's Jacobs? If he's a top 10 in their system, sounds like a plan.

[TruffleShuffle]

http://bit.ly/zzftgY

[Schwarber Fan]

You can watch him in the NFC Championship game tomorrow.