Yooooooooooooennis Cespedes: To Oakland pg 44

[Sammy Sofa]

Whose to say the Cubs didn't fly someone down there to talk with him?

 

i'm sure they did. i'm saying that miami is the only location where he visited and checked out the stadium.

 

Not coming to Wrigley definitely works in the Cubs' favor.

[SouthSideRyan]

Does Cespedes REALLY want to be that close to Cuba? I'm sure there are plenty of Cubans in Chicago.

 

I take it you've never been to Miami

 

Or Chicago.

[Pushfrog98]

I seem to recall some State Tax thing in Florida that played a part in Lebron signing in Miami. They offered less money, but because of the tax break (or something along those lines) it ended up being more? Am I making this up?

 

If it is true, that could be a bargaining chip, right?

[Guest]

I seem to recall some State Tax thing in Florida that played a part in Lebron signing in Miami. They offered less money, but because of the tax break (or something along those lines) it ended up being more? Am I making this up?

 

If it is true, that could be a bargaining chip, right?

 

Fangraphs did a piece on that when Miami was rumored to make a huge offer to Pujols. The conclusion was that it was a marginal difference at best for a monster contract like Pujols, so for a contract that may not be 25% of the total value, I have to figure it's a non-entity.

[shnsajax]

Cuban's aren't Hispanic. That racist! ;-)

[Clem Fandango]

Ozzie weighs in on Cespedes and the Marlins...

 

"I heard Mr. Samson say something very interesting yesterday," Guillen said on the "Waddle and Silvy Show" on ESPN 1000 in Chicago. "He said, 'We have a great ballclub. And we're happy with what we have.'"

 

"We went to the Dominican Republic, myself and 10 guys," Guillen said. " We went to see this kid. He's pretty impressive. They compare this kid with a lot of people. They compare this kid with Bo Jackson. Well Bo Jackson wasn't a baseball player. This kid is a baseball player. They compare him with (Raul) Mondesi. I think Mondesi was better than him. That's my own opinion. Mondesi has a better arm, faster, but this kid is pretty good."

 

There has been speculation that Cespedes could command a $60 million contract. That commitment makes Guillen nervous.

 

"There are a lot of question marks out there," he said. "How's he going to handle major league pitching? We don't know. How's he going to handle major league media? We don't know. There are a lot of ifs. Whoever signs him is gambling."

 

Guillen does like Cespedes' confidence.

 

"I saw him say something yesterday: 'I'm not coming to the United States to play in the minor leagues.' Well, that thing can go either way. I don't blame the kid. But people don't look at that as the right answer. To me it's the right answer: 'I come here to play in the big leagues.'"

 

Still, there are question marks.

 

"The tools are there," Guillen said. "But you never know what's going to happen."

[javy knows my name]

After 35 years in this country, Ozzie is basically still English-illiterate

[Little Slide Rooter]

Ozzie weighs in on Cespedes and the Marlins...

 

"I heard Mr. Samson say something very interesting yesterday," Guillen said on the "Waddle and Silvy Show" on ESPN 1000 in Chicago. "He said, 'We have a great ballclub. And we're happy with what we have.'"

 

"We went to the Dominican Republic, myself and 10 guys," Guillen said. " We went to see this kid. He's pretty impressive. They compare this kid with a lot of people. They compare this kid with Bo Jackson. Well Bo Jackson wasn't a baseball player. This kid is a baseball player. They compare him with (Raul) Mondesi. I think Mondesi was better than him. That's my own opinion. Mondesi has a better arm, faster, but this kid is pretty good."

 

There has been speculation that Cespedes could command a $60 million contract. That commitment makes Guillen nervous.

 

"There are a lot of question marks out there," he said. "How's he going to handle major league pitching? We don't know. How's he going to handle major league media? We don't know. There are a lot of ifs. Whoever signs him is gambling."

 

Guillen does like Cespedes' confidence.

 

"I saw him say something yesterday: 'I'm not coming to the United States to play in the minor leagues.' Well, that thing can go either way. I don't blame the kid. But people don't look at that as the right answer. To me it's the right answer: 'I come here to play in the big leagues.'"

 

Still, there are question marks.

 

"The tools are there," Guillen said. "But you never know what's going to happen."

 

Looks like Ozzie is either trying to A. deter The Marlins from signing Cespedes, B. deter Cespedes from wanting to join the Marlins, or C. trying to psyche other teams into not wanting to make Cespedes a massive offer.

[seanimal]

it doesn't look like any of those things

[Brett]

it doesn't look like any of those things

 

Really? I had the same three thoughts when I read his quotes.

[seanimal]

if ozzie was trying to do 1 or 2, then a chicago radio show is not the best medium to accomplish those goals. and i'm pretty sure the teams that sent their own scouts wouldn't just throw their input out the window based on ozzie's opinion, so that does away with 3.

 

ozzie isn't exactly a master of subterfuge, so if anything, the only intent there was to perhaps manage expectations.

[Abe Frohman]

Does Cespedes REALLY want to be that close to Cuba? I'm sure there are plenty of Cubans in Chicago.

 

I take it you've never been to Miami

 

Or Chicago.

 

I've been to both. My point is, well, I'm not sure what my point was. But yours was taken.

[Little Slide Rooter]

if ozzie was trying to do 1 or 2, then a chicago radio show is not the best medium to accomplish those goals. and i'm pretty sure the teams that sent their own scouts wouldn't just throw their input out the window based on ozzie's opinion, so that does away with 3.

 

ozzie isn't exactly a master of subterfuge, so if anything, the only intent there was to perhaps manage expectations.

 

What it really sounds like is that Ozzie likes him but not at the asking price. If he gets 6/60 or 8/80 and is a complete bust from day 1, it wouldn't be crippling, but it certainly would not look good. It's hard to blame anyone for not wanting to give him that kind of deal when he really has no real experience.

[davell]

With the lack of potential impact hitters available in FA over the next couple of years, I really think we'll do what it takes to get Cespedes, the more I think about it. Money be damned, if it comes to it. We have very little commitment after this season, other than Soriano. To the point that even if Cespedes is a miss, it's not a killer for us, in any way. Unless he is like CJ Wilson and willing to pass up more money, maybe much more, I think he winds up with us.

[davell]

There's an article that CubsDen posted, translated from Spanish, that says Cespedes left Miami with a 40 mill offer from them. Unsure of validity, but if true, that's good news for us.

[Cubswin11]

I seem to recall some State Tax thing in Florida that played a part in Lebron signing in Miami. They offered less money, but because of the tax break (or something along those lines) it ended up being more? Am I making this up?

 

If it is true, that could be a bargaining chip, right?

 

Fangraphs did a piece on that when Miami was rumored to make a huge offer to Pujols. The conclusion was that it was a marginal difference at best for a monster contract like Pujols, so for a contract that may not be 25% of the total value, I have to figure it's a non-entity.

Don't professional athletes get their game checks taxed based on what city they are "working in" that day? So a Marlins player only gets the income tax advantage of living in FL for half of his games, and then gets taxed accordingly based on whatever state they are in when playing on the road, right?

[treebird]

I seem to recall some State Tax thing in Florida that played a part in Lebron signing in Miami. They offered less money, but because of the tax break (or something along those lines) it ended up being more? Am I making this up?

 

If it is true, that could be a bargaining chip, right?

 

Fangraphs did a piece on that when Miami was rumored to make a huge offer to Pujols. The conclusion was that it was a marginal difference at best for a monster contract like Pujols, so for a contract that may not be 25% of the total value, I have to figure it's a non-entity.

Don't professional athletes get their game checks taxed based on what city they are "working in" that day? So a Marlins player only gets the income tax advantage of living in FL for half of his games, and then gets taxed accordingly based on whatever state they are in when playing on the road, right?

 

yeah, that's pretty much it.

 

http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/index.php/pujolsian-tax-implications/

[Little Slide Rooter]

With the lack of potential impact hitters available in FA over the next couple of years, I really think we'll do what it takes to get Cespedes, the more I think about it. Money be damned, if it comes to it. We have very little commitment after this season, other than Soriano. To the point that even if Cespedes is a miss, it's not a killer for us, in any way. Unless he is like CJ Wilson and willing to pass up more money, maybe much more, I think he winds up with us.

 

There really aren't many avaialble at all in the next few years, especially outfielders. The closest thing is Andre Ethier, which a lot of people here don't seem to care for too much. There's B.J. Upton, who's bat is serviceable for a CF, but not if you move him to the corner. This is why I wouldn't be surprised to see Theo chase some more ex-top propsects such as Michael Taylor, Michael Saunders,Travis Snider, or even Delmon Young if we can't get Cespedes.

[C.C.]

What's the latest?

[Sammy Sofa]

The closest thing is Andre Ethier, which a lot of people here don't seem to care for too much.

 

You don't?

[Rob]

With the lack of potential impact hitters available in FA over the next couple of years, I really think we'll do what it takes to get Cespedes, the more I think about it. Money be damned, if it comes to it. We have very little commitment after this season, other than Soriano. To the point that even if Cespedes is a miss, it's not a killer for us, in any way. Unless he is like CJ Wilson and willing to pass up more money, maybe much more, I think he winds up with us.

 

There really aren't many avaialble at all in the next few years, especially outfielders. The closest thing is Andre Ethier, which a lot of people here don't seem to care for too much. There's B.J. Upton, who's bat is serviceable for a CF, but not if you move him to the corner. This is why I wouldn't be surprised to see Theo chase some more ex-top propsects such as Michael Taylor, Michael Saunders,Travis Snider, or even Delmon Young if we can't get Cespedes.

 

1.) Andre Ethier sucks and shouldn't be a real option unless the deal looks like what DeJesus got.

 

2.) BJ Upton's value in a corner would be extremely similar to his value in CF. He'd be the best Cubs position player (Castro improving could change that, of course).

[Little Slide Rooter]

The closest thing is Andre Ethier, which a lot of people here don't seem to care for too much.

 

You don't?

 

I do, but as you can see by the post above this, many do not. Problem is, due to the lack of offensive options next year, there's a good chance that somebody well overpays him.

[Sammy Sofa]

Yes, the "many" are right.

[Little Slide Rooter]

I'm just thinking of available options. If we don't get Cespedes, what are the corner outfield options over the next few years?

[Rob]

Ethier will cost north of $10 mil per season and command a multi year deal. He'll be 31, is already showing signs of decline, and cannot play the field passably well. That's not a guy you pay market rates for.

 

I would feel more comfortable with Campana or Sappelt in a corner making the league minimum. Seriously. They might be about one win worse, but at least we'd have $10 mil we can spend on a rotation upgrade or something.