RotoAuthority - has the Cubs signing 6 of the Top 50 FA

[Neuby]

A lot of rumors. Yes. However, not the type of rumors I want to hear. They have done nothing to convince me they intend to improve the weakness this team has.

 

Has anyone done something yet? Is Macias a free agent or a possible non-tender?

 

Yes. Anyone has done something yet. Several managers have been cut loose, coaches have been fired, GM's have been let go......

 

Nomar has suggested he'd love to be back in Chicago and would be open to playing whereever they want him. However, management doesn't seem interested in retaining his services.

 

The offseason for the Cubs basically started September 1st, and Jose Macias and Neifi Perez batted 1/2 while Cedeno sat. We have so little info on Cedeno, we won't know if he could be an everyday starter or a AAAA player.

 

I could go on and on. It is my opinion, but I don't like the vibe coming out of Chicago.

 

Getting back to another post you recently made in this tread....

 

Would you like Burnitz as a 4th outfielder if you know Murton is one of the starters? Isn't that Hollandsworth/Dubois all over again?

 

Except Murton is better. Dubois is DH filler for low budget team at best.

[USSoccer]

A lot of rumors. Yes. However, not the type of rumors I want to hear. They have done nothing to convince me they intend to improve the weakness this team has.

 

Has anyone done something yet? Is Macias a free agent or a possible non-tender?

 

Yes. Anyone has done something yet. Several managers have been cut loose, coaches have been fired, GM's have been let go......

 

Nomar has suggested he'd love to be back in Chicago and would be open to playing whereever they want him. However, management doesn't seem interested in retaining his services.

 

The offseason for the Cubs basically started September 1st, and Jose Macias and Neifi Perez batted 1/2 while Cedeno sat. We have so little info on Cedeno, we won't know if he could be an everyday starter or a AAAA player.

 

I could go on and on. It is my opinion, but I don't like the vibe coming out of Chicago.

 

Getting back to another post you recently made in this tread....

 

Would you like Burnitz as a 4th outfielder if you know Murton is one of the starters? Isn't that Hollandsworth/Dubois all over again?

 

Unless Baker definetly feels that Murton showed enough in his 150 AB's to warrant less skepticism, I'd steer clear of any veteran corner OF, especially one who bats lefty.

 

I don't want Nomar back unless he's playing SS, or as a supersub, but not as an everyday OF.

 

I'm irritated that Macias hasn't been non tendered yet. I'm not shocked that Perez hasn't been, since I doubt Hendry saw what every objective observer saw last season. He'll wait til the SS situation is settled, or at least clearer, to move on Macias.

 

No excuse for Burnitz's option being declined. It's a bad option, so it shouldn't be picked up even if Hendry wants him back.

[CuseCubFan69]

A lot of rumors. Yes. However, not the type of rumors I want to hear. They have done nothing to convince me they intend to improve the weakness this team has.

 

Has anyone done something yet? Is Macias a free agent or a possible non-tender?

 

Yes. Anyone has done something yet. Several managers have been cut loose, coaches have been fired, GM's have been let go......

 

Nomar has suggested he'd love to be back in Chicago and would be open to playing whereever they want him. However, management doesn't seem interested in retaining his services.

 

The offseason for the Cubs basically started September 1st, and Jose Macias and Neifi Perez batted 1/2 while Cedeno sat. We have so little info on Cedeno, we won't know if he could be an everyday starter or a AAAA player.

 

I could go on and on. It is my opinion, but I don't like the vibe coming out of Chicago.

 

Getting back to another post you recently made in this tread....

 

Would you like Burnitz as a 4th outfielder if you know Murton is one of the starters? Isn't that Hollandsworth/Dubois all over again?

 

I don't know if it would be a Holla/Dubois thing BbB you're right as I was using common sense and not Baker logic. Still, Hendry gives Baker the players and Baker makes the lineup. Yeah, he could take away the boytoys and if it came down to that I would assume that Baker is out after this year. I can not imagine getting players like that and having any manager do what Baker did. But...and a big but...if Hendry and Baker saw eye to eye that putting Perez, Macias and Patterson at the top then there is a serious problem...you are absolutely right. I had no problem with Patterson at the top early but after he started to look lost he shoud have never seen the top again.

 

I'm curious on why you are getting vibes like this since it's been, IMO anyway, that Hendry usually keeps things out of the press pretty well when it comes to aquiring players.

[BigbadB]

A lot of rumors. Yes. However, not the type of rumors I want to hear. They have done nothing to convince me they intend to improve the weakness this team has.

 

I have heard the rumors of Hendry wanting to improve the 1-2 spots for Lee and Ramirez. While Furcal isn't great, he is an improvement. And then there's the Hoops' rumors of Castillo and Bradley that I like. There are some positive signs so far.

 

The Cubs had Todd Walker for most of the year. He had zero lead off at bats. Matt Murton had 10 at bats in the top two spots in the order this year and had a wonderful OBP. Meanwhile, the Cubs finished the season with Macias and Perez 1/2.

 

Furcal would be okay, though I'd rather have Giles. Cedeno could someday be better than Furcal offensively. But, the Cubs weren't interested in finding out just how good or bad he might be. He is a complete question mark.

 

But, when I see Furcal as a possible free agent target, I can't help but wonder if the Cubs see his "speed" rather than OBP as the main reason for targeting him. If they don't get him, would they go after the speedy Royce Clayton instead of a better OBP option? With this managements mentality, I'm not sure. Maybe they'll feel Neifi's defense is better than Nomar's offense if they can't sign Furcal. The warning signs scare me.

[CuseCubFan69]

A lot of rumors. Yes. However, not the type of rumors I want to hear. They have done nothing to convince me they intend to improve the weakness this team has.

 

Has anyone done something yet? Is Macias a free agent or a possible non-tender?

 

Yes. Anyone has done something yet. Several managers have been cut loose, coaches have been fired, GM's have been let go......

 

Nomar has suggested he'd love to be back in Chicago and would be open to playing whereever they want him. However, management doesn't seem interested in retaining his services.

 

The offseason for the Cubs basically started September 1st, and Jose Macias and Neifi Perez batted 1/2 while Cedeno sat. We have so little info on Cedeno, we won't know if he could be an everyday starter or a AAAA player.

 

I could go on and on. It is my opinion, but I don't like the vibe coming out of Chicago.

 

Getting back to another post you recently made in this tread....

 

Would you like Burnitz as a 4th outfielder if you know Murton is one of the starters? Isn't that Hollandsworth/Dubois all over again?

 

Unless Baker definetly feels that Murton showed enough in his 150 AB's to warrant less skepticism, I'd steer clear of any veteran corner OF, especially one who bats lefty.

 

I don't want Nomar back unless he's playing SS, or as a supersub, but not as an everyday OF.

 

I'm irritated that Macias hasn't been non tendered yet. I'm not shocked that Perez hasn't been, since I doubt Hendry saw what every objective observer saw last season. He'll wait til the SS situation is settled, or at least clearer, to move on Macias.

 

No excuse for Burnitz's option being declined. It's a bad option, so it shouldn't be picked up even if Hendry wants him back.

 

Baker is so old school in thought that I would be surprised if he put Murton in either of the top 2 batting slots. Only middle infielders and CF's can do that unless they have proved it before with some other team.

 

So Macias is a non-tender guy? That should be a no brainer but I still do not see what the hurry is.

[goonys evil twin]

Those are a lot of rumors BbB. I think Burnitz is a bird in the hand and he is seeing what happens first and I think (hope) Walker is just a formality. Burnitz may be re-signed to be a 4th OF for a lower rate for all we know.

 

I think Burnitz is something else in the hand, but it does rhyme with bird.

 

I would like him as a 4th OF. If Baker has 3 solid OF's I wouldn't mind him being the 4th guy and the Cubs could afford it. If the Cubs can find a cheaper 4th OF that is as productive, which I think Burnitz would be in the 4th role, I am for it. I just think Hendry is covering his OF. Now...if he is waiting to see and make Burnitz a starter, I'm with you 100%. Also, can Burnitz play first at all? He didn't play there last year I know but that was because he was a "fixture" in right. You give me Hairston (also extra inf), Patterson and Burnitz as the extra OF's and I'll be happy with that.

 

Let me also ask what the Cubs have coming up for the OF in the next couple of years? Pie in 2007 and is there anyone else?

 

I think Burnitz as 4th OF is destined to fail. Baker doesn't demote veterans. He liked what Burnitz brought to the table last year, and JB would get at least 400 AB next year.

[CuseCubFan69]

A lot of rumors. Yes. However, not the type of rumors I want to hear. They have done nothing to convince me they intend to improve the weakness this team has.

 

I have heard the rumors of Hendry wanting to improve the 1-2 spots for Lee and Ramirez. While Furcal isn't great, he is an improvement. And then there's the Hoops' rumors of Castillo and Bradley that I like. There are some positive signs so far.

 

The Cubs had Todd Walker for most of the year. He had zero lead off at bats. Matt Murton had 10 at bats in the top two spots in the order this year and had a wonderful OBP. Meanwhile, the Cubs finished the season with Macias and Perez 1/2.

 

Furcal would be okay, though I'd rather have Giles. Cedeno could someday be better than Furcal offensively. But, the Cubs weren't interested in finding out just how good or bad he might be. He is a complete question mark.

 

But, when I see Furcal as a possible free agent target, I can't help but wonder if the Cubs see his "speed" rather than OBP as the main reason for targeting him. If they don't get him, would they go after the speedy Royce Clayton instead of a better OBP option? With this managements mentality, I'm not sure. Maybe they'll feel Neifi's defense is better than Nomar's offense if they can't sign Furcal. The warning signs scare me.

 

I still say watch out for a trade for Pierre if the Cubs don't get Furcal.

[CuseCubFan69]

Those are a lot of rumors BbB. I think Burnitz is a bird in the hand and he is seeing what happens first and I think (hope) Walker is just a formality. Burnitz may be re-signed to be a 4th OF for a lower rate for all we know.

 

I think Burnitz is something else in the hand, but it does rhyme with bird.

 

I would like him as a 4th OF. If Baker has 3 solid OF's I wouldn't mind him being the 4th guy and the Cubs could afford it. If the Cubs can find a cheaper 4th OF that is as productive, which I think Burnitz would be in the 4th role, I am for it. I just think Hendry is covering his OF. Now...if he is waiting to see and make Burnitz a starter, I'm with you 100%. Also, can Burnitz play first at all? He didn't play there last year I know but that was because he was a "fixture" in right. You give me Hairston (also extra inf), Patterson and Burnitz as the extra OF's and I'll be happy with that.

 

Let me also ask what the Cubs have coming up for the OF in the next couple of years? Pie in 2007 and is there anyone else?

 

I think Burnitz as 4th OF is destined to fail. Baker doesn't demote veterans. He liked what Burnitz brought to the table last year, and JB would get at least 400 AB next year.

 

Unless the Cubs have Giles, Bradley and Murton. But, I do agree with you and BbB that Baker logic would dictate otherwise. Oh well.

[goonys evil twin]

 

So Macias is a non-tender guy? That should be a no brainer but I still do not see what the hurry is.

 

Hurry? The season is over. Teams let go of dead weight when the season is over. A lot of teams have already made moves, declining options, picking up options, outrighting guys, firing coaches, hiring coaches, claiming players. A lot of dead weight is gone by this time of year.

 

The problem is the Cubs think Macias has value, and they will keep him. They think Neifi Perez is fine for SS. They think Burnitz is a fine RF. They think the problem was health, luck, chemistry and attitude. They have failed to recognize the single biggest problem on this team for years, and not one major front office person has been replaced, nothing makes me think they finally understand the problem and are willing to fix it.

[BigbadB]

I'm curious on why you are getting vibes like this since it's been, IMO anyway, that Hendry usually keeps things out of the press pretty well when it comes to aquiring players.

 

I like a lot of moves Hendry has made over the years. But, I dislike a lot of moves Hendry has made over the years. Signing Estes for the "need" of a lefty in the rotation and garnering any trade value Juan Cruz may have ever had as completely useless, was one of his all time worst.

 

Picking up the obviously "you get what you ask for" Enrique Wilson instead of going with the "could be a pleastant surprise" Ronnie Cedeno ranks right up there as an all time worst.

 

Sitting on their thumbs last season after informing everyone how worthless Sammy Sosa is and having to settle for Jeromy Burnitz as his replacement.

 

It hasn't happened yet, but I certainly see Patterson being traded for a dozen nightcrawlers, which will not only fit this managements profile, but will also be a bad trade in the making.

 

Hendry does play with his cards close to the vest. That can work in your favor sometimes. I don't think it works this offseason. I don't think you can simply let Nomar and Walker take a hike without 100% assurance that they can be replaced with better players. How does that happen? I think Neifi is kept around with the promise of lots of playing time as "Dusty's insurance" if they can't get Furcal. I just don't see any possible way that the Cubs let Walker and Nomar walk (as they seem to want to let happen) and let Neifi walk as well, leaving Cedeno as they only real possibility for 2 open spots in the infield.

 

I about blew a gasket with the whole Burnitz thing last year. Not only that they had to settle for him, but that they had to outbid the Pittsburgh F. Pirates for his services. I'm not kidding either. Tim can vouge for my anger over that one. I've never been angrier.

 

I want something to be optimistic about. I want to pick up a newspaper and read that the Cubs have every intention of improving OBP, signing the best player available at the position of need (Giles), etc....

 

I don't want to read "Nomar wants to come back", but Chicago doesn't want him back. I want to read that "Nomar wants to come back" and Chicago "wants him back" and they'll work on an incentive heavy/low base one year deal.

 

I want to read that this team will not accept losing and that Baker's job is in serious jeopardy. I want to read that Dusty's coaching weaknesses outweigh his coaching strength's and he is being let go.

 

I'm not giving up hope, but I'm very scared about the possibilities that this team wasted golden opportunities to be one of the better teams in baseball for a very long time.

[USSoccer]

 

So Macias is a non-tender guy? That should be a no brainer but I still do not see what the hurry is.

 

Hurry? The season is over. Teams let go of dead weight when the season is over. A lot of teams have already made moves, declining options, picking up options, outrighting guys, firing coaches, hiring coaches, claiming players. A lot of dead weight is gone by this time of year.

 

The problem is the Cubs think Macias has value, and they will keep him. They think Neifi Perez is fine for SS. They think Burnitz is a fine RF. They think the problem was health, luck, chemistry and attitude. They have failed to recognize the single biggest problem on this team for years, and not one major front office person has been replaced, nothing makes me think they finally understand the problem and are willing to fix it.

 

To expand up what Goony's point is, it's not as if this team was 15 over .500 and missed the playoffs by a couple games. There was a serious regression here, and nothing and no one has been held accountable.

 

Macias being let go would signal a change, or at least an admission that the roster was flawed going into 2005. That's the least we could expect as vested fans: an admission of failure, and a signal that the club intends to correct the flaws in this team.

[erik316wttn]

 

So Macias is a non-tender guy? That should be a no brainer but I still do not see what the hurry is.

 

Hurry? The season is over. Teams let go of dead weight when the season is over. A lot of teams have already made moves, declining options, picking up options, outrighting guys, firing coaches, hiring coaches, claiming players. A lot of dead weight is gone by this time of year.

 

The problem is the Cubs think Macias has value, and they will keep him. They think Neifi Perez is fine for SS. They think Burnitz is a fine RF. They think the problem was health, luck, chemistry and attitude. They have failed to recognize the single biggest problem on this team for years, and not one major front office person has been replaced, nothing makes me think they finally understand the problem and are willing to fix it.

 

To expand up what Goony's point is, it's not as if this team was 15 over .500 and missed the playoffs by a couple games. There was a serious regression here, and nothing and no one has been held accountable.

 

Macias being let go would signal a change, or at least an admission that the roster was flawed going into 2005. That's the least we could expect as vested fans: an admission of failure, and a signal that the club intends to correct the flaws in this team.

 

But, as so often tends to happen with people in power, they never want to admit blame and either pass blame off to others, or insist that they were right all along and that everyone else was wrong.

[CuseCubFan69]

 

So Macias is a non-tender guy? That should be a no brainer but I still do not see what the hurry is.

 

Hurry? The season is over. Teams let go of dead weight when the season is over. A lot of teams have already made moves, declining options, picking up options, outrighting guys, firing coaches, hiring coaches, claiming players. A lot of dead weight is gone by this time of year.

 

The problem is the Cubs think Macias has value, and they will keep him. They think Neifi Perez is fine for SS. They think Burnitz is a fine RF. They think the problem was health, luck, chemistry and attitude. They have failed to recognize the single biggest problem on this team for years, and not one major front office person has been replaced, nothing makes me think they finally understand the problem and are willing to fix it.

 

Goony I will agree with you 100% if they end up keeping any of these guys. I still believe that Hendry is just taking his time and waiting until after the World Series.

[BigbadB]

 

So Macias is a non-tender guy? That should be a no brainer but I still do not see what the hurry is.

 

Hurry? The season is over. Teams let go of dead weight when the season is over. A lot of teams have already made moves, declining options, picking up options, outrighting guys, firing coaches, hiring coaches, claiming players. A lot of dead weight is gone by this time of year.

 

The problem is the Cubs think Macias has value, and they will keep him. They think Neifi Perez is fine for SS. They think Burnitz is a fine RF. They think the problem was health, luck, chemistry and attitude. They have failed to recognize the single biggest problem on this team for years, and not one major front office person has been replaced, nothing makes me think they finally understand the problem and are willing to fix it.

 

Exactly. What's the hurry to send Neifi and Macias packing? They are wasting two spots on the 40 man roster. Theriot and Fontenot are as good or better of a combo of back up utility men and neither of those guys likely needs to be protected in the Rule 5 draft. They are much cheaper, shouldn't play that much to begin with and lessens Dusty's chances of replacing Cedeno or Murton (Burnitz in the OF) with a crap veteran.

 

I also don't know how anyone can be comfortable with Cedeno as one of the starters when we have no real idea what kind of player he will be. He did pretty good last year, but what happens when the other NL teams get the "scouting book" on Cedeno? Expose his weakness. Will he still be a .300 guy, or will he be a .240 guy? You know what you have in Nomar and Walker, and Cedeno looks like a nice back up to a guy who might have another injury. Furcal is no guarantee, and he will be very pricey.

Edited October 19, 2005 by BigbadB

[brinoch]

As far as I'm concerned, the Cubs need to prove that they understand what needs to be done to improve the team. I simply have no confidence that they've identified the problems facing the team, and so I think the Cubs will continue signing mediocrity.

[CuseCubFan69]

 

So Macias is a non-tender guy? That should be a no brainer but I still do not see what the hurry is.

 

Hurry? The season is over. Teams let go of dead weight when the season is over. A lot of teams have already made moves, declining options, picking up options, outrighting guys, firing coaches, hiring coaches, claiming players. A lot of dead weight is gone by this time of year.

 

The problem is the Cubs think Macias has value, and they will keep him. They think Neifi Perez is fine for SS. They think Burnitz is a fine RF. They think the problem was health, luck, chemistry and attitude. They have failed to recognize the single biggest problem on this team for years, and not one major front office person has been replaced, nothing makes me think they finally understand the problem and are willing to fix it.

 

To expand up what Goony's point is, it's not as if this team was 15 over .500 and missed the playoffs by a couple games. There was a serious regression here, and nothing and no one has been held accountable.

 

Macias being let go would signal a change, or at least an admission that the roster was flawed going into 2005. That's the least we could expect as vested fans: an admission of failure, and a signal that the club intends to correct the flaws in this team.

 

I still don't understand....why the haste? Yeah, mistakes were made and the season was a failure but nothing can be done to add a player to your team until after the World Series is over so I agree with Hendry's patience in the matter.

[goonys evil twin]

Goony I will agree with you 100% if they end up keeping any of these guys. I still believe that Hendry is just taking his time and waiting until after the World Series.

 

Do you really think Macias is gone? I think they love his "versatility". And everyday that Burnitz is still taking up roster space I get more and more concered he will be back.

 

This front office seems to be more concerned with insulting the people responsible for 83 loss than interested in acquiring people who can help this team to 95 wins.

[brinoch]

I also don't know how anyone can be comfortable with Cedeno as one of the starters when we have no real idea what kind of player he will be. He did pretty good last year, but what happens when the other NL teams get the "scouting book" on Cedeno? Expose his weakness. Will he still be a .300 guy, or will he be a .240 guy? You know what you have in Nomar and Walker, and Cedeno looks like a nice back up to a guy who might have another injury. Furcal is no guarantee, and he will be very pricey.

 

We might know what Cedeno could offer... but instead we saw Enrique Wilson and Neifi Perez in the starting lineup. I really do want to harp on this point: this is the third year in a row where injuries have afforded opportunities for rookies to prove their worth. And it's the third year in a row we know very little about them because they played very little, all in all. Hill, Harris, Kelton, Dubois, and Cedeno all could have been given a greater look, but never were. Cedeno impressed, certainly. But it wasn't all that much time considering.

 

Cedeno didn't need to be an upgrade over Nomar to merit playing time. All he needed to be was an upgrade over Neifi. And I'm confident that he would be an upgrade over Neifi... enough of one to ignore Furcal and concentrate on OF? I don't know.

[USSoccer]

 

So Macias is a non-tender guy? That should be a no brainer but I still do not see what the hurry is.

 

Hurry? The season is over. Teams let go of dead weight when the season is over. A lot of teams have already made moves, declining options, picking up options, outrighting guys, firing coaches, hiring coaches, claiming players. A lot of dead weight is gone by this time of year.

 

The problem is the Cubs think Macias has value, and they will keep him. They think Neifi Perez is fine for SS. They think Burnitz is a fine RF. They think the problem was health, luck, chemistry and attitude. They have failed to recognize the single biggest problem on this team for years, and not one major front office person has been replaced, nothing makes me think they finally understand the problem and are willing to fix it.

 

To expand up what Goony's point is, it's not as if this team was 15 over .500 and missed the playoffs by a couple games. There was a serious regression here, and nothing and no one has been held accountable.

 

Macias being let go would signal a change, or at least an admission that the roster was flawed going into 2005. That's the least we could expect as vested fans: an admission of failure, and a signal that the club intends to correct the flaws in this team.

 

I still don't understand....why the haste? Yeah, mistakes were made and the season was a failure but nothing can be done to add a player to your team until after the World Series is over so I agree with Hendry's patience in the matter.

 

The hurry is that last offseason Hendry waited, and waited, and waited, and concentrated all of his efforts on trading one player, and it resulted in an 83 loss season. That cannot happen again, and the sad part is that while it was happening there were a few of us who were predicting exactly what was happening.

 

If you ignore the past, you are doomed to repeat it. Instead of waiting and playing his little poker game, Hendry needs to get down to brass tacks, because this team has a lot of work to do in order to contend. Why not get the easy stuff out of the way now, instead of having it waste time that would be better spent working on Giles, Furcal, or other moves?

[CuseCubFan69]

 

So Macias is a non-tender guy? That should be a no brainer but I still do not see what the hurry is.

 

Hurry? The season is over. Teams let go of dead weight when the season is over. A lot of teams have already made moves, declining options, picking up options, outrighting guys, firing coaches, hiring coaches, claiming players. A lot of dead weight is gone by this time of year.

 

The problem is the Cubs think Macias has value, and they will keep him. They think Neifi Perez is fine for SS. They think Burnitz is a fine RF. They think the problem was health, luck, chemistry and attitude. They have failed to recognize the single biggest problem on this team for years, and not one major front office person has been replaced, nothing makes me think they finally understand the problem and are willing to fix it.

 

Exactly. What's the hurry to send Neifi and Macias packing? They are wasting two spots on the 40 man roster. Theriot and Fontenot are as good or better of a combo of back up utility men and neither of those guys likely needs to be protected in the Rule 5 draft. They are much cheaper, shouldn't play that much to begin with and lessens Dusty's chances of replacing Cedeno or Murton (Burnitz in the OF) with a crap veteran.

 

I also don't know how anyone can be comfortable with Cedeno as one of the starters when we have no real idea what kind of player he will be. He did pretty good last year, but what happens when the other NL teams get the "scouting book" on Cedeno? Expose his weakness. Will he still be a .300 guy, or will he be a .240 guy? You know what you have in Nomar and Walker, and Cedeno looks like a nice back up to a guy who might have another injury. Furcal is no guarantee, and he will be very pricey.

 

But why hurry the moves? What is the gain of putting those guys on the 40 before the rule 5 draft? I understand that Perez, Macias and Burnitz should be gone but let me know why the Cubs should rush that? I think it's good business to wait until you can aquire players to make a move and not just make one. You're saying they are dead weight and I agree 100% that Macias is but Perez and Burnitz are not IMO..... if Baker could use them right.

[CuseCubFan69]

Goony I will agree with you 100% if they end up keeping any of these guys. I still believe that Hendry is just taking his time and waiting until after the World Series.

 

Do you really think Macias is gone? I think they love his "versatility". And everyday that Burnitz is still taking up roster space I get more and more concered he will be back.

 

This front office seems to be more concerned with insulting the people responsible for 83 loss than interested in acquiring people who can help this team to 95 wins.

 

I hope so Goony and if Hendry keeps him then the Cubs will have a problem. Can he be traded?

[goonys evil twin]

I still don't understand....why the haste? Yeah, mistakes were made and the season was a failure but nothing can be done to add a player to your team until after the World Series is over so I agree with Hendry's patience in the matter.

 

Where does haste come into play? It's a simple decision. Macias is a worthless baseball player. His presence on the team hurts the teams chances to win. Get rid of him. Burnitz's option is ridiculously overpriced, there's no good reason to bring him back next year. Decline the option. Walker at $2.5m is extremely valuable, pick up the option. Nomar is a nice option if he's cheap in terms of a guarantee, let it be known that you'd be interested in having him back.

[CubinNY]

As far as I'm concerned, the Cubs need to prove that they understand what needs to be done to improve the team. I simply have no confidence that they've identified the problems facing the team, and so I think the Cubs will continue signing mediocrity.

 

I agree. But I'm going to wait and hope Hendry has a better off-season then the one he had last year. This season was perfectly predictable once ST was over and Dusty was talking about 400+ AB for Hollandsworth. It was perfectly predictable when Hendry had to over bid for Jeromy b/c he was the last body standing.

 

Now the Cubs are at another choice point. As others and myself have pointed out numerous times, it wasn't injury, bad luck, and chemistry that was the downfall of the Cubs. Let's see what Hendry does. If he is hot and heavy over Furcal, look out b/c Hendry just doesn't get it. If he goes after Wilson without also going after Giles, he doesn't get it. I hope Hoops grain of salt rumor is true. But given Hendry's track record I'm not so sure.

[BigbadB]

I still don't understand....why the haste? Yeah, mistakes were made and the season was a failure but nothing can be done to add a player to your team until after the World Series is over so I agree with Hendry's patience in the matter.

 

Where does haste come into play? It's a simple decision. Macias is a worthless baseball player. His presence on the team hurts the teams chances to win. Get rid of him. Burnitz's option is ridiculously overpriced, there's no good reason to bring him back next year. Decline the option. Walker at $2.5m is extremely valuable, pick up the option. Nomar is a nice option if he's cheap in terms of a guarantee, let it be known that you'd be interested in having him back.

 

Ding, ding, ding. We have a winner.

 

Macias, Perez and Burnitz are all wasting extremely valuable 40 man roster space. Get rid of them now before you overlook them later and forget to protect someone of actual value.

[CuseCubFan69]

I still don't understand....why the haste? Yeah, mistakes were made and the season was a failure but nothing can be done to add a player to your team until after the World Series is over so I agree with Hendry's patience in the matter.

 

Where does haste come into play? It's a simple decision. Macias is a worthless baseball player. His presence on the team hurts the teams chances to win. Get rid of him. Burnitz's option is ridiculously overpriced, there's no good reason to bring him back next year. Decline the option. Walker at $2.5m is extremely valuable, pick up the option. Nomar is a nice option if he's cheap in terms of a guarantee, let it be known that you'd be interested in having him back.

 

Goony I agree with your evaluations on those players. We don't not know what is going on and until an actual move is made I'm not going to get into a big huff over it. What difference does it make if Macias is let go today or 20 days from now?