Furcal Sets Price at 50 million

[CubinNY]

As I stated earlier in a different thread, Furcal will be overpaid. Now it looks like he will be REALLY overpaid.

 

I cannot imagine that given the differrence in salary Furcal would outproduce Cedeno, for cost.

 

I hope Hendry gets sticker shock and walks away.

 

Remember, SS is not a position of need for the Cubs.

Edited November 12, 2005 by CubinNY

[Cubfanintheknow]

Pure posturing by Furcal's agent. He tosses center field into the equation just to drag the Yankees and their money into the mix.

 

But face it, Furcal is the marquee name on the free agent list. He's going to sign for some serious coin wherever he goes.

[mg420]

I'm glad this is happening. Maybe I'll get another season out of my Nomar jersey.

 

I know my name dictates my feelings, but at that price especially we need Nomar back another year. He deserves another shot to make it through a year without injury. If he messed up this year then kiss goodbye, but his upside is worth the gamble IMO.

 

Exactly.

 

By then Cedeno would have been ready, IMO. Or, if not, then I'm sure the SS crop next year would be better.

 

There is NO NEED to throw a buttload of money at Furcal when we have at least 2 other options.

 

forget about nomar. cenedo's ready now.

[RynoRules]

Please tell me you're not comparing Rafael Furcal to Shawon Dunston.

 

I always appreciated Shawon's all out hustle, but man, he was not a good major league baseball player.

 

Nah Furcal is much better, that is true. But man, didn't Shawon have a cannon? and a group a fans that monitored his Shawon-o-meter?!

 

I sure did. I loved Shawon in 89'. One of my fave pics of all-time is the cover of the NLCS program from that year. It shows the Hawk scoring a winning run and Shawon hugging him, with that 50 mega-watt smile. Those were good times.

[rawaction]

Man, and just as I was getting on the Furcal bandwagon.

 

Furcal (05)- .284 .348 .429 (.777 OPS)

Lugo (05)- .295/.362/.403 (.765 OPS)

 

Defensive numbers look very similar outside of this past season also.

[soapy]

I still believe this is all agent BS. If we don't nab him, worse case scenario, we put Walker at 2B, Cedeno at short, trade for Pierre.

 

Pierre

Walker

Lee

(Giles/Dunn/Abreu)

Ramirez

Barrett

Murton

Cedeno

 

Still a good lineup, IMO.

 

Unfortunately, with the team you've assembled, Neifi will be playing (not Cedeno) and batting 2nd. Probably more like:

 

Pierre

Neifi

Lee

Giles, etc.

Ramirez

Walker

Murton

Barrett

[E.J.]

Looks like Hendry is in no rush to sign Furcal

 

Rafael Furcal enters the free-agent market seeking a five-year deal, a demand that could become a sticking point in the Cubs' pursuit of the switch-hitting shortstop.

 

The Cubs are waiting to find out what Furcal's price tag will be, in no apparent hurry to make an offer before the market is established. Atlanta, the Cubs and the New York Mets are considered to be Furcal's likeliest suitors, though the Braves have a good chance of retaining him.

 

It seems unlikely the Cubs would offer Furcal more than four years, having re-signed Aramis Ramirez last April to a four-year, $42 million deal that includes an option year. Derrek Lee, whose contract ends in '06, may be the only player the Cubs would risk a five-year deal on.

 

Hendry reiterated his belief that many teams will try to fill holes through the old-fashioned route of making a trade, rather than getting into bidding wars over free agents who wouldn't be fought over in a normal marketplace.

[MeatampPotatoesMan]

Looks like Hendry is in no rush to sign Furcal

 

Rafael Furcal enters the free-agent market seeking a five-year deal, a demand that could become a sticking point in the Cubs' pursuit of the switch-hitting shortstop.

 

The Cubs are waiting to find out what Furcal's price tag will be, in no apparent hurry to make an offer before the market is established. Atlanta, the Cubs and the New York Mets are considered to be Furcal's likeliest suitors, though the Braves have a good chance of retaining him.

 

It seems unlikely the Cubs would offer Furcal more than four years, having re-signed Aramis Ramirez last April to a four-year, $42 million deal that includes an option year. Derrek Lee, whose contract ends in '06, may be the only player the Cubs would risk a five-year deal on.

 

Hendry reiterated his belief that many teams will try to fill holes through the old-fashioned route of making a trade, rather than getting into bidding wars over free agents who wouldn't be fought over in a normal marketplace.

 

I hate agents. Lugo! Lugo!!

Edited November 12, 2005 by Meat&PotatoesMan

[RockTheIvy]

I still believe this is all agent BS. If we don't nab him, worse case scenario, we put Walker at 2B, Cedeno at short, trade for Pierre.

 

Pierre

Walker

Lee

(Giles/Dunn/Abreu)

Ramirez

Barrett

Murton

Cedeno

 

Still a good lineup, IMO.

 

Unfortunately, with the team you've assembled, Neifi will be playing (not Cedeno) and batting 2nd. Probably more like:

 

Pierre

Neifi

Lee

Giles, etc.

Ramirez

Walker

Murton

Barrett

 

You're right, and I bet Jose Macias would see some time in left, because Murton needs to be worked in slowly :(

[Buford T Justice]

If we got Lugo would there be any heat between him and Wood? Remember Wood hit him the arm and broke it when he was with the Astros.

[USSoccer]

If we got Lugo would there be any heat between him and Wood? Remember Wood hit him the arm and broke it when he was with the Astros.

 

That was a really long time ago. I'm sure a nice steak dinner would solve any lingering issues.

[Buford T Justice]

you never can tell these days though

[MeatampPotatoesMan]

If we got Lugo would there be any heat between him and Wood? Remember Wood hit him the arm and broke it when he was with the Astros.

 

That was a really long time ago. I'm sure a nice steak dinner would solve any lingering issues.

 

i'm sure Wood would feel bad about it if he was on the same team as Lugo. :lol:

[BigbadB]

Did Furcal's agent just ruin Furcal's offseason?

 

Assuming the Yankees are only "playing the game" to drive up the price on Furcal (I'm assuming this is the only reason since there will be all kinds of CF's on the market this offseason)....

 

And Atlanta can't afford anything more than about 6m a year....

 

And the Mets go a different route....

 

And the Cubs trade for Lugo.....

 

Would the 5/50 demands scare off other teams from any interest whatsoever? Is this really a good negotiating ploy? Is this the way it's going to be from now on?

 

I know it's probably a lot more work for an agent to work 2-5 teams to drive the price up, but doesn't this negotiating ploy seem like a more logical approach? It saves the player the embarrassment of missing his 50m mark by A LOT. It keeps teams that "think" they have a shot at him interested. It doesn't give every team in baseball the appearance that Furcal is all about himself instead of being a team player.

 

Will this negotiating ploy turn people on or off? Is it just an agent being about as lazy as possible to earn his client top dollar?

 

If Furcal gets anything close to what Aramis gets, I won't be too pleased.

[USSoccer]

Did Furcal's agent just ruin Furcal's offseason?

 

Assuming the Yankees are only "playing the game" to drive up the price on Furcal (I'm assuming this is the only reason since there will be all kinds of CF's on the market this offseason)....

 

And Atlanta can't afford anything more than about 6m a year....

 

And the Mets go a different route....

 

And the Cubs trade for Lugo.....

 

Would the 5/50 demands scare off other teams from any interest whatsoever? Is this really a good negotiating ploy? Is this the way it's going to be from now on?

 

I know it's probably a lot more work for an agent to work 2-5 teams to drive the price up, but doesn't this negotiating ploy seem like a more logical approach? It saves the player the embarrassment of missing his 50m mark by A LOT. It keeps teams that "think" they have a shot at him interested. It doesn't give every team in baseball the appearance that Furcal is all about himself instead of being a team player.

 

Will this negotiating ploy turn people on or off? Is it just an agent being about as lazy as possible to earn his client top dollar?

 

If Furcal gets anything close to what Aramis gets, I won't be too pleased.

 

 

I think your last point is a great one. Aramis got 4/$42m. Sure, he can (and might) opt to renegotiate after 2006, but the point is, he's a potential MVP caliber player. Furcal is a nice player, but not worth nearly that much.

 

I still think 4/32 is more likely for Furcal.

[E.J.]

Did Furcal's agent just ruin Furcal's offseason?

 

Assuming the Yankees are only "playing the game" to drive up the price on Furcal (I'm assuming this is the only reason since there will be all kinds of CF's on the market this offseason)....

 

And Atlanta can't afford anything more than about 6m a year....

 

And the Mets go a different route....

 

And the Cubs trade for Lugo.....

 

Would the 5/50 demands scare off other teams from any interest whatsoever? Is this really a good negotiating ploy? Is this the way it's going to be from now on?

 

I know it's probably a lot more work for an agent to work 2-5 teams to drive the price up, but doesn't this negotiating ploy seem like a more logical approach? It saves the player the embarrassment of missing his 50m mark by A LOT. It keeps teams that "think" they have a shot at him interested. It doesn't give every team in baseball the appearance that Furcal is all about himself instead of being a team player.

 

Will this negotiating ploy turn people on or off? Is it just an agent being about as lazy as possible to earn his client top dollar?

 

If Furcal gets anything close to what Aramis gets, I won't be too pleased.

 

I was thinking the same thing. It would be one thing if there were a huge market for Furcal, but there don't seem to be that many teams interested in him (and both NY teams want him to change positions). I don't think it's too smart for the agent to come out and say Furcal could maybe get 5 years and $50 million because he might scare away the only couple of teams that actually have interest in signing Furcal. Stupid move IMO.

[BigbadB]

And I think I can deal with 4/32.

 

However, this past year was his contract year and he performed much better than previous years. That red flag alone should knock his price tag down about 18m.

 

When you reward a guy a 50m contract for what they did for 1 season, you are asking for a ton of trouble.

 

I'd rather overpay Tampa in prospects for Lugo than overpay in years and cash for Furcal. They are practically the same player.

[USSoccer]

And I think I can deal with 4/32.

 

However, this past year was his contract year and he performed much better than previous years. That red flag alone should knock his price tag down about 18m.

 

When you reward a guy a 50m contract for what they did for 1 season, you are asking for a ton of trouble.

 

I'd rather overpay Tampa in prospects for Lugo than overpay in years and cash for Furcal. They are practically the same player.

 

But does Hendry see the need to make more of a splashy move? I can see the scout in Hendry thinking that Furcal has more upside, or whatever, than Lugo.

[BigbadB]

I would imagine that Hendry sees Lugo as a #2 hitter, and his want and most significant need is a lead off hitter. But, if he covets Pierre, where would Furcal hit? Wouldn't that be the same spot as Lugo?

 

Personally, if I'm Hendry and I see 5/50 being floated across my desk, I tell Furcal's agent that my SS prospect hit .374 in AAA last year and .300 in the bigs and he can keep his client. We'll focus our energy on Giles.

 

It wouldn't have to be a bluff either. You have Walker to play 2nd, Cedeno to play SS, and Neifi to back them up. Trade for Pierre, sign Giles and voila, Furcal can resign with Atlanta for dirt cheap. Attempt to get Lugo from Tampa or something comparable elsewhere, and spend other energy on pitching.

 

Just because it's slim pickings this offseason doesn't mean you given in to ridiculous demands.

 

By keeping SS open, maybe a historic deal that involves A-Rod is still possible.

[E.J.]

Looks like the Yankees interest in Furcal playing CF might just have been a joke:

 

One Internet report had the Yankees expressing interest in Furcal as a center fielder, which seemed rather suspect given that he's never played the outfield.

 

"It was a joke," Kinzer said of the hotel lobby discussion with Yankees general manager Brian Cashman, which led to the rumor. "[Cashman] wasn't being serious."

 

http://www.ajc.com/braves/content/sports/braves/1105/12furcal.html

 

So the Yankees probably don't have any interest. The Mets only have interest if he's willing to move to 2b. The Braves are starting to focus their interest elsewhere? What other teams would be interested?

 

Me thinks this is why the agent came out and said Furcal was worth 5/50 and that there were at least 5 teams willing to pay that much.

[MeatampPotatoesMan]

Kinzer, what a dink.

 

I think I like Boras more. :twisted:

[BigbadB]

Looks like the Yankees interest in Furcal playing CF might just have been a joke:

 

One Internet report had the Yankees expressing interest in Furcal as a center fielder, which seemed rather suspect given that he's never played the outfield.

 

"It was a joke," Kinzer said of the hotel lobby discussion with Yankees general manager Brian Cashman, which led to the rumor. "[Cashman] wasn't being serious."

 

http://www.ajc.com/braves/content/sports/braves/1105/12furcal.html

 

So the Yankees probably don't have any interest. The Mets only have interest if he's willing to move to 2b. The Braves are starting to focus their interest elsewhere? What other teams would be interested?

 

Me thinks this is why the agent came out and said Furcal was worth 5/50 and that there were at least 5 teams willing to pay that much.

 

He also said there were 5 teams willing to pay that much? :shock:

 

Is 5 really a dramatic overexaggeration of zero?

[vance_the_cubs_fan]

I would imagine that Hendry sees Lugo as a #2 hitter, and his want and most significant need is a lead off hitter. But, if he covets Pierre, where would Furcal hit? Wouldn't that be the same spot as Lugo?

 

Personally, if I'm Hendry and I see 5/50 being floated across my desk, I tell Furcal's agent that my SS prospect hit .374 in AAA last year and .300 in the bigs and he can keep his client. We'll focus our energy on Giles.

 

It wouldn't have to be a bluff either. You have Walker to play 2nd, Cedeno to play SS, and Neifi to back them up. Trade for Pierre, sign Giles and voila, Furcal can resign with Atlanta for dirt cheap. Attempt to get Lugo from Tampa or something comparable elsewhere, and spend other energy on pitching.

 

ust because it's slim pickings this offseason doesn't mean you given in to ridiculous demands.

 

By keeping SS open, maybe a historic deal that involves A-Rod is still possible.

 

It seems as if Hendry may be thinking just that.

 

Link

 

Hendry reiterated his belief that many teams will try to fill holes through the old-fashioned route of making a trade, rather than getting into bidding wars over free agents who wouldn't be fought over in a normal marketplace.

 

"It seems to be a climate where teams are more interested in trading [to improve themselves]," Hendry said.

 

[jmajew]

I say the Cubs tell Furcal to go sing a funny song himself. They shoudl trade for luis Castillo to play second and resign Nomar to play short. Then you go out and get Lofton to play center and hopefully get Bradley for Right. If Nomar gets hurt you just put in ronny cedeno and bat him 8th and bump everyone else up.

 

Lofton

Castillo

Lee

Aramis

Nomar

Bradley

Barrett

Murton

 

The money we would save by not signing Furcal would allow us to sign an extra starter or to go out and get Bobby Howry, Octavio Dotel, or Scott Eyre for the pen.

 

Plus I'm also worried that once Furcal gets the money he we will party too much here in Chicago. The guy already has two DUI's whats to say once he is making 10 mil a year he won't be out every night of the week partying.

[Wheelimus]

No team will give him 5/50 guaranteed, but what about this scenario?

 

4/36, 5th year option for 14 million which automatically vests with a certain criteria (say, .850 OPS plus an average of over 130 games started over those 4 years). If the option doesn't vest, the team has a $12 million option or a $2 million buyout, and the player has an $8 million option.

 

That gives them the "5 year 50 million" contract to hype, but only puts us on the hook for $38 guaranteed.