HoopsCubs

Then, I would assume that BJ Ryan will go to the Phillies.

He indeed has a plan. You (and most here) just don't like it. Pitching More Pitching Defense Lead-off Right Field For right or wrong, he has decided to model the club like the Astros and White Sox of 2005. Assuming the Howry signing is not fiction, I expect we'll see Hendry do the following in no special order: - sign or trade for another starting pitcher (I'll guess Paul Byrd or Esteban Loaiza) - sign either Rafael Furcal or Alex Gonzalez - trade Todd Walker for a prospect - package Jerome Williams along with a minor prospect for Juan Pierre - package Corey Patterson, Glendon Rusch and a pitching prospect for a mystery RF (the prospect is a nobody if Kevin Mench or Jay Gibbons is the target; the prospect is grade A if Bobby Abreu is the target)

Poor Kevin Youkilis. The guy can't get a break. As soon as Bill Mueller's contract is done, the Red Sox trade for a player with 2 years left on his deal. :cry:

Dodgers - farm talent galore.

I was reading the link provided in the first post of this thread, and lost in all the Bobby Hill talk, was the fact that the Pirates DFAd Michael Restovich too. He is lighting it up in Winter Ball this year. When he was with the Twins, I remember reading stories about how great Cuddyer, Restovich and Morneau would be some day, but it hasn't worked out, yet I wonder if Restovich might be a good reclamation project for Hendry. Guys has got a lot of skill - maybe he can put it together a new organization.

Raw, Good thinking! I think Beckett is a special player, so I think the Cubs must explore every avenue to get him, but if the ancillary benefit of doing this due diligence for a deal is that a pathway is created to get Abreu, then, even better.

But why is that? Is that because Texas needs to shed payroll in order to take on Lowell? Maybe Florida feels entitled to a top prospect because they are picking up some of Lowell's contract. I'm advocating the Cubs pick up Lowell's entire deal for Beckett, and as such, not give anything back. I'm not saying you're wrong. I just want to know. If the Cubs come in and pick up 2 years and $18M, I would think Florida would say thank you very much. Hoops

Would you be willing to take Beckett if there was a chance Lowell became a very expensive backup 1B/3B bench player? I don't see a whole lot of teams that are going to want him on their own. Beckett is too good of a talent to pass on lightly. Minnesota is interested in Lowell. Yankees want Torii Hunter. If I'm Hendry, I work out a 4-team deal a la the Nomar deal from 2004. Marlins trade Beckett and Lowell to the Cubs for Glendon Rusch, Adam Greenberg and a marginal pitching prospect, but with the Cubs picking up Lowell's entire contract. The Cubs turn around and deal Lowell, Walker, Patterson, a young pitching prospect and some cash (maybe $2M for Lowell) to Minnesota for Torii Hunter, and JC Romero. The Cubs then trade Hunter to the Yankees for Gary Sheffield. Net: Cubs get Beckett and Sheffield

Can Blalock play 2B? I mean, in Cub ease, can he catch the ball at 2B? I think I read something in the Palm Beach Post, which suggested that even if the Marlins acquire Blalock for Lowell and Beckett, they could trade him.

Sheff only has one year left on his deal, so the risk isn't as great as it is with Giles. He's going to want an extension to shut him up. Just pick up Gary's 2007 option, and call it a day. Despite his age, I see nothing in his numbers to indicate that he can't be productive for 2 more seasons. Wood and Maddux will hopefully be off the payroll in 2007 anyway.

Depending on what we could do to take advantage of the Marlins fire sale (I really like Tim's idea about Castillo, Beckett and Lowell - I would spin Lowell and Walker over to the Twins for JC Romero), I wouldn't mind acquiring Padre Dave Roberts to man CF for one season.

... then is there any possibility that the Yankees might trade Gary Sheffield and/or would they slow down their effort to land Brian Giles? Just looking to see if there is angle here for the Cubs to address RF. http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=2229919 "The three teams interested in Delgado are the Orioles, Mets and Yankees."

Hill would be a better back-up 3B than Jose Macias. :twisted:

Is there someting wrong with Matt Morris besides his Cardinal-ness? The more I think about it, he should come cheaper than Millwood or Burnett, and would be nice 3 or 4 starter. Funny you mention Morris. http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/sports/stories.nsf/cardinals/story/85836E98A93E1474862570BE001A0AD2?OpenDocument This report in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch suggests that an undisclosed NL team made a 3 year offer to him. And it wasn't the Cardinals. It could be the Giants, who are considered favories along with Baltimore to get him. But I wonder if it was the Cubs? Early in the offseason, his name was mentioned as someone Hendry liked. And despite the Rusch signing, I am convinced that Hendry will sign or trade for a 200-inning starter, and will trade Rich Hill and Jerome Williams. Zambrano Prior Maddux Rusch Mystery Player Wood Those will be your six in the rotation. If there are 2 injuries, we'll see Angel Guzman.

No, I do not have a position with the Cubs. Would you like right field? No. I'd like to be assistant GM, and your right hand man. And when I do really well in my assistant GM job, Tampa Bay or Kansas City can come make me a GM offer.

No, I do not have a position with the Cubs.

God forbid we actually make the effort to analyze what we've already seen and use that information to make an educated guess that we'll just see more of the same. An educated guess takes into consideration the deals to get Lee, Ramirez, Barrett, Murton, Nomar and Lawton. With all the payroll & talent available this offseason, he'll most likely make a big move. I don't care about big, I care about good. This team has gotten worse, and Hendry hasn't shown any sort of urgency to fix the biggest problems. He clearly has done a much different root cause analysis of the Cubs woes than most of the folks here. He seems enamored with what the Sox and Astros did this year: pitch, pitch some more, catch the ball, and steal a run. His one token offensive move seems to be focused on getting a speedy guy at the top of the lineup. Hendry clearly has a plan. We just don't like the plan. I wish we could prove to him that despite the injuries to Prior and Wood, had we had Todd Walker leading off, and another high OBP/high SLG guy batting 5th behind Lee and Ramirez, we probably could have won the wild card despite the poor defense and average pitching.

I did hear from a source (not one of my main sources), who said Ken Rosenthal of Sporting News told him the Cubs are right in the middle in the chase for AJ Burnett. Other teams mentioned: Boston, Toronto, St. Louis, Seattle, Washington and Baltimore.

Maybe Ohman is going to be part of the packaging of Patterson, Walker and Hairston in future trades.

Here's what is scary about Eyre: ERAs in 2000, 2002, 2004: 6.63, 4.46, 4.10 ERAs in 2001, 2003, 2005: 3.45, 3.32, 2.63 Last I looked, 2006 is considered an even numbered year.

It's not just the last 2 years. Go back over 10 years. 1996-2005. How many playoff appearances have the Cards, Astros and Cubs each had? Cards and Astros each made it to the post-season 6 times. Cubs twice. Players aren't stupid - they know the history and see the traditions.

The Cubs supposedly talked to LA about Bradley. Nothing substantive, but multiple sources did report that conversations occured.

I don't think they are ignoring him triple B. I think Hendry has given Bick his parameters for signing Giles, I believe those parameters are 2 years and $19M guaranteed with a team option for the 3rd year at $11M or buyout at $1M.

The Yankees can offer him more money and years than the Cubs. The Yankees, Cardinals, Braves and Angels can offer him a better probability of post-season appearances than the Cubs. The Cubs' only shot is that Giles makes a decision not to play in NY, and heavily prioritizes money over winning tradition.

Totally different. Hideki was a Yankee. He always wanted to be a Yankee and made that quite clear when he first came over, and throughout his Yankee career. He stayed with his own team. There is no possible way that the agent would refuse to listen to the Cubs, that would be as incompetent as Hendry refusing to talk to Giles's agent. Why are you trying so hard to search for excuses for Hendry not to fill the biggest need? When players have specific teams they refuse to consider, that stuff leaks out there, and that is usually either the Yankees, or any number of screwed up small market teams like Nationexpos, DRays, Pirates. I don't get how you can't buy what I'm saying. I'm just thinking rationally, not digging up storylines with nothing to back them up. I'm not trying to stir up controversy where it doesn't exist, or completely distort the truth. Giles fills the Cubs biggest hole. He's an obvious candidate for signing. Contract rumors are not yet out of hand. Hendry would be completely incompetent if he wasn't trying to talk to the agent. Even if he didn't receive an initially warm reception he would be failing the team by not trying to acquire the best possible player he could get to fill the biggest problem on the team. You don't have to create ficticious storylines to see the logic there. I'm not trying to make any excuses for anybody Goony. I want the Cubs to get Giles just as bad as you do. We have no evidence to prove or disprove Hendry's interest in Giles. We have no evidence to prove or disprove Giles' interest in the Cubs. I'm merely trying to point out that even if Hendry approached Giles and his agent, they may have said, "we're not interested in playing for the Cubs." Likewise, maybe Giles approached the Cubs, and Hendry said, "we're not interested in more than 2 years." I'm looking at this more from Giles' point of view than the Cubs' point of view. In my view, the Cubs can offer nothing that the Cardinals and Yankees can't match. That's the reality.