badgercub

From the article. I believe a saw it in the Milwaukee Journal/Sentinel not too long ago. Even at 10 -11 million a year, that is a bit high for a guy with a career .284 BA, Sub .340 OBP, and a career OPS of .831. He is not an elite player. He is consistently good, but not a great player. I am not saying I wouldn't want the Cubs to get him. But we wouldn't even pay Moises 9 million a year and he put up comparable numbers to CLee. I would love to have him for about 8 million or so for 3 years.

If the Cubs give CLee the 5 years and 75 million he has been rumored to be looking for, they will regret it. CLee is not a 15 million dollar a year player.

I think it implies that the number two batters of late are not really threats to get on base. Speaking of which I happened to catch a bit of the Brewer radio broadcast from the first game of the series and Bob Uecker (aka Harry Doyle) was basically ridiculing Baker for have Pierre and Perez, two guys with OBP's below .300 batting 1-2 in the lineup. Classic, how true it is.

Isn't the site run by MLB and not the individual ball club?

Instead of Crawford, would Baldelli be easier to acquire? The only thing about that is the recurring injuries, it would be a bit of a gamble but, if the roster was constructed in such a way that you had fewer injury risks than in years past I think you could get him for cheaper than Crawford and still get a great ballplayer.

bynum to the DL must be the 25-man move to bring lee back. It is. Confirmed on the telecast today. At least Murton is staying in the majors. Whether he stays in the starting lineup remains to be seen; there's talk of Nevin starting in LF. If the Cubs were contending this year that might be a good move because of Nevin's power, but since they aren't contending you do NOT start a player with no future over one who may have a future. Unless you're Dusty, that is. :x Actually, with the way Nevin is hitting you do start him. Nevin will most likely be traded by the deadline, so why not give him a shot in LF to possibly impove his trade value? In the meantime you can use Murton as a fourth outfielder and get him some at bats here and there by giving Jones and Pierre a day off, with Jones moving to CF when Pierre is out. I don't think it is a bad move.

I really hate this idea of clutch, what are the origins of this as it pertains to sports? Specifically to baseball, a good hitter is a good hitter is a good hitter that is all that should matter. Example would you rather have a batter the caliber of a DLee at the plate with runners on second and third who is batting .320 but is only hitting .220 with RISP or would you rather have Neifi batting who has a .230 ave. but is hitting .350 with RISP? screw clutch, give me the better hitter.

That, to me, is the most important question. Whenever I see/hear/read about Hendry or Baker being interviewed, I never see anyone back up an assertation with a statistical fact. I always hear too much deference and use of baseball cliches like "Clutch". I want to see someone point out the disparity in runs scored and hits for the Cubs since 2004. I want to see someone trot out Remlinger's R/L splits, or Neifi's statistical crapiness, or Rusch's anything. I want to see somebody use numbers to put Hendry in a position to justify his crap moves since 2004. I agree. This is one of those, "What the hell is going on???" moments for me. When someone get's the answer, "We lack in the clutch hitting department." Why doesn't someone say, "That's not true at all. The fact is you have far fewer baserunners than anyone else in the entire league. Here are the facts..." Why don't people say these things? Maybe it's because most writers know a lot less than Hendry? I think Bruce is in the minority. Or perhaps, most writers subscribe to the "good old boy network" (for lack of a better term) i.e., despite evidence to the contrary they'll refuse to ackownledge that for example, Neifi is a terrible Baseball player. Instead they find something, true or not, good to write or say about a player, manager, etc. What are you talking about Dude? Neifi saved us last year.

the word "clutch" should be banned from this forum unless there is a discussion about cars going on. It is just silly and such a subjective thing to say someone is "clutch"

Great article Bruce. I don't necessarily agree on the Carlos Lee assessment though. CLee is a solid player but I think the team that signs him as a FA next year is going to severely overpay for him. He is not a great fielder and his bat is a little above average but not spectacular by any means. For the right price I think he would be a good fit on most any ballclub, but the for the amount of money he will command next year, the team that gets him will definitely overpay.

He's injury prone. Heh. I'm just concerned over his bat speed coming back from an injury to the wrist. With the type of injury he sustained I don't think that should be a problem. If he had torn a tendon or something like that, then I would be concerned. By the way, I am not a Dr. but I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night.

Yeah, Ozzie just give credence to what Mariotti is writing. It is like a self fulfulling prophecy. Even Sox fans have to admit that when things go south, Ozzie's nonsense will not be tolerated and he will be shown the door without hesitation.

if anybody could put that to a test - it is this team that will probably still be here next '07 This team, healthy isn't bad. Almost every player is having a crap season if their not hurt. I don't believe that any player on the roster is out playing his numbers. Or even playing up to there numbers. So you get Marshall and Marmol experiance, get Murton on a hot streak and get him active everyday. Make him slam the door on Dusty and the platooning garbage. Keep Cedano going. Make some positive moves, not desperate moves. I just hope Hendry doesn't cave in to the clammering Cubs fan base and over pay for a garbage player. JP was enough. I think Jones is outplaying his numbers, Cedeno is giving more than anyone probably expected, and Barrett is also outperforming - that's more than a third of your regular starters. Walker is not underperforming so really you have Pierre and Aramis as the only two who are not living up to their potential and you have an injury to Lee. Murton hasn't been great but his OBP is still decent so he is not a total disappoint. The problem is Hendry put together a team that relied on pitchers that haven't been able to pitch on a consistent basis for the last couple of years and a horrible bench, meaning that once the injuries started there was no backup plan in place. Back up plan was Glendon Rusch what's the problem? I keed, I keed!! Okay my point about all players stinking was not the strongest arguement. So if everybody is pulling their weight and JP and Am Ram start hitting then the Cubs starting winning then right? Quality starts from the Starters and timely hitting about somes it up right? Santo was right "this game isn't that hard!!" I just said they were playing to expectations I didn't say they were good.lol Hendry put together a team that relied on power from two guys, one went down with an injury and the other has not gotten off to a good start. No power and low OBP is not a good mix. While some of the parts have done ok, as a whole this team is just not very good. The starting pitching has been atrocious outside of Maddux' first 5 starts and Zambrano since then. Marshall has been so so and for the most part I like what I see from him but he should be the #5 starter not the #2.

Hendry would be more likely to go after Rocco Baldelli than Carl Crawford. He loves taking a risk on injury prone guys or guys coming off of injuries.

if anybody could put that to a test - it is this team that will probably still be here next '07 This team, healthy isn't bad. Almost every player is having a crap season if their not hurt. I don't believe that any player on the roster is out playing his numbers. Or even playing up to there numbers. So you get Marshall and Marmol experiance, get Murton on a hot streak and get him active everyday. Make him slam the door on Dusty and the platooning garbage. Keep Cedano going. Make some positive moves, not desperate moves. I just hope Hendry doesn't cave in to the clammering Cubs fan base and over pay for a garbage player. JP was enough. I think Jones is outplaying his numbers, Cedeno is giving more than anyone probably expected, and Barrett is also outperforming - that's more than a third of your regular starters. Walker is not underperforming so really you have Pierre and Aramis as the only two who are not living up to their potential and you have an injury to Lee. Murton hasn't been great but his OBP is still decent so he is not a total disappoint. The problem is Hendry put together a team that relied on pitchers that haven't been able to pitch on a consistent basis for the last couple of years and a horrible bench, meaning that once the injuries started there was no backup plan in place.

I predict the Cubs will reach .500 on opening day of '07, and unless things are addressed between now and then it could be a very short stay.

The Cubs actually had a discussion with Piven about this before it happened and he told them he wouldn't use the "B" word, but then did it anyway. You gotta love it. Stickin it to the man.

I haven't seen the video, but I heard it while listening to the game on the radio. I was like "Did he just say what I think he said?" Classic! The Cubs already issued an apology for Pivens' word choice. What they should be doing is issuing an apology for this pathetic excuse fora team, which is much more offensive than anything Piven said.

They appealed it, hoping it would get reduced and that they could keep Barrett's bat in the lineup until DLee would return. I think it is an abomination that MLB allows things to be dragged out for so long, but it was a smart move on the Cubs part.

hahaha you think cubs fans are rooting for the tigers? There is just that many tigers fans there. i havent seen that many fans for the other team ever at wrigley. Not the White Sox, not the Cards. Well, when the Yankees came to town in '03 and Clemens was going for win #300 there were a ton of Yankee fans at wrigley and you could hear the "Let's go Yankees" chant throughout the stadium. I believe tickets were going for about $2500 a ticket. Clemens pitched well even though he wasn't feeling so hot and Eric Karros hit a homerun after Clemens was taken out (for Juan Acevedo, I believe) and the Cubs went on to win the game, what a great day that was.

Has anyone seen the contract to know that it's guaranteed? With the possible threat of him leaving for the NFL, I'm sure someone would be smart enough to include clauses. And yes, I realize we're talking about the Cubs. All MLB contracts are guaranteed, of course unless you quit or negotiate some kind of buyout or break the contract. And that is what they are talking about signing him to is a MLB contract not a minor league contract. Most guys who get drafted get a huge signing bonus and then sign a minor league contract and work there way up through the minor leagues getting paid very little. The bigger name draftees, guys like Prior for example, will sometimes will sign a MLB contract right off the bat meaning they still most likely get a nice signing bonus, but also make a much higher salary too.

It would be guaranteed. He could always choose to retire and forfeit the money, but it is guranteed. He gets it if he keeps playing, just like every other baseball player. To claim that it's not guaranteed just because he might quit is just the same as saying Randy Johnson's contract isn't guaranteed because he might quit. There is very little chance he'd walk away from that guaranteed money unless some NFL team offered guarantees above and beyond what he'd be giving up. And that is unlikely to happen given the nature of a structured salary cap league like the NFL. I thought you were convinced he was going to take the larger NFL signing bonus and run? I'm not convinced of anything on this subject. I just don't like the odds of it working out in the Cubs favor. I could see him trying to take both sets of paychecks, which would ultimately hurt either team. The point is badgercub is wrong to say the money isn't guaranteed. It is guaranteed, as is every baseball contract, in the sense that as long as the player doesn't quit, they'll get the cash. A football team can take a chance on him quitting baseball, then cut him if they don't like the results. A baseball team can't do the same. As soon as he signs, the money becomes guaranteed up unless he decides he doesn't want it. Not many ballplayers have walked away from guaranteed money. You are right it is not guaranteed in that sense, what I meant is that it is not a signing bonus where he would get the money up front whether he finished the contract or not.

It would be guaranteed. He could always choose to retire and forfeit the money, but it is guranteed. He gets it if he keeps playing, just like every other baseball player. To claim that it's not guaranteed just because he might quit is just the same as saying Randy Johnson's contract isn't guaranteed because he might quit. There is very little chance he'd walk away from that guaranteed money unless some NFL team offered guarantees above and beyond what he'd be giving up. And that is unlikely to happen given the nature of a structured salary cap league like the NFL. Goony, that is why it is backloaded though. If he sucks at baseball and realizes that he has a brighter future in football I can definitely see him walk away from baseball, with some pressure from whatever NFL team drafts him, before the big money in that contract kicks in. I think he will give baseball a couple of years and see what happens but after that I would imagine he will be pressured to choose one or the other.

Why do people keep insisting that he is getting 8 million guaranteed. The contract is backloaded so that if Jeff decides he is going to play football and quits baseball, the money is not guaranteed. There is a $500k signing bonus which he gets, and that is far less in value than what his upside will be if he picks baseball. It really isn't that bad of a move. A normal 1st round pick, which he would have been projected as would have gotten millions of dollars in a guaranteed signing bonus and what are the odds that they even make it to the majors? If Jeff is no good at baseball he will leave for football and void the rest of his contract with the Cubs, I think it is a reasonable gamble.

I think alot of this is smoke. The Chandlers are just trying to block the buy back of shares by the Trib because it is not in their best interest due to the purchase of the Times Mirror. If you look a little closer at the Trib they do have stakes in Career Builder.com and some other more forward looking ventures. They are just suffering from an industry wide problem, not just a Trib problem.