TrueBlueCubFan

What if reliever prices don't drop back down to "sane levels"? This sounds like just speculation & predictions to me & nothing else.

Stupidty would be ignoring your BP problem

Absolutely, they are! If I had a choice of 2 out of these contracts: Howry(3/12),Eyre(3/11), Farnsworth(3/17) & Gordon (3/18) Howry & Eyre are definately the better bargain! FYI pessimists & haters, Howry had higher offers from other teams (Det 3/15.5) & chose the Cubs. Neither Ryan or Wagner were options for the Cubs. The Cubs have a closer!

Your comparing apples to oranges.

This is interesting. Both players were absolutely terrible LY. I would lean towards keeping Patterson.

Even if Giles is 70% as effective he still is only making 10 mill/year. In three years that probably won't be that much for a putting up those numbers. He was the perfect fit. I understand if he wasn't interested in leaving the WC. Maybe Hendry knew and that is why he didn't persue, who knows. I agree, Giles would have been a perfect fit. However, as the BJ's found out, you can't force someone to take your offer, even if it was almost twice the amount the Pads offered. My guess is that Giles was never really considering leaving SD.

Let's hope this is a move that makes Schurholtz change his priorities from Furcal to Hoffman. What about Todd Jones? I thought I read somewhere that he wants to pitch for the Braves, and he'll be a lot cheaper than Hoffman too. Good point. I forgot about T.Jones.

Let's hope this is a move that makes Schurholtz change his priorities from Furcal to Hoffman.

To me, he showed much more potential than Welly or Novoa or Wuertz. I guess maybe the BoSox saw what I did. I hope that PTBNL is a very good one. Wuertz> JVB Did you check JVB's and Wuertz's minor league numbers? Weurtz is 2 years ahead of JVB in his progress.

To me, he showed much more potential than Welly or Novoa or Wuertz. I guess maybe the BoSox saw what I did. I hope that PTBNL is a very good one. Wuertz> JVB

He said Soriano was offered to the Cubs @ the last GM meeting.

Does anyone have the answer to this ? It would definately clear up the descrepancy of the Cubs' 40 man roster.

This is why the W.Sox made the move for Thome, they knew they were losing Konerko.

This doesn't suprise me @ all. The Mets & the BJ's were the two teams with the most money to spend this off-season.

In order to assure Neifi isn't starting, I'd be willing to overpay a little bit. 5/50 is doable for someone who isn't injury prone, but is consistant like he is. How is Furcal consistent? In 2005, his contract year, his stolen bases went way up and his errors went way down, otherwise he wouldn't be getting near the type of offers he's getting now. Furcal's OBP the past three years: .352, .344, .348. His SLG: .443, .414, .429. His SB%: 93%, 83%, 82%. His BB and K are also nearly identical over the past three years. In fact, his SB and Errors are the only two stats that are at all out of line with his norms. Last year wan't even his best in the past few years, 2003 was. Furcal is pretty darn consistent. Yeah I know that stuff, but it's his 2005 SB and E numbers that have convinced people he's a defensive and base-stealing wizard, and an elite lead-off hitter. Take away those two numbers and he wouldn't be getting these ridiculous offers. Unfortunately, I think the offers he is getting are fair given recent contracts for Renteria, etc. He's really only being offered slightly over market value, even if that value is high. Fair? Those are widely considered crappy deals. You can talk about marktet prices if you want, but there are multiple markets. there's the free agent market and the trade market. the trade market is pretty reasonable compared to the FA market right now. Let's put it this way: If Renteria got 10 million per, there's no way Furcal's agent is going to allow him to sign for less. My point is not that Furcal is the best option, but that the contracts being offered him can hardly be considered surprising. Fair enough. It's still a poor way to go. Hendry isn't all hot and bothered by Giles b/c he thinks the bidding will get out of hand. What makes SS more important than the OF in terms of overbidding? Isn't the term "overbidding" used, based on opinion? My point is you don't really know if it's overbidding, unless you know all the bids that have been presented. I doubt every formal bid that goes to a FA & their clients is public information.

At the end of the season, Who in the NFC will be able to lay claim to be the best in the conference & represent the NFC in the Super Bowl?

I didn't see this posted anywhere: By Paul Sullivan Tribune staff reporter November 29, 2005 The Cubs made one last push for free-agent shortstop Rafael Furcal over the weekend and expect a final decision before the end of next week's winter meetings in Dallas. General manager Jim Hendry met with Furcal at his Georgia home on Sunday, hoping to convince him Chicago would be a perfect destination. Both Hendry and Furcal's agent, Paul Kinzer, declined to comment on the meeting. The Cubs and Atlanta are considered the two main suitors for Furcal, with the New York Mets reportedly dropping out of the picture in the last week to focus on other areas. Since the final offers may be similar in value—around $10 million per season for four or five years—Furcal's future may ultimately come down to where he feels most comfortable playing. Furcal's affinity for Braves manager Bobby Cox could be a deciding factor, though he's also close friends with Cubs shortstop Neifi Perez and third baseman Aramis Ramirez, who have been lobbying on the Cubs' behalf for the last month. The Cubs are expected to announce the signing of free-agent utilityman John Mabry within the next day or two, and will bring recently signed reliever Bob Howry to Wrigley Field for a news conference on Tuesday. Howry, who signed a three-year, $12 million deal last week, gives the Cubs another veteran setup man for closer Ryan Dempster. Hendry has spent $23 million thus far to sign Howry and left-hander Scott Eyre, shoring up a young and inexperienced bullpen that was inconsistent last season. The Cubs may have overpaid in their pursuit of relief help, but after the bullpen failures of the last three seasons, Hendry had few options. He targeted two of the most effective setup men in '05 and reeled both of them in. Eyre led the National League with 32 holds, while Howry ranked third in the American League with 29 holds. Mabry, 35, hit .240 with eight home runs and 32 RBIs with St. Louis last season and can play both corner outfield spots, along with first base and third base. The left-handed-hitting veteran has a .269 career average and is expected to assume the role Todd Hollandsworth excelled in during the first half of '04, before incurring a season-ending leg injury. The Cubs are also considered the front-runner for Florida center fielder Juan Pierre if the Marlins shop him at the winter meetings, as expected, and they'll also pursue a right fielder, likely through a trade. The Cubs have mild interest in free-agent outfielder Preston Wilson, whom they pursued at the trading deadline before acquiring and dumping Matt Lawton. In other news, the Los Angeles Dodgers were given permission to talk to Grady Little about their managerial vacancy. Little has been a minor-league instructor and an assistant to Hendry the last two seasons after being let go by Boston after the Red Sox lost to the Yankees in the 2003 ALCS.

My guess would be Arizona would be more inclined to move L. Gonzalez before S Green. They just traded for Green last off-season & Gonzo is much older.

Jenkins 2nd tier? Not sure I agree with that one.

Not anymore!

Hey, Chrissy Simms, have you met Alex Brown? You'll have nightmares for weeks!! GO BEARS!!

The Bears are just making them all look stupid b/c they all picked TB.

I'll just call it respect for the Bears front 4.

A.Brown & Todd Johnson enjoying the trip back to FL. ( former UF Gators)

This is a good analysis of the match-up: By John Mullin Tribune staff reporter November 26, 2005, 10:21 PM CST Quarterbacks: Kyle Orton is playing far better than his 62.5 QB rating. Chris Simms has put up impressive numbers relieving Brian Griese but has less experience than Orton. Edge: Bears. Running backs: Cadillac Williams is having the rookie season (4.2 per carry, 3 TDs) the Bears hoped from Cedric Benson. But Thomas Jones is having an even better season (4.4, 6 TDs). Mike Alstott's scoring drive inside (5 TDs) is a power edge. Edge: Bucs. Receivers: Joey Galloway has 7 TDs to Muhsin Muhammad's 3 and averages nearly 5 more yards per catch. Michael Clayton and tight end Alex Smith give more than Bears' secondary receivers. Edge: Bucs. Offensive line: Bears are 5th in rushing yards and have not allowed Orton to be sacked in past two games. John Tait vs. Simeon Rice is an elite matchup. Edge: Bears. Defensive line: Rice and Anthony McFarland are exceptional, but Bears' rotation is deeper. Adewale Ogunleye and Alex Brown bring pressure that is disrupting offenses. Edge: Bears. Linebackers: Derrick Brooks and Shelton Quarles lead Bucs in tackles; Lance Briggs and Brian Urlacher lead Bears. Edge: Even. Secondary: Nathan Vasher is playing his way into the Pro Bowl, and Ronde Barber ranks third in tackles for Bucs. Charles Tillman needs a big game vs. Clayton and Galloway. Mike Brown provides leadership. Edge: Bears. Special teams: Brad Maynard's accuracy remains superb. Bears are top-5 in both kick and punt coverage. Bucs' Matt Bryant has hit 14 of 16 field goals. Edge: Bears. Coaching: Jon Gruden hasn't lost to the Bears in two meetings. Bears have had problems in Tampa, even when Bucs were bad. Lovie Smith has had his team ready for two road wins. Edge: Bucs.