BigbadB

Yeah, I'm not a Floyd hater. I'm just assessing the big picture with his arrival. He's not what the team needs right now. Hendry should be shopping for a CFer, and I don't think it needs to be a "short term filler" if he can land a good one. Maybe there aren't any available, but I'd certainly see what it would take to get Baldelli or Crisp. And Church is still out there as an option.

Cameron isn't going anywhere. He was free agent eligible this offseason and San Diego retained his rights. The Padres cut Dave Roberts loose because they are happy with Cameron, and Cameron provides exactly what San Diego most desires, RH power and excellent defensive.

It's not as simple as picking a number and saying good or bad. I think if Murton is only getting 300 PA, that's really bad, for anybody who wants Murton to be the regular LF soon. But if he's platooned with somebody who puts up a 900+ OPS in the other 400 LF PA, then it's not bad for the Cubs. It's about a balance. This is pretty much my thought process on this as well. I like depth on the bench, and Floyd will give that to the Cubs. But, I like to see depth spread around, rather than focused on limited positions. Right now, the team is weak in CF. Can Jacque Jones even play CF adequately? Will he even be on the team? Right now, the team is weak at SS. Izturis will be horrible with a bat. Cedeno won't be any better. Can Theriot play SS regularly? Right now, the team has a concern at 2b. DeRosa has had one good major league season, albeit just last year. His back up is Cedeno or Theriot. Patterson is being rumored to get moved to the outfield due in part to questions about his make up defensively at 2b. If DeRosa misses any time at 2b, an infield of Izturis and Cedeno is about as unproductive as it gets. Murton wasn't one of the concerns going into 2007. Instead of fixing a concern, we add depth to an already deep position. It makes zero sense. Assuming Jones isn't going anywhere, the Cubs have Jones, Soriano, Murton, Ward and Floyd to play corner outfield. That's 5 guys for 2 positions. DeRosa makes it 6. In CF, we have a guy (Soriano) who has never played the position, Jones who may or may not be able to play it anymore and Pie, who may or may not need another year of seasoning in the minors. I don't mind being called a drama queen, but to ignore that adding Floyd is not addressing the problems of this team is a bit short sighted. If Floyd could play some CF and 3b, I wouldn't mind the signing. To take away at bats from a guy who has proven he can be an everyday player (regardless of which hand a pitcher throws with) while having weak options at other positions is asking for trouble.

Not sure how you can say that. Even if Floyd plays a lot and breaks down, that still leaves Ward in the mix for some playing time in LF. If Lee is fully healthy, he'll play 155+ games. If Soriano stays healthy, he'll play 155+ games. That leaves LF as Ward's only position to get some playing time. With such a RH dominant hitting attack, I can definitely see Ward and Floyd gobbling up a huge percentage of the at bats Murton should get. I like Floyd. I really wanted him in a trade for Sosa. However, the wrong guy is going to get pine time due to Floyd's presence.

What about his days with the Brewers? Wow. I didn't realize he got that much playing time in Milwaukee (97-99). I change my original comment to San Diego gave him his first real chance to be a regular again.

Again, I have no personal knowledge of this, but according to ESPN he played only 105 games in '05, 107 in '02, 102 in '01, 91 in '00. Maybe that's all due to being considered a part time player, but he's missed a lot of games for one reason or another. He's got a solid OBP. But he's also 35 and likely to decline. I would have rather thrown Theriot out there playing 2nd and hitting 2nd, but JH has never really taken my advice, surprisingly. In 2005, he had a broken something or another and did legitimately miss time. In '02 and prior to '02, he had not been given a regular job. San Diego gave him his first real chance to be a regular.

Hendry is extended through 2008. A little parting gift from Andy. Ugh. #-o Well, I don't think it would stop the front office from hiring a new GM. If they can throw millions at mediocre pitching, surely they can afford a few hundred thousand for a new GM and a fired GM.

Bottom line, guys who should play everyday (Murton) will be getting platooned while guys who should be platooned (Jones) will be playing everyday. Or better yet, guys who shouldn't play at all (Izturis) will be playing everyday. I'll wait to see the final product, but I don't like the game plan.

That's exactly what will happen. Cubs management has pretty much told Soriano they will give him a spot and not move him around. So, that's either one corner OF spot locked down for 160+ games, most likely corner. Between Jones, Soriano and Murton, Murton seems like the least likely guy to get any CF playing time. Soriano would likely be next since he's never played a game in CF before. So, Jones in CF and Soriano in RF are pretty much locks with this team. That leaves Murton, Floyd and Ward to grab at bats in LF. Most pitchers are RH, so Piniella will look to get a LH bat in there against RHP. One scenario I should add, but doesn't really change anything, is that if Jones gets traded and Pie gets the nod in CF, that still leaves Murton, Floyd and Ward in LF. Murton loses no matter how this turns out.

I've kept pretty quiet with Marquis and Lilly. I'm going to give it a chance, but it's not what I had in mind this offseason. I did want pitching and I have to thank Hendry for recognizing that priority, but the years, the money and the players he sought are a REAL challenge. I'm sure glad Hendry isn't extended beyond 2007 at this point, because I wouldn't want anything getting in the way of his firing at the first sign of trouble with this "patch it up and go" team. The next GM needs to have an actual plan to improve the team.

I don't think he's missed a lot of games. He was brought up as a part time player who impressed with each opportunity he was given. He forced teams to play everyday with his production. I've watched Loretta play a lot, and he's about as fundamentally sound as gets. And the OBP is pretty solid as well. Therefore, he doesn't fit the profile to be a Cub.

I'd agree about the DeRosa/Marquis comparison, but DeRosa for 162 games at 4m and actually already having positive production from his mechanical change is not the same as Marquis and his unknown production change at 7m for 33 to 35 games. Marquis is a tremendous gamble. DeRosa is actually cheap if he puts up numbers like he did last year.

<----------Huge Prior fan!

I've always enjoyed Sickels. Rating 30 major league teams prospects has to be a pretty tough gig. His list isn't bad considering he just arranged most of the name prospects into a list that met his liking. Most of us here would probably do a better job of ranking them, but he's doing it for 30 teams, not just one.

Is Boras his agent? Regardless, if Boston could find something in an x-ray that broke the deal, it would be hard for anyone to prove otherwise unless Drew made a huge deal of it and went to specialist after specialist to disprove the claim. Then there would be lawsuits. But, I can't imagine Boras would stop dealing with Boston over it, or that FA would stop signing with Boston, because Boston is one of his best meal tickets, not that he really needs anymore meal tickets. :D

My guess is probably a bit too extreme. Maybe what they'd really like to do is rework it so it's not nearly as much. Isn't it odd that this far into the announcement, they still don't have a deal signed? Has Drew had shoulder issues before? I know just about everything else has been injured, but I'm not sure about the shoulders.

That's a very good question. But, if this contract gets nixed, I'm sure we'll get to hear all about it. My guess is that Boston didn't really want to pay for Manny, Mats, Lugo AND Drew and they're attempting to find a way out of the Drew deal. Why would they offer Drew a contract in the first place if they didn't intend to honor it? Covering all the bases? I don't know. There were many indications that Boston wanted to move Manny. That didn't happen. They won the bid for Matsusaka. They apparently forgot that Boras was his client, so getting off cheap wasn't going to happen. Now the outfield is a little too deep and weeks later, Drew's contract has issues? It's odd. I don't know all the inner workings of a baseball teams front office, but I could understand their wanting out of a deal if a Manny trade didn't end up happening. They've spent big bucks this offseason.

Hendry is totally and deeply in love with Cesar Izturis. Why again must we wait to crucify him? I'm pretty much ready now.

That's a very good question. But, if this contract gets nixed, I'm sure we'll get to hear all about it. My guess is that Boston didn't really want to pay for Manny, Mats, Lugo AND Drew and they're attempting to find a way out of the Drew deal.

Yep, a winning record each year shouldn't be that difficult a feat with what the Cubs front office has to work with. The Cardinals have had 2 losing seasons during the LaRussa regime. The Cubs during that same time span? 7 The Cardinals have won 100 or more a few times in that span. The Cubs? Well, they hit 90 once. The Cubs haven't won more than 90 games in a season since 1989. And consistency? Forget about it. I'm sorry that I prefer results over promises. As illogical as that may seem, it's still my preference. Just call me unrealistic.

Would it be wrong for me to suggest that the San Fran football team switch names with the San Fran baseball team? San Francisco 49ers would be quite fitting for the baseball team these days. :D

I haven't quite figured out exactly who Atlanta is committed to at 2b just yet. Is it Aybar or Johnson?

Oh yeah. Forgot about that.

I agree that the comparison isn't fair, but at the same time Floyd is now getting into those baseball years where a decline is quite common. I'm sure all of us would be excited for a revival of his '05 production, but if he's signing an incentive laden deal, there has to be some concern that injuries may have taken their toll.

Speaking of San Fran, has Moises landed with a team?