BigbadB

When a team has a pitching staff that finished first in the league in ERA that features: Jeremy Bonderman (23) Justin Verlander (23) Zach Miner (24) Jordan Tata (24) Joel Zumaya (21) Andrew Miller (21) Nate Robertson (28) and still doesn't include their most notable signing, Kyle Sleeth.... and they trade a guy, who might not even be able to pitch better than what's already on the major league roster, for an offensive weapon, which was one of the team's weaknesses this year, I wouldn't say it's dumb. The Tigers traded from a position of strength to strengthen a weakness. Definitely a gamble, but if it helps them finish above Cleveland, Minnesota and Chicago in the NL Central again next year, it will have been worth it.

The Tigers are dumb? Granted, I wouldn't want Sheffield given the circumstances for acquiring him, but Detroit gambled with Maggs and Pudge and came out alright. They can probably trade Monroe and/or Thames for some pitching help, resign Casey and be sitting pretty offensively next year. Meanwhile, the Cubs are on the verge of losing one of their main offensive threats. Who's dumb?

I'm not so sure the markets are all that far off. Chicago shares their market with the Sox and Anaheim shares their market with the Dodgers. But, there is plenty of market to share in the LA area. Orange County, LA County, Riverside County, North San Diego County and San Bernardino County is a nice population to draw from. The Angels outdrew the Cubs in attendance this year.

Especially now. But, all I've heard from St. Louis so far this offseason is potentially retaining Belliard and letting Mulder and Suppan walk. I suppose they have replacements for both guys with Reyes and Wainwright. It just seems weird to me that they aren't being mentioned as suitors for some of the free agents out there.

If the Cubs lose Ramirez, I'll get a lot of stuff done around the house next summer. But, if I had to pick a replacement for Ramirez and A-Rod and Cabrera were not available, I think I'd like to see the Cubs win the bidding for Iwamura. Heck, I think I'd like to see them win the bidding for him anyway. He can always shift to 2b if Ramirez is retained.

What's tying up all of their money? I don't get it. Brand new park. World Series Championship. Went cheap last year and the year prior. I'm fine if they go cheap again this year, but I don't understand why.

This is where Jim can earn a shred of my respect back. He'll have a long way to go if he can bring back Ramirez, but that would be a good start.

Exactly.

I'm not sure how you can fault a player for wanting to get as much as he can. A very small percentage of people have the ability to earn that kind of money, and if there is someone willing to pay them, why shouldn't they make themselves available? Aramis owes nothing to the Cubs ownership. They offered him a deal and he accepted that deal. The Cubs got good value for that deal. When Aramis is 37 or 38 and can no longer be productive in MLB, he will need all that money to live for the rest of his life. He doesn't have a college education to fall back on during hard times. What her earns during the life of his baseball career will possibly have to last the rest of his life. He might be thinking about making sure his kids are comfortable as well. Sports figures don't have things as easy as the average joe. We can walk out of a diner with a $.50 cent tip for a cup of coffee. Aramis would be labeled a cheap skate if he dropped less than $10.00 for a tip. And of course, the government definitely gets a healthy portion of their salary. No need to feel sorry for him, of course. I'd love to be able to play baseball for a living. But, I can't blame him for hunting around for the best offers and the best conditions for his services. I see absolutely no reason to turn him away due to years, however. Is Aramis going to be a shell of his former self in 6 years. Probably not. Manny Ramirez is just about as productive at 34 as he was at 28. Sammy Sosa was more productive at 34 than he was at 28. But, I have zero faith that Hendry values Ramirez as much as I do. Hendry seemed like he would go a ridiculous amount of years for a much less productive player like Rafael Furcal, a guy who has never even been a Cub before and a guy who has had some off field issues. Just give him the money. And get it done before Saturday night. Someone WILL give it to him.

Yet, the Detroit Tigers were 3rd in HR's in the AL (6th overall) in 2006.

I agree with others that Drew is probably the better option in CF, a position that Drew apparently prefers to play.

But, Jacque shouldn't be starting on a regular basis. That's where the difference is, IMO. Yes, he played everyday, but he shouldn't play everyday. He has next to no value against left handed pitching. This decreases his overall value. If you have to pay someone else to play the position against left handed pitching, how much he makes to be a part time player makes him overpriced for the production he provides.

I think they would also need to pick up one of the many 2b options available this offseason also. The list is long at that spot: Soriano Kent Durham Giles Loretta Lugo Walker Iwamura

For the last 3 years, his only injury is a broken hand. We should get rid of Derrek Lee if that's the case.

Stop it already.

He may not have over 600 at bats in a season, but he's had more than 600 plate appearances in a season. The value of a walk when one is not getting a hit of some sort should be of utmost concern with this team now and in the future. While it doesn't really matter all that much in the big picture, Hendry may covet a power left handed bat if he retains Ramirez. A line up that features Murton, Barrett, Lee and Ramirez has plenty of pop from the right side. A guy who can really mash against RHP has to be considered an added bonus.

Not that I'm convinced it would happen, but what is the likelihood that a platoon of Jones/Jose Guillen or Craig Wilson or a comparable player could outproduce Sheffield?

Shouldn't Sheffield (along with Moises and Bonds) be considering DH jobs? My issue with Sheffield is that he'll want an extension, and he would be very difficult to trade with his NTC. It's quite possible that the Cubs would be on the hook for a guy who is no longer playing with the team because he is broken down, ala Bagwell. Is Sheffield a lock to provide more offense than Jacque Jones in 2007, let alone 2008? With JD Drew now available, I'd be doing my best imitation of Hendry going after Furcal with JD Drew.

2004: .281/.337/.469 2005: .264/.325/.468 2006: .246/.306/.422 2007: ? .228/.290/.405 works for me. Great signing, Houston.

I like this move. Overpay for a guy who is clearly breaking down.

I heard only recently that Drew had an opt out clause. A day later, he opted out. Awesome! I'd have given up a lot to bring Drew. Now he can be signed as a free agent. Okay, Jim. Bring back Aramis and reel in Drew. If they signed both of these guys, I actually wouldn't mind hanging on to Jones unless someone wowed me into trading him. That actually takes a lot for me to say, because I am not in the least bit enamored with Jones in any way. Murton, Drew and Jones in the outfield works for me. When Pie is ready, Jones can be traded for pitching or another need. 2b and SS is where the Cubs can then spin a horrible offense into a good offense. I still really like the idea of sending a boatload of prospects to Florida, Dontrelle Willis goes to the Yankees and A-Rod comes to Chicago.

I like bringing back Miller. I'd try to do the same with Kerry Wood.

Sure seems like Brian wants to play with his brother pretty bad. There was discussion last year that Brian would be willing to play wherever his brother was. Now, the discussion is Marcus could end up where Brian's at.

Dave Roberts would be a nice pick up. He doesn't block Pie, can play any outfield position, is a much better lead off option than Pierre, and wouldn't require emptying the bank account to sign. Pie could impress enough in the Spring to land the everyday CF job. There are much worse 4th outfielders out there than Dave Roberts. I can think of 3 right away. John Mabry, Angel Pagan, Freddie Bynum.....

Which likely makes Scott Hairston available. But, I'm not really sure he's anymore than a utility player at this point.