BigbadB

Undeniably!

It's starting to really unravel in San Diego as I predicted. They have made a ton of money on this new ballpark deal, and the owner is buying up everything he can "around" the stadium rather than on the product on the field. Towers is interviewing for the Arizona job and they have a nice long list of free agents in Trevor Hoffman (he wants 10m plus) Brian Giles (is already hinting about leaving) Ramon Hernandez (Padres are already dealing with life without him) Joe Randa Mark Sweeney Tim Hammond Pedro Astacio Rudy Seanez Robert Fick They have several arbitration elibigibles in Sean Burroughs Adam Eaton Dave Roberts Miguel Olivo And, big AND here, they have a bunch of overpaid crap players under contract: Chan Ho Park 10m Klesko 10m Woody Williams 5m Brian Lawrence 4m All the guys listed under contract already add up to 36m. They could probably spend close to 90m and still come out way ahead in profits, but will probably settle for something in the mid 50's like they did in 2004 and 2005. The talk is if Giles leaves, they'll work on Jacque Jones and Juan Encarnacion or go with Ben Johnson. That's the kind of talk that will not only please me as a Cub fan, but will make all of my SD neighbors livid. This team is headed down a road the Pittsburgh Pirates recently traveled.

Zero? That's a nice kick in the teeth. Way to burn those bridges!! I can't say I'm overly interested in Girardi, but Girardi in a vegetative state is probably still better than Dusty. I'm starting to think Cubs management is in a vegetative state.

Let the potentially horrible offseason begin. The Cubs have done nothing to make Nomar believe he will be welcomed back. Some other team is already serenading him. Weak free agent class Few marketable players to trade Holes that weren't necessarily holes (Nomar/Walker) that increase holes ____________________________________________ = bad offseason ____________________________________________ =Wait until 2007

Lofton was only a part time player last year. How is he going to reasonably expect some team to pay Yankee type money for him at this stage of his career? It's not reasonable. The Yankees dreaded that signing nearly the day after they did it. They also had the toughest time moving him once he signed that deal. He signed a one year/1m deal to play for the White Sox in 2002, a one year/1m deal to play for the Pirates in 2003, and the Yankees came along with their fat checkbook and forked out 3m a year for him, then traded him after the first year. All three of those signings Lofton ended up being traded halfway through his contract. I'll say again that he wouldn't be a bad pick up to platoon with Hairston or as a pinch hitter/pinch runner. Of course it would be a bad signing to give him Yankee money. And of course it would be horrible to sign him AND Preston Wilson. It could happen, but I would hope Hendry wouldn't be that dumb.

60"? What part of LA are you in? Lindbergh Field in San Diego reported 5.31 inches of rain last year.

Why shouldn't they? That's exactly how you keep people happy. If you have built a successful organization that goes out and wins year in and year out, and you owe part of that success to the person who is being contacted, why not give that person the freedom to go out and see if they would like to increase their salary or take the success to another team or for whatever reason that person wishes. If he stays, it just says that much more about what you've accomplished. If he leaves, you'll have a hard time replacing him. I don't see any reason why he would want to leave. Offer away, but it doesn't mean he'll accept.

The list you just provided has 7 out of 8 guys who can provide .350+ OBP. You also have Milton Bradley AND Preston Wilson listed. You want to see whining and crying and unhappiness on day 1? Have those two on your roster and only put one of them in centerfield. Trade for Bradley and don't sign Wilson. Trade for some other good OBP/power guy and you have 8 instead of 7.

Lofton is a cheap signing for protection in the event Patterson continues to implode. Patterson could possibly boost his trade value by the trade deadline in a utility role. Pie could be ready by the all star break. Lofton could be a nice bat off the bench. There are plenty of reasons to like Lofton returning on a cheap, one year deal.

Wilson the last couple years was very similar to Corey's career numbers. He doesn't get on base, and that's the single biggest problem with this team. He's overpaid due to some early success and overhype. He would not help this team one bit. The negatives about Wilson have been listed repeatedly. Why is obp such a necessity in the 6 hole, if you're getting really good obp from 1-5 and Murton and Barrett are pretty good?? With the options out there, Wilson is not bad at all. I take it you don't want Pie or Patterson in cf. The lists of really good OF's isn't very deep after Giles, and the Cubs don't have a lot of assets to trade away for good OF's. Their farm system is not stocked w/ future superstars. I sit on the side of the fence that says you don't necessarily need a good OBP in the 6 spot. But, if you don't have a good OBP, you at least need to have a good AVG to hit 6th. The 6th spot in the order will be hitting directly behind the best OBP guys in the line up. That good AVG (Nomar Garciaparra) will drive in a lot more runs than someone like Preston Wilson, who doesn't have a good OBP or AVG.

Why is a whole line up of .350+ OBP guys not realistic? Walker/Hairston/Lofton covering 2nd/CF Nomar/Furcal Aramis Lee Barrett Giles/Abreu/Bradley/Murton/Dunn/Huff/Damon/Floyd Take 3 names out of that outfield group and you have guys who all can put up .350+ OBP's to go along with all the guys we had last year that could do it. You only sign a token Preston Wilson type guy if 6 or 7 of the other guys are locked in and good production guys.

I have absolutely no faith in anyone in the Cubs system that Neifi will be sent packing this offseason. They have already entertained thoughts of letting both Walker and Nomar walk. Do you think they would also let Neifi walk? He filled in nicely in Nomar and Walker's absence, therefore he will be considered a nice bench player who could "fill in" when times get tough. If there is any remote consideration for Cedeno as an opening day starter, you better believe that Dusty will have Neifi waiting in the wings the first time Cedeno has an Ofer. The Cubs did not address their biggest problem ALL YEAR. OBP. 162 games went by and they ran the same guys out there. Murton, Cedeno, Walker and Hairston were the only real options to hit at the top of the order, yet Patterson, Macias and Perez had more than their fair share of at bats there. To me, this says they prefer the aggresive approach. Nothing has convinced me that they intend to change that approach. They didn't move Murton to the top of the order while he was sporting a .400 OBP. In 2003, they attempted to convert OBP machine Mark Bellhorn into an RBI machine at the bottom of the order. Instead of hitting him at the top of the order where he could do the most damage, they let him draw walks for the bad 8th and 9th place hitters. In 2004, Rey F. Ordonez had a ridiculous amount of at bats in the #2 spot in the order. With that said, I don't find it at all unlikely to think that Preston Wilson, Jeromy Burnitz among others of that same mold get a contract to play for the Cubs in 2006.

You don't see Neifi playing over Cedeno, but your not Dusty. I saw Neifi play over Cedeno quite often. More often than he should have. When games no longer meant anything other than a chance at a .500 season, I saw Cedeno sitting while Neifi played. As long as Dusty is in charge, you should be very leery of a situation where a rookie is battling a crafty (oops, I meant crappy) veteran.

Yeah, it's pouring out there. Some of what we've been having the past few days. I thought it never rained in California and Arizona? It isn't real rain. It's more like a heavy mist. Being a born and bred midwesterner, I can tell people who are native Californians that they have never truly seen a "good" rain. I've lived in California for 10 years now, and I have seen lightning storms here 3 times. That's it.

Wouldn't that be what you use your ROBBBGY for? You know the guy who sits next to the LOOGY? Yeah, the Righty One Batter Bean Ball Guy.

It doesn't scare you just a little bit that they trotted Corey Patterson, Neifi Perez and Jose Macias out there at the top of the order all year long when better options were available? It sure scares me that this team doesn't seem to think there is a serious problem with the offense (lack of OBP). To hear the press leaks for Preston Wilson and other leaks about not retaining Nomar or Walker leads me to believe that they don't think there is a problem. They seem to be all too interested in Furcal. But, I'll bet they are interested in Furcal because of his speed. Baker has been quoted as saying you need a speed guy at the top of the order. I wonder if they even know what Furcal's OBP was this past year. That's what is scary.

No, BBB, I know they can't just try and outddo St Louis, but I was trying to make a point that it might be, realistically, one of the things that kicks Hendry into paying market value for the one impact player in this years crop. Well, wouldn't it be somewhat nice if there was a small leak or two to the baseball press gods that the Cubs were at least slightly, remotely, considerably and minutely interested in one, Brian Giles? Why do I have to read that all these other teams are already expressing interest in taking him away from home? It's probably considered tampering to even talk to him at this point, but I see nothing wrong with posturing.

You just ruined my day. Not to ruin your day any further, but there is no guarantee on Furcal, either. There are 29 other teams that will be hunting the free agent pile and the pickings are slim. Knowing the pickings are slim, when a team sees what they want, they will make their offers.

[expletive] footing is the key. The Cubs have to show interest on day 1. They can't get in the bidding just so "St. Louis doesn't get him". They can't go out there with the attitude they just need a better offseason than St. Louis. They have to go hard after the players that can really help this team and don't look behind them. They have the money to do it, so just do it.

You are correct. Giles is not a sure thing. However, San Diego lowballed David Wells in 2005 (another local boy) after he signed a very hometown discount in 2004. Wells left. Giles has also seen his offense take a pretty big hit playing in the pitcher friendly confines of Petco Park. Will he stay or will he go? There have been rumors that he'd like to play with his brother somewhere. Why the Cubs wouldn't entertain insane offers to lure Giles is beyond me. He's exactly what this team needs. Lefty power hitter with outstanding plate patience. But, why would Giles want to come to Chicago. To leave San Diego (a team that made the playoffs this year), I would imagine he'd want to go to a team that would have a real good shot at making the playoffs. Another strike against the Cubs. The Cardinals are in that division and the Cubs seem to be moving backwards rather than forward. The one thing the Cubs will have going for them is that they have more money to throw at him than most other teams. Not only will they need to spend that money, but they will have to wine him and dine him and show him how badly they want him to be a Cub. Otherwise, he could settle for less money to stay in San Diego, settle for less money to play in Atlanta with his brother, or settle for less money to play for a team that is serious about being competitive. So far, I have not seen the Cubs show much interest in Giles. I hope that changes. I don't like the vibe I'm getting from management at this early stage of the offseason. They seem like they want better defense up the middle (Neifi at 2nd over Walker, Furcal or Cedeno at SS), a lead off hitter (Furcal once again), and better offense from CF (Preston Wilson). I have yet to hear that Burnitz has been cut loose. This scares me as well. Is it possible the Cubs could go into the season with..... Furcal Perez (why wouldn't Dusty bat him here?) Lee Aramis Burnitz Wilson Barrett Murton I sure don't like it.

i don't like the idea of nomar playing a corner OF spot. if we bring him back, he should play short. besides, if we get giles and trade for bradley or sign lofton, murton will play left and we won't need him. i like the idea of bringing nomar back at short, adding giles and lofton. it's simple and addresses needs. furcal would be a nice sign, but it's not necessary. True, I'd just prefer Nomar at SS as well. However, letting him walk and focusing all of your energy to sign Furcal and not getting him and you end up with Cedeno and Neifi as your SS tandem. Who would prefer that?

So you want: Nomar Cedeno Perez For short then? Go with Cedeno. Spend the extra money for Giles and bullpen. Yeah. I'm for letting Nomar walk. We have to be prepared for the possibility of having to overpay for a RF. I'd rather have Cedeno's defense, low salary, and future upside if we can get Bradley, Castillo, and Giles. I think a lineup of Castillo, Bradley, Lee, Giles, Ramirez, Murton, Barrett, Cedeno is about as much as we could hope for. Definitely Cedeno. I think a lot of people are counting on getting Nomar too cheaply. If you give Nomar an incentive-laden contract that starts at 2M and tops out at 8M the beancounters still have to allocate 8M in the budget for him. That's easily enough to make the difference between getting Giles or being stuck with some crummy Burnitz type. This team can afford Nomar and Giles, even if Nomar reaches all of his incentives. If Nomar reaches all of his incentives, what would you suppose that would mean for the Cubs? Excellent offense from SS, poor defense, and no shot at Millwood or Burnett. I really want to make a run at a premier SP because I don't have any faith that Kerry will finish 2006 in the rotation. Nomar has expressed an interest in playing a different position. He's also expressed interest in staying in Chicago. The Cubs can afford Nomar, Giles AND a starting pitcher. For that matter, I think the Cubs could also afford Nomar, Furcal, Giles and a starting pitcher. If you end up with Nomar and Furcal, then you put Nomar in a corner spot in the outfield and have Giles play the other spot. Murton becomes your 4th outfielder and Nomar steps into the fill in infield spot if someone gets hurt. If you just let Nomar walk, the options become considerably weaker.

So you want: Nomar Cedeno Perez For short then? Go with Cedeno. Spend the extra money for Giles and bullpen. Yeah. I'm for letting Nomar walk. We have to be prepared for the possibility of having to overpay for a RF. I'd rather have Cedeno's defense, low salary, and future upside if we can get Bradley, Castillo, and Giles. You also have to be prepared that you can't get a RF as productive as Nomar can be. How many are available? What do we have to trade that would inspire someone to trade their right fielder to us. What happens when: Manny gets traded to the Mets Giles resigns with the Padres Abreu is not traded out of Phily Preston Wilson and Jeromy Burnitz are the most appealing OF remaining Would you still settle for Cedeno at SS if Burnitz is back in RF? Cedeno is such an unknown commodity at this point. We don't know if he might resemble a Julio Lugo or a Neifi Perez. After the horrendous season the Cubs just had, I don't see how you can gamble cutting Nomar loose and risking his loss and no spectacular free agent signings or trades.

So you want: Nomar Cedeno Perez For short then? Go with Cedeno. Spend the extra money for Giles and bullpen. Yeah. I'm for letting Nomar walk. We have to be prepared for the possibility of having to overpay for a RF. I'd rather have Cedeno's defense, low salary, and future upside if we can get Bradley, Castillo, and Giles. I think a lineup of Castillo, Bradley, Lee, Giles, Ramirez, Murton, Barrett, Cedeno is about as much as we could hope for. Definitely Cedeno. I think a lot of people are counting on getting Nomar too cheaply. If you give Nomar an incentive-laden contract that starts at 2M and tops out at 8M the beancounters still have to allocate 8M in the budget for him. That's easily enough to make the difference between getting Giles or being stuck with some crummy Burnitz type. This team can afford Nomar and Giles, even if Nomar reaches all of his incentives. If Nomar reaches all of his incentives, what would you suppose that would mean for the Cubs?

Pujols always puts on a show after he hits a home run. Aramis does it a lot more these days too. I don't like anyone doing it. It's ridiculous.