Nobody youd want to know

Most likely for someone not on their 40-man, hence the PTBNL. They have to wait until after the Rule 5 draft to make sure he/she/it isn't claimed.

I don't think that's true. An FA starter will essentially replace Wood's salary. If you let 1 of them play(Pie replacing Pierre's 5.75 mil is my choice), let Soto replace Blanco, and then you've freed up another 6-7 million. Add in the fact that we had money to spend last year that we may be able to use again, and the fact/hope that a budget crunch would force trades of Neifi and/or Rusch, I think we can add a big contract player and 2 intermediate ones if we need to. So a budget crunch is going to force us to trade Neifi and Rusch, but we'll also have money left over from last year? Putting aside the obvious contradiction, any trade of Neifi or Rusch is most likely going to mean WE'RE picking up salary. Who's going to take either at their salaries? The best we can hope for is that the Cubs DFA Rusch and eat his salary, less the league minimum any team would have to pay if any were stupid enough to take him. Same with Neifi, but I highly doubt he gets DFA'd. And speaking on money left over, think like a corporation. If you as CFO allocate $X to one of your sudsidiaries, and they don't spend all of it, do you give them MORE next year? Heck, no. If you're like 99% of the corporations in the world, you thank them, then give them LESS the next year. Now, granted, the Cubs are a special kind of subsidiary, so you probably don't CUT their budget. But if you're a corporation in serious financial difficulty like the Tribune, you most certainly don't give back last years leftovers.

That's a great lineup, but it would most likely preclude us signing Schmidt or Zito. Even taking away Maddux and Wood ($20m total, I think), you add CLee at something like $13m, Loretta's going to get $4m MINIMUM, Izturis gets $4.15m, Ramirez likely will get a boost, then factor in the raises Z, Prior and some of the young'uns will get, and you're already $7-$10m OVER this years' budget. The Cubs absolutely HAVE to play 2 or 3 of Murton/Cedeno/Theriot/Fontenot in order to afford ANY free agents. And that means they have to deal Izturis. Hendry really painted himself into a corner with that trade. Prior's getting a raise? I realize he is eligible for arbitration but what has he done to earn a raise? I'll bet you $100 he gets a raise. You ever hear of young, projectible #1 starters NOT getting a raise? He'll get a raise based on previous years plus potential.

That's a great lineup, but it would most likely preclude us signing Schmidt or Zito. Even taking away Maddux and Wood ($20m total, I think), you add CLee at something like $13m, Loretta's going to get $4m MINIMUM, Izturis gets $4.15m, Ramirez likely will get a boost, then factor in the raises Z, Prior and some of the young'uns will get, and you're already $7-$10m OVER this years' budget. The Cubs absolutely HAVE to play 2 or 3 of Murton/Cedeno/Theriot/Fontenot in order to afford ANY free agents. And that means they have to deal Izturis. Hendry really painted himself into a corner with that trade.

He's signed through 2007 at $13.5m. We could extend him if we felt it appropriate of course. I'd rather spend $2.5m more (at most) and lock up Soriano in the off-season.

Realistically speaking here, assuming I'm working with a real budget, and assuming Dusty is gone: 1B: DLee: $13 million. Signed thru 2010. 2B: Fontenot/Theriot $.3 million. Better stick, OBP than Cedeno. SS: Cedeno $.4 million. Is Izturis really worth $3.7 million more than Ronny? No way. 3B: ARam $12 million. Sign to extension by kicking in another year and another mil per year. INF: Neifi $2.5 million. Not a bad 25th man. INF: Fontenot/Theriot $.3 million. Can back up 3rd and 1st, too. C: Barrett $4 million. Signed thru 2007. C: Soto $.3 million LF: Soriano: $15 million. Probably will take 4/$60 to sign. CF: Jones $5.3 million. Signed thru 2008. RF: Murton $.4 million. Small raise. OF: Pagan $.4 million. Can back up CF. Small raise. OF: Anyone who can pinch run or pinch hit $.3 million Total position players: $54.2 million SP: Zambrano $11 million. Will get a big raise--I'd sign him long-term. SP: Prior: $7 million. Gets a raise from $3.7 mil. SP: Schmidt: $12 million. Will probably have to give him 3/$36. SP: Marshall/Marmol/Hill $.3 million SP: Marshall/Marmol/Hill $.3 million RP: Eyre: $3.5 million. Signed thru 2008. RP: Howry: $4.0 million. Signed thru 2008. RP: Wuertz: $.4 million. Small raise from league min RP: Ohman: $.7 million. Small raise RP: Guzman $.3 million RP: Mateo/someone else: $.3 million RP: Wood: $5 million. $3 mil buyout plus $2 mil for 07. Will close. Total pitchers: $44.8 million Salary eaten: Rusch $3 million. DFA Total payroll: $102 million Notes: --Trade of Izturis should net a couple of young position-player prospects. --Trade Dempster. Wood would be an outstanding closer, for the same $$. Probably wouldn't net much. --Trade or DFA Novoa. I've never been impressed. Lineup: Murton Barrett Lee Ramirez Soriano Jones Fontenot/Theriot Cedeno Defensively, we'd be middle of the pack. But we'd score some runs. Unless someone got injured. There's not a lot of depth.

I read yesterday--can't remember where--that studies have shown the addition of veteran talent has very little, if any impact, on a team's success in the second half of a season.

Unqualifiedly yes

Do the Pirates have anyone LEFT?

CBS Sportsline is now reporting that the A's are suddenly a serious contender for Soriano.

Are there any playoff contenders who need a catcher?

I was thinking that, too, until I saw Thames' splits: 270/365/527 vs lefties 283/347/642 vs righties

According to Sports Illustrated's John Heyman (link): The light went on for Thames this year--his current line is 279/352/605, and he's only making 342K. Is he a one-year wonder, or the real deal? I'd be willing to invest a couple of arms to find out. Does anyone know what his fielding is like? And what does Detroit need?

No, not another Neifi-bashing thread. Did anyone see the game on Wednesday, when Pagan doubled just inside third base, and the ball got stuck in the Cubs' bullpen? Replays showed Cubs pitchers jumping out of the way, the ball hitting the leg of the bullpen catcher and coming to rest on top of Neifi, who was laying on the ground (?). What the heck was he doing laying on the ground, next to the wall in the bullpen? Neither Len nor Bob said much about it other than identifying Neifi, and I've seen nothing about it in other media. What gives?

I do indeed enjoy ERA+ as a stat... as does Dan Quisenberry: Rank Player (age) Adjusted ERA+ Throws 1. Pedro Martinez (33) 166 R 2. Lefty Grove+* 148 L 3. Walter Johnson+ 146 R Dan Quisenberry 146 R Hoyt Wilhelm+ 146 R Joe Wood 146 R Fourth best all-time??