Blueheart05

Yes, I would. He had 14 homers last year and a BA in the low 2's He's old, stubborn, and off the juice.

Silvy or Carmen on ESPN AM 1000. I can't remember which one said it. :roll:

No, he retracted that. First, the host thought Lugo made 32 errors last year (wrong). Second, he didn't take into consideration the number of chances. Lugo actually made 24 errors, which isn't great, but he had 310 putouts compared to Furcal's 15 errors and 255 putouts.

I believe Philly is on the list of teams Vasquez does not wish to be traded to. The Mets might get him by flipping Lo Duca

Atlanta can make a pretty attractive package for Lugo. I just dont understand why Atlanta is looking outside their organization for a SS. They have Betemit who hit .300 last year, and they have Tony Pena Jr. For the same reasons the Cubs are; the guys they have are inexperienced and they only want to take the risk after other options have been exhausted.

Yup, looks like the Diamondback got into the fun: Rotoworld

I know he's not coming to Chicago in any deal involving Wood.

I disagree, Furcal's agent didn't allow him to close the deal because there were other teams showing interest. Colleti no doubt contacted Kinzer and asked that the process be extended so he could present a proposal. Colletti, like Hendry, said he wanted Furcal. Obviously, he was willing to grossly overpay. To somehow suggest that the Cubs not getting Furcal was a "big blunder" is ridiculous. On another note, Phil Rogers is just bad and provides inaccurate information: Why would the Cubs need to deal one of the aces to get a free agent Phil??? :roll: :roll: Link He also briefly suggested that the Cubs would trade Wood if he were healthy. When the truth is they'd have to consult with him because of his full NTC. Rogers comes off as a disgruntled employee with an axe to grind. There's nothing wrong with being critical when it is warranted however, his "reporting" is rarely balanced. To suggest that Dusty's inability to lure FA had anything to do with Furcal's decision is ludicrous. The Cubs could have had him for 14MM per year. Thankfully, it didn't come to that.

Were you planning on including a link to the article you are referencing but forgot? Go to http://www.dailyherald.com, it's not that tough to figure out.... Cool. Snideness. Gotta love it. LOL! You are diming him for snideness? I suppose some internet gremlin posted this under your user name, "Were you planning on including a link to the article you are referencing but forgot?" Wow... Hmmm, that can be taken more than one way. When I read it, I thought he was just trying to find a subtle way to ask for the link without accusing the poster of forgetting it. Anyway, Miles' column hit on some of the same points as Kiley's in the Suntimes and Van Dyck's in the Trib. I am optimistic about the Winter Meetings and thankful that the Furcal situation is over so Hendry can refocus his efforts. It looks like Juan Pierre is going to be a top priority and (good or bad) the Cubs are going to go all out to get him. If it happens, I hope its quickly so we can move on... I also wouldn't mind Lugo especially if that somehow meant that Ronny could play 2B fulltime. However, Huff's declining numbers and hit-or-miss defense scares me. I am somewhat surprised to see Abreu's name pop up in these reports because I doubt the Cubs are going to give up Zambrano or Prior (as the article suggests). Van Dyck also mentions Cliff Floyd as a possibility for RF. Edited to correct link. P.S. Phil Rogers irks

Cool until the LA Times comes out with a story 5 minutes from now that contains Rogers tidbits calling Dusty a genius. LOL, feeling a little deja vu? :P

lol, that's true...Cubs didn't impress last year, that's for sure. And the Dodgers did?

It was the money, plain and simple. The Dodgers have a number of decisions to make this offseason too. They aren't exactly a powerhouse.

Huff should consider being a DH because his defense is lacking. If we're going to have someone lost in the outfield it should be Manny (No, I don't think it will happen). Seriously, Huff is someone who can probably be aquired at a reasonable price but he isn't a very good defender which may not be a good thing for the Wrigley swirling winds. He'll look worse than DuBoise. He shouldn't be at the top of the list.

Well, "sources close to the negotiations" have confirmed it. :P There will probably be official word today at noon CT or possibly tomorrow..

I don't think Damon is worth it. His agent was talking about 7 years (which could be agent talk for give us 5) but Damon is older and I wouldn't feel as comfortable making that deal. If they pursue him it would mean Pie is nolonger untouchable and I doubt that's the case. I think Pierre in center may fit Hendry's thinking. Pie may be the CF in '07 depending on his development. edited for spelling errors.

For what it's worth, Mike Kiley seems to think the worst case senario is Cedeno at SS and Neifi at 2B which confirms, yet again, that Walker's days are numbered. The Cubs will turn to Lugo (so will the Braves) He also says that Patterson's days are definitely limited as well and the Cubs are in hot pursuit of Juan Pierre. Kiley also says that Hendry's interest in Mench and Bradley may not be as strong as advertised. The article doesn't mention Burnitz except to speculate on his replacement. Kiley is certain that the Cubs want a lefthanded RF.

It's already rumored that they will offer Marte straight up for Lugo once Furcal signs (so, Monday). AJC has been reporting for a while now that Lugo was plan B for the Braves.

According to my source, Len and Jim are barhopping. Maybe when he wakes up tomorrow he'll get around to posting. Oh come on, the Hooters girl hasn't seen either of them for a few hours. I want the latest scoop. :P

No, but that may be your 1400th post needlessly bashing other posters while thinking that emoticon means something though. Not signing Furcal doesn't = stopgaps everywhere, that's a strawman argument itself for crying out loud. Trade for Bradley, get an Abreu, Wilkerson, Dunn, Gomes, etc., and maybe let Cedeno play SS. Where's the stopgap? Bashing?? Now that's a strawman. Nice disregard for your buddy's hyperbole. Consistent. I just now read the post you were referring too. But this crap is what I'm talking about. The point is made when you question whether "Hendry put all his eggs into Furcal's basket". It's a valid point, I don't have a strong opinion one way or another. But you continually try to act victimized like one side of the argument is always at fault for not being perfect, and it really needs to stop. Make the point you want to make, stop there, don't attack the poster. "Victimized" = strawman I said the argument was a strawman argument. How the f did I "attack" the poster?? Don't spin off your chair friend w/ such accusations. I'll be sure to call every argument I see as flawed "Hendry defender strawman # X", and see the response that I get. If they're grown men, I'm sure they can take it and not get all sensitive. Everyone here isn't a grown man. lol My apologies to the 2 or 3 ladies. :) 2 or 3? I didn't know there was a roll call.

Does anyone know if Len Casper has tried to post yet? I think I missed it. :lol: :lol: :P

No, but that may be your 1400th post needlessly bashing other posters while thinking that emoticon means something though. Not signing Furcal doesn't = stopgaps everywhere, that's a strawman argument itself for crying out loud. Trade for Bradley, get an Abreu, Wilkerson, Dunn, Gomes, etc., and maybe let Cedeno play SS. Where's the stopgap? Bashing?? Now that's a strawman. Nice disregard for your buddy's hyperbole. Consistent. I just now read the post you were referring too. But this crap is what I'm talking about. The point is made when you question whether "Hendry put all his eggs into Furcal's basket". It's a valid point, I don't have a strong opinion one way or another. But you continually try to act victimized like one side of the argument is always at fault for not being perfect, and it really needs to stop. Make the point you want to make, stop there, don't attack the poster. "Victimized" = strawman I said the argument was a strawman argument. How the f did I "attack" the poster?? Don't spin off your chair friend w/ such accusations. I'll be sure to call every argument I see as flawed "Hendry defender strawman # X", and see the response that I get. If they're grown men, I'm sure they can take it and not get all sensitive. Everyone here isn't a grown man. lol

The Cubs offer was more than fair they just got trumped by a GM trying to make a splash.

13MM/ year versus longerterm security means its about the money... It's pretty obvious that it was always about the money. If it wasn't he would have re-signed with the Braves a long time ago. This situation makes me respect Paul Konerko so much more. He had the option of going to Baltimore and make more money but he decided he wanted to be loyal. I have the utmost respect for him. I don't think teams with mercenaries can win it all. Look at the yankees, once they started to buy everyone in sight they haven't won a champsionship. Guys like Furcal, Sheffield, A-Rod, and Beltran are all mercenaries. Yes they have the talent to win it all but they don't have the drive and team first mentality that is necessary. Yeah, but under the circumstances I would have stayed with the Sox too. They are the champs and have the core of the team returning. Baltimore isn't going anywhere and they are in a highly competitive division. In Furcal's case, the Dodgers are a mess right now but they are in a weak division overall and should be able to compete (especially with Colletti being so aggressive).

Give the guy a break, it was his agent that said it "wasn't about the money", not Furcal. Standard agent-speak for press consumption. I say bully for Furcal, I'd do the same thing, and if honest with yourself, you likely would too. He's getting nearly $4MM/year more from LA than the Cubs would have paid him (3/39.5 vs. 5/47), that is one HECKUVA lot of money. I'd take the dough. I would have taken the longer contract. Between signing bonuses, incentives, and a year three player option, I would have been quite happy. :P Seriously, I would have taken more money longterm. He has no guarantee that his FA dollars will be more in 3 years.

13MM/ year versus longerterm security means its about the money... It's pretty obvious that it was always about the money. If it wasn't he would have re-signed with the Braves a long time ago. agreed