Scotti

With the depth of upside we have in the lower levels, the relative weakness at the top, and Ricketts' commitment to spending on the draft and international signings, I'd rather give up the kids further away than McNutt. If I were unsure of how much Ricketts was going to spend on the draft, I might agree with you, but it's harder to get a highly talented near sure thing in the minors than a couple of high upside kids in low A when you spend like Ricketts is. Depending on what happens this off-season there may be a set amount you can pay draftees (slotting). That said, I believe that Gammons' comment about "A-ballers" was not meant to mean guys in A-Ball. I believe it was meant to mean mid-level prospects (many of whom reside in A-Ball). I also believe that guys like Carpenter or LeMahieu (who have had brief stays in Chicago) are in play but neither would seem desirable for Boston (whereas they may for other teams).

Or you can just click on Laura's link...

I think the big reason that Maddux avoids on the field jobs is because he doesnt want to have to have that much time or travel with the team. I think he's enjoyed being at home more since he retired. He's had the ability to come and go as he pleased with his special assistant to the GM title. I'm such a d head. I forgot he was special assistant. I guess I hope he does more than that, or something I think as he gets older the idea of more work in baseball even on the field might appeal to him. He would be an incredible pitching coach but I could also see him working in the front office as a GM even at some point. 10/5/2011 "It’s hard to say what I’ll do. I definitely won’t do anything full time,” Maddux said Wednesday from his home in Las Vegas. “Maybe a part-time gig, but it all starts with spring training, and I can’t commit to spring training right now. No way.” Maddux is mainly concerned with his 17-year-old daughter, Paige, who has suffered with severe headaches on and off for nearly a decade. “She’s been scuffling pretty bad the last three or four months. I mean, school started three weeks ago and she’s missed seven or eight days already,” Maddux said. “It’s really spiked up the last few months." http://www.dailyherald.com/article/20111005/sports/710059583/

Got some cat puke to clean up. At least the cat can actually get something done.

When word was circulating about Cherington (when Theo wasn't possible) I wished that the conversation was about Hoyer. Now we get Theo AND Hoyer (AND McLeod McLeon or is that McLeon, McLeod)...

Typo folks. If a mod would fix it that would be great... “Yeeaaahh, if you could just go ahead and make sure you do that from now on that would be great.”

I'm pretty sure it wouldn't matter if they had clean medical records or not, Boston is still going to do their due diligence and have a full physical done before they fully sign off on the deal. If it was ANY prospect the Sox would get a physical...

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2011/may/28/10-questions-padres-jason-mcleod/ Interesting read...

I'm assuming "medicals" refers to the prospect(s) being sent to Boston.

GordonEdes Gordon Edes To clarify: Hoyer as Cubs GM, Byrnes as Padres GM is done. Epstein to Chi not yet resolved per compensation. Review of medicals remains

BTW, Jason McLeod is a great get... if true.

All I heard was Drinky saying he saw the Edes tweet. There was something else? I heard him say that he just got off the phone with a Boston source. Could have heard wrong but that is what I heard.

I also can't imagine him going back to work there either. That's why I think it will happen. It will take as much time as Henry can drag out of Ricketts. It's a huge PR mess for them. Dragging this thing out is about the only face saving gesture they can do at this point. After it's over they will sling mud on Ricketts and Theo and hope the masses buy it all. I mean legally they can't keep him under contract and prevent him from fulfilling his duties. I assume his contract gives him pretty broad baseball decision authority that they'd need someone to use. They can't just usurp that without letting him go one way or another. The Red Sox have always operated their front office by committee approach. They can, and have when Theo resigned in 2005, operate their front office with one leg missing from the stool. That's why it's fuzzy who is to blame for all those putrid contracts. They can just relegate Theo to the basement with a stapler for the next 12 months, like Milton from Office Space, if they want to while Cherrington does all the GM work. I don't know why they would when there is 6.5 million on the books and they can get compensation for him today, but it's not the first time upper management in a business has done something dumb/petty when huge egos and pride get involved. Yeah I doubt that's true. That's called breach of contract. Agreed. Again, NEITHER side can breach a contract. Theo can't decide to just not show up (or show up and not work) and the Sox can't have him doing anything but his contractual obligations (GM'ing).

Score reporting that it IS all done. Per "I just got off the phone with a source."

I also can't imagine him going back to work there either. That's why I think it will happen. It will take as much time as Henry can drag out of Ricketts. It's a huge PR mess for them. Dragging this thing out is about the only face saving gesture they can do at this point. After it's over they will sling mud on Ricketts and Theo and hope the masses buy it all. I mean legally they can't keep him under contract and prevent him from fulfilling his duties. I assume his contract gives him pretty broad baseball decision authority that they'd need someone to use. They can't just usurp that without letting him go one way or another. I wasn't thinking about it that way, but I would guess Henry and Theo would have to make some sort of an agreement about his duties or buy him out with a clause that says he can't work in MLB for some period to time. He's already told them he's done after the year so it's hard to see how he could be thinking about the big picture. Anyway, it's over for Theo and the Red Sox. He isn't coming back to work for them. Theo would have ALL of the leverage. Every single bit. He wouldn't need to surrender working immediately (the Cubs would pay him everything that Boston was going to pay him anyway).

B-I-N-G-O

He may have been involved already.

I also can't imagine him going back to work there either. That's why I think it will happen. It will take as much time as Henry can drag out of Ricketts. It's a huge PR mess for them. Dragging this thing out is about the only face saving gesture they can do at this point. After it's over they will sling mud on Ricketts and Theo and hope the masses buy it all. I mean legally they can't keep him under contract and prevent him from fulfilling his duties. I assume his contract gives him pretty broad baseball decision authority that they'd need someone to use. They can't just usurp that without letting him go one way or another. At some point, it was brought up by someone that Epstein didn't include a lawyer and negotiated his own contract with the Red Sox, so maybe that language isn't in there. Or maybe it is. Who knows. This is the kind of thing that would be reported on if we had remotely competent sports journalists in either town. Language stating that he can't be pushed aside doesn't need to be there--it's standard (just as getting paid in a timely fashion is standard). Specific language stating that he could be pushed aside on a whim WOULD need to be there and that never happened (just as specific language stating that the team could pay him years later would need to be there).

The hold up is because the Red Sox want us to take back SoSH and Ricketts refuses...

And it's not irrelevant because of the precedent. For lateral moves, you have stuff like Randy Winn or the two Florida prospects going back in return. For promotions, you have Andy MacPhail going for a random A baller. Plus in this case you have the Cubs taking on a significant financial obligation for Theo that they don't have to. Bingo.

Through no fault of your own, really, you're wayyyyy behind in the discussion making these types of points. Get with it. We're arguing about much more important crap now. Huh? It was a sort of smart ass way of me telling you we went over stuff like that back in August. I guess I saw the smart and missed the ass.

I don't get the "demotion" part of that. He'd be a GM of a BIG BUDGET team. Right now SD is a small budget team without any real prospects of changing that (even if they win). And Chicago IS going to win a WS at some point. If he were the GM when that went down then his career prospects would be that much brighter. He already was a part of Boston's change but he wasn't GM there. Cub GM under like-minded Theo/Ricketts is much better than VP/GM of a low-budget gig.

I'd be glad to have as many of his guys as he wants. I'm just saying even if Theo were president and Hoyer were GM (which I'm still hoping is not the case - I want Theo to be the GM), Theo would still be making the decisions on big signings. Theo would be influencing most signings. As President of Baseball Operations he wouldn't be worried about Wrigley, the City crap, the Triangle Building, etc. He would oversee changes on the field, changes in player development, changes in scouting, changes in medical rehab and injury prevention, etc. That is TOO much to expect from a GM. Through no fault of your own, really, you're wayyyyy behind in the discussion making these types of points. Get with it. We're arguing about much more important crap now. Huh?

There is a HUGE assumption here that Theo will not bring in a GM.

I'd be glad to have as many of his guys as he wants. I'm just saying even if Theo were president and Hoyer were GM (which I'm still hoping is not the case - I want Theo to be the GM), Theo would still be making the decisions on big signings. Theo would be influencing most signings. As President of Baseball Operations he wouldn't be worried about Wrigley, the City crap, the Triangle Building, etc. He would oversee changes on the field, changes in player development, changes in scouting, changes in medical rehab and injury prevention, etc. That is TOO much to expect from a GM.