USSoccer

Get over yourself and your armchair opinions. Lol, thats probalby construed as a personal attack, but I agree with you. You can't act like you know more than a GM in baseball, the guy has his job for a reason. GM's are smart, smart people, with degrees from great universities. I know Epstein is a Yale grad. Having your opinion is one thing but just keep at that, an opinion, don't try to make it fact! edit - grammar I don't think it takes academic brilliance to be a GM. At best, it takes the ability to multi-task, knowledge of the game of baseball (which can come in many forms), people skills, and rudimentrary economics. And seriously, if bashing Hendry at all turns is en vogue, setting yourself up to be contrarian and bashing people for thinking they might have better ideas is a very close second.

Check the Howry thread. The sniping has already begun, and no one has confirmed that the guy has been signed. I don't know. I didn't see a lot of sniping, comparatively speaking.

I really wish Hendry would do a chat here, or field an hours worth of phone calls on a talk show. I would be so interested to hear his response to some actual tough questions, like why he throws money on the most volitale, unpredictable position to fill.. I'm sure we'd get a lot of safe, neutral spin responses, but maybe we'd get some insight into how he looks at things like this. At this point, all I want is some insight. I dn't have to agree with it, or like it, but I would love to understand it.

So, then either there's a trade-a'comin, or someone is getting released/non tendered. Good work, JeffH

Ramirez's 2005 numbers bely his prospect ranking. If he were really the prospect he's been touted to be, why did the Red Sox waste $40m on Edgar Renteria when SS is Ramirez's natural position? The same reason people want to get a quality CF even though we have Pie. The Major League club wants to compete, and no prospect is a sure thing. The difference is that Boston's offense could have tolerated breaking in a rookie SS that wouldn't kill them with his glove. The Cubs have no such luxury.

Ramirez's 2005 numbers bely his prospect ranking. If he were really the prospect he's been touted to be, why did the Red Sox waste $40m on Edgar Renteria when SS is Ramirez's natural position?

There's no way we signed him. It has to be speculation.

You think so, eh? Yeah, it is a good deal for Boston, but it's a good deal for Florida as well. Behind Lester, Sanchez could arguably be BOS's best pitching prospect. I was able to watch Annibel Sanchez this year in Wilmington. If he stays healthy, he has a chance to be special. You may be contracting that statement in a couple of years. His fastball has a lot of movement, and he locates it pretty well. He's got a nice curve as well and a developing change-up. Yeah, but health is always a big if with P prospects. Plus, it's not as if Ramirez is a can't miss guy. They might end up with nothing for Beckett in a worst case scenario.

I am. Florida would have been able to get a much stronger offer had they just waited until maybe a couple of teams got desperate at the Meetings. As it is, they ended up with a really promising P prospect, and a guy who has some of the luster off of him.

Not in my mind, at least as far as the offense is concerned. Do you see them bringing back Mueller and Millar? I think Millar is as good as gone, and Mueller may leave as well. If they keep him, Lowell should just start at 3B. You don't think the offensive lift from Mueller/Millar/Youkilis to just Youkilis and Lowell is enough for them to feel better about moving Manny and signing Giles? I'm not sure Lowell is a lift from Mueller/Millar, at least not enough to offset whatever concerns they had with losing Manny. The Manny deal has to be based on who they can get for him and who they can sign for his money. Lowell isn't going to offset the loss of Manny, not by a longshot. No, but the odds of him having a much better 2006 may help nudge Boston into a deal. Regardless, this is still a really good move by Boston, and given what it took to make it, I'm very doubtful that Pie and Pinto wouldn't have gotten the deal done.

Not in my mind, at least as far as the offense is concerned. Do you see them bringing back Mueller and Millar? I think Millar is as good as gone, and Mueller may leave as well. If they keep him, Lowell should just start at 3B. You don't think the offensive lift from Mueller/Millar/Youkilis to just Youkilis and Lowell is enough for them to feel better about moving Manny and signing Giles? Everything I've read says that both are as good as gone, which is another reason Manny wants out. Apparently he and Millar are close. Youkilis is supposed to play 1B and now Lowell will play 3B.

Red Sox are making out like bandits. Then I have to assume the deal breaker was the Boston was willing to accept the least amount of cash. Does this move give them any offensive leverage to trade Manny? Figure Lowell is going to split time between 1B and 3B. Wouldn't he outproduce Mueller and Millar by a pretty fair margin? Does this move improve their pitching and offense to the point that Manny is a bit more expendable?

Wow. Great trade for Boston. They get a #1 starter and a 3B that will rebound playing in a bunch of hitter friendly AL East parks for 1 guy that's been can't miss for 3 years and a P prospect.

I'd give up Pie in any deal including Josh Beckett, and think long and hard about giving him up for Adam Dunn. Beyond that, I'd offer Harvey or Dopirak as position players, and pretty much any minor league pitcher.

Ouch. I did not realize he had that contract. Maybe then add another pitcher in the deal? Williams and Hill along with Pie?

I was just gonna say the same thing. If San Diego, St. Louis, and New York are out of the equation, it probably comes down to Cubs vs. the LA teams. And that would come down to the Cubs interest vs. the Dodgers uncertainty. Maybe Hendry is just playing it cool, but it just doesn't make sense to me why the Cubs wouldn't be serious about getting Giles. He's a perfect fit for this team and it looks like that bidding war that Hendry was worried about won't happen. With the Padres lowballing him and the Dodgers' uncertainty the Cubs are seemingly set up perfectly to make a run at him. Maybe Hendry is flying under the radar on this one. Lets hope so. Playing "The Advocate" for a second, lets say Hendry had 4 players on his target list this winter: Furcal, Eyre, Giles and Burnett. He's explored the trade waters for Pierre while he feels out how much Furcal will cost. He signs Eyre quickly, maybe to get one thing out of the way. Maybe at this point, he is trying to see if he can afford both and still have room for one more bullpen guy. The catch is this: he's more willing to bid on Furcal at the expense of losing Giles than he would be at shoehorning both into a budget. Thus, the situation we have right now. Hendry is going to sweat out Furcal and count on Giles's age and Petco/SBC/Dodger Stadium numbers depress interest in him until Hendry has his leadoff hitter solved, then he'll work on RF. /end "Advocate".

Link With this and with the Cards seemingly worried more about pitching than Giles why isn't Hendry swooping in and getting Giles while he can? I know he's said he doesn't want to get into a bidding war, but it's starting to play out like there won't be much of a bidding war for Giles. Oh. Come. On. You can't pay Giles what you paid Alou from 2002-2004? Jim Hendry, sign Giles, and I'll take back all of my criticisms of you this offseason.

Hendry misses the big picture, and that bothers some of us more than others, and some of us are more intellectually honest than others. Signing middle relievers to long and expensive contracts makes no economic sense. You all know the arguments by now. It's not like the Cubs have unlimited payroll. He pays way more than minimum to players like Perez and Macias and Blanco. Hendry perceives a lack of available mediocre talent. In all his talk about depth he doesn't understand that great frontline talent is immeasurably more important. Yeah, Baker is awful. But when Hendry signs Macias and Perez, and lets Baker carry 12 pitchers, well he is an "enabler." Some poster has a great sig. "Jim Hendry: Overpaying for mediocrity since 2004." That sums it up very nicely. 8)

If Texas is giving up Danks and Blalock, there's nothing the Cubs can do (within reason) to beat that deal. If Florida then wants to trade Blalock, that's where the Cubs can get involved. Blalock could be a key piece in getting Abreu to the Cubs. You don't think Pie and Williams or Pinto would match that? No. Blalock is a former AS 3rd baseman. He's still pretty cheap, and just 24 years old. Down year or not, the Cubs don't have anything to match that. Pie is probably a better prospect than Danks at this point, but not that much better. And not when you consider OF talent is easier to find than LH starting pitchers. Williams is still just 24 also, but doesn't have the upside of anyone else involved in the deal. But in terms of cost, Pie and Williams will cost less than Blalock will when he gets to his arbitration years (assuming FL keeps him). Williams gives them a solid starter, and allows them to maintain the illusion of competition. Pie would replace Pierre when they deal him. Diamond and Danks probably aren't ML ready. Williams is. Pie, along with Hermedia and Cabrera, would give them a really young, strong core of players, 2 of whom will be cheap for 3 years. I think it's comparable.

If Texas is giving up Danks and Blalock, there's nothing the Cubs can do (within reason) to beat that deal. If Florida then wants to trade Blalock, that's where the Cubs can get involved. Blalock could be a key piece in getting Abreu to the Cubs. You don't think Pie and Williams or Pinto would match that?

Isn't this time much more likely, though? No stadium deal, no Burnett, no Penny...I see some parts being sold off as they reload from their system.

Would you give up Pie and Williams?

But why is that? Is that because Texas needs to shed payroll in order to take on Lowell? Maybe Florida feels entitled to a top prospect because they are picking up some of Lowell's contract. I'm advocating the Cubs pick up Lowell's entire deal for Beckett, and as such, not give anything back. I'm not saying you're wrong. I just want to know. If the Cubs come in and pick up 2 years and $18M, I would think Florida would say thank you very much. Hoops They have to get something tangible in return for both, unless they are ready to completely wash their hands of South Florida (which they very well might be). I just think they'd want a pitcher better than Rusch at minimum.

Would you be willing to take Beckett if there was a chance Lowell became a very expensive backup 1B/3B bench player? I don't see a whole lot of teams that are going to want him on their own. Beckett is too good of a talent to pass on lightly. Minnesota is interested in Lowell. Yankees want Torii Hunter. If I'm Hendry, I work out a 4-team deal a la the Nomar deal from 2004. Marlins trade Beckett and Lowell to the Cubs for Glendon Rusch, Adam Greenberg and a marginal pitching prospect, but with the Cubs picking up Lowell's entire contract. The Cubs turn around and deal Lowell, Walker, Patterson, a young pitching prospect and some cash (maybe $2M for Lowell) to Minnesota for Torii Hunter, and JC Romero. The Cubs then trade Hunter to the Yankees for Gary Sheffield. Net: Cubs get Beckett and Sheffield There's no way Florida would take that. You have to substitute Rusch with Williams at minimum. Even Texas is giving up Hank Blalock in the rumored deal. I would think Williams, Greenberg and either Hill, Nolasco or Harvey might work. I can see the 2nd half of your deal, just not the first.

Would you be willing to take Beckett if there was a chance Lowell became a very expensive backup 1B/3B bench player? I don't see a whole lot of teams that are going to want him on their own.