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I don't know about Pierre, but Big Red for Murton.

ESPN INsider said that the Cubs learned that any deal involving them for Abreu would have to include Prior. If I'm Hendry I walk away laughing and never look back. I don't care what kind of injuries the kid had or what kind of bad year he just came off of. He's still one of the best young pitchers in the game and not a chance in hell would I deal him for anything. Not Dunn, Not Abreu, not a single player like that would I even consider it. Only a player like Pujols would draw interest, and clearly a player like him is not available. Get a clue Phillies.

hmmm......can't say I would hate it. I cringe at the idea of Patterson exploding into a great player that his tools say he should be, but I just don't see it happening in Chicago.

While I like Giles I have no interest in getting in a bidding war with the Yankees over him. I also have no interest in giving him more than 3 years, and that is even a stretch for me. I'd rather pay him more per year and just make it a two year deal.

I bet the look into it, but I'd have to imagine that it is a priority to resign Konerko. Taking on the salray that Konerko will demand will make it questionable that they can land Pierre and resign him for the future. They also already have a CF in Podsednik so may look to make a move for a LF instead of CF.

Bradley will not be a Cub. Despite his good bat and good defense, he is a bad fit for a team being built with chemistry in mind. Eyre came here because of the good clubhouse. Sosa left because he was bad for the clubhouse. Bradley is a headcase and won't be a Cub. It's more likely that a cash strapped team will take a chance on him once he is released. I like Wilkerson, but don't see things falling into place for the Cubs to get him. Pierre and Castillo could come cheap if we take on all the salary and send a guy like Walker back who is an immediate replacement and cheap. Corey, Walker, and maybe Hill/Nolasco/Williams/Mitre or a combination of them could get it done. I know that isn't a ton, but they have to get rid of salary, as much as to make a point to the fans in Florida as it is to help the team. I'd give up Hill in a second. I know a lot of people are really high on him, but I can only recall how many times I heard Juan Cruz being reffered to as the next Pedro. A prospect is by no means a sure thing, (Patterson, Cruz, Choi just a few examples) and to land some good players I would deal a good prospect. C'mon Hendry make some moves that help the team NOW.

Cold Pizza just said that it has been reported that Carlos Delgado was just traded to the Mets. As part of the deal the Marlins send 7 million cash. Players are for sale over there and the Cubs need to jump in and get Pierre and Castillo. That would get rid of the worry of overpaying for Furcal and give Hendry what he wants in two legitimate top of the order guys with speed. Also, it would improve the middle of the infield defense. Then we can target Giles as our go to man in FA which would make for one heck of a lineup Pierre Castillo Lee Giles Ramirez Barett Murton Cedeno Looks good enough to me

ok here goes. I'm gonna try to be somewhat realistic too because Dunn flat out isn't gonna be traded to a NL central team. Cinci may be able to get a lot for him, but at the same time they aren't a bunch of idiots over there. First move- I have been saying all offseason that I would like to see Furcal in a Cubs uniform, but the whole Chipper restructuring would scare me if I was Hendry, so I would put together a package to land a 1 and 2 hitter while filling two holes. I get both Pierre and Castillo from the Marlins. They are clearly cutting payroll and are going to part with players for less than what they could get. Jump in now because you can take advatage of the situation, much like how we got Aramis and Lee. Probably have to send Patterson, Mitre, and a few others, but would likely get to keep Pie for a potentially bigger move down the road, or for our team later. Gives me some flexibility for the future. Second- Since Cedeno was in the plans and there is not a need to get Furcal anymore I turn my attention to signing Brian Giles. While I don't like his age, it seems as if his monetary terms are going to stay relatively under control, and I am willing to take a risk on a guy like him. Lefty OF bat with good obp. and still pretty good power. He would fit in nicely in the middle of the lineup. Third- Get Mark Sweeney. His PROVEN bench bat is something left to be desired from the current Cubs team. He could come in late in the game and provide a potentially big HR or other type of hits. Much like Hollandsworth before Dusty misused him. Fourth- Make one more move to land another SP via trade or FA. Personally I would like Millwood or Lowe as they are inning eaters, and every team needs one. Lowe might cost us Williams and a prospect, but if you look at it, we would have essentially gotten Hawkins for Lowe. I'll make that trade 100 times out of 100. I'd sign Millwood if the price was right, but Lowe would be a great fit with the long grass of Wrigley and improved defense in the middle infield with Cedeno and Castillo. The key to my plan is that it gives the Cubs options if certain things fall through. For instance, we can get Pierre but not Castillo. We go after Furcal still and obtain a RF via trade. Or Marlins don't want to deal with us, so we go after Furcal, Wilkerson, and Huff/Mench. Hendry clearly wants to upgrade the pitching and give us options so another starter fits. 1. Pierre-CF 2. Castillo-2b 3. Lee-1b 4. Giles-RF 5. Aramis-3b 6. Barrett-C 7. Murton-LF 8. Cedeno-SS 1. Prior 2. Z 3. Lowe 4. Maddux 5. Rusch/Wood (health permitting) Dempster Eyre Howry Williamson Ohman Wuertz Novoa Perez Blanco Sweeney Hairston someone from the system that earns the spot no crazy out of this world moves, but improved team. Speed and obp improvements at top, with a legitmite impact bat added in Giles. Also, the youngsters with a high ceiling in Murton and Cedeno get a chance and if it doesn't work, you still have some trading pieces left to make more impact moves as the deadline approaches.

I would absolutely love it, but this seems a bit of a pipe dream. C'mon Hill, Mitre, Novoa, and prospects not including Pie for Dunn? Other than that, I could actually see it happening, although I don't think anyone is going to trade for Bradley, because he will be made a free agent soon. He basically has to be given away for any team to even think about taking him.

If he gets Dunn, I'll love him long time. The avatar will disappear and JH love will flow freely from my fingers. Until then, I'll judge his offseason on what he's done, not what he might do. It's fine to judge him on what he's done, but in the same sense, Walt Jockety and John Schuerholz are widely considered two of the best GM's in baseball, and what exactly have they done this offseason. Jockety has passed on Giles which many here are all over Hendry for, and done next to nothing else. Schuerholz hasn't done much of anything yet either. He falied to resign his key player of the offseason thus allowing him to enter negotiations with other teams. It doesn't mean Furcal won't sign with the Braves, but I'm sure Schuerholz would have preferred to lock him up before other teams could drive up the price. Let's be fair man and just say we won't judge Hendry's offseason until it is complete. He's pulled some GREAT trades in his time as GM, with one of them being Choi for D-Lee, which came in an offseason and turned out to be an incredible move as we all know. I'm not fond of everything that has taken place especially Rusch and Perez signings, but I'll hold my opinion negative or positive until I get a chance to see the final result.

The White Sox and Cubs have made plenty of trades previously. It's not as if the organizations are as opposed to each other as the fans are. Hendry even said the right team won the World Series this season.

ESPN Insider suggests that the Cubs will land both Rafael Furcal and Brian Giles. If the Cubs could somehow land both of those players I personally would be in heaven. Not only would we get a coveted lead-off man, but we would land a left handed productive outfielder in right. I personally wouldn't want to give Giles more than a 3 year deal, but if you have to go to a 4 year to land him do it, and with Furcal if you have to go to 5 do it. Both would fill holes and both would be a tremendous additions to a piss pore obp. lineup. Oh man just dreaming of this gets me excited. http://insider.espn.go.com/mlb/insider/columns/story?columnist=phillips_steve&id=2214093&CMP=ILC-INHEAD

The thing that I don't get is that too many fans are wrapped up in slugging and home runs. They say they don't want a slap hitter because he isn't going to get home runs which gaurentee a run. Home runs are clearly not what the Cubs need because we have finished near the top of the league the past few years and it has gotten us nowhere as far as scoring runs is concerned. People that are down on Pierre are coming up with plenty of bad things to say about him, but I've got some good things about his speed that won't really have stats to back them up because such things aren't kept. Pierre get a single with one out, Furcal gets a single and because of his speed Pierre can go first to third, and then is in prime scoring position with less than two outs. Another thing his speed brings is the ability to score from first. I can't stand how people will argue that only speed matters if the sb% is good to great. Speed can make the defense change the way they play and pitch. Look at the White Sox as a prime example of this. I think the best thing that happened to Iguchi this season was that he had Scott Podsednik in front of him. Iguchi saw a lot of fastballs when Podsednik was on base which makes it easier to hit. No I'm not saying that is the only reason he put up the numbers that he did, but I am saying that it certainly could have helped. Speed is one of the elements of the game that can't really be completely kept track of. Going first to third and things like that are big components of baseball that often get overlooked. Stats guys are extremely important members of front offices, but sometimes stats can take away from what a player brings to a team.

That's what I am saying. Hendry is really a scout at heart. He has an eye for talent be it young or old. Not saying I always agree with the type of talent he looks for, but you can't argue with D Lee, Ramirez, and at least offensively Barrett. Those moves have turned out very well. I also disagree that if the team doesn't show drastic improvement this year then Hendry is gone with Baker. I think the organization likes Hendry and would be willing to let him choose another manager. I think Hendry would be willing to admit he made a mistake with Dusty, but that he might have been the right guy to get the ball rolling in the right direction, just that he isn't the guy to take it to the house. Ultimately if Hendry stays or not is McPhails call and we know that Hendry is McPhails guy, so unless management gets rid of MacPhail which I doubt they do because of the insane profits they make from the Cubs organization, Hendry should return. Sometimes I think stats can be looked too far into. I think that is the case with Neifi. He hit 9 home runs last season, which isn't a lot, but it isn't all that bad for a guy who was supposed to be a backup player with a good glove. He has the ability to put the ball in the gaps or in the bleachers and while he won't consistently do that, his ability to is why I am saying he has decent pop. I wouldn't argue for a second that Neifi should be a starter on any team in baseball, but if properly used he could be a valuable piece to a team. Look at Geoff Blum. Who expected him to come up and hit a huge home run in one of the biggest situations of his life. For that matter who expected Neifi to hit a grand slam against the Cards. I know I didn't but his ability to do that is a nice thing to have off the bench. And it's not like Podsednik who hit a couple dingers all season. Perez can put the ball in the seats it is that simple.

Ok, we all obviously don't like the signing of Perez. It's not that I dislike what Perez is as much as I am not going to like the way he is used. Hendry has already been quoted as saying how high he is on Cedeno, and he knows the tendancies of his manager to play veterans over young guys. That is why I believe he is so set on trading Walker. He feels a lead-off hitter with the ability to cause some havoc on the bases is necessary and that player is available in Furcal. Hendry also seems to covet a team that plays great defense up the middle. With the way Dusty manages, and Hendry being fully aware that Cedeno isn't going to get the shot that JH wants because of the Neifi signing, something just doesn't add up to me. Here's a possible explanation that I have heard a few times, but not too sure where. I think some on the radio and other views coming from friends and co-workers, and I am starting to believe that this is actually the truth. I think that Hendry is actually not a supporter of Dusty Baker and would have gotten rid of him this season especially after the Dempster, DuBois, Murton, and Cedeno situations. Someone higher than Hendry, most likely MacPhail, wouldn't let him get rid of Baker because it is too expensive and won't look good to the Tribsters. Obviously, Hendry is going to try to win this year, but I believe his real vision is for the '07 season when he can bring in a capable manger. Neifi really isn't that bad of a player if used correctly. He plays superb defense and could be used late in games as a defensive sub. Also, while he definately lacks in obp., he has decent pop in his bat and can bat from both sides of the plate which makes him a valuable as a pinch hitter. JH HAD to know that this signing won't be used correctly by the current manager and would not support JH's views that Cedeno is ready to be an every day player. Like I said if you just look at it and look at past quotes, something just does not make sense. JH likes Cedeno and all signs indicate that he would be willing to deal a good player in Todd Walker to give Cedeno the shot. The latest move just does not make sense with everything else Hendry has done. He also would not come out and say that Baker isn't his guy, it just would be a bad PR move and a classless move.

Couple of things, however I basically agree with your assumption of what Hendry's plan is. The Cubs have an excellent middle or start to the middle of the lineup with Lee and Ramirez, and even Barrett for that matter (our idiot manager continues to hit him in the eight hole even though he could be a productive RBI man in the 6 spot.) I think instead of adding Floyd, the Hendry is more likely to make a run at a guy like Huff, whom before this year has been very good. Huff has the experience in RF and is younger than Floyd who is on the downside of his career despite a good season last year. The signing of Neifi will hurt Hendry because he wanted to see Cedeno who he was very high on, but our idiot manager will play Cedeno once a week and Neifi six times per week.

No need to be snide. They replaced Carlos Lee with Scott Podsenik. That did not in any way, shape, or form, improve their offense. Lineup position is irrelevant. No matter where either one of them hits, if you replace Podsenik with Lee, it's a downgrade on offense. It's not that simple. Lineup position is relevant and so is baserunning ability. In late inning games, you need to be able to get guys on and move them over. People with great baserunning ability can steal, score from first, go first to third, and all the little things. You cannot simply look only at the statistical numbers. I believe if you asked Kenny Williams or Ozzie Guillen they would greatly disagree with you that getting Scott made the offense worse. It just made it different. Lost a bopper but gained a catalyst. Looking at purely numbers can be decieving. It's important to have a balanced lineup.

I know you guys don't want Furcal, but what do you suggest for a lead-off hitter for this team. Notice something about the teams in the playoffs this year. They ALL have pretty good leadoff hitters, except maybe the Padres, but they weren't really a playoff team, just a lucky team who happens to be in a horrific division. White Sox- Podsednik Red Sox- Damon Yanks- Jeter Angels- Figgins Cards- Eckstein Stros- Biggio Braves- Furcal Padres- Roberts (weakest of the bunch but still better than what we have) I understand the negatives to Furcal with the biggest being that it would significantly put a dent in the chances of Giles joining our team, but what are the chances that he comes to the Cubs anyway. What if he simply doesn't want to play for us. Then what do you suggest. Do nothing except keep our current team and resign an aging Nomar who has spent more time hurt than playing the past two years.

The Cardinals and the Cubs are not even allowed to talk to Giles' agent at this point. The only team allowed to negotiate with him is the Padres. How one can speculate that he is expected to head to St. Louis seems a bit odd. I guess that goes with all those that expected Beltran to be a Yankee last year. No one even knows what the Cards are willing to offer Giles, or even if he has any interest in playing there.

Why is Dempster not a good move. All he did last year was be a fantastic closer. Damn we should have let him walk.

Prior's next random BS injury that proves that the Baseball Gods hate him is only a matter of time. Murton should be the left fielder without question. Giles should be the right fielder without question. The question is center field. Will the Cubs try to turn to Pie, will they give Corey another shot, or will they pick up a veteran to man the spot? That and the leadoff situation are probably the two biggest issues of the off-season. Giles has to WANT to come to us. We didn't trade for him, and we don't have him under contract. He could choose to stay in Cali for less because he doesn't want to come here. He could go to the Cards, because lets face it, they are the more likely team to continue winning if he looks at the trends of the past. By saying without question he should be the right fielder I think you are assuming a lot.

please explain to me why everyone is so in love with Rich Hill. http://cbs.sportsline.com/mlb/players/playerpage/555244 After looking at his career numbers I see problems with the amount of walks and a high ERA. Hill is a fine prospect, but he is seen with way too much value. I never understood the hype with him when he was first called up and he certainly didn't do anything that should excite anyone while in the big leagues. Maybe Pierre isn't the best possibility, but to make it out that Hill should get a great player back is a mistake.

The only things you have to look at to know Stone doesn't exactly have it to be a GM are some remarks this summer. Stone suggested that the only untouchable on the Cubs was Rich Hill and his bad minor league numbers. We should have traded Hill when his value was high. Also, Stoney suggested that we deal Aramis and someone else I forgot who for Manny and Bill Mueller. While I think Manny is a star, I find it harder to get a young ALL-STAR 3b who is already locked into a long term deal that wants to play for the organization. Manny is as bad or worse on defense than Aramis is and Aramis is way younger and at a harder posistion to find impact players. Stone knows a good amount about baseball and is exceptional at relaying his thoughts and ideas through the media, but that in NO WAY gives him credence to be a GM for a major league team.

Look I know a lot of people are down on Furcal, but my argument isn't as much for him as it is against Nomar. We took a major risk in trading for a hurt Garciaparra when we did. Resigning him this year was a bigger risk, and it proved to be a mistake. He came back and hit the ball well in a month when it didn't make a difference at all. I know the guy was great in his prime, but he is past his prime and is a liability. Nomar is a good guy, I just don't want to depend on him as the everyday SS. I would also rather have good to great defense over Nomar's below average defense. Furcal is an easy target. Also, Giles as an upgrade at obp. is much different than a leadoff hitter. Leading off is different that just having an increased obp. Granted obp. should be the major stat when looking at leadoff hitters, other things should be taken into consideration. No he doesn't HAVE to be a speedy player with the ability to disrupt things while on the basebaths, but that is ceartainly a good thing. Also, at the leadoff spot you want a guy who is able to fight off pitches and force the opposing pitcher to show his stuff early in games. A power hitter with good obp. is not necessarily the same type of hitter. Giles good obp. is a product of pitchers fearing his potent bat and pitching carefully while Giles doesn't bite and earns a walk. Most pitchers go after leadoff hitters. Look I believe this team is MUCH better if Wood and Prior remain healthy for the whole season. I really believe that it is that simple. Starting pitching wins games period. History of baseball has proven that over and over again. That is what I based my opinion of the team being much better on. And you can't say Furcal is a downgrade, because our SS last season was Neifi not Nomar. You can say it wasn't supposed to be that way, but Neifi was kept around because Hendry knew he needed a guy that could play every day because it wasn't unlikely that Nomar would be injured.

Alright so let's just be optimistic for a bit and ignore the reality of things. Let's say that we got out and manage a way to land both Giles and Furcal. Also ignoring reality, Kerry Wood returns to 2003 playoff form and stays healthy for all of '06. Prior also is healthy all season, although I argue against those that say he is an injury concern. Running into Giles (albeit stupid) isn't an injury that could've been prevented in any way, same with the line drive off the elbow. So let's say all of this happens and Hendry makes a few other additions to help the club. I'd love to see Walker and Nomar stay, but let's just say they are gone. We'll say this opening day lineup looks like this. 1. Furcal-SS 2. Murton-LF 3. Lee-1b 4. Giles-RF 5. Ramirez-3b 6. Barrett-C 7. Patterson-CF 8. Cedeno-2b Rotation 1. Prior 2. Wood 3. Zambrano 4. Maddux 5. Rusch, Williams, Hill, Guzman, whoever earns it or a FA addition. Pen Dempster-Closer Ohman Wuertz Novoa Howry Van Buren possibly another lefty Bench Hairston Blanco Sweeney 2 more solid guys To me that would be a very solid team with the addition of 4 players in Giles, Furcal, Howry, and Sweeney. Obviously it is pretty far fetched because lets face it the likelyhood of Giles being in a Cubs uniform just isn't that great. I think finicially this could happen relatively easily. I know a lot of people are down on Furcal and only want Giles. I agree we need to worry about obp. much more as an organization that we do, but another big problem with this team is a lack of a leadoff hitter. Also I think Furcal would be a long term situation at the position and would look nice next to E-Pat in a few years. I'm not sold on Patterson at all, but to be blunt trading him now would be a mistake. His value has never been lower, so if he doesn't show any improvement you go ahead and get rid of him during the season, but you won't get any more by dealing him now than if you did then. Maybe he will get his head on straight and prove to at least be good enough to stick around til Pie is ready. I think this team would be MUCH improved from last year both defensively and offensively. Giles isn't a great fielder, but more than makes up for it with his bat. Murton will be fine in the field. Furcal is a stud with the glove and has a cannon. Cedeno has gold glove potential. Aramis well he's not good with the glove, but again makes up for it with his stick. D-Lee exceptional with both bat and glove. Let me know what you guys think. I know it is dreaming, but hey we're Cubs fans and dreaming is ok. Especially when we have to watch a team in our city play for the championship. Maybe just maybe some of our dreams will finally come true.