Sammy Sofa

No, it's Andre 3000's fault. Actually, it was Fonzworth Bentley fault.

The problem with waiting for the exact perfect free agent is that free agent doesn't exist. If you sit around and pass on each major free agent because there are some flaws or questions, you'll never make a big free agent signing and you'll probably never win a World Series. The Cubs are in a position right now where we have some good, young major league talent and we have a ton of prospects on their way up who look like good major leaguers. However, we have no real starpower in the minors or on the team. The potential is there for a very good supporting cast, but no core for that cast to support. We also don't have much money committed beyond 2012 and the third highest payroll in the MLB. Given all of that, one of the best players to ever play the game may just hit the open market this offseason and would give us that core player we don't have in the system. If we pass on Pujols and Fielder in the hopes that the perfect free agent falls in our lap, we'll see a lot more of the type seasons we saw in the 2000s (good teams that weren't great because they lacked a great player) in the coming years. Signing Pujols is a gamble, but sometimes you have to take gambles to win championships and if I'm going to take a gamble, I want to take one on the best player in the game. I see your points but the issue for me is the years at that money. I am not saying pass on each big free agent or the Cubs should wait on the perfect deal. I am just saying I think we pass on this deal as it is either feast or famine. I know you have to take your shots when you can but I am not willing to gamble this much as a number of things scare me: We play tons of day games. Is he really the age he says he is? True, he has played hurt at an incredible level but still he has had some worrisome injuries with more frequency in recent years-will he be as resilient as he ages? We are in the National League so no DH. Maybe I got carried away with the booing at Wrigley thing. But this just shrinks our window to win. Let's go get somebody else at a better deal when we get closer to contending. How is it "feast or famine?" All players have injury risks as they get older. Great players aren't going to settle on a safe contract that only pays them through ages 32-36 if you're signing them when they're around 30. And is really all that realistic for people to truly worry about his "real age" these days? Who honestly thinks he would have been able to hide it? And how does this shrink the Cubs' window to win? This is a team that can afford to eat contracts. They've just had issues coming to a head now because of the sale. Put a good team on the field and they make a ton of money and they can have a gigantic payroll, and Pujols is a huge step in the right direction to accomplish that.

And he's going to turn 32 this offseason while looking for a massive deal, possibly 10 years long. I have trouble believing that doesn't make more people at least pause and think a little bit before getting out the spray charts. If you do it, you better be prepared to add a few other pieces and go for it all-out in the next 3-5 years. It's Pujols. And the Cubs will have plenty of money to spend. And then again for 2013. They could easily, say, sign Pujols and Reyes after this year, then sign Kemp after 2012, and still have quite a bit of money left over for a good starting pitcher and position player. Quite frankly, I really don't care if Pujols is garbage the last few years of his contract. If he's great to good for like 5-7 years of a 10-year-contract it's worth it, and the success that would ideally come with the Cubs during that time would make eating his contract at the end even easier. Again, this is a major market team that can easily afford a $130+ million payroll. And the pie in the sky sentiment that people have here of signing magical contracts for great players that are somehow a guarantee to not have any decline aren't going to happen. Great players look to get paid and aren't going to settle for a contract that just stops at age 34 or 35 because the team is worried about decline. If arguable the greatest hitter to play the game is available and he's still crushing 1.000+ OPS like it ain't no thang and you can afford him, then yes, you sign him. If he really struggles this year, OK, fine, maybe you don't leap in to things...but he'll probably still end up with beast numbers.

Really didn't take long for Quade to just back all of that goodwill off of a cliff.

Wait, Quade is seriously giving Hill the start? Castillo doesn't even get in there when it's a [expletive] day game after a night game?

The comments on that are gold. My personal favorite:

Abnormal?

It's Pujols.

It's odd how weirded out AF is by spring rain.

Yeah, I can understand the reasoning for passing on Dunn and could even see passing on Fielder, but there's really no reason to not make every effort possible to get Pujols. If he wants 10/300, do it. He'll be well worth the money. Right, there are reasons to pass on all three, especially the first two, but to actually pass on ALL three given the needs of this team would just be infuriating. I mean, you can make an argument against anyone and everyone, but they can't keep passing on players like that for the mythical perfect player/moment that will never arrive.

Why? Barney's been a pleasant surprise, but if the Cubs can make an impact move I'd like to think they'd hold back because of Darwin Barney. How about signing Reyes and moving either him or Castro over to 2B?

Fielder will get more money/ years from an AL team that can DH him as well as play him at 1st. I could see a team like the Orioles driving a truckload of money up to his door and he'd be foolish not to at least kick the tires. I'm hoping that the Yankees sign Pujols and are willing to trade Texiera for salary relief. That gets Pujols out of the NL Central and really has to hurt the Cards a lot. If the Cubs could be the team that gets Texiera it would still be a net improvement. That's a gigantic (and probably terrible) gamble to expect the Cubs to pass up on both Fielder and Pujols in the slim hope that Texiera is traded. I'm sorry, but the Cubs willfully passing on Dunn, Fielder AND Pujols is just foolhardy.

The "experts" weigh in, from MLBTR: •It will be interesting to see how Carlos Beltran’s $18.5MM salary affects other teams’ interest in him midseason, as ESPN.com's Buster Olney explains. Few teams have $6MM kicking around for a two-month rental, and that’s how much will remain on Beltran’s contract at the end of July. Olney suggests the Mets could get a decent prospect for Beltran if he continues his hot hitting (the free agent to be had a three-homer game yesterday). •Matt Klaassen of FanGraphs examines Carlos Beltran's trade value and says "it is hard to imagine the Mets getting more than a couple of C prospects in return for Beltran if they send a few million dollars along." I still think pretty much any prospect with anything resembling a decent chance of contributing is too much. I know I'm being really absolute about this, but I'd rather save any part that could have any value for someone who would have at least some kind of future with the Cubs beyond the last two months of this season. OK, yes, let's say Aramis takes off and Soto comes back strong and the pitching keeps looking good and the Cubs go on a real run and are right there at the top at the deadline and Beltran is still having an amazing year, fine, MAYBE it would be worth it...but even then I would have to think there potentially be better options to trade for that would last through next season than Beltran.

Again, it all depends what pieces were talking about, and what you consider important. Lets look at the Harden package, and see what would be close to it: Sean Gallagher: major league ready-ish starter, potential, but didnt quite reach it yet: Casey Coleman or Jay Jackson? Matt Murton: young major league ready player. Has had some past big leage successCould contribute in the future: Blake DeWitt Eric Patterson: fringe prospect. wasnt quite major league ready, althoug wed brought him up out of necessity: any number of guys. lets say, Ryan Flaherty. Josh Donaldson: young, lower level prospect. decent bat Again, could be any number of guys. Lets just say, oh, Matt Cerda or Pierre LaPage. Would you trade Coleman/Jackson, DeWitt, Flaherty, and Cerda/LaPage for Beltran and maybe a lesser player? I would. Again, it depends if the Mets would. Of course they wouldn't. Most the players you listed as potential trade bait aren't comparable with what was given up for Harden. Plus the Cubs were taking a chance because they'd get him for at least a season and a half and he was a much younger player. Why not? Jackson is an early 20's starter, one of our top prospects as Gallagher was. Jax was the 98th overall prospect pre 2010, Gallagher was number 82 pre 2008. DeWitt has arguebaly had more big league sucess than Murton, plus plays a more premium position at 2B. Flaherty and Patterson are very comperable. We might just need to offer a more tempting low level prospect. Are you really going to base your comparison on Gallagher and Jackson only on their BA prospect ratings? It's also telling that left out Donaldson in that last post given the reports that he and Gallagher were the primary targets. And once again, the Cubs were trading that package for a pitcher that would have for at least a season and a half and ideally past that. Beltran provides nothing of the sort. Yeah, if you could get him for guys like Flaherty and DeWitt, great, go nuts. Start throwing in guys like Jackson and someone like Castillo to match someone like Donaldson and you're paying way too damn much for half a season of 35-year-old Beltran.

Ah, so you were serious. Hilarious.

Good call :good: HUR-DUR-HUR

Nice win!

I know Len & Bob are being diplomatic, but no, DeRosa is NOT likely to be very useful at his age and coming back from wrist surgery.

Oh man, I was cringing watching Ross and Fontenot diving for that ball.

You need some excitement? LOLOLOLBECAUSEHE'STERRIBLELULZ

Send Grabow out there, dammit.

So going in to today this was Castro's line over the last week: .438 .471 .625 1.096 Nice to see him kicking that slump in the balls. Len said he's 10 for his last 17.

Uh-oh; Giants craftily loading the bases with 1 out.

Excellent.

Again, it all depends what pieces were talking about, and what you consider important. Lets look at the Harden package, and see what would be close to it: Sean Gallagher: major league ready-ish starter, potential, but didnt quite reach it yet: Casey Coleman or Jay Jackson? Matt Murton: young major league ready player. Has had some past big leage successCould contribute in the future: Blake DeWitt Eric Patterson: fringe prospect. wasnt quite major league ready, althoug wed brought him up out of necessity: any number of guys. lets say, Ryan Flaherty. Josh Donaldson: young, lower level prospect. decent bat Again, could be any number of guys. Lets just say, oh, Matt Cerda or Pierre LaPage. Would you trade Coleman/Jackson, DeWitt, Flaherty, and Cerda/LaPage for Beltran and maybe a lesser player? I would. Again, it depends if the Mets would. Of course they wouldn't. Most the players you listed as potential trade bait aren't comparable with what was given up for Harden. Plus the Cubs were taking a chance because they'd get him for at least a season and a half and he was a much younger player.