davearm

A trade with Prior and Baldelli as the principals would be interesting. One injury disappointment for another. It'd be great if Prior would sign some sort of incentive-based deal with a team option for 2009, but failing that, I think the Cubs are at a point where they have to look for some sort of face-saving exit strategy. Like someone else said, the situation to avoid is paying the guy for another year to rehab before he goes to pitch someplace else. The Cubs are staring that scenario right in the face right now. Changing your tune? Huh?

A trade with Prior and Baldelli as the principals would be interesting. One injury disappointment for another. It'd be great if Prior would sign some sort of incentive-based deal with a team option for 2009, but failing that, I think the Cubs are at a point where they have to look for some sort of face-saving exit strategy. Like someone else said, the situation to avoid is paying the guy for another year to rehab before he goes to pitch someplace else. The Cubs are staring that scenario right in the face right now.

You gotta figure MacPhail will try like heck to get Bedard signed to an extension. He's big on keeping homegrown talent, and he's also big on building a team around pitching. Trading Bedard would be a last resort, and one he wouldn't have to fall back on before July at the earliest, but more likely next winter, or even the following July.

http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/baseball/bal-osmove1016,0,5611986.story Didn't see this posted yet...

I can understand the Pirates wanting to get younger and all, but seven year olds?

I seem to recall reading someplace that Bay was fighting off a nagging injury all year in 2007. Foot? Ankle? Something like that IIRC.

Well who in the Cubs' current-day inventory equates to Bobby Hill and Jose Hernandez?

MLB's spending spree has flourished in recent years even without the Yanks and Sox leading the charge... or even really getting very involved at all. Aside from Clemens, who is obviously a special case, the Yanks haven't had a bigtime signing in years. The Sox? DiceK is again a special case. JD Drew fits. Anyone else? Andy Pettitte for $16M after the 2006 season, Johnny Damon after the 2005 season for 4/$52M, and Carl Pavano after the 2004 season for 4/$40M. Sheffield was signed the year before that. Yep, they've stayed on the sidelines for the really crazy signings for the last couple years.

MLB's spending spree has flourished in recent years even without the Yanks and Sox leading the charge... or even really getting very involved at all. Aside from Clemens, who is obviously a special case, the Yanks haven't had a bigtime signing in years. The Sox? DiceK is again a special case. JD Drew fits. Anyone else?

Hopefully the Cubs will get creative here, and find a way to keep Prior on a deal with less guaranteed money but some sizeable incentives, plus most importantly, a team option for 2009. Kerry Wood's 2007 contract would be a nice starting point: $1.75M guaranteed ~$4.5 in graduated playing time incentives (starts, IPs, days on the roster) ~$1M or so in awards incentives (Allstar, Cy Young, etc.) I have a feeling that if Prior is ever good again, it won't be until 2009 at the earliest.

Doesn't Boras know about MLB's blackout restrictions?? :lol: Isn't he claiming that random A-rod fan in Miami would subscribe to say the LA sports channel to watch A-Rod games. Which wouldn't work. The only thing random Miami fan would subscribe to would be MLB Extra Innings which doesn't help the team he signs for any more than it would if he signed anywhere else. No he's claiming that subscribership on the Yankee's YES network, within the Yanks' home territory, has increased due to ARod's presence. This yields more subscriber dollars, and more advertising dollars too. And this effect would travel with him if he went to another team with its own network. Whether the impact is as large as Boras claims I don't know, but it's definitely something to factor in.

According to BR, Carlos Lee had a VORP of 42.5 this year. Soriano was at 42.1. So the offense each guy provided was basically a wash. Soriano's defense was vastly better than Lee's -- Rate2 of 116 vs. 93. Combining both offense and defense, Soriano was good for 8.9 WARP, while Lee was at 6.8, for a difference of two wins. Interestingly enough, the Cubs happened to win the division by two games. So I'd say the Lee envy and Soriano bashing is just a little bit misguided.

I think Selig knows the potential of Cub fans throwing a huge revolt against him if Cuban is not given a fair shake. I just want him to have a fair and real chance. If he doesnt make the best offer I wont complain. How exactly would Cub fans carry out a revolt against the commissioner of baseball?

dumb. I don't understand comments like this. It's not like the organization doesn't want him to be a second baseman or is only moving him because he's blocked by someone. They understand his value is higher at 2B than in LF. It's pretty clear that there isn't much hope of him being an adequate 2B. Just because we wish we could have his bat in the middle infield, doesn't mean the scouts and coaches are wrong. Also this wasn't just directed at you. Agreed. If he can't do it, he can't do it. I'd leave it up to the Cubs' coaches and player development folks to make that determination, and you can be sure it will be with great reluctance. Dumb would be stubbornly trying to fit a square peg into a round hole, and delaying the inevitable (if it has indeed reached that point, which apparently it has).

if ANY Cub gets a ring this year, I will hardly complain, let alone vilify Marquis. like it or not, Marquis helped get you to this point. he deserves a spot on the roster, as others have said. is he good? no. but he paid his dues early on this year. Marquis picked up the slack for 'bad Z' early on. how quickly we forget... he pitched some good ballgames. I don't want him out there due to his capacity to take you out of a game very quickly when he is bad. We're talking about Marquis, not Zambrano.