Backtobanks

As much as I love Zambrano I would do that trade in a heartbeat. Get a guy with potential as good as Zambrano in Santana, and get two studs in Wood or Aybar and Adenhart. Well worth giving him up and getting these guys to fill spots all over the field. I hope Jim wouldn't pass that up. I don't think the Angels would give up that much though. I agree on the Angels deal, but I would say no to the other deals mentioned. I also agree that the Angels wouldn't offer that much for Zambrano.

I really don't understand the value in letting him play everyday in AAA. He's not going to be learning anything new there. If anything he can benefit from a different coaching staff in the bigs, and seeing major league pitching. I want what's best for the major league team. And at this point, they'd have to go outside the organization to find any better option than Cedeno for a backup MI position, and that will cost them. There's no justification to spend to find a guy that in all likelihood won't be any better than Cedeno in that role. I think Cedeno can regain some confidence that he lost last year. Also, I've heard that major league coaches aren't the best at teaching, whereas the minor league coaches might be better teachers. Finally, Cedeno is not the kind of player that can come off the bench (or at least didn't look like it last year). I think Cedeno will be better served at AAA until the Cubs decide to bring him up as an everyday replacement at SS.

No pitcher is worth $18 million/7 years. Unfortunately this is where the market has taken them.

Absolutely right. Ryu had no future with the Cubs and these two players probably have very little future with the Cubs too.

Bingo. And Hill still looking at least something like 2nd half Hill. And Miller reverting back to a competitive form. And Lilly adjusting well to the NL as AL pitchers often do. I'm not saying some, if any, of these guys can "replace" Z straight up, but if a couple of these "what if's" happen it makes not having him far from a catastrophe. A healthy Prior can replace Zambrano immediately. The kind of numbers Prior put up before his string of injuries had ace of the staff written all over him. Of course, a healthy Prior plus Zambrano is a much better option.

Some interesting points in the discussion. It sure would be nice to see Prior come back completely to reduce the fears of Zambrano leaving. As for waiting until the trade deadline, I can't see the Cubs being out of contention by July in the weak NL Central. I do think Zambrano is playing hardball right now and he might settle for a slight home town discount. He certainly has nothing to lose by playing hardball right now. Just add this to the list of items on the "Hendry can't win" list. He's damned if he signs him and damned if he doesn't.

They hold it in a phone booth.

With many "experts" saying good things about the Indians this year, I realized the White Sox could very well end up in 4th place in their division. There's no reason to think the Twins or Tigers ought to regress very much and the Indians might overtake the White Sox. I despise the Sox, but I must admit they would probably have the best 4th place team in baseball.

I keep thinking that Jones alone has some value, but there are plenty of candidates to put in a package with him......Marshall(or another young pitcher), Eyre, Novoa, etc.

With Guerrero, GMJR, and Garrett Anderson, I'm not sure why they would need Jones.

Nope. Worse, actually. He never was much of a hitter, but obviously he can't be that bad since he has had a regular job in the majors for a long time.

Nope. Worse, actually. If you say so. I will give you the fact he was bad with the bat, but his defensive abilities and the way he called a game is one of the reason the cubs made the playoffs that year. I dont consider him to be that bad of a player. Rothschild calls the game. If this is true, why does everyone criticize Barrett's game-calling ability?

Who said crappy lefties can pitch forever? Apparently it's not true.

Prior needs one more towel drill to be the all time leader.

That's a good point. I can throw 50 pitches off of a mound and I'm 59 years old with a bad shoulder and bad knees, so it is important to know what kind of pitches he's making.

I would consider it depending on a lot of ifs: 1. If Prior returns and pitches like a #1 starter. 2. If Hill continues his 2nd half dominance. 3. If Lilly shows he can be a good middle of the rotation starter. 4. If Marquis/Miller show they are capable of being a #4 starter. 5. If our young pitching (Guzman, Marshall, Gallagher, etc.) shows that they are ready to be in the majors. 6. If Izturis is as clueless with the bat as most of us think he is.

Maybe he's just trying to make another $15 million. The real idiots are the Giants for giving him that much. They were the only bidders for Bonds and now they're not even sure they want him. I wonder what would have happened if the Giants offered him $2-3 million and nobody else jumped in.

I think the Cubs can be pretty good as they stand now, but a healthy Prior puts them way ahead of the rest of the division. I think a lot of us forget that a healthy Prior would give Zambrano a run for the ace of the staff. The real advantage of Prior's health is that it "slots" the rest of the starters to a position in which they would more naturally fall. For example, Lilly or Hill as a #2 starter is a little shaky, but Hill and Lilly as your #3 and #4 starters really looks pretty good.

You like to take the stance that none of the players currently on the Cubs were players that the Cubs might have had a chance to sign or trade for. As if the only deals Hendry makes are the only deals he had any chance to make. That's fine if you think along those lines, but I certainly don't. While you can give your list of reasons for each player I list that could have been Cubs, I'm just using examples. My examples of what would have improved the Cubs are just about endless. I could go back a few years and include Carlos Beltran, Vladmir Guerrero, Miguel Tejada when they were free agents themselves. I'm not the one who was standing at a podium announcing to the world that I was going to bring a World Series to the north side of Chicago. Jim Hendry did that. If he can be so bold to make that prediction, then he better back up his words with moves that will get the team there. Soriano was a pretty good score. Outside of Soriano, the moves he made were pretty generic. I'll give him credit for re-signing Aramis as well, just so you don't think I'm all gloom and doom. The lack of direction is quite real. The farm system has gone from being one of the best in the league to below average. The team itself has gone from 1st to worst. This is also very real. But, the thing that really makes me disrespect anything you have to say about this is when you sit there and tell me or someone else that this isn't fantasy baseball. What, do you think I'm some little kid who is watching baseball for the first time? I'm 43 years old and have been watching Cub baseball religiously since 1971. Our opinions don't have to agree to have a mature and respectful debate. You don't have to drag insults into it to make your point. If the team didn't have the resources to go out and build a World Series team, maybe THEY shouldn't have been standing in front of a podium announcing to the world they would go out and get the players necessary to win. The team, as it is currently constructed, isn't any better than some of the other teams in the NL. You might feel that Cesar Izturis (a guy who has played a total of less than a season of baseball over the last two years and whose numbers have plummeted) is the SS that can take us to the promised land, but I don't. You might feel that Greg Maddux for Cesar Izturis was a good trade. Personally, I think we got better for Todd Walker. The problems of Jim Hendry extend beyond what he did this offseason. He had problems in previous seasons as well. When you compound the problems from year to year, the end product will suffer, which is exactly what we are seeing now. Would Miguel Tejada, Vladmir Guerrero or Carlos Beltran have turned down 8/136? Probably not. Each is either a better overall player than Soriano, or performs above and beyond their position of need. Agree or disagree. But, please leave the "this isn't fantasy baseball" crap out of your argument to keep this a respectful debate. I respect your opinion even though I don't agree with it. I tend to agree with beast more than you on most points. All of us love to discuss imaginary trades, but the bottom line is that it takes two teams (or more) to make a trade. Some posters point out that we have mediocre players and a weak farm system yet talk about trading these below average players for All Stars. As for Tejada, Guerrero, or Beltran turning down 8/136, the answer is that Hendry didn't have that money when Guerrero and Beltran were available so the question is moot. Posting on NSBB is great, but some posters would find fault with Hendry if he signed the reincarnations of Babe Ruth and Walter Johnson.

Can you imagine the package of players (or prospects) you could get for Santana?

The bottom line is that it gives the Cubs a much better chance to win in 2007. With players like Lee, Soriano, ARam, and Barrett all in their "prime" and the pitching staff looking as solid and deep as it ever has, they should do everything possible to win it in 2007. You might have to wait through a transition period as Pie and some of the younger pitchers take over, so go for it while you have a chance. Also, let's not forget the significance of the NL Central being in a "down" period.

He isn't going anywhere because nobody else wants him (especially for 15 million). How many teams went after him? None besides the Giants.

Because when healthy he's a very good pitcher. But if he's healthy.. doesn't he already have a spot in the rotation.. why does he need to contend? this is the first year that the Cubs didn't have Prior "penciled" into the rotation. If he's healthy and pitches like he's capable of pitching, he not only has a spot in the rotation, but probably the #2 spot.

I repeat my earlier post, is there some way we can get in on this deal since the Rockies want young pitching (which we seem to have)? Somehow maybe we could get Crisp or Pena.

Like trade ARod to the Cubs! I'm curious who the Sox are going to give up for him and how much they are willing to pick up salary wise. Ken Rosenthal of Foxsports.com thinks this will be ARod's last year in NY. He thinks he will opt for free agency (part of his contract) whether he has a good year or a bad one just to get out of NY.