Little Slide Rooter

I had interest in him when he was a non tender candidate, but not for our 2nd best pitcher+ 15-16 million dollars. Maybe they're just trying to build an entire team out of 4-5 starters, 4th outfielders, and middle relievers. yeah that's probably exactly what theo is doing, he's decided to not do the things that won two world series in boston and instead build a team that will be the worst team in baseball every year. The only time Theo railroaded a high priced player out of town he didn't get a world series out of it but he did get Jason Bay. I'm not criticizing acquiring Chris Volstad as much as railroading Z out of town for nothing, if that is indeed all we get back. If nobody was willing to give up anything of value for him they should have given him until the summer to build his value.

Pretty much how I feel. I understand that concept when taking a 1-1.5 mil chance in Manny Corpas and Andy Sonnesntine, but unless we get some quality prospects back as well, you dont think we gave up a bit much for a medium reward player?

I had interest in him when he was a non tender candidate, but not for our 2nd best pitcher+ 15-16 million dollars. Maybe they're just trying to build an entire team out of 4-5 starters, 4th outfielders, and middle relievers.

If we're intent on being a [expletive] team, why not let Z pitch for 3 months, prove he can coexist with people and then trade him rather than trade him fresh off a hissy fit suspension by our blowhard ex-GM. The Hendryness of this move is very troubling to me. With no hope of draft compensation, I find it tough to believe that there's a bunch of trade value for Z to recapture when his new team would have him for 2 months. Exactly. This is always what a Zambrano deal was going to be like. Volstad/Dominguez would be pretty good compared what I was expecting. Hendry would have gotten less. Hendry would have paid his entire salary plus an extra 5 mil and Starlin Castro just so they'd take him, amiright?

The Marlins couldn't put together a worthwhile package for Garza anyway. Agreed, but they do make nice leverage. Why should they bother giving up valuable assets for a 2 starter when they can acquire a 3 starter for their 5 starter swing man + enough money to acquire another crappy 5 starter/swing man, maybe two.

Yay! More baseball players!

The minute Pena was signed last year, before the outlook on 2012 was looking as dismal as it does now, it was clear to pretty much everyone but Carlos Pena that it was going to be a one and done. Why? Because there were better available options for 2012 and a lot of people almost took it for granted that Pujols or Fielder would be wearing a Cubs uniform before Pena ever put one on. There are still other options even if we dont sign Fielder that make far more sense than Pena considering the directio of the team. The draft pick didn't enter into it. While you can sell me on thinking that the reason Pena wasn't traded last August was because because the draft pick was more valuable than the return you can't tell me that the reason he won't be a Cub in 2012 is because of the draft pick.

Volstad+Dominguez+15-16 mil for Z would be OK by me, though I wouldn't love it. Volstad+15-16 mil for Z would very much make me question the new regime despite the fact that I promised myself I'd give them until at least opening day of 2013.

Agree to disagree. Carlos Pena will get a 2 year deal or at least a 1 year with an option or 2 at 10 mil give or take per year. What we need is a 1st baseman for the future. Prince Fielder is still option #1 an if we miss out, we'll either trade for 1 of the guys I mentioned before or give LaHair a shot until another option presents itself or perhaps trade for one of the same guys during the season. Carlos Pena is as far from what this team needs in a player and a contract as can be, and that is why Carlos Pena will not be a Cub next season. The pick is surely more incentive or they wouldn't have risked offering arb to begin with unless it was already agreed that he'd decline but not 98% of the reason.

Yes. Yeah, but the pick we'll receive for losing him is more important than allowing him to be a stopgap for us. Sign anyone other than him, at this point, in my opinion. Didn't they change that so there's a more select list of players that will cost a team draft picks? This being said, not signing Pena has little to do with the draft picks as much as it has to do with the fact that he's not part of where Theo wants to go with this team. I think that Fielders still an option if we can get him on Theos terms, but other than that I think that someone like Rizzo, Anderson, or Barton will be manning 1st by opening day. If you think this, you haven't been paying attention. Getting more picks has everything to do with why signing Pena isn't ideal. With the new limits on spending, getting supplemental picks high in the draft is even more important than it used to be. Not finding it necessary to pay Carlos Pena another 10 million dollars, this time for 2-3 years when he's not going to make a contender out of this team has more to do with not signing Carlos Pena. I can assure you that if we had a team that looked like it was 1 power bat away from fringe contention but we didn't want to pay Fielders asking price, Carlos Pena would be an option rather than hoping that Brian LaHair can produce. I'm not saying that it's not good to get the draft pick, but I highly doubt that it's what's keeping us from re-signing Pena when we have a clear need at the position he plays.

WE'VE MADE A TERRIBLE MISTAKE <-----click here for a patented West Side Rooter somewhat out of nowhere rant.

He's still have to deal with the same issues in Boston, and he'd have a much better financed primary rival, another very rich rival, and a very smart rival. He doesn't have those issues in Chicago and it was pretty clear he was going to leave there eventually. When Theo came to Chicago and brought his posse with him, while the ultimate goal was a championship, he knew what he had to work with and it was going to be a challenge. The challenge was a big part of what brought him here, and in not so many words he wasted little time saying that he was going to go young and the championship would eventually come. It's not Theo's fault that a lot of people thought that going young meant salary dumping Soriano and Zambrano and signing Prince Fielder and maybe Yu Darvish. A lot of what brought him and Hoyer to Chicago was the challenge. The lucrative five year contracts which there respective teams never would have given them didn't hurt either.

Hey, it worked for Jake Fox, Micah Hoffpauir, Kila Kawhatsit, Dallas McPherson, Scott McLain, Bobby Scales... I'm drowning in this. If you're referring to the fact that I used to clamor for these guys to come up, I've learned my lesson.

Jesus what the [expletive] To be fair, what's he supposed to say? "Bryan is the only 1B on our roster, and we really need to replace him because he sucks." You talk up the guys you have whether you mean it or not. There are a myriad of ways to discuss the Cubs' 1B situation much more diplomatically without basically waxing Kaplan's dome. I don't think Theo is at all obligated to assuage our fear of Bryan LaHair at 1B next year by being "diplomatic". That's not his job. Let's say Theo is actually negotiating with Boras and Fielder (for the sake of argument), then what stands to be gained by openly admitting it is a dire need? That just gives leverage to the other side. Talking up Lahair and indicating he's prepared to go with him may be a bluff. Or he may be serious. But either way just admitting it is a need you're desperate to fill isn't at all prudent, even it it makes us feel better. If Theo convinces Boras to lower Fielders price because we already have Brian LaHair, then he's even better than I thought. I think Theos weighing his options right now. My guess is that they'll wait to see what other teams are offering for Fielder. If it's not too much, they'll jump in the bidding. If it is more than he wants to ay, I think he'll start shopping around for someone like Lars Anderson, Anthony Rizzo, Daric barton, etc. for an audition. The best thing that LaHair can do is play winter ball and log in as many outfield innings as he can because I'd have no problem with him as the 25th guy on the roster.

Hey, it worked for Jake Fox, Micah Hoffpauir, Kila Kawhatsit, Dallas McPherson, Scott McLain, Bobby Scales...

Cespedes really makes more sense for them considering where they currently stand. This being said, can't they bid on both? It's not like the Darvish bidding where only one team wins the negotiating rights. they're both just like any free agent once available.

Very much so. I'm well aware that I'm not amongst the NSBB "popular crowd", but I'm nit here to make friends. I'm hear to share my opinions and speculations as well as read and respond to those of others on Cubs baseball, baseball in general, and occasionally other topics. I lot of people are subject to random, often uncalled for attacks, but they keep coming back all the same, because this is a very good place for said discussions. If mul21, whom I'm not even particularly familiar with as a poster but seems to have taken quite a notice of me lately or some other guy I don't know want's to take a jab at me, maybe I see it as unnecessary, but it's hardly going to ruin my day. Exactly. I'm to here to make friends. I'm here to win the heart of Flavor Flav and yall bitches aint gown stand in my way.

Yes. Yeah, but the pick we'll receive for losing him is more important than allowing him to be a stopgap for us. Sign anyone other than him, at this point, in my opinion. Didn't they change that so there's a more select list of players that will cost a team draft picks? This being said, not signing Pena has little to do with the draft picks as much as it has to do with the fact that he's not part of where Theo wants to go with this team. I think that Fielders still an option if we can get him on Theos terms, but other than that I think that someone like Rizzo, Anderson, or Barton will be manning 1st by opening day.

Very much so. I'm well aware that I'm not amongst the NSBB "popular crowd", but I'm not here to make friends. I'm hear to share my opinions and speculations as well as read and respond to those of others on Cubs baseball, baseball in general, and occasionally other topics. I lot of people are subject to random, often uncalled for attacks, but they keep coming back all the same, because this is a very good place for said discussions. If mul21, whom I'm not even particularly familiar with as a poster but seems to have taken quite a notice of me lately or some other guy I don't know want's to take a jab at me, maybe I see it as unnecessary, but it's hardly going to ruin my day. I try when I can to keep up with my spell check to keep Truffle Shuffle at bay though I still get lazy, but that's really as far as I'll go to appease those who feel it necessary to attack what I have to say.

Looks like the preliminary list has pretty much every relevant prospect and the next step is to sort them out. On that note, I'm surprised that Whitenack didn't make the list. TJS and all, he was looking pretty great before he collapsed in a heap clutching his elbow(I remember that Tweet very well). Surprised to see Jeff Bianchi make it. I didn't realise he was only 25 and had a pretty good big league stint in 2009. As long as they listed Bianchi, they should have also listed Weather who I find more intriguing than a good number of guys on the list.

Sorry to go on a bit of a tangeant, But don't get me wrong, I love Wrigley, hell I named my dog after it but like when I'm toy shopping for my daughter and come across older or retro toys, they have a great nostalgic appeal but the fact of the matter is that the new toys are a hell of a lot cooler. I'm all for riding Wrigley as long as its still useable but if they decide to build a new park I would not be amongst the protesters. You have a daughter? Oh god. I make posts on a message board that don't appeal to you how could I possibly lead a normal fulfilling life with a family and not be locked in a hole somewhere only to be let out from time to time to make poorly spelled and structured posts about baseball?

I wouldn't bet anything I don't want to lose on it.

Sorry to go on a bit of a tangeant, But don't get me wrong, I love Wrigley, hell I named my dog after it but like when I'm toy shopping for my daughter and come across older or retro toys, they have a great nostalgic appeal but the fact of the matter is that the new toys are a hell of a lot cooler. I'm all for riding Wrigley as long as its still useable but if they decide to build a new park I would not be amongst the protesters.

Is this supposed to be green font because I can never tell these days.

It just seems like Billys luck has run out the past 4-5 years. They're no longer generating the top prospects they once did and all of the top prospects they acquired in his masterful trades have been doing bellyflops and Beanes just seemed weird and desperate the past few years adding guys like Mastsui, Nomar, Giambi and of course Holliday in an extremely un Beane-like trade. Now they're just stuck hoping that Daric Barton, Michael Taylor, and Chris Carter can pull things together along with the haul they got for Gio and Cahill. For now, I wouldn't be at all surprised to see them add someone like Manny or Vlad. like TT said, the stadium issue is just massive for them. the coliseum is a dump that's outdated and not suitable for baseball, especially when you have a gorgeous pac bell park (or at&t, whatever the hell it's called now) sitting on the other side of the bay. i actually sympathize with lew wolff (as much as one can sympathize with an extremely rich person, anyway) - he legitimately seems committed to keeping the a's in northern california and has tried a lot of things to get the new stadium done, without holding the local community hostage by threatening to move the club, but he keeps running into roadblocks. the city of oakland has been useless, a lot of the fremont community complained about the possibility of the a's relocating there (plus BART, the light rain, wasn't helping matters), and the giants can block a move to san jose. if the san jose plan doesn't go through i'd have a hard time blaming wolff for moving his team to whatever city is willing to give him a sweet deal. Too bad their dump isn't quite old and dumpy enough to be considered a landmark and hallowed halls of baseball history.