Clem Fandango

Isn't it against the law to even have a camera in a bathroom to begin with?

Do you really think if the Cubs brought in Burnett they would do so by taking on his bad contract? If the Yankees move him, they're moving him along with a sizable chunk of what's left on his contract. A.J. Burnett on the Cubs would not be the end of the world if, say, the Cubs were only paying him a few million per year. It would give the Cubs cushioning to trade Garza or, if Burnett has a nice rebound by being back in the NL, could make him reasonable trade bait. I'd have no problem with the Cubs going after him if the Yankees are picking up a majority of the tab

I second this... where can this be purchased?!?!?!

Finally, something with some sizzle!

Considering the Marlins were hoping to add a Pujols contract to their payroll this offseason, I'm not so sure a couple million will deter them

Yeah, I'm not a huge fan of Vitters, but he has the upside and potential to be a prospect sweetener to throw in for potential future deals. I wouldn't be terribly disappointed to see him go, but he actually has some value within the organization so it would still sting, if only slightly.

A few years back I said I would love the Cubs to be in the position the Orioles were in because they didn't have any real huge contracts tying them down, they had Markakis and Jones starting to develop, and they had guys like Wieters, Matusz, Tillman, Britton, Bell, Reimold, and Arrieta coming up through their system. The were still several years away from being a contender, but the future looked bright. I think our best prospects were Josh Vitters or Andrew Cashner. I was envious. I mean that list alone... Wieters: 2009 #1 Overall Prospect Matusz: 2010: #5 Overall Prospect Tillman: 2009 #22 Overall Prospect Britton: 2011 #28 Overall Prospect Bell: 2010 #37 Overall Prospect Arrieta: 2009 #67 Overal Prospect Reimold: 2008 #91 Overall Prospect These were all Top 100 prospect guys at one point. A few of them really highly regarded. They must have some terrible development coaches because it's a shock that they've had so many prospects that range from average (Arrieta/Reimold) to elite (Matusz, Wieters), who still have yet to come close to reaching their potential. There's too much talent there for them to be so mediocre (though Wieters took some big steps this season). And the fact that Markakis looked like he was primed to be an elite RF'er and he's pretty much regressed while entering his prime. It's weird. I really like the O's and would love to see them a succeed in that division, but something stinks over there and I'm not so sure it's the players. To have that much of a "meh" turn around on that much talent is unsettling. There's still room for a them to continue to develop, but it'sstill sad how so much talent has produced so few results.

http://i3.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/original/000/243/837/f7e.gif

Compensation complete

If it helps get a better package that's fine, but I've been seriously jonesing for a Garza trade rife with top prospects coming our way since the rumors started swirling

They redid the Top 10 recently... http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/prospects/rankings/organization-top-10-prospects/2012/2612879.html

Nothing really new or groundbreaking...

Welp, an even more non-story becomes even more non-storier

A telling sign of how much Cubs baseball I watched last year: I thought Tony Campana was latin

Welp, a non-story becomes an even more non-story

16 times? That almost seems like hyperbole, but if they've tested him even half as many times as that and he's come up clean every time, more power to him (no pun intended). I work for a company that is required to test a certain % of our truck drivers per DOT regulations. It's really very strange how some guys get popped more than others. And even more strange how one guy might get hit 3 months in a row and then not get tested for 2 years or something. That does seem a bit excessive in the total number of times, but getting randomly picked 4 times each year isn't really that strange based on personal experience. Getting picked 4 times randomly in 2 separate 6 month periods does seem like a lot though. It's even more random when you consider the sheer volume of players that are in the system to get tested in the first place. Even if they only tested guys on the 25-man, that's still 750 players on all 30 teams in the selection process. Getting your number pulled that many times is pretty crazy. It has to somehow be weighted towards players with bigger power numbers for that to occur.

OMG I'm a psychic

On my phone, without looking...... Nick Cafardo?

I hope it doesn't get into an extravagant bidding war with Miami. I want him on the team, but not if we're overpaying by a wide margin

16 times? That almost seems like hyperbole, but if they've tested him even half as amny times as that and he's come up clean every time, more power to him (no pun intended).

Maybe he's attempting to devote his coaching abilities to making his kids good at baseball. Or maybe he's taking care of his terminally ill wife.

How bout that, another injury prone old guy. No Dave Duncan, so no pixie dust? I thought Duncan was coming back for the start of the season

Yeah, his bat appears to be solid in the contact department, but that's about it. And the fact that they moved him to the outfield last year makes me suspect his defense is, as you said, fringey which means his offensive value as a contact hitter is pretty useless unless he's got Billy Hamilton speed (he doesn't) or Jack Cust patience (he doesn't).

I can't be the only one not sold on Avila as a legit top tier catcher, am I? The guy had a .366 BABIP last year, had virtually no pedigree as a prospect, and came out of nowhere. I don't buy it. Not until he can replicate the numbers.