Tarver

More like they better have some room in their stomachs for the salary they'll have to eat to move him. I wouldnt be surprised at all if some teams showed interest. The man can still run like Hayes, but he hits like Howry. The White Sox could be a decent fit. With all of the aging, slow injury prone power bats they have, an aging sppedster could fit the bill, especially if he can play CF and they finally give up on White Corey Patterson aka Brian Anderson. Any other year, I could see Kenny doing something that stupid, but since they've publicly stated they're cutting payroll and Pierre can't play CF anymore they're likely out.

Hard to imagine McCourt eating two contracts in one offseason. Any doubt this belonged at the top of BA's "worst contract" list now?

Let's not forget that Pierre's pitiful arm was one of the stated reasons for signing Jones to man CF, thereby compounding an already terrible contract. A bad contract that necessitates another? How Coletti continues to be employed mystifies me.

Who's to say the FA market won't be worse next year? McCourt should try lowering his offer.

When Sheffield and Johnson were traded, did they not insist on extensions? Do you think Peavy would choose ChC over a team willing to exercise his option? How often do these guys leave money on the table?

And you've been wrong all along. 1. He's still there, so they can afford him for now. 2. Peavy will go to any team that will pick up his option. What about that do not understand? Let me repeat it in case you didn't catch it. PEAVY WILL GO TO ANY TEAM THAT PICKS UP HIS OPTION. PEAVY WILL GO TO ANY TEAM THAT PICKS UP HIS OPTION. PEAVY WILL GO TO ANY TEAM THAT PICKS UP HIS OPTION. Do you really honestly think he'd turn down a trade to LA, Mil, NYY, Sea, or any other club willing to pick up his option because he's so dead set on being a Cub? He's still there for 2 reasons: 1. The Cubs had to wait for the ownership situation to clear. 2. Peavy repeatedly stated that he would only waive his NTC for the Cubs (and Braves before they dropped out) so there weren't any other parties involved. Will he change his mind about other teams? Apparently you are a mind reader by stating as fact that he will okay a trade TO ANY TEAM THAT WILL PICK UP HIS OPTION, but until he says that I'm going by what has been reported. Judging by your join date, I assume you've followed baseball long to recognize his posturing as a common negotiating tactic, that's been used many times by many players before. He'll go to whomever gives him the best financial terms. They always do.

I think there's a good chance he winds up here eventually, but he's doing the exact same thing Sheffield did a few years ago. I'm surprised this many people aren't seeing this for what it is.

And you've been wrong all along. 1. He's still there, so they can afford him for now. 2. Peavy will go to any team that will pick up his option. What about that do not understand? Let me repeat it in case you didn't catch it. PEAVY WILL GO TO ANY TEAM THAT PICKS UP HIS OPTION. PEAVY WILL GO TO ANY TEAM THAT PICKS UP HIS OPTION. PEAVY WILL GO TO ANY TEAM THAT PICKS UP HIS OPTION. Do you really honestly think he'd turn down a trade to LA, Mil, NYY, Sea, or any other club willing to pick up his option because he's so dead set on being a Cub?

Cubs should sign Terrence Long and Ray King so Gathright and Lee have company.

To stay healthy?

Why not debate .03 differences in Win Shares? There hasn't been much to get excited about this offseason. :D My ultimate problem with the move is that I tie it closely to the DeRo trade that I thought (and still think) was so bad. Miles' spot on the bench used to be DeRo's (and Fontenot) and that downgrade bugs me. It's not a killer though, so hopefully something good will come of it. Instead of saying Miles' spot on the bench used to be DeRosa's, try saying that Miles' spot on the bench used to be Cedeno's. DeRosa was a starter, not a sub. Fontenot took DeRosa's job and the cash saved helped pay for Bradley. Finally, I still think the DeRosa trade will end up landing us Peavy. Fontenot is the starter, but any injuries to Bradley and Aramis (and perhaps even Soriano) would have been filled with DeRosa. Now they'll be filled with Miles on the infield and Gathright/Hoff in the outfield. I'm ok with Hoff filling some of that OF time, but I'm not with Miles filling the IF time. Fontenot was going to get a bunch of ABs with or without DeRo. And I really don't think the Peavy deal is happening, but I'll have a different outlook on the offseason if it does. Again, though, it appears very unlikely. Right now the deal is dead, but the Padres will probably be the worst team in baseball for the foreseeable future, still have payroll problems, and their prize trading chip has a NTC that he will only waive for the Cubs. I suppose a lot depends on how Shark/Marshall/Heilman look in the 5th spot and if any other pressing needs get exposed by the trading deadline, but I do think Hendry hasn't given up on obtaining Peavy. You knock about $5 million off his 2009 contract after the first half with Harden coming off the books in 2009 and suddenly money isn't quite the issue it was. That's a hell of a lot assumptions for only three sentences.

On topic, what's the best Prior can realistically hope for this year? 60-70 innings? Even assuming health and serviceable performance, it's going to be a long road back to 25-30 starts a year.

But that wouldn't be nearly as entertaining.

yep, this is pretty much exactly how I expected this thread to unfold after my first post.

You think that rotation is as good as Cincy or Milwaukee? When did Milwaukee acquire a rotation? Milwaukee's questionable, but the above rotation is Houston-esque.

You think that rotation is as good as Cincy or Milwaukee?

He's made millions of dollars and his life revolves around baseball. That's not a hole. Alright, then he's chasing his tail. If you were to find yourself no longer able to continue in journalism, wouldn't you try your hand at something else? No, I moved to North Dakota where I can still collect a paycheck and nobody cares that I'm incompetent. After what he went through here, I'm guessing Mark has the same mindset. This is a position I will never understand. He makes a ton of money playing baseball (or trying to). Even if it's league minimum, it's a ton of money. If he spends the next few years trying to pitch and it doesn't work out and he ends up giving in, great. But if all this work let's him pitch even one more season, he probably thinks it's worth it. If so, why would you encourage him to stop? It's not like this is reckless, unhealthy behavior that's negatively impacting his family or friends. What position? I've already stated I don't care either way. If he wants to milk his past accomplishments for all they're worth in a no pressure atmosphere like San Diego, fine. But Prior should be intelligent enough to know he's become a punchline, and I can't imagine him wanting to remain one.

He's made millions of dollars and his life revolves around baseball. That's not a hole. Alright, then he's chasing his tail. If you were to find yourself no longer able to continue in journalism, wouldn't you try your hand at something else? No, I moved to North Dakota where I can still collect a paycheck and nobody cares that I'm incompetent. After what he went through here, I'm guessing Mark has the same mindset.

He's made millions of dollars and his life revolves around baseball. That's not a hole. Alright, then he's chasing his tail. If you were to find yourself no longer able to continue in journalism, wouldn't you try your hand at something else?

If you find yourself in a hole, stop digging.

Is there something he should be doing with his life that isn't baseball that is really pressing or something? I really don't care what Prior does. But if I spent my entire life either training for or working in a profession I'm no longer physically able to do, I'd start to consider managing my time and energy in a more productive fashion.

he should have enough money from his signing bonus and then his years with the cubs. he's got a business degree so he will be fine down the road if he goes into something outside of baseball. he's still young; might as well try to get healthy and make a comeback if that's what he really wants to do. plus if you tap him on the shoulder he might get hurt again, amirite??? Yeah, better to just send him a telegram.

It's his life, but if someone close to me were to continually plug away at an endeavor in which the chance for success is becoming more and more remote, I'd hope I could find the strength to tap that person on the shoulder. If he can't make it this year, what are his chances in 2010? At what point is he just living in the past?

I respect his competitive spirit, but if he can't make it out of ST this time around someone should persuade him to call it a day.

Looks like Chuck Cubs got himself a hot new job with the AP.