Cubswin11

I really like the idea of the piggyback for the 5th starter. I wonder if/when rosters would expand to 26/27 guys more teams would consider it?

So Theo is their only source to get info on guys in instructs? There is nobody else they could try and get to, to get info? Also I consider Vizcaino and important guy (at least prospect). He was once a pretty highly thought of prospect and is coming back from injury. He is at a position of little depth/need for us and could be up and contributing sometime this year. He also is a fix for one of our major problems last year (bullpen).

And Felix has to be near 50% of that, right?

those have been over for a long time. Wonder why this is just now news? Because our beat writers suck and probably don't even know what instructs are or to report on an important guy like Vizcaino there when he pitches and it's probably the first time Theo's been interviewed since he threw/specifically asked about him?

No [expletive]. You aren't looking for surplus value when you sign a Robinson Can type. You are looking for "surplus value" when you sign someone like Feldman, Scheirholtz, Villanueva, etc.

Josh Hamilton 2.0!!!!

Pretty sure ABTY's source, or one of them if he has multiple, works in some capacity for the Royals. IIRC.

So how good/what is UNC exactly? Wins vs Louisville + MSU (likely) and losses vs Belmont + UAB already

He did start 1 game against the Cubs in 2010. I always thought he had more starts (I thought one year the Astros were going to give him a chance for some reason) but the only time he started was in 2010 and it was only 4 games in the middle of the season.

Wesley Wright come on down......

KC Johnson was on Mully and Hanley a bit ago and said that tanking is going to be almost impossible for this team. He doesn't think the team will be able to trade Deng, said he'd be surprised if the team trades more than 2 people, and he'd bet the under on that. And he said there's almost no way that the Bulls don't make the playoffs thanks to so many bad teams. He said that people need to get over the idea of tanking, because it's much harder to do that in the NBA when you're built like the Bulls than other sports like baseball where you can just pay $14mil or something to make Boozer go to another team. Sorry maybe tanking is the wrong word. But it makes no sense to have this team pay the luxury tax when they would be in danger of being repeaters if they are over the tax in either of the next 2 seasons. But you're right, it might not be possible to clear enough salary off the books. I think the Bulls would need to lose $7.5 million in salary during the season to avoid the tax. That would mean somehow finding a team under the cap willing to basically absorb Deng for nothing. Without pulling up the numbers I'm not sure we can get under the tax. Someone else under the cap has to absorb it. Next offseason probably isn't too hard to do do if we deem it necessary. Yeah it would have to take multiple trades to get there and even then it might be tough with salaries having to nearly match. The only way to get out from under it would be to amnesty Boozer without some crazy trade scenarios that likely would be unrealistic.

Jesus [expletive] Christ, Sullivan

I'm having a hard time picturing a big market for Cutler this offseason let alone one where he will get a huge contract (even though it only takes one team). The teams that need a QB all seem to have reasonable alternatives/limitations. Browns- 2 first round picks, still might want to see what Hoyer can do post injury Jags- Likely will be picking in the top 5 to get a QB Houston- Same as Jags and also still owe Schaub a lot of money Jets- Don't they have cap issues? Still have Sanchez and might want to give Geno another year also could draft another QB Vikings- Will have a high enough pick to take one Raiders- Pryor/Mgloin (spelling) have been decent enough that they probably go with one of them Cardinals- Is Palmer a FA after the year? Those are the only teams I can see having interest in him after the year other than the Bears and they all seem to have reasonable alternatives to not signing him. Jets/Vikings probably would be the two biggest threats to sign him and maybe the Cards if Palmer is a FA.

Hoffman, Beede, Jackson. In that order for me and yeah I don't really want Turner I'd probably be pretty uninspired if he was taken by us. The only silver lining to taking him would be if he came at a relatively good discount and then we could take harder to sign guys later, but still then I wouldn't really like that. The #4 pick has a lot higher chances of hitting than 2-4 guys we got in later rounds because we had extra cash to spend that were "top 3 round talent" or whatever.

Maybe they also are putting in a floor for the lesser guys? I think the Brewers only paid like a $2 million posting fee for Aoki. Maybe the will make a minimum posting fee of like $5-10 million?

Probably, yeah

I've long been a Gardner fan. Tremendous defense (won back to back Fielding Bible awards) and has good patience at the plate. The Yankees still value him as their leadoff hitter, though, and I imagine he won't come cheaply, especially since he isn't owed all that much. They said they don't intend to trade him. They do have plenty of holes (3B, pitching) that we could probably find a match, but I don't see it. Do they have enough good/intriguing prospects that a Wood for Gardner+ could have some potential? Or even Jackson.

Saw a poster on PSD note that both the D'backs and Orioles have shed contracts/payroll going into the winter meetings hopefully this is good news relating to a Shark trade since both have been reported to be interested and this is them getting things in order internally for a potential trade. The two things may also have no relation to each other.

Thanks, right now I'm leaning Jackson and BUF but I'm going to change a million times on this. Foles, Spiller and Buffalo

I guess I'm limiting my ceiling of expectations now to a trade of Samardzija for 2 good prospect (hopefully 1 top 25-30 guy) and a major league ready guy with some upside/youth, trade for Maybin and signing Tanaka + a reliever like Axford. The signing of someone like Axford is the only thing I'm relatively certain of.

RB 2 Z. Stacy @ ARI S. Jackson @ GB R. Mathews v. NYG D/ST STL @ ARI BUF @ TB

http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m1ko766sbJ1r5lnzyo1_400.jpg

So no Cano to Yankees then? My god I'd love to get in on him.

Ellsbury to the Yankees apparently, Morneau to the Rockies