CubfaninCA

Shhhhhhhhhhhhh :D None of these teams will run away with it, but the Cubs starting pitching isn't strong enough.

Getting him away from Jeff Kent would be a plus. How about his wife too?? The guy sounds like a piece of crap. I could care less how many walks he takes.

More could have been done the previous offseason. There was enough on the market to make the Cubs a very good tream. Why couldn't they get Tejada or Vlad? Hendry was very shortsighted, and now I could definitely see them overspending on crap this offseason. Whose the last player the Trib signed to a contract lasting longer than 4 years?? Hendry doesn't sign the paychecks.

They'll get some mid-level free agents, and pull off a trade or too.

Am I the only one here who groans at the thought of Jeff Kent being our next 2B? First of all, he broke Ryno's HR record - I wince thinking about the Joe Morgan commentary now. Secondly, he seems to bring controversy wherever he goes (Bonds, Bradley). I know Mr. Pornstache puts up good numbers, but I'd rather not switch one 2B who can't keep his trap shut for another. Well, I think the chances of getting Kent are pretty slim. The Cubs will probably have to offer something quite tempting, as it will be difficult for LA to move Kent. Kent's been one of the few bright spots on that team this year.

Boston's in the playoffs nearly every year now. The Cubs aren't. Also, Boston has about 30 more wins than the Cubs this year. Jmo, but if the Cubs make a big splash it will be w/ a trade. The Trib usually stays away from free agent deals over 4 years. Thus no Furcal or Burnett. Manny, Soriano, Kent and Burrell could all be possibilities. I think the Cubs biggest signing will be a starting pitcher. Maybe Millwood or Weaver.

Agreed. We'd probably need to gut the farm system to make a play for Abreu and I'm not sure that is worth it. Although, I believe Abreu could probably be had for a top flight starting pitcher. I'd rather contact DePotesta and see if they would have interest in moving their headache (Milton Bradley) for ours (Patterson). Both players most likely need changes of scenery. Bradley would have a manager he could probably play for in Baker. I wouldn't mind a Giles, Bradley, Murton outfield next season, with Pie pushing Murton if he falters. The last thing the Cubs need is someone as unstable as Bradley.

I have to agree with you. There is a point where you stop talking about potential and start talking about BUST. In my eyes we are at that point. Not only has Corey been worthless to us this year he has also been a hindrance. Here is a fun idea, let's trade him to the Cardinals and see if he really is a bust or if it's our organization. IF Corey became a Cardinal, his ops would be over .900. Just Cardinal luck.

Can't see Griffey being on the block anymore, and Cincy's nearly impossible to deal with. Manny's the guy to go after from that list. Perhaps Burrell will be available too. My guess is that Giles ends up in either LA, Anaheim or Boston. Heck maybe even St. Louis.

Why is it a fantasy? The Cubs have a ton of money this offseason (2 of those players signed could be covered with Sosa's money that comes off the books this offseason) and the moves I've suggested could fit under the projected 100-105 M payroll. The only one you'd have to trade for is Dunn and the asking price for him is certain to go down in the offseason. And while I agree that the Mets need bats, they've reportedly tried to get rid of Floyd the last couple years because of his injuries. I would venture to say that had the Mets not got on a role and become big players in the wildcard, Floyd may not be there now. I understand the questions about why Dusty would play Cedeno over Walker and it's something that I didn't really think about quite honestly. I thought Cedeno at 2B because it doesn't seem as if Nomar would be willing to move to 2B. In reality, I'd prefer Cedeno at SS and Nomar at 2B. On Nomar at 5M per..............again I ask why? Even if Nomar's willing to move to another position, I think there are too many question marks about his injuries. I'd like the Cubs to sign him to a 1 year w/ an option for a second. Maybe even a vesting option on PA. The biggest thing in my mind is that Hendry must safeguard against injuries to any number of players. By keeping Walker, Cedeno, and Nomar the middle infield should be solid. By signing a guy like Conine, you have a guy that can play and put up good numbers for good stretches if needed. How long have you been a Cub fan?? Don't get your hopes up regardless of how much money they have available. Giles will probably end up w/ either Anaheim, LA or Boston. Either he'll go to a sure winner, in Boston, or stay in SoCal. The Reds were asking a king's ransom for Griffey. Doubtful the Hendry will ante up for Dunn. As for Ryan, he'll get some huge offer, and the Cubs will look elsewhere. I'm cool w/ Dempster as a closer anyway. Just develop someone in the system to close.

I could live with your team. But I would like to see more of an upgrade in the OF (a la Johnny Damon), but that would push the payroll to a (for us) absurd level. And I have a gut feeling that Dusty would play Conine way too much - just a hunch. What about Glavine as a Cub? Just curious. Bottom line is that Neifi has got to go. It's got nothing to do with Neifi, but has everything to do with Dusty. I'm big on Cedeno, and no way does he get off the bench with any regularity if Perez is a Cub next year. 1. Neifi seems to have impressed alot of people this year. He shouldn't be starting at SS, but I think a team will give him the opportunity. 2. By retaining Walker as a back-up to Cedeno the Cubs would essentially have a back-up plan in place if Nomar went down. (Cendeno could go back to his natural position and Walker is capable of starting.) 3. Conine would probably be a favorite of Dusty's, but I wouldn't mind Conine being the first PH off the bench as opposed to Macias, or Hollandsworth. 4. Giles gives you the OBP guy in front of Lee/ARam that you need. 5. Dunn would be a PERFECT fit in LF, but he may cost too much whereas Cliff Floyd would be a little cheaper to come by. Both would add pop to the line-up, but I would much rather have Dunn. 6. Also, Conine can fill in nicely if the Cubs had any injuries on the corner OF spots, or 1B and can produce like a starter for limited stints. 7. I think Glavine's OK, but he has a mutual option at the end of the year (not sure how much). Another LH option would be Washburn, but he'd be switching leagues........never know how a guy will react to that. Why would Dusty play Cedeno over Walker?? This is Dusty Baker we're talking about.

Looking @ it realistically, and going by past history. No chance w/ Furcal. Too long of deal.. Nomar goes west and signs for 2 to 3 years. Good riddance. Neifi's back. Cedeno either gets buried on the bench or dealt. Walker gets dealt, as the Cubs may be tired of his big mouth. Hairston doesn't seem to be a Dusty/Hendry fave, so probably gone. My guess is that the Cubs make a really strong run @ Soriano again. I don't get all the Furcal talk.............have you seen this guy Cedeno? (Not as much as you'd like, I know) I don't understand the opinion of Nomar signing a 2-3 year deal w/ ANYONE either. Who? What team can take that chance? I think he'll get a 2-3 year deal, but only after being healthy enough to play 130+ games for someone............and I believe it will be the Cubs. What I see happening is Walker's option being picked up. Neifi being offered a starting position with another team and leaving. Nomar signing another 1 year deal, heavily padded with incentives. Hendry pulling a trade for a corner OF and signing another via FA. My other opinion is that you have to have a GREAT bench w/ Dusty. If he's going to fall in love w/ the bench guys, they have to be SOLID players...............not Macias, so I think that alot of money may go into the bench. Here's a line-up that I'd like to see: 2B - Cedeno SS - Nomar RF - Giles 1B - DLee LF - Dunn/Floyd (I'd rather have Dunn or Manny, but Floyd would be more likely) 3B - ARam C - Barrett CF - Patterson Bench: 2B/PH - Walker (option) OF/1B - Conine (FA) OF/PR - Kerry Robinson (FA) OF/IF - Hairston C - Blanco 3B - McClain Rotation: Z (Opening Day Starter) Prior Wood Millwood/Kip Wells/Padilla (via FA) Maddox Pen: Wuertz Novoa Williamson Ohman JVB Closer: B.J. Ryan I know, I know.......I didn't include many young guys on the bench. Not even Murton. I did that because I think Murton could be involved in a deal along w/ Hill. Besides that, what's the use in putting them on the bench if they won't be used? I don't see the point. I also didn't include Dempster because I'm not completely sold on him. My fear is he'll want too much money to be a "closer" and for alittle more money we could get someone that wouldn't make me sick to my stomach when they trotted out to close a game. I don't want to have to take bets on how many guys my closer is going to walk and allow hits to. Anyway, I haven't figured the payroll for a team like this, but I would think it would be doable under the estimated 100-105 M payroll. Thoughts? Nice team, but I think a team w/ Dunn, Giles and Ryan's a fantasy team. Floyd would be nice, but the Mets need all the bats they can find. Perhaps the Cubs can get Jeff Kent. As for Nomah, unlike last year, I think he'll be more open towards playing a position besides SS, which will make him more marketable. However, I don't think he'll get a big deal. Perhaps 2 years and 10 mil, w/ an option.

Start up the Murton = O'Neil, Gwynn, Boggs, Grace, Palmeiro, Pete Rose comparisons. :wink: Hopefully, he's well rested.

That rotation's pretty shaky.

Looking @ it realistically, and going by past history. No chance w/ Furcal. Too long of deal.. Nomar goes west and signs for 2 to 3 years. Good riddance. Neifi's back. Cedeno either gets buried on the bench or dealt. Walker gets dealt, as the Cubs may be tired of his big mouth. Hairston doesn't seem to be a Dusty/Hendry fave, so probably gone. My guess is that the Cubs make a really strong run @ Soriano again.

If the Cubs go 20-4, they'll tie for the wildcard. :wink:

Called it. You piece of crap Eckstein. Put him on the Cubs and he'd hit .210.

Eckstein will get the first hit.

Bad night for you. The Cubs are winning.

Jmo, but the Cubs will make their biggest acquisition via a trade. Giles will stay in SoCal and Burnett & Furcal will get offered too many years. Perhaps Hendry pulls a deal for either Soriano or Manny. Then signs either Millwood or Weaver or someone at that level.

Screw character. If Manny hits as well as he usually does for us, he can sacrifice goats to Satan in the locker room before every game for all I care. People put far too much stock into chemistry and character. Look at those Oakland teams of the 70's that won 3 championships in a row. They would routinely get into fistfights in the locker room before and after games, but all they would do is win. Yep screw it. 3 years and $57 million isn't too bad for someone who can hit like Manny.

Ugh. Doesn't sound good w/ Giles. Am starting to think Manny's more likely than Giles. Of course, Manny's not a "character guy."

The Cubs will need more OBP than just Giles to fix the offense. Won't Murton, Giles and Cedeno help "fix the offense??" It's not like they're in the bottom tier. The bigger concern should be getting the pitching back to where it was in 2003 and upgrading the defense will help that. Murton I think will help, but I don't expect Cedeño to hit that well in his rookie year. CF might be plugged by Corey, who will have to make major strides to put up a respectable OBP after this year's debacle. CF might also be filled by Felix Pie, who'll probably have a rougher jump to the big leagues than I think Cedeño will have. I don't think those three new faces in the starting lineup is enough to fix the offense. Just as an experiment, I ran some numbers to see what kind of impact Giles alone would have for this team in place of Burnitz. The Cubs with Burnitz have a .329 OBP, which ranks 9th out of the 16 NL teams. Replacing Burnitz with Giles would raise the OBP of the entire team by a shade over 10 points (yep, that much). That would put the Cubs at a .339 OBP -- good enough for 3rd in the NL. Brian Giles alone would make an enormous difference to this offense. Interesting stat. Gotta figure if Neifi's not playing everyday next year, the obp should improve a little as well. Not sure about the ops though. Boy I'm really going to get depressed when Giles signs w/ either SD, LA or Anaheim. :cry:

Will they look to add an arm to the rotation or will they cross their fingers w/ Wood again?? I've seen stuff in the paper's about Burnett, but highly doubt the Cubs will ante up for him. We'll have money out the wazoo, tons of pressure on Jim and Dusty to push for the playoffs, and a nice core of talent. If we do not acquire a COUPLE of top-tier players, I will be shocked. My guess, Burnett to the east coast or St. Louis.. Furcal to a team who will give him 5 years. Thus forget the Cubs. Giles stays in SoCal. Nomar to a team that gives him 2 to 3 years. Perhaps the Cubs.. Probably have to hope for a trade or two. I'll take Manny!! :D

Altogether, the Trib suks. They won't ante up for guys who could really help (Burnett), and they'll keep around those who need to go (Dusty).