don_kessinger_was_good

Tellem is Nomar's agent. Ah yes, thank you. Well that's different then, Cubs seemed to be on excellent terms with Nomar.

Neither Rolen nor Pujols deserved the GG. Rolen waved ole more often than not this year at the tough hits, his range is drastically reduced. At 1B, Todd Helton is a far superior defensive guy than Albert. But we all know the GG thing is a joke anyway, hard to get too excited about that stuff.

I really don't understand all the Barrett love, he's not that great. Crummy defense and a decidedly lousy run producer. Estrada is supposedly on the block, if I could trade for him and use Barrett to get Wells, I'm there, 100%. Also, count me in for trading Z for A-Rod, IF we win the Matsuzaka posting. Carlos is about to get EXTREMELY expensive, and I'm concerned about his durability--not to mention his maddeningly increasing BB totals. Zambrano's trade value will never be higher than it is right now.

I'd rather spend more in talent to get Crawford if I'm trading with Tampa.

I believe Tellem was Sosa's agent, so we can pretty much forget about Igawa.

Baker is their mandatory minority candidate interview, nothing more.

To extend this thought, it is very likely it will be known who the high bidder is by this coming Monday the 6th. It had better be the Cubs. If it is: then Sayonara, Aramis. And I'd be OK with that. Follow up Matsuzaka with Iwamura, and now we're talking.

He made 30 starts and threw 211 innings in 2003. He was on the DL that year too. Which means he has never pitched in a full season without being hurt. Plenty of people who aren't hurt throw less than 30 starts or 211 IP. It's really nitpicking to say he didn't pitch a full season. So he was drafted in 2001 and he's kind-of pitched one full big league season. I think that qualifies as a big-time bust. Especially since it looks like he yet AGAIN won't pitch a full season in 2007. I know I'm ready to cut the cord with the guy.

I would be happy to trade Detroit Izturis for Fernando Rodney if they'd be interested. They could perma-slide Guillen to 1B and let Casey walk, and then pursue someone like Frank Thomas for DH. If we had Rodney, we could afford to use Howry (one of our best bargaining chips) to help acquire a bat. Murton + Howry for Burrell and cash? On net then, Burrell + Rodney > Murton + Howry, IMO. Plus, you've saved some cash and rid us of the unwanted Izturis.

Miguel Tejada is on the downslope of his career, and I can make a very strong case that Aramis is a better player right now. ARod is better, but the odds of matching up with NY in a deal are very, very low. Add to that the player cost of ARod and the fact that you aren't *that* much better with ARod over ARam, and you get a bad 2007 team. Add Tejada or ARod to a team with Lee and Aramis, and now you have something. And FYI, Aramis's OBP is comparable to Tejada's. Without the high strikeout total. Tejada is older, that is true. But he offers similar production, is LESS expensive in $$, and he fills a more difficult position. I'd rather have Tejada at SS and Iwamura at 3B than Ramirez at 3B and Izturis at SS, for example. I'm not on a "Hate Aramis" mission, I just recognize the many holes on this team and I'm struggling with whether (1) Aramis is really part of the long-term solution, and/or (2) whether the money he'll demand is a wise investment. The guy HAS shown a tendency to persistent, nagging injuries. And BTW, I have no idea what you're talking about on "high strikeout totals." Tejada the last three seasons has K'd 73, 83, and 79 times, and that's with 650 ABs/year. Ramirez is at 62,62 and 63 times, but on average roughly 100 less ABs per year, too. I'd say they're both pretty good at making contact, and Tejada is not more prone to the strikeout.

What would make a Sheffield trade more attractive is if the Yankees take back a contract we don't want in exchange to partly offset the $$. If I could dump Dempster or Jones on them, both of whom will make $5MM (!!) in 2007, I'd do that in a heartbeat. Especially if it's Dempster. I actually think Jones can be moved to several other teams, but the market for Dempster is pretty much the Dumpster. Further, if you get Sheffield in a deal like that at such modest incremental cost, then you could afford to throw money at Ramirez if you must. Or, my preference, you could let Ramirez walk, sign Iwamura, and have a TON of money for upgrading our woeful starting pitching. Winning the Matsuzaka sweepstakes would be a good starting point.

I will. Replacing Aramis with either of those two is simply treading water offensively. It will be a huge deal in the media, but we will be improving marginally if at all. It will make us older, however. Hendry didn't trade Ramirez when he could have gotten a boatload for him, now it's time to bite the bullet and give the man his money. The only way i would approve of letting him go is if a deal was in place to get Cabrera. Even then, we still need another bat and we likely have no prospects left. Ramirez is not a high OBP guy, never has been, and he has absolutely no speed. None. Tejada and especially, A-Rod, would be DEMONSTRABLY superior players that improve the team incrementally, without even considering that both play a harder position to fill. Tejada makes $12MM/year, A-Rod makes $16MM/year net (the Yankees payment). Ramirez likely wants $13MM to $14MM/year? No way.

If Kerry Wood can't be a starting pitcher, I see no reason to waste the money on him (again) and see if he can switch in midstream, become an effective reliever, and stay healthy. Screw the emotion of it. Let him see if his career has any life left in it on someone else's dime, like the Rangers or Yankees. I just don't see how, even with an "incentive laden" contract in the $3MM range, this could possibly work out well. Wood is damaged goods, he's done. You don't not pitch for basically three full seasons and suddenly get healthy. It's over. Tragic, but it's over. I love Woody, but the Cubs have hung out hope and many Ben Franklins for too long now. Let's move on.

Given all the holes, the Cubs would be a stronger team if they let Ramirez walk, took the $13MM+/year he'd command, and use it to sign both Iwamura and Saito or Kuroda, with (likely) some cash still left over for a veteran bench guy like Graffanino. I want bodies that can perform, three players to replace one works for me. Ramirez' bat can be replaced at a different position, preferably an outfielder via trade. If the Cubs could then shock us all and bring either Tejada or A-Rod to Chicago, no one will miss Aramis Ramirez. The next Ron Santo in fan support he ain't.

Tony Graffanino is another attractive bench option. He can play all the IF positions (including 1B in a pinch), I believe he can even be an emergency 3rd catcher. With Dusty gone, I can think of worse options than Mark Bellhorn as a reserve infielder. At least he can get on base and hit the occasional longball. I do not care to see Freddie Bynum return for the bench, please, no. I also see no reason to have Ronny Cedeno in that role, either trade him or put him at Iowa to refine his game. If the Cubs get a legit 2B or SS, I wouldn't mind keeping Izturis as an expensive reserve IF. And of course, if the Cubs aren't willing to give Theriot a fair shot at a starting job, at a bare minimum he's earned a certain bench job. We have lots more problems than reserve IFs, for which there are many serviceable options.

Why is Holdzkom throwing a 3 inning outing? Seems odd.

Just say no to outfielders on the wrong side of 35 years of age, please.

What are the Sox asking for him, and why are they so anxious to move him? I think he'd be a fine addition as a #3 or #4, and it would surely make Carlos happy to have a countryman on the pitching staff. I would also like one of the non-Matsuzaka Japanese FA pitchers and something like a Ted Lilly to round things out. Trying to be realistic about what the Cubs COULD do, I don't think there's a snowball's chance they get Daisuke. Zambrano, Garcia, Hill, Saito, Lilly? Not bad...

You have to protect Holdzkom and Rapada, these guys have been lights out and could potentially help the Cubs very soon. Both impress me. I can't believe we got Lincoln for Todd Wellemeyer, that was a real score.

Iwamura at 2B, Theriot at SS, A-Rod at 3B, Aramis signed elsewhere, Izturis dealt for a prospect to someone, Graffanino signed as the main utility guy, Cedeno riding the pine as the 25th man. I can live with those outcomes. Make the trades for Vernon Wells and either Pat Burrell or JD Drew, and the offense looks tight. Sign two Japanese pitchers and suddenly, a contenduh.

I think it's a bit too hasty to be giving up on Sean Marshall already. He never pitched above AA before 2006. Greg Maddux wasn't very good when he came up, either. I do agree that auto penciling Marshall into the 07 rotation is a bit of a stretch, though. I'd prefer the Cubs put him in Iowa at the start of the season and fine-tune his stuff. Or use him as trade bait this winter, I'm OK with that. But the guy doesn't "stink", he looked awfully good on several occasions this year.

Alan Trammell >> Dick Pole.

I agree with an earlier poster--why are we wasting millions on these stiffs? They're perma-damaged: let's move on. I choose to not re-sign Wood and let him walk. I have no interest in Miller. I release Prior rather than get stuck with paying him what, $4MM in arbitration? For butt-kiss? C-ya Mark.

As good as Zambrano is, and as much as we all love the big guy, the brutal fact is that the Cubs with A-Rod would be a better team than the Cubs with Z. A great pitcher helps you win 20-25 games a year, while a decent pitcher helps you win 12-15. A-Rod, OTOH, is in that lineup everyday, at a position where he'd be head and shoulders above any other team's player (SS), and frankly, given his fragile psyche, I think he'd be a MONSTER in Chicago with all the love he'd get thrown his way. A-Rod should give Nomar a call and ask him what it's like to be a Cub. Rodriguez was second fiddle to Junior in Seattle, second fiddle to Jeter in NY, he's a 1st ballot HOF-er and needs his own team. Back to Z--his value will never be higher. I'm concerned about the cumulative effect of his workload. And he's about to make ginormous bucks. Z straight-up for A-Rod, I think I'd do it, if we have Aramis re-signed and in the can.

I REALLY like the idea of Alan Trammell in the dugout everyday, available to help the infielders with defense, available to help the hitters learn some plate discipline. I'd have been happy with him as the hitting coach, too. Though I'm hoping Von Joshua gets that job. Trammell and Whitaker may well be the most underrated double-play combo in big league history. Don't understand why, it's not like Detroit is a small market team with no history or fan base. And they have a ring together. Weird.