NorthsideAvenger

I'm am so glad to know that this board has alot of people who can control the market for certain players. I mean, come on...it's easy to say Wilkerson/Dunn/Huff/Tejada, etc are available but th question is "how available?" I mean, Wilkerson was available, but Soriano's "percieved value" was apparently worth more to Jim Bowden thant what the Cubs could/would offer. You can't blame Hendry if Bowden is an idiot, who's in love with toolsy player. I seriously doubt Dunn was available, period. Huff, who knows if he is available, but I do know...whoever the GM is...he learn from Lemar. Hendry, IMO, is trying to compare "perceived value" a player has (in reference to how much it will take to get him) to "real value" (how much improvement would that said player would bring). I hate to break it down to people but there isn' an impact OF bat available. Abreu is not available to the Cubs, unless Zambrano or Prior is going to Philly. What I am trying to say is....there is NOT ONE OFer who is rumored (excluding Abreu, seeing as he isn't available to the Cubs for less then Z/Prior) to be on the market that is considered an "impact bat." Personally, I'd offr Jacques a 1 yr deal, with a mutal option (with no incentives, b/c we all know Baker loves to get his players to reach their incentives, don't we). If that don't make it happen, then I would try and sign Reggie Sanders to a 2yr deal.

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/players/stats?playerId=2936 Talk about adding a "threat" to your bench. I would love the Cubs to sign this cat. Perez (the good one, not Nefti) and Mabry would be a dang good 1-2 option in the late inning.

OH- mein Wort, ist dieses ein neues Tief für Junge Ventilatoren, zum Traum über ein All-Deutsches oder sogar ein ALL-FRENCH von?

(theme to Mission Impossible is now playing)

And maybe Hendry can trick Mark Shapiro into trading Cliff Lee to the Cubs, and then we would have something....

Joan Rivers oh yeah, joan jett. James Jett (that took me a while) James Andrews. Thea Andrews Thea Hackett. she's a character in one of my short stories. Buddy Hackett Buddy Love. bob love Bob Marley jacob marley Jacob Bell Jakob Dylan

I gladly take Preston Wilson at ONE yr deal, especially if the Cubs keep the flexibility and wait till next yr when Cliff Floyd, and Carlos Lee becomes available.

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/stats/aggregate?statType=batting&group=9 The Cubs and the Sox HAD VERY SIMILAR offensive seasons. http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/stats/aggregate?statType=pitching&season=2005 The White Sox were clearly better then the Cubs in 05, pitching wise, but not significantly better. In other words: anybody who considers Williams a "genius" and Hendry a "idiot" clearly is not using facts. What separated the WSox and the Cubs is the Sox found the "formula" first, that's it....otherwise....Sox and the Cubs were VERY similar in 2005. I'm not knocking the Sox for their great season, but they were a fluke, and most likely they would have finish as badly in 2006, as the RSox did in 05--if the WSox made the playoffs (hence the reason why they went out and got Thome and Vazquez, they are trying to disspell the truth that they are flukes). And I will argue till the end of times that KWilliams is a genius, which he clearly IS NOT.

Why would you want to downgrade at the GM spot? KW is a terrible GM, who got EXTREMELY lucky with his moves last yr. My bet....Javy Vazquez will stink with the Sox. KW is by far a better GM than Jim Hendry. Sure there is some luck involved, but he works with half the payroll that Hendry does. KW is not "by far a better GM than Hendry", he is far luckier. Kenny Williams was consider a crappy GM by the White Sox fans, just now he has a World Series trophy to blind them from the fact that Kenny Williams is still a crappy GM. In the past 3 yrs Hendry has been far "better then Williams." Hendry and the Cubs have been unfortunate with the breaks. I GUARANTEE it, after then end of 2006, White Sox fans will be screaming to get rid of Williams, again.

The reason I have grave doubts about that is the same reason keeping Neifi! around disturbs me: Dusty. Dusty and Corey may not see eye-to-eye, but Dusty has convinced himself that Corey should be able to hit at the top of the order (because he's fast. or whatever). And once Dusty has convinced himself of something, he sticks with it, consequences and results be damned. If by chance Cedeno and Corey are both still on the team in '06, I'd hope that Cedeno would get the free pass to be hidden someplace in the lineup if he struggles. Murton might actually go through a cold spell himself -- I hope not, but it's not beyond the realm of possibility. I said before, and I will say it again...Patterson's "talents" is not on question, it is his "baseball instints" (which he has none) that is questioned. This kid is "too laid back" to ever succeed, until it is late in his career. Patterson is content at the player he is (I hope that is not a trait shared by Eric, or if it is...move Eric now before he becomes a hassel) instead of being driving to become the player he should be. At this point of his career, CPatt is a fourth OF on a decent team. Additionally ... Corey's defense post-amazing-catch-in-Cincy suffered somewhat last year, and I don't recall him being very successful on the basepaths despite his speed. If the Cubs trade away Cedeno, I'd be more comfortable with Corey sticking around. I can't see having Cedeno / Murton / Corey in the same lineup, and if I have to choose two out of the three, Corey doesn't make the cut. Yeah, all of that makes sense, but I still think CPAT has a lot of upside and I haven't COMPLETELY lost faith in him. If he does come around he'd be a real asset.

Especially, when your team ain't exactly the '27 Yankees. I mean...why the Sox feel they NEEDED to upgrade their pitching, when they have HOLES at SS, 3B, and catcher. Then you have a rookie in CF, that puts a heavy burden on Pods/Tads/Konerko/Thome/Dye to produce, cause that bottom half of the White Sox lineup, ain't good enough to start for the Florida Marlins. But hey KWilliams is the "genius" in Chicago. :roll:

To be fair 1 of the 5 is Patterson. If you think you are going to get Penn or Cabrera AND Tejada for 3 of those guys you are dreaming. Penn or Cabrera might be better than any of the players the Cubs are sending to Baltimore in that rumor. Maybe, but Tejada isn't worth 5 guys. Besides Baltimore would rather have quality over quantity.

Why would you want to downgrade at the GM spot? KW is a terrible GM, who got EXTREMELY lucky with his moves last yr. My bet....Javy Vazquez will stink with the Sox.

Agreed. There is a saying, "a broken watch is correct twice a day." Or how about the "sun shines on a dog's butt once awhile." Fact is...KW is not a better GM then hendry, heck, I would even say Williams isn't a serviceable Gm. As lawl at dusty said...the White Sox won...despite Williams, not because of his "brillant" moves.

Oh boy....can we, can we please sign Corey Patter----I mean Jacque Jones. can we, can we, can we? I wanted Bradley to ELIMINATE Encarnacion/Jones, etc possibility. But hey.....we STILL got John Mabry to play in RF, too.

Oh come on....you don't like the five step before you bounce the ball rule (Francis did in Detroit), or how about player A would get hammer and to the ground, and is bleeding from the forehead, and he is call for offensive fouls. What you don't "LIKE THAT." Come sports, isn't about competion, it's about repitition (Yankees/Red Sox, Pistons/Laker/Spurs/Pacers etc). There i nothing sporty about sports.

The RF solution is....Sammy Sosa.....Just kidding. No, but seriously it may be....either Kevin Mench, Craig Wilson, and Jonny Gomes (heck the Drays lost his brother to the Padres). I know Hendry wants a lefty, but I doubt he lands a LEFTY power-hitting RFer.

Besides....Baker doesn't like to play the YOUNG player, ya'll know... :wink:

Ok we trade Walker, Cedeno, and Williams and get bact Michael Young? And I thought we overpaid for Pierre. No thank you. Why not just take that same package and offer it to Baltimore for Tejada straight up? The Cubs would have to get another player in the deal.

http://www.dailyherald.com/sports/rozner.asp?id=131278 Vidro, eh?

he recognized Dusty Baker was a bad manager even though he'd just been to a WS. if nothing else, that gives him one up on our GM. But then AGAIN he did sign, Felipe Alou who has the same affinity for older players as Dusty does. So he is below Hendry, simply because Schmidt and Kent are the only good trades Sabean has made as Giants GM. Whereas the Hendry has traded for Murton, ARam, Lee, Barrett, Williams (stole him from Sabean). Sabean is not as good of a GM as Hendry.

Clemens will not go to Boston. If he plays in 2006, he will wait and sign with the Astros on May 1st. Why, you ask? Simply: Clemens has stated NUMEROUSLY that he wants Ausmus as his personal catcher, and no other catcher. Maybe Varitek might convince him to come to Boston, but at this stage of Clemens career, he is unlikely to switch catchers. It will be either the Astros or retirement.

Who thinks in trying to convince Tejada to stay....Angelos' will meet Boras' demand( 7yrs/$84 mill) on Johnny Damon? Then everybody will pronounce Angelos' is Boras' new ________ well, you get the hint. I think we are about to see Angelos overpay for a FA.

Because Harold Reynolds, "loves the young man", silly.