NorthsideAvenger

Confirmation from the article earlier this week. I think if the deal are competitive, I think Lofton returns home.

Ok, how long till the "Clemens to NY" RUMORS will begin?

They'll also bat .340 with 8 hr and 25 RBI a piece. Don't forget those Cards pitchers would also help LaRussa cure all forms of cancers, and establish everlasting world peace.

And the Lord reach down and tells the unsuspected Cub fan, "My will be done." Then the Lord went to the top of the Sears building and screams, "I am Bruce Alm----I mean I am Lord Almighty." He puts his shades back on an disappeared into the night. Leaving the unsuspecting Cub fan, continue to think about Ryan Church.

ok....my bad. I erased my post, then. Actually, gooney...the article vance did, was from MLB.com, and the page I posted was from the Washington Post, which LISTS the Cubs as potential suitor for Church. Same topic, but generally a different take.

Floyd really doesn't have much in the way of value any longer. If I were Kenny I'd throw in Crede to try and get Hamels. Well considering the Phills turned down a Hamels for Baldelli a few days ago, I HIGHLY doubt Philly is willing to part with Hamels to get Garcia/Crede, just as the Angels are not willing to part with Santana.

Z/Schmidt/Hill/Lilly/Miller-Prior That's a rotation I could be happy with. Now go get a SS and a CF Hendry. I don't like the idea of pitching your left-handed starters back to back. Specially considering Lilly and Hill have a similar style of pitching. Zambrano Schmidt Lilly Miller/Prior Hill That is how I would set the rotation. Considering the fact that Hill is more likely to stay healthy over Miller/Prior...Hill goes 4th, with whoever is healthy at the time between Gooz/Prior/Miller will go fifth.

Two reasons why I SERIOUSLY doubt Arod will be going to the White Sox: 1: About a yr or so ago, Kenny Williams announced that he will never work with Scott Boras ever again, or something to that effect. And I believe Crede is a client of Boras hence the rumors of his trade. 2: Ozzie pretty much called out ARod shortly before the WBC. When ARod was deciding on which country to play for (his parents were from the Domincan, and ARod was born in New York, of all places, so he has duel citizenship), Ozzie basically call ARod a "sell out", and a "coward" for picking to play for Team USA, over The Domincan Republic. And I am sure ARod has not forgotten about it, nor has Boras. So, I doubt ESPN1000 report is valid, because it would contradict everything associated with the White Sox org. Looking at it, I think ARod COULD eventually end up with the Angels or the Dodgers.

That's waht gets me....if you weren't "shopping Hawpe", then why are you fielding calls about him? O'Dowd may have no intentions of trading Hawpe, but the facts are he is at least fielding those calls, and if I was Hawpe, I would tell my agent, I don't want to play for an organization that lies to me, but that is just me.

Something tells me that this is nothing but a smokescreen.

Obviously overpaying is going to be necessary, its the fact of the current market. Hendry should just overpay wisely. Overpaying wisely would net Schmidt, Padilla, and JD Drew. Overpaying unwisely would net Soriano, Lilly, and Meche. I agree in part nilodnay, but I don't necessarily think giving Soriano that contract is "overpaying." Sure the contract doesn't much the talent (I'm hoping 2006 is going to continue in 2007 and beyond, but that's me), but I do think "overpaying", would have been to sign Carlos "Buy me a hamburger" Lee, GM, Jr, and Juan Pierre would have been worse deals, IMO. Otherwise, overpaying is the price to building a team. Now it is up to Hendry to figure out which players are worth the extra dough and who isn't. Lilly, maybe. Marquis...NO. Padilla, I could see it. Meche, Hecks no. In fact Meche should get a contract that Carpenter got, when he first sign with the Cardinals, but oh well.

So the question is....how do the Cubs improve their pitching? I mean rather it is the length of the contract (Schmidt), or the dollar amount (Meche/Lilly/Zito), and players needed (Westrbrook,<---for kicks, Jennings) everybody on this board seems to have pros and cons about EVERY pitching possibility? Again, how do the Cubs improve their rotation that would both: 1: be a quality rotation and 2: Not significanly worsen the team? So, it's either OVERPAY for certain pitchers (prospects and/or money) or go into next season with a rotation of Z/Hill/Fan in Sec. C seat 123/Fan in the Bleacher Bums seciton/Prior, Miller, Marmol, Guzman, Marshall, and perhaps even Veal and Gallagher. So, regardless of it being the "right or wrong" way to do it, the Cubs are going to have to overpay for a couple of pitchers, or hoave more holes in the rotation, then I had in the last pair of undies I threw out.

If we are dealing with Pit on any level, I'd rather have Maholm or Gorzelanny than Jennings...by a lot. Then again, I doubt Pitts has any intentions of dealing with the Cubs directly, anyways, so your point is moot. Yeah because they've never dealt with us before.... I also said that before the threads got merged...obviously we have no one near Hawpe's level (other than Soriano). After the ARam fiasco, I just don't see Pitts dealing any "legit" talent to the Cubs, without the Cubs overpaying...ie for Maholm, it would be Guzman/Gallagher/Patterson. So unless you can get the Rockies to flip Maholm over to the Cubs in this proposed three team trade, then I highly doubt Maholm will ever be available for the Cubs to get. What was the ARam fiasco? Littlefield knew exactly what he was doing when he traded ARAM. Its not like a Karchner for Garland or D-Train for Alphonseca trade (which haven't stopped us from dealing with the sox or marlins). Its ridiculous to think that the pirates wouldn't trade with us if they think it will help their team. That however is where the problem lies...Hawpe and Maholm are by far and away the two best players in this deal. It's moot anyways, as the Cubs are not interested in Maholm. Personally, I'm glad...he's a solid pitcher, and cheap, but nothing to get excited about. I think Marshall and Hill are equal or perhaps better lefties---especially Hill---then Maholm. I much rather have Gonzalez.

How many games was ol' gimpy able to play last year? Kenny's not a full time player anymore. 129 games. It seems like the only CF options would be Lofton, Lugo or Pie....am I missing someone very very obvious here? Ryan Church or Gabe Gross I would love for the Cubs to get Church, but what happens to Pie, if the Cubs could get Church?

If we are dealing with Pit on any level, I'd rather have Maholm or Gorzelanny than Jennings...by a lot. Then again, I doubt Pitts has any intentions of dealing with the Cubs directly, anyways, so your point is moot. Yeah because they've never dealt with us before.... I also said that before the threads got merged...obviously we have no one near Hawpe's level (other than Soriano). After the ARam fiasco, I just don't see Pitts dealing any "legit" talent to the Cubs, without the Cubs overpaying...ie for Maholm, it would be Guzman/Gallagher/Patterson. So unless you can get the Rockies to flip Maholm over to the Cubs in this proposed three team trade, then I highly doubt Maholm will ever be available for the Cubs to get.

:shock: Put me down! I am down! That could quite possibly be the worst trade I've ever heard (from the Mets standpoint). You really don't have to go very far back to find a worse one in Mets history. Kazmir/Zambrano is the gold standard of stupidity.[/quote] And the MAIN reason why TB is so difficult to talk trade with. Thanks again, Steve Phillips.

If we are dealing with Pit on any level, I'd rather have Maholm or Gorzelanny than Jennings...by a lot. Then again, I doubt Pitts has any intentions of dealing with the Cubs directly, anyways, so your point is moot.

You're wrong. Dunn is NOT a hitter, he is a masher. Joe Mauer, Derek Jeter they are hitters, Dunn is not.

Maybe that is the case because Dunn swings and misses more balls the Murton, perhaps? I'm convinced that the Dunn-haters don't like him for aesthetic reasons. I don't like Dunn, cause he is not a smart hitter. In fact, I will say he is Mark Bellhorn with power. If Dunn would ever learn that it doesn't take a HR on every at-bat, I wouldn't mind Dunn, but Adam---like Zito with his curveball---is in love with HR, regardless of it helping the team or not.

Now if there is any justice in the baseball, Carp will not be as effective during the contract, and becomes a MORE expensive Jeff Suppan. If there is any justice.

If their work was quality based, not reputation based, sure.

That's it....All this talk about mediocre players getting raises, because of what they DID, instead of what they could do, is getting ridiculous. Tomorrow, I am going to walk in my boss' office, and DEMAND a raise. I mean if mediocre players who don't earn the raise can get a raise, I should too, right? Right? Oh god, somebody please till me if I am right?

No Cub had an OBP higher than Dunn's last year, and last year was a bad year for Dunn. Who cares about his batting average? I do. OBP is great and all, but a high OBP doesn't excuse a piss poor batting average. I love guys who can get on base in general, but I also love guys who can hit their way on. A walk is nowhere near as valuable as a hit can be. Agreed. And if Dunn could figure it that there is more to baseball then the LONG homeruns (coughssingles/doubles), his batting average would go up, and OBP would literally reach the level that Bonds was at for the last few yrs.

How about the Edmonds and gay jokes?

I'm in the Lilly will "not be great, but won't be bad" group. But I rather have him, then say....Jeff Suppan or Jason Marquis. My camp is expanding to: "Lilly=bad, Suppan & Marquis=also bad." They're average-ish guys who are likely to be even worse in Wrigley (especially Lilly). Not worth the money. Padilla would be almost worth the money, but I've heard of too many character issues with him. Pass. I don't think Lilly will be "bad", but he surely will not be worth what he THINKS he's worth.