NorthsideAvenger

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.

Maybe the Giants will be interested in Ryan Demspter? I mean a Benitez/Dempster end of the bullpen has a chance to do_________(fill your adjective).

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.

Tell me again, how in the heck is Seattle going to convince Schmidt that they want to be contenders, when they are looking to trading one of their bigger chips? Unless the Mariners pull a Brewers/D'back part deux, I don't see how they can afford to trade Sexson, and still expect to sign Schmidt.

link /recalls hendry talking about sosa in 05' im just sayin... What, when he said "I'm preparing as though Sosa will be out right fielder"? Not even close to the same thing. Agreed. Hendry WANTED to get rid of Sosa in 05. In the Nomar deal, he had the CAJONES to have Boston "throw" Murton into the deal with Nomar. So we KNOW, that Murton---since the day he was acquire---has been a "Hendry guy" and you know Hendry isn't going to trade "one of his guys" unless it was an offer he SIMPLY couldn't refused, and it made the Cubs a better team. So, I agree the Sosa and Murton statement are about as different as night and day.

keep dreaming, danny boy. And Hendry should counter by asking for Jeff Francis along with Jennigs, otherwise, O'Dowd should go ahead and back on Hill.

jjgman; it is not about the Cubs "bending over backwards and let the player control the decisions" it's about comfort. Here is his stats for Soriano at each spot of the lineup since 2004: http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/players/splits?statsId=6154&type=batting3 If you can read it as I can, it clearly shows Soriano is MORE comfortable hitting leadoff then any other spot in the lineup. So it's not that the Cubs are "bending over" to Soriano, it just that they know a HAPPY Soriano in a LEADOFF spot, is a more productive and a better player then Soriano is any other lineup spot. Now, if Soriano sturggles, I could see the Cubs moving Soriano to the #3 spot in front of Lee and Ramirez, to get him going, again, but again...Soriano is the leadoff hitter,and NOT because they promised him, the stats show he is better in the leadoff hitters spot.

:lol:

Correct. Teams now have four years for players signed at 19 or older and five years for players orignally signed at 18 or younger. I think Mike Fontenot would be an interesting pick for Dayton Moore and the KC Royals.

Schmidt will probably draw things out ... ugh He's a top tier SP FA this year, so that gives him alot of bargaining power. It's pretty clear he's going to try and play the Cubs' offer against the teams he really wants to play for. Try to get more money from them. I wouldn't be suprised if the Cubs have absolutely no shot----Schmidt's agent just trying to get an overpriced offer from us to drive up the $$$$ from those West Coast teams. If that is true, then the Cubs need to eliminate themselves from the race by go ahead and acquiring the two starters, they are seeking. Sign Lilly early next week, and trade for Westbrook/Jennings/Blanton or sign Padilla shortly after that. Just because the Cubs threw a buttload of money at Soriano, doesn't mean they can be a pawn to another team. If Schmidt isn't legitimately interested in the Cubs, then the Cubs should publicly pull themselves from the "Schmidt derby."

for the first (and hopefully last) time in history, i completely agree with Rocket's assessment. :lol: Those sleeveless unis were a travesty to baseball and all things holy. George Grande and Jeff Brantley in the booth this year too. Should be something to see. Maybe because I have some thick arms, but I actually prefer cut-offs to sleeves. I don't want the Cubs to go cut-offs, but cut-offs is not a "travesty to baseball and all things holy" that titles belongs to the 2006 World Series Champs.

Double post, sorry.

Maybe Joe Blanton of Oakland. Matt Clement seems to fit that mold, an expensive as it may be. Other guys could fit the mold are Aaron Cook, Steve Trachsel, Kris Benson, Jake Westbrook (<---yes, yes, I know Shapiro's comment, but he IS available, wheter Shapiro admits it or not) Jon Lieber, I believe those are kind of names Rosenthal is that fit into the "back end of the rotation.." So given that...which is better: Schmidt and one of Meche/Marquis/Westbrook or Lilly and Jennings?