vance_the_cubs_fan

Actually, I think the opposite could occur, opening the door for Clemens. Those voters who look primarily at wins will be split between Carpenter and Willis right now. Willis has more wins; Carpenter a more impressive winning percentage. Those who look more at ERA, RA, or VORP are likely already in the Clemens camp. A few extra wins by Carpenter or Willis will not sway them and its unlikely that Willis will pass Clemens in those stats. A split in the voters who place a high value of wins could open the door for Clemens to win the award. Also keep in mind that the voters don't just choose one person. The ballot contains a 12t, 2nd, and 3rd place with points valued accordingly. Depending on how these players are ranked could end up determining the award. A player could end up on more first place ballots than any of the other two and still not win the award if a player on fewer first place garners more second place votes over third place votes.

I'm gonna miss this one. Oh well. Who cares?

Raffy is scum and a liar. Enough said.

Dontrelle with an excellent performance last night attempts to re-enter his name into the discussion. Willis: 22-9; 2.44 ERA; 1.09 WHIP Carpenter: 21-4; 2.42 ERA; 1.00 WHIP

This collapse of the Sox is going to be the story of legends!

I think the Twinkies just put this one away.

In the two games I've watched recently, Rowand has looked horrible in CF.

Pale Hoes dodge a bullet.

At least somebody understands. :)

That's a completely unfair statement in light of both the Nomar and ARam/Lofton deals. Read what Vance said in his last post. I meant that Hendry isn't creative enough to trade for 2 players he doesn't need and probably doesn't want. To be fair, not many people are. The Marlins are the only team that comes to mind that trades for players they don't intend on keeping (Piazza, Hampton). I really don't know why the Cubs were even suggested in a trade for Delgado and Lowell. Exactly. I'm not doubting Hendry's creativity in working a deal to aquire a player he wants ala Nomar or Ramirez (though I hardly find anything creative in that deal). What I doubt is that Hendry would work his way into a major deal involving two players that I don't think he has any interest in acquiring. Could Hendry work his way into a follow-up deal...perhaps. But I doubt either of these two players will pass through Chicago in any type of deal. I doubt Hendry ever discusses either of these players with any GM. In fact, I'd pretty much bet on it. It's not a criticism of Hendry; it's simply a statement of fact.

Way too much money. I would offer him 2.5 to 4 mil with incentives. He has a lot to prove, and this brief stint from the DL doesn't do it for me. I will go on record as saying there's no way he signs that cheap. The only question about him is health. He's shown since he's come back from the DL that he can perform. Somebody, whether its the Cubs or not, will guarantee him five million. That I am sure of, and I'd probably put the figure closer to seven million. I think the Cubs have a better chance of getting him at five than any other team would. It's not a question of whether he still has the skills; it's a question of whether he can stay healthy. The history of FA signings indicate there's no way that Nomar signs for less than five. Look at the contracts that have been handed out to players over the years. No way Nomar signs for less than five.

It's not that I don't think Hendry lacks the creativity to go after a player he wants, but in this case we don't need either player so I really don't see Hendry inserting himself in these talks.

Why the Rangers? I anticipate them potentially dealing Soriano and moving Young back to second, but that team (hopefully) realizes their priorities are to acquire pitching and not waste funds on Nomar. Especially if you think he's gonna get a 5-7 million dollar base. They'd be incredibly foolish to do so. Dodgers seem like the most realistic with Izturis being very ineffective for most of the last 2/3 of the season. They need some thump. Very likely to take a risk on a guy like Nomar. I just wouldn't put it past Hart to make a move on a player like Nomar. Nomar would put up some fantastic numbers in that ballpark. The Rangers would also be able to get him some rest, yet keep him in the line-up as a DH. While we all think the Rangers will go after pitching, their front office has come out and openly discussed the difficulty of luring quality FA pitching and has said the pitching most likely will come through trade or the minor league system. Because of that, they focus FA dollars on hitters who are more than happy to play in Arlington. I could see Nomar fitting their team very well.

Are you sure about that? I was almost positive that he signed a 2 year deal, or at least had a player option. He did sign a 2-yr deal with the Yankees for 2004-5 and then was traded to the Phillies.

I expect it will take a base of 5-7 million with incentives that could push the deal to 6-9 million. I think the Cubs are the leaders for his services if they choose to go that route. I also think the White Sox, Mariners, Rangers, and Dodgers could get into the sweepstakes.

I think Nomar owes it to the Cubs to take that deal. Think he'll see it that way? I don't think there's any way Nomar accepts a deal with only 2.5 guaranteed. I'm thinking five million will be the minimum base with incentives.

Normally when I'm at work and the Cubs are on in the afternoon, I'm constantly checking in for updates. At this point, I just don't care.

I'm thinking Tupperware.

Does anyone know a site where I can get three-year splits that include this season? ESPN has the three-year splits but those are for 2002-2004. I was trying to get some splits that include this season with 2003 and 2004. Any help please?

O's could be a partner for Florida - that's a good call on your part. Houston - I don't know. From my calculations, they have $63M committed to just 4 players next year: $20.0M to Bagwell, $17.5M to Pettitte, $14.5M to Berkman and $11.0M to Oswalt. Their total payroll in 2005 was $77M. Assuming McLane raises it to $85M - that still only leaves them $22M for 21 players. And Delgado or a re-signed Clemens would eat most of that, and Lidge and Ensberg are arbitration eligible. Unless the owner is planning on a huge expansion in payroll or they have plans to dump Bagwell or Pettitte, I don't see how Houston could be active in the offseason. Of course, they lost Kent and Beltran, and still look playoff bound, so who am I to criticize them. Hoops Houston likely will buy out Bagwell for 11 million, and save themselves some of that contract. You're right that finances could be a problem with Houston making any major acquisitons, but I could see them having some interest in the duo. Also, would Anaheim or L.A. have any interest in these two? Those two teams would pose an interesting propositon. With Kornerko likely to leave via free agency, could the White Sox get into the fray. There's enough other teams with interest that I just don't see the Cubs becoming involved unless its part of a follow-up deal.

Even with your projections the OBP is at 350. While that's not great, it's doable as a lead-off option. Lofton would come cheap and provides a perfect stop-gap until Pie is ready. I'm quite aware that his numbers won't look anything like his 2005, but I could live with him at your projections if we upgrade in right and keep Nomar at short. Signing Lofton for 1.5 million or somewhere in that range answers the lead-off question and CF question and takes the pressure off having to sign Furcal or miscasting someone else in the lead-off role.

I could see Baltimore getting involved and keeping both players. Houston might also have an interest using Ensberg as part of the deal back to Florida. I don't see the Cubs getting involved. It would take a great deal of creativity to make a deal work for us and third and first are the two positions I think the Cubs are most happy with the players that are there.

Joe Torre still doesn't crack my top five. If he can't win with the talent he has this year, I'm not sure why we would want him other than the "name" factor. Other than managing the Yankees, has Torre ever won? Torre has won a heck of a lot more games for the Yankees the past decade than the Cubs have. And the fact that that team is in first place despite long term injuries to Pavano, Wright, Mussina, Brown, and to a lesser extent, Johnson. That's incredible. Given those injuries, the Cubs would be a 4th place team. Oh wait.... And the Yankees have had better teams than the Cubs the past decade. I don't think Torre's success with the Yankees has anything to do with Torre's managerial ability. As far as a manager winning more games with the Cubs? We could have used that same logic with Baker's tenure with the Giants and we see how well that worked out when he got here. My question still remains. How good of a manager has Torre been sans his Yankee years?

Joe Torre still doesn't crack my top five. If he can't win with the talent he has this year, I'm not sure why we would want him other than the "name" factor. Other than managing the Yankees, has Torre ever won?

I've been saying this for a while... every post reminds me of Jabroni Nah...at least he hasn't resorted to creating a post for every update or rotoworld.