1. What's a reasonable price? 2. What are the chances he'd sign for that? Given the very slight difference in OBP and huge difference in pay-Cedeno is a better fit for the team. We could use the money not spent for Furcal to fill the holes in the team. SS isn't anywhere near our biggest problem. You're creating a false choice here. Cedeno was already expected to be a part of the team, even if Furcal had been signed. And would you seriously argue that the money not spent on Furcal has been spent "to fill the holes in the team?" I'm sick of this talk of overpaying. Wouldn't you rather see the Cubs spending $110 million this year instead of $96 million and have a leadoff hitter with an OBP some 40 points higher than Pierre's (at one point it was close to 80 points higher this season), and still have Derrek Lee in the lineup? The Tribune could easily spend as much money as the Yankees; they just choose not to. The better investment would have been to go hard after an even better leadoff hitter like Johnny Damon, whose OBP is in the .350 range. But since this is the Trib, who tries to get their free agents on blue light special, that's a pipe dream.