Cubs MLB Roster

Cubs Organizational Depth Chart
40-Man Roster Info

40 players are on the MLB RESERVE LIST (roster is full) 

28 players on MLB RESERVE LIST are ACTIVE, and twelve players are on OPTIONAL ASSIGNMENT to minors. 

Last updated 3-26-2024
 
* bats or throws left
# bats both

PITCHERS: 15
Yency Almonte
Adbert Alzolay 
Javier Assad
Jose Cuas
Kyle Hendricks
* Shota Imanaga
Caleb Kilian
Mark Leiter Jr
* Luke Little
Julian Merryweather
Hector Neris 
* Drew Smyly
* Justin Steele
Jameson Taillon
* Jordan Wicks

CATCHERS: 2
Miguel Amaya
Yan Gomes

INFIELDERS: 7
* Michael Busch 
Nico Hoerner
Nick Madrigal
* Miles Mastrobuoni
Christopher Morel
Dansby Swanson
Patrick Wisdom

OUTFIELDERS: 4
* Cody Bellinger 
Alexander Canario
# Ian Happ
Seiya Suzuki
* Mike Tauchman 

OPTIONED: 12 
Kevin Alcantara, OF 
Michael Arias, P 
Ben Brown, P 
Alexander Canario, OF 
Pete Crow-Armstrong, OF 
Brennen Davis, OF 
Porter Hodge, P 
* Matt Mervis, 1B 
Daniel Palencia, P 
Keegan Thompson, P 
Luis Vazquez, INF 
Hayden Wesneski, P 

 



 

Minor League Rosters
Rule 5 Draft 
Minor League Free-Agents

Let Freedom Ring-a-Bling!

With the 2007 World Series history, today marks the beginning of the 15-day MLB Free-Agency Filing Period, where MLB players with at least six years of MLB service time who are not signed to a contract for 2008 are eligible to file for free-agency under Article XX of the CBA. Players are immediately removed from their club's 40-man roster once they file for free-agency under Article XX, but clubs do retain exclusive negotiating rights with their own players over the length of the 15-day FA filing period (this year, that will be through November 12th). However, players who have filed for free-agency are free to talk with the other 29 MLB clubs during the 15-day "exclusive" period, as long as they don't talk about money. That is, players who file can talk to any or all of the other 29 clubs about things like length of contract, no-trade clauses, the benefits of playing in a certain city, the local housing market, the best restaurants in town, where the player will hit in the batting order and/or play in the field, the question of a pitcher being used as a starter or reliever, et al. But they can't talk about money until the 15 day Free-Agency Fikling Period expires. Players who sign a contract after the conclusion of the 15-day MLB Free-Agency Filing Period receive an automatic "no trade" right through June 15th of the following season. The player can waive this right, but if he does, he can be traded only for cash and/or other player(s) with contracts that have a maximum aggregate value of $50,000. Players who re-sign with their previous club during the 15-day FA Filing Period do NOT receive an automatic "no trade" right through 6/15. A club receives a compensation pick (or picks) in the 2008 Rule 4 Draft (First-Year player Draft) if one of its own free-agents is rated as a Type "A" or Type "B" MLB player (as determined by a statistical rating of all MLB players) and the player signs with another club by December 1st, or if the player's original club offers salary arbitration to the player by December 1st and the player ends up signing with a new team. A club losing a Type "A" free-agent where either the player signed with a new club by December 1st--or was offered arbitration by his old club by December 1st and then signs with a new team--would receive the new club's 1st round pick in the 2008 Rule 4 Draft (if the new club is selecting 16-30 in the 1st round), or the new club's 2nd round pick if the new club selects 1-15 in the 1st round. The club losing the Type "A" FA would also receive a compensation ("sandwich") pick between the 1st and 2nd rounds. A club losing a Type "B" FA receives only a "sandwich" pick between the 1st and 2nd rounds, and the pick is slotted AFTER all of the Type "A" compensation "sandwich" picks have been allocated. Last year, the Cubs received a compensation "sandwich" draft pick between the 1st and 2nd rounds (#48 overall) as the result of the Dodgers signing FA OF Juan Pierre prior to December 1st, and the Cubs used the pick to draft catcher Josh Donaldson out of Auburn. If a FA is offered arbitration by his old club on December 1st and the player declines, the club can continue to negotiate with the player (along with any or all of the other 29 MLB clubs) until the player signs a new contract. If the player ends up re-signing with his old team, then no compensation picks are awarded. If a FA is offered arbitration by his old club on December 1st and the player accepts (and he has until December 7th to decide), then he is no longer a FA. The player must be immediately placed back onto his club's 40-man roster, and the arbitration process begins. A player who accepts arbitration and proceeds through the process all the way to a hearing receives a one-year contract that is not fully guaranteed. As is the case with salary arbitration, the club offers a figure, the player offers a figure, and the three-person arbitration panel chooses one or the other. If a player accepts the arbitration offer on December 1st and ultimately signs a contract through the arbitration process (including a hearing), the club can release the player during Spring Training and is responsible for only 30-days' pay if the player is placed on Outright Release waivers at least 17 days prior to the start of the regular season, or 45 days' pay if the player is placed on Outright Release waivers at least three days prior to the start of the regular season. However, a player cannot be released just because his club doesn't want to pay him his full year's salary. If a player believes he was released just for financial reasons, he can file a grievance, and then his club must provide a legitimate reason for the release (and a poor performance in Spring Training and/or getting beaten-out for a spot on the 25-man roster by another player could be considered legitimate reasons for release), or else the club is on the hook for the player's entire year's salary (minus a pro-rated portion of the MLB minimum salary if the player signs with a new club). Cubs players who are eligible to file for free-agency under Article XX of the CBA are: Scott Eyre, LHP ($3.8M player option for 2008) Cliff Floyd, OF ($5.5M mutual option for 2008 worth up to $10M if all performance incentives are met) Jason Kendall, C Steve Trachsel, RHP ($4.75M club option for 2008 or $100K buy-out if club declines option) Daryle Ward, 1B-OF ($1.2M mutual option for 2008 or $50K buy-out if club declines option) Kerry Wood, RHP Of the six potential Cubs free-agents, I would say Eyre is VERY likely to exercise his contract option for 2008 and return (no way he gets $3.8M on the open market). I can't see the Cubs exercising their club option on either Trachsel or Floyd, and I doubt that they have any interest in bringing back Kendall, either. I do expect the Cubs will exercise their '08 club option on Ward, however. $1.2M for one year is probably about what he would get on the open market, so his choosing to return is probably just a matter of whether he likes Chicago and playing for the Cubs and Lou Piniella, and it seems like he does. I believe the Cubs would like to re-sign Woody, but the question is for how much and for how long? If he's used as a middle-reliever as he was in 2007, then something like $3M per year (plus additional bonuses in case his role changes) for two or maybe three years would probably be about right. But he might be able to get more than that from somebody else (there may be MLB clubs looking at him as a closer or perhaps even as a rotation starter), and that would mean he could possibly get a lot more guaranteed money elsewhere.

Comments

Seriously, thanks for the breakdown of the rules. Wasn't sure what had changed under the latest CBA.

I guess any of us hoping for Renteria at SS next season can kiss those dreams goodbye.

I love this part, "He whiffed on all three of his second-half acquisitions: Jason Kendall, Craig Monroe and Steve Trachsel." Go Sullivan! Well, whiff doesn't apply 100% to Kendall, but 2/51 CS?! THAT is pathetic.

I can see the Cubs picking up Trachsel's option for one simple reason. With the starting pitching market so thin we can pick the option up and then turn around and trade him for something. Same thing with Prior... maybe...

I can see the Cubs picking up Trachsel's option for one simple reason. With the starting PItching market so thin we can pick the option up and then turn around abd trade him for something. Maybe even Prior too...

Arod (yawn)... How about the perennial Adam Dunn rumor? Anyone heard anything? Tejada?

Dan Kane: I can see the Cubs picking up Trachsel’s option for one simple reason. With the starting PItching market so thin... {Shudders} The pitching market isn't *THAT* thin is it? I mean we still have pitchers on our double-A team, right?

Also from the article crunch linked above: "Outside of right and center fields, the other big area of concern is the rotation, where Marquis' hefty contract has put Hendry in a bind. If rumors that Wood wants to return to a starting role are true, Hendry may make the impending free agent an offer he can't refuse and let Marquis compete with Kevin Hart for the No. 5 spot." Weird, no mention of the obvious SS need, Prior as potentially the 5th spotand WTF about Wood going to the rotation. Has Hendry not learned his lesson yet? I hope that is just pure speculation on Sullivan's part. Also, I couldn't help put chuckle at the shot Sullivan took at Hendry: "But, like Jason Marquis, who posted a 5.61 ERA after June 1, Hendry didn't finish the season strong. He whiffed on all three of his second-half acquisitions: Jason Kendall, Craig Monroe and Steve Trachsel." Sad, but very true.

He whiffed on all three of his second-half acquisitions: Jason Kendall, Craig Monroe and Steve Trachsel.” Sad, but very true. I really don't see how Kendall was a whiff. Sure, his defense was awful, but his offense was better than any of us expected. I hated the trade when it happened, but it turned out to be a pretty solid move. Monroe didn't pan out, but it also didn't cost much. Not a bad move to make. Trachsel pitched well in 2 of his 4 starts. Not great, not awful. Not really a whiff. None of the three trades were huge difference makers, but none of them really hurt the team either.

If rumors that Wood wants to return to a starting role are true If I recall, Wood said towards the end of the season that he would never be a starter again.

Any chance we may see Rivera coming to the Cubs? Might be wise to go ahead and get a long-term closer you know can get the job done.

Might be wise to go ahead and get a long-term closer you know can get the job done. Rivera is going to be 38 in November. Do you really think that he is a "long-term" option?

FROM PREVIOUS THREAD: Chad — October 29, 2007 @ 3:02 pm Wait, the Renteria deal. Does the wavier trade period end at the last out of the series? I thought it was like, nov 1, or some shit like that. or had renteria cleared waivers? someone help me out on this one. ========================== CHAD: Although the current waiver period runs from August 1st through November 10th, Trade Assignment Waivers are only required from August 1st through the last day of the regular season. So the Renteria trade could have been made (without waivers) as early as four weeks ago.

dave- While true none of the trades really hurt the team, only one of the guys even made the postseason roster. You usually think a team in a true pennant race adds help before the trading deadline for the playoff run and playoffs, well as it turns out the Cubs did not. And also with Kendall, it made no sense as Soto was more than ready to at least give it a go in the bigs (Hell they tried Koyie Hill for a few days), and as it turns out they finally gave Soto the shot and he ended up getting the bulk of the playing time down the stretch.

Sure manny... but I think it was pretty clear that LouPa was uncomfortable with a rookie catcher, so Hendry went out and got Kendall. Again - I hated the trade initially, but looking back it actually worked out fairly well. Would Soto have been better? Possibly, but right or wrong, it doesn't appear that LouPa was read to make that move at that point. And again - Monroe and Trachsel were not moves to be major difference makers. They were moves intended to fill a couple of perceived needs at very little risk/cost. I just don't see them as whiffs. And Hendry was at least willing to make a few moves, which most other teams were not willing (or able) to do. Trading for Kendall, Monroe, and Trachsel were the least of the Cubs' problems.

Dempster is going into the rotation before Wood ever will, IMHO. He has durabliltiy on his side. He also has Sucktitude on his side.

#13 no pitchers on that list interest me except wood or linebrink or affeldt all relievers

Because you alluded to the fact that Hendry made trades for the sake of making them. As opposed to trying to add difference makers. Also a general characteristic the the Andy McFAil era.

Because you alluded to the fact that Hendry made trades for the sake of making them. As opposed to trying to add difference makers. No... that is not what I said. I said that the trades were meant to fill needs, but were not meant to be major difference makers. There is a big difference between making trades for the sake of making trades and making minor trades to meet needs. I would say that Hendry did the latter, even if they did not work out in ways that we all wanted.

ARod rumors? Still? Is that what we'll be talking about for the next while? Well I've done the math and I think there's better value out there. 3/44=.06818

Brewers moved Dale Sveum to 3b coach and Ted Simmons as bench coach. Red Sox fans everywhere chuckle....

rumor mill.... Agent Scott Boras is believed to consider the Dodgers a more serious contender for center fielder Andruw Jones than for Alex Rodriguez. Phils assistant GM Ruben Amaro said they won't pursue Arod but will focus on pitching, likely Schilling and Mariano being the top targets. Atlants considered "front-runner" for Glavine Boras will be marketing Arod as a shortstop as well as a 3b.

"CHAD: Although the current waiver period runs from August 1st through November 10th, Trade Assignment Waivers are only required from August 1st through the last day of the regular season. So the Renteria trade could have been made (without waivers) as early as four weeks ago." Thanks Phil, but are you telling me that a team in the playoffs could make a trade and then due to injury put that player on the active playoff roster? I know there is no way but it seems like you could.

http://mlb-rumors.blogspot.com/2007/10/crosstown-battle-for-crawford.ht… never heard of this site and looks like they just took it from the papers with their own speculation. Wsox and Cubs could go after Crawford... Cubs have mild interest in Hunter Plan A is to sign Kuroda and have Marquis/Hart duke it out for the #5 spot (what about Gallagher?) Plan B is to for Wood/Dempster shift into the rotation (what about Prior?) also on that site a mention of Padres going after Kendall

Chad — October 30, 2007 @ 11:50 am “CHAD: Although the current waiver period runs from August 1st through November 10th, Trade Assignment Waivers are only required from August 1st through the last day of the regular season. So the Renteria trade could have been made (without waivers) as early as four weeks ago.” Thanks Phil, but are you telling me that a team in the playoffs could make a trade and then due to injury put that player on the active playoff roster? I know there is no way but it seems like you could. ============================ CHAD: Teams that are active in the playoffs can make trades during the LDS, LCS, and WS, but anybody they were to acquire would not (under any circumstances) be eligible to play in the post-season. Only players who are in a club's organization as of midnight August 31st are eligible to play in the post-season. An injured player can be replaced on a post-season roster, but only by a player who was already in the club's own minor league system as of 8/31. In the NLDS, the Cubs could have added as many as four players to their active post-season roster as replacements for players on the DL (Guzman, Novoa, Pagan, and Prior), and they did in fact add three (Cedeno, Hart, and Soto), but all three were in the Cubs organization (at AAA Iowa) on 8/31.

anyone cover this yet? http://www.dailyherald.com/story/?id=66785 Arod unlikely... seem content with Theriot... "We may try to add some infield depth, but Ryan played well enough to be an everyday guy," Hendry said. "It was the first time in his career that he played that many games." biggest target seems to be left-handed hitting corner outfielder with power, brief mention of Fukodome also want to add some speed either in an everyday player or off the bench want to bring Wood back still contemplating whether to tender Prior or non-tender and bring him back at a lower cost. and will likely pursue more pitching depth....

Saying the Cubs are set with Theriot so no need for ARod reminds me of when Salty Saltwell, former concessions manager bumped up to GM, said when asked if the Cubs would be in on the bidding for free agent superstar pitcher Tom Seaver. And I paraphrase - "No, we're in the market for a left hander."

hmm... from the rumor site Rob linked to...
However, if you follow the Cubs, you know that they do not make too many trades where they throw prospects at teams.
Really? I guess the author doesn't know about the Pierre trade. Or the Derrek Lee trade. Or the Kendall trade. Or the Trachsel trade. Am I the only one who doesn't think the cubs are very tight with their prospects?

unless the club wants to make a run at eckstein, vizquel, or j.uribe there's not much SS worth actually having. probably stick with theriot/cedeno...esp. since cedeno's power stroke is starting to show itself even if the patience isnt. not like cedeno is expected to hit 30 homers or anything, though...

arod is 6'3", 4 years removed from SS, and is 32 years old. i dunno who would actually count on him playing SS at this point in his career. he's had nice range, but that's been slipping the past couple years at 3rd as it is. given his size, age, and how long he's been away i dunno how "natural" of a position SS is for him anymore.

arod is 6′3″, 4 years removed from SS, and is 32 years old. If ARod had not been traded to the Yankees, or if the Yanks would have been smart and moved Jeter out of SS and let the better defensive player play SS, no one would be saying much about ARod not being able to play SS.

rotoworld blurb says Mets might pursue Arod with Wright's blessing. Wright would move to 2b, 1b or the OF. Holy offense!!!

what's done with arod is done, though. hell, even the rumors talking about arod involve him at 3rd. mets rumors talking about moving d.wright to 2nd in order to pursue arod. he's a hell of a guy, but its not a 10-15m or even a 20m player that's on the table.

I don't think that item about being happy with Theriot is suggesting the Cubs aren't going to pursue Arod because of Theriot.

Cal Ripken is 6'4" and weighed @225 pounds. Played short stop until he was 36. That's four years. Around that time we can move him to first.

Wright would move to 2b, 1b or the OF. Wouldn't Wright be the superior defensive 3b at this point? I think that ARod is underrated at 3b, but is he really better than Wright?

*Mister Whipple says: October 30th, 2007 at 9:06 am ARod rumors? Still? Is that what we’ll be talking about for the next while? Well I’ve done the math and I think there’s better value out there. 3/44=.06818* This is a good example of thinking too much. Value? What about production and results? Value--and what you are really saying is "bargain"--gets you Jacque Jones and Jason Marquis. The Cubs have a chance to sign a player who is measurably one of the greatest to have ever played the game--and you think there's better "value" to be had than that? It's not like it's your money, so who cares? *Well a potential LH RF is now on the market. MIL has told Jenkins his $9 million option won’t be picked up and he won’t be in their 2008 plans.* Here's a good example: you can spend 9 million on Jenkins or 30 million on A-Rod. One guy is hurt all the time and is clearly not what he was, the other is going to break the all-time HR record. *If ARod had not been traded to the Yankees, or if the Yanks would have been smart and moved Jeter out of SS and let the better defensive player play SS, no one would be saying much about ARod not being able to play SS.* No kidding. How long did the O's let Ripken play short? And he didn't hit 50 homers every year. I don't know how many balls would get past the left side with ARam and ARod over there, but with 80 homers between them, I wouldn't care. Only Cubs fans or Red Sox fans would say they don't want A-Rod on their team. The latter because they don't need him and the former because they are just stubborn and/or like losing year after year after year.

Let me start by saying that I don't think Arod will be a Cub But let me say that I think people here would rather have Theriot at short than Arod. I would gladly over look any defensive let downs (which there won't be as Arod is still better at short that Theriot) for the 50 homers he will hit every year. The problem here is that Arod is not worth the investment from a strict business perspective. The Cubs will still sell out Wrigley Field and sell tons and tons of merchandise with out him. I don't think Arod would help the profit margin by being a Cub alone. This does not include added revenue from winning a World Series. I am only talking about Boras' claim that Arod will bring in so much money that he is worth the contract.

well, if Arod didnt take 4 years off and wasnt twice as wide as cal it might be an issue. im yet to hear a substantial rumor involving Arod potentially playing SS for anyone. seen Arod handle the hot corner at 3rd the past few years? he's lost a few steps and SS has a lot more field to cover along with footwork that follows fielding most balls involving more than pivoting and throwing. its an escalated gamble pretty much only cuz of the obscene amount of money and years involved.

It wasn't like ARod was a marginal defensive SS. The guy was a Gold Glover and a legit one, not a fake one like Jeter. We are not talking about moving Soriano back to 2B. I don't see why ARod wouldn't be a very solid SS, probally not GG material again, but be fine.

the rumor on Ripken was that as he got older, he got considerably wiser and learned the hitters and pitchers so well he became a master at positioning himself to make up for his lack of range. Arod doesn't strike me as that smart. But as Dave said, Arod got moved off of SS only because of the trade to the Yanks. I don't know if there's any real surefire way of knowing if he can or can't play the position. If he's still willing to play there, then it's worth a shot for any team. He can easily be moved to 1b or 3b if his defense is becoming a problem. If it's worth anything his stolen bases have remained pretty constant since 1999.

Wouldn’t Wright be the superior defensive 3b at this point? I think that ARod is underrated at 3b, but is he really better than Wright? I think it's a matter of accomodating the big ticket FA over the incumbent. If the move is to 2b though, then you'd definitely want it to be Wright. If it's 1b, probably doesn't matter.

btw...for all the "love" boras seems to think arod is worth... we've had a sizable yanks FAN BASE clamoring to get rid of arod for a few years... we had a boston fan "dont sign arod" chant that broke out behind the COL dugout after the WS win. the NY press turned Arod into a media focus sports superstar and he didnt handle it well... i dont think arod is michael jordon...hell, arod's national TV exposure is far down from where it was on endorsements (even before his stripper-gate incident).

Only Cubs fans or Red Sox fans would say they don’t want A-Rod on their team. Well... and teams like the Marlins, who have after signing ARod would have to release the rest of their team as ARod would take up most, if not all, of their payroll. It isn't as simple as you make it out to be. A-Rod is damn good. But whether or not he can still play SS is a valid question. And whether or not it is wise to pay one player 30 million dollars a year is also a valid question. I think that the Cubs should find a way to play A-Rod, whether that is at SS, 2b, 3b, or anywhere else. I also think that a team with the Cubs' financial resources should not let a large contract get in the way of signing the best player of the post-Bonds generation. But it isn't as black and white as you make it out to be.

Chad: "The problem here is that Arod is not worth the investment from a strict business perspective. The Cubs will still sell out Wrigley Field and sell tons and tons of merchandise with out him. I don’t think Arod would help the profit margin by being a Cub alone. This does not include added revenue from winning a World Series. I am only talking about Boras’ claim that Arod will bring in so much money that he is worth the contract." GREAT point!!! Also include the fact that the Cubs already have TV deals, so ARod wouldn't help them launch a new one like NYY did with YES. Like you said, financially, ARod does not help the Cubs as much as he would other teams, which is going to be a huge draw of signing him and a team making that kind of commitment.

*The problem here is that Arod is not worth the investment from a strict business perspective. The Cubs will still sell out Wrigley Field and sell tons and tons of merchandise with out him. I don’t think Arod would help the profit margin by being a Cub alone. This does not include added revenue from winning a World Series. I am only talking about Boras’ claim that Arod will bring in so much money that he is worth the contract.* I doubt they will sign him either but... I beg to differ. Cubs tickets will sell out at any price, I think. They could justifiably jack them up after signing A-Rod by claiming that they are actually trying to win the division every year rather than fluke into it every 5-10 years. If they can say they had to sign him so the Mets wouldn't, that's even better. The Cubs would become a solid bet to be on national TV much more with A-Rod. People are sick of watching Bos-NYY as it is anyway. As A-Rod approached the immortal records of the game, that Cubs logo would be on national TV about 1,000 times more than it is now. Don't underestimate the number of hats, jerseys, posters, etc. that would sell because of A-Rod being on the Cubs either. A-Rod would also bring more free agents to the Cubs than Dusty Baker ever did either, I'd bet. When was the last time the Cubs signed a legit superstar, anyway [collusion-era Andre Dawson not included]? I'm thinking it was never.

what do you call Soriano? and I believe MLB merchandising is divided equally amongst all teams, I could be wrong about that but I thought I read that somewhere.

*It isn’t as simple as you make it out to be. A-Rod is damn good. But whether or not he can still play SS is a valid question. And whether or not it is wise to pay one player 30 million dollars a year is also a valid question. * How much were the Cubs paying Sosa at the end? He couldn't even play RF anymore. Nor run. Nor throw. Nor hit for that matter. Are strippers worse than steroids?

actually the Marlins could easily afford Arod and not give up anybody… Agreed... but that doesn't mean they would be willing to afford him. Hell... the Twins could easily afford to sign Santana to an extension, but that doesn't mean their cheap own will let it happen.

Mets have the right idea though, when the best player in baseball (or 2nd best if you like Pujols) is available you find a way to make it work. If the Cubs had sold already I would have liked our chances a lot more. I don't see any motivation for the Trib to go after him though.

MLB merch is divided, but its not across the board. Team logo rights, player cut, etc etc...there's a reason NYY whore out their logo to slap on hats of 100 colors that aren't black and white.

and I believe MLB merchandising is divided equally amongst all teams, Rob is right... the Cubs would not get more cash from merchandising of ARod was on the team. It gets spread equally across all of MLB. that Cubs logo would be on national TV about 1,000 times more than it is now. 1,000 times? Interesting... A-Rod would also bring more free agents to the Cubs than Dusty Baker ever did either, I’d bet. What free agents did ARod bring to Seattle? Texas? Yankees? When was the last time the Cubs signed a legit superstar, anyway Soriano. Zambrano. Ramirez. None of them count? How much were the Cubs paying Sosa at the end? He couldn’t even play RF anymore. ... nor hit... Sosa couldn't hit? What the hell are you talking about? In Sosa's last year he still put up an 850 OPS - not great, but definitely better than "couldn't hit." But regardless, SS is a MUCH more important position than RF. Further, it is a very different issue. You don't sign a player to play a position that he cannot play. That was not the case with Sosa. Sosa aged and began to get worse defensively.

"the best player of the post-Bonds generation." Dave, when the dust settles Arod will out shine Bonds. Also considering that Arod will out homer him and can still win a ring. All that and no steroid allegations "Cubs tickets will sell out at any price, I think. They could justifiably jack them up after signing A-Rod by claiming that they are actually trying to win the division every year rather than fluke into it every 5-10 years." The could jack the prices up without him. The Cubs tickets will sell at any price with or without Arod. He will not effect ticket sales at all. The Cubs will sell out and people will still be willing to pay hundreds of dollars for tickets. "The Cubs would become a solid bet to be on national TV much more with A-Rod. " They Cubs are already the biggest out of market draw behind the Yankees. Arod will not change that. "A-Rod would also bring more free agents to the Cubs than Dusty Baker ever did either, I’d bet." They Cubs have no problem signing free agents when they want to. "When was the last time the Cubs signed a legit superstar, anyway" Alfonso Soriano. Like it or not, he's a legit star and was the biggest free agent available last winter.

things to do with 30m not named 'arod'... seriously, im not making this list...im sure everyone could make their own list of 2-3 players. sad/bad thing is the FA market is just about stone cold bare for what the cubs need (no RH-SP r SS worth mentioning...a few decent RF and pen options, though). should we start the stopwatch for when jenkins is signed? =p *if* that happens, i dunno how i'd feel about that...or j.dye...please, no cameron or s.green... how does a bench of murton/fuld/cedeno/blanco/ward/fontenot sound for a decent start to 08?

how does a bench of murton/fuld/cedeno/blanco/ward/fontenot sound for a decent start to 08? Well... you have an extra guy there, assuming 12 pitchers. And I think that Fontenot is the odd man out, and doesn't make the Cubs next year. That may start some controversy around here... :)

"no RH-SP r SS worth mentioning" well, there's schilling...and that 'r' should be 'or'

"How much were the Cubs paying Sosa at the end? He couldn’t even play RF anymore." False. Sosa was a decent outfielder until the end of his Cubs career. Not great, just decent.

"Well… you have an extra guy there, assuming 12 pitchers. And I think that Fontenot is the odd man out" yes, and agreed. i just threw the pool of "most likely" players up. i think fontenot will be the odd man out, but lou's not shown one way or another whether he's a guy who feels comfotable having just 1 IF replacement off the bench.

Rob G: "Mets have the right idea though, when the best player in baseball (or 2nd best if you like Pujols) is available you find a way to make it work." ---------------------------- I agree 100%. This isn't like the Bulls and the Kobe rumors where they would have to give up 75% of their young stars to get him. All it takes right now to get the best player in baseball is a big pile of money. No leveraging the farm system, no swapping your superstar for theirs. How often does that happen? Once a decade? If the Cubs' #1 goal is winning the World Series, how could they not, in good conscience, try as hard as possible to sign the best player in the game? Unfortunately, their #1 goal is not winning the World Series, as we'd love to believe. The Cubs' primary goal is milking as much money out of us fans as possible, while spending only enough to keep us coming back for more. The only teams who truly place the largest emphasis on winning are teams with fanatical owners who don't need the extra money, and only care about championships (see: Steinbrenner, Henry, CUBAN). However, it might still be possible to justify the $30 million/year as a wise business decision. While the Cubs do have TV deals in place, WGN and 25% of CSN share the same ownership as the Cubs (for the time being). So, any increases in ad revenue directly benefits the Cubs.

thinking about it...given lou has no problem whatsoever putting d.ward out in RF (god help us all) that could make murton expendable via tradebait depending on if they want murton to start in RF and/or they feel very comfortable with fuld to be in the bigs 08 either bench (most likely) or starting.

...oh yeah...that pie guy. my brain is stupid today...that's a major consideration, more so than murton's role, probably.

So, any increases in ad revenue directly benefits the Cubs. Sure... but the question is whether or not ARod would really bring increases in ad revenue, and I am not convinced. I am not convinced that ARod would bring in any more viewers until he is one or two home runs away from breaking Bonds' record. No one (or very few) specifically watched Yankees games to see ARod. No one specifically watched Giants games to see Bonds until he was about to break the record. No one will watch the Cubs specifically to see ARod.

"I agree 100%. This isn’t like the Bulls and the Kobe rumors where they would have to give up 75% of their young stars to get him." Funny you said this cause back when Kobe was a free agent the Bulls tried to sign him and he almost did. They gave him a max offer and from what I heard, was about to buy a house in Wilmette when he decided to stay in L.A.

"When was the last time the Cubs signed a legit superstar, anyway .." You are kidding, right? You know this is a Cubs blog, and not a Bears one?

"No one will watch the Cubs specifically to see ARod." This is the core of my whole "Arod is a bad investment" argument. Can the Cubs get more popular? I don't think so. We will probably never overtake the Yanks and will remain the second most popular team in baseball. Of course there are years when other teams may pop up, but year to year the Cubs are always at the top.

*When was the last time the Cubs signed a legit superstar, anyway Soriano. Zambrano. Ramirez. None of them count?* Zambo and ARam were not open market FAs, they were re-signs. Soriano's signing brought the same howls from the same folks howling about the idea of signing A-Rod. And Soriano's nowhere near the player A-Rod is. Many were complaining that he was not a legit superstar worth legit money, if you will recall. *Sosa couldn’t hit? What the hell are you talking about? In Sosa’s last year he still put up an 850 OPS - not great, but definitely better than “couldn’t hit.”* Sosa declined so precipitously it was astounding. From 2001-2004 his production dropped by half in homers and runs batted in and his slugging percentage tanked. The Cubs were lucky the O's were dumb enough to take him off their hands and the year after that he was gone--before he found HGH or whatever he magically "rejuvenated" himself with in his off-year when he returned to his 2004 numbers [whee]. I doubt the same will happen to A-Rod since apparently he is not on "the juice". This is one of the silliest debates I've ever seen. All that should be said is "I hope the Cubs sign him" and that's it. Any attempts to justify a deliberate non-attempt to sign Rodriguez are specious and sub-moronic.

"Zambo and ARam were not open market FAs, they were re-signs." You are technically correct about ARam but by less than an hour. he was pretty much a open market free agent.

"No one will watch the Cubs specifically to see ARod." But more people will watch the Cubs when they are winning more games. In 2006, the White Sox ended up with better TV ratings locally than the Cubs, because they were winning and the Cubs sucked. Why do you think the Trib panicked and spent all that money last offseason? As much as we all think Chicago is strictly a Cubs town, when the Sox are winning their fans come out of the woodwork. When the Cubs aren't winning, people might still go to the games, but far fewer watch them on TV (where the big money really is). And I respectfully disagree with your assertion that more people wouldn't watch the Cubs to see ARod. I think a lot more casual fans would tune in to see him. ARod's Q Score has to be light years ahead of anyone else on the Cubs. To fans and non-fans, he instantly makes the Cubs a much more interesting team.

well now...you said when was the last time the Cubs signed a legit superstar? Soriano is as legit as it gets when it comes to the superstars of baseball, whether you like him or not doesn't matter.

i think its the years involved that killed wanting soriano for most cubs fans. still, soriano + dlee = arod's expected deal. ...or arod = soriano + lilly + derosa...to keep it more recent. ...or arod = soriano + marquis + k.wood + m.prior...to keep it more recent and close to negative as possible. =p

*If the Cubs’ #1 goal is winning the World Series, how could they not, in good conscience, try as hard as possible to sign the best player in the game?* Spot on. And the fans here [and elsewhere] arguing against even considering A-Rod, well--they're basically the ones who don't care if the Cubs ever win anything. They're the ones ruining it for everyone else by spending a ton of money of a sub-par product that will never produce the desired results.

"I’d take Giants at 10/1 in a heartbeat…" I bet you're right. Think about it - ARod wants out of New York (a winning team) because the fans/media are all over his ass constantly. Where better to go than San Francisco then? Giants fans have happily embraced the biggest douchebag in sports history for years without ever once booing him. ARod seems like he needs his ego stroked to be happy, and Giants fans will gladly cooperate. The way things have been going in Chicago, if he had a bad April Cub fans would probably boo him mercilessly.

Zambo and ARam were not open market FAs, they were re-signs. ARam was. And Soriano’s nowhere near the player A-Rod is. Agreed... there may be one player who is in A-Rod's category right now. But that doesn't mean that Soriano is not a super-star caliber player. Sosa declined so precipitously it was astounding. I didn't say Sosa didn't decline. I said Sosa could still hit. And in 2004 he still hit. Not great. But not bad either. And it is a bit dishonest to say his home runs declined by half. First, he hit 35 in '04. Correct me if I am wrong, but I am pretty sure Sosa never hit 80 home runs. Second, he only played in 126 games in '04. That may have had something to with the drop in home runs. And when did Sosa return to his '04 numbers? But again - I am really not sure how Sosa's decline has anything to do with signing A-Rod. They are two completely different situations. Any attempts to justify a deliberate non-attempt to sign Rodriguez are specious and sub-moronic. Yes... anyone who dares bring up logical questions about whether or not it is wise to sign A-Rod is "sub-moronic." There are legitimate questions about the wisdom of signing A-Rod. And none of them have anything to do with Sammy Sosa. But if you can't understand that, I am not sure what to tell you. And I, by the way, disagree with the arguments, and want the Cubs to sign A-Rod. I just think it is less clear than you make it to be.

*And I respectfully disagree with your assertion that more people wouldn’t watch the Cubs to see ARod. I think a lot more casual fans would tune in to see him. ARod’s Q Score has to be light years ahead of anyone else on the Cubs. To fans and non-fans, he instantly makes the Cubs a much more interesting team.* Dovetails quite nicely with: *Rob G. says: October 30th, 2007 at 1:53 pm well now…you said when was the last time the Cubs signed a legit superstar? Soriano is as legit as it gets when it comes to the superstars of baseball, whether you like him or not doesn’t matter.* Yeah, Soriano does a lot of nationwide commercials, gets interviewed in a lot of nationwide publications, gets emulated by all the kids in sandlots and schoolyards. Sure, your average guy on the street talks about Soriano all the time.

"And the fans here [and elsewhere] arguing against even considering A-Rod, well–they’re basically the ones who don’t care if the Cubs ever win anything." that's a pretty broad stroke you're painting...especially considering most people giving opposing views are backing up what theyre saying. no one's said anything about not caring if the cubs win...its more about the reality of the cubs actually deciding to devote 1/3-1/4th of their 25-man payroll on 1 guy and the fact he's been a 3rd baseman for the past 4 years which will cost double of the current 30HR 3rd baseman the team already has.

And the fans here [and elsewhere] arguing against even considering A-Rod, well–they’re basically the ones who don’t care if the Cubs ever win anything. Are you new around here?

First, he hit 35 in ‘04. Correct me if I am wrong, but I am pretty sure Sosa never hit 80 home runs. Math is hard... :)

Math is hard… :) Ha... that would be called a typo... not bad math. :) But my point is still valid. When did Sosa hit 70 home runs?

*Yes… anyone who dares bring up logical questions about whether or not it is wise to sign A-Rod is “sub-moronic.” There are legitimate questions about the wisdom of signing A-Rod. And none of them have anything to do with Sammy Sosa. But if you can’t understand that, I am not sure what to tell you.* Speaking of not understanding...the point was that the Cubs were paying Sosa a whole ton of money to do relatively little. They weren't paying him all that money to hit .250/35/80, steal ZERO bases, misjudge flyballs and miss the cutoff man, which is what they were getting. Does anyone foresee A-Rod slumping to those numbers in 3-4 years?

I think Chad and Crunch make a lot of good points about ARod and don't want to duplicate that. I also think it very unlikely the Cubs will sign ARod. However, unless Hendry thinks it highly likely he can produce a legit LH RF or CF to go with Jones and a SP better than Marquis, Marshall, or Hart, I sure don't see anything exciting on the FA lists. ARod could play SS at least equal to Theriot for a couple of years and although a LH power bat would be nice, a 3-4-5 of Lee, ARod, and Ramirez would be pretty sweet.

Again... what does Sosa's decline have to do with A-Rod? And no... I don't expect A-Rod to slump to those numbers in 3-4 years, but why is that the question? He isn't going to get a 3-4 year deal.

not that I actually heard any legit rumors of Carl Crawford being available but if he does, he does seem like the perfect fit to what the Cubs want. Power, lefty, speed, corner outfielder.... Throw him in the 2 spot and that's a nice looking lineup. I don't even think we'd have to give up Pie. The Drays are pretty stocked in OF talent. My guess would be pitching and lots of it, starters and relievers. Maybe Epat if they think of him as a second basemen.

TB pretty much only needs pitching...and 2nd, but there's not much 2nd worth giving up that the cubs have without giving up theriot or cedeno. they could always just move b.harris to 2nd, though...ben zorbist is their "SS of the future" currently.

well, im sure TB would love to have soto, too... between josh paul, navarro, and riggans they're not suffering, though...just not thriving.

zobrist is closer...brig/zobrist...meh. never seen brig in person...zorb isnt bad, but he's not the complete package. neither are gonna set the baseball world on fire. joel guzman...the guy keeping 3rd warm for evan longoria...that should be interesting for them in 08/09.

If Crawford is availible, we would have to be in those dealings. I just don't know if we have enough to give them if they are only looking for pitching. But I hope we are at least making the call.

"As much as we all think Chicago is strictly a Cubs town, when the Sox are winning their fans come out of the woodwork." You do know that in 2006 the last place cubs out drew the 90+ win white sox, right? Oh and the Cell can hold a lot more people.

*dave says: October 30th, 2007 at 2:06 pm Again… what does Sosa’s decline have to do with A-Rod? And no… I don’t expect A-Rod to slump to those numbers in 3-4 years, but why is that the question? He isn’t going to get a 3-4 year deal. * The point, again, was that the Cubs paid nearly 20 million to Sosa and got barely anything in return near the end, so why wouldn't they give 30 million dollars for a few prime years of the best player in the game. And why wouldn't A-Rod take a 3-4 year deal if it paid him substanially more than the remaining 3 on his deal that he just voided? Isn't that the point--to make more money?

Power? Not for a corner outfielder. yeah, thought he hit more this year, guess he took a step back. Still at 26 and from what I've read, it seems like the consensus is that he can be a 25 homer guy, but hasn't gotten there yet. Alright, forget him :)

"the Cubs paid nearly 20 million to Sosa and got barely anything in return near the end, so why wouldn’t they give 30 million dollars for a few prime years of the best player in the game." wouldnt that also be an arguement to not sign arod?

"The point, again, was that the Cubs paid nearly 20 million to Sosa and got barely anything in return near the end," You clearly don't understand the economics of baseball. That contract given to Sosa was really for 1. hitting 60 + homers 3 times, 2. being the best player on the team for so many years 3. filling the seats 4. Going to Cooperstown with a Cubs hat on It had nothing to do with the production in the last couple years of his contract. You shouldn't look at one year and say he didn't deserve the money. Look at the entire contract and decide. He deserved every penny.

Chad: "“As much as we all think Chicago is strictly a Cubs town, when the Sox are winning their fans come out of the woodwork.” You do know that in 2006 the last place cubs out drew the 90+ win white sox, right? Oh and the Cell can hold a lot more people." ------------------------------ Cherrypicking quotes is always fun. Check out the very next sentence: "When the Cubs aren’t winning, people might still go to the games, but far fewer watch them on TV (where the big money really is)." Yes, people still go to Cubs games when the Cubs are losing, but they stop tuning in on TV. My point was the White Sox got better TV ratings than the Cubs in 2006. Also, I don't believe the strong attendance numbers would have held up forever if they kept losing like they did in 2005 and 2006. Most of us have pretty short memories, but 3 million fans through the turnstiles isn't a given for the Cubs. The first time they did it was in 2004. In fact, as recently as 1997 they were below the NL Average in attendance (http://www.baseball-almanac.com/teams/cubsatte.shtml). The momentum of 2003 (and 2004 to an extent) was still strong, but 2005 and 2006 were both lower in attendance than 2004. Coupled with lower TV ratings than the South Siders, and the Trib finally realized Cubs fans are no longer happy with being lovable losers. They spent a ton of money to bring the fans back, and we responded by setting a club attendance record in 2007 (not-so-coincidentally, the Cubs won the division this year).

"but 2005 and 2006 were both lower in attendance than 2004." 05 is lower by 70K (less than 2 games) and 06 had 52K less (1 1/3 games). its not that radical.

Your point about attendance is really unfounded. The Cubs are consistently above league average 9 of the 10 years in the 90's. And that featured some bad baseball. Since 1984 the story has been the same that the Cubs draw fans whether they win 96 (1984) or lose 96 (2006).

And why wouldn’t A-Rod take a 3-4 year deal if it paid him substanially more than the remaining 3 on his deal that he just voided? Isn’t that the point–to make more money? What do you think would be substantially more than the $27 million he just opted out of? You really think ARod is worth $40-50 million a year for the next 3-4 years?

OK fine Chad, but that wasn't even my original point anyway. The entire point of my original post was about TV RATINGS not attendance figures. I even acknowledged that people still go to Wrigley even when the team loses. The real money is in television, not attendance. Sure, it's great for the Cubs to go over 3 million fans, but if no one is watching at home that severely impacts ad revenue for the next year. Here's my point in a nice, easily digestable one sentence: When the Cubs lose, people stop watching on TV.

didn't McDonough cite the empty seats in 2006 as a big reason for the offseason spending spree? The Cubs will sell out 90% of it's games in March because it's a scalper's dream, but keep losing and the attendance and interest would suffer, even if they're still sold the tickets.

And why wouldn’t A-Rod take a 3-4 year deal if it paid him substanially more than the remaining 3 on his deal that he just voided? Isn’t that the point–to make more money? Do you really think that ARod is going to take a 3-4 year deal?

I wouldn't be surprised if Boras was able to work something in the 8-10 range with some out option for Arod after 4-5 years.

bill james puts the cubs farm system ranked #29 in his prospect handbook...ow. colorado (huh?) ranked #1...TB/ARZ following...

For the record - Wrigley Field seats about 700 more than that dump on the south side. Yeah, you can't jam many moreinto the park, but I think the TV ratings would definitely go through the roof with ARod on the team. The increase in revenue wouldn't pay for him, but he would be the first true national superstar to play here since Sosa. We call ARam, Lee and Z superstars, but casual fans couldn't give a damn about them.

I think the TV ratings would definitely go through the roof with ARod on the team. Did the Texas Ranger's see an increase in TV ratings when ARod went there?

- Cubs need a power bat in RF, don't have any in their system, and none are available. - A-Rod can probably catch fly balls as well as Murton, Floyd or Ward. You do the math.

"Did the Texas Ranger’s see an increase in TV ratings when ARod went there?" I'll bet they did. But that's a bad comparison. The better question is 'did the Yanks see an increase in TV ratings?' I'll bet, no re 125: I have said it before and I'll say it again... Any professional baseball player can get by in left field. Put Soriano in right.

The Cub's need two left handed power bats. Get Abreu... get someone else. And I don't buy it that Soriano's offense suffers from him playing CF, so get a Dunn, Soriano, Abreu outfield. Fun.

press conference out here in about a half hour to announce Little getting fired. Torre supposedly still deciding...

anyone find it interesting that Girardi signed a 2 year deal and that Lou is only managing for 2 more years?

- Cubs need a power bat in RF, don’t have any in their system, and none are available. - A-Rod can probably catch fly balls as well as Murton, Floyd or Ward. You do the math. You all seem to think that ARod would be happy and willing to move to a new position. How do you know this? It isn't that simply folks.

anyone find it interesting that Girardi signed a 2 year deal and that Lou is only managing for 2 more years? When did he sign a 2 year deal? Last I heard is was three years. From ESPN:
Girardi was hired Tuesday, agreeing to a three-year contract to replace Joe Torre in New York's dugout.

Maybe it would be interesting if it were true. ESPN.com and MLB.com both say it was a three year deal for 7.5 million for Girardi.

after i guess, i looked it up. i feel kinda dumb, if i just thought about it for 5 seconds i would have gotten it.

completely random Arod thought... how damn happy are the Rangers? They just got a $21.3 million added back into their books. Now go buy some pitchers...

that's the dumbest thing ever.... I looked yesterday and couldn't find the contest and Rotoworld is saying they're just finalizing the deal...so f that. I'll substitute him for someone else, get it up in a day or two.

Reading the Schilling blog a little more closely, I had to chuckle ... the two basic factors are city and odds at making the playoffs ... Cubs on, Sox off. Sox fans gotta love that. There's some crap in there about the park, but seriously ...

I did enter the contest since Torre's an easy 15... Bonds STLC 1 Cameron Padres 11 Colon Astros 2 Cordero SFG 6 Glavine Braves 12 Hunter CWS 5 Andruw Jones LAD 7 LoDuca Reds 4 Lowell Phils 9 Posada Yanks 13 Rivera Yanks 14 Rowand Rangers 3 Schilling Phils 10 Torre Dodgers 15 I'll probably replace Torre with Fukodome unless someone has a better suggestion?

won't let me submit...bastards.

crunch: "bill james puts the cubs farm system ranked #29 in his prospect handbook…ow." Wow, that is even worse than I thought. It is pretty obvious the farm system is getting worse, but to drop that far? Ouch...

Here you go, Rob. He says Boston is still his first choice. Then he goes on, in this order: "Cleveland, Detroit, Anaheim, New York Mets, Philadelphia, Atlanta, L.A., S.D., Arizona, Chicago Cubs, St. Louis, Milwaukee"

well besides maybe Anaheim, just about every one of those teams could use him, so he should have plenty of suitors.

Yeah Bill James is just one guys opinion, and I don't think the farm system is that bad. It will be interesting to see what other ranking the Cubs farm system gets (Baseball America, etc.), but I think a ranking in the low 20's is more realistic. Basically, IMO and what I think will be others, the Cubs farm system is not good.

btw btw...didnt link it cuz...well...there's not much more to read besides that and its not exactly "arod signs with ____" type breaking news.

my guess is that it's not even an "opinion" of Bill James, probably some formula to rank players. Without the book though, I can't tell what he's going after. It also sounds like he's ranking the teams by age, since Prince Fielder got a mention, so it's not even a "prospect" ranking so to speak.

If BOST doesn't resign Schilling, the Cubs should have a legit shot at him as they should be able to pony up dollars for him.

*# dave says: October 30th, 2007 at 3:40 pm I think the TV ratings would definitely go through the roof with ARod on the team. Did the Texas Ranger’s see an increase in TV ratings when ARod went there? * Was that before or after A-Rod hit his 500th home run and won 2 MVP awards? I can't believe there are some knuckleheads here would rather entertain thoughts of signing Schilling or Bonds or acquiring Griffey or Dunn before they would break down and admit they'd rather have A-Rod...what'd the guy do, make a pass at your stripper sister?

not quite bleeding blue, very close..... Astros gave a call to Rowand and Hunter already for some odd reason.

I can’t believe there are some knuckleheads here would rather entertain thoughts of signing Schilling or Bonds or acquiring Griffey or Dunn before they would break down and admit they’d rather have A-Rod Could you point exactly who said that?

Could you point [out] exactly who said that? Rob... no facts allowed. They get in the way.

Yeah, the last place team isn't a shock. They'd had enough good teams sprinkled in that I forgot those teams never actually won anything. I also forgot that Montreal actually hosted the Series in 81 Speaking of teams with some good years but no playoff wins to show for it, on first glance I was a little surprised that the Dodgers were so far down on that list. I would have thought that they would have slipped in a DS win since 88.

I'm thinking Blargh must be ST's long lost gender-neutral sibling. I'm still waiting to hear how much Blargh thinks it would take to sign ARod to this 3-4 year deal he keeps talking about.

Wow, I was thinking the same thing as crunch, before I even read his post. That's hella-creepy.

and whatever, I'm all for signing Arod and I don't care the cost. He's the best player on the planet. Somehow I doubt Tribco will see it that way.

Maybe the Rangers can use their $20M rebate to go after A-Rod. Ha! I kill me...

you know if I'm Lou and the Cubs told me last year they were committed to winning and bringing in the best players, I'd be raising holy hell to sign Arod. Not that it's ever bothered him before, but if his claim that this is his last managerial job, what does have to lose by being a pain in Tribco's ass? Go call up Paul Sullivan or Bruce Miles and start spreading the Arod love!!!!

"opps, report I heard was incorrect…" Ya think? Or - was it your "hearing"? ;) If it was the "reporter", then they were waaay out of the loop... Might want to switch your news sources.

even at 2 days i dont know how you're gonna beat any piss test out there hiding any performance enhancing drugs. might be able to beat other substances they look for that's not linked to performance enhancement, though... one team claimed their people find out the morning of and that's almost moot i think. are there roids/etc. out there that's in-out and undetectable in your system in 24-48 hours?

nevermind... "He said that short-acting testosterone, which is absorbed by wearing a patch, could be cleared in a matter of hours." "Advance notice of only a few hours could provide the opportunity for players to dilute their urine, use a masking agent or use a device that allows them to fill their bladders with drug-free urine." device that fills their bladders with...wtf...fills...huh...wow. no thnx.

On Boers-Bernstein, WSCR AM 670 today, Terry Boers said folks should pay very close attention to players whose options aren't picked up this year and what relation that might have to 'lists' coming out over the winter (i.e. the Mitchell list). My first thought was Geoff Jenkins today. If you've listened to their show, Boers has a very well placed source in the Cubs clubhouse/front office. Also, has a lot of sources from being a beat writer for the NBA, MLB for years with the Daily Herald and Sun-Times.

Seems the fact that he's nowhere near worth $9 million had as much to do with it.

"device that fills their bladders with…wtf…fills…huh…wow. no thnx." Go watch the movie "The Program" then you will know.

George Altman- If I had to bet I would look at an infielder who had cancer 9 years ago, and had a career year this year his FA year.

It is up to 100 players who have filed for free agency. http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/wire?section=mlb&id=3086214 Current Cubs: Jason Kendall and Kerry Wood Former Cubs: Paul Bako, Matt Clement, Kenny Lofton, Neifi Perez, Rondell White, Josh Paul, Jerry hairston, Sammy Sosa, Matt Stairs, Damian Miller, Mike DeFelice, Antonio Alfonseca, Jon Lieber, and Michael Barrett. Depending on what Lofton is looking at, I would not mind adding him at CF for a year as a stop gap for Pie. You can possibly get him for 1 year/$5 million. But at some point next year or 2009, the Cubs are going to have to go with Pie and just stick him out there to sink or swim OR they need to trade him before his stock falls.

Here's an article from Paul Sullivan about Woody opting for free agency. http://chicagosports.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/cs-071030c… He will likely have lots of suitors if he actually hits free agency, including our new most hated rival the Reds. So if Hendry wants him, it might be wise to lock him up in the next 12 days or seriously risk losing him. Also a little note in the article about how Wood and Prior both contacted and congratulated Dusty on his new job. That was a bit surprising to me considering he was the reason they have both been injured and ruined their careers. Or maybe that was Barrett's fault...

He will likely have lots of suitors if he actually hits free agency Well... i am sure he already is getting a lot of attention. Teams can start contacting players immediately after they file. Now... technically they cannot make any financial offers, but they can express interest. Wood will know what is available to him whether or not the Cubs sign him immediately or not.

I'm no expert but in my estimation Wood's worth about Dempster money.

Mike Cameron suspended 25 games for a banned stimulant. It takes two positive tests to get suspended.

Wes: "Glendon Rusch’s agent has announced he’s back on the comeback trail!" Please, nobody forward that link to Hendry. I know their donut buddies and all, but still.

I’m no expert but in my estimation Wood’s worth about Dempster money. I would be pretty surprised if Wood gets Dempster money (06:$4M, 07:$5M, 08:$5.5M). Wood has not shown any ability to stay healthy to demand this kind of money. Nor has he really shown the ability to pitch at a high level to demand this kind of money. Now... I could see a heavily incentive laden contract that could end up at this kind of money, but I don't see him getting a 3 yr, 14-15 million dollar guaranteed contract. Maybe I am wrong, but I just don't see it.

I'm sick of jerks like Mike Cameron destroying the integrity of the game. The Cubs better not look at him.

phew... a Hendry/donut joke, I was afraid we weren't going to get one today. if only we could get someone to just keep repeating that Hendry's a college coach masquerading as a GM....

With Tony Richie or Chris Robinson (at this point) the likely catchers at Iowa in 2007, I fully expect the Cubs will sign a veteran catcher with MLB experience to a minor league contract (and an NRI to ST) to replace Koyie Hill as one of the primary catchers at Iowa, and to serve as the Cubs provisional #3 catcher in case something happens to Geovany Soto or Henry Blanco. This catcher would have to be willing to accept a non-guaranteed minor league deal probably in the $600-900K range. Since you're not going to get a Paul LoDuca or a Jorge Posada to accept this type of deal, I would say the most-likely candidates for this job are MLB or minor league FAs with extensive MLB experience like Paul Bako or Einar Diaz, or possibly a veteran minor league FA catcher with lesser MLB experience (but with a Cub connection) like Ryan Jorgensen. Jason LaRue and Chad Moeller would probably take a deal like this, too, but both would be strictly "reclamation projects" at this point, so I would say Bako is the most-likely candidate, since he has played for the Cubs before, he has lots of MLB experience, and he is unlikely to get a major league deal elsewhere. And he is a left-handed hitter (which probably matters to the Cubs). So look for the Cubs to sign Bako (or somebody a lot like him) to a minor league contract for 2008 with an NRI to ST. In addition, with Ronny Cedeno out of minor league options and Joe Simokaitis their only shortstop option (at this point) at Iowa in 2008 (and Simokaitis is struggling at the plate in the AFL), the Cubs will need at least one (or possibly two) middle-infielders with MLB experience who can play at AAA in 2008 and who could be the Cubs #3 SS in case something happens to Ryan Theriot or Ronny Cedeno. Just as with the issue of a 3rd string catcher at Iowa, you're not going to get a high-quality MLB supersub to take this type of deal. And with Neifi Perez and Ramon Martinez virtual locks to end up in Cincinnati, I would say an MLB or minor league FA with some MLB experience like Luis Figueroa, D'Angelo Jimenez, Matt Kata, Danny Klassen, or Cody Ransom would be the most-likely possibilities to sign a deal like this with the Cubs. Klassen and Ransom have been at ST with the Cubs before, so they might have an edge just for that reason, although Jimenez and Kata would probably be better options. Like with the #3 catcher, this utility infielder would need to be willing to accept a non-guaranteed minor league deal in the vicinity of $600-900K (along with an NRI to ST).

phew… a Hendry/donut joke, I was afraid we weren’t going to get one today. ====== A Glendon Rusch post, can a manzierre joke be far behind?

I see Wood offered a 3 yr (with 3rd year a mutual option) deal worth $9.5-10M total guaranteed. How they break it out per year, signing bonus, etc. is unknown. Probably would include incentive bonuses for games finished, saves, awards, etc.

*# Rob G. says: October 30th, 2007 at 8:44 pm I can’t believe there are some knuckleheads here would rather entertain thoughts of signing Schilling or Bonds or acquiring Griffey or Dunn before they would break down and admit they’d rather have A-Rod Could you point exactly who said that? * Uhhhh, wasn't there a whole damn post with Schil's face in a Cubs hat as the jump-off point? And since you're so good at finding posts from the ether of history, you can easily find numerous posts advocating the acquisition of Griffey, Dunn, even Bonds by knuckleheads here. One more amusement--I guess if anyone deviates from the hive-mind here, they simply must be Silent Towel. Sports fans are--for the most part--such a joke.

"I can’t believe there are some knuckleheads here would rather entertain thoughts of signing Schilling or Bonds or acquiring Griffey or Dunn before they would break down and admit they’d rather have A-Rod" ≠ "Uhhhh, wasn’t there a whole damn post with Schil’s face in a Cubs hat as the jump-off point?" ...what does a picture of schilling have to do with arod? lemmie answer that...nothing. ...what does a picture of schilling have to do with wanting 1 year of schilling at 18-20ish million vs. 7+ years of arod for 210+ million? lemmie answer that...nothing. "And since you’re so good at finding posts from the ether of history, you can easily find numerous posts advocating the acquisition of Griffey, Dunn, even Bonds by knuckleheads here" yes, yes you can... still, that doesnt negate the fact there's cause/effect links in parts of the arguements you make. just because people talk about wanting schilling or bonds or etc. doesnt mean they want that person more than arod unless explicitly stated. a lotta people who are making argument against Arod have little to do with not wanting his production...they're real-world based arguments based on a number of factors such as concern about real value vs. cost/years and ownership questions...stuff like that.

I don't know what to say about the Boston thing, I just hoped you've actually heard of David Ortiz, Pedro, Nomar, Jim Rice, Manny Ramirez, etc, etc. One more amusement–I guess if anyone deviates from the hive-mind here, they simply must be Silent Towel. Sports fans are–for the most part–such a joke. actually if you take a couple people's comments and group them together to create your own strawman argument that was actually never made by anyone, you get labeled Silent Towel.

Rob, perhaps you don't get the joke: Hendry is slightly overweight, therefore he must eat a lot of doughnuts. Doughnuts are fattening and fat people often eat them. Get it?

Did you guys know Hendry coached at Creighton, but nowhere else? (insert blargh/no/silent towel joke about Hendry's religion here)

Did you guys know Hendry coached at Creighton, but nowhere else? Do they have donuts at Creighton?

some of you idiots would rather have a box of donuts than arod. i seriously don't know why i let you common people listen to my gospel.

We should probably pass on the ARod doughnuts, because Hendry would probably eat them...you know, because he fat.

*a lotta people who are making argument against Arod have little to do with not wanting his production…they’re real-world based arguments based on a number of factors such as concern about real value vs. cost/years and ownership questions…stuff like that.* Again--who's money is being spent here, yours? Do you think Yankees fans sit around fretting and pursing their lips over some potential signing? No, they don't. The only reason people are against signing A-Rod is this: if [when] it doesn't happen they can be the first knucklehead on the block to say "See, I was right...ain't I smart?" As far as the money goes or the stigma of "buying" a championship...at this point, after 99 years of trying EVERY OTHER WAY, I don't care how the Cubs do it, quite frankly. Just get it done. If that means spending 200 or even 300 million, I don't give a fig. If that means throwing Wood and Prior off the roster and letting them go play for Dusty, I don't care. Spend their 6 million [for which you'd assuredly get NOTHING] on A-Rod. I'd also rather see the Cubs overpay for A-Rod than overpay for Jones or Hunter when they could play Pie to play CF for peanuts. Yet, you will see people here arguing the opposite. *I don’t know what to say about the Boston thing, I just hoped you’ve actually heard of David Ortiz, Pedro, Nomar, Jim Rice, Manny Ramirez, etc, etc.* If you "don't know what to say about the Boston thing" then why bring it up like you know something? You ever live in Boston? I have. Boston is like Gary Sheffield's worst nightmare come true. They love Manny because they are winning. Did they love Mo Vaughn?

"The only reason people are against signing A-Rod is this: *nonsense clipped*" actually, the reasons people are against it or question it are spelled out in a variety of ways. oddly, none of which is the one you gave as the "only" reason.

Again–who’s money is being spent here, yours? Do you think Yankees fans sit around fretting and pursing their lips over some potential signing? No, they don’t. When the Cubs have a 200 million dollar payroll this might be relevant. Let me know when that happens. The only reason people are against signing A-Rod is this: if [when] it doesn’t happen they can be the first knucklehead on the block to say “See, I was right…ain’t I smart?” Hehe. Have you actually read any of the reasons that have been given? And let me guess... if the Cubs sign A-Rod, and it works out, you will come around here and talk about how you were the only one here who wanted A-Rod and this entire blog is a bunch of knuckleheads. Of course - none of that would be true, but it would fit right along with the rest of your straw men.

You guys would all rather sit around complaining about strawman arguments than sign ARod and/or eat a box of doughnuts. I for one would like to do both. Next season when I'm sitting on the couch in my underwear, eating a box of doughnuts, and watching ARod put on his Cubby Blue catching gear, you'll all wish you were right, like me. And I'll be back to gloat. Pat Roberston said that the hurricane in that southern area was God's punishment for immorality. Therefore, because Boston won the WS, God likes racists. So let's not complain about Boston fans or we'll be in real trouble. Oh yeah, and Hendry is fat.

...and Wes, ARod's box is in your pants? How does that work? Maybe you meant that YOUR jelly was in ARod's box? That would make much more sense.

If you “don’t know what to say about the Boston thing” then why bring it up like you know something? You ever live in Boston? I have. Boston is like Gary Sheffield’s worst nightmare come true. They love Manny because they are winning. Did they love Mo Vaughn? Wow, thanks for setting me straight on that one, there's some inside info I would have never gotten. So on some silly ESPN.com, "Face of the Franchise" where David Oritz was chosen by two folks already, the only reasonable explanation for Manny being excluded was that he isn't Irish or Italian. Real solid use of your cerebrum there....

Manny is a flake, that's why he wasn't chosen as a possible 'face of the franchise'. The Fans wouldn't want people going around saying 'That's just the Red Sox being the Red Sox' all the time. Since ST went through all the effort to use an ISP masker or get a new one to post, I think that he should get a few weeks before bannedum. It was the Wood and Prior will get you nothing remark that sealed the deal for me. Speaking of the Brokearm Mountain stars, I think that anything over the minimum allowable for Prior (can we non-tender him and then resign him in May ?) would be a bad plan, even that is likely to be money down the drain. Wood = 2 years $8 million with Games and Games started incentives to kick it up to a total maximum value of $12 million.

George Altman — October 31, 2007 @ 12:46 pm I see Wood offered a 3 yr (with 3rd year a mutual option) deal worth $9.5-10M total guaranteed. How they break it out per year, signing bonus, etc. is unknown. Probably would include incentive bonuses for games finished, saves, awards, etc. ============================== GEORGE A: Clubs cannot give bonuses for saves, wins, K, HR, RBI, BA, AB, R, etc. The only permissable "incentive" bonuses for position players are related to games played, games started, plate appearances, time not spent on the DL, All-Star Game appearances, and awards such as MVP, Silver Slugger, Gold Glove, etc, and for pitchers it's games, games finished, games started, time not spent on the DL, All-Star Game, and awards such as MVP, Cy Young, Rolaids Relief, etc.

AZ Phil, Thanks, I did not know that. I would think games finished would be the biggest upside incentive in case he was moved to closer. Do you agree with the money/years?

George Altman — November 1, 2007 @ 8:55 am AZ Phil, Thanks, I did not know that. I would think games finished would be the biggest upside incentive in case he was moved to closer. Do you agree with the money/years? =========================== GEORGE A: Two or three years at a $3M base salary per year with substantial incentives (up to $3M more each season) for GF in case he gets moved to closer is about right. Scott Eyre got a similar incentive deal when he signed with the Cubs two years ago. And the Cubs can't give Wood a guaranteed three years. There has got to be a player option after one year in case Wood feels trapped as a middle-reliever (or absolutely kicks ass as a closer), and a mutual option after two years in case he breaks down again and needs surgery.

Not to defend blargh towel or anything, but yeah, Boston IS known as a very racist town. Anecdotally speaking, a buddy of mine went to college there and loved it (he's Irish). A few years after college he returned there with his Asian wife, and they all but ran him out of town. Mixed marriages are apparently frowned upon.

and before someone takes yet another comment of mine way out of context and creates yet another hollow strawman argument, yeah I know Boston is a racist town, but it had ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to do with why Manny Ramirez wasn't included in the silly ESPN "Face of the Franchise" piece they were running...

*and before someone takes yet another comment of mine way out of context and creates yet another hollow strawman argument* Yeah don't do that, but always take one flippant comment made by someone months and months ago and try to paint that dude's entire character with that comment years later. Even though the reason for the comment was sound and based on facts observed first-hand.

"Hey everyone, I checked this dude's IP and he once accused a town that has a racist history of being racist. Racist!"

Even though the reason for the comment was sound and based on facts observed first-hand. The reason for your comments were not sound because your comment was that Manny wasn't one of the choices because he wasn't Irish or Italian even though David Ortiz was chosen by two of the panelists and there's a long history of non-Irish, non-Italian Boston Red Sox players who the fans their have adored. and I never said, accused, mentioned or even thought in my own head that you were a racist. What I thought was, "wow, that's a real dumb comment" and "why does this guy keep making up arguments"?

[...] Let Freedom Ring-a-Bling!Baseball - With the 2007 World Series history, today marks the beginning of the 15-day MLB Free-Agency Filing Period, where MLB players with at least six years of MLB service time who are not signed to a contract for 2008 are eligible to file for free-agency [...]

[...] Baseball - probably stick with theriot/cedeno esp. since cedeno s power stroke is starting to show itself even if the patience The problem here is that Arod is not worth the investment from a strict business perspective. The Cubs will still sell out Continue [...]

[...] Let Freedom Ring-a-Bling!Baseball - i dont think arod is michael jordon…hell, arod’s national TV exposure is far down from where it was on endorsements (even before his stripper-gate incident). dave says: October 30th, 2007 at 1:20 pm Only Cubs fans or Red Sox fans would say [...]

[...] Baseball - With the 2007 World Series history, today marks the beginning of the 15-day MLB Free-Agency Filing Period, where MLB players with at least six years of MLB service time who are not signed to a contract for 2008 are eligible to file for free-agency … Read more.. [...]

[...] Baseball - With the 2007 World Series history, today marks the beginning of the 15-day MLB Free-Agency Filing Period, where MLB players with at least six years of MLB service time who are not signed to a contract for 2008 are eligible to file for free-agency … Read more.. [...]

Recent comments

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    There are two clear "logjams" in the Cubs minor league pipeline at the present time, namely AA outfielders (K. Alcantara, C. Franklin, Roederer, Pagan, Pinango, Beesley, and Nwogu) and Hi-A infielders (J. Rojas, P. Ramirez, Howard, R. Morel, Pertuz, R. Garcia, and Spence, although Morel has been getting a lot of reps in the outfield in addition to infield). So it is possible that you might see a trade involving one of the extra outfielders at AA and/or one of the extra infielders at Hi-A in the next few days. 

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    18-year old SS Jefferson Rojas almost made the AA Tennessee Opening Day roster, and he is a legit shortstop, so I would expect him to be an MLB Top 100 prospect by mid-season. 

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    Among the relievers in the system, I expect RHRP Hunter Bigge at AAA Iowa and RHRP Ty Johnson at South Bend to have breakout seasons on 2024, and among the starters I see LHP Drew Gray and RHP Will Sanders at South Bend and RHP Naz Mule at ACL Cubs as the guys who will make the biggest splash. Also, Jaxon Wiggins is throwing bullpen sides, so once he is ready for game action he could be making an impact at Myrtle Beach by June.

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    I expect OF Christian Franklin to have a breakout season at AA Tennessee in 2024. In another organization that doesn't have PCA, Caissie, K. Alcantara, and Canario in their system, C. Franklin would be a Top 10 prospect. 

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    The Reds trading Joe Boyle for Sam Moll at last year's MLB Trade Deadline was like the Phillies trading Ben Brown to the Cubs for David Robertson at the MLB TD in 2022. 

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    Javier Assad started the Lo-A game (Myrtle Beach versus Stockton) on the Cubs backfields on Wednesday as his final Spring Training tune-up. He was supposed to throw five innings / 75 pitches. However, I was at the minor league road games at Fitch so I didn't see Assad pitch. 

  • crunch (view)

    cards put j.young on waivers.

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  • Childersb3 (view)

    Seconded!!!

  • crunch (view)

    another awesome spring of pitching reports.  thanks a lot, appreciated.

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    Here are the Cubs pitchers reports from Tuesday afternoon's Cardinals - Cubs game art Sloan Park in Mesa:

    SHOTA IMANAGA
    FB: 90-92 
    CUT: 87-89 
    SL: 82-83 
    SPLIT: 81-84
    CV: 73-74 
    COMMENT: Worked three innings plus two batters in the fourth... allowed four runs (three earned) on eight hits (six singles and two doubles) walked one, and struck out six (four swinging), with a 1/2 GO/AO... he threw 73 pitches (52 strikes - 10 swing & miss - 19 foul balls)... surrendered one run in the top of the 1st on a one-out double off Cody Bellinger's glove in deep straight-away CF followed one out later by two consecutive two-out bloop singles, allowed two runs (one earned) in the 2nd after retiring the first two hitters (first batter had a nine-pitch AB with four consecutive two-strike foul balls before being retired 3 -U) on a two-out infield single (weak throw on the run by Nico Hoerner), a hard-contact line drive RBI double down the RF line, and an E-1 (missed catch) by Imanaga on what should been an inning-ending 3-1 GO, gave up another run in the 3rd on a two-out walk on a 3-2 pitch and an RBI double to LF, and two consecutive singles leading off the top of the 4th before being relieved (runners were ultimately left stranded)... threw 18 pitches in the 1st inning (14 strikes - two swing & miss, one on FB and the other on a SL - four foul balls), 24 pitches in the 2nd inning (17 strikes - three swing & miss, one on FB, two SPLIT - six foul balls), 19 pitches in the 3rd inning (13 strikes - seven swing & miss, three on SL, two on SPLIT, one on FB - three foul balls), and 12 pitches without retiring a batter in the top of the 4th (8 strikes - no swing & miss - four foul balls)... Imanaga throws a lot of pitches per inning, but it's not because he doesn't throw strikes...  if anything, he throws too many strikes (he threw 70% strikes on Tuesday)... while he gets a ton of swing & miss (and strikeouts), he also induces a lot of foul balls because he doesn't try to make hitters chase his pitches by throwing them out of the strike zone... rather, he uses his very diverse pitch mix to get swing & miss (and lots of foul balls as well)... he also is a fly ball pitcher who will give up more than his share of HR during the course of the season...   
     
    JOE NAHAS
    FB: 90-92 
    SL: 83-85 
    CV: 80-81 
    COMMENT: Was called up from the Hi-A South Bend group at Minor League Camp for the day... relieved Imanaga with runners at first and second and no outs in the top of the 4th, and after an E-2 catcher's interference committed by Miguel Amaya loaded he bases, Nahas struck out the side (one swinging & two looking)... threw 16 pitches (11 strikes - two swinging)...   

    YENCY ALMONTE
    FB: 89-92 
    CH: 86 
    SL: 79 
    COMMENT: Threw an eight-pitch 5th (five strikes - no swing & miss), with a 5-3 GO for the first out and an inning-ending 4-6-3 DP after a one-out single... command was a bit off but he worked through it...   

    FRANKIE SCALZO JR
    FB: 94-95
    CH: 88 
    SL: 83
    COMMENT: Was called up from the AA Tennessee group at Minor League Camp for the day and worked the 6th inning... got the first outs easily (a P-5 and a 4-3 GO) on just three pitches, before allowing three consecutive two-out hard-contact hits (a double and two singles), with the third hit on pitch # 9 resulting in a runner being thrown out at the plate by RF Christian Franklin for the third out of the inning... 

    MICHAEL ARIAS
    FB: 94-96
    CH: 87-89
    SL: 82-83
    COMMENT: Was called up from the AA Tennessee group at Minor League Camp for the day and allowed a hard-contact double on the third pitch of the 7th inning (a 96 MPH FB), and the runner came around to score on a 4-3 GO and a WP... gave up two other loud contact outs (an L-7 and an F-9)... threw 18 pitches (only 10 strikes - only one swing & miss)... stuff is electric but still very raw and he continues to have difficulty commanding it, and while he has the repertoire of a SP, he throws too many pitches-per-inning to be a SP and not enough strikes to be a closer... he is most definitely still a work-in-progress...   

    ZAC LEIGH: 
    FB: 93-94 
    CH: 89 
    SL: 81-83 
    CV: 78
    COMMENT: Was called up from the AA Tennessee group at Minor League Camp for the day and tossed a 1-2-3 8th (4-3 GO, K-swinging on a sweeper, K-looking on another sweeper)... threw 14 pitches (11 strikes - one swing & miss - eight foul balls)... kept pumping pitches into the strike zone but had difficulty putting hitters away (ergo a ton of foul balls)... FB velo is nowhere near the 96-98 MPH it was a couple of years ago when he was a Top 30 prospect, but his secondaries are better...   

    JOSE ROMERO:  
    FB: 93-95
    SL: 82-84
    COMMENT: Was called up from the Hi-A South Bend group at Minor League Camp for the day and worked the 9th (14 pitches - only six strikes- no swing & miss) and allowed a solo HR after two near-HR fly outs to the warning track, before getting a 3-1 GO to end the inning... it was like batting practice when he wasn't throwing pitches out of the strike zone...