Nationals Make Guaranteed Offer To Sosa

The genius of Jim Bowden strikes again.  He's offered Sammy Sosa a guaranteed Major League contract with incentives.

It seems like Washington was the only club considering such an offer.  Sosa earned $17MM in 2005, and had negative offensive value.  He was outhit by many pitchers, including Elmer Dessens, Hector Carrasco, and Josh Fogg.  He just barely edged out Braves pitcher Jorge Sosa offensively.

However, Sosa was far from the worst hitter in baseball.  That honor goes to Miguel Olivo's Seattle stint, where he hit .151/.172/.276 in 157 plate appearances.  Nipping at Olivo's heels was Corey Patterson, who hit .215/.251/.348 in 483 plate appearances.

Should we expect another laughably bad season from the former idol?  Tough to say.  Let's take a look at the field of forecasters, using the AVG-HR-RBI-runs format and pro-rating to my projected total of 486 ABs.

RotoAuthority:  .245-19-60-51
PECOTA:           .242-21-76-53
ZiPS:                .227-23-74-39

Outlook: not so good.  Sosa looks to serve as the backup for Jose Guillen, who is in no hurry to get back after November labrum surgery.  Guillen should miss at least a month of the season. Why can't Ryan Church get some love?

Mark your calendars for Tuesday, May 16th at 7:05.  That would presumably mark Sosa's return to Wrigley Field if he accepts the Nats' offer and stays healthy that long.  It's not entirely out of the question that Sosa could be pursuing his 600th home run during the Wrigley Series if he has a great April.  He has faced Greg Maddux more than any other Cubs starter, and has three home runs in 56 at-bats against him.

Comments

[REM]

Why were people on Palmeiro's back so much about steroids and not Sosa's? I mean this is the guy fans claimed to be an ambassador of baseball. He corked his bat, beat his wife, stole from a charity, and obviously used steroids. A person like this should deserve no such credit and have all HR stripped from his stats.

[RumorMonger]

I think it's because Palmeiro tested positive and Sosa did not.

[Braves "fan"]

I almost feel bad for the Nats at this point; I certainly pity their fans just a little bit. Their promising young players are being blocked by the most absurd FA pickups and trades. A sad day for baseball in Washington indeed.

[Frank Robinson]

I like this deal. It gives the Nats veteran presense. I am still wondering why the Nats dealt Castilla away. Any lineup that could potentially include Michael Tucker, Sosa, and Byrd as starting OFs, with Castilla, Damian Jackson, Crsitian Guzman, and Robert Fick in the IF is an automatic contender. They should deal Ryan Zimmerman for someone like Eric Milton, just to add a more veteran presence to the pitching staff. And of coursem, try to re-acquire Castilla for John Patterson. He's too tall and skinny and talented to be with the Nats.

[Nationals Pride, Baby!]

This is ridiculous; I freakin' hate Bowden right now! Hey Braves "fan", we don't need your pity, we need your GM!

[Frank Robinson]

I forgot to mention. They all play the game the right way. Just like I would right now. They play old and slow, with a side of senile.

When the red sox almost hired Bowden, was that just posturing knowing that Theo would come back, or were they really thinking about hiring this guy. Based on this and the Soriano deal he just looks horrible and wonder what the Red Sox saw in him.

[RumorMonger]

We can rag on Bowden for this, but at least it won't cost anything besides development for better young players. Plus, Sosa could prove profitable if he puts people in the seats as he chases 600.

[Captain Leather Pants MUST GO]

"it won't cost anything besides development for better young players"

That's pretty significant. Especially when you are replacing potential development with retreads and marginal bench players. How about you take Bowden as your GM and then tell me what you think?

[RumorMonger]

Fair enough, that is a big cost in itself.

[Jarid]

I think RM hit it on the head with filling the seats as Sosa approaches 600. I mean, it really comes down to $$$ in the pocket of Mr. John Q. Owner anyhoo. Especially when they are trying to gather any support possible to get a new stadium built.

[Braves "fan"]

Is there any chance that an enterprising team could pry Watson, Church, et al from Washington? I personally believe Church is an excellent OF prospect.

[Jarid]

Depends on if Mo Vaughn or Albert Belle are available.

[steven]

God it would be nice for Chicago to see Sammy come back as a Nat and hit #600 at Wrigley. No matter what, their is still a large number of us Cubs fans who remember all those homers he hit for us. Sammy will get a curtain call and the gratitude he rightfully deserves. Sammy, cubdom still loves you!

[Deznuts]

Yeah, Sosa deserves a big round of applause for those steroid-aided homers. Cubs fans will remember him always for helping them win nothing. The sad thing is that Sham-Me has even stated that the reason he wants to still play is to reach 600 homers, not to win a World Series. What a bum.

[jason]

now you can't say Sosa did nothing for the Cubs. Not only did he revive the Cubs, but he excited a stadium more than any player I can remember. If i were at Wrigley Field and Sosa hit his 600th, being the loyal Cubs fan I am, I would gladly cheer for Sosa--because he was what Chicago Cubs baseball was for years.

[steven]

Sammy was one of the reasons why Cubs fans had something to be proud of during those mediocre years. Don't blame him for those mediocre teams in the 90s. Sosa put up Ruth-like numbers: +50 Hrs & 150 rbis when he was the face of our franchise

BLAME McPhail!
McPhail is the BUM!

[REM]

Sosa cheated, he would have never come close to any of those numbers if it werent for corked bats and steroids. Sosa should easily be the poster boy for steroid users since he clearly benefited the most from it. Carrying a franchise by cheating should not be praised by any means. Any cub "fans" that still thinks sosa was something special is a fool, then in the same regard all the cub "fans" that are off the sosa bandwagon now are just as bad since they were all on his nuts and everyone knew he was a cheater then just abandoned ship when it was the cool thing to do.

[steven]

Deznuts,

LMAO
You must be one of those jaded sox fans who are still upset that we dump George Bell on you guys for a HOF player :p
LMAO

[REM]

upset that we traded a skinny overrated prospect that juiced up ??? HELL NO. im glad we got rid of him the second anyone with eyes could tell he was cheating. and PLEASE do not get me started on bad trades the cubs have made, along with terrible signings over the years. Who the hell would be jealous of trading away a blatant cheater that helped ruin credibility of an entire sport.

[RumorMonger]

Hindsight is 20/20; no one was talking about steroid use in 1998.

[steven]

Shut your mouth REM.
Until evidence is provided that shows Sosa using steroids , he is innocent til proven guilty. Don't presume to judge an indivual of using performance-enhancements based on your biased opinion

[steven]

Apparently sux fans are upset that Sosa didn't put up those monster numbers on the southside like the way he did at our shrine.

LMAO thinking of how pathetic sux fans are when it comes to Sosa

[Kyle]

it is the state of baseball right now that we will never know who used steroids and who didnt(given no one admits it) so in this age perception will rule how we judge these people. Sosa is very shady he went from being an absolutely amazing hitter to one of the worst regular players in baseball. Personally I point directly to steroids but if you want to believe that he just had some good years under his own control fine its your choice. I just hope that the writers think and keep Sosa out of the Hall. People like him McGuire, Palmiero, and Bonds have no place among the all time greats such as Ruth, Gehrig, Mays, and Aaron

[steven]

"I just hope that the writers think and keep Sosa out of the Hall."

Even IF Sosa did do steroids it wasn't illegal back in the late 90s. Fortunately, your opinion means very little to the baseball writers. Sosa is a first ballot HOF!

[Randy]

Everyone knows that Sosa used steriods and corked bats.

However, many players are known steriod users and some will also get into the HOF.

Whatever they did for their teams counted - at the time.

There were only 4 years in Sosa's career that I would have wanted him on my team. Those were 1998-2001. He deserved the MVP in 1998. He was a selfish and dumb player with poor instincts for the game but during those years he hit enough home runs and drove in enough runs to make up for it.

Ofcourse he wouldn't have been that kind of player without steriods but the same can be said of dozens of other stars. At the time, it all counted.

[steven]

HOW MANY TIMES DO YOU NEED TO BE TOLD??? Sosa has never been proven to have used steroids! Until you provide credible evidence, your argument is WEAK! Randy is yet another example of sux fans who don't know what their talking about and just presume their bias is credibility enough!
STOP being pissed off that you guys got hosed in that Sosa for Bell trade.

[Randy]

Steven, I can tell that you are a flubs fan.

You know why ? Because you are clueless as in "clueless as a cubs fan".

[steven]

As for the corked bat, That was only ONE time, don't you think he would have been caught if he was a chronic corked bat user!
Once again sux fans obviously don't have a clue what they are talking about.
It could be the result of being Chicago's bastard/unloved baseball team.
You guys need to get over the fact that the sox will always be #2 and the chicago Cubs are the pride and joy of the windy city.

[steven]

hey rand,
"Everyone knows that Sosa used steriods and corked bats."
Sounds just like a disgrunted sux fan who wished Sosa was on the southside during his prime. What a story that would have been to have Sammy and Frank "I Take HGH" Thomas on the same team.

[steven]

sox fans need to look at their own players (Frank, Thome, and Albert bell) before they start throwing performance-enhancement accusations at Sammy!

[REM]

Yea Albert Belle is the face of the White Sox that fans talk up to be some great player. Most ppl say Belle was a disgrace to the game.

As for Thomas, his numbers were better earlier on in his career when no steroids were present.

Steven is possibly the most clueless poster I've ever encountered. People like him make it hard for the rest of the baseball world to respect the opinions of other cub "fans". It is a shame that the ridiculous comments spewed by cub "fans" ruin it for the credible honest others.

[steven]

REM, most sox fans still speak highly of Albert Belle. They still remember that devastating combo of thomas and Belle! Its too bad that REM has his stuck up in his @ss, maybe then he could stop making ridiculous post.

[REM]

Sorry I speak English can you translate?

yea all Sox fans love to bring up Albert Belle with the likes of Thomas, Fox, Apiricio, etc.

How many years did Belle even play with the Sox? 3-4 TOPS. He is more of a Cleveland Indian than White Sox.

[Jarid]

"Sammy will get a curtain call and the gratitude he rightfully deserves. Sammy, cubdom still loves you!"

Sammy will always be the fans player. But he lacked as a team player, and did nothing to 'lead' this team. There were plenty of great times when Sosa was here, but regardless of your opinion of Baker/MacPhail, etc, Sosa walked out on the Cubs, and he walked out on me and many others as a fan. I would applaud him, no doubt, but if his 600th were to beat the Cubs or have a major impact in the game, I would do no such thing.....

[Kyle]

Belle played 2 seasons with the White Sox

[Braveswin]

Bowden ruined any chance of Sammy retiring by offering a guaranteed deal.

[Cubsfan06]

Well, I must agree Sosa is an arrogant player, no doubt about it. But man, this guy was a team chemistry IMPACT player. He brings the excitement in the team, and he really knows how to keep the mood in a ecstatic mode. And hey, MANY cubs players would agree with me (I have talked to players during my shidt in wrigely, and i discussed about Sammy with some of them). I remember last year Greg Maddux in the spring training said sosa was a big loss because of the excitement and "electricity" he brings into the locker room. Yes, Sammy blows now, but he brings the mood up in the team. I respect him for that, but I dont respect him for his arrogance. If Sammy were to come here to Wrigely to hit number 600, honestly, I would have mixed feelings. Walking out on the team was his true display of his arrogance, and that really pissed me off.

[Braves "fan"]

Rumor, I hate to ask the same thing twice, but I fear that my first post was lost in the shuffle.

Is there any chance that a team can swoop in now and get a guy like Church or Watson for cheap? I am really high on Church, but Watson could also make a useful CF/leadoff man.

[Kyle]

I doubt it the nationals already traded away some of there outfield depth with Wilkerson and sledge and with the questions about now existing(can sammy play, will soriano shift out there) I doubt they would be willing to part with any of there outfielders but who knows they did just sign Sosa thats not showing much intelligence

[RumorMonger]

Hey Braves dude. I can see Watson being available, but Church probably not so much.

[junbun]

i'm a die hard loyal cubs fan, so before you say "hey sux fan" let me just stop you right there. sure, sammy was a great hitter for a 4-5 year stretch. sure, sammy was the only reason most people watched cubs games. problem is, he was a huge cancer to the team when his production began to slip. i don't know why cubsfan06 says he would "bring up the mood"... i seem to remember a lot of stories about the other cub players really disliking sammy and his boombox. then there was that smashing incident haha.

during the last few years of sammy's stay as a cub, pretty much all he did was waste $17m/yr... and constantly complained about his spot in the order, and REFUSED to change his batting approach despite it being obvious that he could no longer sit that far back off the plate.

at the same time, for those people that say sammy was nothing and they would do the george bell trade again.. you're not fooling anyone. we know that you thought sammy was a great hitter from 98-01 so quit pretending you werent on the bandwagon too.

EDITOR'S NOTE: Debating is great, but please don't use harsh language or say anything disrespectful. Thanks.

[junbun]

:|

[Frank Robinson]

Don't forget the Nats have Michael Tucker and Marlon Byrd. An OF of Byrd, Tucker and Sosa with Fick being the 4th OF (Matt Lecroy would take over as primary 1B backup would be fine). So definitely, if we take Bowden's actions lately, Church and Watson, and perhaps even Zimmerman are available because they are young and talented players. The Nationals have no need for that. I am sure they have some OF journeyman in the minors who could be the 5th OF. I can see a scenario the Nats trade Watson to the Reds for Eric Milton and Church to the Braves for John Foster. It would bolster our rotation and bullpen while ridding ourselves of talented youngsters.

[jadda]

the offer to Sosa was NOT guaranteed. Not sure where this site got its info from, but its wrong.

[RumorMonger]

Call me crazy, but I'd check at least past the second sentence before questioning where my info came from.

Bowden corrected the published reports of a guaranteed offer.

[Little Danny Bernstein from Deerfield, IL]

I'll ask Terry's peeps...

[steven]

CUBS FOR WORLD SERIES '07!
WE HAVE THE BEST ROTATION BY FAR IN THE MAJOR LEAGUES! WHOS BETTER THAN PRIOR OR WOOD? HOW ABOUT FARNSWORTH! BEST CLOSER IN THE NL IF NOT THE AL TOO. BETTER THAN RIVERA THATS FOR SURE! GOO CUBBIES LEE AND RAMIREZ ANCHOR A POWERFUL LINEUP! DUSTY BAKER FOR PRESIDENT! DONT BE JEALOUS SUX FANS!!!

[Kyle]

CUBS FOR WORLD SERIES '07!
WE HAVE THE BEST ROTATION BY FAR IN THE MAJOR LEAGUES! WHOS BETTER THAN PRIOR OR WOOD? HOW ABOUT FARNSWORTH! BEST CLOSER IN THE NL IF NOT THE AL TOO. BETTER THAN RIVERA THATS FOR SURE! GOO CUBBIES LEE AND RAMIREZ ANCHOR A POWERFUL LINEUP! DUSTY BAKER FOR PRESIDENT! DONT BE JEALOUS SUX FANS!!!

You sir are an idiot it is pathetic that you dont even know your own team Farnsworth is not on the cubs he is on the Yankees, he wasnt even on the cubs last year he hasnt pitched for the cubs since 2004. In addition Prior and Wood even if healthy arent the best 1-2 pitchers in baseball and that is a big if since neither of them are ever healthy

[RumorMonger]

Kyle, I think he was mocking Cubs fans or something like that. This type of worthless comment is getting tired, and I may have to move to a login comment system although I'd prefer not to.

[Kyle]

Fair enough I did find it hard to believe anyone didnt know farnsworth wasnt still on the cubs

[the artist formerly known as steven]

i guess i got on this idiots nerves somehow at one point. guess ill pick up a new handle. i liked your reasoning for not having a login monger but this idiot may ruin it for all.

[Little Danny Bernstein from Deerfield, IL]

I'm getting really tired of Terry downing all that spicy food and than bring ing up his "ring of fire" experience on the crapper the next morning.