Reds Unlikely To Sign Wood

I am still confused what an "Arb" is...

This is the same team that wants to pay peavy 60+ million over the next 5+ years, yet cannot pay it's closer 10-12 million for 1?

I usually do not let emotions play in on Cub moves. Again, I understand the why's and the reasonings. Wood is let free to walk and sign elsewhere. I think it sucks!

I can't wait until Kosuke and Lee are off the payroll. This team needs to draft better, when Lee leaves we have no replacement for him. I would like to have more guys like Soto and Marmol who are young and cheap. Thats whats allowed the Red Sox and Angels to stay competitive for long periods, theyre able ot spend money when they need to. Im just ranting though, the cubs just let a good player walk away when the worse case senerio was a one year deal. I hate you Jason Marquis.

"Just because the Cubs made this decision does not mean they cannot continue to negotiate with Wood, who has spent his entire career with the team, or the others."

Yeah, I suppose that CAN happen. No Wood and no picks...wonderful.

"I understand that it makes selling the team harder if you give out big deals,"

Trading for Peavy and targetting/signing Raul Ibanez will make the club harder to sell than holding on to Wood for a one year deal.

"I still have a feeling that Wood signs with the Cubs for a one year cheaper deal full of incentives."

If Hendry and Wood strike some sort of 1 year deal and somehow Woody comes back with a base contract full of incentives, that would be great. My glass is half empty on this one.

But I'll hold out hope, even though...

If he accepted they could not even afford 5 million and then flip him for big return at trade deadline?

Their is another team that might like a reliever of Wood's caliber that isn't far from Wrigley. The Cardinals.

I doubt it...but honestly, they want a closer and didn't want to give up a pick. Man I hate this offseason so far.

"Their is another team that might like a reliever of Wood's caliber that isn't far from Wrigley. The Cardinals."

Don't forget about the Brewers, who probably need him more.

And now without wood and the two picks. what a f*** offseason.

"I personally have lost respect for Hendry over the handling of this one. Those 2 picks were the ONE reason why I wasn't reeling over this one. Now we have lost Wood, Ceda, and two first round draft picks...and replaced it with Gregg. I understand Howry, but I just think that this is unacceptable".

Adunc, i share the frustation but really the draft picks were never there, imo at least. Wood would have accepted arbitration - he said as much when he said he would have been satisfied with a 1-year offer.

The crime is Hendry's decision to pay Gregg 5-6 M this year as opposed to Wood at 10-12M. It would not have taken that much creativity to carve 5-7M out of next year's payroll - trade Marquis, backload a bit more of Dempter's contract, etc. The incentive of not having to trade your 2nd best prospect should have been enough. Very frustating.

This whole situation reeks of sh*t and everybody knows it.

Hendry lost some serious respect in my eyes with the handling of this situation.

Even if there is no money for him this year, Hendry's poor contracts of years past are certainly coming to the forefront.

The Cubs have a lot of money tied up in an injury prone, mental LF, a could be bust CF/RF, an aging 1B, a very expensive 5th SP, and an underperforming (and now injury-prone) ace SP.

With all that said, I agree with the sentiments above about creativity. Good GM's find a way to get deals like this done.

Elcaballo,
I don't think any team would - more than likely the cub's would send a sizable chunk of money in any trade.

Marquis is OK for an NL team at $3-5m.

rollingdeuce,

I understand what you are saying, but I'm just saying that you don't trade Ceda for Gregg unless you are at LEAST going to get two extra picks in the process. You just don't. Its not so much about losing Wood, which I don't like anyway, but rather sending out your 2nd best prospect, who is your best pitching prospect, for one year of Gregg and not getting picks to restock.

Frankly, we might miss Wood more than most realize. Marmol is fantastic...but the Marmol/Wood combo was among the nastiest in the game. When you think about Wood going to the Cards or Brewers, it could get even worse.

People saying that Lee's contract is bad aren't correct. It is right at market value right now, and he is earning every penny. Ramirez contract isn't really even backloaded, so nothing to complain about there. Soriano's is the really bad one...but we all knew that. Marquis is the one that is sticking out like a sore thumb right now. We all knew it was 1 year too long at the time...

Sorry, I'm just frustrated with this sh*t right now. Losing Wood is one thing, but you just cannot make the Gregg trade if you aren't going to have picks to restock the system. Ceda could have netted much more value than 1 year of Gregg.

If Wood is a smart man he'd stay away from Dusty Baker.

"At the end of the day Kevin Gregg is going to cost around $5m. Knowing that you could have had Wood + Ceda for an extra $5m has to hurt. It gets worse if it turns out that Marmol is better suited to set-up than to close."

That's exactly what I have been trying to say. As good as Marmol is, he has a tendency to loose focus or get rattled from time to time. He gets slider happy now and again as well. We don't know what Marmol will be like as a closer. We will find out though. I'm sure he will do well. It's just Marmol and Wood at the back end proved to be a nasty 1-2 punch last year. There is no need to break that up over 5 mil, like you point out.

Gregg is not a horrible pick up. But Hendry did not need to use Ceda in that deal and could have kept the Marmol/Wood combo at another postseason run. Other guys moved past Ceda in the teams eyes, but he could have been groomed for a set up role when Shark goes to the rotation in '10. Or been in on a trade package that filled a better need. Then get a veteran bull pen arm in the mix if needed at the July deadline.

i was looking around at teams that need a closer, and their really aren't that many. the brewers, mets and angels are the teams that immediately come to mind (at least the teams expecting to compete next year) considering those three teams all lost their own. it seems to me that the cardinals are going to go with that kid perez, but i'm not really sure. anyway, i see them building their bullpen on the cheap, like they always have. how many teams out there are really going to pay for a closer? nobody is spending money right now. woody is more attractive given he won't cost draft picks, but his injury history scares people. then, think about all the closers out there: wood, k-rod, fuentes, hoffman. and i don't buy wood going somewhere to set up. he wants to close.

La Russa lives for the day he can bring Wood in against the Cubs, but Kerry would make them pay a LOT of money, and they don't have it. Hopefully same for Brewers/Astros/Reds.

Seriously, how much would the Cards love to repay the whole Edmonds situation? I doubt it will happen...but I'll be sick if it does...I live in St. Louis, and thats the last thing I need my friend to be talking about.

By the way, I believe the Cards had more blown saves than anyone last year. Wood without costing picks has to seem like a pretty good option if they are willing to look at free agents.

off topic, but over the holiday i was talking with my cardinal fan in-laws, and i didn't realize this, but pujols is a free agent in 2 years. i scared the bejeezus out of them when i informed them that derrek lee's contract is up at the same time and new owners will be in by then, ones who will presumably open up the check book. tex is going to one of the big market teams, you'd think, and howard will probably be locked up by then too. can you just imagine?

F U Cubs. Finally, us cub fans get some hard core evidence that you all are a bunch of f*ing idiots. I'm confident many of the contributors on this page could run the team better.

I think yesterday caused many fans of several teams a sick feeling inside. Teams are worried with the state of the economy and not chancing some guys would accept the arbitration. Many whom would make more than they would get for a one year deal elsewhere. Teams would rather lose a couple picks than pay millions more for their guys. It does not make it any easier for me, either. Like most every Cub fan, I feel the Kerry Wood situation stunk from the begining and he should be in a Cub uni next year.

They lost Woody, they traded Ceda for Marmol's or Woody's replacement and they lost two picks for not offering salary arbitration. He could end up closing within the NL Central, which would make all us Cub fans sick.

I don't understand the rationale behind this decision. Of course I haven't understood the rationale about not re-signing him right off the bat, when, I believe, he is more valuable to this team than Ryan Dempster is, and we just gave him 4 and 48....puzzling

Good point jrfukudome,

Never thought about Ibanez costing us a pick. This move stinks! I don't want Ibanez now especially since he's 36 and going to command a large contract. I guess I'd rather have Abreu. As for the Peavy deal, if we don't sign someone like Abreu, the Cubs better get a potent LH bat from the Peavy trade or by dumping Marquis on someone.

And yeah, I see Wood signing with Brewers. Scary!

If the Cubs give up their first round pick to sign Raul Ibanez, rather than signing someone that would cost nothing like Dunn or Abreu, I'd be very curious as to why.

Dunn and Abreu are awful defensive players, but so is Ibanez, and while he's the lefty hitter they crave, Adam Dunn could easily be as well. I'd hate to see Dunn in right field though, which keeps forces me back to a Derrek Lee trade.

Lee and cash to the Giants for Randy Winn, and then the Cubs sign Dunn to take over at first? I know it won't happen, but the lineup we could make would be really good.

RF Winn (S)
SS Theriot (R)
1B Dunn (L)
3B Ramirez (R)
LF Soriano (R)
C Soto (R)
2B DeRosa (R)
CF Fukudome (L)

With major at bats at second from Fontenot (L), with Winn moving to center and DeRosa to right field.

scribbletone - I don't see why that's so far fetched. I also don't think you would have to kick over any cash. Doing a deal like that would only raise payroll an additional $7m or so. And you don't need to fill a hole in CF any longer.

That would be a tremendous lineup.

This could of all been avoided if Hendry didn't trade for Gregg. He should of just gave Wood a 1 year deal with a club option. Anyway, a Peavy trade could rebound the Gregg trade and not signing Wood put together.

Scribblestone,
I'm with you a lefty with speed and is clutch is good for the Cubs.

Scribbletone- I like that lineup a lot, but I'd prefer to put Aram in the three hole while Dunn cleans up, and breaks up the righties.