Cubs Sale Still Unresolved

Finally this gets done. Unfortunately all the players that they could have used as trade pieces have lost about half their value.

im almost glad peavey is sidelined right now, because this thread would become the most obnoxious thread in the history of this site, and that would be quite an accomplishment considering

umm, the cubs are 2.5 back of two very unsteady teams, they have a more then legit chance of winning...

This just in. It's being reported that Jake Peavy had a miracle turn around in his recovery.

Re: Pedro and Peavy

The Cubs don't need pitching. They need hitting. Who are the top candidates for a trade? I don't know. But I'd love to see someone like Holliday roving the Wrigley outfield (pipe dream, I know).

Good now take Lowe's contract off our hands.

Now go get either Dan Uggla or Freddy Sanchez for 2B.

Posted by: jlb1980 | July 06, 2009 at 11:18 AM

Why would you want Uggla? You don't think the Cubs have enough .220 hitters that do nothing, but strike out on the team? Here's the problem the Cubs have, they don't have anyone in the minors to trade other then Vitters, who is in A ball still. We've already seen the Cubs move this year, his name was Jeff Baker.

Also just said the deal won't close until August at the earliest so whoever the goof that wrote this and put this might give the Cubs the ability to add payroll didn't think before he typed.

And even if the sale is somehow finalized before the trade deadline, who says the Cubs can pull off any trade given the amount of time they would have and the amount of usable prospects. Jake Fox Randy Wells Sam Fuld and Hart are the fisrt people I would ask for any trade if I were the other team and I don't know if those palyers would get you much of anything. Plus they are helping out our team right now and we can not afford to lose them with Soriano Bradley and Soto all slumping. And The Ricketts family might not even want to add payroll until after the season becasue they just spent 900 Million to buy the cubs and had to get loans to do so.

No because the bankruptcy court has to approve the sale of the Cubs to Ricketts. They won't approve them to add payroll before they approve the sale. The Cub's bankruptcy court hearing dates are after July 31st.

It's somewhat similiar to Chrysler, where they made them close alot of dealerships and restructure the company even though everyone knew Fiat was going to buy them. They still had to downsize and cut costs. The Cubs don't have to downsize since technically they are just an entity owned by a bigger corp. The Tribune Company has to downsize, and they are doing that by selling the Cubs, but until the new owner actually takes control,and is approved by the bankruptcy courts, the Trib still owns them. The problem is the hearings to with the bankruptcy court won't be until after July 31st

If you don't think the Cubs are in the playoff hunt, you're not following baseball.

Getting Uggla will give you an average 32/95/.257 line. This way the Cubs could use Andy White or Mike Fontenot as trade bait and have the other as the back up middle IF.

Not all of us from Wisconsin are ignorant and d-bags.

"I have my fingers crossed. But it probably wont happen until the offseason :("

I think that a lot of Cub fans have hope that the Ricketts family will change that team.

With the fanbase and revenue that the Cubs have, they should have a payroll that at least comes somewhat close to the Yankees, and with a Chicago-based family finally owning the team, you can expect the ownership to persue winning championships, rather than making a profit, which was clearly the goal of the Tribune.

I wouldn't mind seeing a good bit of turnover in the front office, and the roster too, but unfortunately, Hendry handed out a lot of contracts that won't be easy to move.

Holliday for Cashner, Flaherty, Colvin and Fox?

I'm sorry, Oakland, but I just absolutely would not give up Josh Vitters for a half-year of Holliday.

Vitters has a chance to be a really special hitter.

what is the world do you do with Holliday, where do you play him,

Here is the reality, Cubs biggest need is probably second base, Ugla is not really very good. Freddy Sanchex of a guy like Christian Guzman being moved to second base is the move the Cubs should make.

Here is the reality, Cubs biggest need is probably second base, Ugla is not really very good. Freddy Sanchex of a guy like Christian Guzman being moved to second base is the move the Cubs should make.
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If you're gonna get Cristian Guzman, why not play him at SS and move Theriot to 2nd?

"You use a Holliday (or any other outfielder) trade as a mode to bench or release Bradley without a grievance from the MLBPA. He's 10 games shy of that option vesting. "

Cant bench him, it would be wasting a valuable spot (yes, our bench might suck, but it overflowing with players we need to make up for the deficiencies we have starting.

Besides, Bradley is hitting right now, so it would be hard to get away with a claim of “having a better option”. And we cant bench him for long periods of time due to his mental aspects because it doesnt remove them from the club - if he is there, there is no reason to not have him seeing time, even if as just a pinch hitter.

I am still all for releasing him though, he hurts the club with his attitude, lackadaisical approach and salary much more then he will probably ever help. We just need to do it fast so he doesn’t cost 12 million in 2011!

Zambrano is such a bum. Payin that guy 19 million dollars a year on a long term deal is insanity! The Cubs are saddled in payroll debt from bad contracts (Soriano, Bradley, etc). Dempster is a good pitcher, but he didn't come cheap either.

I thought only the Yankees did such outrageous, ridiculously overpriced contracts.

Jason, on #1 specifically, unfortunately much of it isnt true.

“Remember, Soriano was the best free agent on the market at the time.”

While true, he got paid like he was the best player in the game. There is a big difference between best on market and best in game. He now sits with the 10th biggest contract ever given, and in a tie for the 17th highest annual salary ever.

“Fukudome had bigger offers from other teams.”

True. And this one may hurt less if we hadn’t also signed corner outfielders the year prior, and after as well.

“Zambrano got the money pitchers with his record get, look around the league.”

This one isnt true at all. Zambrano has the 20th biggest contract ever given out, 6th biggest ever to a pitcher, 12th biggest annual salary of all time and 4th highest annual salary to a pitcher. All this while his production matches up best with #2 and #2+/1- pitchers around the league who make 9-13 million a year. He is not elite, he just makes that kind of money.

“While he did overpay for Bradley, no one could predict the market would completely fall out on other Outfielders and no one would be saying a word if he was preforming.”

True on not knowing the bottom would completely fall out (although, it should have been noticed there were more corner OFers then open spots for the OFers to play around the league). The difference is everyone knew he would be a distraction and constantly complain/miss time due to whatever injury he claimed today.

“Imagine if he had signed Kerry Wood to a long term deal like people were calling for.”

Long term deal was never talked about. But offering arbitration so maybe he comes back for 1 year, or we get prospects from DPs if he doesn’t, is almost a no brainer. He failed horribly here by dismissing the possibility and trading a prospect who should have brought more just to save about 5 million with Greg instead.

“Or traded away Derrick Lee, the guy who has basically been caring this team.”

He cant trade Lee. Derrek, just like everyone else he signed, has a full no trade clause. Dempster and Bradley are the only two multi-year players without the no-trade clause. Well, Miles too – but he is hardly a player, lol

“The fact is the PLAYERS have not lived up to the contracts and that is not always Hendry's fault.”

That is true to an extent. The difficulty is that we are paying 117 million next years on 10 players who should maybe cost us 80-90 million max. And since he has been responsible for a truly weak farm system, the overpaying is compounded. Hendry really is still following the Yankees 03-07 game plan of throwing money at top talents, a folly even the Yankees have since reversed. Little to no attention paid to system, all players brought in from showering them with cash and promises – he created his own problems. It is past time he goes.

For the two of you claiming i am so wrong, you seem to admit a lot of truth in what i am saying.

Hendry "bid against himself" and paid so much to get his guy. He wanted to make sure he got the best player on the market that year and as a result was willing to overpay.

I don't understand Suzysman's point about signing corner outfielders? who exactly did we have to play right before Fukudome? if we did not need him we would not have gone after him. And i am not saying that signing him should be a feather, it should just not be thrown back in Hendry's face when others were willing to pay more.

While i know Zambrano struggles at time to be an ace, do not make it seem like the money spent on him is so bad. You want to call his contract high, so be it, but i know coming off some of the years he has had prior to last year. He was an ace with a very good record and worthy of a large contract.

While i will agree they went after the wrong guy as i wanted Dunn from the beginning, on the field Bradley appeared to be a very good option. Again to SUzysman there are many players that are headcases, look at Manny in LA for one. But if you get PRODUCTION, people look past being an idiot. That cannot ALL be on Hendry when the player is not prefroming.

Kerry Wood, had you offered him arbitration, no one would have jumped on him and give up their 1st round pick. sorry to burst your bubble there. second he would have paid 10 million if not more and has been terrible this year. and even with the contract were 3 years it would look just as bad as Milton Bradleys deal at the moment. While i did not like trading Ceda, Hendry went after his guy and got him for a prospect that could end up being nothing.

I know Derrick Lee has a full no trade, but that did not stop 10s if not 100s of people calling for either his trading or benching in favor of Hoffpauir. That is my point, if Hendry listened to every person calling for something, we may not have Lee's current production.

Hendry has put together a team that won the division two years in a row, winning 97 games last year and despite the problems is still in contention this year. He can not be blamed for players doing nothing in the playoffs. And while i give you the farm system is a bit weak, no one would care if we were 5,6,7 games up in the division right now.