Yankees, Angels, Sawx and Cubs - these are all potential destinations for A-Rod. By all looks of it, A-Rod is going to opt out... move on. And why not? Who would want to play for the Yankees anymore? They have the highest payroll, yet they are 10 games out of first. (To put this in perspective, they would be 6 game out of first in the NL Central... arugably the most woeful division in baseball.)
A-Rod is a sensitive guy. The NY media gets to him - he's admitted that. That fans jumping on his back gets to him - he's admitted this too. Whether A-Rod is a winner is yet to be determined. His .102 batting average in the playoffs the last two years is certainly not playing in his favor. (Oh to be hovering around the Mendoza line!) He's stand up guy who's name you never see in the blotter.
A-Rod needs to play for the Cubs: for the sake of his sanity, the sake of his career.
You see, we Cub fans are different: futility, thy name is Cubs. To be a Cub fan means to suck it, eat it, bite it, slurp it, dunk it in water to make it go down easier... we are used to disappointment. A-Rod is a great regular season player. We LOVE the regular season - until Labor Day that is, when CUBS officially becomes: Completely Useless By September.
All of the pressure of success will be but a memory. All of those fans who expect a Championship will be in the other league. The owner who stalks his players, forbids facial hair - hell, we don't even have an owner. The constant comparisons to Jeter - with the Cubs, he'll play the same position as Jeter - A-Rod would get to be a SS again!
A-Rod would be a God in Chicago. I think he knows this. We all know this. Boras knows this. Boras has more clients in Chicago than he could shake a stick at - and I've seen him shake a stick at a lot of people.
It just makes sense. A-Rod is a gamer but he gets too wound up, too
nervous, to bothered. We expect it! Losing in the first round of
playoffs? That's success round these parts. Mathematically eliminated
by May 8th? We gave it a go, can't win 'em all - next year is our year! A couple two, tree errors? Ummm have you met us?
Lastly, when our ballplayers go out on the town with mysterious blonds, they stay that way, mysterious. Vegas has nothing on the fraternity that is Chicago. What happens in Vegas stay in Vegas? What happens in Chicago - never happened. You hear me? It NEVER happened.
While i would love to watch A-Rod play for the Cubs, if his decision is based on getting away fomr pressure its not gonna happen. People still think of Cub fans as idiots dont care about winning and will show up win or lose. Part of that is true. Cub fans will show up no matter how bad the team is, but they put huge amounts of pressure on their players. Cliff Floyd even went so far to say that the team feels more comfortable on the road and he kinda said that the pressure is so intense that it hsa basically ruined Jacque Jones.
On the other hand, we have Lou Piniella and A-Rod has made his infatuation with Sweet Lou public knowledge.
All that said, it depends on whether the new ownership will let Hendry spend like he did the past offseason. Carlos Zambrano is in line for a new contract and that will cost 15-20 million per year.
Anyway, my fingers are crossed and i hope we win the A-Ros weepstakes.
PS- It will probably be the Angels.
Arod with the Cubs makes sense, and would be a good location for him. Another good location from a historical standpoint, and a team that desperately needs to add a new superstar (and unload another) would be the Orioles... but that is a long shot, and they would have to prove a lot to do that, or just pay the Boras price... which... ugh.
KP - I would like to see the Orioles become a team again. They have just fallen off the earth. ARod would help them, but, you are right regarding Boras and Orioles have notoriously stingy lately.
Yankee Mike - I dream about that 1-2-3-4 in a Cub uniform!
A-Rod wants to do some winning and there will be no winning for a long time in Baltimore. As i see it, A-Rod is going to either the BoSox, Cubs, Angels or Dodgers. They all have the financial capabilities to bring in the best player in baseball and have needs at either third base or shortstop. Chicago has Lou, and he will put the Cubs on the top of the list.
A_ROD WILL BE A CUBBIE.
The last part wasnt so serious.
Last edited by chitownsfinest on July 12th at 1:57 PM.
Side note- Rumor has it that Cesar Izturis has garnered interest from at least 3 teams. In my opinion thats 3 teams to many. Getting rid of him is the best thing could happen to the Cubs. Trade him for a bucket of balls, that is if any team is stupid enough to do that.
WHY ARE THEY GETTING RID OF CESAR???? TO MAkE ROOM FOR AROD BABY!!!!!
CTF - I think it could happen - a couple of different ways... either ARod opts out or if the Yankees continue to faulter, the Cubs have good pitching which the Yankees need. Perhaps a package including Pie and Marshall and Soto would be a good start.
Yankees need pitching - Marshall is a great young southpaw.
Yankees are going to need a catcher in a year or two and they have no one - Soto is batting .312 in AAA and calls a good game.
Yankees need a centerfielder - Damon and Matsui aren't getting any younger...
The idea of a trade for A-Rod is nice. But i dont see the Cubs trading for A-Rod unless he guarantees that he will sign an extension with the Cubs. Giving up Marshall, Pie and Soto for a potential rental in A-Rod would not be a wise move. The Cubs arent starving for offense at this point and they can manage with a SS rotation of Derosa, Theriot and Cedeno.
Hey, check out my Cubs blog, just posted it a few minutes ago.
Last edited by chitownsfinest on July 12th at 2:46 PM.
NorthSideFan
Is there anyone out there going to be willing to meet his asking or should one say Bora*' asking price ? At $30m a year that's one formidable chunk of change for the Cubs to be even thinking of forking out.
We've seen where they've been wrong as it is already with the money doled out on Woods and Prior. And what have they seen in return ? We know that with A-Rod what you see is definately what you'll get. Other than Vlad, Manny and Ichiro are there any other players that are as exciting to watch whatever they're doing on the field of play ?
CTF - spot on. No way I am going rental on this one - gotta be a done deal.. with years on it.
Anudda - Fan - How you be? First and most importantly, she is right sexy. Filling out a tank top is one of the most underrated qualities in the world... in the world.
Okay, back to baseball. 30 Mil is a huge asking price. Huge. I think the Cubs will have to trade Big Z to get him. They can't pay Lee, Ramirez, Soriano, Rodriguez and Zambrano... not too mention Lilly and Marquis.
A-Rod might hit 80 bombs playing at Wrigley! Agreed, that Soriano, Lee, Ramirez, and A-Rod would make for a lethal heart of the order. However, no lefty power in sight there. Though, I guess if all of those guys go for 40+ homers, does it really matter? If nothing else, that lineup would be fun to watch.
I would love to see it. I guess they could throw Cliff Floyd or Fontenot in their somewhere... or my two year old daughter. Dear God it would be cool to see what they could do on the Northside.
First of all, the Cubs will be restricted in what they can spend because of the sale of the team.
Secondly, Aramis Ramirez was just re-signed for 5 years/$75 million (07:$8M, 08:$14M, 09:$15.65M, 10:$15.75M, 11:$14.6M player option, 12:$16M club option with a $2M buyout).
If you sign A-Rod for what he's asking for (about $32 million per season), then you have two third basemen. And if the Cubs try to trade Ramirez, they'll have to send a good amount of cash to help pay for his contract. So, that's about $37 million for one third baseman. It's not worth it for the Cubs. A-Rod will only be a slight increase over Ramirez, anyway.
NorthSide, I can sum up my feelings with a comment I left over on SportsSage's blog a minute ago:
I say he stays. It doesn't get any bigger than the Yanks, and they are definitely not shy when it comes to ponying up major dough. I think he enjoys the challenge of fighting off everything the NY fans and media throw and continuing to play at an elite level. At leas that's what I'm hoping for as a Yankee fan. I don't think I could bear to see him in a Sox uniform lol.
BTW, wassup Ultra! I was telling LSU that you and he provided me with endless entertainment while I monitored the blog site from afar, and for that, I thank you.
Ultra, A-Rod moving to shortsop would not be out of the question. Regarding the sale of the team and it's restrictions on spending, that is false. Ken Rosenthal has made people think that the sale of the Cubs is influencing additions. Even if it is true, that is only during the season. After the season, when A-ROd will be a free agent, the Cubs will be back to normal.
Anyhow, the Cubs are not restricted and Jim Hendry and John McDonough have both renounced the idea of not being able to improve the team.
TSI, i dont even know if the Yankees will go after A-Rod. Miguel Cabrera will be a free agent. He is younger and cheaper and has put up great numbers without great lineup protection. The Yankees may very well let him walk.
Gotta go to bed - just had to get this out - ULTRA - F-OFF! #### your antagonistic #### is annoying sometimes. From your Democratic soapbox piece to your first sentence "...makes no sense...". You love to to just slam people. Anyone who doesn't agree with you is way off, way wrong...
All joking aside...A-Rod needs a change of scenery and the Cubs are one of a very few teams that could afford the 30mil per year to pay for his services. I would love to see A-Rod in a Cubs uniform.
SLS - you are spot on. I said it on another blog, can't remember where... I would love to see all sports institute a strict salary cap. A STRICT salary cap. No luxury tax if you go over - because you can't go over. Then, all ballparks would be able to lower the prices of tickets. These salaries are getting to be a joke. The guy who cures cancer - give him 30 million a year. The guy who can hit a baseball? Let's give him a million.
TSI - you are correct. They are the ones who will pay, thay are the ones who won't bat an eye. Than again, Boston has shown that their checkbook is open too.
Ultra - Ramirez is ARod, just younger. Why would we trade him? ARod is better suited at SS - he can't handle the hot corner.
ChiTown - Nice call - thanks for the logic in helping those not in the know, understand.
Ultra redux - It's annoying, gotta tell ya. You have solid facts just about all the time, when your posts drift into the realm of opinion your expression is awful. You come off as a know it all who tolerates no one else or anything they have to say. You need to understand that much to your impending chagrin, you are not right all the time, you are not the only one with an opinion that makes sense.
NSF I agree. A-Rod needs to go elsewhere. Cubbies could use him at SS. Not that there is anything wrong with having 2 LSU guys making up your middle ;) but Fontenot ain't no A-Rod!
Figure it this way: Cubs need to seriously get rid of Prior and Wood. They are walking first aid kits that do nothing but suck money from your organization. They get payed to rehab all year. What a life!!! Toss them out.
Bring in A-Rod, win your division and maybe have another fan destroy your World Series hopes by intentionally jumping the leftfield fence diving for a live ground ball in the outfield and hurling it toward 1st base while the hitter is rounding 2nd!
No seriously if NY is going to boo their best hitter, then maybe Chicago can cheer another great hitter!
Hey what do you think about the Cubs not playing DeRosa all the time? I know Theriot is doing well but I just think DeRosa isn't getting what he is worth.
LSU, Prior and Wood aren't harming the team as much as people think. Wood is currently signed through the end of the season for 1.75 million. Prior's salary is unknown, but it cant be much more than the 3.5 he made last season.
Anyhow, if Wood pitches will well in his soon-to-be rehab stint he will get one more chance with the big-league team. IF he doesnt perform there, by all means cut him loose.
Prior is a different story. With all of the injuries he has had, up until this season he has never actually had surgery to repair himself. He insisted on just trying to work through it and his problems never went away. I say the Cubs wait until next season to see how he resonds to the surgery. It may just be that surgery can turn Prior into the Prior of old. It wont be too expensive and if he doesnt pan out, Lou doesnt seem to mind getting rid of players. He doesnt really dwell on loyalties.
LSU - Fontentot is awesome scrappy and timely hitting with pop - the guys is awesome.
DeRosa has been great! I love Theriot at short. I would like to see a straight platoon of DeRosa and Floyd in right and DeRosa and Theriot at short - that way he gets more at bats. Floyd will get hurt, so that will open up time as well.
ChiTown - Wood is class act. Period. he told the Cubs he has been all but worthless the last two years and signed bargain basement - he wants to pay the fans back for staying with him. He is my favorite Cub. It makes me sad and frustrated. Prior on the other hand is an ####. he actually lives across the street from my sister. The guy has no social skills, he's aloof and blows off fans. I would LOVE to see him traded to anyone.
Amit - we definitely still got Aramis! Love that guy.
LSU - I know it looks like DeRosa isn't getting a lot of PT, but he played 81 games in the first half and averages 3.2 ABs. DeRosa plays fantastic 3rd, 2nd, 1st and Right Field....a huge addition to the lineup. The emergence of Fontenot and Theriot gives the Cubs a few extra chips to play with in a possible trade, not to mention the pitching of Carlos Marmol (future closer).
Right now I'm gonna light up a cigar and wish it were a Cuban. A-Rod, A-Ram, A-Sor, if we had Baker back, we would have #### to round out the quartet.
Me too... I'm a die-hard O's fan since birth. It has been a tough decade... and this year may be the worst, because they have had more heartbreaking losses that I can count on my hands.
I read recently that the Boras relationship with Angelos is fine, and the O's did bring in Andy MacPhail to try and fix things. Cubs fans should know him quite well.
So they are on the right track, but who knows... they will need to spend the money to get back in with NY and BOS. They will get the coin with the MASN deal, but will Angelos spend that much to bring in a star?
Ahhh Smoke - always the voice of reason. Baker is truly an ####.
ARod and Cuban in one off season. I would be just about apoplectic and catatonic. You know if Cuban gets the Cubs he WILL buy and sign ARod.
Side note - took me forever to figure out why I recognized your avatar - then I watched him at the reptile farm and then farming "blood worms". That guys is awesome and so appropriate in this mileu.
Just about every team would love to have A-Rod join there team. It's going to be one heck of a bidding war because every team on the west coast except the A's will be making an offer. You have to throw the Giants in the mix because they need to replace Barry Bonds bat and they will need to fill both third base and shortstop so A-Rod would have a choice as to where he wants to play and would be a perfect fit. The Dodgers should be in the mix because they need a big bat in their lineup with Kent getting old and Nomar's body and abilities aging right before our eyes daily. After what A-Rod has been through in New York he will pick the team and city he and his wife will be the happiest in.
Jl - you're right. They do need to think for themselves and happiness - they have more than enough money. If Tampa had a better team - i.e. more funding and a larger fan base, they would be the ultimate drop spot for ARod. He's a Miami boy, its not a huge market, it would give him a chance to stick it to New York... but alas, he won't choose them.
You are right about the West Coast teams. I think the Angels and Dodgers have the best shot of the teams out there and the Cubs in the Midwest. The Sawx have a great shot with their funding and depending on how revenge minded he is, ARod may want to "reverse the curse" and be the Bambino who brings multiple WS titles to Boston.
muells - dead on! A-Rod in conjunction with a very weak National League, playing in the Central Division, good young players, solid veterans, a strong bench and a good starting rotation....that is what will make the Cubs good. A-Rod would be a Cubs fan's dream at Shortstop.
Curse? What curse? Oh, you mean Wavin' Wendel Kim (former 3rd base coach)....gone like Sammy's Jersey in Wrigleyville.
Last edited by smoketheblowfish on July 13th at 10:13 AM.
NSF
I tend to agree with you that a woman using her ample assets to fill out a tank top. Is one of the most pleasing things to the eyes of any male in the world. Unless that is he's blind. Then all he can do is to cop a feel of those fine assets, if he's allowed to do by the willing female.
I've a new post that you and all of the contributors will definately be interested in reading.
It's titled If Records Are Meant To Be Broken Then Will Anyone Break This One ?
As it mentions adult star Jasmine St Claire I'm sure that it'll make you sit up and take notice. It's posted under this guise if you're interested in reading it.
Guys, if you're interested come on over and view the following post titled If Records Are Meant To Be Broken Then Will Anyone Break This One ? The content matter should definately prove to be intertesting.
Ultra - Ramirez is ARod, just younger. Why would we trade him? ARod is better suited at SS - he can't handle the hot corner.
The Cubs have a $ 99,670,332 payroll this year.
If they sign A-Rod, add $32 million to that. Ramirez makes $8 million this season, but jumps to $14 million next season.
That's $46 million tied up in two infielders, and that alone will put your payroll into the $145 million range.
The Cubs don't need A-Rod to push them over the top. They need to get production above replacement-level from their catching, shortstop, center field and right field positions, and that can be done by spending less than $30 million, instead of $46 million.
Ultra redux - It's annoying, gotta tell ya. You have solid facts just about all the time, when your posts drift into the realm of opinion your expression is awful. You come off as a know it all who tolerates no one else or anything they have to say. You need to understand that much to your impending chagrin, you are not right all the time, you are not the only one with an opinion that makes sense.
You're way too sensitive. It's surprising you've survived in the blogging world this long being so thin-skinned.
Last edited by UltraMegaOK1988 on July 13th at 8:26 PM.
Actually Ultra I am not all that thin skinned - not much at all. I have gotten into it with the best of them. In delving into and harping on that part of the comment, you ignore the point - do you realize that you edited this comment, this comment... I repeat, this comment, twice after the original edition. You are so worried about conveying your left field point, so worried about what others will right back. Hell, I don't edit my posts twice after writing them.
I've known a lot of people like you Ultra - you are not all that unique. You love attenti0on and to spark debate. But, unlike the intelligencia, you don't learn from the opposition you only fight it - because once again, you are never wrong. You are the well read, well informed, make that all informed one who simple graces us with your "New York Timesesque" regurgitations.
On point, the Cubs payroll is what it is. The C, SS and CF position would seem to be in flux... The addition of ARod at the SS position would give the Cubs arguably the best 1-5 in baseball with hot hitting Fontentot - provided his avg. is not an abberation, in baseball. So many teams have sky-rocketing payrolls. You don't think it has anything to do with the times? teams locked up guys two and three years - salaries were lower then, just as the salaries of today will most likely be higher in 2010 - but what does the team salary have to do with anything if the owner is willing to spend?
Regurgitations implies that the thoughts are not my own. Are you implying plagiarism? I would point that finger at your friend FlyingPig first. I hear he likes Ray Comfort.
The addition of ARod at the SS position would give the Cubs arguably the best 1-5 in baseball
It doesn't matter. A winning baseball team has balance. It's great if you can average 5.5 runs per game, but what good is that going to do you if your pitching can't hold the opposition to an average less than that?
The Cubs already have a good offense. They score 4.57 runs per game, which ranks 7th in the National League, but is much closer to the top than you realize.
hot hitting Fontentot - provided his avg. is not an abberation
Well, first of all, batting average is a terrible metric of determining a player's worth. He has 104 career at-bats in the Major Leagues, so it's fruitless to try and make projections off of such a small sample size. He is hitting very well, though -- a 143 OPS+ and a .311 EqA. His batting average on balls in play is extraordinarily high, though -- .395 -- which indicates that he's been very lucky thus far.
As I said, it's fruitless to make projections, but looking at his BABIP, you should expect a downfall from Fontenot if not during the second half, then next season.
Last edited by UltraMegaOK1988 on July 14th at 10:18 PM.
As I mentioned, the Cubs have a $ 99,670,332 payroll currently. They would need to increase that by 60% to be able to afford A-Rod if they were to put him at shortstop. It's just not feasible.
The Yankees never increased their payroll anywhere near 60% since they started signing free agents so frequently.
but what does the team salary have to do with anything if the owner is willing to spend?
You assume the owner is willing to spend. You assume the owner has the ability to spend. You assume that the owner feels A-Rod is worth spending on.
I am going to try and make this quick, because I am rather certain that for everyone outside of of you and I, this is incorrigibly boring.
I love seafood - absolutely, hands down my favorite - right there I think that defines you and I Ultra. Make no mistake, I respect a great deal of the stuff you put out there and write. But, I also detest those that make statements for the sake of getting a rise out of people. It's annoying. Its juvenile and its a sad way to get people to talk to you.
For "winning", what do I get? Oysters? Octopus? Seared Ahi Tuna? I'll take any of them.
Regarding the Cubs payroll - what you fail to note is that Jacque Jones will be gone, Izturis will be gone, Eyre, will most likely be gone... Floyd? Distinct possibility with his injuries. (Barrett is already gone - did you calculate that in when noted the Cubs payroll?
Right there is approximately 25 mil in salary. That makes for a very different story. The only guy coming up for a contract is Z. Everyone else is locked in. The Cubs have a realistic chance now. Lee, Ramirez Soriano, ARod, Z, DeRosa - great this year - are all getting older, closer to their decline years.
In reference to an owner who is willing to spend, the Tribune Company, showing gross negligence, have raised ticket prices, beer prices etc. yet never spent big until this year. Never. Guys have played for he Cubs for the love, not the money. The next owner could not, by all accounts be worse than the Tribune Company. Whoever buys them is not buying Wrigley - it's not for sale. They are owning the team
Okay, I've been gone awhile. The whole work, job thing is really becoming more of a detriment to my blogging than I had hoped our thought. Perhaps Fox Sports will start paying me - a lot to write some posts. I mean seriously, I have to be better than Schrager right? Than again, perhaps the Cubs will win the World Series.
I'm a diehard Cub fan.... so, within simply that statement you may assume I cry a lot. Truly sob. To that i would just like to say, there is nothing wrong with a man crying, sobbing endlessly clutching his blankie, I mean his Michael Barret bobblehead, no wait... Oh forget it.
GO CUBS!
