Just a quick note on Josh Hamilton. I did some research on the guy. So far in his 7 year minor league carreer, he's a head case. Missed around 2 years for injuries, substance abuse, and "undisclosed" personal reasons. He probably has the talent but wastes it.

And, is there any way to get me a link to the Wood interview, online, if possible??

Thought I would help clean up some stuff:

Lofton:

K-Lo is going to Texas, mlb.com is reporting it, and when they says it's close, that pretty much means it's going to happen. And Foxsports said we DID get outbid by Texas, in their best assumptions.

Jones:

It looks as though Jones is slated to play center, lets not forget, this guy is actually a decent outfielder, he also managed to hit .285 with 27 HR's from the 5 hole...not bad. This is more likely than Pie, who will start the season at AAA according to Lou (a topic among the GM Meetings)

Church and Floyd:

And, good news, the talks about Ryan Church HAVE cooled, so don't look for that to happen, although it still remains a "strong possibility" that the Cubs will sign Floyd, that was even BEFORE we lost out on Lofton.

It will be interesting to see how JH goes about fixing the CF situation.

Anthony, I did see Wood and you are right he looked good and has dropped a lot of weight. He has a great attitude and I like what he said about the Yankees and winning a World Series with them would not be as special as winning one with the Cubs.

He said he pitched off a mound the other day to see the angle and is looking forward to Spring Training. If Dempster stumbles and Wood can pitch on a regular basis he could be very dominating in that role...remember 2005.

For anyone that missed it, Anthony is right about the time on Tuesday, 9:00pm C.T. on the WGN News.

The deal is not signed yet. JH has something up his sleeve (I HOPE). Go get jimmy boy. While your at it, go get rid of the guy that doesn't want to play here anymore.

Neil (or anyone else for that matter),

Did you see the little tidbit WGN just had on with Kerry Wood? They showed him working out in Arizona. He looked like a different person. He's down 30lbs and looked amazing. In the interview, he said he signed with the Cubs bc he felt he OWED THEM. How often do you hear that in today's "game"? He also said his shoulder feels better now than at ANY point last season and that he will be ready by spring training to put the Cubs bullpen over the top. I sincerely think he can be a dominating guy in the bullpen. That could help the starters mentally and physically. Just thought I'd share that in case anyone missed it on WGN. I guess they're having another interview with him on Tuesday in case you're interested.

Good Night All

Mike, I agree with you. Eric is a great guy. I got to hang out with him last year when he was in the AFL....he played at G Tech with a buddy of mine, so that's how I met him....He's a fun guy to chill with and more talkative than Corey. Corey's a little more reserved, and I think that rubbed a lot of people the wrong way, like he didn't care...I really think Don Baylor ruined him. Unfortunately, what most people don't realize, was he only had really 2 full years with us, and those were pretty good years. Baker's staff didn't help him too much either with their swing-away approach, but in '03, he was having a break out year with .296 avg 13 hr and 55 rbi in only 83 games before he hurt his knee. The next year he had 24 hr 72 rbi, then struggled in '05 so we practically gave him away...it's unfortunate...but anyway...

Lofton, if we lose him, would be extremely unfortunate, but perhaps we can lure Bernie Williams or Steve Finley and ease Pie into the lineup as well. After signing Ward, I'd really hate to see the Cubs sign Floyd as well. Right now, here's who we have on the bench: Blanco, Theriot (most likely), Ward, Pagan, and in all likelihood, probably Cedeno. If you sign Floyd, that'd probably spell doom for Pagan, which I'd really hate to see, but who knows, since all reports indicate Theriot as a super-utility guy, and DeRosa is too...Who knows, maybe they can afford to have Ward, Pagan, and Floyd with Blanco and Theriot as the other bench guys.

Still, you have to think that something's gotta be up. Murton can't play center, neither can Ward or Floyd. Soriano is slated for right, so that leaves Jones in center, and that's not gonna happen unless the Cubs convince him that the fan problems were a thing of the past, and chalk it up to frustration over a horrendous season, where nearly all the players were booed. I'd hope Jones would land us a decent player, but I highly doubt it....Doesn't Hendry's decision to not give Hamilton a shot now seem like a bad move? We really had nothing to lose, unless Williams or Finley sign. The Cubs seem intent on Pie staying at AAA for the start of the season....Perhaps they feel Patterson is ready...Who knows? Corey doesn't look so bad now does he? He covered a lot of ground out there, and has speed on the bases....just a terrible coaching staff....I can't express enough how disappointed I am in the coaches...constantly changing everything about him, instead of going with what was making him successful. They tried to make him into a player that he wasn't----a compact slap hitter, when he was more of an extra base hitter. You can't turn someone into a Juan Pierre or Kenny Lofton, when that's not their style---and that's what the Cubs did when they were messing with his swing.

Hey guys, Rosenthal says "close" and the report on FoxSports does not mention the Cubs were outbid. Granted Rosenthal is usually right but let's wait for the official word.

As far as other options: The rumors surrounding Church seemed to have quieted down. There are other free-agents out there....Steve Finley and the likes but let's wait and see.

That sucks. I really wanted Lofton to fill that CF void we have until Pie is ready.

Anyone know what Plan B is? Soriano is possible but prepare yourselves to be pissed because.....its possible that Marshall for Ryan Church deal has more teeth now. I've defended Jim H's moves this offseason for the most part, but that's a deal I think would be simply horrible.

NOOOOO!!

Lofton was TOO perfect....

i just read that the Rangers outbid the Cubs for Lofton and he was close to signing.

I saw Eric play in OKC a couple times last summer and he impressed us. He is solid at 2B and goes 1st to 3rd faster than anyone else I've seen in person. I met him and he’s quite friendly too. He'll be a nice ambassador for the team.

Patterson is far from being ready to play in the majors as evidenced by his .330 OBP in 400+ AB's at AA. While his batting eye may be better than Corey's, it's still not great. He may very well be a solid major leaguer down the road, but he needs at least 1 and maybe 2 more seasons in the minors.

I agree with leaving Patterson in the minors for a full year. The best way to develop a young player is to have him play every day, hence the AFL. Theriot I think will be a great bench player this year. He's definitely got enough heart, enthusiam, and hustle. Seems like a Lou kind of guy. Will definitly help keep the vets on their toes. Man,it sure is nice to have too many options at positions.

Roland no kidding. We might still have Corey and would have no need for Don Juan Pierre. Oh well. I definetly think that Pie needs to have some success down in AAA before you can call him up. And Eric Patterson has only been in the system for 2 years. He hasn't even played a full year at AAA yet. Bringing a young kid up that early can be too much for some. I would like to see how Theriot does this year before there is talk of bringing Eric up. I would like to see Lofton in CF this year. Wish he never left.

Looking at Corey's stats in the minors, I would say he was rushed up. Batting average .320-.261-.253, and his OBP and SLG also went from good to bad as progressed. I hope the Cubs let Pie and Eric learn and perform well at Iowa before bringing them up.

Jim,

I heard that Eric is taking some time at center this winter as well, but I think it is more to try and fill a need, to get his bat and speed into the major league lineup rather than due to an unsteady glove at 2nd. I read that the Cubs want someone of his skills hitting 2nd behind Soriano. They feel he can hit for average, he has a high on-base percentage and can steal some bases. He would be a good left-handed fit between Soriano and Lee in the line-up. However, moving him to the center, would see to hinder the progress of Pie.

The Main difference between Eric and Corey is plate dicipline. Eric seems to have a better eye, and he is better disposed to taking walks than his brother is. According to AZ Phil at TCR, E Patterson's bat is ready for the BIGs, but he has a lot to work out on the field.

Thomas,

Nice post.......especially the stat breakdown. I agree that one never knows how a minor leaguer will turn out, but I think this kid could definitely help the Cubs someday, whether it be on the team or used in a trade to get a quality player in return. I just hope they do not rush him up. One of the benefits of Hendry adding some questionable (according to some) people this year was to give our younger players on the verge of making the bigs the luxury of another year. The intangible benefits of this won't be easily calculated, but they could be huge in my opinion.

Anyway, once again, nice post.

Thomas:

Is eric a good defender? I thought I heard that he was playing some CF instead of 2b this fall.

I think Eric will do better than his brother. I was on a trip to Iowa and saw him play at the end of the season. I know that its only AAA, but in the one game that I saw him he appeared to have ALOT more passion and heart than his brother. IF thats the case in the majors then he'll definitely do better than his brother. He has the skills.