I don't think there is much "speculation" to Jim Hendry's future being tied to how he handles the Milton Bradley situation and how he puts together next years team. I think thats a no-brainer.

Ricketts did the right thing. Came in without making it seem like he was a control freak. He will spend this season getting to know everyone and see how things play out. With Lou out as manager after this season...it could be a clean sweep of all personnnel at the end of the year unless Hendry puts a World Series trophy or even perhaps a League Trophy in Ricketts office come November. There simply is no "speculation" to that.

While Dan Uggla would not be my first choice, I disagree that he would be a bad choice. He may not be a gold glove, but he is not horrible. His career fielding percentage is .981. Hall of famer Ryne Sandberg was only .989 for his career. So .008 of a differnce between Uggla and Sandberg makes Uggla such a defensive liability? Further, I wonder how many of Uggla's errors would be avoided by having a gold glove first baseman such as Derrek Lee. Not to mention the offense Uggla brings to the table. He averages 30 homeruns and 30 or so doubles along with 90 or so rbi's. Though he does make many of his outs via the strike out--but again I wonder how much better he can be under the tutorial of the widely regarded hitting coach we now have. I just don't see this as a horrible option.

If we could get Uggla on a two year reasonable deal while Castro comes along....I'd do it.

As for the difference in money that Hendry has to move for Bradley, it's hardly an issue in my book. In todays game the difference between 21 million and 23 million would be like the difference between $5 and $10 for any of us. It's not going to be a factor in the decision of trading him. Not to mention, as pointed out--he has reached the required amount of plate appearances for that money just one time in his career.

Marlon Byrd wouldn't be the worst option...but I certainly hope there are better options.

I agree that the Cubs shouldnt have to worry too much about replacing Lilly. We have enough in house options to cover for him...if in fact he misses any time. Remember, we won't need a 5th starter right away with two scheduled off days in the first two weeks. I do hope that Harden signs a one year deal at a reasonable rate. It would behoove him as he is still looked at as fragile despite back to back seasons of at least 25 starts. I think if he gives himself one more year of staying healthy and pushes 30 starts and closer to 200 innings rather than 150...he could be in line for the payday he is seeking. But right now he is still looked at as a risk.

Mike Cameron should be plan X. He's 37 and exactly what the Cubs do not need as their everyday centerfielder. I still stick to my wish to re-sign Reed Johnson and platoon him and Sam Fuld out there.

I don't give a rat's patooey what kind of clubhouse problem he is.

You DO NOT trade Milton Bradley if you have to eat anything.

Let me get this right. To compensate for the bad deal you give a bad player, you make a worse deal to receive an even worse player.

Oy vey, Cubbies.

This is like going to Broadway to see a hit show you've had tickets to for months.
You've invested big time on the best seats in the house...the curtain opens
and it turns out to be the very worst
show you've seen.
Because you invested so heavily and your seats are down front...you can't leave.
But you're horrified at how bad the show is as it unfolds.

For example...almost all the trade scenarios so far with Bradley represent
a 7 to 12 million increase in payroll.
(not doable)

(We pay most of Milton's salary plus the salary of the bad contract returning.)

So basically, for the pleasure of not seeing Milton's mug in Cubbie Blue...we end up paying for both Milton and whatever bad contract we get in return.

What a deal ! ! !

I bet Hendry wishes he never had that dinner with Uncle Milty. Imagine...the Rangers had a one year offer of 6 million
on the table for Milton...and Hendry
"steals" him for $30 plus million.

At this point, I see no favorable
outcome here.

Ricketts was shrewd in retaining Hendry.
He has no operating room to make any
major acquisitions...(and screwing us up more.)...And little chance of salvaging
himself from his past errors.

A new GM coming in right away could do little to clean up Hendry's mess right away...and would have sullied his own
reputation from the get go.

If I were Ricketts...I'd tell Hendry
absolutely NO extensions this year...
To clear the way for a new GM to rebuild the team to his liking.

btw...Has Lou officially execised his
option to manage next season yet?

I don't think he has.

Think he's waiting to see what happens before he commits?

Been reading the informative and detailed posts from the last few days...good information and opinions.

For me, I just find it disgusting (though typical Cubs) that here we are with the 3rd largest payroll in all of baseball, and yet we have so many glaring holes and currently no payroll flexibility. In and of itself, that should fuel Hendry's immediate firing.

All we hear is Hendry has to move Bradley before any other "moves" take place. I agree 100% with Suzy's earlier post....just release Bradley and don't take on another crappy contract that grabs a roster spot. On Bradley, I'd actually be looking at the legal possibilities of how we might void his contract based on behavioral issues from last season. I wouldn't even bother trying to move him. I'd put a legal full court press on the guy, and make him squirm.

If the team wants payroll flexibility, here's some moves to make:

Move Fukodome and probably eat 1/2 of his remaining $24m

Move Soriano and eat probably 1/2 to 2/3 of his contract

Move Zambrano, don't eat a thing, and try to leverage a Buchholz in return, straight up.

I'm so tired of reading about the Cubs interest in these 30-some year old marginal players, or how Hendry "hopes" our current players rebound from their abysmal 2009 performance. And even better, now we might consider a contract extension for a 34 y/o 1B who came off a good year (typical Hendry move). We have an incompetent GM who has saddled our franchise with so many back-loaded contracts it's ridiculous, and a manager who is truly ready and eager to be put out to pasture.

If we're going to make an external move it should be for the likes of a Buchholz or Grady Sizemore, younger players that you can build the future off of. Perhaps a Soto, Theriot and a mid-level prospect might yield a Sizemore.

The bottomline is that this team isn't going to win anything anytime soon unless we start building a younger and more athletic roster foundation.

As Aaron has commented, we should bring up the system players who have momentum going in the right direction. I'll pay to watch a Castro, Clavenger, Fox, Fuld, Vitters, etc play with some heart and energy....and learning along the way with the "best hitting coach in all of baseball". Let's see what he's made of.

But for now, this franchise is in shambles.

"The System players" you want to move up are not good enough to play MLB.

I'd keep Uncle Milty. There has to be some way he violates his contract that you can void it.

According to the Cubs brass, you have the best hitting coach in all of baseball, and one of the brightest managers in the game (very debatable). Let's see them actually mold a team based around youth and upside, regardless of present day readiness.

oh man....this just keeps getting interesting. First of all, why the hell would Hendry sign Grabow for 2 or more years for $3 million+/yr when there's Mike Gonzalez out there, who averages about a 2.57 ERA per season...........hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm, what do I choose? I have Grabow averaging a 4+ ERA, or another lefty the same age averaging 2.50's.........hmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.....what do I choose? This is so difficult for me. I'm Jim Hendry, and I don't know what to do......hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.....I have 4 outfielders to choose from, and 3 of them average 150+ games, and 3 of them average about 100+RBI......How do I choose? Oh, I know, I'll go after the one that averages 85 games played and around 50 RBI....Yes, that'll show everyone that I'm smarter than they are....hmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.....I have about 5 internal possibilities at the MLB minimum salary for 5th starter, and one coming off a season in which he had a 6+ERA..............AND wanting multiple years for close to $10 million/yr. Oh, I know, I'll sign the veteran at 3 yrs, $21 million, and we'll turn him around, and I'll show everyone how smart I am.

I have several options in my system for a back-up infield position....oh, I know, I'll sign the midget veteran for 2 yrs, $5.5 million....that'll show everyone.

I already have a closer in waiting that was incredibly dominant last season in the set-up role, and I've already stated we're getting rid of our closer from last season. Did I mention we also have this internal closer for league minimum? Oh, I know, I'll traded one of our top pitching prospects that throws 100 mph, for a closer making $4 million/yr, coming off 9 blown saves, knee surgery, and would've been non-tendered anyhow....that'll show 'em...........hmmmmmmmmmmmm......I have a speedy CF from our own system that makes league minimum, and hasn't been given a full chance yet to prove himself, and I have a MLB veteran that's had several full seasons, but has only proven that he can steal bases...not hit......I know what I'll do, I'll trade that prospect of mine for spare parts, and I'll give this veteran his job...hmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.....I have an incredibly valuable, versatile player that hit 20+hr, 80+RBI.....I know what I'll do....In order to get younger on this team, I'll trade him for 3 marginal prospects not even listed on the other team's top 30 prospects list...if any of them pan out, that'll show everyone.....because they weren't on any list, so obviously I saw something in them nobody else did...hee hee....I'll look sooooooooooooooooo smart.

Seriously....IDIOT.....biggest FAILURE in all of management in baseball=Jim Hendry.

Getting Ceda for Todd Walker was a stroke of genius. Getting Kyler Burke for Michael Barrett was also genius. Getting ARAM from the Pirates for spare parts when he was a malcontent with the Pirates was also a stroke of genius. Getting Lee for Choi was shrewd. But trading Ceda for Gregg negates the first trade genius. In all likelihood, letting Burke languish in the low minors will negate advantage of that trade. Signing Lee to a HUGE extension when coming off a career year, so unlike his previous #'s actually negated the benefits of the Choi trade. Why? Because when your first baseman is hitting 20 hr, 80 RBI (not far off his career #'s prior to his career year), and making $13 million/year, and you're in a big market, you should expect 30 hr, 100+ RBI from your first baseman, because every other big market team demands that.

Hendry has done a WHOLE lot of bad, and very little good for this team. He hit on Lilly and DeRosa big time, but those were actually relatively low key signings. Neither were particularly highly sought after. Lilly had injury issues prior to coming, and DeRosa had a breakout season in basically his first full opportunity.

Hendry escaped by a slim margin, because the Trib essentially gave him a blank check to fix any damage he caused, and he could just keep throwing money at the problem, rather than looking at himself in the mirror, and actually realize that HE was the problem...that HE wasn't smart enough to get out of the situation without spending even MORE money.

Indeed, it looks like the smartest thing Ricketts could do, was place a cap on Hendry's spending, so he was forced to actually prove his worth as a GM. It's a chance for Hendry to show that he wasn't merely given a blank check, and that he actually knows what he's doing.

Fact is, Hendry does NOT know what he's doing, and I think we'll find out very soon why he doesn't know what he's doing.

He will give Grabow his deal for $3 million/yr. He will have to eat a good portion of Bradley's deal and/or take an even worse contract just to get rid of his ill-advised mistake in the first place. He won't solve our pitching issue with Harden leaving and Lilly injured, and he'll claim that "finances were an issue", and we'll enter the season short on starters.

He'll keep Miles, thus holding up a valuable roster spot, and he'll claim, "personal issues were the result of his poor season, and we expect him to rebound this season," and we all know how that'll turn out.

He'll sign Marlon Byrd to a 3 yr $24 million deal, and claim, "we've had our eye on him for a long time. He's a really good, athletic player." All the while, he'll be ignoring that he's actually 32 yrs old, and the fact he'll be 35 yrs old at the end of the deal. He'll also ignore the fact that about every infatuation he's ever had, has NEVER turned out well for him. Such guys as Floyd, Heilman, and Bradley....how'd those turn out?!?

The Cubs are closing in on Grabow.

http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/10343728/Latest-buzz-from-MLB%27s-GM-meetings

Also this is off topice and no one probably care but Derrek should win gold glove today amd if not the voting is fixed.

Also the Reds want to shed payroll in 2010, hwt aabout Brando Phillips.

Cubs trade Matt Camp, Flaherty and Mitch Atkins for Phillips.

Camp has no place on the team with Vitters, Demaniu and Castro moving up. Also Phillips is younger and is a free agent after 2010, they can trade him at the deadline for more in return rather than what they gave up or offer him arbitration who is likely to be a type A free agent.

Any Thoughts?

We know who the next manager is going to be, but how about the next GM? Jocketty has so much control over the Reds, that it is doubtful he could be talked out of his position there, but I wonder what he could do with a Cub like payroll. Who's out there that is unemployed but deserves another chance? Who could be lured from their current team?

I have a fundamental question??? If the Cubs are soooo payroll strapped, and we know that they are...and we know why they are... then how can they offer contracts to guys like Marlon Byrd? Mike Gonzales? etc. These reports are aggravating because they are contradicting. We can't add payroll, but we are going to eat Bradley's contract AND pay another player... HUH? We can't add payroll but we can sign X (Insert 30+ year old aging person, that Hendry will no doubt sign for 3+ years to an inflated contract)... HUH?
We can't add payroll, but we are going to give Grabow, and Lee and Lilly contract extensions... HUH???

The Cubs are in a serious pickle.... They have a dope of a GM who continues to handcuff the future of this team financially and by blocking players. They have youth abound, but can't find it in them to play them, or maybe they are not as good as we all think they are. The trades that we have been offered only make the team worse, and Ricketts can't clean house yet for exactly the reason that someone mentioned, NOONE CAN FIX THIS, and anyone they do bring in would be dirtied by this mess.

Jim, Understand something PLEASE!!!!!!!
The reason you are having a hard time trading Milton is the 2nd year of the contract, that you so blindly threw in there with this dumb 85 game clause. You did that!!!!!

Jim also understand this and understand it RIGHT NOW... Adding Cameron, Byrd, Burrell, Wells, Millwood, Grabow, HURT YOU!!!! Signing them to 3+ years and they are all over 30 is BAD! And screws us even further. I do not make near the money that you do and I can see this as clearly as the back of my hand. It is going to be a great day at the CCO when most of us are proven right, and Hendry is gonzarino, and someone who can pull off the moves that make us younger and better comes in. It will happen and today is the first time that I have seen in print that Hendry is starting to squirm. That is the best news to come out of this... All the rest is BAD BAD BAD...Our Cubby blue mettle will no doubt be tested over the next year. Someday... someday...

So im sure many of you have seen the MLBTR article bout the Reds offloading some of their big names.

Do you guys think it would be the least bit feasible to see Hendry go hard after Brandon Phillips... He would be a great bat with speed for our lineup...

anyone?? anyone?? Bueller?

I like Phillips and was thinking he might be a nice acquisition. The issue once again is our lack of desirable prospects to trade. To me, the farm system is JH's great failing. His free agent signings and trades have had mixed success ... I'd consider him an average GM in that respect. Another team with better prospects will likely pick off Phillips. Camp, Flaherty and Atkins as proposed above isn't enough for Phillips as the Reds would likely require one prospect with much higher upside. Maybe Cashner or Jackson plus two those three would get it done.

there are several factors to consider when thinking about this very unique offseason, and they are as follows:

1)Economic factors
2)bad contracts already on the books
3)arbitration cases
4)non-tender candidates
5)Rule 5 draft

Economic factors is self-explanatory. The Reds already have to cut ticket prices, and payroll because their gates suffered last year. Other teams are in a similar boat. Teams during the early part of this decade up to about last year went on an unprecedented spending spree. This even included smaller market teams. Unfortunately, declining attendance in these small markets has forced teams now to consider unloading veterans for either bad contract swaps or outright releasing them to remain competitive. We already saw last year with the waiver swap of Alex Rios, and Sheffield and Lugo being released, among others. Expect more of that to happen. A huge amount of players are arbitration eligible this year. Anyone want to guess why? IMO, it was because of the atrition we saw throughout the league when steroid testing commenced. Veterans started retiring, etc., and young players got their chance....now they're up for arbitration. Non-tenders happen when teams have an internal replacement option and/or cheaper veteran FA option for less than what that player would receive through arbitration, so he's non-tendered. In some cases, a team upgrades significantly through FA or trade, and no longer needs that individual as well. Expect a LOT of this to happen this year. Here's an interesting thing to think about....

This year, unlike many years past, teams are VERY cost conscious. Expect teams to fill voids through the Rule 5 draft unlike anything you've ever seen before. They'll take guys that are MLB ready, and they won't take chances on a guy like David Patton, knowing a single-A guy isn't likely to pan out. THey're ACTUALLY seeking cost effective replacements rather than go the FA route.

I believe we could have quite a number of players selected. We'll probably add the likes of Gaub, W. Castillo, and Parker, but guys like Papelbon, Camp, and Adduci will more than likely be drafted, and so will Snyder, Bibens-Dirxx, Chirinos, and Spears through the Rule 55 minor league draft.

So, look for teams to be highly active in the Rule 5 this offseason, and look for teams to make curious drafts and curious protections of players you otherwise might not think about. Remember that teams will look to fill voids cost effectively, so when you see a guy like Camp drafted, and you're thinking, "well, his minor league stats are decent, but they don't jump out at you..." or Adduci, "he's fast, high average, but nothing much else...." remember that teams need role players, and they need speed, and they often look to the Rule 5 for those type of specialty players, or simply just to have a warm body that could develop into a decent player someday.

I would love a guy like Phillips on our roster, but he's 28 years old and in his prime, and the Reds will demand a king's ransom for him, and you can count on that. PLUS, we have Flaherty in the wings, and even LeMahieu, so I wouldn't sweat that much. What I would sweat is not giving Castro the SS job, or not finding a bridge in RF to the eventual call-up of Burke in the next few years...that's what I worry about. Phillips and Uggla would be nice, but they'd also likely cost us our future too, such as the Flaherty's, Jackson's, Castro's, and Vitter's of this world (though, I would trade Vitters, because he has bust written all over him).

Here's what I expect for the roster to start next season (a little less pessimistic than I previously wrote):

SP:
Z
Dempster
Wells
Gorzelanny
Samardzija (until Lilly is back)

RP:
Berg, Caridad, Marshall, Grabow, Heilman, Guzman, Marmol

bench: Fontenot, Miles, Fuld, K Hill, Fox

C-Soto
1B-Lee
2B-Baker
SS-Theriot
3B-ARAM
LF-Soriano
CF-Byrd
RF-Fukudome

Now, tell me that won't be the worst lineup in the league, because I'm thinking regression from Baker, regression from Lee, same old Fukudome, same old injury plagued Soriano, injury plagued ARAM---but effective, slight bounce back from Soto, same old Theriot. About the only unknown is Byrd....he'd be an upgrade over Bradley by about 10 hr, 40 RBI, which would equal roughly a full player's season, so that'd be okay, but everything else sucks, and that's what Hendry has saddled us with.

Sure, he'll "try" to make deals, but he'll come back saying it wasn't in his best interest to do so (and he might be right), but it doesn't take away the fact that he caused this mess

Aaron,

If that is our roster for opening day then we may as well just wait for 2011 because that rotation would be average at best and that lineup would be OK (if healthy & assuming bouncebacks from Soriano and Soto) but still not a devastating or scary lineup by any means.

That bullpen would also be a gigantic question mark due to its youth in the middle parts and question marks throughout as far as Marmol as a closer and whatnot.

WITH THAT SAID,

I strongly believe that will not be our lineup and I think it will be marginally better, I do expect Hendry to pull a rabbit outta the hat as we have seen him get creative in the past (Nomar, Hundley, ARam/Lofton, Lee) and we have seen him sign under the radar guys (Lilly, DeRosa, Dempster, Baker,...)

You know what I would do? I would pull a New York Yankees and absolutely destroy our farm system and buy a world series. I mean take the top 10 free agents on the market and guarantee a postseason birth. After we win one, rebuild the farm system. Maybe I'm a little impatient...

Bruce Levine said that Mike Cameron is Plan D for CF......who are plans ABC?

Im hoping plans A, B, C involve players like Upton, Crawford, Rowand (OR Holliday/Bay for RF and Fukudome in CF)

A man can dream right?

I still think we need to trade Soto at his highest value now. He is still young, but last year proved he is a fat stoner. Not a good combo for a catcher and his knees. We discussed briefly the other day about sending him to Detroit in a Granderson and Laird for Bradley, Soto, and mid level pitching prospect.
We could then turn around and trade Laird in a deal for either prospects or a swing man in the rotation/pen. Or include him in a package with Vitters to get Brandon Phillips from the Reds. I would think Laird, Vitters, and a mid level pitching prospect should be able to net us Phillips.

Koyie Hill proved this year he can handle the staff. That should be our only requirement for a catcher, with an occasional hit or two. Bring up one of Clevenger or Castillo to share duties with Hill get some experience.

The lineup after these two deals should presumably look like this:

1. Fukudome/Fuld
2. Phillips
3. Lee
4. Ramirez
5. Granderson
6. Soriano
7. Theriot/Castro
8. Hill
9. Pitcher

That's three lefties in the starting lineup on a daily basis. Much improved over last season.

We keep hearing the same list of potential suitors for Bradley. The Angels keep getting brought up. He would basically be there to replace Guerrero if that were the case but I hope its not Matthews Jr that they are talking about as the potential trade. Anyone have any insight as to who else the Angels could potentially trade?

Hey all, MLB TRade rumors has Matt Lindstrom being talked about.... A cure for the Bully??? He is a fireballer!

Do we have what it takes??

Just read on MLBTR that Curtis Granderson has been made available by the Tigers. Would the Tigers actually take Bradley, Soto, and others in exchange for Curtis? It's a pipedream, but that's what CCO is all about! :)

By the way Woody, if we were actually lucky enough to acquire him, I love your idea of putting Granderson in the 5-hole between ARAM and Sori. He shouldn't be a lead-off hitter, his OBP isn't high enough and he strikes out too much. He is a free-swinger with power, kind of like a younger and more athletic Soriano. I also like the speed threat of Granderson while Soriano is at-bat....Soriano would see more fastballs in that situation.

I have had a BROner for C-Grand for years he is a great ballplayer and Hendry should do anything AND EVERYTHING to trade for him ASAP!

GET IT DONE YESTERDAY TRADER JIM! RESTORE OUR FAITH!

Neil, did I miss it? Did Lou officially exercise his option or not? I don't see it anywhere...and Ricketts in his myriad
of inaugural speeches said "I hope Lou comes back."
It's probably just a formality...but one I'm thinking about.

I find it exasperating that there is going to be a ton of affordable of talent out there...and we have very little flexibility to take advantage of good deals...brcause of all the bad deals
we've made.

I appreciate everyone's posts here today...a lot of good food for fodder.

Aaron...your reasonable opening day lineup is close to the truth...but I suspect there might be a few more tweaks.

But still...the energy of the team will come from the bench and youngeters.

The pen will be better with Gaub/Guzman/
Caridad, and Marmol...from the get go.

Once Grabow is signed...look for Marshall to be traded...and somewhere in the throw ins will be Miles.

Just by eliminatig Gregg and Miles will make us a better team.

While the team looks a mess just now...
near term victory can be salvaged within 3 years...If done right.

It's just a little blurb...but might have far reaching implications. Yesterday I mentioned the Cubs are seeking a CFO (Chief Financial Officer).

One of the duties of a CFO is long term financial planning...and that would include on field budgets....and watching contracts.

The Cubs have never really had that before. They had Hendry operating out of the seat of his pants....No long term plan...just a WIN NOW edict from the Trib...the last few years...and no one that really knew how to accomplish that.

The CFO would say...in order to achieve
flexibility...the team can afford x number of no trade cntracts at a time.
etc...It would be another set of eyes
evaluating how this contract or that
affects the team's long term goals...and would be a check in overpaying for contracts...In other words...a really vital piece to seeing we do not get into a situation like this again.

He also would have a loy of duties in other areas...but would be key in developing a long term vision of the team.

In that respect, I applaud Ricketts.

It's interesting to think about what has happened to the Cubs over the past year. I lot of the "mess" comes down to how JH reacted to 3 games (the playoff losses to the Dodgers). 3 games means nothing from a statistical signifcance standpoint. Any major league team can win 3 games from any other team. If JH had not reacted quickly to try to "fix" the supposed problems (like not enough left handedness in the line-up) as he did, the Cubs likely would have kept DeRosa and not signed Bradley and Miles and could have waited free agency out and picked up the bargains available later in the process (while reducing the total dollars spent). We had a 90+ win team and in one year it has been turned into a mess that will take a few years to recover from ...

The Cardinals will likely not make the same mistake this offseason.

Marmol and Castro may be what it takes to get Granderson, but if that is the case, I'll pass. Now if we could get BJ Upton for those 2 and a couple lesser prospects, I'd make the deal.

A great era in Cubs History has come to a close.
Bruce Levine reports that Ed Lynch has finally left the Cubs...to pursue a job
with mlb.

Levine says he was a scout in Arizona.

Please join me in wishing him well in his future endeavors.

Let me start the rumor here...Jim Hendry
is considered to be prime candidate to replace Mr. Lynch.

My tongue is way ,way up in my cheek.
:)

We all need to just settle down and plan out our Thanksgiving Meals and go out and enjoy Black Friday shopping. Very little will be accomplished between now and mid-December--especially with the wide expectation that numerous players will be non-tendered this year.

Here are some important dates to remember:

December 1st is the deadline for teams to offer arbitration to its "ranked" free agents in order to be eligible for compensation if that player signs elsewhere.

December 7th is the deadline for a player to accept arbitration from his former club--so we may see some free agents at this time.

December 10th is the Rule V draft....there can be a player or to who is an impact player from this draft. Dan Uggla was a rule V draft by the Marlins when the Rockies left him unprotected in 2005. Shane Victorino was a rule V pick two times--once by the Padres from the Dodgers in 2002 and then again by the Phillies from the Dodgers. Even funnier than him being drafted twice was that the Dodgers refused to take him back when the Phillies didnt want to keep him in the majors. Also Johna Santana was a rule V draft by the Twins from the Astros, and we all know Josh Hamilton was a rule V draft pick by the Chicago Cubs who agreed to pick on behalf of the Reds. So there are a few gems to be found in the rule V draft.

December 12th is the deadline for clubs to offer 2010 contracts to any of its unsigned players. This is generally for players who are eligible for arbitration. Teams that feel the player is not worth what he may receive at arbitration will "non-tender" the player. This is where there is expected to be a large number of available players this year.

So, it's not until December 12th that the list of available players really shakes itself out. All this nonsense about Hendry not doing anything or whatever is not fair nor accurate.

I'm fine with him seeing what he can do with Bradley over the next few weeks. Hopefully something shakes out before or at the Winter Meetings December 7-10.

So get that turkey ready....cook the pumpkin pie....pour some egg nog (Neil put the spiced rum away)...and enjoy the holidays and when we come back get ready because then we will start to see some movement.

Neil...

I WANT TO BUY MY GRANDERSON CUBS JERSEY NOW! CAN WE GET THIS DONE (BUT NOT FOR MARMOL AND/OR CASTRO) HAHA

but seriously I REALLLYYYYYY want granderson in CF...great power, great speed, great D, hell, the guy hit like 25 triples a few years ago...

imagine, he hit 30 HRs in a huge ballpark, think what he could do at Wrigley and sandwiched between Lee, Ramirez, Soriano, and Soto... SCARY

What are the odds of this actually happening and what is a realistic scenario? Would it include a Bonderman and Bradley in the deal?

Would Granderson for Marshall, Fox, and a prospect or two get it done?

Can anyone tell me what a "Super 2" is??

And why is LBR one?

Thank You in advance.

I have to ask...does anybody feel Brad
Snyder could be successful for us in the outfield next season?

And I'd also welcome thoughts on Thomas
Diamond...both of whom are with the Mexacali team right now.

I like Snyder and agree that he could be a better option than Hoffpauir off the bench. Snyder K's a ton but has good pop and decent speed. If given the chance, he might even be an above average starting outfielder.

Diamond was once part of DVD (Danks Volquez Diamond) who were considered the future of the Rangers. Danks and Volquez went on the success elsewhere ... hopefully Diamond will as well!