Marmol Files, Theriot Talks and Other Cubs News

January 19, 2011 By 34 Comments

Pitchers and catchers report to Fitch Park in 25 days …

It has been a busy beginning of the week for the Chicago Cubs following the long weekend at the Hilton Chicago.

After agreeing to trade Tom Gorzelanny and his $2.1 million salary to the Washington Nationals for Michael Burgess, A.J. Morris and Graham Hicks on Monday, the Cubs announced they avoided arbitration with Matt Garza and Sean Marshall on Tuesday. The Cubs also received a commitment from Matt Szczur and exchanged arbitration figures with Carlos Marmol.

The Cubs are reportedly working on a multi-year deal with Carlos Marmol and Bruce Levine thinks it will be at least two years, which would buy out the last two years of his arbitration eligibility. Marmol submitted a $5.65 million figure for this season and the Cubs submitted $4.1 million … a nice raise from the $2.125 million the Cubs paid Marmol last season.

Is Jeff Samardzija ticketed for the bullpen? And Ryan Theriot addressed comments from his former teammates. Here is the update … Avoiding Arbitration and Carlos Marmol
The Cubs have avoided arbitration with six of the seven players that were eligible for salary arbitration this winter.

Jeff Baker ($1.175 million), Koyie Hill ($850,000) and Geovany Soto ($3 million) agreed to their new deals prior to Tuesday.

Matt Garza avoided arbitration on Tuesday with his new club. Garza will earn $5.95 million in his first year on the North Side. Garza is under the Cubs control for two more seasons and will become a free agent following the 2013 season (two more seasons of arbitration eligibility).

The Cubs signed Sean Marshall to a two-year contract on Tuesday and bought out the last two years of arbitration eligibility. The Cubs will pay Marshall $1.6 million in 2011 and $3.7 million in 2012.

Carlos Marmol filed for arbitration on Tuesday and submitted a $5.65 million figure. The Cubs countered with $4.1 million. The Cubs are reportedly working on a multi-year contract … and according to several reports, neither side anticipates an arbitration hearing.

The Cubs also avoided arbitration with Tom Gorzelanny … and inked the soon-to-be Washington National to a $2.1 million deal for 2011. The trade that hit the wire on Monday is expected to become official on Wednesday.

Chattin’ with Bruce Levine
Mr. Talkin’ Baseball held his weekly chat on ESPN Chicago. Here are the highlights …

  • Levine could see the Cubs signing a veteran that may have fallen through the free-agent process. Levine thinks Orlando Cabrera would be a nice addition … the Cubs “could use a veteran backup at shortstop, second base and third base. Cabrera could fill that role nicely.”
  • If Carlos Zambrano cannot pitch the way he did at the end of last season, Levine thinks the Cubs will have a difficult time competing in an improved NL Central.
  • Andrew Cashner was ticketed for a spot in the Cubs rotation before they traded Tom Gorzelanny to the Nationals.
  • Levine: “According to pitching coach Mark Riggins, Jeff Samardzija is ticketed for the bullpen. That leaves Casey Coleman, James Russell, Carlos Silva and Randy Wells along with Cashner fighting for four and five.”
  • It appears if Jim Hendry makes any more trades this winter “it will have to be dollar for dollar.”
  • Fernando Perez and Reed Johnson will compete for the fifth outfielder spot this spring.
  • The candidates to call games with Pat Hughes this season remain Gary Matthews, Sr., Doug Glanville, Dave Otto and Keith Moreland. Levine thinks Otto is the favorite. The Cubs interviewed one of the candidates during the Cubs Convention (on a side note: Otto, Moreland and Glanville attended the convention).
  • Levine signed off by saying, “Cubs fans, there’s still a chance you’ll get an extra guy or two along the way.”

Ryan Theriot on WGN Sports Night
Ryan Theriot joined Dave Kaplan and Brian Noonan on Monday night to discuss comments made by his former teammates at the Cubs Convention.

Theriot said he talked to Koyie Hill on Sunday night and again Monday about the comments Hill made over the weekend. A majority of Theriot’s former teammates, and Mike Quade, took exception to Theriot’s comment about finally being on the right side of the Cubs-Cardinals rivalry.

During the convention, Quade said he takes what Theriot says with a “large grain of salt”. Geovany Soto voiced his displeasure and Hill insinuated that Theriot might have to brush himself off a couple of times, or until the Cubs felt he got the message.

Theriot explained the situation that led to his comments back in December. Theriot was asked about being on the right side of the rivalry. He said of course he is now because he is playing in St. Louis.

Theriot told Kaplan that Chicago is a wonderful place to play and he did not want to leave the Cubs. It was not his choice. Theriot said he wanted to win a World Championship with the Cubs. He realizes it is a business and the decision to leave was not his … it was out of his hands.

Theriot is extremely excited about playing in the rivalry again. He explained when he was with the Cubs; he was on the right side of the rivalry. Now he’s in St. Louis so he’s on the right side of the rivalry.

Theriot said the Cubs and the fans embraced him and gave him his shot. He feels he played hard everyday for five years. Theriot hoped and prayed he could play for the Cubs for his entire career … but it did not work out that way.

Theriot cherished his time in Chicago and is looking forward to playing at Wrigley again.

Kaplan asked Theriot about Tony LaRussa. Theriot said he’s talked with LaRussa once or twice a week since being traded to the Cardinals. He also spent time picking his brain during the Cardinals’ fan fest over the weekend.

Theriot admitted he’s been very fortunate to play for great managers … Lou Piniella, Joe Torre, Tony LaRussa and even Dusty Baker (Theriot gave Baker the compliment but said “even” before his name).

Ryan Theriot’s comments sounded sincere. And it was clear after listening to him that he never wanted to play for another team.

The Gorzelanny Trade
FanGraphs liked the deal the Cubs made for Tom Gorzelanny. Jim Hendry “flipped Gorzelanny for a handsome profit” after 18 months and a quality season in a Cubs’ uniform.

The prospects the Cubs received for Gorzelanny were better than the ones the Cubs gave up for Gorzelanny and John Grabow … Kevin Hart, Jose Ascanio and Josh Harrison. Click here for the full article.

And on a final note … According to Baseball America, the Cubs signed Luis Montanez to a minor league contract on Tuesday. Montanez was the Cubs first round pick in the 200 draft … third overall pick. Luis Montanez’s Page on Baseball-Reference.

Follow the CCO on Twitter

Well, there is the update … and I’m sticking to it.


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  • http://twitter.com/JMattWeaver Matt Weaver

    Ryan Theriot is forever my favorite Cub and my homie.

    May he have success after he leaves St. Louis.

    • Patrick_Schaefer

      What it’s not Milton Bradley, Alex Gonzalez, Aaron Miles, or Neifi Perez.

      • http://twitter.com/JMattWeaver Matt Weaver

        Pardon?

        • Patrick_Schaefer

          Just joking with you. Milton Bradley is nobody’s favorite obviously. Alex Gonzalez botched the routine double play that would’ve sent the Cubs to the World Series in 2003! Aaron Miles hit .185 as a Cub. Ryan Theriot took Neifi Perez’s starting job.

          • http://twitter.com/JMattWeaver Matt Weaver

            Ah, I just missed the joke.

            Long-timers here know my undeniable man-crush on The Riot. Sad times now that he’s a Cardinal. =((

          • http://chicagocubsonline.com/ Neil

            Yes Matt … the man-crushes from way back. Do you remember mine?

          • http://twitter.com/JMattWeaver Matt Weaver

            Several! :) Alas, you still have your most prominent on the team though in Sean Marshall to the rotation. Bobby Scales more recently comes to mind.

            Good times! Those were contending Cubs teams. :sigh:

          • paulcatanese

            Aaron Miles is the WORST ballplayer I have ever,ever seen in a Cub uniform and could not understand even 30 seconds of playing time with them, and yet he goes back to St Louis and hits against the Cubs. Could he have been a spy sent to the Cubs to destroy them at every turn. I know he is past news,but everytime I see him memtioned I cringe.Sorry about bringing up the past,butthis guy was

  • http://chicagocubsonline.com/ Neil

    Alfonso Soriano’s mother passed away last night

    From Enrique Rojas: Died last night Andrea Soriano (pulmonary edema), mother of Chicago Cubs OF Alfonso Soriano. She was 63 years old.

    My thoughts and prayers go out to the Soriano family.

    • paulcatanese

      Neil,also sorry to hear from you about Soriano’s mother it is always difficult to lose someone you love at an early age. My Sympathy and prayers are along with yours to the Soriano family.

      • Wickitkevin

        My thoughts and prays are with the Soriano family. I lost my Mom 2 years ago she was 58. So I kind of know what they must be going through.

  • paulcatanese

    I believe Theriot’s statements on WGN. I know he did not want to be traded and the Cubs took his statements out of context.

  • Dorasaga

    Neil, are you going to give up on the “Community Blog” project? It’s nowhere to be found on this site anymore.

    I could still google my archive(d?) articles, but the link brings me to a different interface, the old one.

    • http://chicagocubsonline.com/ Neil

      Dorasaga, I am working on re-launching the Community Blog … it should be done around the time pitchers and catchers report. Sorry.

  • Aaron

    Despite the outcry from players and fans alike, Theriot was spot on with his assessment of the Cubs. I’ve heard the same thing from other guys in the system about them not really talking championships and winning, etc. One of the guys in my conference now plays for the Rays, and he said even coming up in their system, while having not done anything prior to that in terms of winning, they were talking about building a winning tradition and giving guys a chance.

    Only in the past year or two have the Cubs actually given their own prospects a chance at the MLB level, and even then, it’s been a bit muted. Just consider all the September call-ups (and even before that) like Castillo, Snyder, etc. Did they get much playing time at all in a lost season?

    I saw him recently at my former teammate’s house over Christmas, and we were discussing this issue with the Cubs, because he grew up a Cubs fan (actually, he rooted the Sox on too when they weren’t playing the Cubs, but that’s besides the point). Anyway, he also has friends that are playing in the Cubs system that told him the same thing. I asked him if he knew any of the current Cubs, or if it was in the past, and like me, this was recent past, as in 2-3 years ago. He knew Murton, E. Patterson, Donaldson, Fox, and both Theriot and Fontenot, though he hasn’t spoken to the latter two for about 4 years.

    Anyway, the point he made, and one that I’ve been echoing for a LONG time, is that position prospects go to the Cubs system to die. Remember Musin Muhammed’s comments about Bears receivers (prior to Cutler arriving)…that brought back memories of his comments, because it’s sooooooooooo true.

    My point has always been that the Cubs have had many HORRIBLE seasons throughout the years, and especially the past 30 years. Here’s just how bad this franchise really is:

    Over the past 30 years, the Cubs have finished in 4th place or worse in 21 of those seasons. They’ve made the playoffs 6 times. So in just 3 seasons where they didn’t make the playoffs, have they even come close to winning the division. How sad is that?!?!

    This franchise is so incredibly lost and dysfunctional it’s not even funny. 21 of 30 years….TWENTY-ONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! They could’ve been playing prospects those years, and we would’ve been FAR better off at this stage. Prospects would actually come up through our system, and not have the immense pressure on them to succeed as they do now, knowing that just one day of 0-for-4 could land them on the bench for extended periods of time, or worse, optioned back to the minors.

    That’s what he said was the difference between the Cubs and most other teams, is that they seem to have a tighter leash on their prospects than other teams would. He said so much of it is living and learning, and you can’t learn while you’re in the minors, where you’ve likely already mastered that part of the game. You MUST go through the ups and downs at the MLB level.

    I wish the convention was earlier, so I could’ve asked him his thoughts on Quade’s speech about holding everyone accountable….except for veterans (which is basically what he said).

    Anyway, until we get someone like Pat Gillick to come in and clean house, this franchise, the Chicago Cubs as we know it, is going to sputter and flame out. Just think about this for a second…. I believe the Ricketts are looking for $200 million in Wrigley repairs:
    -The Royals have gone young, and now have a payroll of around $40 million.
    -When the Rays started going young in 2003, they had the following payrolls: $19 million, $29mm, $29mm, $35mm, $24mm, $43mm*their WS year, $63mm, $72mm
    -The Twins have been anywhere from $53mm to $71mm in that same period, except for last year when they were at an all-time high of $97mm

    Now, I’m not saying these are the best comparables, as Tampa and KC aren’t really known as big markets, but Minnesota is, and look how competitive they’ve been the past 8 years.

    What I’m suggesting is that Gillick comes in, and lets all of our own free agents walk,and sets a payroll limit of $60mm the first year, $70mm the next, and $90mm the 3rd year. From where we stand now, that’s a savings of $80mm, $70mm, and $50mm for a total of $200mm in 3 years. Basically, it’s a “pay-as-you-go” system, where you invest in the stadium improvements in time for 2014, which they originally wanted, and you do NOT have to seek funds from the city/state. Now, THAT is fiscal responsibility in my book.

    And we could still be competitive:
    McNutt
    Cashner
    Jay Jackson
    Carpenter
    Coleman/Antigua/Kirk/Simpson/etc.

    pen-keep Marshall and Marmol, which would cost us about $4mm/yr and $7-8mm for Marmol respectively for those years

    C-Soto, Castillo *about $7mm/yr at that time and $400k respectively
    1B-Ridling, Bour, etc. $400k (assuming we miss out on Fielder, etc. next offseason)
    2B-Flaherty, Tony Thomas, etc., $400k
    SS-Castro $400k
    3B-Vitters, LeMahieu $400k
    LF-Soriano (can’t get rid of him) $19mm
    CF-Jackson $400k
    RF-Colvin $400k

    And what we’d do, is just rotate guys in the from the system when prospects flame out or don’t get better. Guys like Lake, Ha, Szcur, Golden, the recently acquired Burgess, etc. might all impress and earn a spot, and so you trade guys that have either reached their ceiling, or aren’t progressing as much as you’d like, and you receive premium prospects in return because they’re all still young.

    That’s what good teams are doing right now. They’re being smart, dealing guys before their expensive arbitration years, and giving other guys a chance. Often times they’ll hang onto guys they feel might be superstars, but in general, they’ll just keep churning guys through.

    I truly hope the Ricketts and Hendry understand this trend, and capitalize on it before it’s too late and time passes us by. We are already 103 years without a championship. We can’t keep doing the same damn thing over and over again (ie.-trading for Garza, signing Pena, signing Reed Johnson), and expecting different results. The time is now to go young and get the most out of their early years.

    The time is also now to live with 5th/6th place finishes with young guys, knowing that we’ll likely receive a Top 5 pick in the following season’s draft. Just look how well-positioned the Nationals are right now with guys like Zimmerman, Storen, Strasburg, and Harper.

    How about the Rays with guys like Upton, Young, Niemann, Longoria, Price.

    The Royals with guys like Greinke, Butler, Gordon, Hochevar, Moustakas, Hosmer

    Over the past 10 years, the Cubs have exactly 3 guys that are either currently true top prospects or made the MLB squad in Prior, Colvin, and Cashner. Vitters has fallen off almost every top 10 prospect list out there.

    We need to draft better, sign international free agents better, and develop these guys into winners right off the bat a LOT better.

    I’m so tired of hearing bullsh$t from Hendry about guys like Theriot, Fontenot, and Barney coming from “winning programs”. LOL….I’m pretty sure once you step foot on a pro field, NONE of that matters anymore. True prospects are true prospects…no matter how you try to spin it. Think of guys like Miguel Cairo, who have a knack for getting on playoff teams. Hendry is probably one of those guys that would make the case that he’s always in “winning programs”….or…Jimbo, it could just be dumb luck, and he’s really not that great of a player.

    We need to draft according to talent, and NOT according to being on winning teams or playing for a coach that you happen to have known for a long time (ahem, Paul Maineiri…ahem, Jim Hendry….ahem…friends….)but anyways…

    • studio179

      I agree with what you say about position prospects not getting a REAL chance many times. I also believe that was the old Cubs. Your friend mentioned names that were coming up under Tribune/Zell ownership. Again, the old way of doing business. I do believe the Ricketts family will produce a strong farm system. Just like a smart move on Hendry’s part was to hire Tim Wilken. His first draft was in ’06. In fact Colvin was his first pick of his first draft. My point being is Wilken has only been here for 5 drafts so far. The prospects have improved the quality of the system. The Ricketts family has only been here for a little over a year. They have hired more scouts. They have begun a thought process of going young, consistantly bringing in quality prospects AND getting them to the bigs when ready. Something that has lacked in the past as you point out.

      Unfortunately, there is a factor in all of this…time. Drafting and developing quality players takes time. This is something every Cub fan is tired of hearing and waiting on, I know. I do not disagree with what you say. A Cub fan’s frustration is something I do not take lightly or put down. However, the truth is it will take time. The hope is there is a positive direction. I do not agree with everything ownership has done or the way they went about it so far. I have seen enough good things to know the direction and arrow looks up. That positive direction includes quality prospects being drafted and developed the right way AND given a chance or used in trades to better the team. This way of doing business is new to this franchise. Like the song says…’the wa-a-ting is the hardest part’.

      • stormyweather

        BTW Studio-I happen to agree with you about Wilken. He has a fairly solid track record of drafting mostly up-the-middle prospects and center fielders. Id think personally hed be a better GM than Hendry has been.

    • daverj

      Aaron,

      Regarding Vitters, which Top 10 prospect lists has he fallen off of. He’s been between 4 and 8 in all of the lists I have seen for 2011.

      • GrantJones7

        I can tell you he wasnt Top 10 on CCo list at first, i didnt want him there, he hasnt earned it

        • daverj

          His results certainly haven’t earned him a place, but I think his raw skills and upside put him in the Top 5 with Archer and Lee gone.

          • GrantJones7

            Its possbile he will be after we reevaluate the list

            Also AAron, i dont agree with throwing players into the fire, let them develope

          • Aaron

            I kind of disagree with that, though. Cases like Chirinos are too few and far between for that statement to be true. The reason those cases are so rare (where the hitter figures things out much further down the line in his pro career) is because you either have the hand-eye coordination, or you don’t. The only other aspect to come later on is pitch selection and recognition. But you MUST understand that, especially in the lower minors, these guys are facing a heavy diet of fastballs, with average secondary pitches at that stage.

            Here are Vitters’ stats:
            2007-AZ rookie and Boise-51 ABs, 2 runs, 6 hits, 0 hr, 3 RBI, 3 walks, 14 K’s, .118/.164/.118 slash line

            2008-Boise and Peoria (only 4 games)-273 ABs, 39 runs, 88 hits, 28 doubles, 2 triples, 5 hr, 38 RBI, 13 walks, 50 K’s, .322/.357/.495 slash line

            2009-Peoria and Daytona-458 ABs, 63 runs, 130 hits, 19 doubles, 3 triples, 18 hr, 68 RBI, 12 walks, 65 K’s, .284/.314/.456 slash line

            2010-Daytona and Tennessee-316 ABs, 44 runs, 78 hits, 20 doubles, 10 hr, 39 RBI, 21 walks, 63 K’s, .247/.312/.405 slash line

            He’s also made 5, 16, 21, and 18 errors respectively in those seasons.

            He is now 21 years old, and will turn 22 in August this year. Yes, he started at 17 years old, but it appears that he is overmatched, and just another one of our first round busts. He had a great second season in rookie ball….even though it technically was his 1st full season, given just 14 games the year he was drafted. So, we’ll say a great 1st season. He also had an above average 2nd season, and a downright awful 3rd season.

            Now…I will say this…he’s been promoted on a fast track, and as has been mentioned numerous times, once he experiences the slightest amount of success at a level, he’s suddenly promoted.

            In the seasons he was promoted, here were his slash lines at the prior level:

            2008-.328/.365/.498
            2009-.316/.351/.535
            2010-.291/.350/.445

            But here’s the deal…in that same first round, there were a couple other high school hitters taken, and they were all the same age when they started, and had tremendous success, while Vitters has actually regressed.

            Just check out Heyward (selected 14th overall):
            http://www.baseball-reference.com/minors/player.cgi?id=heywar001jas

            How about Revere (selected 28th overall):
            http://www.baseball-reference.com/minors/player.cgi?id=revere001ben

            I bet the Cubs wish the Royals had drafted Vitters instead. Supposedly, the Cubs were going to draft Moustakas if the Royals passed on him, but they got Vitters as a consolation prize, in a sense, as they were happy to get either of them:
            http://www.baseball-reference.com/minors/player.cgi?id=mousta001mik

            Moustakas is already expected to break camp with the Royals, while Vitters will start in AA, then, as has been the case since he came up, he’ll probably do very well at AA, then get sent to AAA, and be below average, and next year the cycle continues.

            I would say that with almost any other MLB team, Vitters would be given every opportunity to succeed, but we all know that in 2012 when he’s brought up (most likely in September), and struggles as is predictable with him, we’ll see him shuttled back and forth between AAA and the big club for a few years until his confidence is ruined, and he’s a 25 year old, washed up player. LOL…I mean, in all seriousness, wouldn’t you expect the Cubs to do that?

            At any rate…in full disclosure, I do not even believe Moustakas will have much MLB success. I believe he’ll have more than Vitters, but he’ll likely be just an average MLB player given his slash lines in the minors.

            If you want to look for a prototypical future star hitter in the majors, you need to look at stats like this:
            http://www.baseball-reference.com/minors/player.cgi?id=dunn–001ada
            http://www.baseball-reference.com/minors/player.cgi?id=heywar001jas

            Look at a player’s OBP and SLG (or, OPS). Personally, if they’re a power hitter, I look for guys with OBP’s close to .400 and SLG over .500, which would be something over a .900 OPS

            Does that mean that Moustakas and Vitters, and other guys with similar stats like them won’t ever amount to anything? Absolutely not! The thing both Moustakas and Vitters have going for them besides age, is that neither of them strike out all that much, which means they’re making contact. So, that’d lead one to believe that all they need is more instruction on pitch selection and recognition.

            I can look at minor league numbers for guys like Pujols, Dunn, Heyward, Berkman, Teixeira, Votto, etc. and judging by their minor league stats, it’s not any surprise at all that they have succeeded, or are up-and-coming players at the MLB level right now…..

            And yet, you have some people still wondering how to predict success, and how to predict if a player will be consistently good, etc. There is a direct correlation, and I could go on and on about other players I’ve identified.

            And I know I’m going to catch a lot of grief for this on here, but just look at these stats, and tell me which player most likely will experience more success at the MLB level:

            Player A
            18 yrs old: 68 games, 330/.399/.420 slash line with 56 runs, 87 hits, 14 doubles, 2 triples, 2 hr, 33 RBI, 25 SB, 31 walks, 50 K’s

            19 yrs old: 122 games, .282/.354/.351 slash line with 85 runs, 137 hits, 22 doubles, 4 triples, 1 hr, 40 RBI, 32 SB, 49 walks, 86 K’s

            Player B
            18 yrs old: 51 games, .311/.364/.464 slash line with 33 runs, 61 hits, 11 doubles, 5 triples, 3 hr, 22 RBI, 6 SB, 14 walks, 33 K’s

            19 yrs old: 127 games, .299/.342/.392 slash line with 56 runs, 140 hits, 23 doubles, 6 triples, 3 hr, 49 RBI, 28 SB, 29 walks, 53 K’s

            Which one would you chose? My money would be on Player A (Hak-Ju Lee). Player B (Castro), is pretty close to Lee’s numbers, but Lee seems to really rack up the hits, and has the great speed to boot.

            But, hey, what do I know

          • GrantJones7

            Im sorta confused to if you were disagreeing with me.. or agreeing from the way you started it

            I agree with everything you said, i DONT beleive in Vitters

            And i think contrary to others thoughts, that Hak Ju Lee has a good bat, i mean look at the stats!!

            And iv said this sooo many times, that added 15 lbs in muscle, that hes adding this offseason (10+ has been added already) WILL help him a lot, thats much more gap power, maybe not tons of HRs, but you already know what your getting with Hak Ju!

            He will be great lead off man, with blazing speed and very good contact, prolly a singles-doubles guy. with the triples from the speed, with some added power from the muscle

            Sorry for the longer post, i think me and you, Aaron, agree on a lot of stuff, im glad Hak went to the Rays (Well the Hak Ju Lee fan in me is LOL)
            The reason is simple. The Rays can DEVELOPE players!!

            Look at theyre track record! And then look at the Cubs!

            Its not even close! The Cubs need to start learning how to develope theyre players, simple and clear cut

          • Aaron

            my bad…I meant to reply to David instead of you…yes I agree with you…No way has he earned inclusion in the Top 10…it’s ALL hype with him.

          • GrantJones7

            Agreed, i think i lost your email, but if theres anyway me you and Neil could do a 3 way chat for the next list (post Garza, and with Sczuzr in it)
            Id want to set that up

  • cubs1967

    the sun-times reports today the Cubs payroll s/b around $130M……….a 10 percent decrease from last year and about 11% from the year before; HOWEVER, tickets have gone up 2 yrs in a row!!!

    How does Reinsdorf have a $130M payroll for 2011 w/ less than 2.3M fans last year; yet the Cubs who drew over 3M (and upped tix) are gonna have the same payroll????

    HMMMMMMM…becuz……the Ricketts are actually descendants of the McCaskey and Wrigley’s………so now we get PK McCaskey ruining this team……

    so instead of worrying about playing prospects (Aaron) who about putting a &^*(&^*_&_*&** winning team on the damn field; whatever payroll……..

    how ’bout that Lou Montanez signing…….there’s a prospect for us!/ahahhaa

    2011………103 rd year of no championships…….and there is NO grace period……only imcompetence.

    P.S.clueless JH is what he is………..but what do you call the Mariner’s GM who took Bradley…………..WOW–$12M…….for a jailbird-yikes.

  • Chuck

    I was at the Chicago Cubs Convention. From all the panel discussions and talks, I couldn’t tell if I was at a political convention or to a Broadway play. It was all “PROMISES, PROMISES”

    • cubs1967

      we’ve had 103 years of promises………..not once has it been delivered!!

      but let’s build the farm system………..so we can be promised some more……someday we’ll have a whole system of Mark Pawlek’s!!(look him up if ya don’t know or heard of him)

      what a load of crap!!

  • RICK

    I RIPPED THE #2 FROM MY CUBS JERSEY AND THERIOTS NAME, HE IS A JERK AND HE SUCKED.

  • Dexter

    Condolences to Soriano and his family.

    Theriot can shut the hell up.

  • paulcatanese

    Did Melvin and JH go to the same school with contracts they just(Melvin) and JH prior, for large amounts ?I think the Cubs don’t have a chance next year wih

    The Cubs can forget about Fielder next year after the contract he just signed.He is not worth it as you can assure that his body will soon outgrow his value. Then again dosen’t he have moneybags Boras as his agent? Seems as though Pujols is more available the way things are going for him .

    • Patrick_Schaefer

      Pujols is likely to get in the neighborhood of 30 million a year!

      • paulcatanese

        I know this a late post Patrick,but I think I read somewhere where Pujols may be priceing himself out of even St Louis and looked as though he may be available to others. Thats another story because I don’t think the Cubs would go that high anyway. Just something I read and to post about.

  • Patrick_Schaefer

    RIP Andrea Soriano, My thoughts, prayers and condolences to Alfonso and his family.