….What would you do this off-season?
All of the news around baseball concerned Johnny Damon; I wish I could have heard the radio stations in Boston on Wednesday. So most of the Cubs news surrounded Jacque Jones and Corey Patterson. The Cubs and the rest of baseball was very quiet on Wednesday, so let’s have some fun….If you were the Cubs GM, what would you do?
With the recent signing of Jacque Jones the Cubs Faithful are up in arms over the Cubs giving him a 3-year contract. I have heard a lot of disgust this off-season over the moves and non-moves the Cubs have made. Many do not like the resigning of Neifi, the signing of Scott Eyre, the signing of Bobby Howry and the trade for Juan Pierre….so who would you have signed this off-season?
I want to know what moves the Cubs Faithful want this off-season. You are now the General Manager of the Chicago Cubs….tell me….what would you do?
But wait there is a catch….
You have to act like a general manager. You have a manager in place….Dusty Baker. He has one year left on his current contract and he is your opening day skipper. You cannot just say ‘Fire Dusty Baker’, that’s too easy.
You have a budget; in other words, the Cubs cannot have a payroll larger than the current $100 million dollar budget the Tribune Company has given for the 2006 season. If you need help check out Cot’s Baseball Contracts on the left side of the main page of the CCO.
When suggesting trades you have to consider equal value, no trade clauses and the other team’s budget, as well as the Cubs’ budget. In other words, trading Corey Patterson to the Red Sox for Manny Ramirez is not an option….not equal value, not within the budget of the Cubs. Or trading Corey Patterson to the Devil Rays for Julio Lugo is not an option….not equal value and the Devil Rays have more outfielders on their current roster than they know what to do with.
When suggesting free agent signings, you must keep in mind what their agents are asking for, the duration of the contract, the age of the player at the end of the contract, etc. A good example would be the 4-year contract Scott Boras is seeking for Kevin Millwood. Will Millwood still be worth the $10-$12 million dollars the Cubs would have to pay him when he is 35 years old?
Also, do not forget about adding depth to the Cubs bench and bullpen. There are many areas a GM must attend to, not just the big name stars.
This is not a way to start trade rumors. I believe if someone says there is a problem, then tell me there is a problem and here is how it can be fixed. Do not just complain give me your options.
I am listening and who knows who is reading.