Friday, October 31, 2003
Take My Slugger, Please
In an effort to rid his club of $33 million dollars in salary due to one Samuel Peralta Sosa, Cub President Any MacPhail did about everything he could do to irriatate his star right fielder. Sosa's agent Adam Katz asked for an extension and was turned down but cold. Katz probably even asked to guarantee the final year of the contract (2006, for a cool $18 million) and only heard the haunting sound of crickets on the other end of the connection.
Fact is, Sosa's contract seemed reasonable, and perhaps even modest when put into context to Alex Rodriguez ($22m in 2003) and Manny Ramirez ($20m in 2003) mega deals. But nobody is shelling out those kind of bucks anymore. Sammy and Katz looked at the landscape and figured the $33 million he'll get in 2004/2005 is probably the amount he'd get if someone offered him a four year deal as a free agent (which nobody would, by the way).
And that 2006 option? If Sosa's production rebounds a bit to 2001 numbers and he can remain healthy and he's nearing Aaron/Bond type home run numbers and the Cubs make at least one more post-season appearance, well then...there's no way in hell MacPhail will pick up that last season.
So, in the past few days, two of the best power hitters in the majors both could have found new homes. Nobody wanted Manny because the price was not right. The other decided that the price of freedom would have been too high. Interesting.
In an effort to rid his club of $33 million dollars in salary due to one Samuel Peralta Sosa, Cub President Any MacPhail did about everything he could do to irriatate his star right fielder. Sosa's agent Adam Katz asked for an extension and was turned down but cold. Katz probably even asked to guarantee the final year of the contract (2006, for a cool $18 million) and only heard the haunting sound of crickets on the other end of the connection.
Fact is, Sosa's contract seemed reasonable, and perhaps even modest when put into context to Alex Rodriguez ($22m in 2003) and Manny Ramirez ($20m in 2003) mega deals. But nobody is shelling out those kind of bucks anymore. Sammy and Katz looked at the landscape and figured the $33 million he'll get in 2004/2005 is probably the amount he'd get if someone offered him a four year deal as a free agent (which nobody would, by the way).
And that 2006 option? If Sosa's production rebounds a bit to 2001 numbers and he can remain healthy and he's nearing Aaron/Bond type home run numbers and the Cubs make at least one more post-season appearance, well then...there's no way in hell MacPhail will pick up that last season.
So, in the past few days, two of the best power hitters in the majors both could have found new homes. Nobody wanted Manny because the price was not right. The other decided that the price of freedom would have been too high. Interesting.
Thursday, October 30, 2003
Get your Red Hot Manny!!!!!
For $101 million, you can get yourself Manny Ramirez today. He of the .325 batting average, 37 home runs, and 104 rbi. He of the suspicious sickness and laggardly behavior on and off the field as well. Yes, the Red Sox put Manny on irrevocable waivers this week, meaning any team who'd take on the financial burden would own him.
Manny may well come with a huge amount of baggage, he yet is undeniably one of the best hitters in the big leagues, posting five consecutive years of an OPS over thousand. A team (based in the Bronx) who just so happens to have a hole in their outfield (known for their pinstripes) and recently completed a post-season where they didn't show the offense they needed to get it done (owned by a former shipping magnet) could be interested.
For $101 million, you can get yourself Manny Ramirez today. He of the .325 batting average, 37 home runs, and 104 rbi. He of the suspicious sickness and laggardly behavior on and off the field as well. Yes, the Red Sox put Manny on irrevocable waivers this week, meaning any team who'd take on the financial burden would own him.
Manny may well come with a huge amount of baggage, he yet is undeniably one of the best hitters in the big leagues, posting five consecutive years of an OPS over thousand. A team (based in the Bronx) who just so happens to have a hole in their outfield (known for their pinstripes) and recently completed a post-season where they didn't show the offense they needed to get it done (owned by a former shipping magnet) could be interested.
Monday, October 27, 2003
Anyone see Paul's story on THG? It's thoughtful, lucid, brilliantly reported and well written...in other words, the polar opposite of everything he posts here. Enjoy.
