While you were all busy whining about how much Tuesday sucks, the Cubs were out busy agreeing to terms with all their arbitration-eligible players, with one notable exception.
The Cubs avoided arbitration with six other players. That list includes Geovany Soto, who signed for $4.3 million. Tuesday was the day when teams and players exchanged arbitration figures. The players on the list have between three to six years of big league service time.
RHP Matt Garza: Asked for $10.225 million; Cubs offered $7.95 million
Here are the new deals:
IF Jeff Baker: $1.375 million
IF Blake DeWitt: $1.1 million
C Geovany Soto: $4.3 million
3B Ian Stewart: $2.237 million
RHP Chris Volstad: $2.655 million
RHP Randy Wells: $2.705 million
Yes, it’s Matt Garza who hasn’t yet signed. Does anyone see this as a precursor to a multi-year deal? Does anyone else see this as a precursor to a trade? If yes on either account, please clearly state your reasons for believing so in the comments. I’ll make sure to steal whatever it is you say in an updated version of these headlines, so please make it sound intelligent.
In our continuing coverage of Cespedes Saga 2012, Jason McLeod chimes in. I don’t know whether or not he’s gay, but if he were, I’d think he has a crush on Yoenis.
“It’s funny, because we have a guy on the Cubs now that compares to him when he was younger,” McLeod said. “He reminds me somewhat of Marlon Byrd. Cespedes is a better runner than Marlon was when he was younger, but he’s a stocky, strong right-handed hitter who can play center field.
“He has power and he can throw. He’s built like an NFL running back. He’s really put together well. He has a chance to play center field in the major leagues, to hit and to hit for power.”
So, Jason, this big hunk of a running back-turned-center fielder, is he ready to step into the middle of the Cubs’ order?
“I think in an ideal world, he would have minor league exposure first,” McLeod said. “I think if he he signs before spring training, it would depend on how he looks in major league camp.
“Ideally, you would like him to get 100 at-bats, if not more (in the minors), but hopefully he’ll let the team know if he’s ready by the way he plays.”
And what of the younger, more mysterious Jorge Soler?
“He’s a younger version of Cespedes,” McLeod said. “He’s a 19-year-old with a bigger body. A guy who probably will be more of a corner outfielder. It’s more of a limited history with Soler as not as many people have seen him play. We did see him play a few games in November.”
Does that not seem like the more likely interest for the Cubs? Go with the younger guy? Granted, Cespedes still has 3 years before his prime, but I’d imagine the Cubs being more interested in a cheaper, younger Cespedes at this point. And that’s what Soler seems to be.
My son turned a year old today.
I’m packing up the car and preparing to take him to college.
No SOPA/PIPA protest on LOHO today?
Several of our sites have gone dark today. I chose not to go dark, even though I’m doing my best to get people to act on FB and Twitter.
Speaking of which, you can see how your local reps will likely vote and contact them here:
http://www.sopatrack.com
I’m more interested in Soler than Cespedes, just because of his age.
Going after Soler would seem more consistent with the other moves the Cubs have made this off-season.
I don’t understand the notion of either/or.
With the lack of potentially impactive minor league talent within the organization…. why not both?
That is indeed a possibility. In fact, the Cubs have already signed 2 other Cuban players this off-season.
Whichever one signs first will drive up the price of the other.
Watch their agents play this like a fiddle to their advantage.
who?
mini-Cespedes
RE:Garza- I vote for multi-year deal with incentives/ options and without a no-trade clause. Why? Based on my extensive experience at the LA County Fair, you always ask above the amount you really want, then after you get the counter-offer,then graciously drop the amount by about 10%.( to say $9 million) The shopkeeper(Cubs) can then go up to say $8 million,but offer the options. Then Me(the agent) will either say sold or walk away. I don’t think Garza’s agent wants to trot him out during the spring and would settle for the mult-year deal, provided incentives/options were added…
Options 4 or 5 years down the road may be acceptable, but not before that. If the Cubs are offering 2 years plus options then Garza will take his chances and become a free agent after 2013. There would be no incentive for him to sign such a contract. I don’t see Garza signing anything other than a 4 to 5 year guaranteed contract if we’re talking multi-year deals. At 5 years he’s probably worth about $70 million. I think I came up with $72 million when I looked at it awhile back. You could tack some options on after that, but they’d have to be mutual.
I don’t care about no-trade clauses. They’re part of the negotiating process. If player X wants an NTC he takes less money. If he doesn’t want one then he gets more money. There’s a cost to the player for every thing he wants added to the contract. I don’t know how much an NTC is worth, but it appears to be worth somewhere around $5 million from what I can tell. Since that $5 million isn’t my money I’ll let the Cubs decide how they want to use it. They can pay the player more or less and give him more perks. Works out the same no matter what.
If the Cubs have interest in trading Garza, which I don’t think they do considering their asking price, they’ll probably let whoever trades for him deal with the negotiation of his salary next year. It would also be doubtful the Cubs would sign him to a multi-year extension if they intended to trade him. That’s something the trading team should do and not be saddled with any more of Matt Garza than they want. Signing him to a multi-year deal only decreases his trade value, which already isn’t that high and certainly nowhere near what the Cubs want.
My guess is they work out a salary for next year and if the Cubs do want to sign him to a multi-year deal that happens closer to the end of spring training.
It is so freaking cold in my house today. I made a huge fire and it’s not even making a dent in the cold. BLAH.
Fly over to my workplace-it has been in the 80′s since 6:45 a.m. Even the people who are cold are the time are demanding the a/c on….
You made a fire?? Well that’s your problem right there. Most modern homes these days have things called a “furnace” and a “thermostat” which we can use to great effect in terms of warming said homes. You should look into it.
shut up.
So . . . how ’bout them Bulls, huh?
who?
Sorry. I just don’t follow soccer.
Jon Heyman says that the Rangers will be signing Yu to a 6 year deal this afternoon.
6 years seems like an awful long time for a player who has yet to prove himself in the big leagues.
And yet people want to give the same thing to Cespedes.
What team is willing to offer 6 years?
I don’t even think that would be to Cespedes advantage in the bigger picture.
Where is it set in stone that all Cuban players are on a par with A-level prospects?
Love all these opinions we hold to be gospel when the fact is none of us know anything about this guy other than what the scouts tell us, but we choose not to believe them just because we know their business better than they do.
Not a team. Just have seen a lot of “give him whatever he wants” tweets from Cubs fans lately.
I don’t think I follow as many dumb Cub fans as you do on Twitter. You need to be more selective.
I’ll stop following YOU.
That would cut my number of followers in half.
ahahahaha.
Cue the headline:”What Yu see us what Yu get”…
Rob Lowe tweeted that Peyton Manning is retiring.
Someone is desperate for attention.
One writer’s opinion is that he is next to go.Apparently he has a sizable check due this march.And after 3 neck operations and Luck coming in,I guess it’s time to build for the future.
What’s up Doc?I know it’s hump day but I can’t believe you missed a shot re: Julie’s comment of “Soler vs Cespedes because of his age”.
Too easy.
We all know Julie is LOHO’s version of Mrs. Robinson.
God bless her.
your point?
Art & Paul.
Cubs sign Jason Jaramillo.
YAWN.
Yu is a Ranger. Not you…Yu
Yu-hooooo?
There was a good article in SI where the Rangers are just biding their time,maybe to snatch up Fielder.
I can’t help it…Totally not baseball but, in the last hour, per NY Times, the captain of that cruise ship off Italy has stated, he tripped over a passenger in the panic, fell overboard, and ended up in a life boat.
That guy is aces.
So he is going down with his slip?