EvilJester99

The Indians getting that closer only helps them to compete with the Sox.....

I think KW could still make this work right if he could work a deal to get Brian Roberts...He would answer a few questions for them. Lead off hitter and quailty 2b. Plus he could screw the Cubs...which would be a good bonus.

Another year of Jerry Owens/ Brian Anderson/ whoever else they can find in the minors who can't get the job done.....I hope like hell KW proves me wrong though. Not that I wanted ARow back though.

QUOTE(klaus kinski @ Dec 11, 2007 -> 09:51 PM) Didnt the Cardinals have one? Taguchi

Kosuke Fukudome Signs With Cubs Dave Kaplan of WGN Radio reports that the Cubs have signed Kosuke Fukudome to a four-year deal. Kaplan says it's for about $50MM, maybe a hair more. Fukudome will be a free agent after the fourth year; there will be no arbitration. The Cubs got their man for right field; he'll provide a strong dose of OBP. The quality of available right fielders drops off drastically after Fukudome. The deal isn't without risk, obviously, since Fukudome is untested in the Majors. Peter Gammons talked to a GM who described Fukudome as "a cross between Ichiro and a young, healthy Mark Kotsay."

QUOTE(southsider2k5 @ Dec 11, 2007 -> 10:38 AM) Has he changed his stance on only accepting a 3 year contract? Found this on MLBTraderumors.com so TIFWIW UPDATE, 12-11-07 at 10:48am: Just talked to a good source on this stuff. He told me Fukudome wants five years, despite what we've read. The Cubs don't expect he'll sign for $50MM for five years, and are offering that amount over four. They're having an internal debate about stretching it to a five-year, $65MM offer. Jim Hendry wants to stop at four years though.

Geezus...they can have him for that kind of money...the idiots will celebrate until their inevitable crash once again.

Since we are talking pitchers here...any chance the Sox will look at Masset as a possible starter? Or will he be back in the pen...I believe he is out of options right?

Hoping Fukudome throws all these Cubbie loving bastages a curveball and signs with either the Sox or Pads...

IIRC correctly the Scrubs offered him 3/45...

Gagne to sign with Brewers By Tim Brown, Yahoo! Sports December 8, 2007 A little more than a week after losing closer Francisco Cordero to a four-year contract with the Cincinnati Reds, the Milwaukee Brewers on Saturday morning were near a contract agreement with veteran reliever Eric Gagne, according to an industry source. Terms of the contract were unavailable, but it is likely to be for one year. Upon Cordero leaving for the Reds and Scott Linebrink signing with the Chicago White Sox, the Brewers signed David Riske, who has 20 career saves and no more than eight in a single season, to a three-year contract, and traded for Pittsburgh Pirates right-hander Salomon Torres. They also have Derrick Turnbow, who lost the closer role in an inconsistent 2006 season and then lost the job for good to Cordero. The addition of Gagne should put Riske, Turnbow and Torres into setup roles, though the Gagne signing is not without risk. After two injury-plagued seasons, Gagne had a 2.16 ERA and 16 saves for the Texas Rangers, was traded to the Boston Red Sox at the trading deadline, lost his command, and had a 6.75 ERA over the next two months. He claimed to be healthy. Despite a reasonable interest in re-signing Gagne and a backup plan to have C.J. Wilson or Joaquin Benoit serve as closer if Akinori Otsuka was slow to return from an elbow injury, the Texas Rangers announced Friday they were unwilling to guarantee two years on Gagne. In an otherwise soft market for a reliever whose stuff bears little resemblance to the "Game Over" closer who notched 152 saves from 2002-2004 with the Los Angeles Dodgers, that appeared to leave only the Brewers. The Reds, who had the lowest save percentage in the National League, blowing 28 of 62 chances, will pay Cordero $46 million over four years.

I always thought it was more like Fuk U Do Me....

No way does KW get into a bidding war for him...

I get the sinking feeling this is going to be another long season.... I love that quote though.."Now the Tigers can compete with us" Yeah they are worried about a team who only won 72 friggin games last season. KW really needs to learn when to speak and when to STFU.

I think somehow if the Sox sign Rowand/Fukudome and make a deal to get Brian Roberts, I would be pretty happy with this offseason. Who knows if any of this would happen but its a nice dream.

She is a model of the week from Sportsterminal.com

Without a doubt KW should be looking into this. Roberts would solve more than a few problems. Update on ESPN 1000 says The Cubs are looking into him as well. Cubs Aggressively Pursuing Brian Roberts Dan Connolly and Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun are reporting that the Cubs are aggressively pursuing the Orioles' Brian Roberts. A three player deal is on the table, so I assume the Cubs would send two players over. It's known that they'd send a starting pitcher, but we don't have names yet. The authors note that the Orioles have been fond of Rich Hill and Sean Gallagher in the past. Keep in mind that a trade of Roberts would require Peter Angelos' approval. Per Zrebiec, Angelos would have to be "totally overwhelmed" with an offer. The authors also note that the Orioles have talked to Tadahito Iguchi's agent in anticipation of a possible Roberts trade. The Padres and Dodgers would join the Orioles as his top three choices.

QUOTE(Vance Law @ Dec 5, 2007 -> 04:23 PM) He changed his mind a day or two ago. They were possibly going to look into getting a waiver to allow him to negotiate with the Phillies again, because the rules stated that they could not talk again until May. Ahhh Thanks for the info. I must have missed that.

QUOTE(Balta1701 @ Dec 5, 2007 -> 04:21 PM) $ Well that also goes without saying though....thats why they all want FA.

IIRC Gooch said he doesn't want to play 3rd and thats one of the reasons he opted for FA.

Kosuke Fukudome Rumors: Wednesday Let's start a thread just for Kosuke Fukudome. The prevailing sentiment is that the Cubs are the frontrunners for his services. Newsday's Ken Davidoff adds today that Fukudome has narrowed his choices to the Cubs and Royals.

QUOTE(Dick Allen @ Dec 5, 2007 -> 06:57 AM) Anyone as sick of this quote as I am? KW hasn't broken it out since pre-WS title "You try to do things that make sense and you can afford," Williams said. "I can't give you a dollar if I don't have 50 cents. Decisions are made awfully easy for you." I haven't seen it yet but I am waiting for my favorite.. "We are a small market team"....

I am not going to like seeing that lineup in Detoilet....

I would say whatever it takes... get it done KW!!

QUOTE(The Ginger Kid @ Dec 4, 2007 -> 12:38 PM) The LA Times is reporting this morning that Jones is looking for a deal that exceeds Hunter's and that Rowand isn't far behind that. Fukudome here we come!!