Plan B

Seems like, as Mike told me a couple of weeks ago, that the best way to get a Cub offseason deal to NOT happen is to mention it here.

In that light, scratch Dustan Mohr off the Cubs' list. He signed with the Rockies yesterday.

The Sun-Times article linked above continues:

[Jim] Hendry said Monday after signing outfielder Todd Hollandsworth to a one-year contract that he "would be comfortable if the season began tomorrow'' with a starting outfield of [Sammy] Sosa in right, Corey Patterson in center and Hollandsworth and Jason Dubois in left.

Well... Hendry just might be right. Sosa still has fences to mend with his teammates, but management has made it eminently clear that even if the Cubs are stuck with him in 2005, that will be his last year with the ballclub. Maybe he'll put up a monster free-agent year.

Todd Hollandsworth as a full-time player isn't a great idea, but his numbers as a platoon player vs. righthanders are, at the very least, acceptable. Over the past three years:

.286/.351/.481, .823 OPS

It remains to be seen whether Jason Dubois can match or exceed these sorts of numbers playing against major league lefties, but perhaps now is the time to find out. And if the Cubs don't sign Carlos Beltran, they can use whatever savings they deem to have made, to upgrade the bench and bullpen.

In the spirit of this blog, where everything seems to happen opposite to what I post these days, let me thus say:

Carlos Beltran will probably sign anywhere but with the Cubs.