Lee rejects brewers offer

by slink on Jul 28, 2006 8:48 AM CDT

4 years and 48 mil is the starting point folks, and that isn't going to get it done.

http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/5822932

I personally don't feel he's worth a whole lot more than this, and I'm not sure that I'd want the Cubs to offer him 5 years either.

Acquiring this guy is going to be costly. Although, now that he's shot down the Brewers offer, I imagine they'll likely rush a trade. Unfortunately, I don't see the Cubs as having a chance of matching what the other clubs listed have to offer.

Poll

Assuming CLee becomes a FA, how much are you willing to give him?

4yrs +54 mil

12 votes

4yrs +48 mil

6 votes

4 yrs +60 mil

4 votes

5 yrs +60 mil

12 votes

5 yrs +70 mil

5 votes

your soul

1 votes

40 votes | Poll has closed

This is a FanPost and does not necessarily reflect the views of SB Nation or Al Yellon, managing editor (unless it's a FanPost posted by Al). FanPost opinions are valued expressions of opinion by passionate and knowledgeable baseball fans.

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Comments

What difference does it make how much he costs?

The Chicago Cubs, 19 games out of first place going into last night's action, drew 40,346 people to the ball yard last night. Yes, I know it was against the Cardinals. Doesn't matter. The fans keep coming out in droves. The Cubs drew 39,000 fans to see a Thursday afternoon game against Milwaukee last month. They Tribune has our money. They are making LOTS of money on the Cubs. Money should not impede the club from acquiring the services of Carlos Lee, should management decide he is a good fit for the team. We as Cub fans deserve to have the ownership of this team invest the dollars we pay to put a winner on the field. If that means signing Carlos Lee to a four year, 52 million dollar deal, so be it.

One day, the dream will come true.

by brianp88 on Jul 28, 2006 9:04 AM CDT reply actions

Does anyone know what the new capacity is...

when they fill it up as much as possible with the addition of the Bud Lite bleachers? Because it seems to me that if the Cubs were perennial contenders they would only fill a few hundred more people in there every game. From a businessman's perspective, especially at a struggling public company that has shareholders to deal with, it seems like they have very little incentive to raise their total salary much higher. I know it sucks, but I don't expect the Cubs to throw ridiculous amounts of money at free agents even citing as bad as they are this year. They will do precisely what they always do: pay enough money to impress the casual idiot fans that go to the games with drinking as the primary objective and watching a winning team secondary (I'm able to have dual objectives).

The Cubs organization is like a drug dealer: they give fans a taste, which is enough to get the fans hooked so the organization can line their pockets for years to come. The only difference is that the Cubs sling mediochre baseball rather than blow.

by CosmicCharlie911 on Jul 28, 2006 9:21 AM CDT up reply actions

Except

the money the get from fans attending the games doesn't realy compare to the amount they can comand with the tv and radio commercials if the market share for the broadcasts went up. then there is the merchanise sales that accompanies both winning teams, and especially playoffs

Take Boston, they also filled up heir stadium every game, but after they started winning, getting to the post-season, and eventially a ring you wouldn't believe the amount of things they have figured out to cash in on, Red Sox Nation memberships, taking over Yawkey Way during games, they have Official Whatever for everything on the planet, commercials, everything, and it wouldn't happen with a losing team.

by flyball on Jul 28, 2006 9:28 AM CDT up reply actions

touche

n/t

by CosmicCharlie911 on Jul 28, 2006 10:01 AM CDT up reply actions

That's correct...

... the ticket sale money is only a small fraction of what they'd make if they were winning.

Winning increases TV ratings. Higher TV ratings mean higher ad revenue, which mean higher rights fees, which mean more outside ad possibilities, more skybox sales, etc etc etc...

WINNING is where the BIG money is. And don't think the Tribco suits don't know that.

by Al Yellon on Jul 28, 2006 10:09 AM CDT up reply actions

Well, I guess I can't argue...

the dynamics of television business with a guy that works for a TV station.

by CosmicCharlie911 on Jul 28, 2006 10:22 AM CDT up reply actions

Just because...

... he's traded somewhere now, doesn't mean that team will be first in line to sign him.

by Al Yellon on Jul 28, 2006 9:04 AM CDT reply actions

wasn't

that you're whole rationale for having the cubs trade for him a few weeks ago?

by tomas21 on Jul 28, 2006 9:17 AM CDT up reply actions

Yabbut...

... that was for the CUBS.

Some other team might be looking to "win now" with a rent-a-player like Lee. Not sure who that would be, but teams make deals for players like this for different reasons.

by Al Yellon on Jul 28, 2006 9:21 AM CDT up reply actions

If he goes to the Twins...

which is one of the rumored teams they sure are not going to sign him to anything like the 4 and 48 he turned down.

by Lablover on Jul 28, 2006 9:32 AM CDT up reply actions

Agreed

I don't know who Lee's agent is, but he's got to be licking his chops -- he's going to be the big fish in the sea this winter. Lets hope the Trib has a big enough boat to land him...

One day, the dream will come true.

by brianp88 on Jul 28, 2006 9:18 AM CDT up reply actions

Soriano

I'm just hoping that Soriano will be there in the FA market. Now that he's a good defensive player, albeit in left field, that guy's a force.

Lee would be my second choice.

by NO100 on Jul 28, 2006 9:09 AM CDT reply actions

I wouldn't go that far

Soriano is not a good left fielder at this point. He does occasionally make nice plays as he his speed helps him but he still makes bad decisions sometimes as he is still learning the position.

What can be said though is that he is much less a liability in LF than at 2B.

by rlpete on Jul 28, 2006 10:11 AM CDT up reply actions

True

I've also heard that he leads MLB in outfield assists. Now, I'm sure that part of that is base runners testing him. He won't be throwing out so many runners into the future.

I suspect he'll do nothing but improve defensively and that's obviously good. I wonder if there's any chance he could play right?

by NO100 on Jul 28, 2006 10:21 AM CDT up reply actions

re

I've also heard that he leads MLB in outfield assists

He does, but that doesn't mean much. He demonstrated this in the series against the Cubs. He gets real bad reads on balls, has them fall on the ground, and then is able to throw out the runner who wasn't expecting the ball to fall on the field in the first place. He does cover a lot of ground but he's still a very bad defensive player.

"You hit your way on, you don't walk your way on" - Jim Hendry

by VS on Jul 28, 2006 10:26 AM CDT up reply actions

its like the fielding equivalent...

of a pitcher being effectively wild. He is effectively a crappy fielder.

by CosmicCharlie911 on Jul 28, 2006 10:32 AM CDT up reply actions

Heh, good analogy :-)

"You hit your way on, you don't walk your way on" - Jim Hendry

by VS on Jul 28, 2006 10:34 AM CDT up reply actions

Soriano

I have never been that big a fan of Soriano. That being said, he might actually prove to be a decent LF. I was at a game at RFK earlier this year and saw Soriano throw from LF to the plate. The runner stayed on third. If he hadn't, he was toast. Smart teams are already not running on him. It was a laser beam, low and fast right to the catcher on one bounce. He's got a gun for an arm. And he actually made a great play on a ball using his speed to run down a ball and then jump to catch it.

But he's not going to go anywhere. If the Washington Post is right, the new owner of the Nationals is considering throwing a bunch of money at Soriano (and he has a bunch of money to throw) to keep him in LF for the Nationals. Add a pitcher or two and that's a pretty good team. An OF of Kearns, Soriano and Church. I would take all of those over the Cub counterparts. Zimmerman at third, Lopez at SS, and Vidro at second are all better choices then the Cub counterparts, and Johnson at first is not that far from Lee. Essentially the Cubs have first and Catcher, and the Nationals have the rest. And once can argue that, since the Nationals team is relatively young at many of these positions, that its going to get a lot better.

Right now they have one of the most solid set of position players of any team in the NL. Give them a slightly above average pitching staff and they are going to be in contention very fast.

by Frustrated Fan on Jul 28, 2006 11:11 AM CDT up reply actions

Can you put together a hostile takeover

of the Nationals. These two teams could make one playoff contender.

by jcub on Jul 28, 2006 12:37 PM CDT up reply actions

Combined Team

The Nationals and the Cubs fit together like a glove. Taking the top 25 from the Nationals and the Cubs would produce a very strong WS contender. But then take just about any two teams and put them together and you have a WS contender.

The other thing is that the Nationals are coming, at the moment, like a house on fire, and I would not be shocked to see them reach second in the NL East. (Although currently in last, they are only two games out of second.). No chance for the playoffs, but second in the East would be a very successful year for the Nationals.

by Frustrated Fan on Jul 28, 2006 1:17 PM CDT up reply actions

Agreed on Soriano

As I stated here several weeks ago, I'm not sure he will even be traded. I don't think Washington will trade him just to get something. If they don't get the two or three top prospects they are asking I think they will hold on to him and try and resign before the end of the year.

The new owners are trying to impress the fans and resigning Soriano who along with Zimmerman are probably the fans favorites would send a good message to the fans.

Of course, now watch him get traded for a couple of AA guys.

by rlpete on Jul 28, 2006 12:58 PM CDT up reply actions

Cordero and Johnson

also are very popular. In fact, Cordero is very very popular considering that he has a tendancy to occassionally blow a save. That being said, when "The Chief" comes out of the Bullpen, the DC faithful really get into it. Based on what I saw, I would say Cordero is the most popular National, followed closely by Soriano and then Zim mer man and Johnson. (The Fans really like the Zim Mer Man chant as well.)

by Frustrated Fan on Jul 28, 2006 1:14 PM CDT up reply actions