The 2010 Cubs Free Agent and Roster Moves Thread: SAVEENG OUR KUBBEEZ!!11

[BH]

MEP destination possibility. Could burn it down after.
http://chicago.craigslist.org/nwi/reo/1360603126.html

Cheaper than Brixen Ivy was.

Better brownies, too.

Probably less sasquatch women around too.
I think I might actually buy the space for my new Joe Jackson museum.
Might be just a place to host the towels the kids threw in the pool.

[Saul Goodman]

Unlike in his playing career, your Next Cubs Manager is heading to the championship series.

[CubFaninHydePark]

And they're starting to enjoy the taste of champagne.

They give minor leaguers champagne?  Really?

[Kermit, B.]

And they're starting to enjoy the taste of champagne.

They give minor leaguers champagne?  Really?

Probably not in PITTSBURGH!

[Saul Goodman]

And they're starting to enjoy the taste of champagne.

They give minor leaguers champagne?  Really?

That's all the champagne left over from the cancelled 2007 and 2008 MLB playoffs.

[BH]

Sources have informed Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune that the Cubs plan to shop Carlos Zambrano this offseason.
And Big Z seems comfortable with the idea of moving on to another club. "Maybe if I go to a different city next year," he said Monday, "if I get traded, I can do what I want." More than $50 million remains on his current contract and Cubs general manager Jim Hendry is sure to demand a large package of prospects in return, so a deal seems unlikely. Zambrano, 28, is 8-6 this season with a 3.77 ERA and 1.41 WHIP in 24 starts. Sep. 15 - 11:06 am et
Source: Chicago Tribune

[Slaky]

Sources have informed Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune that the Cubs plan to shop Carlos Zambrano this offseason.
And Big Z seems comfortable with the idea of moving on to another club. "Maybe if I go to a different city next year," he said Monday, "if I get traded, I can do what I want." More than $50 million remains on his current contract and Cubs general manager Jim Hendry is sure to demand a large package of prospects in return, so a deal seems unlikely. Zambrano, 28, is 8-6 this season with a 3.77 ERA and 1.41 WHIP in 24 starts. Sep. 15 - 11:06 am et
Source: Chicago Tribune

Steve Stone says there will be a ton of interest and Carlos hasn't ruled out the White Sox. The White Sox apparently have a ton of young talent to give up.

[Eli]

I'd be stunned if they actually traded him.

[BH]

I'd be stunned if they actually traded him.

Typically the Cubs like to crush a player's value via the media before trading them. I'm sure stories about Z being a bad teammate, clubhouse CANCER, lazy, no good asshole will be leaked soon. Then we'll trade him for Jeremy Reed, Lance Broadway and Luis Castillo. And pick up 80% of Z's contract.

[Chuck to Chuck]

I'd be stunned if they actually traded him.

I'll be pissed, but not surprised.  The sale is going to result in massive debt payments.  They need to free up cash flow.  While Z is the most valuable of their high priced guys, he's also the most tradeable.  Trading Z saves $18 million per year.  They couldn't save $18 million next year by unloading all three of Soriano, Fukudome and Bradley.

Typically the Cubs like to crush a player's value via the media before trading them. I'm sure stories about Z being a bad teammate, clubhouse CANCER, lazy, no good asshole will be leaked soon. Then we'll trade him for Jeremy Reed, Lance Broadway and Luis Castillo. And pick up 80% of Z's contract.

You mean like this? http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/chi-10-cubs-pirates-chicago-sep10,0,7823245.story

But it was the inning that Zambrano didn't work -- the seventh -- that got the Lou and Big Z act into high gear.

They appeared to get into a war of words in the dugout after Piniella decided to lift Zambrano. Piniella said Zambrano tried to talk him into letting him go one more inning, to no avail.

"I told him, 'Let's just build and get you stronger and stronger,' " Piniella said.

Zambrano didn't agree with the decision, so Piniella threw up his hands.

"I told him, 'Next time if you want, I won't warm anybody up and I'll let you pitch nine innings.' I don't think he liked that one," Piniella said.

Zambrano pretended that nothing had happened when he began talking to reporters after the game.

"I wanted to pitch another inning, but it's Lou's decision," he said. "Nothing I can do about it."

But didn't he try to get Piniella to give him another inning?

"I'll bet you asked him the same question, because you saw the replay and everyone thought we were arguing, but we weren't," Zambrano said. "We were just talking normally. But it seems like every time Lou talks, it seems like he's mad -- the way he moves his hands. Everybody thinks he's mad, but he's not.

So what did Piniella say to him?

"He told me 'Don't get angry' in Spanish," Zambrano said. "I said 'I'm not angry. I just want to pitch one more inning. He told me next time I will pitch a complete game and he will let me pitch 200 pitches, no matter what."

Zambrano then laughed.

"Two hundred pitches is tough to do," he said. "But it was kind of funny, the way he told me."

[Oleg]

I'd be stunned if they actually traded him.

I'll be pissed, but not surprised.  The sale is going to result in massive debt payments.  They need to free up cash flow.  While Z is the most valuable of their high priced guys, he's also the most tradeable.  Trading Z saves $18 million per year.  They couldn't save $18 million next year by unloading all three of Soriano, Fukudome and Bradley.

Typically the Cubs like to crush a player's value via the media before trading them. I'm sure stories about Z being a bad teammate, clubhouse CANCER, lazy, no good asshole will be leaked soon. Then we'll trade him for Jeremy Reed, Lance Broadway and Luis Castillo. And pick up 80% of Z's contract.

You mean like this? http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/chi-10-cubs-pirates-chicago-sep10,0,7823245.story

But it was the inning that Zambrano didn't work -- the seventh -- that got the Lou and Big Z act into high gear.

They appeared to get into a war of words in the dugout after Piniella decided to lift Zambrano. Piniella said Zambrano tried to talk him into letting him go one more inning, to no avail.

"I told him, 'Let's just build and get you stronger and stronger,' " Piniella said.

Zambrano didn't agree with the decision, so Piniella threw up his hands.

"I told him, 'Next time if you want, I won't warm anybody up and I'll let you pitch nine innings.' I don't think he liked that one," Piniella said.

Zambrano pretended that nothing had happened when he began talking to reporters after the game.

"I wanted to pitch another inning, but it's Lou's decision," he said. "Nothing I can do about it."

But didn't he try to get Piniella to give him another inning?

"I'll bet you asked him the same question, because you saw the replay and everyone thought we were arguing, but we weren't," Zambrano said. "We were just talking normally. But it seems like every time Lou talks, it seems like he's mad -- the way he moves his hands. Everybody thinks he's mad, but he's not.

So what did Piniella say to him?

"He told me 'Don't get angry' in Spanish," Zambrano said. "I said 'I'm not angry. I just want to pitch one more inning. He told me next time I will pitch a complete game and he will let me pitch 200 pitches, no matter what."

Zambrano then laughed.

"Two hundred pitches is tough to do," he said. "But it was kind of funny, the way he told me."

Nothing crushes a player's value like a story that says that he wants to pitch more.

[*In a Nutsack]

I'd be stunned if they actually traded him.

Typically the Cubs like to crush a player's value via the media before trading them. I'm sure stories about Z being a bad teammate, clubhouse CANCER, lazy, no good asshole will be leaked soon. Then we'll trade him for Jeremy Reed, Lance Broadway and Luis Castillo. And pick up 80% of Z's contract.

You spelled Carlos Beltran wrong.

[Brownie]

I'd be stunned if they actually traded him.

I'll be pissed, but not surprised.  The sale is going to result in massive debt payments.  They need to free up cash flow.  While Z is the most valuable of their high priced guys, he's also the most tradeable.  Trading Z saves $18 million per year.  They couldn't save $18 million next year by unloading all three of Soriano, Fukudome and Bradley.

Typically the Cubs like to crush a player's value via the media before trading them. I'm sure stories about Z being a bad teammate, clubhouse CANCER, lazy, no good asshole will be leaked soon. Then we'll trade him for Jeremy Reed, Lance Broadway and Luis Castillo. And pick up 80% of Z's contract.

You mean like this? http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/chi-10-cubs-pirates-chicago-sep10,0,7823245.story

But it was the inning that Zambrano didn't work -- the seventh -- that got the Lou and Big Z act into high gear.

They appeared to get into a war of words in the dugout after Piniella decided to lift Zambrano. Piniella said Zambrano tried to talk him into letting him go one more inning, to no avail.

"I told him, 'Let's just build and get you stronger and stronger,' " Piniella said.

Zambrano didn't agree with the decision, so Piniella threw up his hands.

"I told him, 'Next time if you want, I won't warm anybody up and I'll let you pitch nine innings.' I don't think he liked that one," Piniella said.

Zambrano pretended that nothing had happened when he began talking to reporters after the game.

"I wanted to pitch another inning, but it's Lou's decision," he said. "Nothing I can do about it."

But didn't he try to get Piniella to give him another inning?

"I'll bet you asked him the same question, because you saw the replay and everyone thought we were arguing, but we weren't," Zambrano said. "We were just talking normally. But it seems like every time Lou talks, it seems like he's mad -- the way he moves his hands. Everybody thinks he's mad, but he's not.

So what did Piniella say to him?

"He told me 'Don't get angry' in Spanish," Zambrano said. "I said 'I'm not angry. I just want to pitch one more inning. He told me next time I will pitch a complete game and he will let me pitch 200 pitches, no matter what."

Zambrano then laughed.

"Two hundred pitches is tough to do," he said. "But it was kind of funny, the way he told me."

Nothing crushes a player's value like a story that says that he wants to pitch more.

DUH! It shows he's lazy!

[Brownie]

The schedule's out:

Highlights:

Opener 4/5 @ ATL. Home opener 4/12 vs. the Brewers

Possibly brutal stetch in May: Cubs close an 8-game homestand with a M-T series with Colorado, then fly to Philly for 2, then fly to Texas for 3, get Memorial Day off, then host Dodgers and Cards for 3 each.

Host Sox 6/11-6/13. That's the opener of a 9-game homestand (Oakland comes in mid-week, followed by the Los Angeles California Angels of Anaheim) that comes after 3 games @ MIL.

Cubs go to Seattle for 3 after the homestand, then go to Comiskey.

West Coast trip (3 @ AZ, 4 @ Dodgers) precedes ASB (in Anaheim).

After break, 10 game homestand (Philly, Houston, Cards)

Final week of the season features a 4 gamer in San Diego, followed by 3 @ Houston.

[Weebs]

The schedule's out:

Highlights:

Opener 4/5 @ ATL. Home opener 4/12 vs. the Brewers

Possibly brutal stetch in May: Cubs close an 8-game homestand with a M-T series with Colorado, then fly to Philly for 2, then fly to Texas for 3, get Memorial Day off, then host Dodgers and Cards for 3 each.

Host Sox 6/11-6/13. That's the opener of a 9-game homestand (Oakland comes in mid-week, followed by the Los Angeles California Angels of Anaheim) that comes after 3 games @ MIL.

Cubs go to Seattle for 3 after the homestand, then go to Comiskey.

West Coast trip (3 @ AZ, 4 @ Dodgers) precedes ASB (in Anaheim).

After break, 10 game homestand (Philly, Houston, Cards)

Final week of the season features a 4 gamer in San Diego, followed by 3 @ Houston.

They also don't play in St. Louis until August, and only play them once before the All-Star break.  Could make for some good baseball in August and September, assuming they haven't fallen 15 games out by then.