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<!--quoteo-->QUOTE <!--quotec-->NEW YORK -- The Cubs spent the winter of 2007-08 unsuccessfully trying to acquire leadoff man Brian Roberts from the Orioles.
Now they may spend the 2009-10 off-season trying to sign free-agent leadoff man Chone Figgins from the Angels.
Asked if Kosuke Fukudome would be his leadoff man in 2010, Lou Piniella replied: "It's a possibility. I would think that we'd probably try to add more speed, but we'll see. That's just a conjecture, nothing more, nothing less. But if not, certainly Fukudome would be a candidate."
Figgins, a switch-hitter who can play second, third or any outfield spot, is hitting .303 with a .399 on-base percentage and 39 stolen bases in 55 attempts. Fukudome is hitting .300 in 100 at-bats in the leadoff spot with a .413 OBP, while Ryan Theriot has a .311 OBP leading off.
The Cubs tried to add speed last off-season, but Joey Gathright was unable to hit consistently enough to garner playing time and was eventually dealt to Baltimore in May for Ryan Freel.
"There's no sense talking about next year yet," Piniella said. "We've got 28 games to go. But speed is something [we need]. We're last in baseball in stolen bases. That tells you a little something."<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Link
This is not some silly theory that's unsupported and deserves being mocked by photos of Xena. ![[Image: ITgoyeg.png]](http://i.imgur.com/ITgoyeg.png)
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I'm fine with getting Figgins, but the rationale Lou is offering is the biggest load of horse shit. The Cubs don't need to get "faster," Dusty.
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Speed doesn't slump dude.
Does he jump over cars too?
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Yep, I had a feeling that we would make a run after him. We have been linked to him in the past, and he fits the role of speedster/multiple position player that we are typically interested in acquiring.
He also has a career OBP of .362, while sitting at .399 this year
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I'm assuming he'd play as a 2B? He's played considerably more games at 3B and CF, but it's the only position that would make sense.
I got nothin'.
Andy
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Career - .292/.362/.389
32 years old next season. 2009 salary - $5,775,000.
If he's looking for, say, a 3 year deal, what's it going to cost? 3 years/21, 24 million? More?
Do we want to be paying a 32/33/34 year old whose skill set relies on his speed and has career numbers that barely beat out Ryan Theriot's that kind of money?
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Good point, Brock. I also see he is currently considered a Type A free agent.
Borderline Type A/B Free Agents
<!--quoteo-->QUOTE <!--quotec-->Figgins projects as a Type A at the moment, while the other four are currently Bs. The September performance of these players could push them in either direction. It's hard to say which will be offered arbitration, though Figgins is a lock.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
"Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that." - George Carlin
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He would totally solve all our problems, and I hear he gives a mean taint massage!
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Unless we're dumping Theriot and adding a real SS to go along with Figgins, I'm not that interested.
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<!--quoteo(post=62076:date=Sep 7 2009, 10:35 PM:name=rok)-->QUOTE (rok @ Sep 7 2009, 10:35 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec-->Unless we're dumping Theriot and adding a real SS to go along with Figgins, I'm not that interested.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Me neither.
That .399 OBP is sparkling, and we could certainly use a leadoff guy/speedster.
That said, his age is a huge negative. And what is his position?
Can he really play 2nd base decently?
OTOH, he does a lot of the things DeRo did; it'd be nice to have one of MLB's two kick-ass utility guys. (BTW, DeRo ain't no spring chicken either.)
A 3-year deal though? No.
There's nothing better than to realize that the good things about youth don't end with youth itself. It's a matter of realizing that life can be renewed every day you get out of bed without baggage. It's tough to get there, but it's better than the dark thoughts. -Lance
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I'm not seeing any actual comment by the Cubs that they are looking to add Chone Figgins or even a player like Chone Figgins. This looks like a writer writing about a boring, underachieving team and is fishing for a story.
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<!--quoteo(post=62108:date=Sep 8 2009, 10:47 AM:name=Scarey)-->QUOTE (Scarey @ Sep 8 2009, 10:47 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec-->I'm not seeing any actual comment by the Cubs that they are looking to add Chone Figgins or even a player like Chone Figgins. This looks like a writer writing about a boring, underachieving team and is fishing for a story.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Yeah, basically . . . but he put the word "may" in there, so all's good apparently.
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Bring him. He gets on base and makes things happen on the base paths. That's something we lack. His parent's can't spell, but that doesn't take away from his smart plays on the field.
Sign him. Please.
I hate my pretentious sounding username too.
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