Wood

[ColoradoCub]

Considering that we're going to have to pay Gregg something like $4m and that we're paying Fukudome, Marquis and Soriano boatloads of money to suck, this pisses me off.

[Auz]

What a way to end your Cubs career... That's just plain fucked. The guy has been a class act for them since day one.

[Clapp]

<!--quoteo(post=557:date=Dec 2 2008, 12:19 AM:name=ColoradoCub)-->QUOTE (ColoradoCub @ Dec 2 2008, 12:19 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec-->Considering that we're going to have to pay Gregg something like $4m and that we're paying Fukudome, Marquis and Soriano boatloads of money to suck, this pisses me off.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Yeah see that's a fair reason to be upset for sure. Although Gregg at that price is a bargain. I don't think Hendry's this stupid though, and people always jump on him for stuff like this and then he comes out with the right decision usually in the end. We're likely saving at least 6 million dollars with this decision for 2009, money we absolutely need it sounds like. Do people legitimately believe Hendry would've done this if he thought Wood would go elsewhere? Give me a break. They obviously were convinced Wood would stay, and if you can't trade him, then you're really fucked. We have little money to work with, it sucks. Hendry would obviously love to have Wood back, he loves the guy like a son. But the bottom line is a big bat is more important to this team than Kerry Wood, and it's quite likely we couldn't have both with the limited amount of money we have. If this were next year, we'd be able to keep Wood I'm sure. This ownership nonsense is fucking us over. Blame them, not Hendry.

[Clapp]

Dusty wants Kerry to be the setup man in Cincy. I'd love to see the Reds do that, over 20 million invested per year in your 8th and 9th inning guys. Coco is owed 12 million per each of the next 3 seasons. Have fun.

[coolpoppa]

I WOULD NOT like to see Wood play for a division rival.

What we would we have had to pay if we had offered arbritration?

[Andy]

So what happens if Gregg decides that he deserves $8 mil out of arbitration after getting 29 saves and having a 3.41 era? Cubs go in with $4 and arbitrator sides with Gregg. Then what? Then Hendry just fucked himself royally.

[ruby23]

Gregg and Marmol = Wood and Marmol, so that's not the issue for me. I wanted the fucking draft picks, I don't care that Wood is gone, he's not a difference maker.

[coolpoppa]

<!--quoteo(post=602:date=Dec 2 2008, 07:16 AM:name=ruby23)-->QUOTE (ruby23 @ Dec 2 2008, 07:16 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec-->Gregg and Marmol = Wood and Marmol, so that's not the issue for me. I wanted the fucking draft picks, I don't care that Wood is gone, he's not a difference maker.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->

Well, there's that, too. The thing is, Wood may have taken arbritration. Worst case is, we have Gregg, Wood and Marmol... doesn't sound too bad.... otherwise, we get the picks. Seems to be a win/win to me.

[Scarey]

The thing is, almost every team has done failed to offer arbitration to some high profile players. Abreu, Dunn, Moyer, and many more were turned down I'm guessing because everyone is tightening down the payroll.

It sucks, but I think people need to stop acting like the Cubs are going out of their way to spurn Kerry.

[sleepyhead]

<!--quoteo(post=605:date=Dec 2 2008, 07:19 AM:name=coolpoppa)-->QUOTE (coolpoppa @ Dec 2 2008, 07:19 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec--><!--quoteo(post=602:date=Dec 2 2008, 07:16 AM:name=ruby23)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (ruby23 @ Dec 2 2008, 07:16 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec-->Gregg and Marmol = Wood and Marmol, so that's not the issue for me. I wanted the fucking draft picks, I don't care that Wood is gone, he's not a difference maker.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->

Well, there's that, too. The thing is, Wood may have taken arbritration. Worst case is, we have Gregg, Wood and Marmol... doesn't sound too bad.... otherwise, we get the picks. Seems to be a win/win to me.
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I don't think everyone is really facing facts that we are clearly operating with a finite budget. With options, I think Wood made close to $7 million last year and was relatively healthy. In arbitration, he would have made more than that. Spending $8-10 million for one year of Wood is not what you do when you have a set amount of money to spend.

Don't get me wrong, Wood has been my favorite Cub for years and I hate the thought of him going elsewhere. But this isn't about the Cubs being stubborn pricks, it's about the need to spend that money elsewhere. Plain and simple.

[Andy]

<!--quoteo(post=616:date=Dec 2 2008, 07:41 AM:name=sleepyhead)-->QUOTE (sleepyhead @ Dec 2 2008, 07:41 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec--><!--quoteo(post=605:date=Dec 2 2008, 07:19 AM:name=coolpoppa)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (coolpoppa @ Dec 2 2008, 07:19 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec--><!--quoteo(post=602:date=Dec 2 2008, 07:16 AM:name=ruby23)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (ruby23 @ Dec 2 2008, 07:16 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec-->Gregg and Marmol = Wood and Marmol, so that's not the issue for me. I wanted the fucking draft picks, I don't care that Wood is gone, he's not a difference maker.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->

Well, there's that, too. The thing is, Wood may have taken arbritration. Worst case is, we have Gregg, Wood and Marmol... doesn't sound too bad.... otherwise, we get the picks. Seems to be a win/win to me.
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I don't think everyone is really facing facts that we are clearly operating with a finite budget. With options, I think Wood made close to $7 million last year and was relatively healthy. In arbitration, he would have made more than that. Spending $8-10 million for one year of Wood is not what you do when you have a set amount of money to spend.

Don't get me wrong, Wood has been my favorite Cub for years and I hate the thought of him going elsewhere. But this isn't about the Cubs being stubborn pricks, it's about the need to spend that money elsewhere. Plain and simple.
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I can live with the fact that it was a money decision, but why wasn't it explained by the Cubs as a money issue. They made it out to be a contact issue where they only wanted him for 1 year and he wanted multiple years. Had they been upfront and just said, "We love Kerry, but we have some holes to fill and we're under a budget." I would have been fine.

[Quinn]

Why didn't we offer Woody a one year, incentive based deal again? If he says no, we offer him arby, he probably won't take it and then we get the draft pick. If he wanted to stay, he could have taken the first deal.

I just don't get this. I know we need money for a left handed bat and I agree with it, but why not even offer it to him? Maybe we could have talked to him to see if he was going to take it (and maybe we did, who knows)?

[HemisFear]

Does Woody think that he can still start? If so, I would think that he would prefer doing that rather than closing. Perhaps someone is willing to take that sort of risk on him. I personally feel his value is higher as a pensmen, but I don't get to make that call.

[sleepyhead]

<!--quoteo(post=626:date=Dec 2 2008, 08:04 AM:name=Quinn)-->QUOTE (Quinn @ Dec 2 2008, 08:04 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec-->Why didn't we offer Woody a one year, incentive based deal again? If he says no, we offer him arby, he probably won't take it and then we get the draft pick. If he wanted to stay, he could have taken the first deal.

I just don't get this. I know we need money for a left handed bat and I agree with it, but why not even offer it to him? Maybe we could have talked to him to see if he was going to take it (and maybe we did, who knows)?<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->

Because then you run in to a Hoffman situation where he leaves in a huff because we low balled him.

I seriously doubt that Wood ever said "I'll play for anything" and Hendry said "No."

[rok]

<!--quoteo(post=629:date=Dec 2 2008, 08:07 AM:name=sleepyhead)-->QUOTE (sleepyhead @ Dec 2 2008, 08:07 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec--><!--quoteo(post=626:date=Dec 2 2008, 08:04 AM:name=Quinn)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Quinn @ Dec 2 2008, 08:04 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec-->Why didn't we offer Woody a one year, incentive based deal again? If he says no, we offer him arby, he probably won't take it and then we get the draft pick. If he wanted to stay, he could have taken the first deal.

I just don't get this. I know we need money for a left handed bat and I agree with it, but why not even offer it to him? Maybe we could have talked to him to see if he was going to take it (and maybe we did, who knows)?<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->

Because then you run in to a Hoffman situation where he leaves in a huff because we low balled him.

I seriously doubt that Wood ever said "I'll play for anything" and Hendry said "No."
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Exactly. I love Wood as much as the next guy ( [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/unsure.gif[/img] ) but he isn't playing for charity. He would easily be the most expensive RP in our pen and probably doesn't deserve to be. I'm still not sure I believe that he would accept arbitration after we showed him the door and said our goodbyes, so this is all a little ridiculous to me from an organizational standpoint. Sure, there's risk, but if a douche like Gagne could earn a decent salary after all his injuries, there would have to be some demand for a guy like Wood either as a closer or starter. I can't imagine he would try to wiggle his way back onto the team. They should have took the draft picks.