Spending spree hard to ignore

看板Cubs作者Sugareo (不要混了封逼唸書是王道)時間19年前 (2006/11/23 02:35)推噓0(0推 0噓 0→)

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Spending spree hard to ignore Soriano, Ramirez deals have some wondering if the Cubs are on the market Buy Chicago Cubs gear at the ChicagoSports.com Team Fan Shop. 大意：主要是關於賣球隊的傳聞一個紐約時報常常在觀察MLB BUSINESS的記者Murray Chass認為TRIBUNE.CO 要賣球隊了因為他們做了以往不會做的事花下大筆鈔票簽下Aramis Ramirez 還有 ALFONSO SORIANO 他認為有人給了HENDRY一個未知但很大的金額讓他可以到自由市場簽球員因為TRITUNE.CO不會再替小熊隊付錢在不久之後他認為如果TRIBUNE.CO 要繼續保有球隊的話小熊隊就不會簽SORIANO了不過聯盟主席SELIG對於SORI的合約並沒有發表任何意見另外根據線民指出主席並沒有收到要把小熊隊放到市場上的申請書如果要賣球隊的話這是一定要做的事而且 TRIBUNE.CO的發言人也宣稱他們並沒有要賣球隊的打算不過還是有線民說已經有數家公司對小熊隊有興趣不過大部分都不知道是誰唯一可能知道的是 Mark Cuban 小牛隊老闆不過庫班拒絕給予任何回覆接下來下面是有其他隊MANAGER們對SORI的合約的看法以及小熊隊暫代的PRESIDENT John McDonough談論小熊隊的目標包括聘請LOU PINIELLA以及簽FA等等的都是為了要拿到總冠軍然後還有HENDRY談球隊需要補強的地方等等的後面有興趣的自己看吧不過還滿雜的 November 21, 2006 Alfonso Soriano figures to be the property of the Cubs through 2014, which raises a question: How much longer will the Cubs be the property of the Tribune Co.? Around Major League Baseball, the signing of the 30-year-old Soriano to an eight-year deal worth at least $136 million—along with a flurry of other recent moves, most notably the $75 million deal to keep third baseman Aramis Ramirez—set off alarm bells. Murray Chass, a New York Times reporter often honored for his role as a watchdog of the business side of baseball, wrote that the Soriano signing gives credibility to reports that Tribune Co. is going to sell the team it has owned since 1981. "If Tribune intended to hold onto the Chicago Cubs, the Cubs would not be signing Alfonso Soriano to an eight-year contract for $136 million," Chass wrote. "… It seems that someone in the Cubs' hierarchy has given [general manager Jim] Hendry the green light to offer uncharacteristically large sums of money, knowing that the Tribune Co. won't be paying the bills for much longer." Commissioner Bud Selig declined to discuss the Soriano deal, with a spokesman saying the paperwork had not reached his Milwaukee office late Monday. But a highly placed MLB official acknowledged the sudden spending by the Cubs, especially the long contracts given Ramirez and Soriano, could signal an attempt to build up the product before selling. "That's a fair observation," the executive said. "I just don't know. Obviously the numbers are startling. I can tell you that I've talked to a lot of baseball people, general managers, and they're stunned." According to the MLB constitution, the commissioner must be informed if a team is being placed on the market. A highly placed source indicated that Selig's office has not received such notification from Tribune Chairman Dennis FitzSimons. Reports that the Tribune Co. might sell its assets in a piecemeal basis have stirred interest from several groups in possibly purchasing the Cubs. However, Tribune Co. spokesmen have consistently said that the company does not plan to sell them. At least one potential purchaser has gone strangely silent. Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban, a dot-com billionaire, acknowledged interest in purchasing the team last summer but said he had been told it was not for sale. Asked what he thought about its attractiveness, he declined to answer, saying he would not "want to drive up the value." Cuban has declined to return recent e-mails about the Cubs. While the Cubs formally announced the Soriano signing on Monday, they declined to provide details of the contract. There have been reports that it includes a full no-trade clause, and an executive with one other team said he had been told the winning bid was for more than $136 million, as has been reported. At eight years, $136 million, it would be the fifth-biggest deal in MLB history behind Alex Rodriguez, Derek Jeter, Manny Ramirez and Todd Helton and pay Soriano an average of $17 million a year. Soriano will be going to his fourth team in five years, having been traded by the New York Yankees in the Rodriguez deal and then traded by Texas to Washington last winter. He was almost traded again last season, but the Nationals decided to turn down offers in the hope of keeping him long term. That decision did not work out. The Nationals will instead receive two draft picks for him, neither of which can be higher than 31st overall. Yet some MLB executives wonder if the Cubs aren't making just as bad a decision by investing so heavily in him. According to the executive who said he had talked to several GMs on Monday, the scope of the deal isn't the only question. "If he's a foundation piece, why has he changed teams so much?" asked the executive. "He's a .280 lifetime hitter, a liability in the field and he's 31 years old [in January]. I don't understand it myself." While the Soriano signing appeared to shock many around baseball, it did not materialize out of thin air. John McDonough, the Cubs' interim president, spoke about an increased aggressiveness from ownership on the day he was named to replace Andy MacPhail. McDonough said the Cubs' goal was to rebound from a 66-96 season to win the World Series "next year and the year after that." Hendry sold Lou Piniella on that increased commitment from ownership when he met with him on Oct. 4 to discuss the managerial vacancy. On the day Piniella was hired, Hendry indicated the club would increase the payroll to fill needs. The Cubs currently have about $92 million committed to 16 players for 2007, including estimated raises for arbitration -eligible pitchers Carlos Zambrano and Mark Prior. Hendry said he has never discussed how the increased spending fits into the corporate strategy at a time when Tribune Co. is making cutbacks elsewhere. "Nobody's ever talked to me about that from the company," he said Monday. "I'm just trying to put together the best baseball team I can. … From the day John McDonough got the job, it's clear we're here to win and win quickly. There are a lot of things that happen in the company way above me that I'm not privy to and don't expect to be." Hendry still hopes to sign or trade for three veteran players—two starting pitchers and a left-handed or switch-hitting outfielder. If he signs three of the top guys on his radar (center fielder Gary Matthews Jr. and starters Ted Lilly and Gil Meche), he could wind up with a payroll of about $125 million. The New York Yankees, at $195 million, were the only team that had a payroll that large in 2006. If the Boston Red Sox sign Japanese ace Daisuke Matsuzaka, whom they have bid $51.1 million for the rights to, their payroll will probably finish ahead of the Cubs. A year ago, the Cubs ranked seventh in the majors with a payroll of $94.4 million, their largest ever. But historically the club has often ranked in the middle tier in payroll—11th at $80 million in 2003, when they advanced to the National League Championship Series, and 15th at $64.5 million in 2001. That was the year Sammy Sosa's 160 RBIs were 94 more than any of his teammates, the biggest disparity in history. With Soriano, Ramirez and Derrek Lee, the Cubs will not put so many eggs in one basket in 2007. But their ultimate success could depend on ownership maintaining its newfound appetite long enough for Hendry to add proven performers to the pitching staff. -- ashamed,why? -- ※ 發信站: 批踢踢實業坊(ptt.cc) ◆ From: 220.131.221.206 ※ 編輯: Sugareo 來自: 125.231.123.107 (11/24 01:36)