Baseball Toaster: Cub Town : The Figures Are Got

The Figures Are Got

2006-01-17 18:23

by Derek Smart

The Cubs exchanged figures with their five strays today, and the Cubs' MLB site is kind enough to list them in the text of the linked article. However, since some of you may not be interested in wading through a bunch of words and stuff in search of a bunch of numbers and stuff, I thought I'd toss it into handy table form for your easy reference.

Team Player
Ohman $500K $750K
Hairston $1.95M $2.6M
Pierre $5M $6.5M
Prior $3.3M $4M
Zambrano $6M $7.2M

As you can guess from what I wrote earlier, I'm only really surprised about Zambrano's numbers (that, and the size of the gap between the club and Pierre), particularly since this morning's Sun-Times indicated that they'd be trying to hold him under $5M, while indicating that he'd be asking for something in the neighborhood of $5.5M (which experience should only serve to teach me a lesson I should have learned more completely long ago, which is to take anything written about the Cubs in the aforementioned rag with a grain of salt......truck).

In any case, if distance between numbers is a fair indication of nearness to resolution, it looks like Mr. Ohman should be set very soon, while Mr. Pierre and Mr. Zambrano could take it to the edge of a hearing. I doubt they'll get to that point, but I bet they make each other sweat.

Comments

2006-01-17 22:50:00

1. Sandus

I wouldn't mind making Pierre the first Cubs arbitration case in history. I wouldn't pay him more than 5 million, and I don't see any way an arbitrator could rule in his favor. The reason you try to avoid arbitration with a player is to refrain from having to badmouth him, thus saving your relationship. But with Pie in the wings, I don't mind showing Pierre some tough love (particularly when I've never been too enamored with him in the first place).

2006-01-18 05:04:21

2. Marc Normandin

The Cubs have never had an arbitration case?

2006-01-18 05:57:07

3. The Real Neal

Hendry hasn't but I am pretty sure they have. I can't recall for certain, but I thought Trachsel went at least once.

2006-01-18 06:36:46

4. Derek Smart

They've had hearings before, just not since Andy MacPhail has been club president.

2006-01-18 06:47:20

5. The Boar

If we have to go to arbitration with one of the players, Sandus, I'd much prefer it to be Pierre over Z or Prior.

Still, I think Pierre will prove to be a valuable asset to this club, and one which I would favor the Cubs locking up for a few more years. I would hate to piss him off thi early in his Cubs career. While Pie is certainly a CF in the wings, he hasn't proved anything yet, and remember, he isn't a leadoff hitter.

2006-01-18 15:07:08

6. chicagoburke

Jim should take Juan to the woodshed, even if just to show that he still has a set. (which up to now, seem to have been on permanent loan to the untouchable manager of the franchise)

2006-01-18 16:57:20

7. Sandus

Whoops. I meant of the MacPhail era. Small mistake, sentiment remains the same.