There has been some speculation that the spending spree the Chicago Cubs have engaged in this off-season is a signal that the troubled Tribune Company will be selling the team in the near future. Believe it or not, the media has taken flight with this talk and done interview after interview with local and national business groups which are apparently frothing at the mouth to lineup and bid on the team. What caused this sudden uproar and media feeding frenzy? The trigger seems to point to huge contracts give to recent players Alfonso Soriano and Aramis Ramirez. The thinking goes that the Tribune is loading up on talented players to better the team’s position not only on paper and on the field but also in the boardroom and the auction block as well.

The Cubs possibly being for sale and the acquisition of new players are two completely separate issue. The cubs signing big name players now doesn’t make them selling off the team any easier, since they have to show the books to the new buyers prior to having an agreement. It’s not like the new owners aren’t going to see the numbers or these new deals are going to go unnoticed on the financial books. But having the cubs start WINNING would increase its value and possible inflate the buying price a little along with make them more revenue while the cubs are up for sale. Nothing sells merchandise and advertising more than a club that snags the local and national headlines by being competitive and winning. That may be their plan if they want to sell; better product gets you more return in a sale…simple as that.

So do you think the Chicago Cubs would benefit from a change of ownership?

- Matt Riedl

Alfonso Soriano is one happy camper tonight. He just signed a deal with the Chicago Cubs that stretches up to 8 years and 136 million dollars. Yep, you read it correct, 136 million dollars. Soriano had several large market teams hunting to add his bat to their lineups and had enough respect to be labeled the top Free Agent. Now that he is off the radar of many teams, they will turn their attention and checkbooks to the remaining bats that are available. Problem is, the price tag associated with these few remaining power bats is on the rise, primarily due to how much Soriano ended up making.

So what is the big deal? With teams able to freely spend and large market clubs shelling out insane amounts of money for top players, the less fortunate clubs have no choice but hope and pray they are able to compete with lesser talent. How does that make MLB more competitive? The luxury tax that high spending teams have to pay is a drop in the hat compared to what is spent and its spread out amongst all the teams. That hardly makes the playing field even. Until baseball is able to understand and accept that the sport would be much more competitive if they would cap the spending, this surplus of contract dollars will continue. Do you think 136 Million dollars for 8 years is justified?

- Matt Riedl

Left-hander Kei Igawa was posted by the Hanshin Tigers on Friday.
Because the MLB offices are closed for Thanksgiving, bids for Igawa won’t be due in until Nov. 27. It looks like this is how the Tigers wanted it so MLB teams had a couple extra days to get into a bidding war. The Padres, Diamondbacks, Dodgers, Yankees, Braves, Mets, Cubs and Indians have all been linked in the media as being interested and possibly making a bid for Igawa. If teams start getting desperate before that time, the bidding could reach into the 20 million range, a small price compared to the 50 million the Red Sox bid to negotiate with Matsuzaka.

So who would be interested in a lefty starting pitcher who consistently throws strikes and racks up 15 wins a season regularly? There isn’t a team out there that wouldn’t want to add him but the bidding process caters to teams that have extra money to spend beyond just the players contract. Igawa looks to cost around 10 million a year in salary, which could make the final cost including the bid amount right around 30 million dollars. Is he really worth it?

- Matt Riedl

If Aramis Ramirez does officially walk on the offer he has received from the Chicago Cubs then the Cubs have really no choice but to bring in maybe 2 big bats. This might mean Alfonso Soriano AND J.D Drew or C. Lee. They already needed one WITH Ramirez. If he walks that frees up another 11 million to add to the pot.

I just don’t see General Manager Jim Hendry being able to pull off multiple big time deals. I especially don’t see him being able to pull off multiple big time deals without at least one of them being a huge contract that the cubs end up paying way over market value. I think we can all agree that Jim Hendry is not exactly GM of the century.

Hate to sound overly dramatic, but the Ramirez contract could be the back-bone of Hendry’s chances in the next year or two. Hendry normally has a Plan in place, just no back up plan for when his falls though. He had a plan in place last year that hinged on Furcal. When that didn’t happen he scrambled (no back up plan) and ended up giving away good pitching and lots of it for a 1 year rental of Pierre.

Ramirez may be his Plan A. Does he have a backup plan? Looks like Ramirez, the Chicago Cubs and their fans are about to find out.

Kind of ironic that these athletes all want to play for a winning team and all want to compete and win it all…yet their own greed prevents the teams that they play on from being able to acquire more weapons in the hunt to win and be competitive and win it all.

What do you think?