wheeling and dealing- baseball's hot stove

The hot stove is sizzling this offseason with trades and free agent signings. Money is always the issue in baseball because some teams like Kansas City don't spend alot of it, while teams like Boston and New York spend TONS of money. This offseason contracts are going to pay out the most money since the 2000 offseason when Manny(120 million) and AROD (252million) signed their MEGA-DEALS. Pitchers with just above 500 records and very HIGH ERAs are standing to make 10 million a year. 10 million a year TO BE an AVERAGE to slightly ABOVE average pitcher, I should have never stopped playing baseball.

The Cubs are one of the big players this offseason with re-signing Kerry Wood and Aramis Ramirez. The Cubs also added Mark De Rosa from Texas to play second base. The Cubs just did a deal with the WHITE SOXS to send a struggling reliever for another struggling reliever. GOOD MOVE- Yikes. The Cubs moves.... were all bad moves. The reason being: Wood Injury-prone, Aramis- unmotivated, De Rosa-Best year was last year. The Cubs are spending money but on the wrong players. They should have let Aramis and Kerry go, and not signed De Rosa, and not hired LOU Pinella for that matter. They are not a contender, but they are spending money like a contender would.

More Bad signings awaits the Cubs because I understand they are looking at JD Drew. JD DREW is a five tool player when he is healthy, which is not very often. He wants 56 million, sorry the Cubs do not need another injury-prone player, we have enough as it is.

Pitching, the Cubs are going to try and have 6 proven starters this year, with nobody counting on Mark Prior-myself included. Maybe the Cubs have finally learned not to bet on Prior and Wood anymore. Wade Miller is considered one of those starter which is in my view is wishful thinking. His velocity has not recovered from his shoulder surgery, so he is worthless as well. Gil Meche is also on the Cubs radar because of his ties to Lou Pinella. Gil is like every player the Cubs are eyeing or signing INJURY-PRONE. If you could win the World Series by having the best team on the DL(Disabled List) the Cubs would win every year!!!

Another offseason the Cubs spend in the hopes of winning the World Series, Big Lou you wanted money spent, was it spent wisely???