Cubs sign Scott Hairston to a two year contract

[MrPoon]

Complete nonsense.

There's a lot of such doubt in my mind.

thats cool! I think your kidding yourselves, but whatever

[KyleJRM]

The team undoubtedly has an above-average starting rotation. That alone gets them out of the "doom and gloom, 70 wins max" territory.

[Cubsfan365]

Soriano (with a lot of his salary picked up) should be plenty for Chisenhall.

I'm sticking to Chisenhall and Kieran Lovegrove for Soriano and cash.

Who could we be after in a 2-for-1 or 3-for-1?

[The Masked Unit]

The team undoubtedly has an above-average starting rotation. That alone gets them out of the "doom and gloom, 70 wins max" territory.

Yeah, if the FO is trying to build a bottom 5 team, they're not doing a very good job of it. This squad is looking a lot like a middle of the pack team.

[BSJ78]

I know most people on this board prefer prospects, but I'd love to see an expanded Soriano deal that got the Cubs Asdrubal Cabrera to play 3B. It seemed like a foregone conclusion around the winter meetings that he'd be traded, he's not really a shortstop anymore defensively, and Cleveland picked up Mike Aviles early in the offseason who can be a stopgap for a year or two...so I don't think it's totally unrealistic that Cleveland would trade him in a deal for a win-now type player and a couple other pieces.

I just have a feeling that Cabrera in the easier league, in a better hitter's ballpark, and at an easier position is a borderline All Star. He's currently a high-.700s OPS guy with below average defense at SS...maybe he'd be an .800ish OPS guy with above average defense at 3B in an era where that's one of the 3-5 best third basemen in the NL. And even though he's only two years from free agency, he's actually younger than Barney (by 5 days)...so an extension could make him a legitimate 5 year solution.

Of course, two years of Cabrera is substantially more valuable than two years of Soriano, so the Cubs would have to include others. But this could be the trade opportunity the front office has been looking for to clear a roster spot or two while getting a proven potential long term piece back in the process.

Then sign Bourn and platoon both OF corners with DeJesus/Hairston and Schierholtz/Sappelt, and it's a pretty interesting team to watch.

[Brad IBCB]

Soriano to Cleveland could be very interesting.

[MrPoon]

I still see them as a .500 team at best. I obviously dont think theyre trying to build a loser, but Theo and Co. have done nothing but talk about how its going to be a long process to build up a system that can compete year in and year out (from the minors on up)...and the better prospects that we have so far (soler, almora, etc..) are still a couple years out from being regulars on the major league squad. I just think they wouldnt mind at all another season (albeit possibly a little better one) like last year that can not only get them a higher pick, but also buy them time until our better prospects are ready to contribute full time. The things is, once you start competing year in and year, which is their goal, those opportunities to grab some of the better players draft-wise dissipates. I just think they want to stock up now why they can, IMO.

[KyleJRM]

There's a big difference between ".500 at best" and trying to build a top-5 draft pick team.

[MrPoon]

eh, your splicing hairs. fine, 1-10 pick. my point still remains. I dont think theyre TRYING to build a loser, I just dont think they care if it does lose.

[MrPoon]

until i see a garza extension, this team could easily flip him at the deadline (assuming good health). With our #1 possibly gone by mid year, do you really see this team as .500 or better? I dont.

[Cubsfan365]

until i see a garza extension, this team could easily flip him at the deadline (assuming good health). With our #1 possibly gone by mid year, do you really see this team as .500 or better? I dont.

If he's healthy, he'll have significantly more value if he's traded before the season because that team will have him for the full year and will get a draft pick if he leaves.

[MrPoon]

good point. the catch is, we really wont know if hes full healthy until the end of spring training/season starts. i just think the FO is still in full prospect mode in trying to resupply our system. trading garza and another down year helps that quite a bit.

[DavidH]

until i see a garza extension, this team could easily flip him at the deadline (assuming good health). With our #1 possibly gone by mid year, do you really see this team as .500 or better? I dont.

not trying to be a smart ***, but i don't think they'll be trading samardzija by mid year.

i'll get the obvious out of the way.... if they got a good enough return they obviously should be willing to move anybody.

[DavidH]

good point. the catch is, we really wont know if hes full healthy until the end of spring training/season starts. i just think the FO is still in full prospect mode in trying to resupply our system. trading garza and another down year helps that quite a bit.

this team is in long term asset mode. that can be either good major leaguers or prospects.

[MrPoon]

right, and theyre doing both. The Jackson signing shows that. Still a ways to go.