You should begin every post like this...

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You should preface every post and call with this disclaimer.

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"He is a loathsome, offensive brute
--yet I can't look away."

perhaps I'll place it in my tagline. So, is he available?

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Ба́бушка гада́ла, да на́двое сказа́ла—то ли до́ждик, то ли снег, то ли бу́дет, то ли нет.

Yeah, nagonnahappen...


From mlb.com:

Phillies acknowledge interest in Lowe
Amaro meets with right-hander, agent; Yanks also in running

http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd ... &fext=.jsp

Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports.com reports that the Diamondbacks are listening to offers for outfielder Justin Upton.
Upton hasn't met the lofty expectations that were bestowed upon him as the No. 1 pick in the 2005 MLB Amateur Draft, but he's only 23 and still posted a respectable .273/.356/.442 batting line this year with 17 home runs and 18 stolen bases in 133 games. It's going to take a serious haul of prospects to lure him away from the Diamondbacks' grasp.


Not tied to the Cubs. But you've got to call and at least see what they want. Maybe a Jackson, a SP prospect (Archer, McNutt)and a 1 mid level guy? Seems they might be willing to sell low-ish

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Team Cutler.

Cubs GM Jim Hendry met with the agents of Aaron Harang, Javier Vazquez and Vicente Padilla at the winter meetings.
The Cubs are looking for some stability in their rotation beyond Ryan Dempster, and all three veterans would seem to be a decent fit. Padilla, though, hasn't made 30 starts since 2006 and pitching only 95 innings this past season due to a bulging disk in his neck. Vazquez seems likely to wind up with the Marlins. Harang has had strong peripherals in recent seasons despite a lack of success in general. Nov. 20 - 9:28 am et
Source: Chicago Sun-Times

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Team Cutler.

Padilla is a cock and a half and is to be avoided like the worst plague of all plagues. Harang is a good innings eater who can pitch a gem or serve up hr after hr and 10 runs in an outing. I agree with Javy going to the Marlins. Again....stay the fuck away from Padilla if you learned anything from Milton.

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That's my purse! I don't know you!

Agree on Padilla and Harang. Javy has been awful in the AL but take a look at his numbers in the NL. Pretty damn good over the years with Atl, Ari, etc. I really think he's one of those guys who just can't adjust to the DH and the small AL parks. Of course, Wrigley is a band box also. He's always around the strike zone. Lotta Ks but lotta HRs too.

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I don't want Harang after Dusty has pitched him 230 innings for the past few years. Isn't he like one season removed from arm surgery?

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None of these guys are worth signing. We already have Silva, Wells, Coleman and Gorz for the back end of the rotation. None of these "vets" is an upgrade. Hendry continues to prove why he needs to be shit canned.

Berkman to Cubs? May have some merit if cheap enough and for 1 year only. Better than Nick "I am hurt again" Johnson who Hendry supposdely is considering for some inane reason.

Lance Berkman tells Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports that eight teams have expressed some interest in him this offseason. ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick reported earlier in the month that the A's were interested and Rosenthal adds the Cubs and Rockies to the list.

I am still waiting for the Jorge Cantu rumors to start heating up. In potentially terrible, but highly unlikely news....DLee was declined arbitration which means he won't command a draft pick in return when someone signs him. Don't get any stupid ideas from this Hendry, Do not get any ideas.

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That's my purse! I don't know you!

I'm still waiting for the Nick Johnson signing by the Cubs.

Javier Vasquez I wouldn't mind seeing. But Millwood seems to be a Jim hendry kind of signing.

Vasquez has lost his velocity. To many innings.

Absolutely not. That ship has sailed, sunk, grown barnacles, become a dive spot, and the wood has been salvaged to create a nice set of fireplace mantles.

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That's my purse! I don't know you!

I think what IMU17 is saying is that he has zero faith the Cub will sign anyone better... and no, Nick Johnson is not an upgrade.

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Statistically maybe, depending on whether he hides another injury for the entire season so it doesn't affect his impending free agency. The thought of him returning to that clubhouse is revolting. He will be fine as a stop gap on a veteran team with established leadership. He belongs no where near a youth movement.

Now back to Jorge Cantu. He could have a fine year for the Cubs if they so choose to sign him. I would also like them to get another cheap guy at 1b such as Kotchman, so that when Aram falls apart they can move Cantu over to 3rd and not have o sign someone out of the Atlantic League to play 1st. I guess Nady could be that backup guy, but is he still even on the team?

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That's my purse! I don't know you!

See, I totally disagree on him being a good clubhouse guy. He isn't a cancer or a troublemaker by any means, but he has other detriments to him. He has a long history there so he will command attention from the younger players. I don't want them following his individualistic business like approach to everything. I want Byrd to be the veteran position player leader on this team. He has a bust your ass ,team first approach.

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That's my purse! I don't know you!

no micah hoffpauir that needs AB's anymore either

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It's being reported they are talking to Fat Elvis... not sure what to make of him. He looked horrid on the Yanks but out of all the retreads out there, he has a few selling points. He is a switch hitter and actually had some All-Star level seasons only a few years back. I'm not sure if he came off the Flintstones or it's his level of fitness and age regression, it's hard to say what he can realistically demand.

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The last thing this team needs to do is get older. If they don't have a young first baseman major league ready they need to trade for one or move Ramirez to first and give the young third baseman they like (not Vitters) a chance. Enough of the retreads.

The only thing Vitters hit last year was a wall. He needs at least another full year in the minors to develop. The kid that was between AA and AAA last year, from clemson I think, should get the nod at 3rd if they move aram to first. Marquez smith maybe is his name?

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That's my purse! I don't know you!

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That wasn't meant to be funny.

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Apparently Brandon Webb is on the radar.

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That's my purse! I don't know you!

The same radar that searched for Japanese planes at Pearl Harbor.

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If you can get him cheap, why not? Better someone with an upside than these other bozos who will be looking for 5M or so:

Cubs Looking At Several Veteran Starters
By Mark Polishuk [November 27 at 5:54pm CST]
The Cubs have five starters tentatively pencilled into their 2011 rotation, but given the number of question marks on that staff, it's understandable that the team is looking to add a veteran innings-eater to the fold. ESPN.com's Jason A. Churchill reports that Chicago has "shown interest" in Jeremy Bonderman, Aaron Harang, Kevin Millwood and Javier Vazquez, and also cites a Chicago Sun-Times item connecting the team to Vicente Padilla. Churchill says the Cubs "kicked the tires on" Jon Garland before the right-hander signed with the Dodgers.

All five starters would make sense as low-cost additions; Vazquez has reportedly turned down a two-year, $20MM offer but it seems like he's more likely to end up in Florida or Washington than in Chicago. The Cubs are probably looking for a short-term deal, and Garland's $5MM pact with L.A. would likely be a good comparison point. That $5M salary (plus incentives and a 2012 vesting option) would likely be enough to land Millwood or Harang, and Bonderman would leap at that offer given his injury-riddled recent history.

Padilla is coming off the most solid season of the group and could command a bit more money or a second year, though he made only 16 starts in 2010 due to various nagging injuries. Churchill cites the Mets, Padres and Pirates as other teams that could use a starter that fits Padilla's profile.

Bonderman, Millwood and Vazquez all landed on Luke Adams' list of free agent pitchers that could benefit from a move to the NL, though pitching in a hitter-friendly park like Wrigley Field might not be what they had in mind. As we saw with the Garland signing, teams that play in pitcher's parks will have an advantage in finding extra arms for their rotation, especially when it comes to a pitchers like Bonderman or Harang who are trying to rebuild value.

Speaking of rebuilding value, there's also a chance that the Cubs could look at a higher-ceiling starter such as Brandon Webb. Fanhouse's Ed Price hears from a source that Chicago is "seriously considering" Webb. The former Cy Young Award winner has also drawn interest from several other teams, but the Cubs could be helped by the fact that Chicago is relatively close to Webb's home in Kentucky.

I want to stop seeing Padilla's name on these lists.

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That's my purse! I don't know you!

Supposedly Bedard and Jeff Francis are on the radar. Hendry is looking in the arm-trouble bin for scraps it would seem

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Marlins Reach Agreement With Javier Vazquez
By Luke Adams [November 28 at 12:20pm CST]
The Marlins have agreed to terms on a one-year deal with Javier Vazquez, pending a physical, reports Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (via Twitter).

Good. He is toast as a front of the line starter.