Is it just me or does anyone else think since most likely Albert and Prince will stay where they are, if Carlos Pena has a strong rest of the season signing him for 2-3 years aint such a bad idea?

He is a solid defender which is important with our growing SS and while he isn't ideal with the bat I'm not so sure much better is out there.

Obviously it would depend on the money too.

Prince Fielder is not staying in Milwaukee.

_________________
Team Cutler.

Yes

_________________

It's really not that horrible of an idea. The team is going to be rebuilding anyway, and he's a good 1st baseman.

_________________

I wouldn't give him any more than 2 yrs 12 mil. No options or no trade clauses.

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

Always.

_________________
Power is always in the hands of the masses of men. What oppresses the masses is their own ignorance, their own short-sighted selfishness.
- Henry George

Fine..he can fucking walk then.

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

Are you really comparing Carlos Pena to Prince Fielder? Carlos Pena is not a game changer. He doesn't sell tickets, and he will not win you a division title. If he pushes for more money, why would it matter if he walks? You can get another "guy" to play first base on a 1-year deal next season.

_________________

Becuase they are almost the same player
I'm not spending 10-12 mil for multiple years on a guy who can be cold for 2 months, hit 7th in the lineup half the season and bats .220. I will go pay Kotchman 3 mil over 2 years to play good defense and get on base.

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

Resigning Pena would be dumber than signing him in the first place. The Cubs need to find a young 1st baseman who will be entering his prime when this team is ready to contend. They already wasted one year by signing Pena to his 'pillow contract' they can't afford to waste any more.

I agree.....but who is out there that fits that description?

Do we hope Logan Morrison pisses off the brass enough that the Marlins trade him? He isn't great but could be decent. Don't know how he does defensively as he doesn't really play first much with Sanchez there.

I went through the entire list of big leage first basemen and he was about the only one who was young enough with some decent stats yet not an untradable focal point of a team.

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

There are guys. One could be the Yankees C/1B Jesus Montero. He's catching now but his long term position is 1B and he can flat out bomb. Trade Marshall and pencil Montero in at 1B for the next 10 years.

Big Z will probably need to be going with Marshall to get him.

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

Oh I don't know about that. The Twins traded their top prospect C Wilson Ramos last year to Washington for Matt Rapps. I think Marshall could get it done.

Who is Matt Rapps? And what label is he signed to?

I want see LaHair play in the majors before considering it.

By Cracky!

_________________

Another four A player having a monster season in Des Moines. Haven't we seen this movie before?? That place must be the Coors field of the minors.

wrong. don't forget the fleet of vibrators whose war stories could make iwo jima veterans cry.

on topic: i was thinking that if they can't go land a big bat (97% likely) that i'd be OK with a ~3 year deal for pena at market-price. the guy plays a solid first base and has enough power to warrant sticking around. i think bob brenly or someone recently noted that if pena goes 30HR 80RBI he prolly saves ~20 runs at 1B over the course of a season so there's your 100 RBI... and ifhe goes beastmode he could do like 45/115 or something and if he hits .250+ that's tits and you run with it all the way to the bank.

looking at this cubs team, 1B isn't the problem. they need a whole new outfield. and general manager.

_________________

Another factor is let's face it while Castro can rake he let's be nice struggles on D. Having a good first baseman to keep the fans in the first base seats safe is a good idea.

Defensively Castro reminds me of a young Dunston and Dunston was helped a lot when Grace arrived.

_________________

pena should have never been signed in the first place..dumb move by a dumb g.m....like kerry wood and d.davis and lopez deals, and letting gorzellany go who was making like 1.2 million...prince would be ideal next year...but i do not think the cubs have the money to pay him 5-6 years 110 plus million.... pena was real desperate to even sign with a team and hendry overpaid.... pena was so desperate to sign he structured his 1 year ten million dollar deal to be paid over the next 3 years...aramis ramirez should be playing first and saved that money for fielder.

_________________

_________________

Chris Davis is destroying AAA right now. I thought Hendry had his eye on him at some point. There is enough bad pitching in the NL central for him to feel like he is in AAA, too bad most of it is on the Cubs.

His stats are absurd.....33 games: .370ish, 19 bombs, 52 rbi

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

Damn.

Whether it's Davis or Brett Jackson or anyone else that may be ready to get an extended audition for 2012, the time is now to start the process. Then they will have a better idea of what they have and what they truely need for next season.

_________________
Go Cubs!!!!

A kickass slogan!

'put a trophy on the shelf in 2012'

_________________

I thought there was a Roidface thread around here somewhere. Did you see the idiot wearing the Roidface Cubs jersey?? What a stupid dope!

Pena's signing didn't hurt anything. His contract did not prohibit them from going after someone else or lose out on one of their own players. There isn't a first basemen in the system who Pena is blocking. He has upside of being a 40-HR guy and from all reports, is a great guy in the locker room. Plus, going into this year the Cubs did have a reasonable expectation to compete in the weak NL Central. And I understand Rickett's constant mentioning of the "Cubs Experience." How do you charge some of the most expensive ticket prices and not start off the year without reasonable winning expectations? Overall Pena has been about an average first baseman this year and it has not worked out as they would have hoped but I don't think it is right to classify his signing as dumb.

_________________
Lay off that whiskey and let that cocaine be.