I was told Theo had an under the table deal sitting next to Kerry Woods personal services contract not to offer him one.

Sucks for him, as much as making 17 million in a year can be said to suck

It seems to be a statement about Almora as well

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O judgment! Thou art fled to brutish beasts,
And men have lost their reason.

I think the thought is that Fowler will get that per year on a longer term deal though?

He had to sweat out a contract offer last year as a younger and better player

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O judgment! Thou art fled to brutish beasts,
And men have lost their reason.

You have to question why the Cubs seem willing to let this guy walk for two straight years too.

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You do not talk to me like that! I work too hard to deal with this stuff! I work too hard! I'm an important member of the CSFMB! I drive a Dodge Stratus!

If true, then he gets a 5M buyout and 17M to come back next year. But I don't see him coming back.

I think that's what the Cubs are expecting. I can't see them wanting Fowler back, they just want the pick. You have to give Almora a shot next season. It's his time now. If you don't, you may as well move him. But Fowler could simply want to come back and play with this group of guys again and accept the QO. If he did, he's getting pretty much the same money he was gonna get from Baltimore except for two years instead of three and he'll be a free agent again next season.

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Anybody here seen my old friend Bobby?
Can you tell me where he's gone?
I thought I saw him walkin' up to The Hill
With Matthew, Tulsi, and Don

I just wonder how stupid the guy ultimately is.

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There are only two examples of infinity: The universe and human stupidity and I'm not sure about the universe.

The FA class last year was way better than this year. Fowler is probably one of the five best FAs out there on the market, and after the top tier, it plummets.

We will see soon enough. I certainly hope it is not my team that is foolish enough to lose a first round pick for him.

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O judgment! Thou art fled to brutish beasts,
And men have lost their reason.

Yeah, I'm not saying that I'd line up to give him 4x20 and lose a first round pick, but we all know that teams spend money in the off-season on FAs, and that money has to go somewhere.

Fowler has been real steady for years...He's not great, but his "set it and forget it" factor is nice...and he doesn't need to be great. Turns 31 in March...Makes it tough to offer him any more than a two year deal. I wouldn't offer him the Zobrist deal. With Almora on the come, I would probably take the pick and let him take the money somewhere else. Still, I love what he's brought to the table these past couple seasons.

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Yikes...

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I didn't read all of this but don't the Cubs end up screwing him? I assumed they would not do this after him agreeing to the one year deal for this year. They have limited the amount of teams that will look at him due to the pick loss.

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Elections have consequences.

Come

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He never has to buy a drink in Chicago again though.

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You do not talk to me like that! I work too hard to deal with this stuff! I work too hard! I'm an important member of the CSFMB! I drive a Dodge Stratus!

I heard on the way home that both sides had mutually declined their options but no word about a qo. That was what I thought they agreed to at the beginning of the year. Are the Jesse Rogers' of the world confused in their reporting?

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O judgment! Thou art fled to brutish beasts,
And men have lost their reason.

Yea, odd. I thought the option was installed at the insistence of Fowler's team as a way to prevent a QO. A quirk of the CBA. I guess not.

I had suspected the Cubs came to an understanding with Fowler, that if he signed for 2016, they would not make a qualifying offer after the season. That is why he signed for less, to get the chance to win a ring and then go out and sign a nice deal, without the issue of a draft pick scaring teams off. Almora actually hit for a higher average in 2016 (by 1 point) and is the better defender. It is time to hand over CF to Albert and say goodbye to Dexter. Fowler had a real nice season and Almora is not a leadoff hitter, so Fowler will be missed in that role. Not sure if Zobrist bats leadoff now .....he seems like the most likely candidate with his high OBP. Not ideal, as he doesn't steal bases, but probably the best suited to it.

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Go Cubs!!!!

So did the Cubs offer it and screw him or not?

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Elections have consequences.

Yes and I suspect Fowler will not accept it and look for a 3-4 year deal. If the Cubs don't want to sign him to a long term deal (they should not) they will get the draft pick as compensation. I am surprised they didn't just let him go, as the offers he gets now will be more limited.

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Go Cubs!!!!

Bad karma.

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Elections have consequences.

Theo wins again!!

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Proud to be UNVERIFIED.

This is why I had no problem with what Tommy LaStella did. The Cubs do what is in their best interest even as it screws the other person and so should every single player on the Cubs.

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You do not talk to me like that! I work too hard to deal with this stuff! I work too hard! I'm an important member of the CSFMB! I drive a Dodge Stratus!

Plus, you're a White Sox fan.

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No I'm not.

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You do not talk to me like that! I work too hard to deal with this stuff! I work too hard! I'm an important member of the CSFMB! I drive a Dodge Stratus!

In this case, he just did what he believed was in the best interest of the team. It's not personal, it's just business.

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Go Cubs!!!!

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You Go We Go traded to the Angels for a player to be named or cash.

You Go We Go!

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Made 64 million in 4 years with Cardinals. 233 334 408 742 98. 119 games a year in full seasons. Called out by Cards GM. "But I've also had a lot of people come up to me and question his effort and his energy level.You know, those are things that I can't defend." Still has one 16 million guarenteed year left. Joe will have his hands full keeping him motivated, and off the disabled list. Possibly Joe's beloved Heyward could end up with the Angels, once his bad money contract winds down more?