Return of a former DP'er
Reports are running wild out of the GM meetings that the Dodgers are giving serious consideration to trading former Des Plainesian Shawn Green for Sammy Sosa. I can't begin to think of how much better this would make the Cubs. Green, has a Lefthanded bat, can still poke out 30 or so bombs, has some speed left, and is a gold glove winner in 1999. Although he's not as good as he was a few years ago and beyond, he's definently still has potential to be as good as he was as he is only 32 years old.
Sosa claims to be 36 right now and has looked a lot older than that the last couple seasons. Being the supposed clubhouse cancer that he is, this means we can get rid of almost everyone this offseason which has been causing problems (alou, sosa, mercker) and get the clubhouse in good shape to make a run at the pennant next year. It appears that the sticking point right now is Sosas clause which gives him a guarantee for next year to make $18 million, while Green's $16 million deal only runs through this season. This is another good point for the cubs if they can pull this off, if Green does have a good season and wants to come back, they could sign him for significantly less next season and have the money to spend elsewhere, especially with Zambrano, i believe, coming up for arbitration after this upcoming season.
posted by Herboturbo @ 11/08/2004 06:59:00 PM
1 comments
1 Comments:
Chip and stoney weren't the problems last year, the attitudes of guys like sosa and alou were. I'm afraid that they might have to keep Sosa but that bridge is so burned that the repercussions of him playing in wrigley this year will be huge. With Kwood taking a bat to his stereo after the final game when he left early, that seemed to be a visual to the 'end' of the Sammy Sosa era in Chicago.
I'm appreciative of the good years he had here but the point is that he never changed his game when he power numbers started failing him. When you're knocking 60 out of the park every season things can be overlooked, but when your not, and you dont try to change your game to fit the new circumstances.......
He was challeneged by 3 of the last 4 managers to sit in the Cubs Dugout. Riggleman, Baylor and Baker all called him out to work to become a better overall player yet he trashed all three. The management let him get away with it for the first two guys for reasons mentioned above, but i do not think he will get away with it now. And this is why i dont think they can afford to bring him back for next season. Maybe he goes to the Dodgers, or the Mets, or the Rockies, or whoever and goes back to being the Sosa of 1998-2001, but he will not be able to do it here.
Post a Comment
<< Home