The off-season does get goofy at times. There is strange speculation and rumors about players and teams, much of which is stoked by agents and columnists that need something to write about.
ESPN published this morning a report that the Cubs are talking to center fielder Michael Bourn's agent, Scott Boras. Well, they probably talk about a lot of players, but Bourn does not seem to fit the Cubs current plan.
ESPN states that Bourn will be seeking more than $100
million, which may not be an obvious choice for the
rebuilding Cubs. The speculation then centers around whether the Cubs but they would be looking at build around him like the Nationals did with overpaid Jason Werth.
The Nationals made a statement two years ago when they overpaid for Werth to show the
marketplace it was willing to spend money on free agents and committed to winning now.
The Cubs might view a player like Bourn as a leadoff man and
centerfielder who could add runs on offense and take them away in the
outfield. The reason the talk of needing a center fielder is on everyone's mind is that Brett Jackson did not pan out well in his first major league season. Jackson will start 2013 in AAA.
“We do have to address our outfield and we will look to do that,”
Cubs general manager Jed Hoyer said in a phone conference with reporters
on Friday. “We like our prospects, but when they are as far away as
some of those guys are you can’t think about those guys. You have to
think about your team now.”
As it stands, the Cubs CF will be a Campana-Sappelt platoon. Those are AAA players. Bourn had a 6.0 WAR in 2012 which would have been the highest on the Cubs by a wide margin. But even 6 more wins does not make the Cubs close to being a contender in 2013.
At 31, Bourn is still an impact leadoff man who has led the league
in stolen bases three times. With 42 stolen bases and a league-leading
383 putouts last season with the Braves,
the multi-talented veteran would bring the numbers and the clubhouse
leadership that could help the Cubs begin to turn the corner after a
101-loss season.
Bourn would be 34-35 and at the end of his contract when the Cubs can realistically believe that their young prospects will be making the move to the major league level.
But the pundits believe that since the Cubs have trimmed significant payroll, the team will spend it. More than $50
million in payroll is coming off the books. The team has around
$75 million in payroll commitments for 2013.
The Cubs are not spending $100 million on a
lead off hitter. No. No. No. If the Cubs break camp with a payroll under
$90 million, Ricketts will call that a successful season.
Some financial magazine stated that the Cubs were the third most
profitable team in the majors last season. I don't know how they can
call that, since all team financial information is private and more guarded
than Fort Knox. But the easiest way to increase ownership profits is to trim personnel costs; $40 million is enough to get even the most jaded millionaire's attention. Besides, $40 million is a good cushion in case team attendance continues to fall rapidly at Wrigley Field. And even if attendance is stable at 2.6 million fans, the Cubs could "bank" the payroll savings over the next three years of rebuilding and developing prospects to have enough money to rebuild Wrigley without taxpayers money. Again, that is speculative, since the team is still pushing for public money so the family can keep more of their own.
