Good or Bad

View from the Bleachers has a post about good off season signs. I kind of take one quote as a bad sign.

"I still love to play. I feel like I can play every day and hit over 30 homers and 100 RBI, so I'd like to sign a two or three-year deal with someone," said Alou, whose father, Felipe, is manager of the San Francisco Giants. "I wanted to return to Chicago, but there's a bunch of other places I'd like to go. I want to finish my career on a high."
The good sign: Not even Moises thinks he'll be a Cub next year.

To me that is Alou saying the Cubs are headed in the wrong direction of trying to deliver a World Series to Chicago. Other people will read it another way and that is fine. But if Alou thought the Cubs were a step away from being a World Series caliber team he would not say what he did.

Random Thought: I was reading about Daisuke Matsuzaka and at the end of the article they mentioned some possible Japanese free agents. Now I am a big supporter of the Cubs atleast attempting to tap the Japanese market but for some strange reason the Cubs over-seas scouting is stuck in South Korea. So why not take a flyer on this guy?

Tadahito Iguchi (Daiei Hawks): A second baseman with tremendous speed. He stole 42 bases in 2003 and it was his second stolen base title. His fielding would also be above average. However, he has been playing on artificial turf. He could struggle on natural grass, just like Kaz Matsui did wth the Mets.

He has some power, but he will mainly be the type of player who hits between the gaps. He cares about on-base percentage (his OBP for 2003 season was .438) more than hits and home runs, so he could transfer from the middle of the lineup to the leadoff spot.

His career batting average is .271 with 149 home runs and 507 RBI. He's played for the Daiei Hawks for eight seasons.

Or if he costs too much how about...

Toshihisa Nishi (Yomiuri Giants): A second baseman with great range, and a four-time golden glove winner. Although he had a career high 28 home runs this season, he is recognized as one of the smartest leadoff hitters in Japan. He played in the Japan-U.S. All-Star exhibition games, but he batted just .118 (2-for-17).

He said before the series, "I would like to show my ability at this series." But he also said, "If no major teams offer more than $1 million, I will stay here, in Japan." It is hard to guess how many teams could make an offer of more than $1 million for Nishi, who is 33 years old, and a career .274 hitter. However, if a team signs Nishi for $1 million, he could be a bargain deal.

His career average is .274 with 121 home runs and 389 RBI. He's played for the Yomiuri Giants for nine seasons.

They would both be a better pickup than Neifi Perez. Especially Nishi who is probably looking for something around $1.0-1.5 million. For the penny pinching Cubs you think they would be tripping over themselves to get a possible 2nd. I pleaded with the Cubs to get Hideki Matsui and Kaz Matsui, so I highly doubt they would even look at these lower profile guys as answers. Much better to go with Neifi and Macias atleast you know what to expect.