Three Way Action

This is probably more a Barry Rozner fantasy than actually reality But hey he is entitled to it.

• The Cubs trade Sosa to the Mets.

• The Mets send Mike Piazza to the Dodgers and Cliff Floyd to the Cubs.

• The Dodgers move Shawn Green to the Cubs.

And all but wraps up the Cubs free agency period, because now they dont need to go after Ordonez, Beltran, or Drew if that deal went down.

Rozner goes through the math of the deals and comes out with this....

• The Cubs spend $5.5 million more in 2005 than they would have before the deal, but they rid themselves of Sosa and fill two outfield spots in the process. Overall, it costs them only $4 million extra over two years.

If that's where it ended, it would look good for the Cubs. They get a solid "baseball player" in the Des Plaines-born Green and a potentially lethal threat in the Chicago-born Floyd - if he can somehow stay healthy.

So we spend an extra $5.5 million so we can have an outfield of Green, Floyd and Patterson. I am completly underwhelmed by that deal and I am trying to find something bad to say. But I can't ignore that they are decent hitters with around .270-.280 averages and a .350 OBP. Both are also left handed which is what this lineup needs. Its not fancy like landing a Drew, Beltran or Ordonez either. The main thing running through my head is that in 1-2 years these guys will not be Chicago Cubs. Meanwhile the team that signs Drew, Ordonez, or Beltran will be enjoying the success of those players for an extened period of time.

Much like our teams failure to seriously go after Rolen or Thome. The players that were in the way of aquiring that talent are no longer with the Cubs while Rolen and Thome are enjoying monster seasons with their current teams. I think the Cubs should just pony up the cash and bring in players who will be with this team longer than 1-2 years. I think a deal like that would just give Hendry an excuse not to pursue a long term replacement in the OF. It would be a classic Cubs delay tactic. Keep bringing in semi-useful but barely average talent and keep pumping the myth that the Cubs are this giant player on the free agent market and they are going after all the big names. Thome, Rolen, Pudge, Tejada, Vlad, and Foulke have danced through Cubs fans dreams over the years. Will three more names be added to that list?