How Bad?

How bad is this deal for the Cubs? And how good of a deal is this for the Orioles? Flying Orioles breaks it down...

The Cubs are handing the O’s $10 million, or more than half of Sammy Sosa’s $17 million salary for 2005. The minor leaguers given up are Dave Crouthers and Mike Fontenot, two players that would never have cracked the Orioles’ starting lineup anytime in the near future. Oh, and Jerry Hairston Jr. had just avoided arbitration by signing a one-year, $2.5 million deal. So in reality, Sosa won’t cost the O’s $7 million this year. He’ll cost them $4.5 million. And the players association has already indicated to Sosa’s agent that they will agree to allow Sosa to void a clause in his contract that stated that if Sosa was traded, his $18 million option for 2006 would automatically kick in. And the Cubs have apparently agreed to pay the $4.5 million buy out to the Orioles if they decide to part ways with Sosa after the season.

Can you see why the Orioles jumped all over this deal? $4.5 million for Sammy Sosa, where do we freaking sign!

So it looks like the Cubs payed $10 million, plus pay the $2.5 million salary of Hairston, and will probably pay the $4.5 million buy out for a grand total of $17 million to get rid of Sosa one season early. Wait a minute weren't we going to pay Sosa about $17 million anyways this season? The Cubs are saving very little in this trade, about $4-5 million, which is not even enough for a down payment on a half way decent hitter.

Food for Thought - If the Cubs did happen to get Magglio for $8-10 million, the Cubs will have payed $25-$27 million to fill 1 roster spot and get about the same production than if the team just kept Sosa and bought him out at the end of the year for around a total of $22 million.

When instead the team could of signed Magglio to a $8-10 million deal, kept Sosa and only spent about $3 million more. An OF of Magglio, Patterson, and Sosa looks nice. An OF of Hairston, Magglio, Patterson is decent but nothing to stand up and cheer about. And an OF of Hairston, Holly, and Patterson is down right nightmarish.

Right now the Cubs are paying Jerry Hairston $17 million to patrol the OF.