OT: Soriano to sign 8 year $136MM contract!

[LastWarrior]

Soriano to sign with Cubs!!  8 years at $136MM

http://chicago.cubs.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/news/article.jsp?ymd=20061119&content_id=1743450&vkey=news_chc&fext=.jsp&c_id=chc

[dwaderoy2004]

they overpaid big-time, but that's a good signing for the cubs.  white sox are still a better team though...

[Mayor McCheese]

Wow... and the funny thing is the Cubs will still take last in the NL Central because they put faith in two battered pitchers, and does MLB need a salary cap, because it is getting out of hand, and teams like the Devil Rays, Pirates, Royals, and many others just don't have a chance.... but then again... go Brewers

[Big Papi]

And the thing is they are not done overspending.  This is a bad year to go spending big bucks.  I don't think there are any bonafide big time players worthy of mega contracts.  The Cubs just made it a bit more difficult for the Brewers to go find any decent players at decent salaries.

[Mayor McCheese]

The way I see it, is if injuries didn't kill the Brewers season this past year, there would be a different world series champ, not saying Milwaukee would be champs, but St. Louis wouldn't have made the playoffs with 83 wins, because Milwaukee would have had more, so I don't think the Brewers need any more players.... maybe starting pitching, but we don't need a field player, we have enough of them, with age and confidence I think the Brewers can make it back to the playoffs, give it a year or two

[TVDirector]

 
yawn

[ChicosBailBonds]

How many starts at pitcher do you think he will get?

[thisists]

Wow... and the funny thing is the Cubs will still take last in the NL Central because they put faith in two battered pitchers, and does MLB need a salary cap, because it is getting out of hand, and teams like the Devil Rays, Pirates, Royals, and many others just don't have a chance.... but then again... go Brewers

a cap would be nice, but it would never pass. the revenue sharing does help the smaller clubs a lot though - sort of baseball's "great compromise" - one of the things selig got right.

[TallTitan34]

I am a die hard Cubs fan.  The Cubs never get the top free agent then this happens!   

The deal is 6 years $90 million (very reasonable), then with incentives he can make up to $135 million over 8.

[COS98]

You can put whipped cream on a piece of crap and when you are finished you still have a piece of crap.  I would not pay 136 million for whipped cream.   Go Cardinals.

[WashDCWarrior]

Watching the National's all last season, you guys will love Soriano.  Rare combination of power and speed.  Not sure what position he'll play, but got pretty good in left by the 2nd half of last year.

[MarquetteFan94]

Looks like he'll play Centerfield...

I love the fans (especially Brewers fans) who criticize the Cubs....it's either, "all they care about is filling Wrigley Field (aka the world's biggest beer garden) and they don't care if they win or lose".....OR now it's "they completely overpaid" or "they're trying to buy a championship".... 

I'm guessing there are a handful of teams that would like to draw 3.2M fans AND have the flexibility to sign a contract like this.

I don't mind seeing the Cubs "overspend" on the first 40-40-40 player of all-time and the fastest player to 200 home runs and 200 stolen bases in his career....pretty bad decision, they probably should've looked elsewhere.

The size of the contract is pretty ridiculous but that's what the market dictates....baseball desparately needs a salary cap.

Let's see would I rather go the ballpark and watch Aramis Ramirez, Derrek Lee, and Alfosno Soriano OR Jeff Cirillo, Prince Fiedler, and Kevin Mench?

Maybe with the Brewers announced ticket price increase they won't have to bail out at the trading deadline this year....again.

Go MU!

[Mayor McCheese]

Let's see would I rather go the ballpark and watch Aramis Ramirez, Derrek Lee, and Alfosno Soriano OR Jeff Cirillo, Prince Fiedler, and Kevin Mench?

Cirillo and Mench will be on the bench at the start of the season... its more like Fielder, Weeks and Hardy  .... then again Ramirez, Lee and Soriano does sound better, they will still not go .500

but then again its basketball season, its about James, Matthews and McNeal!

[Big Papi]

Looks like he'll play Centerfield...

I love the fans (especially Brewers fans) who criticize the Cubs....it's either, "all they care about is filling Wrigley Field (aka the world's biggest beer garden) and they don't care if they win or lose".....OR now it's "they completely overpaid" or "they're trying to buy a championship".... 


Let's see would I rather go the ballpark and watch Aramis Ramirez, Derrek Lee, and Alfosno Soriano OR Jeff Cirillo, Prince Fiedler, and Kevin Mench?

I am a Cubs fan and a Brewer fan but the Cubs way overpaid on a great offensive player who strikes out way too much and so below average defensively.  They have a lot of problems but hitting was not one of them.

And yes I would rather see Ramirez, Lee and Soriano but Weeks, Fielder and Sheets aren't bad and the Brewers have a lot more and better talent that is close to coming up in the majors than the Cubs.  In two years time, the Cubs will unfortunately still suck while the Brewers will be able to find that missing piece free agent that puts them over the top.  I'm just hoping one of them can win a Championship in my lifetime and my money is on the Brewers.

[Big Papi]

I am a die hard Cubs fan.  The Cubs never get the top free agent then this happens!   

The deal is 6 years $90 million (very reasonable), then with incentives he can make up to $135 million over 8.

The player the Cubs should have overpaid on was Beltran.  Great all-around player and fairly young.  Also, they probably should have overpaid on Furcal last year instead of overpaying on Soriano this year.  Instead the Cubs whiff on that and than trade 3 decent pitchers for a one year rental in Pierre.  And us Cub fans wonder why they have sucked for so long.  It is one bad decision after another.  Now we can add Soriano to that list.

[NavinRJohnson]

It will be a good signing if they continure to spend/deal to get some quality starting pitching - and they don't play him in CF, (although that part is not quite as important). A starting OF of Murton, Soriano, and Jones would be the worst defensive OF in the league - maybe ever. Best option would be a real CFer. Add two starters and an OFer to replace Jones (and play Soriano in RF) and the Cubs are legit World Series contenders. Go into the season counting on the likes of Mark Prior, Kerry Wood  and Wade Miller for the rotation, and Soriano is a huge waste of money.

[IAmMarquette]

I do believe that the Brewers have finished ahead of the Cubs in each of the last 2 seasons 

Go Crew!