In a move that surprised and disappointed many Cub fans, the Cubs re-signed pitcher Kerry Wood and third baseman Aramis Ramirez. Wood gets a one-year deal at $1.75 million, but with incentives, could be worth as much as $6 million. That’s generous for a guy who has been hurt more than he’s been healthy the last few seasons.
Ramirez, who had filed for free agency, decided to stay with the Cubs rather than test the market. He probably figured he wouldn’t do much better than what the Cubs offered -- $73 million for five years.
Sounds like the Cubs overpaid to me. While Ramirez had decent numbers last season -- .291 average, 38 home runs and 119 RBI – his fielding has been questionable not to mention his desire and energy level. Some say he’s lazy. That may or may not be true. All I know is when Derek Lee went down with his wrist injury last season and the Cubs needed a player to step forward as the team leader, Ramirez was a no-show. He doesn’t have the leadership ability that makes him more valuable to the team.
I think the Cubs made a better move today by signing Mark DeRosa, a solid second baseman who played for the Texas Rangers the past few seasons. It's one of those "under the radar" moves that could work out surprisingly well for the Cubs. DeRosa is also an upgrade at that position offensively over Ronnie Cedeno.
No comments:
Post a Comment