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No Love From the Lovable Losers ...
The Cubs are another team that's been mentioned most prominently as far as being a possible landing spot for Prince. In fact, a lot of experts think the Cubs is eventually where Fielder is going to end up.
Does that pass the smell test though? Despite what a lot of experts are writing and saying out there, I contend that there is a fair amount of evidence to suggest that the Cubs aren't actually players for Fielder whatsoever ...
Here is the essence of what I wrote on the Cubs at Mariner Central a few days ago ...
Back on 12/15/11, Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune Tweeted …
[Cubs manager Dale] Sveum sez Cubs have had no conversations with Prince.http://twitter.com/#...725233623797760
and Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times also Tweeted that same day …
Sveum says Cubs "haven't initiated any contact at all" with Fielder. Calls it "lot of media talk"http://twitter.com/#...726063055814656
So, unless the Cubs have an absolute fool proof time lock on every employee's mouth, it doesn't look like anyone in the organization has reached out to Prince at all.
Harry Teinowitz of ESPN 1000 Chicago told 710 ESPN's Brock and Salk back on 12/16 that the Cubs priority was pitching, as outside of Matt Garza and Dempster they really didn't have any that they could count on. He told Brock and Salk that his insider information was telling him that the Cubs were trying to acquire quality starting pitching. So in his opinion, the Cubs primary goal this offseason was to improve the pitching staff. He feared that if the Cubs slapped down the kind of money that would be required to sign Fielder without significantly upgrading the pitching staff ... they would be in a situation where they'd have to win every game 11-10.
Teinowitz also talked about the general fear that the Cubs and their fans have now of long term contracts because of Alfonso Soriano. He said that as far as 1B was concerned, the Cubs loved Carlos Pena and felt that he still can give them decent production at a fraction of what Fielder would make.
Interestingly enough though, it appears that the Cubs are shopping Matt Garza right now. Why in the Sam Hill would the Cubs shop Garza if they are hurting for starting pitching?
Well, Geoff Baker also shared with Mitch Levy back on 12/9 that the Cubs were saying that "they don't have the cash to go after Fielder -- period." Now that's very interesting indeed.
Garza is arbitration eligible and will be for the next 2 seasons (through 2013) ... and the Cubs are thought to be seeking young pitching. According to a report in the Detroit News the Tigers would make top prospect Jacob Turner available in any such trade for Garza.
This past season, the Cubs had an overall player payroll of $126,380,663 -- 6th highest in the Major Leagues.
It's been rumored that Garza could stand to make upwards to $26 million between 2012 and 2013, so it's quite possible that the Cubs are actually in a mode of trying to reduce payroll (in a semi-rebuilding mode), while trying to improve the pitching staff at the same time. Kevin Davidoff of Newsday said exactly that back on the 31st ...
Fielder wanted the Cubs; they’re a reasonable distance from his Florida home and he has outstanding numbers at Wrigley Field. The Cubs, however, appear committed to a full rebuild for 2012.
http://www.newsday.com/sports/baseball/insider-albert-pujols-showed-he-s...
So Fielder's interested in the Cubs ... but that love affair doesn't appear mutual.  If the Cubs were truly interested in Fielder, you'd think that we would have heard a least some whisper -- a hint of a murmur of something. Fielder's interested in a long term commitment with the Cubs ... but it sounds like the Cubs haven't even given him so much as an inviting look.  Add to that the fact that I just can't see a guy like Theo Epstein being all that interested in Fielder ... and all of those things in combination tells me that all this talk of Fielder to the Cubs ... is most likely "media talk" (just like Sveum said it was). After reading the tea leaves, I don't believe there's any way Fielder's going to Chicago. In reality, I believe the idea of Fielder to the Cubs is merely another example of Boras doing that voodoo ... that he do ... so well. ;)
MA