Sunday, February 18, 2007

More players show up, Zambrano talks continue, Jones might bat 2nd

Great news out of Cubs came today. All but 5 players have reported to ST, the only ones left are Aram, Ward, Cedeno, Dopirak, and non roster invitee KinKade. Alot of the players are excited to be out there and have a quiet confidence to them. Its nice to see the players so dedicated and excited to get things started.

Another interesting tidbit is that Lou continues to say all but the 1,3,and 4 spots in the lineup are up for grabs. He even says that Jones could bat 2nd in the lineup. "Look, what's going to determine all these things is what happens in center field," Piniella said.
If Jones is in center, Cliff Floyd in left and Soriano in right, Jones could bat second and Floyd fifth. If Soriano is the starting center fielder, then the Cubs have to figure out who's starting in the corners.
"We'll have a much better idea in the middle of Spring Training," Piniella said. "I have some ideas, but they're just ideas."

That definitely would be a hell of a first 5 and then bat Barrett 6th you have 6 players that can hit 16 or more HR.

Zambrano talks continue hoping to avoid arbitration by signing a one year deal then working a long term through out ST. In my personal opinion since the cubs have the years matching what Z wants then then its just the amount and incentives they have to work out. I think they get a multi year deal done before Tuesday. I know that is just around the corner but I feel they are closer than what we think. It would be huge to get a deal done before Tuesday but if it doesn't happen it would be great to get it done by opening day to avoid the Aramis situation that we faced this offseason. Hendry is meeting with Carlos and his agent later today.

No comments: