MONDAY, 11:22am: Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune has more on Lee. He says that while interest is mutual and Lee wants to retire a Cub, contract discussions will not occur until after the season.
TUESDAY, 11:09am: Like many players entering contract years, Cubs first baseman Derrek Lee would prefer not to negotiate during the season. He told ESPN's Bruce Levine that he is open to discussing an extension, but he won't be approaching the team.
Lee, 34, bounced back to a .306/.393/.579 line last year. He's finishing a five-year, $65MM extension signed after his career-best '05 season. If he reaches free agency, Lee projects to join a first base class that might include Lance Berkman, Adam Dunn, Paul Konerko, Adam LaRoche, and Carlos Pena. Lee seems likely to get a two or three-year deal worth more than $10MM per, but much rests on his 2010 production.
I hope we re-sign him. It’ll be tough to replace Lee’s bat in the 3-hole, and he still plays good D. He’s got a few good years left in him.
BTW, remember when Micah Hoffpauer had a mini-explosion onto the scene, and so many fans wanted them to trade Lee and make Micah the everyday first baseman? Guess we can kind of figure now how that would’ve turned out.
Totally.
Even if Lee hadn’t bounced back last year, he’d have still been a better bet than Hoffpauir. I understand the appeal of a young, cheap left-handed bat with some potentially nice HR/RBI numbers, but Hoffpauir’s upside isn’t much more than that.
Even if Hoffpauir hit his absolute upside, say, .265, 35 HR, 100 RBI, he’d still likely be doing it with <35 BB, a sub .320 OBP, no speed, and below average defense. And that's *IF*. Even the '07-'08 version of Lee can be depended on for 20ish HR and 85-90 RBI, and he also draws 70-ish BB, puts up an OBP in the .375 range, plays average to above average defense, and runs the bases well. There's just no comparison.
It’ll be interesting to see how the first basemen reaching free agency impact each other next off season.
Oh yeah…we’ve talked on and off about Lance Berkman, Carlos Peña, Paul Konerko, D-Lee of course, and Adam Dunn all being in the mix, and how Adam LaRoche possibly put himself in the position to be back on the market among them (not pretty for him). In general though, and given all the competition, the time is ripe for a banner year from any of these guys. So it should also be fascinating to see who really outdoes himself this year…and who doesn’t.
Move Aramis to first, hope Vitters is ready for 3B, Casto at SS, waive goodbye to DLee. That is what the Cubs are thinking.
That is what one person posted on some forum as his projection for a 2013 lineup and all of a sudden allyou guys are saying that the Cubs are thinking that.
I would love for that to work, But castro being ready next year is more realistic. I don’t think Vitters is ready to face advanced pitching or third base yet
Agreed, though I don’t think either will truly be ready this year. Vitters needs to work on being more selective at the plate and swinging at pitches he can drive. Right now he can make contact with just about anything and winds up swinging at pitchers pitches. In the majors, pitchers will just exploit his aggressive approach at the plate. He’s got some work to do before he’s ready.
I would love for that to work, But castro being ready next year is more realistic. I don’t think Vitters is ready to face advanced pitching or third base yet
Then how are we gonna fit AGONZ into the equation??? :D……. I love DLEE but his D isnt what it used to be and I think its time to start making a move towards a more youthful guy that will be with the org for years to come
Then how are we gonna fit AGONZ into the equation??? :D……. I love DLEE but his D isnt what it used to be and I think its time to start making a move towards a more youthful guy that will be with the org for years to come
If the Cubs were to pursue AGon, Vitters would almost certainly be part of the package.
Not a chance in the world the Cubs get Gonzalez.
Vitters hasn’t been above low A ball & didn’t perform well even at that level. I don’t understand where all this hype about him is coming from.
He just said that the Cubs plan was to hope Vitters is ready, and he’s probably right. The Cubs are likely waiting to see how much progress Vitters makes in 2010 before making a definitive decision on Lee. I didn’t read any comment where Cub fans are hyping him. You’re just trolling on the Cubs thread as usual.
Yeah, that’s what I’m doing. I don’t read or comment on anything on this site unless it has to do with the Cubs.
Never said it’s the ONLY thing you do on this site, but trolling on Cubs threads is a consistent pattern of yours.
Ok, rummy, have another one.
I really hope the Cubs dont resign Lee. I dont see the need to when you have Hoffpauir warming the bench, and you can put Vitters at third and move Aramis to first. Lee is getting up there in years and I dont want to be relying on a 40 year old number 3 guy.
I really hope the Cubs dont resign Lee. I dont see the need to when you have Hoffpauir warming the bench, and you can put Vitters at third and move Aramis to first. Lee is getting up there in years and I dont want to be relying on a 40 year old number 3 guy.
I like dlee as much as anyone, and he has been awesome for Chicago, but it is time to part ways. Lee is one of the few big contracts coming off the books after this season plus if Adrain Gonzalez becomes available or makes it to free agency he should be hendry’s #1 priority. If not, there is always the option to move aram over. The cubs need to start getting younger.