ESPN.com is reporting that Sammy Sosa’s agent, Adam Katz, told the network’s Peter Gammons that the embattled slugger is likely to return to the Cubs in ’05.
“At this point, I’d bet on him staying with the Cubs,” Sosa’s agent, Adam Katz told ESPN’s Peter Gammons. “If there were anything going, they’d have to contact me, and no one has. Nothing is even close to irreconcilable. Both people [Sosa and Dusty Baker] are good people who want to win and do so in Chicago.”
The Los Angeles Times reported that the Cubs and Dodgers planned to discuss a swap of Sosa for Shawn Green at this week’s general managers meetings in Key Biscayne, Fla., but thus far, Cubs GM Jim Hendry has not talked to the Dodgers.
Since Sosa gets an $18 million option for 2006 if traded and Shawn Green will make $16 million in 2005 — the last year of his contract — for such a deal to occur either the Cubs would have to split the $18 million option (which isn’t going to happen) or Sosa would have to restructure his deal.
At this point, the Cubs expect that Sosa will remain in Chicago.
The report goes on to claim that the Mets are not interested in taking on Sosa’s contract. However, fear not, Mets fans, as the club have just poached Randy Johnson away from the Diamondbacks.
Uh, sorry about that. The Mets have hired D-Backs exec Sandy Johnson as Omar Minaya’s new assistant G.M. The same Sandy Johnson who played a role of some sort in Arizona’s very successful recent search for a manager. And the search 4 days after that one, too.
Yeah, I couldn’t see Sammy going anywhere this year for all of the above reasons. He’s either broken and can’t be fixed, or, as theorized by Baker, can put his back in shape this winter and hopefully gets some Claritan to avoid those deadly DL sneezes he has. Some Trib guy (I think) said that this would be the year Sammy is motivated since he’ll be playing for his 2006 contract, not just his 2005 $$$. Wishful thinking?
That said, forget the manager hunts and trades. The only job fill of interest around the league is who will be in the Cubs broadcast booth? My picks:
1. Jimmy Piersall
2. Steve Jones and Denny McLane
3. Joey Styles and Jerry Lawlor
4. Zell Miller
5. Gilbert Gottfried and Ron Santo
I’m sure the “geniuses” in the Cub front office will go in other directions, but whatever.
steve albini doesn’t live far from wrigley, perhaps he’d do the games.
sorry, KT, I heard that Steve and Zell Miller vowed to never work with each other again. Much as i like Ben’s suggestion of Styles and Lawler, I think the answer is pretty obvious to everyone : Ken Harrelson. If Vin Scully can do radio/tv simultaneously, who’s to say the Hawk couldn’t do White Sox and Cubs games at the same time?
At this late date maybe a Steve Albini/Billy Corgan match-up?
Ben
tim midgett doing play by play with albini adding color commentary/snide remarks sounds like a winner to me.