Cubs Get Their Man

It's being reported by WGN Radio's Dave Kaplan that the Chicago Cubs have landed RF Kosuke Fukudome on a 4-year, $50 million contract. I've said before that I think the Cubs would have been better off if the Boston Red Sox went after him and then shopped RF J.D. Drew. 3yr/$30 would have been easier to swallow, but I guess the Cubs felt that the 4th year was worth it. He will also be a free-agent after his contract is up as he has a no arbitration clause that seems to be common in contracts of players coming from Japan as of late. I guess it's still better than 3 years of 2B Kazuo Matsui. A whole lot better.

Right now, that leaves the Cubs lineup as follows:

LF Alfonso Soriano
SS Ryan Theriot
1B Derek Lee
3B Aramis Ramirez
RF Fukudome
2B Mark DeRosa
C Geovanny Soto
CF Felix Pie

Not exactly a Murder's row or anything, but it does give them a bit more protection for Ramirez and Lee and hopefully that will lead to better production out of them. I would still rather not see Theriot anywhere other than the bench, but for some reason Cubs fan and Lou Pinella think the world of him. Blah.

Tomorrow night is also the deadline for the Cubs to tender a contract to P Mark Prior. I'm really hoping that Jim Hendry does it as I don't want to the Cubs to get burned by having him go to another team and getting healthy and regaining form. There is a strong chance he won't, but that didn't stop the Cubs from giving P Wade Miller a couple million dollars for nothing.