December 15, 200619 yr CHICAGO ? (AP) ? Left-hander Ted Lilly joined the Chicago Cubs on Friday, finalizing a $40 million, four-year contract agreed to last week at the winter meetings. The 30-year-old receives a $4 million signing bonus, payable next month, and salaries of $5 million in 2007, $7 million in 2008 and $12 million in each of the next two years. Lilly was 15-13 with a 4.31 ERA in 32 starts for the Toronto Blue Jays last season. He had to pass a physical for the agreement to be finalized. Lilly broke in with Montreal in 1999 after being traded from the Dodgers, the team that initially drafted him. He has a 59-58 with a 4.60 ERA in a major league career that also included stints with the New York Yankees and Oakland. The acquisition of Lilly has been part of a major offseason overhaul by the Cubs, who after hiring Lou Piniella as manager agreed to a $136 million, eight-year contract with free agent Alfonso Soriano. They also re-signed third baseman Aramis Ramirez for $75 million over five years, added free agent second baseman Mark DeRosa ($13 million), acquired left-hander Neal Cotts in a trade with the crosstown White Sox and re-signed pitchers Wade Miller and Kerry Wood and backup catcher Henry Blanco. Chicago also is closing in on a three-year contract with right-hander Jason Marquis worth about $21 million.
December 16, 200619 yr I really don't know about this deal. The Cubs have a lot of promising young pitchers in Sean Marshall, Carlos Marmol, Angel Guzman, etc. Those guys need to develop, and a guy like Lilly is not much better than those guys are right now or could become. I like the effort, but I'm not 100% sure if they really had to go out of their way to get this guy.
December 16, 200619 yr Lilly was 15-13 with a 4.31 ERA in 32 starts If Ted Lilly is worth 4/40 then the sh*t has hit the fan.
December 17, 200619 yr Lilly was 15-13 with a 4.31 ERA in 32 starts If Ted Lilly is worth 4/40 then the sh*t has hit the fan. Meche's deal with the Royals was worse.
December 17, 200619 yr Lilly was 15-13 with a 4.31 ERA in 32 starts If Ted Lilly is worth 4/40 then the sh*t has hit the fan. Meche's deal with the Royals was worse. At least Meche has an upside but Lilly...Hell Lilly is a typical Cubs signing, as boneheaded as they get
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