Get Your Meetings Started

With the Baseball Winter Meeting starting today, all the talk will be focused on Rafael Furcal. Well, he can't go anywhere until Friday as that's the first day all 30 teams can negotiate with him and his agent. The papers suggest that Jim Hendry will try to pounce on him quickly.

That's a good idea if Hendry still wants Juan Pierre (who is a good idea). Once Furcal is a Cub, the Marlins lose some negotiating power as the Cubs won't need Pierre specifically as a leadoff hitter. They just need him because he's good and because Korey Patterson is a living hari kari sword.

Can we count on Jim to get this done? Perhaps. Bruce Miles runs Jim Hendry's greatest offseason moves. Once you look at them you realize the list isn't that impressive. Sure, Derrek Lee was a great deal. Todd Hundley and Chad Hermansen for Mark Grudzielanek and Eric Karros, also very good.

But the quality of the next move is up there with "The Phantom Menace." Here's hoping Hendry goes back and emulates the 03-04 offseason.