After watching him sit on the bench for a few weeks – and flail helplessly at breaking balls outside when he does get in the game – the Chicago Cubs are finally ready to eat some of the $4 million owed to Kosuke Fukudome for the rest of 2010, and “quite a bit” of the $13.5 million owed to him in 2011. Or so says Ken Rosenthal.
I have a hard time believing the Cubs weren’t willing to eat a chunk of the deal earlier when talks about Fukudome with the Boston Red Sox stalled out. Maybe they’re now willing to eat more of the deal, but to believe the Cubs thought they were going to trade Fukudome at ANY time without having to eat a substantial portion of his deal is both naive and hypercritical of the Cubs.
In any event, here’s hoping the Cubs can find a fit, regardless of the money, because one thing’s for certain: Fukudome ain’t doing the Cubs any good right now.