Dodging free agent bullets

While it's always nice to have a nice, new acquisition to put under the Christmas tree for the fans, sometimes it works out better when your favorite team can't reel in the big fish it's after.

To keep the Thanksgiving spirit going a little longer, here are some recent near-misses that worked out pretty well for the Cubs and Sox.

Mike Hampton (2000-01)
The Cubs were rumored to be after the lefty after he helped pitch the Mets to the World Series. They might have even offered something close to the 8-year, $121-million deal Hampton got from Colorado.

Instead, Hampton went to Denver, pitched two lousy seasons and was traded to the Marlins after the Rockies agreed to swallow some of the money left on the massive mistake of a contract.

Since the contract wasn't enough for one team to eat alone, the Marlins ended up biting off a piece before shipping Hampton to Atlanta, where he pitched a couple decent seasons before being hurt or ineffective the rest of the time.

Kosuke Fukudome (2007-08)
The White Sox desperately wanted to make a splash after a miserable 2007 season. But after Torii Hunter spurned them for the Angels and the Tigers beat them in the Miguel Cabrera derby, Fukudome became Sox's top target.

Sox GM Kenny WIlliams was even rumored to have offered the same 4-year, $48-million deal that the Cubs forked over.

After rumbling out of the gate quickly in 2008, Fukudome was terrible over the last four months of the season. He was eventually pushed to the bench by Cubs manager Lou Piniella.

Fukudome has three years to turn it around, but would any Sox fan trade Mike MacDougal for him straight up today? We'll have to get back to you on that.

So sorry, Cubs fans. No missed bullet on this one.

Rafael Furcal (2005-06)
The Cubs were chasing the former Braves shortstop before the Dodgers swooped in with a three-year deal. It was shorter than what the Cubs were rumored to be offering, but the total ($39 million) wasn't that much less than what the Cubs had offered up. Plus Furcal thought he could cash in again as a free agent this offseason (which he might yet).

Furcal's first year in L.A. was pretty nice, but he was terrible in 2007. He might have been on the rebound last year, but was hurt before he could prove he was all the way back.

For the Cubs the upside of having Furcal in 2006 might have been the team wouldn't have been so bad as to get Dusty Baker fired. Put in context, this non-signing worked out better than anyone could have imagined.

Jim Thome (2002-03)
Why is Thome on this list. Hasn't he been good for the Sox the last three seasons? I'll get to that.

The Cubs were rumored to be after the Peoria naitive to replace Fred McGriff as they -- for good reason -- were not enamored with Hee Sop Choi. Thome ended up going to the Phillies instead for 6 years and $85 million, plus a vesting team option for a seventh season.

Thome turned in two fine seasons in Philadelphia before being derailed by injuries in 2005. By then the Phillies had Ryan Howard coming up, but no DH spot to stick Thome should get healthy again.

Instead they had to eat half the money still on Thome's contract (about $22 million) to send him to the White Sox.

Thome has been a key piece of the Sox's lineup the last three years. But he's probably only been so productive because he hasn't had to play the field -- a luxury the Cubs, like the Phillies, wouldn't have been able to afford him in the National League.

Albert Belle (1996-97)
What is this doing on the list? Didn't the Sox sign Belle to what was then the richest baseball contract ever?

They did. Belle took a 5-year, $55-million deal from the Sox that also included a clause that would let him opt out after two years.

So how does this qualify? Belle did indeed opt to leave the Sox after two seasons to sign a 5-year, $65-million contract with the Orioles. And unfortunately for the O's, Belle turned in one great season before struggling through a hip injury during the second year of the deal. After that, Belle didn't even play. But I'm sure the money still spent the same the whole time he kept cashing Baltimore's checks.

And to think, people at the time thought the Sox were losers for giving their big free agent prize a chance to escape through the back door.

Instead they won the free-agent derby, lost the player, but were winners in the end. And that's what it's about.