Hot Stove Report: A Baby-Bear Market By Derrick Goold ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH 11/20/2006 Before he hooked arguably the biggest fish in the free-agent pond Sunday, Chicago Cubs general manager Jim Hendry told reporters at last week's meetings in Naples, Fla., what was prompting his assertive plunge into free agency. It wasn't just the Cubs' worst-in-the-league finish. "I have to keep up with the Cardinals," he said. "At least as far as spending money." The Cardinals? Whatever. Advertisement Few teams have ever peeled bills like Hendry has this past week. With reports surfacing in Chicago on Sunday that the Cubs agreed to a deal with Alfonso Soriano, Hendry has pulled off an unprecedented spending spree. A week into the free agency period, the Cubs already have spent $232.5 million. That figure doesn't include landing Lou Piniella as manager. And Hendry still has a pitcher or two on his shopping list. Hendry started with Piniella and moved on by locking up his own free agents. He signed mending Kerry Wood to a $1.75-million deal, and got Wade Miller and catcher Henry Blanco to re-up. He followed those deals with a five-year, $75- million pact with third baseman Aramis Ramirez. Hendry dealt for lefty reliever Neal Cotts, and he spent $13 million to sign Mark DeRosa to start at second base even though DeRosa never has started more than 27 games at the position in a season. Hendry's big-splash move came Sunday. According to various reports, the Cubs landed Soriano with an eight-year, $136- million offer, the fifth-largest sum for a contract in major-league history. With Washington, Soriano joined the 40-40 club last season with 46 home runs and 41 stolen bases. He replaces Juan Pierre as the Cubs' leadoff hitter and, for the first time in his career, center fielder. The Cardinals' NL Central rivals now have three hitters with 35-homer seasons in their careers batting in the first four spots of their order . Purchase some pitching and the Cubs may have something. "We won 66 ballgames," Hendry told reporters. "We darn sure better be aggressive." SCOOP DU JOUR Outfielder Moises Alou is close to a one- or two-year deal with the New York Mets, according to numerous reports Sunday. Alou, who will turn 41 next season, will complement a stacked lineup with a righthanded bat that hit .349 against lefties. The signing also could trigger a trade as the Mets can afford to deal young, coveted outfielder Lastings Milledge for pitching. WHAT'S THE DEAL WITH . . . Jamie Walker, LHP The first flare that this was going to be a wacky free-agent market was Walker signing a three-year, $12-million deal with Baltimore. The 35-year-old lefty specialist is 15-16 in his career with a 3.95 ERA. Lefties hit .235 off him. Often asked to get one hitter out a game, Walker received a deal that is just $1.5 million short of the contract the Cardinals gave to setup reliever Braden Looper. The Orioles said they wanted to "send a message." Message sent: It's going to be an expensive winter. FRONT BURNER The thin crop of free agents and the bullish cash they're demanding — J.D. Drew walked away from $33 million to get in on this party — is expected to spur more trade talk this winter. "Any team that finds the price range too high for free agents could explore a trade for someone already under contract," A's assistant GM David Frost told the San Francisco Chronicle. White Sox GM Kenny Williams said: "An over-inflated free-agent market … prompts you to get serious in trade talks and explore trade opportunities quicker." Consider reports that Williams' search for a center fielder has him trying to engineer a trade for Atlanta's Andruw Jones, the Chicago Sun-Times reports. Baltimore is interested in trading for Braves righthanded starter Tim Hudson. Rather than signing a center fielder, Florida covets Tampa Bay's Rocco Baldelli. It could be a spend-and-swap December. BACK BURNER Lefthanded starter Tom Glavine (above), 10 wins shy of 300 in his career, is expected to become a free agent at 11 tonight (St. Louis time). The Mets have said they will not pick up his $14 million option. Glavine's agent said the lefty will choose between the Mets or a return to Atlanta. … Alfonso Soriano signing with the Cubs leaves Philadelphia back at square one in its pursuit of a bat to protect Ryan Howard. Manny Ramirez, perhaps? … Houston has delivered a multiyear proposal to outfielder Carlos Lee, the Houston Chronicle reports. … Mark Mulder's representative is scheduled to meet with Arizona today in Phoenix, but the meeting may not prove fruitful because the Diamondbacks have a policy not to offer contracts with incentives, and Mulder, coming off shoulder surgery, is seeking an incentive-based contract to increase its value. -- sometimes you think you're immortal,started to think that people around you are,too.and just take a secend to realize how wrong you are,about everything. it's ... ,what i'm trying to say,lois,it's ....,i allmost lost you and i ..., feel ashamed. --

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