"Outfielder Carlos Lee, one of the top free agents on the market, signed with the Houston Astros, a source close to the negotiations said Friday. Lee signed a six-year, $100 million deal with the Astros, the source told the Associated Press."

In my mind, the Cubs got the better deal. Alfonso Soriano is six months older, but has three seasons in which he has posted at least 10 WARP3. Lee's career high was 8.9, in 2004.

The Cubs have a number of areas in which they need to improve upon their 15th ranked offense: second base, shortstop, centerfield, the bench. As Chris Sprow wrote in the Chicago Sports Review: "[F]or all the aplomb a hire like Piniella creates, the work that must be done with a messy roster is where Hendry will have to concentrate now, and the way he and Piniella can work together will tell a lot more about the future than a press conference, much less spring training."

So what about leftfield? What should the Cubs do with Matt Murton? It's one of the biggest -- or, at least, one of the most not immediately obvious -- decisions the Cubs face this winter. Do they go into spring training 2007, as they did spring training 2006, with Murton as their starter, or do they sign or trade for someone with a more established track record (e.g., Carlos Lee or Alfonso Soriano)?

We can go through the numbers, but here's the short of it: Murton was an average offensive player in 2006, which means he was below average for a leftfielder. The Cubs need better production out of their leftfielder in 2007, especially when the St. Louis Cardinals had a fellow first round draft pick and leftfielder -- Chris Duncan -- emerge this year to the tune of .293/.363/.589.