Without option-based contracts, not much early Cubs activity

Two days after the World Series, and nothing has happened so far to harm or help us.  There is a reason behind this: much of the activity you see at the moment pertains to players with contracts specifying "Club options for 2010".  At the risk of sounding remedial, take the case of Jermaine Dye as an example.  His contract has a club option for 2010 - The White Sox had to decide whether to pick up his option for the pre-determined amount or buy it out for the pre-determined buyout price.  If Dye was still kicking butt, the Sox would automatically give him a 1 year, $12 million deal.  But, since he hit about .150 the last two months of last year, they gave him a million bucks and parted ways with him.  It is the right thing to do to buy out options at this point in time, so that the player can declare himself a free agent during this short declaration window.  However, the shrewd businessman Jim Hendry does not seem to deal with option...