Really? So was he just pursuing them without any concern with acquiring them?
Which pitching additions qualify as that "number of good arms"?
I'm serious, because perhaps I have missed them.
I'll spot you Jackson.
But that really seems to be about it.
Of course he used the term "pursue". Only an idiot would declare that he was going to bring in X good arms without having any idea of the cost or avaliability of those arms.
And I suspect that Hoyer, as well as myself, would consider Jackson, Baker, Feldman, Fujikawa, Villanueva, and Rondon as "good arms". and I would rate every one of them higher than I would Lopeez, Germano, Coleman, Berken and Hinshaw.
I think Hoyer thinks of 2013 as a wait and see year. If, by July, Stewart, Valbuena and Jackson are doing badly, and the Cubs are 10 games below 500, I would expect a lot of trades similar to those we had last July. If, on the other hand, Stewart is performing as he did three years ago, Brett Jackson is having a productive year and striking out at a 28% level, and the Cubs are a couple of games above 500, he would be much slower to gut what has become a team with a good foundation of young players.
However the Cubs perform in 2013, he is almost certain to do something about Garza, which could be extending his contract, trading him, or making a qualifying offer. And I think that he would trade Soriano any time he thought he was getting a reasonable return. And Marmol probably will go before the season start. Beyond that will depend upon the performance of the team.