I think the thing that has saved Sammy in the past is that the Chicago fans loved him. No matter what he was doing at the plate, or how crappy the Cubs were, Sammy was considered untouchable because people would flock to see him hit homeruns and run into the outfield and whatnot. He simply put people in the seats, and that was the Tribune company's bottom line.

However, that's just not the case anymore. In fact, he's probably one of the least liked players on the team (although I'm sure Farnsworth would gladly switch places with him). With new stars in Ramirez, Lee, Garciapparra, ect. - Sammy has just gotten lost in the shuffle. Bossk is totally right though, there's no way they could move him with that salary ,unless it was to some place like Baltimore who like to overpay for past-their-ptime veterans.