2006 Cubs: Not Good Enough

[AlohaSpicoli]

Here's a few thoughts I had on this year's team. I also posted this on Cubsnet, but I wanted as many Cubs fans to read this as possible.

 

This is it?

 

Are you telling me, Jim Hendry, that the 2006 Chicago Cubs now in place? No other players to add, no other trades to make, nothing? Because, if it is, it’s not good enough.

 

Trading Corey Patterson, and adding Jacque Jones in right field, Juan Pierre in center, two middle relievers and John Mabry is not marked improvement over last year. In fact, speaking strictly in terms of player salaries, it’s a large step backward. The Jones signing finally completed filling in the $8.25 million that Nomar received (and can we now admit that trade was a bust?) and some of what Burnitz was paid. I may be only a fan, but I can tell you that the way to improve a 79 win team is not to spend less on player salaries.

 

And then there’s Sammy’s money. All $15 million dollars plus. Where did it go? Last year it went to Baltimore, because the fans were never going to take him back after he ran out on the team. I understand that. But that’s over now. Where does all that money go for next season? Apparently into the new bleacher seats, which will not help if winning a championship is on the to do list for the foreseeable future.

 

Misery loves company. And the Cubs’ misery was shared, for way too many years, by the White Sox and the Red Sox. Now, in the course of two seasons, that’s all changed. So why is there no urgency to address this? Jacque Jones, Juan Pierre and the others do not say “urgency” to me.

 

I’ll give you an example of what I mean by urgency. After the 2002 season, Jim Thome was a free agent. All those stellar years in Cleveland proved that he was a premier player. He’ll be a Hall of Famer some day. And even though he was commanding a high salary, the Tribune has the resources to write a big enough check to get him. I even remember talk of the “home town discount” he would give in order to play for the team he grew up rooting for.

 

The reason the Cubs didn’t want him is because they were convinced that Hee Seop Choi was good enough at first base. So Thome followed the money and signed with Philadelphia. They rolled the dice. That says urgency to me.

 

So what happened in 2003, Thome’s first season in Philadelphia? He hit 47 home runs and drove in 131 runs. Adding those numbers to the 2003 team means the Marlins do not clinch the pennant at Wrigley. Steve Bartman and all the other fans with tickets for Game 6 would have needed ticket refunds instead.

 

And what did Hee Seop Choi do that year? After that scary incident in the Yankees game, where he was taken off the field in an ambulance, he was never really a factor. He had just 43 at-bats after the All-Star break that year, and batted a dismal .140. The acquisition of Derrick Lee after the 2003 season was a clear admission that Choi wasn’t the answer the organization thought he would be.

 

Lee’s a very good player, maybe even a great player in the making, but the only reason he came to our attention in the first place was because of what the Marlins were able to accomplish that year. And they accomplished it, in large part, because the Cubs (meaning Jim Hendry) let Thome get away.

 

I have been hearing that Jim Hendry will get a contract extension, and then Dusty Baker will get his extension, and all will be good on the North Side. But not in my mind, it won’t. One division title, one playoff berth, and no pennants (which, thanks to the White Sox, is where the bar will be set for the foreseeable future) is not enough to show after three years of Hendry/Baker.

 

The Mets and Dodgers are adding players like they have the urgency. And both of them have already won championships during the Tribune’s era of futility (now at 23 seasons and counting). The Cubs, on the other hand, are content to upgrade the ballpark. That’s where their bread is buttered, after all.

 

Not buying tickets for any home games next year is all I can do to say “enough.” By continuing to flock to the park, Cubs fans are feeding the beast that is the Tribune’s lack of interest in winning. They will deny this, of course, but what has Jacque Jones ever won? Or what about Dusty Baker? He burned out the Cubs’ pitching staff when he came here in 2003, and hasn’t had a whiff of anything since. I would not be surprised if Joe Girardi wins a World Series as a manager before Dusty Baker does.

 

If something should happen next year and the Cubs start winning, I’ll become a bandwagon jumper for the first time. But this team won’t win the way it is now. And, upon minimal reflection, anyone who knows baseball can see that.

[Transmogrified Tiger]

Welcome!

 

The Nomar trade was far from a bust. Beltran and Jones have both fallen to injuries, Murton looks to have a brighter future than Harris, and we got rid of the abysmal Alex Gonzalez.

 

Jim Thome signed a ridiculous contract in years and in dollars. The Phillies got 2 good season and a poor injury riddled one, then had to trade him for pennies on the dollar. Also, there was no reason for "urgency" prior to the '03 season. We were a remarkably young team with only RF and LF guaranteeing good production. Looking at the team prior to the season, there's no reason to think that Thome would put us over the top, and in hindsight there's no reason to think that Thome's presence would have won us the extra game needed to make the WS.

[anemic offense]

And then there’s Sammy’s money. All $15 million dollars plus.

Where did it go?

Last year it went to Baltimore, because the fans were never going to take him back after he ran out on the team. I understand that. But that’s over now. Where does all that money go for next season? Apparently into the new bleacher seats, which will not help if winning a championship is on the to do list for the foreseeable future.

 

Eyre, Howry, Jock, Prior raise, Z raise, and Pierre's salary. Like it or not that's where it went (and then some).

[anemic offense]

Adding those numbers to the 2003 team means the Marlins do not clinch the pennant at Wrigley. Steve Bartman and all the other fans with tickets for Game 6 would have needed ticket refunds instead.

 

I see what you're saying but that logic simply does not work. There are so many factors, such as caliber of players hitting around him, OBP at the top of the order, number of capable RBI guys in the lineup (we had Alou and Sosa, Thome would have just taken away/or lost RBIs/runs to those two), etc. etc. that make it IMPOSSIBLE to assume equal production on two totally different teams. You're also negating to factor in his salary. Althought he Tribco had MORE than enough to get Thome, it would have meant less money would have been available for other players. Maybe this means not being able to add Aramis and Lofton. Maybe it means we couldn't afford to trade for Grudz and Karros (I believ they added at least a few mil to the payroll even though they were expiring contracts). The addition of Thome would have changed the whole dynamic of the team, and not neceassarily for the better.

 

Thome was once a great player and one of the games most feared hitters. But not signing Thome was one of the BEST things this organiztion ever did. It would have saddled this team with an albatross contract which would have been impossiblt to move. Not only that, I don't think any one would argue the Phillies got equal value production for the dollars in the contract. And, with hindsight being 20/20, the Phillies probably wouldn't do that deal again. At least I bet they wouldn't.

[AlohaSpicoli]

Sammy's money (and there was a ton of it) + nomar's money + Burnitz' money is equal to Pierre, Jones, Eyre, Howry, John Mabry, and a few raises? Please show me the math on that one. And let's not forget Corey Patterson's money, which had to be much more than the 2 Single-A players they got for him are making.

[don_kessinger_was_good]

You can't look at payroll and salaries like "Sammy's $16MM is gone, we can get player X for the same now," it doesn't work like that.

 

Some players are under prior contract and make more money in the later years than the earlier years. You'd characterize that as "no change" in the team, but it IS more money spent. For example, Wood is making $12MM for 2006, it was $11MM last year. Lee makes $1MM more in 2006. Ramirez I think it's $500K. Point is, those little things add up.

 

Then there's arbitration raises to existing players. Zambrano, Prior, Hairston combined expect $5MM in new money.

 

Next, more money to players you already have via new contracts. Dempster gets a $3MM raise. Williamson $1.7MM. Rusch $1MM. Neifi $500K.

 

Add those things up. With no change in personnel there, the payroll has increased by roughly $14MM. There's most of your Sosa money. You can say that many of these personnel implications were bad decisions, and I won't argue with you one bit. But that's a different argument.

 

Finally, assuming Walker is not on the team, and assuming no highly paid veteran is brought in to take his place, I have payroll right now at $93MM. Too bad there's no one around worth spending $7MM on at this point, absent any unexpected trades.

[AlohaSpicoli]

The fact that they didn't is dooming this team to failure already. So let's hold them accountable for it. How? An afternoon crowd of 30,000 or less would get somebody's attention, I would think.

[TheDude]

This is a rant full of lots of emotion and little basis in actual baseball knowledge.

[YearofDaCubs]

I won't get too much into it but this organization is abysmal and this offseason just like last years is a slap in the face to all Cubs fans. MacPhail, Hendry and Baker in my mind are the problem here. If these clowns don't get fired we will never be a top notch team. 100 million payroll and we still have so many holes. I have no confidence in this organization anymore. It's obvious they are all about the money.

[YearofDaCubs]

And then there’s Sammy’s money. All $15 million dollars plus.

Where did it go?

Last year it went to Baltimore, because the fans were never going to take him back after he ran out on the team. I understand that. But that’s over now. Where does all that money go for next season? Apparently into the new bleacher seats, which will not help if winning a championship is on the to do list for the foreseeable future.

 

Eyre, Howry, Jock, Prior raise, Z raise, and Pierre's salary. Like it or not that's where it went (and then some).

Let's not forget the bloated contracts Neifi and Rusch got as well.

[Garwilly]

I won't get too much into it but this organization is abysmal and this offseason just like last years is a slap in the face to all Cubs fans. MacPhail, Hendry and Baker in my mind are the problem here. If these clowns don't get fired we will never be a top notch team. 100 million payroll and we still have so many holes. I have no confidence in this organization anymore. It's obvious they are all about the money.

 

 

 

You can't have it both ways. If you state the 100 million is a reason there should be no holes (Which I agree with), you cannot counter and say they are cheap.

[YearofDaCubs]

I won't get too much into it but this organization is abysmal and this offseason just like last years is a slap in the face to all Cubs fans. MacPhail, Hendry and Baker in my mind are the problem here. If these clowns don't get fired we will never be a top notch team. 100 million payroll and we still have so many holes. I have no confidence in this organization anymore. It's obvious they are all about the money.

 

 

 

You can't have it both ways. If you state the 100 million is a reason there should be no holes (Which I agree with), you cannot counter and say they are cheap.

Look at how many different things they have done to Wrigley Field in order for them to get more money? Not saying that 100mil payroll is small by any means but they have the money to make it more and last year after the Sosa deal they could have added a little more to the payroll to get a better player than Burnitz.

[gus_dog]

I agree with you, this team is not good enough.

 

Not picking on you, but this comment:

 

Misery loves company. And the Cubs’ misery was shared, for way too many years, by the White Sox and the Red Sox. Now, in the course of two seasons, that’s all changed. So why is there no urgency to address this? Jacque Jones, Juan Pierre and the others do not say “urgency” to me.

 

Sounds like the newspaper or TV sports pundits. Exactly how do the White Sox & Red Sox championships cause more 'urgency' in the Cubs organization? I don't get it. The sense of urgency is ALWAYS there, regardless of who won it all last year. Even if the Cubs won it all, do you think that they suddenly would lose any urgency to win the following season? It just doesn't make sense.

 

These guys are always trying to put together the best team they can with all the available resources, but only one team can win it all, and NOBODY is perfect.

 

Should we as fans accept losing? Absolutely not. However, the assumption that management is somehow less or more urgent in any given year than in any other given year is fallicy that is propogated in the media. It's got nothing to do with the White Sox or Red Sox, and everything to do with the Cubs.

 

They're trying hard (or with urgency), but they just aren't good enough.

[AlohaSpicoli]

This is a rant full of lots of emotion and little basis in actual baseball knowledge.

 

You don't like what I say? Refute it, then. But I cannot let that comment pass.

 

Here's some baseball knowledge for you: The Cubs passed on Jim Thome in 2003. They went cheap with Choi, and paid the price (figuratively speaking). 47 HRs and 131 RBIs help any and every team, even the 2003 Cubs. They needed that production, and instead they had to settle for Randall Simon and the rest down the stretch. But they had a chance to get more and they passed.

 

Share some of your baseball knowledge with me, why don't you?

[SouthSideRyan]

This is a rant full of lots of emotion and little basis in actual baseball knowledge.

 

You don't like what I say? Refute it, then. But I cannot let that comment pass.

 

Here's some baseball knowledge for you: The Cubs passed on Jim Thome in 2003. They went cheap with Choi, and paid the price (figuratively speaking). 47 HRs and 131 RBIs help any and every team, even the 2003 Cubs. They needed that production, and instead they had to settle for Randall Simon and the rest down the stretch. But they had a chance to get more and they passed.

 

Share some of your baseball knowledge with me, why don't you?

 

No need for hostility. A lot of the things you've posted have been discussed ad nauseum on the site, which could explain why a lot of people dont' feel like going over their points again. Might I add you haven't refuted the point about the money going to Thome preventing the additions of Lofton and Ramirez later on. The Cubs had one of the top payrolls in '03, and reasonable expectations didn't have them contending for the World Series that year, therefore it would've been foolish to tie up so much money to an old declining player when the window of oppurtunity just didn't look to be there in '03. It's revisionist history to talk about Thome with regards to the '03 playoffs.

[AlohaSpicoli]

No need for hostility.

 

When you tell the world I have little baseball knowledge, you can expect hostility.

 

Might I add you haven't refuted the point about the money going to Thome preventing the additions of Lofton and Ramirez later on.

 

OK. Thome would have added more to the team than Lofton or Ramirez. They only needed to get them in the first place because the offense was lacking.

 

therefore it would've been foolish to tie up so much money to an old declining player when the window of oppurtunity just didn't look to be there in '03.

 

Two points there. If the payroll was one one of the top ones in baseball, as you claim it was, then how could the window of opportunity not be there? And, furthermore, the numbers Thome put up in 03 and 04 could have added much to the team. It was only in 05 that he got hurt. And, if they paid Thome $20 million in 03 and they got to the World Series (not a given, but not beyond the realm of possibility, either) would it have been worth it? My vote is yes.

 

It's revisionist history to talk about Thome with regards to the '03 playoffs.

 

At the time he was available, the Cubs had a big need at first base. Others saw this need too. They (meaning Hendry) thought Choi was the answer. Clearly, he was not. How can it be wrong to say this should be remembered and pointed out, now that some Tribune fool wants to give us two more years of Hendry?

[RockTheIvy]

While Thome's offense would have obviously helped a great deal, without Ramirez and Lofton, you would have had Goodwin and Lenny Harris. Which was awful and would have not gotten the Cubs into the playoffs.

[Transmogrified Tiger]

No need for hostility.

 

When you tell the world I have little baseball knowledge, you can expect hostility.

 

Might I add you haven't refuted the point about the money going to Thome preventing the additions of Lofton and Ramirez later on.

 

OK. Thome would have added more to the team than Lofton or Ramirez. They only needed to get them in the first place because the offense was lacking.

 

therefore it would've been foolish to tie up so much money to an old declining player when the window of oppurtunity just didn't look to be there in '03.

 

Two points there. If the payroll was one one of the top ones in baseball, as you claim it was, then how could the window of opportunity not be there? And, furthermore, the numbers Thome put up in 03 and 04 could have added much to the team. It was only in 05 that he got hurt. And, if they paid Thome $20 million in 03 and they got to the World Series (not a given, but not beyond the realm of possibility, either) would it have been worth it? My vote is yes.

 

It's revisionist history to talk about Thome with regards to the '03 playoffs.

 

At the time he was available, the Cubs had a big need at first base. Others saw this need too. They (meaning Hendry) thought Choi was the answer. Clearly, he was not. How can it be wrong to say this should be remembered and pointed out, now that some Tribune fool wants to give us two more years of Hendry?

 

The Cubs made the playoffs in '03. Once you make the playoffs, it's pretty much a crapshoot of who's hot. There's no reason to think that Thome alone would propel us to the World Series, and there's reason to think that without Lofton and Ramirez with Thome in his place, that we don't get the playoff position we get, if at all. Furthermore, there's no reason to think that Thome's production over Lee(forgetting that the salary constraints would keep us from adding other players to fill holes) would have propelled us into the playoffs in '04. And again, Thome has a horrible contract. Remember the Sosa fiasco? It'd be like that with Thome, only the contract is longer, more expensive, and he has injury questions. Not signing Thome was the right decision before, during, and after the fact.

[wastra]

Not getting Thome is not the reason we're in such a predicament. It's really not. Nor is failing to get any other major free agent.

 

 

It's failing to get ANY of the major free agents.

 

 

Since Hendry took the reins, guys changed teams as free agents like Carlos Delgado, Vlad Guerrero, Miguel Tejada, Jim Thome, Billy Wagner, Pedro Martinez- the list is as long as my arm, and that's just a portion of one or two years of it.

 

 

Who did we sign?

 

Greg Maddux in a good-PR, Bad-baseball signing, Jeromy Burnitz, Neifi Perez, Jaque Jones, and a couple decent-though-unspectacular signings in Todd Walker, La Troy hawkins (decent signing at the time) and the reclamation crew of Dempster, Williamson, Rusch, et al.

 

You want to know why we're not owning the NL Central? Our management won't sign the kind of guys that put you over the top. They'll trade for up-and-comers (Lee, Ramirez), but they won't sign the premier names.

 

To top all that off, we're still SPENDING money like we have a team of top-level free agents. It's unbelievable. It's like Hendry is running the team with a small-market, small-budget philosophy except with a large-market, high-budget payroll.

 

 

Seriously- look at our roster and explain how THAT can be a near $100MM payroll compared to the premier rosters in the NL, many of which are even LOWER!

 

We throw money at mediocre players instead of throwing money at marquee players.

[YearofDaCubs]

Not getting Thome is not the reason we're in such a predicament. It's really not. Nor is failing to get any other major free agent.

 

 

It's failing to get ANY of the major free agents.

 

 

Since Hendry took the reins, guys changed teams as free agents like Carlos Delgado, Vlad Guerrero, Miguel Tejada, Jim Thome, Billy Wagner, Pedro Martinez- the list is as long as my arm, and that's just a portion of one or two years of it.

 

 

Who did we sign?

 

Greg Maddux in a good-PR, Bad-baseball signing, Jeromy Burnitz, Neifi Perez, Jaque Jones, and a couple decent-though-unspectacular signings in Todd Walker, La Troy hawkins (decent signing at the time) and the reclamation crew of Dempster, Williamson, Rusch, et al.

 

You want to know why we're not owning the NL Central? Our management won't sign the kind of guys that put you over the top. They'll trade for up-and-comers (Lee, Ramirez), but they won't sign the premier names.

 

To top all that off, we're still SPENDING money like we have a team of top-level free agents. It's unbelievable. It's like Hendry is running the team with a small-market, small-budget philosophy except with a large-market, high-budget payroll.

 

 

Seriously- look at our roster and explain how THAT can be a near $100MM payroll compared to the premier rosters in the NL, many of which are even LOWER!

 

We throw money at mediocre players instead of throwing money at marquee players.

That sums it up perfectly.

[neely crenshaw]

excellent point!

now the question with all this big money spending hendry did(alledgedly_ this offseason are we any better?

we have pierre...upgrade have needed a leadoff for 2 years

jones and murton vs cpatt and burnitz...i know we want to believe that this will be better but truly cpatt and jones are the same player(save for k's) and burnitz is better than murton right now(murton will be better) and there is a good chance that mabry will get a lot of at bats)regardless what some think)

nomar vs cedeno or neifi(we know neifi will get a ton of at bats unless lugo is added)

dlee and aram vs dlee and aram-it will be difficult for these 2 to duplicate what they did, same with barrett.

starting pitching- last year we started with a healthy wood this year we do not.

bullpen an obvious improvement they could fall apart but still the right moves!

this team is marginally better on paper. however we finished 20 game back. we may have done enough to pass the brewers but not much else. this team and administration remind of the 90's where they put a team on the field that if everything went right they would contend but that happened every 3-4 years. we just spend more money now. and we spend it pretty stupidly!

bottom line is we must be healthy and we must get monster years from dlee and aram. bounce back years from jones and pierre...and that still might not be enough!

[neely crenshaw]

one other thing...i like the fact that we are better defensively. if you are going to rely on pitching to win you might as well get the best defense you can.

[AlohaSpicoli]

You want to know why we're not owning the NL Central? Our management won't sign the kind of guys that put you over the top. They'll trade for up-and-comers (Lee, Ramirez), but they won't sign the premier names.

 

 

And that's what I'm saying. If there's a need, and the club goes with a low-priced rookie rather than a big name free agent, is it wrong to point out when this does not work out well? Apparently it is to the pro-Hendry faction around here.

 

Back around the time Thome was available (October of 2002) I was ranting and raving about the decision to go with Choi over Thome (much like I am now). And a poster at Cubs.com told me that Choi, Bobby Hill, Juan Cruz, and Corey Patterson would be the nucleus of the team over the next few years. And then, this sage predicted, Felix Pie would come along to take over for Patterson, who would be "ready for the big money" after a few years. Even typing that pronouncement now makes me chuckle. Since he 's been traded for two A-ball players, Patterson is lucky to still be in baseball.

 

That's just a fan who's long on optomism, but short on reality. And prepared to defend the Tribune's reluctance to improve the team. Not even reluctance, really. It's more like refusal. And I've had enough of that.

[stitchface]

You want to know why we're not owning the NL Central? Our management won't sign the kind of guys that put you over the top. They'll trade for up-and-comers (Lee, Ramirez), but they won't sign the premier names.

 

 

And that's what I'm saying. If there's a need, and the club goes with a low-priced rookie rather than a big name free agent, is it wrong to point out when this does not work out well? Apparently it is to the pro-Hendry faction around here.

 

Back around the time Thome was available (October of 2002) I was ranting and raving about the decision to go with Choi over Thome (much like I am now). And a poster at Cubs.com told me that Choi, Bobby Hill, Juan Cruz, and Corey Patterson would be the nucleus of the team over the next few years. And then, this sage predicted, Felix Pie would come along to take over for Patterson, who would be "ready for the big money" after a few years. Even typing that pronouncement now makes me chuckle. Since he 's been traded for two A-ball players, Patterson is lucky to still be in baseball.

 

That's just a fan who's long on optomism, but short on reality. And prepared to defend the Tribune's reluctance to improve the team. Not even reluctance, really. It's more like refusal. And I've had enough of that.

 

I wouldn't confuse the anti-Thome faction as being pro-hendry. I agree with your first statement but I think signing Thome would have been a big mistake. Right about now Derek Lee is looking a lot better than Thome at 1b.

[AlohaSpicoli]

 

I wouldn't confuse the anti-Thome faction as being pro-hendry. I agree with your first statement but I think signing Thome would have been a big mistake. Right about now Derek Lee is looking a lot better than Thome at 1b.

 

You either want Hendry back or you don't. If, after 3 seasons, you're of the opinion he's done enough or can do more if given enough time, fine. That's your opinion. It's not mine, though.

 

What Lee and the Marlins did when they took the pennant away from us in 2003 also proves the value of a big hitting first baseman to a team that wants to win. Lee did not carry that team (Pudge Rodriguez did that) but you would be hard pressed to say Lee did not contribute in a significant way. And who did we have at first? Nobody, really. And that hurt. Not the way Prior's 8th inning collapse or Gonzalez muffing the double play grounder did, but it hurt nonetheless. And it didn't have to.