Hendry's midseason moves

[don_kessinger_was_good]

Why would anyone say the Cubs don't have Jones for 3 years? He signed a 3 year contract. He is not likely to be traded. He is exactly the type of player Jim Hendry likes, and Jim is not quick to admit mistakes and get rid of failures. Jones could repeat his career numbers (ie, suck as a RF) and Jim would be ecstatic, and have no desire to trade him.

 

Jones is a Cub, it sucks, but we have to get used to it. Quit pretending he's a likely trade chip in one year.

 

I do not think Hendry is so hard-headed that if Jones sucks--and he likely will--that he'd marry the ship to JJ for three long years. He wanted him this year for lack of better alternatives, and it took a 3-year contract to get him, fine. But that doesn't mean he really WANTS him for three years, nor does it mean he needs to.

 

Keep in mind the contract was structured with a signing bonus, so Jones gets $7MM of his money in 2006. He gets just $4MM in 2007 and $5MM in 2008. You cannot convince me that if Jones shows ANYTHING this year, he couldn't be moved if owed $4.5MM average over two years time. Or, you eat a modest $4MM to get the cost down to $2.5MM/year, could you move him then?

 

Pierre OK, it's clear Hendry loves him. But if Murton works out and Pie is ready next year, Jones is outta here. Or, if a big trade or FA signing occurs next offseason, again--Jones is outta here. I will be shocked if he is in Chicago for three full years, no way.

[goonys evil twin]

Anybody can be moved. I just find it patently absurd that people are talking about the likelihood of Jones being traded. He's not likely to be traded. He can be traded. Hopefully he will be traded, but GMs don't sign players with a plan of trading them later.

[CubinNY]

Anybody can be moved. I just find it patently absurd that people are talking about the likelihood of Jones being traded. He's not likely to be traded. He can be traded. Hopefully he will be traded, but GMs don't sign players with a plan of trading them later.

 

Especially if he puts up crappy numbers. If Jones puts up numbers similar to his last two years Hendry will either have to take a bad contract back or trade him for pennys on the dollar

[anemic offense]

I think Williams/Aardsma for Hawkins was the best midseason fleecing. Hawkins's value had tanked and Hendry still got a quality player (Williams) and a project in return. Getting ARam and company is less of a "great move" as all Hendry did is take advantage of a firesale in Pittsburgh. There's no doubt the inequality of player calibers exchanged in those deals favors the ARam deal, but that is no surprise. It's usually not a "fleecing" if it's a firesale.

 

IMO the biggest surprise about the Aram deal is that no one else was willing to give them anything better. I still find it hard to believ to this day that B Hill and company was the best Pittsburgh could get. And the Cubs are an interdivisional rival no less.

 

This is definately the one aspect people seemingly conveniently ignore when the season starts. Yeah, our offseason signings haven't been what we wanted, but at the same time I think we're all fairly conifident there are few teams who have the ability (taking on cash wise) to be able to go out and make the moves the Cubs can. A lot of what they can do is predicated on how the complete the first 1/2 to 2/3 of the season, but if they are competitive (a strong possibility, though no certainty) they'll have the ability to add a player or two to make a difference. At this point it seems kind of tiresome to reference the 2003 season, but there wasn't a team that supplemented itself better than the Cubs did. If it wasn't for Aram, Lofton, and then Randall Simon, that team might have never made it to the playoffs.

 

Sorry for wandering a little off topic. I thouhgt this was kind of important.

[anemic offense]

Anybody can be moved. I just find it patently absurd that people are talking about the likelihood of Jones being traded. He's not likely to be traded. He can be traded. Hopefully he will be traded, but GMs don't sign players with a plan of trading them later.

 

It is absurd. Either he'll stink to the point to where no one would take on the 2.5 years remaining on his contract, or he'll play well enough to where the Cubs won't want to get rid of him.

[goonys evil twin]

I think Williams/Aardsma for Hawkins was the best midseason fleecing. Hawkins's value had tanked and Hendry still got a quality player (Williams) and a project in return. Getting ARam and company is less of a "great move" as all Hendry did is take advantage of a firesale in Pittsburgh. There's no doubt the inequality of player calibers exchanged in those deals favors the ARam deal, but that is no surprise. It's usually not a "fleecing" if it's a firesale.

 

IMO the biggest surprise about the Aram deal is that no one else was willing to give them anything better. I still find it hard to believ to this day that B Hill and company was the best Pittsburgh could get. And the Cubs are an interdivisional rival no less.

 

At the time he looked like a fat lazy bum with no motivation. He was a big liability in the field and showed next to nothing at the plate. And he was guaranteed $6 million the following year. It truly was Jim's best buy low move in his career, because about a year and a half before, Aramis was looking like a fantastic young player.

[TheRaven]

Nobody is going to be eager to add Jones' contract, especially if he just continues to play like he has. It is not going to be just as simple as trading him should the time come when the Cubs might look to.