Bruce Miles is awesome

[Abe Frohman]

In 2005, the Cubs entered the season without a true leadoff man. In 2006, there was no true #5 hitter and far too little power.

 

Bruce, can you hit 5th for the Cubs?

 

Excellent article.

[rocket]

a true #5 hitter? what's that? is the #5 slot that important to a team's success?

[Transmogrified Tiger]

We fixed the leadoff spot?

[soccer10k]

I'm as frustrated as everyone else, but I'm getting tired of all of the posters who are now criticizing Hendry by using 20/20 hindsight. People would rather have Burnitz, Patterson, Nomar, etc. rather than their replacements. Let's be honest, everyone would have ripped Hendry for keeping Patterson, Burnitz, and Nomar.

 

This is just not at all true.

 

The hindsight accusation is completely bogus. Many people were up in arms about these moves long before they were made. Many said they would much rather have Burnitz for 1 year than Jones for 3. Many said they would rather have Patterson for relatively cheap than Jones or Pierre for a lot. Many said they wanted Nomar back at the cheap deal he was supposedly willing to sign.

 

You're dead wrong on this, dead wrong.

 

I have to agree with him on some aspects. You can't sit here and tell me that if we signed Nomar for $5-6 million and he got injured, that some people wouldn't be complaining about how it was a waste to give somebody who is always injured so much money when it could have been given to somebody else? What about when Patterson was hitting .156 with a .156 OBP on April 22...are you telling me you wouldn't be ripping Hendry for keeping Patterson? Because I think that a lot of people would be ripping Hendry.

 

We all know that Jacque shouldn't have received a 3 year deal. But if you ignore that and just look at on the field production, who would you rather have right now, Jacque Jones or Jeromy Burnitz? Anybody that says Burnitz should be banned immediately.

 

Hindsight is 20/20. How many people honestly though Nomar would be hitting .337 right now? I guarantee not even close to as many who predicted Nomar to start the season on the DL. It doesn't take much brain power to say Nomar should have been resigned after DLee goes down. But Nomar was going to play first base and we had a first baseman that plays every day. How many people do you think would be ripping Hendry for resigning Burnitz if he's hitting like he is right now and Jacque is hitting like he is for another team? People would be saying that the Cubs should have signed Jacque instead of Burnitz.

 

I'm not trying to let Hendry off the hook for some of the moves because the Rusch and Perez deals were simply inexcusable. But the only thing that gets the GM off the hook is if the players he signs perform well. If they don't then he looks like a goat.

[da bears]

This is 8 pages in, but yes, Bruce Miles is indeed awesome. His article today was very, very good. Keep up the good work!

[CubfaninCA]

just what the cubs needed... burnitz for $6 million and a .613 ops.

[soccer10k]

just what the cubs needed... burnitz for $6 million and a .613 ops.

 

At least somebody agrees with me.

[CuseCubFan69]

IMO the team continues to pay the price for the success it had in 2003. Meanwhile, it has become apparent that the architects of that team in reality are total incompetents with no clue on how to construct a team.

 

I agree though I don't believe that they are total incompetents, close but not total. Baker was blessed with perfect timing and he still manged to screw up a bird in the hand. I firmly believe the scouts and Hendry have no clue on what to look for in a hitter. The drafts and the free agent signings back that up IMO.

[soapy]

just what the cubs needed... burnitz for $6 million and a .613 ops.

 

For one year instead of three.

 

Nevermind, you don't want to hear it.

[bobbyd20]

Nomar @ $5 million (and his injury concerns) vs. Neifi and Rusch @ $4.5 million

 

 

Someone please enlighten me how a $5 million gamble on Nomar isn't the better option. Even if he were to get injuried again and sit out the rest of the season, he's already brought more value to the Dodgers this season than Neifi and Rusch will all summer (and probably next season too) for the Cubs.

[Backtobanks]

just what the cubs needed... burnitz for $6 million and a .613 ops.

 

For one year instead of three.

 

Nevermind, you don't want to hear it.

 

For the 8 millionth time, the chances of Jones being on the Cubs for 3 years are very slim unless he continues hitting the way he has lately. I look for Jones to be traded as soon as Pie is ready to play in the majors everyday.

[RynoRules]

just what the cubs needed... burnitz for $6 million and a .613 ops.

 

For one year instead of three.

 

Nevermind, you don't want to hear it.

 

For the 8 millionth time, the chances of Jones being on the Cubs for 3 years are very slim unless he continues hitting the way he has lately. I look for Jones to be traded as soon as Pie is ready to play in the majors everyday.

 

To whom? Who is going to take him? The only way he has any value is if he continues to play as he has in the last two or three weeks, but then JH won't trade him. And isn't Pie a CFer who still has no plate discipline?

[Banedon]

just what the cubs needed... burnitz for $6 million and a .613 ops.

 

For one year instead of three.

 

Nevermind, you don't want to hear it.

 

For the 8 millionth time, the chances of Jones being on the Cubs for 3 years are very slim unless he continues hitting the way he has lately. I look for Jones to be traded as soon as Pie is ready to play in the majors everyday.

 

Who would want to take that contract? And if Pie was gonna be ready, why sign JJ to a 3 year deal? Whatever way you look at it, was the wrong move.

[CubinNY]

just what the cubs needed... burnitz for $6 million and a .613 ops.

 

For one year instead of three.

 

Nevermind, you don't want to hear it.

 

For the 8 millionth time, the chances of Jones being on the Cubs for 3 years are very slim.

 

For the 8 millionth time, how do you know that?

 

This isn't MVP Baseball where you can trade anyone you want. Who will want to pay a crappy player 4 million? So if Hendry does trade him, the Cubs will likely be paying Jones to play for another team.

[RynoRules]

just what the cubs needed... burnitz for $6 million and a .613 ops.

 

For one year instead of three.

 

Nevermind, you don't want to hear it.

 

For the 8 millionth time, the chances of Jones being on the Cubs for 3 years are very slim.

 

For the 8 millionth time, how do you know that?

 

This isn't MVP Baseball where you can trade anyone you want. Who will want to pay a crappy player 4 million? So if Hendry does trade him, the Cubs will likely be paying Jones to play for another team.

 

Just like another recent RFer. Interesting.

[Banedon]

just what the cubs needed... burnitz for $6 million and a .613 ops.

 

For one year instead of three.

 

Nevermind, you don't want to hear it.

 

For the 8 millionth time, the chances of Jones being on the Cubs for 3 years are very slim.

 

For the 8 millionth time, how do you know that?

 

This isn't MVP Baseball where you can trade anyone you want. Who will want to pay a crappy player 4 million? So if Hendry does trade him, the Cubs will likely be paying Jones to play for another team.

 

Just like another recent RFer. Interesting.

 

Only at the time that RFer signed his deal, he was playing well enough for him to be worth it.

[RynoRules]

just what the cubs needed... burnitz for $6 million and a .613 ops.

 

For one year instead of three.

 

Nevermind, you don't want to hear it.

 

For the 8 millionth time, the chances of Jones being on the Cubs for 3 years are very slim.

 

For the 8 millionth time, how do you know that?

 

This isn't MVP Baseball where you can trade anyone you want. Who will want to pay a crappy player 4 million? So if Hendry does trade him, the Cubs will likely be paying Jones to play for another team.

 

Just like another recent RFer. Interesting.

 

Only at the time that RFer signed his deal, he was playing well enough for him to be worth it.

 

True true. I was mainly referring to paying a RFer to play for another team. A bad habit recently.

[soapy]

just what the cubs needed... burnitz for $6 million and a .613 ops.

 

For one year instead of three.

 

Nevermind, you don't want to hear it.

 

For the 8 millionth time, the chances of Jones being on the Cubs for 3 years are very slim unless he continues hitting the way he has lately. I look for Jones to be traded as soon as Pie is ready to play in the majors everyday.

 

Well, everyone else already jumped on this, but that doesn't justify the signing. Either a) no one will want Jones and that contract; b) the Cubs will be paying him to play for someone else; or c) both. Then Hendry will miss out on another big free agent signing stating that the Cubs don't have the resources to "get into a bidding war" over a player.

 

But hey, we're not the Yankees, Mets, Red Sox or Angels, right?? *shrug*

 

But you go ahead and get excited about the Cubs trading Jones and getting nothing out of it. Then join the likes of Mariotti and blame the Trib for not spending enough money even though the Cubs have one of the highest payrolls in the NL.

[goonys evil twin]

Was Bruce forced to lay low after that article? The other guys handled the Cubs beat in today's paper.

[BigbadB]

Hindsight is 20/20. How many people honestly though Nomar would be hitting .337 right now? I guarantee not even close to as many who predicted Nomar to start the season on the DL. It doesn't take much brain power to say Nomar should have been resigned after DLee goes down. But Nomar was going to play first base and we had a first baseman that plays every day.

 

Would you like a friendly wager? I'll go back and dig up all of my "re-sign Nomar" posts if you'll pay my Premium membership for the next five years for accusing me of hindsight.

 

Come on. I double dog dare you. If I didn't have any bring back Nomar posts, I'll pay your Premium membership for the next 5 years.

 

Oh, and if I win, you are never allowed to accuse people of hindsight ever again. I'm feeling real comfortable about this one. But, it was a double dog dare.

 

Actually, you can ask CubsfaninCA. He and I aren't pals. He'll flat out tell you that I have wanted Nomar back since before the last out was recorded in 2005. I'm sure his memory is powerful enough to remember the long debates we had on this very topic.

 

As far as Burnitz and Jones. They both suck. Cub fans didn't want a choice between the two. They wanted a REAL RFer. But, if we had to choose between the two, I'll take Burnitz at 1 year over Jones at 3.

 

Whose Todd Hundley will we have to take off their hands to move Jacque Jones? It was a bad deal, period. You know what makes it okay to have a Jacque Jones in the line up? There is an answer to this question.

 

When the rest of your line up is a cast of All Stars.

[dalgreen]

I can't believe the discussion has gotten to the point of should we have re-signed Nomar, Burnitz, kept Patterson vs. signing Jones, trading for Pierre and re-signing Perez. The simple answer to me is it should've been no to all of the above. And I said that during all of the offseason.

 

And I continue to be stunned at the OBP fans and the" fundamentals" crowd who still are clamoring to see Pie in a Cub uniform.

[goonys evil twin]

I can't believe the discussion has gotten to the point of should we have re-signed Nomar, Burnitz, kept Patterson vs. signing Jones, trading for Pierre and re-signing Perez. The simple answer to me is it should've been no to all of the above. And I said that during all of the offseason.

 

And I continue to be stunned at the OBP fans and the" fundamentals" crowd who still are clamoring to see Pie in a Cub uniform.

 

Who did you want?

 

Keeping Nomar was never a pie in the sky goofy concept. He was willing to come back cheeply and switch positions. It's not in the same category of thinking about keeping Burnitz or Patterson.

[BigbadB]

I can't believe the discussion has gotten to the point of should we have re-signed Nomar, Burnitz, kept Patterson vs. signing Jones, trading for Pierre and re-signing Perez. The simple answer to me is it should've been no to all of the above. And I said that during all of the offseason.

 

And I continue to be stunned at the OBP fans and the" fundamentals" crowd who still are clamoring to see Pie in a Cub uniform.

 

I would agree that it's ridiculous that the discussion has gotten to this point. It probably should have been no to all of the above. My point is that you are welcome to your opinions, as I should be to mine. My point is that I should not be taken to task as speaking in HINDSIGHT when I have been clamoring for Nomar since the end of the '05 season.

[soapy]

I can't believe the discussion has gotten to the point of should we have re-signed Nomar, Burnitz, kept Patterson vs. signing Jones, trading for Pierre and re-signing Perez. The simple answer to me is it should've been no to all of the above. And I said that during all of the offseason.

 

And I continue to be stunned at the OBP fans and the" fundamentals" crowd who still are clamoring to see Pie in a Cub uniform.

 

Very true, pretty much any of those choices would have been dissapointing. The problem is, as bad as having Patterson or Burnitz would have been, Hendry went with the worst possible choice from all of those above, signing Jones for three years and giving Perez a multi-year overpaid contract.

[Mark_R]

BBB, Given that the search function doesn't work and soccer has been here only since the middle of February, I think its difficult for him to have researched your thoughts before hand.

 

Its not hindsight because you were probably the most staunch Nomar advocate I can remember, but don't chastize him because he wasn't here during the time.

 

There's probably a lot of posters who weren't keen on Nomar returning (me) who are shocked to see his recent play the last couple weeks. If he tears something in the next few weeks, then it'll just be the same old story.