John Paxson for Cub GM

[nuttycubfan]

Kudos to John Paxson for setting his mind to what he wants and going out and getting it. He knew he may have to overpay for what he wants, but at least he goes out on the limb and gets it. Hendry only overpays for garbage like Perez and Rusch. I don't think Pax would have let Rafael Furcal get away over 2 or 3 mil a year like Hendry did. Also Pax gave Wallace a time frame to work with, then that was it. At least he wasn't left holding the bag like Hendry sometimes does while waiting for the free agents to make up their mind. Paxson and Kenny Williams have be the 2 best GM's in town. I'm really looking forward to the basketball season, since our baseball season is over.

[Irrelevant Dude]

Paxson is a guy with a plan that always looks years ahead. Unlike the Cubs, he doesn't simply try to piece a new team together each year. He has been setting this team up for a few years with smart salary cap moves and looks to follow this deal up with another future cap-saving move by trading Chandler for P.J. Brown. Maybe it's only because the Cubs are already out of the race, but I'm kind of excited for basketball season now.

[BigbadB]

I can't blame Hendry for not signing Furcal.

 

I can blame him for spending almost the entire offseason courting him when he already had a shortstop.

 

RF was a gaping hole in the 2004 offseason and instead of looking to make a deal to fill the biggest gaping hole in the offense, he signed a poor stopgap in Jeromy Burnitz. Hendry ignored that Burnitz' offense in 2004 was mostly generated by playing half his games in Coors Field. The only other team in baseball even remotely considering Burnitz was Pittsburgh, a low rent, bottom feeder team. Where is Burnitz this year?

 

If the gaping hole in RF wasn't enough for the entire 2005 season, instead of addressing it at the trade deadline or immediately in the offseason, Hendry camped out on SS Rafael Furcal's doorstep the entire offseason.

 

While he was serenading Furcal, he was kicking Nomar to the curb. When he finally got around to addressing the biggest gaping hole in the offense, he basically had to settle for whatever was left of Reggie Sanders, Juan Encarnacion and Jacque Jones. And instead of going stop gap with Jones, he signed him to a lucrative, long-term deal. Just what the Cubs needed, a 3 year stop gap at a position that is supposed to be one of the most offensively productive positions in baseball.

 

Instead of valuing OBP at the top of the order, he targeted speed. Pierre was coming off a .326 OBP season. The red flags were raised, but Hendry ignored them and sent 3 young pitching prospects for a poor OBP lead off hitter in the final year of his contract. You make a deal like that at the trade deadline in a pennant race, not in the offseason.

 

After this season, Pierre will probably be gone, and Mitre, Pinto and Nolasco will still be somewhere else. Instead of having strong bargaining chips to deal for "good" players, Hendry is left holding an empty bag. The red flags that were raised prior to this deal have come to fruition. Pierre is having an even worse year than his previous season.

 

I'm not so sure that Pierre will even qualify as a Type A free agent. A lead off hitter that doesn't get on base any better than Alex Sanchez isn't a major league caliber player. Alex Sanchez is in the minor leagues as I write this.

 

What would it have cost for Alex Sanchez (not that I would want him in CF either)? Juan Pierre for 3 prospects and 6m or Alex Sanchez for less than a million and a no name, never-will-be minor leaguer?

 

Hmmm.

 

It's too bad that there is no one in this organization that has enough of a clue to see just how poorly this organization is being run. Someone with a clue could probably do something good with a tremendous payroll at their fingertips.