Jim Hendry interview

[ToupeeOnFire]

Link:

http://www.baseballdigestdaily.com/bullpen/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=131&Itemid=39

 

Some choice tidbits:

 

The moves that we did make in the offseason worked out well. (Scott) Eyre and (Bob) Howry have been terrific. Jacque Jones has been real solid. (John) Mabry was what we expected off the bench. So it wasn’t like the plan wasn’t solid. We just didn’t get anything out of two quality starters that we were counting on. That would be the one thing [that we’d have addressed]. And obviously you can’t control the injury factor, but that’s not an excuse either.

 

I don't know where to start with this. Once again, we see Hendry patting himself on the back over his great off-season acquisitions. It wasn't his fault, you see, "it wasn't like the plan wasn't solid". I wonder how can he sit there and say that with a straight face? Apparently the plan wasn't very solid if the team completely falls apart because of the loss of a single player. The plan is not solid when you decide to put all of your eggs into the basket of two very fragile pitchers. Even if Derek Lee never got hurt, the Cubs would still be in the bottom tier offensively. Sorry Jimbo, that is not a very solid plan.

 

Oh yeah, I can't ignore this: "Mabry was what we expected off the bench."

He admits to this and he still went out and signed Mabry anyway. Yeah, that .223/.311/.350 batting line from a first baseman/corner outfielder is real crackerjack.

 

We were in a position a couple of years ago when we felt our pitching would be good for a very long time.

 

Well, geez, you think that maybe hiring Dusty Baker to foster those young arms might not have been such a good idea?

 

Lee’s doing fine. Lee’s doing very well. He took some soft toss yesterday. I fully expect Derrek to be back in a couple of weeks and probably play the last month of the season.

 

No word on whether Lee has progressed to towell drills. Honestly, this is good news. I think Lee needs get in there and play, if only to get ready for next year.

 

So, we know we’re going to need another starting pitcher, and we’re probably going to need a little bit more offense. We’ll do our best. We’ll take a good look at resigning Juan Pierre hopefully before the end of the year. We’ll start working on that probably in September and see where that goes.

 

Just a little bit more offense. Elsewhere he talks about "looking for maybe one more quality hitter who can augment (Aramis) Ramirez and Lee a little bit better." With Pierre most likely returning, that means he'll be looking at either second base or left field. At least he seems confident that Aramis will be back.

 

Anyhow, this is just the usual Hendry hemming and hawing. Doesn't exactly inspire much confidence. I wish the interviewer pressed him more, particularly on the lack of team OBP. You can get rid of Neifi and his ridiculous two year contract, but you still have the guy who saw fit to sign Neifi to that ridiculous two year contract.

 

I leave with you Hendry's reflection on this year's draft:

 

Well, Timmy Wilken handles the draft. I don’t tell him who to pick. I helped him with the Samardzija contract. But we feel like we really made up for the picks we lost. We picked up a kid in the 11th round, Chris Huseby, who was unsignable type guy. We had him as a first round talent. We gave him a heck of a bonus, but we’re thrilled to have him in a year we didn’t have three picks.

 

We also took a kid named Drew Rundle in the 14th round that we projected [to go in] the third or fourth round. We knew he was going to be a tough sign, and we gave him $500,000 which is third or fourth round money. We thought we made up for the picks. And Oneri Fleita signed one of the four or five top pitching prospects in Latin America, a kid named Larry Suarez from Latin America.

[YearofDaCubs]

IMO, If we can sign Carlos Lee for LF, leave Pierre in CF, and split time between Murton and Jones, I believe our OF would be improved upon and these are realistic moves. I would also like to see us sign Lugo and have him play SS or 2B and then leave Izturis or Cedeno at the other position.

 

Pierre

Lugo

Lee

ARam

Lee

Barrett

Jones/Murton

Izturis/Cedeno

PITCHER

 

It's not bad.

 

Our bullpen is good enough where we wouldn't need to sign anybody. If we can sign Schmidt to a 2 year deal and another SP like Lilly or Eaton, I believe those 4 moves(Lee,Lugo,Schmidt,Lilly) would probably put us back into the playooffs.

 

Z

Schmidt

Lilly

Guzman

Hill/Marshall/Marmol

[stitchface]

BDD/BCB: And just to wrap it up with the question everyone asks…I assume you’re maintaining the stance that you’re still going to evaluate Dusty (Baker) at the end of the year and see where things go from there?

 

 

JH: Yeah. It’s not a question of evaluating him, but what I’ll do at the end of the season is what I’ve said I’ll do all along. I’ll do what’s in the best interest of the Cubs moving forward. It’s really as simple as that.

 

dusty's gone. if he were going to be re-signed I think they would do it now.

[CUBZ99]

BDD/BCB: And just to wrap it up with the question everyone asks…I assume you’re maintaining the stance that you’re still going to evaluate Dusty (Baker) at the end of the year and see where things go from there?

 

 

JH: Yeah. It’s not a question of evaluating him, but what I’ll do at the end of the season is what I’ve said I’ll do all along. I’ll do what’s in the best interest of the Cubs moving forward. It’s really as simple as that.

 

dusty's gone. if he were going to be re-signed I think they would do it now.

 

This quote seems to imply that Dusty is gone.

[C.C.]

IMO, If we can sign Carlos Lee for LF, leave Pierre in CF, and split time between Murton and Jones, I believe our OF would be improved upon and these are realistic moves. I would also like to see us sign Lugo and have him play SS or 2B and then leave Izturis or Cedeno at the other position.

 

Pierre

Lugo

Lee

ARam

Lee

Barrett

Jones/Murton

Izturis/Cedeno

PITCHER

 

It's not bad.

 

Our bullpen is good enough where we wouldn't need to sign anybody. If we can sign Schmidt to a 2 year deal and another SP like Lilly or Eaton, I believe those 4 moves(Lee,Lugo,Schmidt,Lilly) would probably put us back into the playooffs.

 

Z

Schmidt

Lilly

Guzman

Hill/Marshall/Marmol

 

Can Murton play RF?

[A New Era]

IMO, If we can sign Carlos Lee for LF, leave Pierre in CF, and split time between Murton and Jones, I believe our OF would be improved upon and these are realistic moves. I would also like to see us sign Lugo and have him play SS or 2B and then leave Izturis or Cedeno at the other position.

 

Pierre

Lugo

Lee

ARam

Lee

Barrett

Jones/Murton

Izturis/Cedeno

PITCHER

 

It's not bad.

 

Our bullpen is good enough where we wouldn't need to sign anybody. If we can sign Schmidt to a 2 year deal and another SP like Lilly or Eaton, I believe those 4 moves(Lee,Lugo,Schmidt,Lilly) would probably put us back into the playooffs.

 

Z

Schmidt

Lilly

Guzman

Hill/Marshall/Marmol

 

Can Murton play RF?

 

Can Jones?

[frostwyrm]

The plan was solid? Is Jimbo not aware that he created the worst offense in baseball? Certainly losing DLee was a big blow but even with him the offense is bad.

[abuck1220]

are we sure that's a real interview? a lot of that doesn't seem like hendry...

[da bears]

The plan was solid? Is Jimbo not aware that he created the worst offense in baseball? Certainly losing DLee was a big blow but even with him the offense is bad.

 

That's all I read before I decided that it wasn't worth the time.

[nilodnayr]

IMO, If we can sign Carlos Lee for LF, leave Pierre in CF, and split time between Murton and Jones, I believe our OF would be improved upon and these are realistic moves. I would also like to see us sign Lugo and have him play SS or 2B and then leave Izturis or Cedeno at the other position.

 

Pierre

Lugo

Lee

ARam

Lee

Barrett

Jones/Murton

Izturis/Cedeno

PITCHER

 

It's not bad.

 

Our bullpen is good enough where we wouldn't need to sign anybody. If we can sign Schmidt to a 2 year deal and another SP like Lilly or Eaton, I believe those 4 moves(Lee,Lugo,Schmidt,Lilly) would probably put us back into the playooffs.

 

Z

Schmidt

Lilly

Guzman

Hill/Marshall/Marmol

 

I haven't taken a look at our financials, but thats about 40M in additional salary even taking into consideration losing Maddux's 9M. I don't think we will be able to take on that much. Ohh and Schmidt is not going to sign a two year deal.

[dvdd127]

No.. the Murton/Jones Platoon would be in left..

Cause Lee can play right.

[Tracer Bullet]

No.. the Murton/Jones Platoon would be in left..

Cause Lee can play right.

 

Buster Olney and others have said that CLee will sign with the Rangers. I wouldn't put all our eggs in that basket this offseason (I also wouldn't bank on a .900 OPS - his numbers have dipped quite a bit: .830 in July, .835 in August).

 

I'd go after Soriano for 2B, leave Murton in LF and try to find a different platoon partner for Jones. If JP does sign w/ us, I'd want Murton's .360 OBP in the 2 spot. If his SLG doesn't improve next year, it's not a big deal at that spot. Soriano isn't my favorite option, but he's a guy Hendry would go after and he'll probably sign anywhere that pays him a lot - esp if he can go back to 2B (given the fuss he made about playing LF in TX).

[wastra]

No.. the Murton/Jones Platoon would be in left..

Cause Lee can play right.

 

Buster Olney and others have said that CLee will sign with the Rangers. I wouldn't put all our eggs in that basket this offseason (I also wouldn't bank on a .900 OPS - his numbers have dipped quite a bit: .830 in July, .835 in August).

 

I'd go after Soriano for 2B, leave Murton in LF and try to find a different platoon partner for Jones. If JP does sign w/ us, I'd want Murton's .360 OBP in the 2 spot. If his SLG doesn't improve next year, it's not a big deal at that spot. Soriano isn't my favorite option, but he's a guy Hendry would go after and he'll probably sign anywhere that pays him a lot - esp if he can go back to 2B (given the fuss he made about playing LF in TX).

 

I think that would be a good plan overall. I know Hendry won't want Soriano's defensie up the middle, but his bat will HAVE to outweigh that glove. Heck, he can even play a little LF when we're facing lefties, with Theriot at 2B and Murton in RF and Jones (mercifully) sitting.

 

I honestly don't see us getting CLee. I have no particular knowledge of anything, just a hunch.

 

 

Pierre

Murton

Lee

Ramirez

Soriano

Barret

Jones

Izturis

Pitcher (unless Z is pitching, then we bat him 8th and move Izturis down ;) )