Spending like this is only going to get us so far...

[KingKongvs.Godzilla]

Re-read my posts.

 

My rant is not "farm system." My rant is is the lack of direction. More to the point, my rant is that the lack of direction is being covered with money.

[CaliforniaRaisin]

Re: Spending money on Latin America guys, didn't the Cubs just shell out a lot of money on Suarez recently? It seems like a good first step to me.

 

Yeah, that's why a couple of us have said we like the direction they're headed in Latin America.

[Soul]

Re-read my posts.

 

My rant is not "farm system." My rant is is the lack of direction. More to the point, my rant is that the lack of direction is being covered with money.

 

I can't argue that the Cubs have lacked direction and focus. I don't agree with your apparent belief that Hendry is the ultimate source of this, however.

 

I don't really like the job Jimbo has done either, anyone who has read my posts knows this. But the fact is, there have been many other GMs and the results have been similar.

 

I'm a believer that organizations are built from the top down. The overall direction and long-term strategy of the Cubs (i.e. who we want to "be" as a baseball franchise) must come from the top level. And that's the Trib. I don't subscribe to --- and never will --- the idea that owners are simply a financial resource and little else. Yes, the GM is an important part. But he is hired by the owners, and will for the most part carry forth the vision of those owners----whether consciously, or (more dangerously) subconsciously.

 

So while I agree the plan/direction has not been there, I'm not convinced there's going to be one until the Trib either undergoes a massive overhaul of the way they choose to run this team, or alternatively sells the team.

 

As for those who correctly point out the Cubs were ranked the #1 farm system not too many years ago: it would have been nice to capitalize on that with an overall organizational strategy that made sense. But we didn't, instead raping the farms by selling them off for questionable talent. In the meantime, the Cubs still never had a focus on position talent even when they were ranked highly -- which has directly lead to our current need to spend massive amounts of money on position talent.

[UK1679666180]

Re: Spending money on Latin America guys, didn't the Cubs just shell out a lot of money on Suarez recently? It seems like a good first step to me.

 

Yeah, that's why a couple of us have said we like the direction they're headed in Latin America.

 

Pie has been the last Latin America legit prospect, he was signed in '01. That's too long of a gap between him and someone like Suarez. I don't see how it's a good first step, when it's something that should never have been an issue.

[Sarcastic]

Guys. We set this market.

 

This is a misrepresentation. The Cubs may have helped to set the market to a certain extent, but to say the Cubs set the market is to ignore the obvious trends of money in baseball that have been going on for decades. Soriano was not the first top FA to be overpaid, and he won't be the last. Every year, more and more players are receiving larger contracts, and every year, people moan and groan about how ridiculous the contracts are. Then once the contracts are up, the players still seem overpaid, but it isn't quite so over the top. More importantly, baseball goes on and teams do not crash and burn. We just have to accept that this is the new market. Players are going to be paid more and more, and it isn't about to stop anytime soon.

 

Soriano is being overpaid for his production, but who is to say what he would have signed for if the Cubs hadn't made the offer, especially if some other teams had gotten into a bidding war over him? The important thing is that the Cubs got a good player without giving up any talent for him. There were somewhat more effecient ways to spend the money, but no top FA will end up underpaid. It is better that the Cubs overpay than that they not pay at all.

[KingKongvs.Godzilla]

I don't really like the job Jimbo has done either, anyone who has read my posts knows this. But the fact is, there have been many other GMs and the results have been similar.

 

I'm a believer that organizations are built from the top down. The overall direction and long-term strategy of the Cubs (i.e. who we want to "be" as a baseball franchise) must come from the top level. And that's the Trib. I don't subscribe to --- and never will --- the idea that owners are simply a financial resource and little else. Yes, the GM is an important part. But he is hired by the owners, and will for the most part carry forth the vision of those owners----whether consciously, or (more dangerously) subconsciously.

 

Agreed. The Trib has been a huge weight holding back this franchise for years now, and they should be the target for my little rant.

 

But that does not mean that Hendry is a good GM and the right man for it. The fact that there have been other GMs making the same mistakes before him just means that there have always been bad GMs running the Cubs. We have heard how Jim thinks. We have heard how Jim thinks, this man seriously thinks the Cubs are a top hitting team and that we just don't have the clutch hitting. This man handed out an 8 year contract to a guy who is nowhere near the kind of player that gets that kind of contract.

 

Yes, the Trib is full of a-holes and they obviously approved signing Soriano to that kind of contract. They have approved all of Hendry's moves, otherwise he wouldn't be here. But Hendry still has input, the Trib isn't a Steinbrenner who wants full control over all signings and trades. They want to make money and sign the big name players now, Hendry just chose the big name player to bring in.

 

Both owners and GM are a problem, but the much easier problem to fix right now is GM, and having a GM with an actual idea of what to do could help with having a crappy owner. Look at what Cashman is doing for the Yankees, he's got a brain, he's being allowed to use it and the Yankees are slowly turning over.

 

Owners can be a burden, and the Trib certainly is that. But seeing how Hendry thinks by his own words screams to me that he is just as large a problem.

[soccer10k]

3 years 13 million for a 31 year old guy who just had a career year in Texas is not a good deal.

 

5 years 50 million for a 32 year old guy who just had a career year in Texas is a WAY worse deal.

[nilodnayr]

Leon Lee is DLee's uncle, not Dad. And I think we've seen a return to emphasis on the Pac Rim, so at least we got that working for us. Everything else, I agree. How in a draft where you have what, 2 picks in the first 5 rounds, do you take a pitcher who you are 99.9999999% sure will play in the NFL?

[Outshined_One]

Leon Lee is DLee's uncle, not Dad. And I think we've seen a return to emphasis on the Pac Rim, so at least we got that working for us. Everything else, I agree. How in a draft where you have what, 2 picks in the first 5 rounds, do you take a pitcher who you are 99.9999999% sure will play in the NFL?

 

Throw a lot of money at him and hope he bites?

[Soriano12]

I tried to stay out of this thread, but I just cant.

 

What the heck were the Cubs options? Leverage their bountifal farm system?

LOL. The only alternative was to rebuild, and deal some current talent(Lee, Barrett) for prospects. I don't think that would have gone over well.

 

Call me a homer, but the offense will be much better in 2007, and if Rich Hill can pitch like he did at the end of 06, we secure a couple of decent starters, and either Prior or Miller are healhty and effective, this team might just my sneak in the playoffs. And that is good enough for me.

[UK1679666180]

I tried to stay out of this thread, but I just cant.

 

What the heck were the Cubs options? Leverage their bountifal farm system?

LOL. The only alternative was to rebuild, and deal some current talent(Lee, Barrett) for prospects. I don't think that would have gone over well.

 

Call me a homer, but the offense will be much better in 2007, and if Rich Hill can pitch like he did at the end of 06, we secure a couple of decent starters, and either Prior or Miller are healhty and effective, this team might just my sneak in the playoffs. And that is good enough for me.

 

I would consider focusing more on player development in the minors (over the last 5 years) as well as maintaining the same intensity as far as international FAs as options the Cubs could've used but did not.

[Soriano12]

I tried to stay out of this thread, but I just cant.

 

What the heck were the Cubs options? Leverage their bountifal farm system?

LOL. The only alternative was to rebuild, and deal some current talent(Lee, Barrett) for prospects. I don't think that would have gone over well.

 

Call me a homer, but the offense will be much better in 2007, and if Rich Hill can pitch like he did at the end of 06, we secure a couple of decent starters, and either Prior or Miller are healhty and effective, this team might just my sneak in the playoffs. And that is good enough for me.

 

I would consider focusing more on player development in the minors (over the last 5 years) as well as maintaining the same intensity as far as international FAs as options the Cubs could've used but did not.

 

I can agree with that. We have some nice arms(Gallagher, Veal) but what do we have position player wise? Pie? It is not looking to good in that aspect.

[UK1679666180]

I tried to stay out of this thread, but I just cant.

 

What the heck were the Cubs options? Leverage their bountifal farm system?

LOL. The only alternative was to rebuild, and deal some current talent(Lee, Barrett) for prospects. I don't think that would have gone over well.

 

Call me a homer, but the offense will be much better in 2007, and if Rich Hill can pitch like he did at the end of 06, we secure a couple of decent starters, and either Prior or Miller are healhty and effective, this team might just my sneak in the playoffs. And that is good enough for me.

 

I would consider focusing more on player development in the minors (over the last 5 years) as well as maintaining the same intensity as far as international FAs as options the Cubs could've used but did not.

 

I can agree with that. We have some nice arms(Gallagher, Veal) but what do we have position player wise? Pie? It is not looking to good in that aspect.

 

Pie, Colvin, Patterson, Moore. It isn't nearly as good as it should be for a team that w/the resources of the Cubs.

[nilodnayr]

Leon Lee is DLee's uncle, not Dad. And I think we've seen a return to emphasis on the Pac Rim, so at least we got that working for us. Everything else, I agree. How in a draft where you have what, 2 picks in the first 5 rounds, do you take a pitcher who you are 99.9999999% sure will play in the NFL?

 

Throw a lot of money at him and hope he bites?

 

With the guaranteed contracts in the NFL and taking min 6 years to get to free agency, hes going to have to turn down like a sure 20M to play for the cubs.

[KingKongvs.Godzilla]

What the heck were the Cubs options? Leverage their bountifal farm system?

LOL. The only alternative was to rebuild, and deal some current talent(Lee, Barrett) for prospects. I don't think that would have gone over well.

 

Call me a homer, but the offense will be much better in 2007, and if Rich Hill can pitch like he did at the end of 06, we secure a couple of decent starters, and either Prior or Miller are healhty and effective, this team might just my sneak in the playoffs. And that is good enough for me.

 

The Cubs options 3 years ago?

 

Get better hitters.

 

This spending frenzy wouldn't happen if the Cubs had done something about not being good enough three years ago. Now they suck, people expected more, now the Trib wants to shut people up.

 

Pay a bunch of money.

 

This orginization went backwards the minute Wood and Prior got hurt. We banked way too much on them, and look where it's got us.

 

What I'm saying is that this orginization never recovered, we got worse, got caught unprepapred and now we're seeing the effects of that. Older, not good, expensive team without a farm system for the future.

 

Making good moves could have saved that, didn't happen. Now it's getting serious.

[NCCubFan]

Leon Lee is DLee's uncle, not Dad.

No, Leon is the father. Leron Lee (former major leaguer) is the uncle.

[nilodnayr]

Leon Lee is DLee's uncle, not Dad.

No, Leon is the father. Leron Lee (former major leaguer) is the uncle.

 

I stand corrected.

[Guest]

Leon Lee is DLee's uncle, not Dad. And I think we've seen a return to emphasis on the Pac Rim, so at least we got that working for us. Everything else, I agree. How in a draft where you have what, 2 picks in the first 5 rounds, do you take a pitcher who you are 99.9999999% sure will play in the NFL?

 

Throw a lot of money at him and hope he bites?

 

With the guaranteed contracts in the NFL and taking min 6 years to get to free agency, hes going to have to turn down like a sure 20M to play for the cubs.

 

the NFL has guaranteed contracts? I didn't think they did.

[baseball7897]

Leon Lee is DLee's uncle, not Dad. And I think we've seen a return to emphasis on the Pac Rim, so at least we got that working for us. Everything else, I agree. How in a draft where you have what, 2 picks in the first 5 rounds, do you take a pitcher who you are 99.9999999% sure will play in the NFL?

 

Throw a lot of money at him and hope he bites?

 

With the guaranteed contracts in the NFL and taking min 6 years to get to free agency, hes going to have to turn down like a sure 20M to play for the cubs.

 

the NFL has guaranteed contracts? I didn't think they did.

 

The NFL does not have guranteed contracts.

[CubColtPacer]

Leon Lee is DLee's uncle, not Dad. And I think we've seen a return to emphasis on the Pac Rim, so at least we got that working for us. Everything else, I agree. How in a draft where you have what, 2 picks in the first 5 rounds, do you take a pitcher who you are 99.9999999% sure will play in the NFL?

 

Throw a lot of money at him and hope he bites?

 

With the guaranteed contracts in the NFL and taking min 6 years to get to free agency, hes going to have to turn down like a sure 20M to play for the cubs.

 

the NFL has guaranteed contracts? I didn't think they did.

 

I think he meant more that if he's a 1st round pick, he's going to receive so much money up front that it's going to be hard to take the smaller money in baseball. It's not going to be nearly that high though-for example, Addai of the Colts signed a 5 year 11 million dollar deal in the 30th spot this year-that should be similar to what he will get in the NFL.

[nilodnayr]

Leon Lee is DLee's uncle, not Dad. And I think we've seen a return to emphasis on the Pac Rim, so at least we got that working for us. Everything else, I agree. How in a draft where you have what, 2 picks in the first 5 rounds, do you take a pitcher who you are 99.9999999% sure will play in the NFL?

 

Throw a lot of money at him and hope he bites?

 

With the guaranteed contracts in the NFL and taking min 6 years to get to free agency, hes going to have to turn down like a sure 20M to play for the cubs.

 

the NFL has guaranteed contracts? I didn't think they did.

 

I think he meant more that if he's a 1st round pick, he's going to receive so much money up front that it's going to be hard to take the smaller money in baseball. It's not going to be nearly that high though-for example, Addai of the Colts signed a 5 year 11 million dollar deal in the 30th spot this year-that should be similar to what he will get in the NFL.

 

Yes, that is what I meant, this is the thread of me being wrong. :lol:

 

But the point is, that Samardijza would have to pitch in the majors for 5 or 6 years, not to mention how long he would have to pitch in the minors before he'd make the same money he'd get right away going to the NFL.

[KingKongvs.Godzilla]

Are there any POSITIVES Hendry has done for the long term?

 

Any at all?

 

I thought about that and there are a few.

 

Wilken has a great scouting reputation, even though his first draft didn't impress me, it could look good in 2-3 years.

 

Latin America scouting is back. We went and got a big name guy (Suarez), and maybe thats a sign of things to come.