Hendry cannot win

[NomarSammy]

I was just thinking about this the last couple of days. I heard on a radio show how Hendry should not be given credit for getting Lee and ARAM because both the Marlins and the Pirates were in sell mode and people made it sound like basically they were there for the taking. My thouhgts are he got em...........period. And they are the cornerstones to our team for many years. I know several people were upset to give up Choi and Hill yet look at where they are at now.

 

On the flip side. Hendry has made Hill an "untouchable" for the last several years and many people scoffed at him for this. Now that he is looking like the ace that He projected him to be, it seems like people just take for granted the fact that Hendry stuck with him when it would have been very easy to sell.

 

People sit in here and debate whether he is a good GM based on people like Perez and Izturis, and I fel too often miss the big obvious points. I just like what he has done and really feel lik he has done a ood job and just wanted to point out a couple of the good things he has done.

 

Now, go ahad and everyone start ripping me :?

[jersey cubs fan]

People sit in here and debate whether he is a good GM based on people like Perez and Izturis, and I fel too often miss the big obvious points. I just like what he has done and really feel lik he has done a ood job and just wanted to point out a couple of the good things he has done.

 

Now, go ahad and everyone start ripping me :?

 

I feel that he is a bad GM because he has been given one of the top payrolls to work with in baseball and his teams have not won. It's as simple as that.

 

I think it's incredibly stupid to try and mark "good" or "bad" next to moves and then decided how a GM rates. GMs should be judged on the results their teams produce.

 

Any GM who has been at his job for 4+ years, whose entire roster is stocked with players he is responsible for acquiring, and who has had a payroll continually in the top 5 of his league, should have a perennial winner on his hands or be considered a failure.

 

If you asked me what I expected of Hendry once it became clear he was going to take the head job, I would have said multiple 90+ win seasons, division titles and playoff appearances. The fact that he was given all the resources he had, and the team's record is under .500 during his rein, is truly despicable.

 

I don't care if he traded for Lee or signed a bum. What matters is the bottom line and the bottom line on the Hendry era has been disaster.

Edited May 8, 2007 by jersey cubs fan

[Soriano12]

People sit in here and debate whether he is a good GM based on people like Perez and Izturis, and I fel too often miss the big obvious points. I just like what he has done and really feel lik he has done a ood job and just wanted to point out a couple of the good things he has done.

 

Now, go ahad and everyone start ripping me :?

 

I feel that he is a bad GM because he has been given one of the top payrolls to work with in baseball and his teams have not won. It's as simple as that.

 

I think it's incredibly stupid to try and market "good" or "bad" next to moves and then decided how a GM rates. GMs should be judged on the results their team produces.

 

Any GM who has been at his job for 4+ years, whose entire roster is stocked with players he is responsible for acquiring, and who has had a payroll continually in the top 5 of his league, should have a perennial winner on his hands or be considered a failure.

 

If you asked me what I expected of Hendry once it became clear he was going to take the head job, I would have said multiple 90+ win seasons, division titles and playoff appearances. The fact that he was given all the resources he had, and the team's record is under .500 during his rein, is truly despicable.

 

I don't care if he traded for Lee or signed a bum. What matters is the bottom line and the bottom line on the Hendry era has been disaster.

 

^^^ +1

[Rob]

For the most part, Hendry survives as a GM simply because of his payroll. Obvious mistakes such as Pierre, Izturis, Neifi, Macias, etc... are made over and over again, simply because Hendry doesn't understand what makes for a good baseball team.

 

Hendry has one real strong point, and that is his ability to trade for what he perceives as key pieces of the puzzle by only giving up spare parts. This is a double edged sword though. Without a great degree of baseball acumen, Hendry finds himself in a position where he can trade what amounts to nothing for Nomar and Murton... or trade Greg Maddux for Izturis, who is worth neither the money nor the roster spot.

 

Go ahead and give Hendry credit for Aramis and Lee. Keep in mind though that every GM, no matter how crappy, makes a few great moves. Hell, even Jim Bowden... everybody's favourite punching bag... managed to trade for Kearns and Lopez while giving up nothing of any real value.

 

Hendry isn't as bad as guys like Bowden, Bill Bavasi, or Wayne Krivsky... but he's a lot closer to that level than guys like Beane, Shapiro, or Jocketty.

[Abe Frohman]

He deserves credit for Barrett. And Dempster. And it looks like Marquis/Lilly.

 

It could be worse, and I am pretty happy with Hendry.

[jersey cubs fan]

 

It could be worse,

 

What inspiring words. This is the sort of thing that causes people to rejoice over back to back over .500 seasons, complacency and willingness to accept mediocrity as improvement.

 

and I am pretty happy with Hendry.

 

You're happy with a team that's under .500 since he took control? I can't imagine what he'd have to do to make you unhappy.

[Exile on Waveland]

People sit in here and debate whether he is a good GM based on people like Perez and Izturis, and I fel too often miss the big obvious points.

 

The big, obvious points? Like the fact that a high payroll team is under .500 during his tenure? What could be more big or obvious than that?

[Mephistopheles]

its hard to fault him for injuries.

[Transmogrified Tiger]

its hard to fault him for injuries.

 

Injuries like Lee, yeah. But the whole Prior/Wood thing it took him years to come up with a contingency for, and he's the one who enabled Dusty to drive our pitchers into the ground.

[abuck1220]

He deserves credit for Barrett. And Dempster. And it looks like Marquis/Lilly.

 

It could be worse, and I am pretty happy with Hendry.

 

yeah, these past few seasons have been bliss. considering the low payroll the cubs are working with and the tough division they play in, i'm pretty happy with being below .500.

[A New Era]

its hard to fault him for injuries.

 

As well as the farm system. He's had faults alright. But he has made some great moves. He IS responsible for building this team. He brought in Wilken, a top farm system guy. Perry, a great hitting coach. And has had success with guys like Lee, Ram, Barret. And even with some guys who the same people criticizing him here for keeping, are having some success. Lilly, Derosa, Hill, Heck, even Jones and Marquis. Remember how bad everyone said they'd be? And watch. Someone will come here and say "Well, they still haven't finished their contract, they still COULD be bad".

 

I'm not a Hendry supporter nor hater. He's made some mistakes. I just don't like the name calling on Hendry. He deserves alot of credit.

[A New Era]

He deserves credit for Barrett. And Dempster. And it looks like Marquis/Lilly.

 

It could be worse, and I am pretty happy with Hendry.

 

yeah, these past few seasons have been bliss. considering the low payroll the cubs are working with and the tough division they play in, i'm pretty happy with being below .500.

 

The teams Hendry has assembled the last 4 years, have been good "ON PAPER". You cannot fault the GM entirely for teams not living up to it's potential, and "underachieving".

[CubColtPacer]

This is the tipping point year for Hendry. His biggest problem in his tenure was staying almost completely pat during the offseasons of 04 and 05. That didn't leave the team with enough talent when both bad development (Patterson, Cedeno) and devastating injuries to both middle of the order and starting pitchers happened (Nomar, Lee, Prior, Wood).

 

Now Hendry didn't stand pat whatsoever. If this team ends up working out and being a playoff team, then Hendry gets more rope. If they have a high number of wins but no playoffs (say 87 or more), he gets next year to finish out his contract but would need to do something great to get extended. If this team is at .500 or worse with another big payroll, he will have to go.

[TheDude]

But the whole Prior/Wood thing it took him years to come up with a contingency for, and he's the one who enabled Dusty to drive our pitchers into the ground.

 

:-s

[jersey cubs fan]

As well as the farm system.

 

Why not? He was in charge of it for years until he became GM. The farm system is his responsibility.

 

 

 

I'm not a Hendry supporter nor hater. He's made some mistakes. I just don't like the name calling on Hendry. He deserves alot of credit.

 

I don't get this nonsensical logic. Why does he deserve credit. It's baseball, there are winners and losers. If you lose more than you win, you're bad. Hendry is bad. How hard is this? Why does he deserve credit? Are we grading on a curve? Is it impossible to fail in this class? If Hendry deserves credit, then every GM deserves credit.

[jersey cubs fan]

He deserves credit for Barrett. And Dempster. And it looks like Marquis/Lilly.

 

It could be worse, and I am pretty happy with Hendry.

 

yeah, these past few seasons have been bliss. considering the low payroll the cubs are working with and the tough division they play in, i'm pretty happy with being below .500.

 

The teams Hendry has assembled the last 4 years, have been good "ON PAPER". You cannot fault the GM entirely for teams not living up to it's potential, and "underachieving".

 

Yes you can, because the problem is the people judging them on paper are clueless about what hte problems were with this team. This team had obvious deficiencies that were quite fixable, and Hendry ignored them, choosing to focus on nonsense. These weren't 95 win teams that underachieved. They were crap teams.

[jersey cubs fan]

Now Hendry didn't stand pat whatsoever. If this team ends up working out and being a playoff team, then Hendry gets more rope. If they have a high number of wins but no playoffs (say 87 or more), he gets next year to finish out his contract but would need to do something great to get extended. If this team is at .500 or worse with another big payroll, he will have to go.

 

You could be right, but I have a hard team imagining a new owner allowing the GM to play out the string on his contract. Most of these guys are either cut loose before that last year is up, or extended beyond that year. It's dangerous to allow a GM without a contract beyond tomorrow to make decisions that can affect an organization for years.

[CubsWin]

its hard to fault him for injuries.

I agree. If you don't take into account all of the circumstances of a GM's tenure and attempt simplify everything down to a bottom line of wins and losses, you aren't making a fair or accurate judgement. It would be nice if it were that simple, but its just not.

 

When I look at the big picture, I see a flawed GM who has done many things that I wouldn't have done. Some of them have failed miserably and I feel like I can point at them and go "see, I told you so" but then other moves that I was against have worked out. When I look at the big picture, I see a GM who inherited a team without much, young or in-their-prime talent that was built almost entirely around a steadily declining superstar in Sammy Sosa. When you take into account the starting point for Hendry's tenure and the various other circumstances the team has been dealt over the last 4+ seasons, he has without a doubt improved the team.

 

Does that make him a great GM? No. A great one would have sold the ownership on the importance of outbidding the Mets for Carlos Beltran. A great one would have had a contingency plan for Wood years earlier. A great GM wouldn't have hired Dusty Baker. And, in my estimation, a great GM would have improved the team's OBP more than he has despite the rapid decline of the team's greatest OBP man, Sosa.

 

But Hendry is far from the idiot that he often gets cast as. The moves he has made have greatly and undeniably improved the Cubs roster on paper even if they haven't always resulted in an improvement in their won loss record. That said, the bar should be set high for Hendry given his payroll. And if he fails to return the team to the playoffs this season, the team should consider firing him...based on the big picture and all the circumstances, of course. :wink:

[jersey cubs fan]

I agree. If you don't take into account all of the circumstances of a GM's tenure and attempt simplify everything down to a bottom line of wins and losses, you aren't making a fair or accurate judgement. It would be nice if it were that simple, but its just not.

 

In fact it is that simple. If you throw in all the BS excuses people like to give Hendry, you complicate the story. The fact is Hendry has done a poor job.

[CubsWin]

its hard to fault him for injuries.

 

Injuries like Lee, yeah. But the whole Prior/Wood thing it took him years to come up with a contingency for, and he's the one who enabled Dusty to drive our pitchers into the ground.

Wood, yes. But that seems like revisionist history on Prior. Did anyone see '04 coming? And after he started 27 games in '05 finishing 11-7 with a 3.67 ERA with 19 consecutive starts from June 26th through the end of the season, did anyone have reason to believe he wouldn't be ready to go for '06?

[bukie]

My biggest beefs with Hendry are this:

 

- Over 4 years with 3 of the most promising young arms in franchise history, along with one of the top 5 payrolls in baseball to fill in the missing pieces, the Cubs have not won. They have played worse than .500 baseball over a period when any other team with the pitching and farm system the Cubs had with a payroll the Cubs have would and should have made the playoffs every year.

 

- The most glaring reason for the struggles has been obvious: the Cubs haven't been scoring runs. Hendry saw the problem as a lack of hitting with runners in scoring position, when even a cursory glance at the statistics would show the Cubs were near the back of the majors in OBP, which indicated there simply weren't runners in scoring position. When you're only getting 9 chances a game, coming through 3 times shouldn't be seen as a flaw in execution.

 

- Once Prior and Wood were shown to have arm problems, rather than have a backup plan at the ready, the plan was sheer hope that they would be ready. Glendon Rusch and revolve-a-starter was not a solution, and it was compounded by trading away most of the promising young pitching for speed and defense, which again didn't address either issue with the team.

[CubsWin]

I agree. If you don't take into account all of the circumstances of a GM's tenure and attempt simplify everything down to a bottom line of wins and losses, you aren't making a fair or accurate judgement. It would be nice if it were that simple, but its just not.

 

In fact it is that simple. If you throw in all the BS excuses people like to give Hendry, you complicate the story. The fact is Hendry has done a poor job.

I don't mean to be flip, but you just restated your opinion without providing any reasons why it should hold up under logical scrutiny. I can make an argument why it is fair and accurate to take into account the state of the team at the time the GM takes over and why it is hard to fault a GM for catastrophic injuries. Can you make an argument for why it is more fair and accurate to judge a GM on one statistic?

[Guest]

its hard to fault him for injuries.

 

As well as the farm system. He's had faults alright. But he has made some great moves. He IS responsible for building this team. He brought in Wilken, a top farm system guy. Perry, a great hitting coach. And has had success with guys like Lee, Ram, Barret. And even with some guys who the same people criticizing him here for keeping, are having some success. Lilly, Derosa, Hill, Heck, even Jones and Marquis. Remember how bad everyone said they'd be? And watch. Someone will come here and say "Well, they still haven't finished their contract, they still COULD be bad".

 

I'm not a Hendry supporter nor hater. He's made some mistakes. I just don't like the name calling on Hendry. He deserves alot of credit.

 

I don't see how Hendry gets a pass on the farm system, seeing as the scouting and player development end is one of his biggest assets.

 

Yes, he did a great job of getting Wilken but let's see if the minor league coaches can develop the players now (esp. position players).

[abuck1220]

He deserves credit for Barrett. And Dempster. And it looks like Marquis/Lilly.

 

It could be worse, and I am pretty happy with Hendry.

 

yeah, these past few seasons have been bliss. considering the low payroll the cubs are working with and the tough division they play in, i'm pretty happy with being below .500.

 

The teams Hendry has assembled the last 4 years, have been good "ON PAPER". You cannot fault the GM entirely for teams not living up to it's potential, and "underachieving".

 

that's ridiculous. a gm's job is to assemble a winning team on the field...not "on paper." and while those teams may have looked good to hendry on paper, there were plenty of obvious problems.

[Abe Frohman]

He deserves credit for Barrett. And Dempster. And it looks like Marquis/Lilly.

 

It could be worse, and I am pretty happy with Hendry.

 

yeah, these past few seasons have been bliss. considering the low payroll the cubs are working with and the tough division they play in, i'm pretty happy with being below .500.

 

The teams Hendry has assembled the last 4 years, have been good "ON PAPER". You cannot fault the GM entirely for teams not living up to it's potential, and "underachieving".

 

Yes you can, because the problem is the people judging them on paper are clueless about what hte problems were with this team. This team had obvious deficiencies that were quite fixable, and Hendry ignored them, choosing to focus on nonsense. These weren't 95 win teams that underachieved. They were crap teams.

 

They were "crap" teams, but Hendry didn't sit on his thumb and ignore the holes. Last year he brought in a much-needed leadoff hitter. THAT was the problem (outside of injuries) and he addressed it. It isn't Hendry's fault that Pierre and Ramirez swung rubber bats in the first half, and it wasn't Hendry's fault Lee broke his wrist. Nor was it Hendry's fault that Prior and Wood are some of the greatest pitching talents in the game that can't stay healthy.

 

Like I said, I am happy with Hendry, and that's MY opinion. The last 3 years sucked for all of us, but things are looking bright for this season - so keep on being pissed off while some of us are enjoying this season.

 

Hey, the Cubs actually are playing some pretty good baseball right now, so lighten up a bit and have some fun.