So when is JH gonna make a move for another bat???

[aerosmith21]

You would think JH would see the light bulb light up in his head now. Not knowing whats goin on with Aramis now let alone Soriano being out for a month, that he would wise up and realize they need to get another bat off waivers.

So when do you think it will happen?

[Flames24Rulz]

When he's on the unemployment line and making a move in Fantasy Baseball.

[anabiono]

i'll save you the suspense

 

jeff conine

 

in about a week

 

:!:

[Rob]

I suppose that depends on your definition of bat.

[Little Slide Rooter]

i'll save you the suspense

 

jeff conine

 

in about a week

 

:!:

 

Your aiming too high. Welcome back the newest member of your 2007 Chicago Cubs, Jose Macias!

[RynoRules]

I am starting to believe that Jim is being a good soldier and taking the heat even though he has been told that he cannot add salary due to ownership issue. That would explain the "Iowa / Tenn Shuttle Service" that has been operating all year. Jim doesn't have a history of doing that sort of thing, IIRC. I think we need to read between the lines here.

[JeffH]

Why would Hendry add anyone?

 

We're competitive within the division.

[Soul]

I still doubt very seriously there's a significant move that would clear waivers. Jim missed his chance. Too late now.

[C.C.]

I am starting to believe that Jim is being a good soldier and taking the heat even though he has been told that he cannot add salary due to ownership issue. That would explain the "Iowa / Tenn Shuttle Service" that has been operating all year. Jim doesn't have a history of doing that sort of thing, IIRC. I think we need to read between the lines here.

 

Sounds about right.

[UMFan83]

I am starting to believe that Jim is being a good soldier and taking the heat even though he has been told that he cannot add salary due to ownership issue. That would explain the "Iowa / Tenn Shuttle Service" that has been operating all year. Jim doesn't have a history of doing that sort of thing, IIRC. I think we need to read between the lines here.

 

Sounds about right.

 

Thank God someone else recognizes that. It's pretty obvious that this is the case to me.

[davearm]

I am starting to believe that Jim is being a good soldier and taking the heat even though he has been told that he cannot add salary due to ownership issue. That would explain the "Iowa / Tenn Shuttle Service" that has been operating all year. Jim doesn't have a history of doing that sort of thing, IIRC. I think we need to read between the lines here.

 

Sounds about right.

 

Thank God someone else recognizes that. It's pretty obvious that this is the case to me.

Thirded.

 

The Hendry bashing may be warranted in many instances, but not in this one... especially since the passing of the July 31 deadline. The notion that a true impact bat would slip through waivers is exceedingly unlikely. There's almost certainly nobody noteworthy available now, even if Hendry was trying to give away Pie, Hill, and Zambrano.

[Cynosure]

I am starting to believe that Jim is being a good soldier and taking the heat even though he has been told that he cannot add salary due to ownership issue. That would explain the "Iowa / Tenn Shuttle Service" that has been operating all year. Jim doesn't have a history of doing that sort of thing, IIRC. I think we need to read between the lines here.

 

Sounds about right.

 

Thank God someone else recognizes that. It's pretty obvious that this is the case to me.

Thirded.

 

The Hendry bashing may be warranted in many instances, but not in this one... especially since the passing of the July 31 deadline. The notion that a true impact bat would slip through waivers is exceedingly unlikely. There's almost certainly nobody noteworthy available now, even if Hendry was trying to give away Pie, Hill, and Zambrano.

 

Too bad he didn't get Carlos Lee instead of Soriano.

[jersey cubs fan]

I am starting to believe that Jim is being a good soldier and taking the heat even though he has been told that he cannot add salary due to ownership issue. That would explain the "Iowa / Tenn Shuttle Service" that has been operating all year. Jim doesn't have a history of doing that sort of thing, IIRC. I think we need to read between the lines here.

 

Sounds about right.

 

Thank God someone else recognizes that. It's pretty obvious that this is the case to me.

Thirded.

 

The Hendry bashing may be warranted in many instances, but not in this one... especially since the passing of the July 31 deadline.

 

He made his bed in the years leading up to this season. He spent a crapload of dough on a crappy offense long before he was held back by any ownership issues. It's his own damn fault this wasn't a good offense going into this year (let alone 2006, 2005 and 2004). We're talking about a team that has, at its best, been middle of the road in scoring and OPS, due to Hendry's poor management decisions. There's no reason to start giving him a break now because he might be handcuffed.

[jersey cubs fan]

realize they need to get another bat off waivers.

 

It's too late. The trading deadline is a deadline for a reason. The only stuff you get off waivers is spare parts. The Cubs have needed impact bats for years and Hendry has ignored the need, instead focusing on nonsense like leadoff hitters, more left handers and utility players.

[RynoRules]

I am starting to believe that Jim is being a good soldier and taking the heat even though he has been told that he cannot add salary due to ownership issue. That would explain the "Iowa / Tenn Shuttle Service" that has been operating all year. Jim doesn't have a history of doing that sort of thing, IIRC. I think we need to read between the lines here.

 

Sounds about right.

 

Thank God someone else recognizes that. It's pretty obvious that this is the case to me.

Thirded.

 

The Hendry bashing may be warranted in many instances, but not in this one... especially since the passing of the July 31 deadline.

 

He made his bed in the years leading up to this season. He spent a crapload of dough on a crappy offense long before he was held back by any ownership issues. It's his own damn fault this wasn't a good offense going into this year (let alone 2006, 2005 and 2004). We're talking about a team that has, at its best, been middle of the road in scoring and OPS, due to Hendry's poor management decisions. There's no reason to start giving him a break now because he might be handcuffed.

 

Point is you can blame him for how he assembled this team, but I don't think you can blame him for the (apparent) fact that he is unable to improve it through trades at this time.

[jersey cubs fan]

Point is you can blame him for how he assembled this team, but I don't think you can blame him for the (apparent) fact that he is unable to improve it through trades at this time.

 

I think you can. He built a team that would need trades, and he isn't able to figure out how to get one done. I highly doubt he's been told he can't make trades that add marginally to the payroll. Besides, he's the GM, he needs to figure out how to make the team better. The excuse of not being able to add money to the payroll is an excuse most GM's don't get to use. If he could only improve the team by significantly increasing payroll, that just exposes a major flaw in his ability.

[davearm]

I am starting to believe that Jim is being a good soldier and taking the heat even though he has been told that he cannot add salary due to ownership issue. That would explain the "Iowa / Tenn Shuttle Service" that has been operating all year. Jim doesn't have a history of doing that sort of thing, IIRC. I think we need to read between the lines here.

 

Sounds about right.

 

Thank God someone else recognizes that. It's pretty obvious that this is the case to me.

Thirded.

 

The Hendry bashing may be warranted in many instances, but not in this one... especially since the passing of the July 31 deadline.

 

He made his bed in the years leading up to this season. He spent a crapload of dough on a crappy offense long before he was held back by any ownership issues. It's his own damn fault this wasn't a good offense going into this year (let alone 2006, 2005 and 2004). We're talking about a team that has, at its best, been middle of the road in scoring and OPS, due to Hendry's poor management decisions. There's no reason to start giving him a break now because he might be handcuffed.

By many accounts, Hendry's been handcuffed for quite some time -- MacPhail and/or the Tribsters wouldn't allow him to spend what it was going to take for true impact FAs like Tejada in 2003 and Beltran in 2004.

 

It was pretty telling (to me anyway) that this now infamous $300M binge came just weeks after MacPhail's resignation.

 

Now that said, the general philosophy and approach to roster construction under Hendry, especially on the hitting side, has been fundamentally flawed for quite some time. Hence my comment, "the hendry bashing may be warranted in many instances."

 

Ripping on Hendry for failing to acquire another impact bat after 7/31 is not such an instance.

[davearm]

realize they need to get another bat off waivers.

 

It's too late. The trading deadline is a deadline for a reason. The only stuff you get off waivers is spare parts. The Cubs have needed impact bats for years and Hendry has ignored the need, instead focusing on nonsense like leadoff hitters, more left handers and utility players.

I don't think this is the whole story. See my prior comments about Tejada and Beltran (to name two).

 

I believe that if Hendry had been given the latitude to offer market-setting, Sorianoesque contracts to elite FAs from Day 1, this team would look much different today.

[jersey cubs fan]

realize they need to get another bat off waivers.

 

It's too late. The trading deadline is a deadline for a reason. The only stuff you get off waivers is spare parts. The Cubs have needed impact bats for years and Hendry has ignored the need, instead focusing on nonsense like leadoff hitters, more left handers and utility players.

I don't think this is the whole story. See my prior comments about Tejada and Beltran (to name two).

 

I believe that if Hendry had been given the latitude to offer market-setting, Sorianoesque contracts to elite FAs from Day 1, this team would look much different today.

 

You mean there'd be more grossly overpaid players who couldn't even come close to justifying their contracts?

[davearm]

Point is you can blame him for how he assembled this team, but I don't think you can blame him for the (apparent) fact that he is unable to improve it through trades at this time.

 

I think you can. He built a team that would need trades, and he isn't able to figure out how to get one done. I highly doubt he's been told he can't make trades that add marginally to the payroll. Besides, he's the GM, he needs to figure out how to make the team better. The excuse of not being able to add money to the payroll is an excuse most GM's don't get to use. If he could only improve the team by significantly increasing payroll, that just exposes a major flaw in his ability.

This critique could apply to all 30 GMs in baseball, especially in the context of this year's trade deadline.

 

The only contending team that really did a lot to help themselves (the Braves) took on a ton of salary, and gave away several top prospects in the process. I don't see any other contenders that did anything significant to help themselves, save for perhaps Boston with Gagne.

 

And you're 100% wrong that "not being able to add money to the payroll is an excuse most GM's don't get to use." Every GM in baseball operates under budget limitations imposed by ownership, and very few GMs would have the complete latitude to make a trade with significant payroll implications (especially ones stretching into future years).

[Have a seat, Neifi]

I agree with the premise that Hendry's ostensible inactivity at the trade deadline may not be of his choosing, but the fact remains he built a $100 million roster that - in the middle of August - could actually benefit from the likes of a Shannon Stewart or a Wily Mo Pena. That in itself underlines the problem; even with well above-average financial resources, Hendry can't net us anything better than abject mediocrity.

[RynoRules]

Point is you can blame him for how he assembled this team, but I don't think you can blame him for the (apparent) fact that he is unable to improve it through trades at this time.

 

I think you can. He built a team that would need trades, and he isn't able to figure out how to get one done. I highly doubt he's been told he can't make trades that add marginally to the payroll. Besides, he's the GM, he needs to figure out how to make the team better. The excuse of not being able to add money to the payroll is an excuse most GM's don't get to use. If he could only improve the team by significantly increasing payroll, that just exposes a major flaw in his ability.

 

That's a fine argument, but he's not the only GM who builds a team with an eye towards the trading deadline. The best teams and best run orgs do it.

[davearm]

realize they need to get another bat off waivers.

 

It's too late. The trading deadline is a deadline for a reason. The only stuff you get off waivers is spare parts. The Cubs have needed impact bats for years and Hendry has ignored the need, instead focusing on nonsense like leadoff hitters, more left handers and utility players.

I don't think this is the whole story. See my prior comments about Tejada and Beltran (to name two).

 

I believe that if Hendry had been given the latitude to offer market-setting, Sorianoesque contracts to elite FAs from Day 1, this team would look much different today.

 

You mean there'd be more grossly overpaid players who couldn't even come close to justifying their contracts?

What I mean is that the need for more impact bats that you pointed out quite likely would've been addressed.

 

Now whether the player(s) acquired to address that particular need would've worked out or not is impossible to say.

 

However we do know that Tejada and Beltran were two guys that were both available and coveted by Hendry. So my theory is that if it was completely up to Hendry and Hendry alone, then one (or perhaps even both) of those guys would be Cubs today.

 

So I suppose the answer to your question depends on whether you consider Tejada and/or Beltran to be "grossly overpaid players who couldn't even come close to justifying their contracts."

[jersey cubs fan]

And you're 100% wrong that "not being able to add money to the payroll is an excuse most GM's don't get to use." Every GM in baseball operates under budget limitations imposed by ownership, and very few GMs would have the complete latitude to make a trade with significant payroll implications (especially ones stretching into future years).

 

That's my point.

 

Most GMs operate under a budget and can't just add to payroll. You have to build a winner in those circumstances, no excuses. Now people are trying to excuse Jim's failures because of a perceived handcuffing by ownership, when he's really just operating under the same rules as everybody else.

[davearm]

And you're 100% wrong that "not being able to add money to the payroll is an excuse most GM's don't get to use." Every GM in baseball operates under budget limitations imposed by ownership, and very few GMs would have the complete latitude to make a trade with significant payroll implications (especially ones stretching into future years).

 

That's my point.

 

Most GMs operate under a budget and can't just add to payroll. You have to build a winner in those circumstances, no excuses. Now people are trying to excuse Jim's failures because of a perceived handcuffing by ownership, when he's really just operating under the same rules as everybody else.

Fair enough, but you said it backwards.

 

"Not being able to add money to the payroll is an excuse most GM's don't get to use." = most GM's are able to add money to the payroll.