Hendry defends Derosa trade

[dew1679666265]

After 2004, it was a need to be less injured.

 

That's not that bad a goal, to be honest.

[dew1679666265]

It always, at least partially, about the myopic need for more left handed hitters.

 

As for DeRosa, I'd love to have such a versatile player hitting 266/333/446 with eight homeruns, 31 runs and 32 RBI's. That's after his abysmal start. He's at 295/352/453 for the month of May, 341/426/512 the last 14 days, and 364/440/636 the last seven days. The rumors of his demise have been greatly exaggerated.

 

Right there is the reason we should have NEVER traded him. Now we are dealing with Aaron Miles and, my new favorite player (back in the minors), Robert Scales.

 

My man crush on DeRo lives on, though. I made sure to get tickets to the interleague series with the Indians at Wrigley \:D/

 

Ah, but he's back! Scales was recalled and Freel is on the DL.

[Little Slide Rooter]

After 2006, it was a need for guys who can catch the ball.

 

After 2006, it was a need for guys who could play baseball

[davearm2]

The need to be more left handed falls into the same trap Hendry has fallen into every single year.

 

After 2003, it was a need to have some playoff veteran leadership.

After 2004, it was a need to be less injured.

After 2005, it was a need to have less jerks on the team.

After 2006, it was a need for guys who can catch the ball.

After 2007, it was a need to have guys with more speed.

After 2008, it was a need to be less right handed.

 

After 2009, hopefully it's a need to have less idiots in the front office.

It's amazing to me that all of this nonsense is being dumped in Hendry's lap.

 

Lou (and Dusty before him) is the one setting these agendas, by and large. This whole getting more lefthanded business mostly Piniella's idea.

 

Hendry's options are: a) construct the team in the way his manager wants it (what he's doing now), or b) fire the manager and hire one with a different philosophy (what he did when Dusty's gameplan wasn't working). Regardless, the GM and the manager need to be reading from the same playbook, and that comes predominantly from the manager.

[jersey cubs fan]

The need to be more left handed falls into the same trap Hendry has fallen into every single year.

 

After 2003, it was a need to have some playoff veteran leadership.

After 2004, it was a need to be less injured.

After 2005, it was a need to have less jerks on the team.

After 2006, it was a need for guys who can catch the ball.

After 2007, it was a need to have guys with more speed.

After 2008, it was a need to be less right handed.

 

After 2009, hopefully it's a need to have less idiots in the front office.

It's amazing to me that all of this nonsense is being dumped in Hendry's lap.

 

Lou (and Dusty before him) is the one setting these agendas, by and large. This whole getting more lefthanded business mostly Piniella's idea.

 

Hendry's options are: a) construct the team in the way his manager wants it (what he's doing now), or b) fire the manager and hire one with a different philosophy (what he did when Dusty's gameplan wasn't working). Regardless, the GM and the manager need to be reading from the same playbook, and that comes predominantly from the manager.

 

Hendry's job is to build the best team he can, it is not to get the manager whatever he wants. And that is especially true when your manager routinely runs off perfectly capable guys and you are forced to waste resources on replacing those guys. The GM sets the agenda. He hires the manager, he acquires the players. Hendry needs to give Lou what he wants to give Lou. "This gets dumped in Hendry's lap" because that is exactly where it belongs.

[illiniguy]

The need to be more left handed falls into the same trap Hendry has fallen into every single year.

 

After 2003, it was a need to have some playoff veteran leadership.

After 2004, it was a need to be less injured.

After 2005, it was a need to have less jerks on the team.

After 2006, it was a need for guys who can catch the ball.

After 2007, it was a need to have guys with more speed.

After 2008, it was a need to be less right handed.

 

After 2009, hopefully it's a need to have less idiots in the front office.

It's amazing to me that all of this nonsense is being dumped in Hendry's lap.

 

Lou (and Dusty before him) is the one setting these agendas, by and large. This whole getting more lefthanded business mostly Piniella's idea.

 

Hendry's options are: a) construct the team in the way his manager wants it (what he's doing now), or b) fire the manager and hire one with a different philosophy (what he did when Dusty's gameplan wasn't working). Regardless, the GM and the manager need to be reading from the same playbook, and that comes predominantly from the manager.

Dusty was never fired. We let him railroad a season instead of firing him. His contract ran out.

[Backtobanks]

The need to be more left handed falls into the same trap Hendry has fallen into every single year.

 

After 2003, it was a need to have some playoff veteran leadership.

After 2004, it was a need to be less injured.

After 2005, it was a need to have less jerks on the team.

After 2006, it was a need for guys who can catch the ball.

After 2007, it was a need to have guys with more speed.

After 2008, it was a need to be less right handed.

 

After 2009, hopefully it's a need to have less idiots in the front office.

It's amazing to me that all of this nonsense is being dumped in Hendry's lap.

 

Lou (and Dusty before him) is the one setting these agendas, by and large. This whole getting more lefthanded business mostly Piniella's idea.

 

Hendry's options are: a) construct the team in the way his manager wants it (what he's doing now), or b) fire the manager and hire one with a different philosophy (what he did when Dusty's gameplan wasn't working). Regardless, the GM and the manager need to be reading from the same playbook, and that comes predominantly from the manager.

 

I totally agree. From the start, it's been Hendry's MO to let the manager run the team on the field. Whatever his manager(s) wants he gets for them even if he doesn't necessarily agree. Hendry always pushed for giving youngsters a chance, but Dusty wanted veterans and played veterans. Lou wanted more LH bats in the lineup and Hendry made it possible by trading DeRosa and giving Fontenot 2B while signing Bradley. Unfortunately, Bradley and Fontenot have slumped and Ramirez got hurt leaving a hole at 3B.

[davearm2]

The need to be more left handed falls into the same trap Hendry has fallen into every single year.

 

After 2003, it was a need to have some playoff veteran leadership.

After 2004, it was a need to be less injured.

After 2005, it was a need to have less jerks on the team.

After 2006, it was a need for guys who can catch the ball.

After 2007, it was a need to have guys with more speed.

After 2008, it was a need to be less right handed.

 

After 2009, hopefully it's a need to have less idiots in the front office.

It's amazing to me that all of this nonsense is being dumped in Hendry's lap.

 

Lou (and Dusty before him) is the one setting these agendas, by and large. This whole getting more lefthanded business mostly Piniella's idea.

 

Hendry's options are: a) construct the team in the way his manager wants it (what he's doing now), or b) fire the manager and hire one with a different philosophy (what he did when Dusty's gameplan wasn't working). Regardless, the GM and the manager need to be reading from the same playbook, and that comes predominantly from the manager.

 

Hendry's job is to build the best team he can, it is not to get the manager whatever he wants. And that is especially true when your manager routinely runs off perfectly capable guys and you are forced to waste resources on replacing those guys. The GM sets the agenda. He hires the manager, he acquires the players. Hendry needs to give Lou what he wants to give Lou. "This gets dumped in Hendry's lap" because that is exactly where it belongs.

This is pretty naive when we're talking about a manager in the Piniella, LaRussa, Torre, Cox, etc. category.

 

If you don't think behind the scenes those guys are calling the most important shots on matters pertaining to the major league club, then we'll just have to agree to disagree.

[davearm2]

The need to be more left handed falls into the same trap Hendry has fallen into every single year.

 

After 2003, it was a need to have some playoff veteran leadership.

After 2004, it was a need to be less injured.

After 2005, it was a need to have less jerks on the team.

After 2006, it was a need for guys who can catch the ball.

After 2007, it was a need to have guys with more speed.

After 2008, it was a need to be less right handed.

 

After 2009, hopefully it's a need to have less idiots in the front office.

It's amazing to me that all of this nonsense is being dumped in Hendry's lap.

 

Lou (and Dusty before him) is the one setting these agendas, by and large. This whole getting more lefthanded business mostly Piniella's idea.

 

Hendry's options are: a) construct the team in the way his manager wants it (what he's doing now), or b) fire the manager and hire one with a different philosophy (what he did when Dusty's gameplan wasn't working). Regardless, the GM and the manager need to be reading from the same playbook, and that comes predominantly from the manager.

Dusty was never fired. We let him railroad a season instead of firing him. His contract ran out.

That distinction is irrelevant to this discussion. If Hendry was satisfied with Dusty, he would've kept him by offering him a new contract.

[Hairyducked Idiot]

It's amazing to me that all of this nonsense is being dumped in Hendry's lap.

 

Lou (and Dusty before him) is the one setting these agendas, by and large. This whole getting more lefthanded business mostly Piniella's idea.

 

 

It amazes me that people think the argument that Hendry completely abdicates his job to a subordinate is a legitimate defense.

[jersey cubs fan]

This is pretty naive when we're talking about a manager in the Piniella, LaRussa, Torre, Cox, etc. category.

 

If you don't think behind the scenes those guys are calling the most important shots on matters pertaining to the major league club, then we'll just have to agree to disagree.

 

You are naive if you think Torre had any sort of control over rosters. Any of those guys can request whatever they want. But if their GMS went on foolish endeavors every offseason to find the next need, they'd be deserving of whatever criticism came their way. It's the GMs job to field the best team possible. If he has to massage the ego of his manager, so be it. But he doesn't have to go season to season on a quest for those players that really aren't helpful in the end.

[A-Cal]

my dream is actually to become a major league GM, but my dream today has been shattered in a thousand million pieces because I would just be a puppet on a string.

[SouthSideRyan]

That distinction is irrelevant to this discussion. If Hendry was satisfied with Dusty, he would've kept him by offering him a new contract.

 

If Hendry wasn't satisified with Dusty, he probably shouldn't have let him manage the 2nd half of a lost season.

[mul21]

It's amazing to me that all of this nonsense is being dumped in Hendry's lap.

 

Lou (and Dusty before him) is the one setting these agendas, by and large. This whole getting more lefthanded business mostly Piniella's idea.

 

 

It amazes me that people think the argument that Hendry completely abdicates his job to a subordinate is a legitimate defense.

 

Yeah, I think that's honestly a bigger indictment of the guy than just being bad at his job. That implies that he knows he's so incompetent that he defers to somebody else on decisions because he doesn't want to make them.

 

This is really the first off season since MacPhail has been gone that I've had a big problem with moves he's made.

[Guest]

The need to be more left handed falls into the same trap Hendry has fallen into every single year.

 

After 2003, it was a need to have some playoff veteran leadership.

After 2004, it was a need to be less injured.

After 2005, it was a need to have less jerks on the team.

After 2006, it was a need for guys who can catch the ball.

After 2007, it was a need to have guys with more speed.

After 2008, it was a need to be less right handed.

 

After 2009, hopefully it's a need to have less idiots in the front office.

It's amazing to me that all of this nonsense is being dumped in Hendry's lap.

 

Lou (and Dusty before him) is the one setting these agendas, by and large. This whole getting more lefthanded business mostly Piniella's idea.

 

Hendry's options are: a) construct the team in the way his manager wants it (what he's doing now), or b) fire the manager and hire one with a different philosophy (what he did when Dusty's gameplan wasn't working). Regardless, the GM and the manager need to be reading from the same playbook, and that comes predominantly from the manager.

 

In a sense, my previous post was tongue in cheek. However, all of those things are not things I just randomly made up for the heck of it.

 

This team did NOT need to get more left handed this past offseason. They sucked in a playoff series much like they have pretty much sucked all year long this year. They were extremely sucky this past week. It had absolutely nothing to do with what side of the plate people hit from.

 

That Hendry would even use that as an excuse and then spend time this offseason attempting to actually get more left handed makes people question his intelligence level and whether he should have such a powerful job for a major league organization.

[davearm2]

It's amazing to me that all of this nonsense is being dumped in Hendry's lap.

 

Lou (and Dusty before him) is the one setting these agendas, by and large. This whole getting more lefthanded business mostly Piniella's idea.

 

 

It amazes me that people think the argument that Hendry completely abdicates his job to a subordinate is a legitimate defense.

Nobody's saying that, though.

 

Look this year the Packers fired their D Coordinator and hired Dom Capers. To noone's surprise, Capers switched the Pack from a 4-3 to a 3-4 defense.

 

With his first two picks in the draft this year, Ted Thompson picked defensive players he thinks are well suited to play in Capers' new system, BJ Raji and Clay Matthews.

 

So tell me. Did Ted Thompson "completely abdicate his job to a subordinate" there? Is he a "puppet on a string", as the other poster intimated?

 

Reconstructing a batting order to get more lefthanded is very much like what the Packers are going through. I mean seriously, nobody thinks that was Hendry's idea and not Piniella's, do they?

[davearm2]

The need to be more left handed falls into the same trap Hendry has fallen into every single year.

 

After 2003, it was a need to have some playoff veteran leadership.

After 2004, it was a need to be less injured.

After 2005, it was a need to have less jerks on the team.

After 2006, it was a need for guys who can catch the ball.

After 2007, it was a need to have guys with more speed.

After 2008, it was a need to be less right handed.

 

After 2009, hopefully it's a need to have less idiots in the front office.

It's amazing to me that all of this nonsense is being dumped in Hendry's lap.

 

Lou (and Dusty before him) is the one setting these agendas, by and large. This whole getting more lefthanded business mostly Piniella's idea.

 

Hendry's options are: a) construct the team in the way his manager wants it (what he's doing now), or b) fire the manager and hire one with a different philosophy (what he did when Dusty's gameplan wasn't working). Regardless, the GM and the manager need to be reading from the same playbook, and that comes predominantly from the manager.

 

In a sense, my previous post was tongue in cheek. However, all of those things are not things I just randomly made up for the heck of it.

 

This team did NOT need to get more left handed this past offseason. They sucked in a playoff series much like they have pretty much sucked all year long this year. They were extremely sucky this past week. It had absolutely nothing to do with what side of the plate people hit from.

 

That Hendry would even use that as an excuse and then spend time this offseason attempting to actually get more left handed makes people question his intelligence level and whether he should have such a powerful job for a major league organization.

Do you honestly think Hendry was the one who felt the need to make the lineup more lefthanded, and not Piniella?

[Banedon]

It's amazing to me that all of this nonsense is being dumped in Hendry's lap.

 

Lou (and Dusty before him) is the one setting these agendas, by and large. This whole getting more lefthanded business mostly Piniella's idea.

 

 

It amazes me that people think the argument that Hendry completely abdicates his job to a subordinate is a legitimate defense.

Nobody's saying that, though.

 

Look this year the Packers fired their D Coordinator and hired Dom Capers. To noone's surprise, Capers switched the Pack from a 4-3 to a 3-4 defense.

 

With his first two picks in the draft this year, Ted Thompson picked defensive players he thinks are well suited to play in Capers' new system, BJ Raji and Clay Matthews.

 

So tell me. Did Ted Thompson "completely abdicate his job to a subordinate" there? Is he a "puppet on a string", as the other poster intimated?

 

Reconstructing a batting order to get more lefthanded is very much like what the Packers are going through. I mean seriously, nobody thinks that was Hendry's idea and not Piniella's, do they?

 

Um...Capers didn't switch the defense. Ted Thompson and Mike McCarthy switched the defense, and brought Capers in because he was suited for coaching that D. It wasn't like the Packers brought in Capers and he, over the GM and the head coach, suddenly decided to change the entire structure of the defense.

[jersey cubs fan]

Do you honestly think Hendry was the one who felt the need to make the lineup more lefthanded, and not Piniella?

 

I honestly believe the both did. I don't really know how anybody can try and pretend Hendry did not.

[Guest]

Do you honestly think Hendry was the one who felt the need to make the lineup more lefthanded, and not Piniella?

 

I honestly believe the both did. I don't really know how anybody can try and pretend Hendry did not.

 

Though the question was directed at me, I'll defer my response to Goony, since he beat me to it and I would have basically said the same thing.

[erik316wttn]

It's amazing to me that all of this nonsense is being dumped in Hendry's lap.

 

Lou (and Dusty before him) is the one setting these agendas, by and large. This whole getting more lefthanded business mostly Piniella's idea.

 

 

It amazes me that people think the argument that Hendry completely abdicates his job to a subordinate is a legitimate defense.

 

Not a complete abdication, no. But he does listen to his managers and tends to go out and get the players that his managers want, often times at a big detriment to the team.

 

Look how long Neifi, Bynum, Macias, etc stuck around because Dusty wanted them here. If Dusty hadn't wanted them, do you honestly think any of them would have ever seen playing time in a Cubs uni? It's important for a GM to have a good working relationship with his manager, but there are times he just needs to put his foot down and say no.

 

Hendry has made some dumb moves independent of his manager, but he's made some dumb moves because his manager wanted him to as well.

[davearm2]

Do you honestly think Hendry was the one who felt the need to make the lineup more lefthanded, and not Piniella?

 

I honestly believe the both did. I don't really know how anybody can try and pretend Hendry did not.

Of course both did. So I'll go back to what I said in the first place: It's amazing to me that all of this nonsense is being dumped in Hendry's lap. Piniella deserves a share of the responsibility. IMO more than half, but the exact ratio is irrelevant. Regardless, people are acting as though this is all Hendry's making, which is nonsensical.

[Guest]

Do you honestly think Hendry was the one who felt the need to make the lineup more lefthanded, and not Piniella?

 

I honestly believe the both did. I don't really know how anybody can try and pretend Hendry did not.

Of course both did. So I'll go back to what I said in the first place: It's amazing to me that all of this nonsense is being dumped in Hendry's lap. Piniella deserves a share of the responsibility. IMO more than half, but the exact ratio is irrelevant. Regardless, people are acting as though this is all Hendry's making, which is nonsensical.

 

I might agree with you on this one, but let me ask you this question....

 

Who was it exactly that hired Lou Piniella?

[A-Cal]

Do you honestly think Hendry was the one who felt the need to make the lineup more lefthanded, and not Piniella?

 

I honestly believe the both did. I don't really know how anybody can try and pretend Hendry did not.

 

Though the question was directed at me, I'll defer my response to Goony, since he beat me to it and I would have basically said the same thing.

 

yes, yes, and yes...it was hendry...i am sure he and lou have discussions, a GM would be a complete fool to not have an open dialogue with the manager of their on field product, but to insinuate that hendry didn't want to do it is absurd...

 

hendry just took a big risk this offseason and it probably isn't going going to work out the way he had envisioned, at least it hasn't yet

 

hendry took a risk and it didn't pan out, but how can you honestly believe hendry would stake his reputation and livelihood in the hands of someone else?

[Soul]

It's supposed to be getting more GOOD left handed bats in there, not any crappy lefty bat you can scrape up.