Hendry defends Derosa trade

[17 Seconds]

i know.... my 3 year old just asked what an expletive is and now he wont stop saying it

 

thanks a lot nsbb

[Guest]

Sounds like your 3 year old must have been watching the Cub game.

[Gingerballs Lives]

All Hendry had to do was go out and sign an impact, consistent lefty bat like Dunn rather than wasting $14 million on a non-impact player like Dempster. That was it. The pen was decent, the hitting ok. When I first heard about that I couldn't believe it. You don't give that kind of money to mediocre players.

 

A horrible deal that isn't getting enough attention. Dempster was a nice story last year and did a nice job but there was no way in hell he was going to repeat that (especially 4 more times)!

 

That thing is an albatross of Chan Ho Park proportions.

[17 Seconds]

All Hendry had to do was go out and sign an impact, consistent lefty bat like Dunn rather than wasting $14 million on a non-impact player like Dempster. That was it. The pen was decent, the hitting ok. When I first heard about that I couldn't believe it. You don't give that kind of money to mediocre players.

 

A horrible deal that isn't getting enough attention. Dempster was a nice story last year and did a nice job but there was no way in hell he was going to repeat that (especially 4 more times)!

 

That thing is an albatross of Chan Ho Park proportions.

 

but he's a great clubhouse guy. thats what hendry said. he said people don't realize how great he is in the clubhouse and they couldnt lose that

 

i'd rather have guys that are actually good, but you can't blame hendry for thinking with his heart instead of his head! thats how you win titles

[Gingerballs Lives]

All Hendry had to do was go out and sign an impact, consistent lefty bat like Dunn rather than wasting $14 million on a non-impact player like Dempster. That was it. The pen was decent, the hitting ok. When I first heard about that I couldn't believe it. You don't give that kind of money to mediocre players.

 

A horrible deal that isn't getting enough attention. Dempster was a nice story last year and did a nice job but there was no way in hell he was going to repeat that (especially 4 more times)!

 

That thing is an albatross of Chan Ho Park proportions.

 

but he's a great clubhouse guy. thats what hendry said. he said people don't realize how great he is in the clubhouse and they couldnt lose that

 

i'd rather have guys that are actually good, but you can't blame hendry for thinking with his heart instead of his head! thats how you win titles

 

It's gotta be tough for Jim to defend all these terrible moves.

 

I almost feel sorry for him, but then, I realize that he sucks and deserves the scorn for his crappy moves.

[dew1679666265]

I don't think Jim views this as an excuse he's trying to build. I think he honestly thinks that the Cubs needed another LH bat in order to be a better team, even if it meant that the LH bat wasn't likely to be quite as good as the RH bat it was replacing.

 

His infatuation with the side of the plate a guy stands on is but one of the many things that drive me crazy about JH.

 

It's not just Hendry, though. Traditional thinking tends to be that balance in a lineup is more important than having the best talent in the lineup.

 

I remember numerous times last year and offseason when ESPN analysts would bemoan the lack of left handed hitting in the Cubs' lineup and that being why they lost to the Dodgers.

 

Hendry is not alone in this thinking.

 

 

SO considering this right handed hitting line up won 97 games playing mostly against right handed starters, how the [expletive] did they do that? Totally a [expletive] excuse for why they lost to the Dodgers when in reality the same hitters that were hitting against right handed pitcher all year long with great success stunk it up when it mattered

 

The claim I heard was that the good right handers dominated them because they didn't have enough left handed bats.

 

The thinking would then be that the regular season pitching was diluted enough for pitchers to not be able to take advantage of our "weakness." I don't agree with it at all, though.

[davearm2]

All Hendry had to do was go out and sign an impact, consistent lefty bat like Dunn rather than wasting $14 million on a non-impact player like Dempster. That was it. The pen was decent, the hitting ok. When I first heard about that I couldn't believe it. You don't give that kind of money to mediocre players.

 

A horrible deal that isn't getting enough attention. Dempster was a nice story last year and did a nice job but there was no way in hell he was going to repeat that (especially 4 more times)!

 

That thing is an albatross of Chan Ho Park proportions.

Yep should've just gone with Z Lilly Harden Marquis Marshall. That's a championship-caliber rotation if I've ever seen one. Probably would've won like 120 games.

[Hairyducked Idiot]

Yep should've just gone with Z Lilly Harden Marquis Marshall. That's a championship-caliber rotation if I've ever seen one. Probably would've won like 120 games.

 

Actually, yes, that's a rotation more than good enough to win a championship.

[TruffleShuffle]

All Hendry had to do was go out and sign an impact, consistent lefty bat like Dunn rather than wasting $14 million on a non-impact player like Dempster. That was it. The pen was decent, the hitting ok. When I first heard about that I couldn't believe it. You don't give that kind of money to mediocre players.

 

A horrible deal that isn't getting enough attention. Dempster was a nice story last year and did a nice job but there was no way in hell he was going to repeat that (especially 4 more times)!

 

That thing is an albatross of Chan Ho Park proportions.

 

not even close.

[erik316wttn]

All Hendry had to do was go out and sign an impact, consistent lefty bat like Dunn rather than wasting $14 million on a non-impact player like Dempster. That was it. The pen was decent, the hitting ok. When I first heard about that I couldn't believe it. You don't give that kind of money to mediocre players.

 

A horrible deal that isn't getting enough attention. Dempster was a nice story last year and did a nice job but there was no way in hell he was going to repeat that (especially 4 more times)!

 

That thing is an albatross of Chan Ho Park proportions.

 

but he's a great clubhouse guy. thats what hendry said. he said people don't realize how great he is in the clubhouse and they couldnt lose that

 

i'd rather have guys that are actually good, but you can't blame hendry for thinking with his heart instead of his head! thats how you win titles

 

You always have to be wary of guys who have career years in contract years.

[17 Seconds]

All Hendry had to do was go out and sign an impact, consistent lefty bat like Dunn rather than wasting $14 million on a non-impact player like Dempster. That was it. The pen was decent, the hitting ok. When I first heard about that I couldn't believe it. You don't give that kind of money to mediocre players.

 

A horrible deal that isn't getting enough attention. Dempster was a nice story last year and did a nice job but there was no way in hell he was going to repeat that (especially 4 more times)!

 

That thing is an albatross of Chan Ho Park proportions.

Yep should've just gone with Z Lilly Harden Marquis Marshall. That's a championship-caliber rotation if I've ever seen one. Probably would've won like 120 games.

 

lol

 

So it's okay to give out a horrible contract to a crappy as long as it's to a player who plays a position that you need.

[davearm2]

Yep should've just gone with Z Lilly Harden Marquis Marshall. That's a championship-caliber rotation if I've ever seen one. Probably would've won like 120 games.

 

Actually, yes, that's a rotation more than good enough to win a championship.

LOL then I suppose you've got no issues with the Cubs' lineup bullpen or bench either, since sketchy/mediocre is "more than good enough to win a championship".

[Hairyducked Idiot]

Yep should've just gone with Z Lilly Harden Marquis Marshall. That's a championship-caliber rotation if I've ever seen one. Probably would've won like 120 games.

 

Actually, yes, that's a rotation more than good enough to win a championship.

LOL then I suppose you've got no issues with the Cubs' lineup bullpen or bench either, since sketchy/mediocre is "more than good enough to win a championship".

 

You'd suppose wrong. Why not focus on the subject at hand instead of trying to deflect it.

 

Would you care to prove that those guys are sketchy/mediocre as a group?

 

You can't just say "HOW COULD YOU DO X, Y IS WHAT YOU NEED TO WIN A CHAMPIONSHIP?" and then act like anyone who disagrees with you doesn't want to win a championship.

 

That rotation gives you two dominant starters, and at worst one good and two average ones. If that's not good enough to win a championship, Philadelphia and St. Louis better be giving back those rings they won in the last three years. Seriously, stack those five up against the 2008 and 2006 World Champions, and show me how they don't measure up?

[17 Seconds]

Yep should've just gone with Z Lilly Harden Marquis Marshall. That's a championship-caliber rotation if I've ever seen one. Probably would've won like 120 games.

 

Actually, yes, that's a rotation more than good enough to win a championship.

LOL then I suppose you've got no issues with the Cubs' lineup bullpen or bench either, since sketchy/mediocre is "more than good enough to win a championship".

 

Stop deflecting. You implied that it's okay to make a bad decision/desperation move as long as you really need that position filled. That is a terrible way to build a team.

[Gingerballs Lives]

All Hendry had to do was go out and sign an impact, consistent lefty bat like Dunn rather than wasting $14 million on a non-impact player like Dempster. That was it. The pen was decent, the hitting ok. When I first heard about that I couldn't believe it. You don't give that kind of money to mediocre players.

 

A horrible deal that isn't getting enough attention. Dempster was a nice story last year and did a nice job but there was no way in hell he was going to repeat that (especially 4 more times)!

 

That thing is an albatross of Chan Ho Park proportions.

Yep should've just gone with Z Lilly Harden Marquis Marshall. That's a championship-caliber rotation if I've ever seen one. Probably would've won like 120 games.

 

I'd be ok with that to start the season. Adding Dempster to the mix doesn't make it any more championship-caliber, especially at that price.

 

Dempster has plain sucked this year and that shouldn't come to a surprise to anybody.

[davearm2]

All Hendry had to do was go out and sign an impact, consistent lefty bat like Dunn rather than wasting $14 million on a non-impact player like Dempster. That was it. The pen was decent, the hitting ok. When I first heard about that I couldn't believe it. You don't give that kind of money to mediocre players.

 

A horrible deal that isn't getting enough attention. Dempster was a nice story last year and did a nice job but there was no way in hell he was going to repeat that (especially 4 more times)!

 

That thing is an albatross of Chan Ho Park proportions.

Yep should've just gone with Z Lilly Harden Marquis Marshall. That's a championship-caliber rotation if I've ever seen one. Probably would've won like 120 games.

 

lol

 

So it's okay to give out a horrible contract to a crappy as long as it's to a player who plays a position that you need.

If the alternative is missing the playoffs, it is.

 

Maybe you can recall back to 2006, when the Cubs went budget-friendly at SS (Cedeno/Izturis), 2B (Cedeno/Neifi/Hairston/Womack) LF (Murton/Pagan/Bynum), RF (Jones), the rotation (too many stiffs to count; after Z and Hill it was a total disaster) and the result was they lost 96 games or whatever it was.

 

Then that winter the money flies, and back-to-back division championships follow.

 

Not handing out the big money for proven production seems smart right up to the point where you're watching the playoffs on Fox instead of from the bleachers.

[Gingerballs Lives]

If the alternative is missing the playoffs, it is.

 

Maybe you can recall back to 2006, when the Cubs went budget-friendly at SS (Cedeno/Izturis), 2B (Cedeno/Neifi/Hairston/Womack) LF (Murton/Pagan/Bynum), RF (Jones), the rotation (too many stiffs to count; after Z and Hill it was a total disaster) and the result was they lost 96 games or whatever it was.

 

Then that winter the money flies, and back-to-back division championships follow.

 

Not handing out the big money for proven production seems smart right up to the point where you're watching the playoffs on Fox instead of from the bleachers.

 

It's one thing to spend money on good players that fill needs. It's another to spend money on a guy who had one good season (in a contract year) who is likely to regress to his career averages. Soriano, DeRosa, Lilly, and to a lesser extent, Marquis filled holes on the Cubs team by performing primarily how they typically had over their careers. We definitely overpaid for Soriano but we needed to make a statement.

 

Giving Dempster that kind of money was/is insane. His current ERA is 4.99, right in line with his career average. He's a bad pitcher who had his career year at the right time and we're going to be paying a steep price for his mediocrity for the next 4 years. An inexcusable move by Hendry and Co.

[davearm2]

Yep should've just gone with Z Lilly Harden Marquis Marshall. That's a championship-caliber rotation if I've ever seen one. Probably would've won like 120 games.

 

Actually, yes, that's a rotation more than good enough to win a championship.

LOL then I suppose you've got no issues with the Cubs' lineup bullpen or bench either, since sketchy/mediocre is "more than good enough to win a championship".

 

Stop deflecting. You implied that it's okay to make a bad decision/desperation move as long as you really need that position filled. That is a terrible way to build a team.

I didn't imply any such thing. I was merely trying to point out that the folks bemoaning the Dempster deal have conveniently forgotten to offer up a cheaper plan that would've put the Cubs in a better position to contend.

 

Seriously. Going with what we've got (minus Dempster) would've put the Cubs in worse shape. Hoping to find the next Kyle Lohse at the risk of finding the next Wade Miller or Adam Eaton or Jeff Weaver instead would've, too.

[17 Seconds]

All Hendry had to do was go out and sign an impact, consistent lefty bat like Dunn rather than wasting $14 million on a non-impact player like Dempster. That was it. The pen was decent, the hitting ok. When I first heard about that I couldn't believe it. You don't give that kind of money to mediocre players.

 

A horrible deal that isn't getting enough attention. Dempster was a nice story last year and did a nice job but there was no way in hell he was going to repeat that (especially 4 more times)!

 

That thing is an albatross of Chan Ho Park proportions.

Yep should've just gone with Z Lilly Harden Marquis Marshall. That's a championship-caliber rotation if I've ever seen one. Probably would've won like 120 games.

 

lol

 

So it's okay to give out a horrible contract to a crappy as long as it's to a player who plays a position that you need.

If the alternative is missing the playoffs, it is.

 

Maybe you can recall back to 2006, when the Cubs went budget-friendly at SS (Cedeno/Izturis), 2B (Cedeno/Neifi/Hairston/Womack) LF (Murton/Pagan/Bynum), RF (Jones), the rotation (too many stiffs to count; after Z and Hill it was a total disaster) and the result was they lost 96 games or whatever it was.

 

Then that winter the money flies, and back-to-back division championships follow.

 

Not handing out the big money for proven production seems smart right up to the point where you're watching the playoffs on Fox instead of from the bleachers.

 

Umm, you know it's okay to spend big money but actually do it responsibly, right?

 

So you're still saying that it's okay to overpay and give out bad contracts, as long as you're desperate for it?

 

If the choice was Dempster for what he's making or no Dempster for no money, the obvious choice is no Dempster. To defend a GM for signing a crappy player to an awful contract just because we may have needed starting pitching is a joke, and you know it.

 

And the back to0 back division stuff is garbage. Yeah we won back to back divisions by doing exactly what you're advocating.... giving out bad contracts. Those are the same bad contracts that are going to start hurting us very much, and very soon. When those contracts are keeping the team from being able to afford other players we actually need, are you still going to be running around saying "yeah, but we made the playoffs in 07 and 08! So what if we're paying Soriano 18 mil a year for a .775 OPS and Dempster 13 mil for a 4.86 ERA.... those 2 division titles were priceless!

[davearm2]

Yep should've just gone with Z Lilly Harden Marquis Marshall. That's a championship-caliber rotation if I've ever seen one. Probably would've won like 120 games.

 

Actually, yes, that's a rotation more than good enough to win a championship.

LOL then I suppose you've got no issues with the Cubs' lineup bullpen or bench either, since sketchy/mediocre is "more than good enough to win a championship".

 

You'd suppose wrong. Why not focus on the subject at hand instead of trying to deflect it.

 

Would you care to prove that those guys are sketchy/mediocre as a group?

 

You can't just say "HOW COULD YOU DO X, Y IS WHAT YOU NEED TO WIN A CHAMPIONSHIP?" and then act like anyone who disagrees with you doesn't want to win a championship.

 

That rotation gives you two dominant starters, and at worst one good and two average ones. If that's not good enough to win a championship, Philadelphia and St. Louis better be giving back those rings they won in the last three years. Seriously, stack those five up against the 2008 and 2006 World Champions, and show me how they don't measure up?

LOL, I knew I'd get the '06 Cardinals thrown in my face.

 

If your objective is to build an 83-win team and then pray for a miracle, then you've got the rotation you need. Good luck with that. You'll excuse those of us that would prefer to set the bar a bit higher than that.

[17 Seconds]

Yep should've just gone with Z Lilly Harden Marquis Marshall. That's a championship-caliber rotation if I've ever seen one. Probably would've won like 120 games.

 

Actually, yes, that's a rotation more than good enough to win a championship.

LOL then I suppose you've got no issues with the Cubs' lineup bullpen or bench either, since sketchy/mediocre is "more than good enough to win a championship".

 

Stop deflecting. You implied that it's okay to make a bad decision/desperation move as long as you really need that position filled. That is a terrible way to build a team.

I didn't imply any such thing. I was merely trying to point out that the folks bemoaning the Dempster deal have conveniently forgotten to offer up a cheaper plan that would've put the Cubs in a better position to contend.

 

Seriously. Going with what we've got (minus Dempster) would've put the Cubs in worse shape. Hoping to find the next Kyle Lohse at the risk of finding the next Wade Miller or Adam Eaton or Jeff Weaver instead would've, too.

 

I didn't want Lower that much, but I would have much rather have had him at 4/60 than Dempster at 4/53.

 

Actually, I'd rather have saved the money and not had Dempster than just trhrow it away on him.

 

Seriously, you're saying that it's better to give out a horrible contract than it is to not give one out at all. You really don't see a problem with that?

 

What about when we're in need of a starter one offseason and Carlos Silva is the only guy avilable. Is it okay to give him 4/40? Hey, anything is better than what we have... right?

[davearm2]

If the alternative is missing the playoffs, it is.

 

Maybe you can recall back to 2006, when the Cubs went budget-friendly at SS (Cedeno/Izturis), 2B (Cedeno/Neifi/Hairston/Womack) LF (Murton/Pagan/Bynum), RF (Jones), the rotation (too many stiffs to count; after Z and Hill it was a total disaster) and the result was they lost 96 games or whatever it was.

 

Then that winter the money flies, and back-to-back division championships follow.

 

Not handing out the big money for proven production seems smart right up to the point where you're watching the playoffs on Fox instead of from the bleachers.

 

It's one thing to spend money on good players that fill needs. It's another to spend money on a guy who had one good season (in a contract year) who is likely to regress to his career averages. Soriano, DeRosa, Lilly, and to a lesser extent, Marquis filled holes on the Cubs team by performing primarily how they typically had over their careers. We definitely overpaid for Soriano but we needed to make a statement.

 

Giving Dempster that kind of money was/is insane. His current ERA is 4.99, right in line with his career average. He's a bad pitcher who had his career year at the right time and we're going to be paying a steep price for his mediocrity for the next 4 years. An inexcusable move by Hendry and Co.

We'll see. I expect Dempster will pick it up and prove you wrong. The prediction here is, by the time the dust settles the guy will put in a solid year and be a key ingredient to the team making the postseason, just like last year.

[17 Seconds]

Yep should've just gone with Z Lilly Harden Marquis Marshall. That's a championship-caliber rotation if I've ever seen one. Probably would've won like 120 games.

 

Actually, yes, that's a rotation more than good enough to win a championship.

LOL then I suppose you've got no issues with the Cubs' lineup bullpen or bench either, since sketchy/mediocre is "more than good enough to win a championship".

 

You'd suppose wrong. Why not focus on the subject at hand instead of trying to deflect it.

 

Would you care to prove that those guys are sketchy/mediocre as a group?

 

You can't just say "HOW COULD YOU DO X, Y IS WHAT YOU NEED TO WIN A CHAMPIONSHIP?" and then act like anyone who disagrees with you doesn't want to win a championship.

 

That rotation gives you two dominant starters, and at worst one good and two average ones. If that's not good enough to win a championship, Philadelphia and St. Louis better be giving back those rings they won in the last three years. Seriously, stack those five up against the 2008 and 2006 World Champions, and show me how they don't measure up?

LOL, I knew I'd get the '06 Cardinals thrown in my face.

 

If your objective is to build an 83-win team and then pray for a miracle, then you've got the rotation you need. Good luck with that. You'll excuse those of us that would prefer to set the bar a bit higher than that.

 

Yeah good GM's overpay for crappy players by giving them huge contracts. That's the way you win.

[Gingerballs Lives]

If the alternative is missing the playoffs, it is.

 

Maybe you can recall back to 2006, when the Cubs went budget-friendly at SS (Cedeno/Izturis), 2B (Cedeno/Neifi/Hairston/Womack) LF (Murton/Pagan/Bynum), RF (Jones), the rotation (too many stiffs to count; after Z and Hill it was a total disaster) and the result was they lost 96 games or whatever it was.

 

Then that winter the money flies, and back-to-back division championships follow.

 

Not handing out the big money for proven production seems smart right up to the point where you're watching the playoffs on Fox instead of from the bleachers.

 

It's one thing to spend money on good players that fill needs. It's another to spend money on a guy who had one good season (in a contract year) who is likely to regress to his career averages. Soriano, DeRosa, Lilly, and to a lesser extent, Marquis filled holes on the Cubs team by performing primarily how they typically had over their careers. We definitely overpaid for Soriano but we needed to make a statement.

 

Giving Dempster that kind of money was/is insane. His current ERA is 4.99, right in line with his career average. He's a bad pitcher who had his career year at the right time and we're going to be paying a steep price for his mediocrity for the next 4 years. An inexcusable move by Hendry and Co.

We'll see. I expect Dempster will pick it up and prove you wrong. The prediction here is, by the time the dust settles the guy will put in a solid year and be a key ingredient to the team making the postseason, just like last year.

 

Dempster is garbage. No team in this league would take him at that price.

 

Christ, what a crippling offseason for the Cubs. Almost $90 million spent on Milton Bradley, Ryan Dempster and Aaron Miles.

 

jfc.

[Hairyducked Idiot]

LOL, I knew I'd get the '06 Cardinals thrown in my face.

 

If your objective is to build an 83-win team and then pray for a miracle, then you've got the rotation you need. Good luck with that. You'll excuse those of us that would prefer to set the bar a bit higher than that.

 

So no comment on the 2008 Phillies, no interest in comparing the rotations, no interest in providing the slightest shred of evidence whatsoever?

 

Got it.