Let's be honest

[Backtobanks]

Everyone wants to blame somebody for this disaster called the 2009 Chicago Cubs, but what needs to happen to salvage this season. Posters are screaming for a big trade, but it has become rather obvious that Hendry doesn't have the resources ($$$) to swing a big deal. The bottom line is that either the players have to pull their collective heads out of their rear ends or Lou is going to have to get off his rear end and raise some hell. If the players on this team produced at 90% of their potential, the Cubs would win the division. You can see that this team needs a fire lit under them and no one outside of the dugout can do that. That might be what they miss the most about Wood and DeRosa. This team is playing like they expect to lose. Quiet leaders like Lee, Lilly, serene Lou, mellow Rothschild, and calm Trammell aren't what this team needs right now.

[fasttrack21]

I don't see how that's the slight bit obvious. It's not even July yet, hardly any "big name" players get traded this early. The biggest, and pretty much only, player to be traded thus far is DeRosa and that just happened yesterday. Give the man time.

 

I personally think he's waiting for Ramirez to return to see how much of an impact he will make. He'll have at least a couple weeks to evaluate and see if Ramirez is his old self or if the power is completely gone -- which will more or less mandate getting a big bat.

[Arnold Layne]

Why would any of that matter? If you need DeRosa, you outbid the Cardinals weak offer.

There's no need to wait. We know several things:

 

1. This offense is weak

2. The bullpen is weak

 

Aramis Ramirez isn't going to fix either one. We know we need a decent 2B(or SS and move Theriot to 2B) and Ramirez back. We know that we need bullpen help. There's no real reason to wait for anything.

[Hawk4Hall]

Yes players have to play, but Hendry handcuffed this team by terrible choices in the off-season. Nearly everything that could go wrong has.

 

Thank God this division is bad because that's the only hope the Cubs have in making the playoffs.

[ELCABALLO45]

Im guessing that everyone doesn't like Phil Rogers to begin with, but...

 

http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/chi-29-rogers-chicago-jun29,0,3124193.column

[17 Seconds]

Remember when Hednry said in the offseason that Dempster was a key clubhouse guy and they had to re-sign him beause of that? Good times.

[JimSorgi]

Im guessing that everyone doesn't like Phil Rogers to begin with, but...

 

http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/chi-29-rogers-chicago-jun29,0,3124193.column

 

Get Carlos Zambrano out of here, even if the Cubs have to give him away.

 

That article is hilarious.

[Guest]

Im guessing that everyone doesn't like Phil Rogers to begin with, but...

 

http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/chi-29-rogers-chicago-jun29,0,3124193.column

He's a moran. Many Cub fans don't like Big Z, I'm not one of them. If his arm doesn't fail he's one of the best pitchers in baseball. Selling him isn't going to help fix what's wrong with the Cubs.

 

I posted this on another board last October

The Cubs are in an untenable situation created by aging vets and no-trade clauses. "The Shark" has a no trade clause for Christ Sakes.

 

To paraphrase Billy Bean, you're either special or going to be special. Anything in-between is a waste of time.

 

Well, the Cubs had a 97 win season but they are on the down slope in IMO. They aren't going to repeat that number of wins next year. Luckily for them the NL Central is pretty mediocre. I've never liked Hendry's mantra of competing within the division. It's a road to crapville.

 

What they should do is say screw-it and start all over. They won't do that though. And they'll be a good to mediocre team for 2 more years and then be crappy again for another decade.

 

It pisses me off.

 

Probably a little more pessimistic then I feel right now but not far off. I'm fairly optimistic about some of the guys in the lower levels of the minors.

[RedFlash]

Im guessing that everyone doesn't like Phil Rogers to begin with, but...

 

http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/chi-29-rogers-chicago-jun29,0,3124193.column

 

Get Carlos Zambrano out of here, even if the Cubs have to give him away.

 

That article is hilarious.

 

Phil Rogers has taken Jay Mariotti's role of "Sensationalistic journalism" and made it his own now. Yes lets give away Zambrano at the low point of his value, that will sure improve this team, Phil. :roll:

 

Phil Rogers is an idiot, and my eyes bled from reading that blog.

[XZero771679666304]

Im guessing that everyone doesn't like Phil Rogers to begin with, but...

 

http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/chi-29-rogers-chicago-jun29,0,3124193.column

 

Get Carlos Zambrano out of here, even if the Cubs have to give him away.

 

That article is hilarious.

 

Phil Rogers has taken Jay Mariotti's role of "Sensationalistic journalism" and made it his own now. Yes lets give away Zambrano at the low point of his value, that will sure improve this team, Phil. :roll:

 

Phil Rogers is an idiot, and my eyes bled from reading that blog.

 

This isn't the low point of his value, but it's a stupid idea anyway.

 

If Hendry wanted to give Z away, there would be 29 GMs blowing up his phone.

[Little Slide Rooter]

Im guessing that everyone doesn't like Phil Rogers to begin with, but...

 

http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/chi-29-rogers-chicago-jun29,0,3124193.column

 

Get Carlos Zambrano out of here, even if the Cubs have to give him away.

 

That article is hilarious.

 

Phil Rogers has taken Jay Mariotti's role of "Sensationalistic journalism" and made it his own now. Yes lets give away Zambrano at the low point of his value, that will sure improve this team, Phil. :roll:

 

Phil Rogers is an idiot, and my eyes bled from reading that blog.

 

This isn't the low point of his value, but it's a stupid idea anyway.

 

If Hendry wanted to give Z away, there would be 29,000,000 Cubs fans blowing up his house.

 

fixed.

[chasinf5s]

Rogers is a dope, he thinks he knows baseball but all he does it take information form the big names like from fox or espn and uses it as his own.

 

Seriously though you really lose all credibility when you suggest just giving away a player like Zambrano

[Rusch33]

I almost wish this could be true that they gave away Zambrano so he could go to St. Louis or somewhere, and then watch Phil eat his own words when Zambrano leads someone to the pennant/World Series.

 

That might the dumbest article I've ever read, and that's saying a lot.

[JonJayCutler]

Carlos Zambrano is the least of this team's problems right now.

[mhuber92211]

am i missing something or are the Cubs just 2 games under.500 with a pretty decent shot at the division still?

[halplm]

This team will never win until the new owner cleans out the entire front office, and they rebuild from scratch. It's a shame but I doubt any member of the team today will see the world series as a Cub. We've squandered a whole lot of talent over the last decade with craptacular management and an inability to do what is necessary.

 

This team is built for mediocrity and will always be so until it's rebuilt from the ground up.

 

I'm not saying it's going to happen... after all, we're cubs fans...

[Jehrico]

Im guessing that everyone doesn't like Phil Rogers to begin with, but...

 

http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/chi-29-rogers-chicago-jun29,0,3124193.column

 

Get Carlos Zambrano out of here, even if the Cubs have to give him away.

 

That article is hilarious.

That wouldn't work even if Hendry were dumb enough to try it. Any team that saw Zambrano on waivers would probably just guess that we were just hiding someone else we were trying to slip through waivers.

[Banedon]

am i missing something or are the Cubs just 2 games under.500 with a pretty decent shot at the division still?

 

3 teams in front of them. Closer to last place than first. Yes, they have a shot in a mediocre division, but it's still perfectly reasonable to be pessimistic about this team. We were 16 games over .500 last year at this time, and that's after losing 4 in a row.

[Fanatic3332000]

"He's a moran. Many Cub fans don't like Big Z, I'm not one of them. If his arm doesn't fail he's one of the best pitchers in baseball."

 

Best pitchers in baseball. I wouldn't say that. Big Z is Big Z.

[Guest]

"He's a moran. Many Cub fans don't like Big Z, I'm not one of them. If his arm doesn't fail he's one of the best pitchers in baseball."

 

Best pitchers in baseball. I wouldn't say that. Big Z is Big Z.

It's a good thing I didn't say that.

[Bryants Disco Ball]

Man, I know I'm going to be ripped for this and possibly lose the respect I don't even have from my fellow posters considering I only have, like, 22 posts.

 

But I actually wouldn't mind seeing the Cubs give Zambrano away, either. I have nothing against him -- he's a quality pitcher -- but I see how our budget looks over the next three years with the horrible contracts given out by the team in the recent past, and I cringe like many of you.

 

As good as Zambrano is, I don't view him as a shutdown ace of a pitching staff anymore. And that's what he's being paid like.

 

I wouldn't mind seeing his 2010 and 2011 salary of $18.875 million and his 2012 salary of $19 million come off the books to give this team a bit more flexiblity over the next few years while they attempt to absorb the contracts of Soriano, Fukudome and Bradley.

 

I wouldn't mind using the $18 million in a few other ways. (Yes, I realize that many of us don't believe Hendry would use the money in a good way, but still) Although Zambrano would leave a hole in the rotation, I think we could patch it up and get our payroll in better shape in the process.

 

By the way, I would also love to see the Cubs try to trade Soriano (if he'd accept it) to any team that wants him.

 

How?

 

If I were the Cubs, I'd be willing to pay $50 million of the $95 million on the rest of his contract owed to him after this season. That way, the team trading for him would be on the hook for five years at $9 milllion per season, which is much more reasonable.

 

While we would be out $50 million, that money is already gone anyway. So, we would be freeing up $45 million over the next five years -- which would be another $9 million off our books each of the next five seasons -- and could replace Soriano with that money and get perhaps a more complete player for a heck of a lot cheaper.

[dew1679666265]

Man, I know I'm going to be ripped for this and possibly lose the respect I don't even have from my fellow posters considering I only have, like, 22 posts.

 

But I actually wouldn't mind seeing the Cubs give Zambrano away, either. I have nothing against him -- he's a quality pitcher -- but I see how our budget looks over the next three years with the horrible contracts given out by the team in the recent past, and I cringe like many of you.

 

As good as Zambrano is, I don't view him as a shutdown ace of a pitching staff anymore. And that's what he's being paid like.

 

I wouldn't mind seeing his 2010 and 2011 salary of $18.875 million and his 2012 salary of $19 million come off the books to give this team a bit more flexiblity over the next few years while they attempt to absorb the contracts of Soriano, Fukudome and Bradley.

 

I wouldn't mind using the $18 million in a few other ways. (Yes, I realize that many of us don't believe Hendry would use the money in a good way, but still) Although Zambrano would leave a hole in the rotation, I think we could patch it up and get our payroll in better shape in the process.

 

Giving away Zambrano should not be an option. He may not be a shutdown ace anymore, but he's still a very good starter and only 28. If Hendry offered him up, a team would very likely be more than willing to take him - and pay a very good price for him.

 

If Hendry got a terrific deal, trading Zambrano wouldn't be a bad idea. Giving him away would be a bad deal, though.

 

By the way, I would also love to see the Cubs try to trade Soriano (if he'd accept it) to any team that wants him.

 

How?

 

If I were the Cubs, I'd be willing to pay $50 million of the $95 million on the rest of his contract owed to him after this season. That way, the team trading for him would be on the hook for five years at $9 milllion per season, which is much more reasonable.

 

While we would be out $50 million, that money is already gone anyway. So, we would be freeing up $45 million over the next five years -- which would be another $9 million off our books each of the next five seasons -- and could replace Soriano with that money and get perhaps a more complete player for a heck of a lot cheaper.

 

That would probably be just about the only way to deal Soriano. I still don't think he's completely done, but if we could do that deal and get a decent return, I'd seriously consider it.

[shnsajax]

Im guessing that everyone doesn't like Phil Rogers to begin with, but...

 

http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/chi-29-rogers-chicago-jun29,0,3124193.column

 

Get Carlos Zambrano out of here, even if the Cubs have to give him away.

 

That article is hilarious.

 

I liked this

 

Hendry had a chance to let Zambrano walk as a free agent after 2007, the season in which he beat up catcher Michael Barrett during a game at Wrigley, but injuries to Mark Prior and Kerry Wood gave Zambrano a hammer.

 

Because Carlos is clearly worth 2 Picks rather than trade him and recieve something along the lines of what the Indians got for Sabathia last season.

[jersey cubs fan]

Man, I know I'm going to be ripped for this and possibly lose the respect I don't even have from my fellow posters considering I only have, like, 22 posts.

 

But I actually wouldn't mind seeing the Cubs give Zambrano away, either. I have nothing against him -- he's a quality pitcher -- but I see how our budget looks over the next three years with the horrible contracts given out by the team in the recent past, and I cringe like many of you.

 

As good as Zambrano is, I don't view him as a shutdown ace of a pitching staff anymore. And that's what he's being paid like.

 

I wouldn't mind seeing his 2010 and 2011 salary of $18.875 million and his 2012 salary of $19 million come off the books to give this team a bit more flexiblity over the next few years while they attempt to absorb the contracts of Soriano, Fukudome and Bradley.

 

I wouldn't mind using the $18 million in a few other ways. (Yes, I realize that many of us don't believe Hendry would use the money in a good way, but still) Although Zambrano would leave a hole in the rotation, I think we could patch it up and get our payroll in better shape in the process.

 

By the way, I would also love to see the Cubs try to trade Soriano (if he'd accept it) to any team that wants him.

 

How?

 

If I were the Cubs, I'd be willing to pay $50 million of the $95 million on the rest of his contract owed to him after this season. That way, the team trading for him would be on the hook for five years at $9 milllion per season, which is much more reasonable.

 

While we would be out $50 million, that money is already gone anyway. So, we would be freeing up $45 million over the next five years -- which would be another $9 million off our books each of the next five seasons -- and could replace Soriano with that money and get perhaps a more complete player for a heck of a lot cheaper.

 

I would love to trade Soriano, and wouldn't mind trading Zambrano. But giving Z away would be incredibly stupid.

[Little Slide Rooter]

Im going to agree with the jist of the original post that rather than point fingers and view this as a lost season when were 3.5 games out behind 3 mediocre teams, its time for this team do the expected and start playing some good baseball.