Bruce Miles on inefficient Cubs

[jersey cubs fan]

Bruce hits on the topic that bothers me the most about the Cubs, the incredible waste of money at all levels, from the highest paid guys, to the second tier, to the little guys. Soriano's is most likely going to be the single biggest anchor on the payroll, but all those Aaron Miles type deals probably piss me off the most. Insisting on wasting money on proven veterans who do absolutely nothing better than AAA players, and they do it year-in-year-out. At least with Soriano, at his best he was giving you something nobody else could really bring you. Too bad his best is most likely long behind him.

[Bruce Miles]

Jersey,

 

Appreciate the mention. If the Cubs don't make the playoffs or make it and get blown out again, I think things could get interesting.

 

--Bruce

[Little Slide Rooter]

Why did we sign Gathright when we had Fuld?

Why did we sign Miles when we had Scales and Blanco?

Why did we sign Bako when we had Hill?

 

2 of those guys are long gone. I wouldnt be surprised if Miles(not Bruce) is too by the end of the month. Between those 3 wastes of money, thats over 6 million dollars that we could have really used right about now.

 

Also, look at Reed Johnson. Dont get me wrong, hes a nice little role player/4th outfielder, but that 3 million could have gone a long way, especially along with the 6+ mil wasted on those other 3 jokers.

 

Its not like Hendry didnt know what was going on with the ownership and was low on money. Its almost like he wanted to spend every available penny right then and there.

 

As for Bradley, even if we did feel that he could put up similar to his 2008 numbers, it might have been smarter to go after Bobby Abreu for cheaper, and wed probably still have DeRosa.

Edited July 24, 2009 by Little Slide Rooter

[ConstableRabbit]

Nice article, but Soriano isn't really a "liability" on defense. He still has a very efficient arm and holds runners.

[Prizefight]

Bruce hits on the topic that bothers me the most about the Cubs, the incredible waste of money at all levels, from the highest paid guys, to the second tier, to the little guys. Soriano's is most likely going to be the single biggest anchor on the payroll, but all those Aaron Miles type deals probably piss me off the most. Insisting on wasting money on proven veterans who do absolutely nothing better than AAA players, and they do it year-in-year-out. At least with Soriano, at his best he was giving you something nobody else could really bring you. Too bad his best is most likely long behind him.

 

Bruce Miles with yet another cutting edge stories about the Cubs #-o

 

I'm getting tired of reading all these stories. Everyone knows the problems with have with our contracts/the new ownership situation/players under performing on the field.

 

I'd love to see an article about solutions and ways we can get out of the contract hell we are in (if an option exists) as supposed to rehashing the same article we've been reading for a year.

[Bruce Miles]

Bruce hits on the topic that bothers me the most about the Cubs, the incredible waste of money at all levels, from the highest paid guys, to the second tier, to the little guys. Soriano's is most likely going to be the single biggest anchor on the payroll, but all those Aaron Miles type deals probably piss me off the most. Insisting on wasting money on proven veterans who do absolutely nothing better than AAA players, and they do it year-in-year-out. At least with Soriano, at his best he was giving you something nobody else could really bring you. Too bad his best is most likely long behind him.

 

Bruce Miles with yet another cutting edge stories about the Cubs #-o

 

I'm getting tired of reading all these stories. Everyone knows the problems with have with our contracts/the new ownership situation/players under performing on the field.

 

I'd love to see an article about solutions and ways we can get out of the contract hell we are in (if an option exists) as supposed to rehashing the same article we've been reading for a year.

 

Trouble is, there ain't many options out of "contract hell."

[Prizefight]

Bruce hits on the topic that bothers me the most about the Cubs, the incredible waste of money at all levels, from the highest paid guys, to the second tier, to the little guys. Soriano's is most likely going to be the single biggest anchor on the payroll, but all those Aaron Miles type deals probably piss me off the most. Insisting on wasting money on proven veterans who do absolutely nothing better than AAA players, and they do it year-in-year-out. At least with Soriano, at his best he was giving you something nobody else could really bring you. Too bad his best is most likely long behind him.

 

Bruce Miles with yet another cutting edge stories about the Cubs #-o

 

I'm getting tired of reading all these stories. Everyone knows the problems with have with our contracts/the new ownership situation/players under performing on the field.

 

I'd love to see an article about solutions and ways we can get out of the contract hell we are in (if an option exists) as supposed to rehashing the same article we've been reading for a year.

 

Trouble is, there ain't many options out of "contract hell."

 

Agreed, I definitely didn't meant it as a slight against you or your article which was well written. Just a frustrating situation as a fan to be in.

[jersey cubs fan]

I'd love to see an article about solutions and ways we can get out of the contract hell we are in (if an option exists) as supposed to rehashing the same article we've been reading for a year.

 

A few years ago, while they were in the process of getting themselves into this situation, there were solutions to make things better. But as time went on Hendry spent more and more like a drunken sailor and now they are more or less stuck with what they got. The only real solution is for the new owner to raise payroll even further, and replace Hendry.

[Little Slide Rooter]

speaking of the new owner...

[dew1679666265]

Also, look at Reed Johnson. Dont get me wrong, hes a nice little role player/4th outfielder, but that 3 million could have gone a long way, especially along with the 6+ mil wasted on those other 3 jokers.

 

I have no problem with Reed being here. He's a solid defender and hits lefties very well. He might be a tad overpaid, but I don't think he's anything to complain about.

 

As for Bradley, even if we did feel that he could put up similar to his 2008 numbers, it might have been smarter to go after Bobby Abreu for cheaper, and wed probably still have DeRosa.

 

The problem with Abreu over Bradley is twofold. First, Abreu is 100 points of OPS higher than Bradley right now, but that gap is narrowing and if Bradley hits for any power in the second half, he'll surpass Abreu. Second, if we signed Abreu to just a one-year deal (which we couldn't have signed him until March or whenever it was he finally signed) we'd be looking for a right fielder again in 2010. The best options for the 2010 OF class are Vlad, Damon, Cameron and Nady. We'd be looking at a bunch of one-year deals since we likely couldn't afford Vlad. Last season's trio of Bradley/Dunn/Ibanez looked better than the 2010 class, so I don't have a problem with Hendry trying to fill RF long-term last year instead of 2010.

[Little Slide Rooter]

Also, look at Reed Johnson. Dont get me wrong, hes a nice little role player/4th outfielder, but that 3 million could have gone a long way, especially along with the 6+ mil wasted on those other 3 jokers.

 

I have no problem with Reed being here. He's a solid defender and hits lefties very well. He might be a tad overpaid, but I don't think he's anything to complain about.

 

The point IM making is that Hendry knew that ownsership was going to change and money would be tight. When you have the seemingly limetless payroll he enjoyed for the majority of his CUbs time, then yes, you can overpay on a guy like Johnson, but when your short on finances you shouldnt go throwing money around like that.

[dew1679666265]

Also, look at Reed Johnson. Dont get me wrong, hes a nice little role player/4th outfielder, but that 3 million could have gone a long way, especially along with the 6+ mil wasted on those other 3 jokers.

 

I have no problem with Reed being here. He's a solid defender and hits lefties very well. He might be a tad overpaid, but I don't think he's anything to complain about.

 

The point IM making is that Hendry knew that ownsership was going to change and money would be tight. When you have the seemingly limetless payroll he enjoyed for the majority of his CUbs time, then yes, you can overpay on a guy like Johnson, but when your short on finances you shouldnt go throwing money around like that.

 

It's a deal just for this season though. If it were a 3 year deal worth $3 million a year, I could understand. But he's only here for a year and if he's overpaid at all (which I don't think he is) he's not overpaid by more than a million or so. He's valuable enough to warrant a small contract. Especially when we don't have readily available depth in the minors.

[Southpaw191679666239]

Bruce, that was a fantastic article, and sadly spot-on with all the financial problems. If we don't "back our way" into the playoffs this year, it could be well after Soriano's contract runs out before we even sniff the playoffs. :(

[Little Slide Rooter]

Bruce, that was a fantastic article, and sadly spot-on with all the financial problems. If we don't "back our way" into the playoffs this year, it could be well after Soriano's contract runs out before we even sniff the playoffs. :(

 

I wouldnt go that far. Its doubtful that Holliday will retrn too the Cards next year because he'll be one of the more sought after free agents of the off season. I dont see any other teams in the division making any huge off season moves, and as has been pointed out, after next year, we'll have a nice amount of payroll off the books and hopefully Ricketts or whoever gets the team gives us a payroll increase.

[back2backjax]

I really wish Miles had touched more on the job done by John Stockstill and Oneri Fleita. For every Theriot, Soto and Marshall, there's a Mark Pawelek, Ryan Harvey, Bobby Brownlie, Felix Pie, Corey Patterson, etc. When was the last time a first or second round prospect matched the expected potential of being drafted that high? It's funny how the only teams we can trade prospects to are the Pirates and Orioles because whenever a discussion occurs about a big name player that's looking for prospects at the deadline, mention of the Cubs involvement quickly fades away.

[SouthSideRyan]

I really wish Miles had touched more on the job done by John Stockstill and Oneri Fleita. For every Theriot, Soto and Marshall, there's a Mark Pawelek, Ryan Harvey, Bobby Brownlie, Felix Pie, Corey Patterson, etc. When was the last time a first or second round prospect matched the expected potential of being drafted that high? It's funny how the only teams we can trade prospects to are the Pirates and Orioles because whenever a discussion occurs about a big name player that's looking for prospects at the deadline, mention of the Cubs involvement quickly fades away.

 

Rich Harden? Padres appeared ready to trade us Peavy as well, we just couldn't afford it.

[dew1679666265]

I really wish Miles had touched more on the job done by John Stockstill and Oneri Fleita. For every Theriot, Soto and Marshall, there's a Mark Pawelek, Ryan Harvey, Bobby Brownlie, Felix Pie, Corey Patterson, etc. When was the last time a first or second round prospect matched the expected potential of being drafted that high? It's funny how the only teams we can trade prospects to are the Pirates and Orioles because whenever a discussion occurs about a big name player that's looking for prospects at the deadline, mention of the Cubs involvement quickly fades away.

 

We acquired Rich Harden from the As last year for prospects. And Billy Beane is considered a very good judge of prospect worth.

 

Our first round prospects haven't turned out really well recently, but we've acquired guys like Soto, Zambrano, Marshall, Theriot, Guzman and Wells through the draft and international signings.

[Fanatic3332000]

Our first round prospects haven't turned out really well recently, but we've acquired guys like Soto, Zambrano, Marshall, Theriot, Guzman and Wells through the draft and international signings.

 

The point is our minor league system is day and night from teams like Minnesota, Atlanta, Oakland, Tampa Bay, the Yankees. I'm sorry to say but none of those players you mentioned are in the Top 50 players in baseball. We never have top notch prospects to make big deals. Jason Dubois is still starting in Triple A for us, he isn't a prospect, its been proven he cant play in the MLB and yet we give away guys like McGahee and Hamilton. If i were a scout and saw Fukudome's helicopter swing when I was scouting him I wouldn't have offered 14 million a year or whatever he's making. Our scouting/minor league system is garbage.

[inari]

Reference to letting Josh Hamilton go as a mistake makes me a sad and angry panda.

[Little Slide Rooter]

Reference to letting Josh Hamilton go as a mistake makes me a sad and angry panda.

 

Agreed. Josh Hamilton was as much a Cub as Tim Lincecum was.

[daske17]

While I'm far from a minor league expert, hasn't the team been getting better at drafting quality prospects? I have to imagine it takes time to weed out previous bad picks with good ones, so we're seeing them at the A level now while AAA is mostly filler.

 

Am I right or just dreaming?

[SouthSideRyan]

CASEY MCGEHEE [expletive] SUCKS

[UK1679666180]

Jersey,

 

Appreciate the mention. If the Cubs don't make the playoffs or make it and get blown out again, I think things could get interesting.

 

--Bruce

 

The Cubs are stuck in limbo right now, similar to the Orioles about 9 years ago as far as generally declining with aging, regressing, and overpaid players absorbing most of the payroll and little from the (while slightly improving) farm system.

[jersey cubs fan]

Jersey,

 

Appreciate the mention. If the Cubs don't make the playoffs or make it and get blown out again, I think things could get interesting.

 

--Bruce

 

The Cubs are stuck in limbo right now, similar to the Orioles about 9 years ago as far as generally declining with aging, regressing, and overpaid players absorbing most of the payroll and little from the (while slightly improving) farm system.

 

Oh god no, please don't say that. The Orioles of 9 years ago, ouch.

[SouthSideRyan]

Jersey,

 

Appreciate the mention. If the Cubs don't make the playoffs or make it and get blown out again, I think things could get interesting.

 

--Bruce

 

The Cubs are stuck in limbo right now, similar to the Orioles about 9 years ago as far as generally declining with aging, regressing, and overpaid players absorbing most of the payroll and little from the (while slightly improving) farm system.

 

The players from the farm system are what's keeping the team in contention.