Maybe Hendry just doesn't get it.

[Holy Cow]

I do find it interesting that you think Wins is a perfectly acceptable metric to measure a GM by, but not a starting pitcher.

 

 

It's quite simple really. A pitcher can only pitch. Everybody else fields and hits. A pitcher cannot determine whether the team wins or loses, unless he throws a shutout and hits a homerun. But that's kind of a ridiculous request to make. The GM though actually influences every aspect of the team. He decides who will be pitching, who will be hitting and who will be fielding, not to mention, who will be managing. Hendry has the responsibility for the record because it is his responsibility to create the entire team. The pitcher only has the responsibility of pitching.

 

I find it quite unbelievable that you can't see the difference.

 

But Hendry can't actually put the guys on the field. He only has the responsibility of assembling the players. He can somehow manage to get us a hitter like Murton in the Nomar deal, but he can't write Murton into LF on the lineup card. He can't pull Wood, Prior, Chad Fox etc. when they obviously need to be pulled. He can't put Cedeno at SS or choose which bullpen guy to use in what situation. I honestly believe that I could have managed the team Hendry put together to 90 wins, so as far as I am concerned, he did his job.

[CubsWin]

I do find it interesting that you think Wins is a perfectly acceptable metric to measure a GM by, but not a starting pitcher.

 

 

It's quite simple really. A pitcher can only pitch. Everybody else fields and hits. A pitcher cannot determine whether the team wins or loses, unless he throws a shutout and hits a homerun. But that's kind of a ridiculous request to make. The GM though actually influences every aspect of the team. He decides who will be pitching, who will be hitting and who will be fielding, not to mention, who will be managing. Hendry has the responsibility for the record because it is his responsibility to create the entire team. The pitcher only has the responsibility of pitching.

 

I find it quite unbelievable that you can't see the difference.

I find it quite unbelievable that you can't see the myriad of other factors that go into a team winning baseball games.

 

Actually, I believe you can see all the factors, I think you just don't want to because, for some reason, stubborness maybe, you are sticking to your ridiculous claim that Hendry doesn't "get it" and that he put together a "horrible team", instead of just admitting that your anger got the better of you when you first wrote those baseless comments.

 

A GM doesn't have complete control over who will be playing. Injuries and the manager's decisions take a lot of the GMs supposed control away. Let's see, did the Cubs suffer any major injuries over the past couple of seasons? Hmm. Do the Cubs have a manager that plays people we wish he would not? Yeah, I think they do. Did Hendry decide to put Dempster in the rotation at the beginning of the year or was that Baker?

 

Another factor that mitigates the GMs control and thus responsibility over a team's win-loss record is player performance. When players perform well below their normal level (Patterson, Hawkins, Leicester, Hollandsworth, Dubois, Lawton, Maddux, Wood, Remlinger, Mitre, Wellemeyer, etc.), some do to possible misuse by the manager, how is that the GMs fault?

 

Are GMs supposed to be clairvoyant as well as good scouts and baseball men?

[CubDad4Ever]

moneyball was a great and enlighting read, however one of the missteps it made was making art howe in particular and managers in general look like trained chimps to the glorious buildup of billy beane. Baseball has a great way of policing its self in terms of managers. If you dont win enough and sometimes even if you do , you get canned. So please stop with the i could manage this roster to 90 wins. This is a flawed roster. injuries and crappy pitching starting and relief have lead to where we are at as a team. No leadoff hitter and poor choices for lf to begin the year. I understand how hard it is to makeover and aging and expensive roster. and the role getting rid of sammy had in this. I believe all parties deserve another year to bring everything along. MacPhail , hendry and baker , the scouts and minorleague people share credit when it goes well and blame when it does not. I get frustrated with dusty speak also. But he gets the players to play hard. Fixating on Nefi and dusty ignores the problem of improving at level and smacks of scapgoating .It takes mature rational analysis to fix problems . Im glad im not in charge. Thats their job and they will lose it , if it does not eventually get done. God Bless and i hope the red head can pull the ball to go with the great plate discipline.

[goonys evil twin]

Boy, are you oversimplifying things. You keep mentioning only one statistic, wins. Why is that?

 

I mentioned a whole lot of complexities in my post. Did you respond to any of them? No.

 

You don't seem very willing, or perhaps able in this case, to make a solid argument that Hendry put together a "horrible team".

 

What else do you judge a GM on other than the success of the team he put together?

 

Am I supposed to praise Hendry for putting together a team with a good batting average (ignoring the lack of OBP)? Should I get excited that he managed to once again field a pitching staff that will lead the league in K's?

 

I am very willing, and very able to make a solid argument about how poorly this team was put together, and how Hendry has failed.

 

I've done it for 3 years on this board. The results speak for themselves. The only way to justify defending Hendry's moves is by ignoring results and living in fairy tale land.

[goonys evil twin]

Another factor that mitigates the GMs control and thus responsibility over a team's win-loss record is player performance. When players perform well below their normal level (Patterson, Hawkins, Leicester, Hollandsworth, Dubois, Lawton, Maddux, Wood, Remlinger, Mitre, Wellemeyer, etc.), some do to possible misuse by the manager, how is that the GMs fault?

 

Are GMs supposed to be clairvoyant as well as good scouts and baseball men?

 

GMs are supposed to plan for setbacks. Hendry has not.

 

Anybody who thinks Maddux is underperforming expectations just doesn't understand much about history. Maddux was bound to get worse. He wasn't all that good last year. He won 15, so the Barry Rozners of the world said all was well and Maddux will win 15 again. But his peripherals were not impressive, and the likelihood of further decline was rather obvious. Leicester? Leicester isn't any good. He was never very good in the minors. He threw a couple decent innings in thet majors, but that was all. It didn't take a clairvoyant to think control issues would doom him. Same with Welly. Mitre was never great, he could have been an adequate 5th starter, if given the job, but the Cubs foolishly thought they could put a sinkerball pitcher who gets hammered when he overthrows into the bullpen. If the guy is to be any good, he has to be given time to develop as a starter, you can't expect him to come into the rotation and be consistently very good. Relying on Hollandsworth/Dubois, Patterson and Burnitz for your outfield was predictably disastrous. In fact, I did predict it, as did many other fans. It was negligent. Wood was hurt last year, he was hurt this spring, was it really hard to predict he wouldn't be great this year? Remlinger is a joke.

 

I never said Hendry is 100% at fault. The blame is spread. In fact I've defended Hendry is some circles from those who want to defend Dusty by saying Jim's players failed. But that doesn't take away the fact that Hendry has failed. He's got a top 5 payroll and his 3 years can be summed up as mediocre. Mediocrity in sports is failure. The goal is to win, not just field a team that's good enough to compete on most days.

[CubsWin]

I am very willing, and very able to make a solid argument about how poorly this team was put together, and how Hendry has failed.

 

I've done it for 3 years on this board. The results speak for themselves. The only way to justify defending Hendry's moves is by ignoring results and living in fairy tale land.

Okay, if you are so able, show me what you got besides the number of wins a team has.

 

I've listed several pieces of evidence in this thread alone. You have only listed the team's record. If you want me to go back over the last 3 years of posts and find your argument why Hendry puts together "horrible" teams, no thanks.

 

And I find your attempt at an insult laughable. I guess the only way for someone to disagree with the almighty you is if they live in "fairy tale land". My suggestion is you deflate your head before you respond to a post next time. No one here is calling you an idiot. Just saying that your opinion lacks evidence.

[Exile on Waveland]

Boy, are you oversimplifying things. You keep mentioning only one statistic, wins. Why is that?

 

Because, it is the ONLY thing that matters when judging a GM.

[CubsWin]

Another factor that mitigates the GMs control and thus responsibility over a team's win-loss record is player performance. When players perform well below their normal level (Patterson, Hawkins, Leicester, Hollandsworth, Dubois, Lawton, Maddux, Wood, Remlinger, Mitre, Wellemeyer, etc.), some do to possible misuse by the manager, how is that the GMs fault?

 

Are GMs supposed to be clairvoyant as well as good scouts and baseball men?

 

GMs are supposed to plan for setbacks. Hendry has not.

How did Hendry not plan for setbacks. What other/better back-up SS was he supposed to have on the roster? What moves was he supposed to have done that he didn't do? It isn't enough just to make the accusation that Hendry fell down on the job, you have to show your evidence for making such a claim.

 

Anybody who thinks Maddux is underperforming expectations just doesn't understand much about history.

Oh, I see. So now anyone who disagrees with you is simply ignorant about history. For your information, I knew exactly what Maddux's numbers were last season and the season before when I included his name in the list of underachievers. I didn't expect him to win 15 games again, nor did I expect him to have an ERA under or around 4. But I also didn't expect him to have an ERA near 4.50. And I didn't expect him to have a 2nd half ERA of 4 or above when last year it was 3.48. I don't think a keener understanding of "history" would have changed my expectations.

 

Maddux was bound to get worse. He wasn't all that good last year. He won 15, so the Barry Rozners of the world said all was well and Maddux will win 15 again. But his peripherals were not impressive, and the likelihood of further decline was rather obvious.

I'm not Barry Rozner. I don't base my expectations of a pitcher on how many games he won the year before. I expected further decline. Just not this much decline. Not everyone who dares to disagree with you does so from a place of baseball ignorance.

 

Leicester? Leicester isn't any good. He was never very good in the minors. He threw a couple decent innings in thet majors, but that was all. It didn't take a clairvoyant to think control issues would doom him. Same with Welly. Mitre was never great, he could have been an adequate 5th starter, if given the job, but the Cubs foolishly thought they could put a sinkerball pitcher who gets hammered when he overthrows into the bullpen. If the guy is to be any good, he has to be given time to develop as a starter, you can't expect him to come into the rotation and be consistently very good. Relying on Hollandsworth/Dubois, Patterson and Burnitz for your outfield was predictably disastrous. In fact, I did predict it, as did many other fans. It was negligent. Wood was hurt last year, he was hurt this spring, was it really hard to predict he wouldn't be great this year? Remlinger is a joke.

I guess you really do know it all, don't you. Wow. I hope you get to be a GM someday. Then we will know how much of what you just wrote is 20/20 hindsight.

 

I never said Hendry is 100% at fault.

No, you're right, you didn't. You just said that he doesn't "get it" and that he puts together "horrible teams".

[goonys evil twin]

No, you're right, you didn't. You just said that he doesn't "get it" and that he puts together "horrible teams".

 

This Cubs team is horrible. Hendry put it together.

 

The title of this thread is about "getting it". Any use of that phrase on my part is strictly trying to play along with that line.

 

 

There's not one way to win baseball games, nor is there one way to field a team.

 

But Hendry failed to put together a winner, and he did so with a top 5 payroll. By the end of this season, Jim's 3 years will average to about 85 wins per year, not impressive, not acceptable.

 

Why don't you just get over your hatred for me and have an actual discussion. I don't know why you insist on getting so emotional and personal in this debate. My only concern in this discussion is what the score of the Cubs game is every day, what the record of the team is at the end of the season, and how far they go in the playoffs. I'm really not interested in the personal jabs, insults and other misc. points.

[cubbieinexile]

I like Hendry he seems to be a good horse trader but it seems to me that he has no clue what to do during the off-season. I don't know how much of that is because of his higher ups giving him limits or what but Hendry has a horrible record during the offseason.

 

 

This team has gone into every season with huge unaddressed question marks. Like this year:

 

Q: What happens if Nomar the Brittle gets hurt again?

 

A: We'll just prey really hard that doesn't happen.

 

Q: What if Todd Hollandsworth is merely a back OF'er instead of a starter?

 

A: We'll just prey really hard that isn't true.

 

Q: What if Kerry the Fragile is fragile?

 

A: We'll just prey really hard that isn't true.

 

So on and so on.

 

About the only back up they had in place was having Hairston and we only had him because they got rid of Sosa. If Burnitz had flopped instead of being merely okay the Cubs would have been in trouble. The Cubs even from the beginning of the season really didn't have a starting rotation that was set or even that you could be confident that it would be there. Same applies for the bullpen.

 

Everybody knew Hawkins would be a risk, that Remlinger wasn't the same pitcher he was in Atlanta, that Borowski would not be available, that Williamson was merely a project that wouldn't be available for most of the season, that their youngster while having talent were still raw and had more to learn, so on and so on.

 

Like I said in the beginning Hendry has shown that he knows about these flaws and that if given the chance he can fix them during the season. The only problem is that it costs you games in the beginning and if you can't find a sucker or a team willing to help you during the season then you are in serious trouble.

[CubfaninCA]

As I recall, you really griped about trading Choi. Lee, ARam and Barrett were very good acquisitions. If the Cubs got anything from Wood, Nomar and Patterson, they'd still be in the wildcard race.

You don't recall correctly. I liked Choi, but viewed then (and still do) Lee as a far better player, as was one of the few that didn't have a negative knee-jerk reaction to the trade.

 

I am a defense and fundamentals type of person. Lee fits my ideal for 1B.

 

I was addressing goony, not you.

[CubfaninCA]

So what should have been done differently?? Who foresaw Wood and Patterson giving this team zero this year and Prior declining?? Yes Prior's still good and has been injured, but he's not near the pitcher he was in 2003.

 

Imo the moves that can be scruntized are signing Maddux, Burnitz and Nomar. What would you have done w/ that money?? Sign Beltran?? Oops that would have backfired.

 

Some of you w/ axes to grind are failing to acknowledge that the HUGE difference from 03 to 05 is that Wood and Prior are not shutdown pitchers anymore. Would things be a lot different if Prior pitched 30 games this year w/ a 2.43 ERA instead of 3.68, and Wood started 32 games w/ a 3.20 ERA instead of starting just 10 games?? I'm sure some you guys foresaw the decline of Wood and Prior though. :roll:

[CubfaninCA]

Boy, are you oversimplifying things. You keep mentioning only one statistic, wins. Why is that?

 

I mentioned a whole lot of complexities in my post. Did you respond to any of them? No.

 

You don't seem very willing, or perhaps able in this case, to make a solid argument that Hendry put together a "horrible team".

 

What else do you judge a GM on other than the success of the team he put together?

 

Am I supposed to praise Hendry for putting together a team with a good batting average (ignoring the lack of OBP)? Should I get excited that he managed to once again field a pitching staff that will lead the league in K's?

 

I am very willing, and very able to make a solid argument about how poorly this team was put together, and how Hendry has failed.

 

I've done it for 3 years on this board. The results speak for themselves. The only way to justify defending Hendry's moves is by ignoring results and living in fairy tale land.

 

What were your moves again?? Keep Choi? Sign Beltran?? The way you carried on about the Choi trade should leave you w/ little authority.

[Satch80]

I think Hendry is great at the "art of the deal", maybe even the best, which is a talent in itself. But I'm not sure he targets all the right players.

 

Aramis should have been the only marginal defender signed. He is an elite offensive player .

The starting rotation is supposed to be our strongest point so you have to catch the ball and make the plays without giving away extra outs and forcing extra pitches, thus neutralizing out best asset.

 

Nomar was a poor signing not only because he had a history of fragility but he doesn't have the range to help compensate for Aramis's lack of foot speed. Plus he has problems on the throw.

 

Walker has an excellent bat for 2B but very very poor range and poor at turning the double play. Many here think he will lead off, I don't think he will return. I think Hendry figured out a few things about defense up the middle this year.

 

Barrett is the other poor defender, failing to block balls, make accurate throws or plays at the plate. He is signed on for next year but I think we would have been better served to have resigned Miller. This is a young, talented, difficult to catch staff that needed an experienced, steady hand.

 

I think getting rid of Sammy and signing Burnitz was a good call. Corey's collapse wasn't in the stars but Hawkins and his problems closing and Wood and his injuries should have been.

The combination of a rookie/bench player to patrol LF was a pure gamble as was Fox, Dempster and all of the AAA bullpen.

 

When you start a season with as many uncertainties as the Cubs did, it has a way of defining the season and the injuries only cripple things further. That's pretty much what happened.

 

The good news is, I think Hendry has realized that part of the poor fundamental play is a result of the type of players he has signed. Good defense is not only about catching the ball but knowing what to do with it once you do. It's about anticipating plays and where the ball is likely to be hit. Focus, baseball IQ.

 

I also think he will pay more attention to OBP, contact, and speed. Whether he will be able to get what he wants is another thing but I think that's the direction he'll be looking.

 

I have faith in Hendry. I think he learns from mistakes and is willing to correct them. This off season should be interesting.

[JC]

Boy, are you oversimplifying things. You keep mentioning only one statistic, wins. Why is that?

 

I mentioned a whole lot of complexities in my post. Did you respond to any of them? No.

 

You don't seem very willing, or perhaps able in this case, to make a solid argument that Hendry put together a "horrible team".

 

What else do you judge a GM on other than the success of the team he put together?

 

Am I supposed to praise Hendry for putting together a team with a good batting average (ignoring the lack of OBP)? Should I get excited that he managed to once again field a pitching staff that will lead the league in K's?

 

I am very willing, and very able to make a solid argument about how poorly this team was put together, and how Hendry has failed.

 

I've done it for 3 years on this board. The results speak for themselves. The only way to justify defending Hendry's moves is by ignoring results and living in fairy tale land.

 

What were your moves again?? Keep Choi? Sign Beltran?? The way you carried on about the Choi trade should leave you w/ little authority.

 

Didn't you just bemoan the axe grinding in a previous post in this thread? Bringing up an alleged position of another poster from two years ago certainly sure seems to fit that bill.

 

I don't remember where Goony was on the Beltran signing. However, if you're looking to cast dispersions at someone who advocated to sign him, point your rather feeble remarks in my direction. Beltran certainly has had a disappointing season for the Mets, but there are issues that need to be accounted for, which include injuries and an adjustment period to the Big Apple. You may not think much of those facets of his transition, but I give them weight. In addition, you have to look at the long range availability of difference making OFers available. In short, there are none currently and the Cub OF is an absolute wreck.

 

As far as Goony's "authority" goes, well, based on his posting history, the thought he puts into his posts, and the level of knowledge he generally brings to the table, I give his opinion great weight, much moreso than anything I've see from you to date. Tell me, what exactly have the Cubs accomplished since acquiring Derrek Lee? I love the guy, but was 1B a need position when the trade was made? Could that money been used better, such as acquiring Tejada or pursuing Guerrero? There is a bigger picture here that needs to be considered. Simply taking a juvenile shot at another poster for a single facet of larger scenerio is ridiculous.

[USSoccer]

Boy, are you oversimplifying things. You keep mentioning only one statistic, wins. Why is that?

 

I mentioned a whole lot of complexities in my post. Did you respond to any of them? No.

 

You don't seem very willing, or perhaps able in this case, to make a solid argument that Hendry put together a "horrible team".

 

What else do you judge a GM on other than the success of the team he put together?

 

Am I supposed to praise Hendry for putting together a team with a good batting average (ignoring the lack of OBP)? Should I get excited that he managed to once again field a pitching staff that will lead the league in K's?

 

I am very willing, and very able to make a solid argument about how poorly this team was put together, and how Hendry has failed.

 

I've done it for 3 years on this board. The results speak for themselves. The only way to justify defending Hendry's moves is by ignoring results and living in fairy tale land.

 

What were your moves again?? Keep Choi? Sign Beltran?? The way you carried on about the Choi trade should leave you w/ little authority.

 

If I recall correctly, Goony was one of the few posters that was screaming about Hendry diong nothing back in late November and December. It was apparent to him, and others, that Hendry had no real plan save for dealing Sosa at all costs. He, and others, got ripped then, too, for not hvaing "faith" in Hendry, or being impatient. Looking at where we stand today, it's obvious that those who ripped the Cubs for doing nothing and making shortsighted decisions were dead on.

 

What's worse, Hendry seemed to count on improved health, rather than better ballplayers, to carry us in 2005. That didn't work out so well.

 

And if you're going to cite the Choi debate as a reason to disregard his posts, then you're going to have to disregard about half the posters here who were of the same mind.

[goonys evil twin]

The way you carried on about the Choi trade should leave you w/ little authority.

 

 

Authority? When the hell did I ever claim authority on any issue on this board.

 

 

 

Man, it surely is interesting to know how many people apparantly stockpile past posts of mine and wait to come out of the woodwork to attack me with words from history. I must really have affected your lives for you to act this way. How humbling.

 

 

For the record, I freely admitted that Lee was much better than Choi, and the trade, on a player for player basis was certainly a "win" for Hendry. However, what I didn't like was the fact that the team made a move that I didn't think improved the team on the whole.

 

 

Oh, and while people sit there and say there was no possible way to predict the injury riddled seasons of Prior and Wood, thus giving a free pass to Hendry for his failings to produce a winner, there was also no possible way to predict Lee's emergence from a clear cut second tier mildly productive 1B to an MVP candidate. The Cubs traded for a stable, consistent good 1B, and had no idea he would turn into a 1100 OPS kind of guy. They also thought Zambrano was done as a starting pitcher prospect and tried moving him to the pen, apparantly not realizing he would be the best of the starters in a couple years. That stuff happens in both directions. Individually none of it matters. What matters is the team's record at the end of the year. And right now we're approaching the end of the year and the team Hendry spent $100 million putting together, has an awful, unforgivable, inexcusable record.

 

 

But you go ahead and spend your time worrying about how unfair I am to judge the team, the GM, the manager, the entire organization, on it's record.

[TheDude]

What's worse, Hendry seemed to count on improved health, rather than better ballplayers, to carry us in 2005. That didn't work out so well.

That is very true. One of the legitimate criticisms of Hendry, but I think it comes with rose-colored glasses and a "hindsight" approach.

 

How many GMs would do it differently? Names like Wood, Prior, and Garciaparra are stud names in the game, irreplacable actually. If you transplant the situation to another team, say Houston, would they do the same thing? The answer is yes, they did, on a smaller scale. Oswalt, Berkman, Pettitte - all stud names with recent injury issues (though not to the same extent). They stuck with them, and they were fortunate.

 

Hendry took a calculated gamble that the all-star calibur talent on the team would stay healthy. IMO, the majority of GMs in MLB would take the same gamble.

 

Let's reverse the situation and say he doesn't take the gamble, using Garciaparra as an example. What does he do? Does he sign a legitimate everyday SS starter? Does he sign another all-star calibur SS? What happens then if Garciaparra stays healthy all season? Now you have a disgruntled professional starter sitting on the bench, costing starter's salary. That is waste of money and manpower.

[TheDude]

Tell me, what exactly have the Cubs accomplished since acquiring Derrek Lee? I love the guy, but was 1B a need position when the trade was made?

I think it was definately a position of need. I love Choi and wish him the best, but he wasn't going to cut it as an everyday starter, and this has been proven with 3 teams.

 

Could that money been used better, such as acquiring Tejada or pursuing Guerrero? There is a bigger picture here that needs to be considered.

These are good questions. However, I don't think Lees money prevented these other transactions. It comes down to going the extra mile to get the right player, and apparently the Trib didn't cough up extra. So Moises and Sammy it was...

[goonys evil twin]

It comes down to going the extra mile to get the right player, and apparently the Trib didn't cough up extra. So Moises and Sammy it was...

 

You absolutely cannot blame the Trib for not spending enough.

 

$100 million payroll speaks for itself. It's not about going the extra mile, it's about a GM knowing his payroll options, knowing the market and making the right choices. Sometimes you have to go cheaper in one area than you'd want, but if you can't make it work with a $100 million payroll, you've made mistakes, and should be held accountable.

[YearofDaCubs]

If Hendry doesnt revamp the entire OF, and sign at least one legitimate arm to the bullpen and possibly sign one new starter things will not be good. I do believe that Murton can take over one of the OF spots and I would also like to see Cedeno at SS, but We need a legitimate CF who can actually play in the majors and another legitimate bat though trade)Giles is an option as well). As far as I'm concerned Corey is a bust. Time to cut bait and move on. Aside from his speed he does nothing for us offensively and we can't have that anymore. All players on the team should go back to fundamentals school and also learn how to take a walk and minimize the Ks. We really do need high OBP low K guys on our roster. It's damn frustrating.

[cubbieinexile]

I'd say that this team isn't really a 100 million dollar team. I would say they over payed for certain talent that they shouldn't have. Plus you have to remember that a good chunk of that money is going to pay for a guy that is not even on the team.

 

Plus the Cubs have 27 million dollars tied up in three guys, two of which are extremely unlikely to contribute much. Nomar and Kerry, with the third being Greg Maddux who you are paying 9 million dollars to be basically you 3rd or 4th starter. The Cubs should have had a cheaper and younger choice for this slot but that can't keep their prospects healthy or they give them away. The Cubs should never have given Remlinger the contract they did and that is another 4 million dollars the Cubs wasted. The Cubs have about 40 million dollars wrapped up in players that either are not going to play much or at all for the Cubs and for a fourth starter.

 

Hendry for the most part has done a good job with his payroll. Walker, Hairston, Lee, Burnit, and almost all of them are either paid just right or underpaid. But he missed the boat when it came time to signing free agent talent. Instead of spending 15 to 18 million dollars on one free agent like Beltran or a Vlad he ended up spending 18 million dollars or so on a 4th starter and a injury prone SS.

 

 

Others have brought it up before but Hendry may win player trades and acquisitions on a case by case basis but he loses on the bigger picture. The inability of the Cubs to develop a closer or find one on the scrap heap forces them to trade for Antonio Alfonseca, it cost the Cubs a starting pitcher, the Cubs then need a starting pitcher, they then spend 9 million dollars to get Greg Maddux. Cubs refuse to give youngsters a chance, forces the Cubs to get Moises Alou, sets back all OF prospects for 3 or 4 years, Moises leaves nothing in the minors ready or good enough to fill the hole, Cubs go with Vets, signing Vets to million dollar contracts keep Cubs from playing youngsters, Youngsters fail to develop.

 

Like I said above Hendry is a good horse trader but he seems to lack a long range plan, and that has cost the Cubs 90+ win seasons.

[cubbieinexile]

If Hendry doesnt revamp the entire OF, and sign at least one legitimate arm to the bullpen and possibly sign one new starter things will not be good. I do believe that Murton can take over one of the OF spots and I would also like to see Cedeno at SS, but We need a legitimate CF who can actually play in the majors and another legitimate bat though trade)Giles is an option as well). As far as I'm concerned Corey is a bust. Time to cut bait and move on. Aside from his speed he does nothing for us offensively and we can't have that anymore. All players on the team should go back to fundamentals school and also learn how to take a walk and minimize the Ks. We really do need high OBP low K guys on our roster. It's damn frustrating.

 

I would be severely ticked off if the Cubs handed out multiyear contract or trade away talent to acquire bullpen arms.

[YearofDaCubs]

I'd say that this team isn't really a 100 million dollar team. I would say they over payed for certain talent that they shouldn't have. Plus you have to remember that a good chunk of that money is going to pay for a guy that is not even on the team.

 

Plus the Cubs have 27 million dollars tied up in three guys, two of which are extremely unlikely to contribute much. Nomar and Kerry, with the third being Greg Maddux who you are paying 9 million dollars to be basically you 3rd or 4th starter. The Cubs should have had a cheaper and younger choice for this slot but that can't keep their prospects healthy or they give them away. The Cubs should never have given Remlinger the contract they did and that is another 4 million dollars the Cubs wasted. The Cubs have about 40 million dollars wrapped up in players that either are not going to play much or at all for the Cubs and for a fourth starter.

 

Hendry for the most part has done a good job with his payroll. Walker, Hairston, Lee, Burnit, and almost all of them are either paid just right or underpaid. But he missed the boat when it came time to signing free agent talent. Instead of spending 15 to 18 million dollars on one free agent like Beltran or a Vlad he ended up spending 18 million dollars or so on a 4th starter and a injury prone SS.

 

 

Others have brought it up before but Hendry may win player trades and acquisitions on a case by case basis but he loses on the bigger picture. The inability of the Cubs to develop a closer or find one on the scrap heap forces them to trade for Antonio Alfonseca, it cost the Cubs a starting pitcher, the Cubs then need a starting pitcher, they then spend 9 million dollars to get Greg Maddux. Cubs refuse to give youngsters a chance, forces the Cubs to get Moises Alou, sets back all OF prospects for 3 or 4 years, Moises leaves nothing in the minors ready or good enough to fill the hole, Cubs go with Vets, signing Vets to million dollar contracts keep Cubs from playing youngsters, Youngsters fail to develop.

 

Like I said above Hendry is a good horse trader but he seems to lack a long range plan, and that has cost the Cubs 90+ win seasons.

You are right. I've said it before that when it comes to FA Hendry doesn't cough up the money for the big names. The only FA he has spent top dollar on are for setup men and that hasnt worked out so well. This year will be critical to see what steps they take to improving the team.

[CubfaninCA]

Boy, are you oversimplifying things. You keep mentioning only one statistic, wins. Why is that?

 

I mentioned a whole lot of complexities in my post. Did you respond to any of them? No.

 

You don't seem very willing, or perhaps able in this case, to make a solid argument that Hendry put together a "horrible team".

 

What else do you judge a GM on other than the success of the team he put together?

 

Am I supposed to praise Hendry for putting together a team with a good batting average (ignoring the lack of OBP)? Should I get excited that he managed to once again field a pitching staff that will lead the league in K's?

 

I am very willing, and very able to make a solid argument about how poorly this team was put together, and how Hendry has failed.

 

I've done it for 3 years on this board. The results speak for themselves. The only way to justify defending Hendry's moves is by ignoring results and living in fairy tale land.

 

What were your moves again?? Keep Choi? Sign Beltran?? The way you carried on about the Choi trade should leave you w/ little authority.

 

Didn't you just bemoan the axe grinding in a previous post in this thread? Bringing up an alleged position of another poster from two years ago certainly sure seems to fit that bill.

 

I don't remember where Goony was on the Beltran signing. However, if you're looking to cast dispersions at someone who advocated to sign him, point your rather feeble remarks in my direction. Beltran certainly has had a disappointing season for the Mets, but there are issues that need to be accounted for, which include injuries and an adjustment period to the Big Apple. You may not think much of those facets of his transition, but I give them weight. In addition, you have to look at the long range availability of difference making OFers available. In short, there are none currently and the Cub OF is an absolute wreck.

 

As far as Goony's "authority" goes, well, based on his posting history, the thought he puts into his posts, and the level of knowledge he generally brings to the table, I give his opinion great weight, much moreso than anything I've see from you to date. Tell me, what exactly have the Cubs accomplished since acquiring Derrek Lee? I love the guy, but was 1B a need position when the trade was made? Could that money been used better, such as acquiring Tejada or pursuing Guerrero? There is a bigger picture here that needs to be considered. Simply taking a juvenile shot at another poster for a single facet of larger scenerio is ridiculous.

 

Without Lee this team would have 10-15 less wins. The Guerrero signing didn't happen cause Sosa was in rf. The Trib wasn't going to put up the money for Tejada or Beltran. Perhaps the shots should be targeted at the Trib?? The bottom line is that if Prior and Wood are as good as 2003, this team's on it's way to 90+ wins. I think most thought those two would only get better given their age.