Would You Want to Replace Hendry with J.P. ?

[vance_the_cubs_fan]

An article in today's Toronto Star indicate that J.P. Riccardi might leave the Blue Jays when his contract is up after the 2007 season. Would anyone here rather have him running the show than Hendry?

 

Riccardi is an interesting candidate. He's of the new school of GM's, ala Beane, Epstein, etc. I'm not sure the Cubs would go in that direction, but it could be interesting.

 

His record may not be stellar, but his first task as a GM was to reduce a payroll and yet still compete with the Yankees and Red Sox in the tough AL East. I'm sure many would have mixed reviews on his performance.

 

 

I found this part very intriguing....

 

Ricciardi is not the only Jay who can leave town after '07. It seems no coincidence that nobody else has been signed by Ricciardi beyond that.

 

First, it was Eric Hinske and Vernon Wells. Then Roy Halladay. This winter, Corey Koskie and in May, manager John Gibbons. All five deals expire with Ricciardi's at the end of '07.

 

So, what's everyone's thoughts on this?

[treebird]

I think I'd like him better than Hendry, but I don't believe he'd be all that close to the top of my list.

[Tim]

I'd rather have DePo.

[treebird]

I'd rather have DePo.

 

Absolutely. And the Dodger people are dumb enough that he might be available well before J.P. is.

[Backtobanks]

The problem with the Cubs is in the dugout, not with the GM.

[mhuber92211]

I'd rather have DePo.

 

Wow. This suprises me. I would rather hace Hendry then either of these 2. DePo has run the Dodgers into the ground and although their minor leagues have been upgraded, I am unsure of how much credit goes to DePo for that since he has only been around for 2 drafts. DePo's trades have been highly questionable, and his FA acquistions have been overpaid and questionable.

 

JP has been unspectacular yet solid. He did give Koskie a longer term deal then I would have wanted if I were a Toronto fan considering he already had options there.

 

I am firmly on the Hendry bandwgn. He has made smart baseball moves, most of his trades have worked out and he has given the modern Cub fans more to hope and believe about both in the Majors and the minors in a long time. To me the biggest glaring issue with his reign is the Sisco loss. If all we are questioning is the loss of a middle reliever then I think he has done well in his years, especially considering some of the controversial moves he has had to make (Sosa).

[UK1679666180]

I'd rather have Dayton Moore.

[Tim]

I'd rather have DePo.

 

Wow. This suprises me. I would rather hace Hendry then either of these 2. DePo has run the Dodgers into the ground and although their minor leagues have been upgraded, I am unsure of how much credit goes to DePo for that since he has only been around for 2 drafts. DePo's trades have been highly questionable, and his FA acquistions have been overpaid and questionable.

 

JP has been unspectacular yet solid. He did give Koskie a longer term deal then I would have wanted if I were a Toronto fan considering he already had options there.

 

I am firmly on the Hendry bandwgn. He has made smart baseball moves, most of his trades have worked out and he has given the modern Cub fans more to hope and believe about both in the Majors and the minors in a long time. To me the biggest glaring issue with his reign is the Sisco loss. If all we are questioning is the loss of a middle reliever then I think he has done well in his years, especially considering some of the controversial moves he has had to make (Sosa).

Run them into the ground? He took over a team that was already floundering. He got them into the playoffs last year for the first time in how long? They've been pretty bad this year, but we talk about all the injuries the Cubs have had. The Dodgers have been absolutely ravaged. DePo has managed to find bargains like Perez to be filler while guys recovered. And he had to do all this while being under a mandate to reduce the budget by around $20M.

 

You can say the trades are questionable, but I love the Bradley trade. I thought the trade for Penny was solid (DePo can't help it Penny got hurt). What else was there?

 

He was absolutely right in not resigning Beltre.

 

He was right to take the chance on Drew -- I wish the Cubs had done so.

 

What bad moves have there been?

[Rob]

To be fair Tim, the Bradley trade pretty much fell right into his lap. The Tribe did a bad job managing the situation and put themselves in a spot where they knew they were going to have to trade Bradley for less than market value.

 

Though granted, DePo is the one that went out and got him.

 

My only problem with getting DePo is that I have a personal attachment to some of the people on the Cubs right now. And if there's anything that DePo has shown, it's that he's willing to get rid of anybody at any time if he thinks it might make the team a bit better. I don't want DePo coming in and getting rid of "face of the franchise" type players like LoDuca was. Aramis is the guy right now, and we might see him traded for a bevy of good prospects that would only be marginal major leaguers in the here-and-now.

 

In other words, as a fan, I cherish having a little roster stability from year to year. It'd be nice to know I can buy a jersey and not be able to wear it anymore after 3 weeks of the new reign.

 

And I'm an avid fan. How would the ordinary fan feel about watching a different lineup trot out there every day?

[Tim]

To be fair Tim, the Bradley trade pretty much fell right into his lap. The Tribe did a bad job managing the situation and put themselves in a spot where they knew they were going to have to trade Bradley for less than market value.

 

Though granted, DePo is the one that went out and got him.

 

My only problem with getting DePo is that I have a personal attachment to some of the people on the Cubs right now. And if there's anything that DePo has shown, it's that he's willing to get rid of anybody at any time if he thinks it might make the team a bit better. I don't want DePo coming in and getting rid of "face of the franchise" type players like LoDuca was. Aramis is the guy right now, and we might see him traded for a bevy of good prospects that would only be marginal major leaguers in the here-and-now.

 

In other words, as a fan, I cherish having a little roster stability from year to year. It'd be nice to know I can buy a jersey and not be able to wear it anymore after 3 weeks of the new reign.

 

And I'm an avid fan. How would the ordinary fan feel about watching a different lineup trot out there every day?

Well, if you like stability, how can you not prefer anyone to Hendry? What roster stability exists for the Cubs over the past few years? Aramis is the only position player still on the team from the postseason squad in 2003 and that was only two years ago!

 

And I think it's a bit unfair to characterize Depo's trades in the way that you have. Yes, he traded the face of the franchise in LoDuca. But he was also a horrendously overrated player who contributed far less than was commonly perceived. I'd much rather have a GM who knows when to "sell high", even if it means having some roster instability.

[CubfaninCA]

I'd rather have DePo.

 

Wow. This suprises me. I would rather hace Hendry then either of these 2. DePo has run the Dodgers into the ground and although their minor leagues have been upgraded, I am unsure of how much credit goes to DePo for that since he has only been around for 2 drafts. DePo's trades have been highly questionable, and his FA acquistions have been overpaid and questionable.

 

JP has been unspectacular yet solid. He did give Koskie a longer term deal then I would have wanted if I were a Toronto fan considering he already had options there.

 

I am firmly on the Hendry bandwgn. He has made smart baseball moves, most of his trades have worked out and he has given the modern Cub fans more to hope and believe about both in the Majors and the minors in a long time. To me the biggest glaring issue with his reign is the Sisco loss. If all we are questioning is the loss of a middle reliever then I think he has done well in his years, especially considering some of the controversial moves he has had to make (Sosa).

 

How so?? Is it his fault nearly the entire team's been hurt?? He signed two guys who would look really good in Cubbie Blue (Kent and Drew). He made a good trade to get Penny, and he didn't overpay Beltre and let Finley walk.

[Rob]

To be fair Tim, the Bradley trade pretty much fell right into his lap. The Tribe did a bad job managing the situation and put themselves in a spot where they knew they were going to have to trade Bradley for less than market value.

 

Though granted, DePo is the one that went out and got him.

 

My only problem with getting DePo is that I have a personal attachment to some of the people on the Cubs right now. And if there's anything that DePo has shown, it's that he's willing to get rid of anybody at any time if he thinks it might make the team a bit better. I don't want DePo coming in and getting rid of "face of the franchise" type players like LoDuca was. Aramis is the guy right now, and we might see him traded for a bevy of good prospects that would only be marginal major leaguers in the here-and-now.

 

In other words, as a fan, I cherish having a little roster stability from year to year. It'd be nice to know I can buy a jersey and not be able to wear it anymore after 3 weeks of the new reign.

 

And I'm an avid fan. How would the ordinary fan feel about watching a different lineup trot out there every day?

Well, if you like stability, how can you not prefer anyone to Hendry? What roster stability exists for the Cubs over the past few years? Aramis is the only position player still on the team from the postseason squad in 2003 and that was only two years ago!

 

And I think it's a bit unfair to characterize Depo's trades in the way that you have. Yes, he traded the face of the franchise in LoDuca. But he was also a horrendously overrated player who contributed far less than was commonly perceived. I'd much rather have a GM who knows when to "sell high", even if it means having some roster instability.

 

Let's take a look at the position players from that 2003 squad.

 

C - Miller/Bako

1B- Karros/Simon/Choi

2B- Grudz

SS - KGon

3B - ARam

LF - Alou

CF - CPatt/Lofton

RF - Sosa

 

Hendry had put together a group of veterans quickly coming to the end of their productive careers (Bako, Karros, Simon, Sosa) , mediocre role-players (Miller, Choi, Grudz, KGon), and young guns in ARam, and CPatt. Nobody expected anybody besides ARam and CPatt to be around more than another 3 years (expect for Sosa, possibly)

 

I guess the point I'm trying to get across is that everybody knew what was coming. It works different in your head. Everybody knew not to get attached to Karros.

 

But Hendry has shown an affinity for making the big trade without generating too much roster turnover in the big spots. We still have our core of young pitching. We still have CPatt. We still have ARam. And we can expect to keep those guys around for a while. I mean, honestly, do you see Hendry entertaining many trades that start off with him giving up Zambrano?

 

I guess what I'm saying is that while I know Hendry is occassionally a roster-butcher, I prefer being able to predict the kinds of moves he's going to make a couple weeks in advance... as opposed to DePo who would be willing to trade Babe Ruth if he got what he felt was a good enough return. We have enough curses, we don't need the curse of El Toro.

 

As for the way I characterized DePo's trades, I think we both realize it wasn't that unfair of me. There's two dimensions to baseball trades. The economics and the baseball. I'm not debating trading LoDuca wasn't a bad baseball trade at all. It was a pretty good one. The problem is if the fans don't come through those gates anymore, the Cubs stop making money. Now LoDuca is small potatoes, but can you imagine the impact on sales if after next winter Wood, Prior, and Aramis were gone and we had a bunch of no-names to show for it?

[mhuber92211]

Run them into the ground? He took over a team that was already floundering. He got them into the playoffs last year for the first time in how long? They've been pretty bad this year, but we talk about all the injuries the Cubs have had. The Dodgers have been absolutely ravaged. DePo has managed to find bargains like Perez to be filler while guys recovered. And he had to do all this while being under a mandate to reduce the budget by around $20M.

 

You can say the trades are questionable, but I love the Bradley trade. I thought the trade for Penny was solid (DePo can't help it Penny got hurt). What else was there?

 

He was absolutely right in not resigning Beltre.

 

He was right to take the chance on Drew -- I wish the Cubs had done so.

 

What bad moves have there been?

 

What personel did he bring in that made the Dodgers better in 2004? The players that DePo brought in have contributed to the disaster that is the current Dodger situation.

 

Bradley? Won't be in Dodger blue (3 domestic violence cases while on the DL with a pregnat wife AFTER anger management?) at the end of the year.

 

Drew? Perennially injured and was badly slumping when not injured. Risk FA signing with a huge upside but if injuries come back could be a contract albatross on a lower payroll team. Having to lower payroll why would a good GM take a huge injury risk with their most expensive player? Talk about not making your payroll dollars stretch. As far as the Cubs taking a chance on Drew, sure that would have been a good risk for the team. The difference is that the Cubs can afford to make that mistake, the Dodgers can't. So in taking the risk that your #1 guy on your team will be Drew is harder to swallow when you can't replace him with a similar player if you can't afford to.

 

Penny? Trades 2 solid regulars and by doing so creates 2 HUGE holes that have yet to be adequately filled. Yes Penny can be a frontline starter and yes DePo was burned by thinking he could have used Penny to acquire Randy Johnson but now he goes and spends more of the littel payroll he has on an expensive extension when he has already spent tons of money on other "front line" FA pitchers and has a wealth of minor league pitching?

 

Lowe? Again spends a huge percentage of his payroll on a mediocre pitcher who can be successful but generally overpaid and spent it in a position of strength.

 

Kent? So by again spending money on a veteran he breaks up a younger, cheaper middle infield that was the best at turning double plays. By giving up on Cora he gives up defense which he needed to because he wasn't getting offense from anywhere else.

 

Filler acquistions? Jose Valentin, Antonio Perez, Nakamura, Grabowski, are all reaches. But this was all he had left after spending his money in 4 baskets.

 

It seems that DePo doesn't know how to spread the payroll dollars very well. Everyone knows that he is under constraints but has to spend like he is a big market team. But the positions that he filled with big names (save Drew) were already well appointed. He didn't address the needs of the organization. When Hendry has made deals he hasn't opened up more holes then he filled by making the trade.

 

We can 2nd guess decisions all day but I think that Hendry's decisons haven't created such a backlash as DePo's had among the general fandom. I'm not saying that the masses are always right but don't forget, Hendry traded the "face" of the club too in Sosa. The fans haven't come down on that trade as much as the LA fans have against the LoDuca trade. Not the same situation, granted but still a valid comparison.

 

P.S. I agree about Beltre but DePo's back up plan was not very good.

[CaliforniaRaisin]

Drew? Perennially injured and was badly slumping when not injured. Risk FA signing with a huge upside but if injuries come back could be a contract albatross on a lower payroll team. Having to lower payroll why would a good GM take a huge injury risk with their most expensive player? Talk about not making your payroll dollars stretch. As far as the Cubs taking a chance on Drew, sure that would have been a good risk for the team. The difference is that the Cubs can afford to make that mistake, the Dodgers can't. So in taking the risk that your #1 guy on your team will be Drew is harder to swallow when you can't replace him with a similar player if you can't afford to.

 

.286/.412/.520 at the time of injury is badly slumping?

[Diffusion]

I have very little time for JP. I much prefer Hendry.

[CUBZ99]

I'd rather have DePo.

 

Wow. This suprises me. I would rather hace Hendry then either of these 2. DePo has run the Dodgers into the ground and although their minor leagues have been upgraded, I am unsure of how much credit goes to DePo for that since he has only been around for 2 drafts. DePo's trades have been highly questionable, and his FA acquistions have been overpaid and questionable.

 

JP has been unspectacular yet solid. He did give Koskie a longer term deal then I would have wanted if I were a Toronto fan considering he already had options there.

 

I am firmly on the Hendry bandwgn. He has made smart baseball moves, most of his trades have worked out and he has given the modern Cub fans more to hope and believe about both in the Majors and the minors in a long time. To me the biggest glaring issue with his reign is the Sisco loss. If all we are questioning is the loss of a middle reliever then I think he has done well in his years, especially considering some of the controversial moves he has had to make (Sosa).

 

How so?? Is it his fault nearly the entire team's been hurt?? He signed two guys who would look really good in Cubbie Blue (Kent and Drew). He made a good trade to get Penny, and he didn't overpay Beltre and let Finley walk.

 

Yes it is. When you sign guys like Drew who are always hurt and expect them to be a big part of your team, it should be no suprise when they get hurt.

[Tedward]

Yes it is. When you sign guys like Drew who are always hurt and expect them to be a big part of your team, it should be no suprise when they get hurt.

 

Huh? He played 145 games last year.

 

For GM, I'm surprised Gerry Hunsaker hasn't been mentioned. I thought he did a nice job putting together HOU's club during the 90's.

[Magnetic Curses]

i would take JP in a second, but like Tim, I prefer DePo.

 

I'd actually rather have Beane, but I'd love to see what JP could do with a big budget squad.

[AAApittsburgh]

Yes it is. When you sign guys like Drew who are always hurt and expect them to be a big part of your team, it should be no suprise when they get hurt.

 

Huh? He played 145 games last year.

 

For GM, I'm surprised Gerry Hunsaker hasn't been mentioned. I thought he did a nice job putting together HOU's club during the 90's.

It was also his first full season. Giving a guy who is that injury prone that many years is a mistake.

[The Voice of Reason]

quote="CubfaninCA"]

I'd rather have DePo.

 

Wow. This suprises me. I would rather hace Hendry then either of these 2. DePo has run the Dodgers into the ground and although their minor leagues have been upgraded, I am unsure of how much credit goes to DePo for that since he has only been around for 2 drafts. DePo's trades have been highly questionable, and his FA acquistions have been overpaid and questionable.

 

JP has been unspectacular yet solid. He did give Koskie a longer term deal then I would have wanted if I were a Toronto fan considering he already had options there.

 

I am firmly on the Hendry bandwgn. He has made smart baseball moves, most of his trades have worked out and he has given the modern Cub fans more to hope and believe about both in the Majors and the minors in a long time. To me the biggest glaring issue with his reign is the Sisco loss. If all we are questioning is the loss of a middle reliever then I think he has done well in his years, especially considering some of the controversial moves he has had to make (Sosa).

 

How so?? Is it his fault nearly the entire team's been hurt?? He signed two guys who would look really good in Cubbie Blue (Kent and Drew). He made a good trade to get Penny, and he didn't overpay Beltre and let Finley walk.

 

Yes it is. When you sign guys like Drew who are always hurt and expect them to be a big part of your team, it should be no suprise when they get hurt.[/quote]

 

 

Do you apply the same logic to Hendry's signing of the often injured Nomar?

[CubfaninCA]

I'd rather have DePo.

 

Wow. This suprises me. I would rather hace Hendry then either of these 2. DePo has run the Dodgers into the ground and although their minor leagues have been upgraded, I am unsure of how much credit goes to DePo for that since he has only been around for 2 drafts. DePo's trades have been highly questionable, and his FA acquistions have been overpaid and questionable.

 

JP has been unspectacular yet solid. He did give Koskie a longer term deal then I would have wanted if I were a Toronto fan considering he already had options there.

 

I am firmly on the Hendry bandwgn. He has made smart baseball moves, most of his trades have worked out and he has given the modern Cub fans more to hope and believe about both in the Majors and the minors in a long time. To me the biggest glaring issue with his reign is the Sisco loss. If all we are questioning is the loss of a middle reliever then I think he has done well in his years, especially considering some of the controversial moves he has had to make (Sosa).

 

How so?? Is it his fault nearly the entire team's been hurt?? He signed two guys who would look really good in Cubbie Blue (Kent and Drew). He made a good trade to get Penny, and he didn't overpay Beltre and let Finley walk.

 

Yes it is. When you sign guys like Drew who are always hurt and expect them to be a big part of your team, it should be no suprise when they get hurt.

 

So Gagne's injury was predictable too?? His injury really hurt. He's their leader.

[Proven Veteran]

I want Mark Shapiro, when does his contract run out?

[oldcubsfan]

I'd rather have DePo.

 

Wow. This suprises me. I would rather hace Hendry then either of these 2. DePo has run the Dodgers into the ground and although their minor leagues have been upgraded, I am unsure of how much credit goes to DePo for that since he has only been around for 2 drafts. DePo's trades have been highly questionable, and his FA acquistions have been overpaid and questionable.

 

JP has been unspectacular yet solid. He did give Koskie a longer term deal then I would have wanted if I were a Toronto fan considering he already had options there.

 

I am firmly on the Hendry bandwgn. He has made smart baseball moves, most of his trades have worked out and he has given the modern Cub fans more to hope and believe about both in the Majors and the minors in a long time. To me the biggest glaring issue with his reign is the Sisco loss. If all we are questioning is the loss of a middle reliever then I think he has done well in his years, especially considering some of the controversial moves he has had to make (Sosa).

 

How so?? Is it his fault nearly the entire team's been hurt?? He signed two guys who would look really good in Cubbie Blue (Kent and Drew). He made a good trade to get Penny, and he didn't overpay Beltre and let Finley walk.

JD Drew? Good grief, hurt again-what a surprise. I am so glad Hendry didn't sign him for $55 million.

[UK1679666180]

Yes it is. When you sign guys like Drew who are always hurt and expect them to be a big part of your team, it should be no suprise when they get hurt.

 

Huh? He played 145 games last year.

 

For GM, I'm surprised Gerry Hunsaker hasn't been mentioned. I thought he did a nice job putting together HOU's club during the 90's.

 

I think Hunsicker will be picked up this year, if I was to guess, I would say Baltimore.

[oldcubsfan]

i would take JP in a second, but like Tim, I prefer DePo.

 

I'd actually rather have Beane, but I'd love to see what JP could do with a big budget squad.

 

There is a chance DePo will be available. This year was awful and he is not well liked in the organization(other than by the most important one-McCourt)