Hey Bruce...do you have time for a few questions?

[CUBZ99]

Any interest the Cubs would have in Benson or Trachsel, hell, even with interest in Burnett at this point, is a damning indictment of the state of the farm system.

 

Benson seems like exactly the type of pitcher that Hendry would covet.

 

Your use of the word covet is a natural segue to the inevitable mention of Anna Benson that must ensue.

 

:lol: :lol:

[Careless]

I'd love to see what Neifi's incentives were for last year. I'm not going to say he didn't deserve them last year, because he really did. It was Baker's fault he batted at the top of the order.

 

But, if Cedeno did more sitting toward the end of the season because Baker was helping Neifi get incentives added on to his contract, I won't be happy.

 

I assumed it was because Baker was trying to help his own cause (reach .500) and he just couldn't trust a rookie to help him.

Pretty sure neifi got more than 100 more PAs than he needed to complete his incentives last season

[biittner77]

I'm just not of the opinion that the Cubs need to go out and get another starting pitcher. We all know the health problems this team has had, and of course, Hendry should always keep that in the back of his mind. However, if we can believe the progress reports on Wood, the Cubs are looking at a front four of Zambrano, Prior, Wood, and Maddux next April. I see no reason why Williams can't be the fifth man, unless he is part of a deal that brings the Cubs a very good outfield bat. Williams is no Cy Young candidate, but approx. $500,000 for a 23-year old fifth starter with a career ERA under 4.00 is nothing to sneeze at. If someone gets hurt, Rusch can start for an extended period of time. Guzman, if healthy and producing in the minors, could get a shot. Hill is still here. So is Mitre, although I'm not as high on him. Perhaps Pinto or Nolasco could make a start or two if needed (as a last resort). There are plenty of options there.

 

Instead of spending $7 million+ on another starter, the best move IMO is to use that for a big-time bat in the outfield.

 

Perhaps Hendry intends to trade Williams for that very reason for an OF bat because of the thin FA pool. ON that level bringing in another SP makes a lot of sense.

 

It seems like Hendry subscribes to the notion that great pitching will win despite lousy hitting. He could cite the 2005 Astros as an example. Not saying I agree with that philosophy but Hendry's "guys that can catch" line sort of supports that.

[CubsWin]

No one saw Hollandsworth's struggles coming? That's a laugh. Most of us here knew what would happen. People have said a MLB general manager has better things to do than look at message boards, but apparently that isn't true.

I disagree.

 

While it is true that several people predicted that Hollandsworth wouldn't produce anywhere near the numbers he put up in '04 before he got injured, no one predicted that he would be so far under his career averages. And no one predicted that Hollandsworth would start the year the way he did. No one.

[rocket]

No one saw Hollandsworth's struggles coming? That's a laugh. Most of us here knew what would happen. People have said a MLB general manager has better things to do than look at message boards, but apparently that isn't true.

I disagree.

 

While it is true that several people predicted that Hollandsworth wouldn't produce anywhere near the numbers he put up in '04 before he got injured, no one predicted that he would be so far under his career averages. And no one predicted that Hollandsworth would start the year the way he did. No one.

 

A lot of us predicted Hollandsworth would suck. It turned out, Hollandsworth sucked more than we expected.

 

Bottom line, many of us were vehemently against the idea of Hollandsworth starting in LF. Many of us. And we were right.

[BigbadB]

No one saw Hollandsworth's struggles coming? That's a laugh. Most of us here knew what would happen. People have said a MLB general manager has better things to do than look at message boards, but apparently that isn't true.

I disagree.

 

While it is true that several people predicted that Hollandsworth wouldn't produce anywhere near the numbers he put up in '04 before he got injured, no one predicted that he would be so far under his career averages. And no one predicted that Hollandsworth would start the year the way he did. No one.

 

Hollandsworth would have been just fine if they only used him for what he is good at. Coming off the bench.

[BigbadB]

I'm just not of the opinion that the Cubs need to go out and get another starting pitcher. We all know the health problems this team has had, and of course, Hendry should always keep that in the back of his mind. However, if we can believe the progress reports on Wood, the Cubs are looking at a front four of Zambrano, Prior, Wood, and Maddux next April. I see no reason why Williams can't be the fifth man, unless he is part of a deal that brings the Cubs a very good outfield bat. Williams is no Cy Young candidate, but approx. $500,000 for a 23-year old fifth starter with a career ERA under 4.00 is nothing to sneeze at. If someone gets hurt, Rusch can start for an extended period of time. Guzman, if healthy and producing in the minors, could get a shot. Hill is still here. So is Mitre, although I'm not as high on him. Perhaps Pinto or Nolasco could make a start or two if needed (as a last resort). There are plenty of options there.

 

Instead of spending $7 million+ on another starter, the best move IMO is to use that for a big-time bat in the outfield.

 

Perhaps Hendry intends to trade Williams for that very reason for an OF bat because of the thin FA pool. ON that level bringing in another SP makes a lot of sense.

 

It seems like Hendry subscribes to the notion that great pitching will win despite lousy hitting. He could cite the 2005 Astros as an example. Not saying I agree with that philosophy but Hendry's "guys that can catch" line sort of supports that.

 

The problem is that Hendry has the available resources to have good hitting AND good pitching. Why let either of them suffer when you don't have to?

[CubsWin]

If you have a problem with it stop reading the posts then. It is blatantly obvious that Hendry indeed is a moron after he signs Neifi to a 2 year 5 mil contract. What do you want us to do hold hands and jump for joy? Always look the other way when a GM single-handely is imploding the organization? Maybe Hendry can read these posts and finally realize the idiotic moves he has been making.

No, its not blatantly obvious that Hendry is a moron. No it is not a fact that Hendry is single-handedly imploding the organization. There is far more evidence to support that Hendry is not a moron and has improved this ball club than there is evidence to support the contrary.

 

How soon you all forget. I'll let Bruce Miles take over now...

 

Some of Hendry’s best moves have come during off-season

By Bruce Miles

Daily Herald Sports Writer

Posted Tuesday, November 08, 2005

 

The bad news for Cubs fans is that general manager Jim Hendry faces his most challenging off-season to date.

 

The good news is that Hendry has done some of his best work in the fall and winter.

 

Here are Hendry’s top five off-season transactions since he became the Cubs’ GM in 2002:

 

1. 1B Hee Seop Choi and minor-league pitcher Michael Nannini to the Florida Marlins for 1B Derrek Lee, Nov. 25, 2003: A few holdout Cubs fans talk wistfully of Choi’s potential, but Lee has blossomed into the superstar the Cubs hoped he would become. The 30-year-old Lee enjoyed an MVP-caliber season this year, winning the National League batting title (.335) to go along with 46 home runs and 107 RBI. The Marlins traded Choi to the Dodgers, and he couldn’t crack their lineup.

 

2. C Todd Hundley and OF Chad Hermansen to the Los Angeles Dodgers for 2B Mark Grudzielanek and 1B Eric Karros, Dec. 4, 2002: Hundley’s career came off the tracks with the Cubs, and he looked untradeable with two years left on a big contract. Somehow, Hendry convinced the Dodgers to take him. The Cubs took on a couple of big contracts with Grudzielanek and Karros, but both helped them win the NL Central in 2003. Grudzielanek had another good season with the Cardinals this year.

 

3. C Damian Miller to the Oakland Athletics for C Michael Barrett, Dec. 16, 2003: Miller was actually a “player to be named later” in this deal.

 

Hendry got the catcher he had sought for some time in Barrett, who has turned out to be the top offensive backstlop in the NL. Barrett is still a work in progress behind the plate.

 

4. RHP Ryan Dempster, signed as a free agent, Jan. 22, 2004: The Cubs took a chance that Dempster would rebound from reconstructive elbow surgery. Dempster did so late in ’04 and then saved 33 games in 35 chances this year as the Cubs’ closer.

 

5. C Henry Blanco signed as a free agent, Dec. 8, 2004: Few people thought much of the signing at the time, but Blanco became a force behind the plate for the Cubs this year, with pitchers loving the way he worked. He batted .242 with 6 homers and 25 RBI.

 

Honorable mention: RF Sammy Sosa to the Baltimore Orioles for IF-OF Jerry Hairston Jr., IF Mike Fontenot and RHP Dave Crouthers, Feb. 2, 2005: This was classic addition by subtraction, as the Cubs couldn’t live with Sosa any longer. Sosa’s career was on the slide with the Cubs, and he may have hit bottom in Baltimore.

How does a moron or a complete idiot or any of the other names he has been called do all of that in just a couple of years?

 

Pull your heads out of your butts people and see both sides. Is he perfect? No. Is he a moron? No. Does he have differing views on baseball than some of us? Clearly. Does that mean that he is wrong and we are right? No.

 

You are free to over-react and vent all you want on these pages. But it does get old. Especially when there is evidence presented to you that counters many of the over-reactions. That evidence often gets ignored and the bashing continues. There are more sides to be seen and understood than just your own.

From what I have seen from last offseason and this one yes he is a moron. Maybe you should get your head out of your butt. I guess 4th place in the division with a 100mil payroll is good enough for you. Well it isn't for me. So far this offseason has been a HUGE dissapointment.

Hey man, ignore the evidence if you want. I'm just tryin' to keep it real.

[CubsWin]

No one saw Hollandsworth's struggles coming? That's a laugh. Most of us here knew what would happen. People have said a MLB general manager has better things to do than look at message boards, but apparently that isn't true.

I disagree.

 

While it is true that several people predicted that Hollandsworth wouldn't produce anywhere near the numbers he put up in '04 before he got injured, no one predicted that he would be so far under his career averages. And no one predicted that Hollandsworth would start the year the way he did. No one.

 

Hollandsworth would have been just fine if they only used him for what he is good at. Coming off the bench.

Probably. Lord knows I was hoping for Dubois to be the starter from the beginning of the season. But he was pretty bad coming off the bench for ATL this season, too.

[bc2k]

Perhaps Hendry intends to trade Williams for that very reason for an OF bat because of the thin FA pool. ON that level bringing in another SP makes a lot of sense.

 

Interesting. I hadn't thought of that.

[CubsWin]

No one saw Hollandsworth's struggles coming? That's a laugh. Most of us here knew what would happen. People have said a MLB general manager has better things to do than look at message boards, but apparently that isn't true.

I disagree.

 

While it is true that several people predicted that Hollandsworth wouldn't produce anywhere near the numbers he put up in '04 before he got injured, no one predicted that he would be so far under his career averages. And no one predicted that Hollandsworth would start the year the way he did. No one.

 

A lot of us predicted Hollandsworth would suck. It turned out, Hollandsworth sucked more than we expected.

 

Bottom line, many of us were vehemently against the idea of Hollandsworth starting in LF. Many of us. And we were right.

Yes, we were. I was one of the many fans who were against the idea of Hollandsworth starting in LF.

 

But thats not what frostwyrm was saying in his post. He was saying that most of us here saw Hollandsworth's poor performance coming. And while it is true that we saw a return to his career norms coming, no one, to my recollection, predicted that he would perform so far below is career averages and certainly no one predicted that he would start the year the way he did. Are you disputing this?

[ConstableRabbit]

Any interest the Cubs would have in Benson or Trachsel, hell, even with interest in Burnett at this point, is a damning indictment of the state of the farm system.

 

Benson seems like exactly the type of pitcher that Hendry would covet.

 

Your use of the word covet is a natural segue to the inevitable mention of Anna Benson that must ensue.

 

Hahah I was getting ready to say that

[YearofDaCubs]

If you have a problem with it stop reading the posts then. It is blatantly obvious that Hendry indeed is a moron after he signs Neifi to a 2 year 5 mil contract. What do you want us to do hold hands and jump for joy? Always look the other way when a GM single-handely is imploding the organization? Maybe Hendry can read these posts and finally realize the idiotic moves he has been making.

No, its not blatantly obvious that Hendry is a moron. No it is not a fact that Hendry is single-handedly imploding the organization. There is far more evidence to support that Hendry is not a moron and has improved this ball club than there is evidence to support the contrary.

 

How soon you all forget. I'll let Bruce Miles take over now...

 

Some of Hendry’s best moves have come during off-season

By Bruce Miles

Daily Herald Sports Writer

Posted Tuesday, November 08, 2005

 

The bad news for Cubs fans is that general manager Jim Hendry faces his most challenging off-season to date.

 

The good news is that Hendry has done some of his best work in the fall and winter.

 

Here are Hendry’s top five off-season transactions since he became the Cubs’ GM in 2002:

 

1. 1B Hee Seop Choi and minor-league pitcher Michael Nannini to the Florida Marlins for 1B Derrek Lee, Nov. 25, 2003: A few holdout Cubs fans talk wistfully of Choi’s potential, but Lee has blossomed into the superstar the Cubs hoped he would become. The 30-year-old Lee enjoyed an MVP-caliber season this year, winning the National League batting title (.335) to go along with 46 home runs and 107 RBI. The Marlins traded Choi to the Dodgers, and he couldn’t crack their lineup.

 

2. C Todd Hundley and OF Chad Hermansen to the Los Angeles Dodgers for 2B Mark Grudzielanek and 1B Eric Karros, Dec. 4, 2002: Hundley’s career came off the tracks with the Cubs, and he looked untradeable with two years left on a big contract. Somehow, Hendry convinced the Dodgers to take him. The Cubs took on a couple of big contracts with Grudzielanek and Karros, but both helped them win the NL Central in 2003. Grudzielanek had another good season with the Cardinals this year.

 

3. C Damian Miller to the Oakland Athletics for C Michael Barrett, Dec. 16, 2003: Miller was actually a “player to be named later” in this deal.

 

Hendry got the catcher he had sought for some time in Barrett, who has turned out to be the top offensive backstlop in the NL. Barrett is still a work in progress behind the plate.

 

4. RHP Ryan Dempster, signed as a free agent, Jan. 22, 2004: The Cubs took a chance that Dempster would rebound from reconstructive elbow surgery. Dempster did so late in ’04 and then saved 33 games in 35 chances this year as the Cubs’ closer.

 

5. C Henry Blanco signed as a free agent, Dec. 8, 2004: Few people thought much of the signing at the time, but Blanco became a force behind the plate for the Cubs this year, with pitchers loving the way he worked. He batted .242 with 6 homers and 25 RBI.

 

Honorable mention: RF Sammy Sosa to the Baltimore Orioles for IF-OF Jerry Hairston Jr., IF Mike Fontenot and RHP Dave Crouthers, Feb. 2, 2005: This was classic addition by subtraction, as the Cubs couldn’t live with Sosa any longer. Sosa’s career was on the slide with the Cubs, and he may have hit bottom in Baltimore.

How does a moron or a complete idiot or any of the other names he has been called do all of that in just a couple of years?

 

Pull your heads out of your butts people and see both sides. Is he perfect? No. Is he a moron? No. Does he have differing views on baseball than some of us? Clearly. Does that mean that he is wrong and we are right? No.

 

You are free to over-react and vent all you want on these pages. But it does get old. Especially when there is evidence presented to you that counters many of the over-reactions. That evidence often gets ignored and the bashing continues. There are more sides to be seen and understood than just your own.

From what I have seen from last offseason and this one yes he is a moron. Maybe you should get your head out of your butt. I guess 4th place in the division with a 100mil payroll is good enough for you. Well it isn't for me. So far this offseason has been a HUGE dissapointment.

Hey man, ignore the evidence if you want. I'm just tryin' to keep it real.

Hey man I understand you want to keep it real and I agree Hendry has made some nice moves but at the same time we were a 4th place team last year and in 2004 we missed the playoffs mainly because Hendry did not trade for a closer when Hawkins was struggling. You want to give Hendry the benefit of te doubt and by all means that's fine but at the same token this is a difficult year to acquire players that can make a difference and past history tells me Hendry isn't the type to throw money around. I think Hendry can still turn it around but his latest two moves reak of what he has done in the past and that will not get us playing into october. I have many reasons to support my theories and believe me I would not want nothing more than seeing the Cubs win it all.

[fromthestretch]

Perhaps Hendry intends to trade Williams for that very reason for an OF bat because of the thin FA pool. ON that level bringing in another SP makes a lot of sense.

 

Interesting. I hadn't thought of that.

 

Here's the thing, the Cubs can match or exceed pretty much any offer for Giles this offseason. And, assuming he's willing to sign if the money is good enough, the Cubs won't have to give up any players to get him.

 

If there's no way that Giles would sign with the Cubs, then yes, a trade may be the best option to take care of the outfield situation. Keep in mind though, if you do make Williams part of a trade for an impact bat, the person coming back to the Cubs in the trade is probably going to be making a decent amount of money. So the Cubs are taking on salary there. Then, they'd probably want to go out and sign a starting pitcher. To get a good one, they're going to have to shell out more money. I think all that money would be better spent on the outfield.

 

My biggest concern is that they'll just include Williams in a trade for someone like Juan Pierre. I don't want that to happen.

[CuseCubFan69]

My biggest concern is that they'll just include Williams in a trade for someone like Juan Pierre. I don't want that to happen.

 

If Pierre is all the Cubs get while trading Williams I will not be happy. You should receive 30 lashes with a wet toothpick if this happens!

[frostwyrm]

No one saw Hollandsworth's struggles coming? That's a laugh. Most of us here knew what would happen. People have said a MLB general manager has better things to do than look at message boards, but apparently that isn't true.

I disagree.

 

While it is true that several people predicted that Hollandsworth wouldn't produce anywhere near the numbers he put up in '04 before he got injured, no one predicted that he would be so far under his career averages. And no one predicted that Hollandsworth would start the year the way he did. No one.

 

WRONG. Going into 2005 Hollandsworth had 1351 at bats in this decade, 582 of them with the Rockies. People here specifically brought this up as a reason to believe he would finish well below his career norms. Look at his stats. Ever since the 90's he's generally sucked aside from his time with the Rockies. Also, when you stop using a player predominantly in favorable matchups and start throwing him out there 5 or 6 times a week you have to expect lower numbers. Lots of us here knew this.

[BigbadB]

Hollandsworth was a good bench addition. Period. Nothing more.

 

Dusty did not see it that way.