Your Thoughts on Hendry's Plan

[TheDude]

In various threads I have read that Hendry has no plan, Hendry's plan is to overpay bad talent and ignore "real" talent, or that Hendry can't stick to a plan.

 

There is also disagreement about whether he is too aggressive or ot aggressive enough.

 

So I'm curious to see what you think Hendry's plan is for 2006. Rather than just throw out your projected lineup, explain what the plan Hendry is trying execute is, and then explain why the player's fit into that plan. This isn't your plan, but what you think is Hendry's plan.

 

For me personally, I believe he is trying to build a team in the mold of the 2003 Marlins. Here's how:

 

-Excellent 5-man rotation during the season with an eye for total dominance in a 5 or 7 game playoff series with three #1 starters. The Cubs likely sign Washburn, Byrd, or (insert other respectable pitcher) to fill out the rotation and rely upon Rusch as a long-reliever unless someone gets hurt, at which point he becomes a fill-in starter.

 

I think Hendry will again gamble on the health of his rotation because he has no choice at this point. The team is likely expected to have a starter's ERA under 4 and one of the top staff ERAs in the league.

 

-Overhaul of the lineup in a very formulaic, traditional manner; 1-2 spots in the order have crazy speed and small-ball specialty as needed; 3-5 spots have traditional power with 25+ HR 100 RBI potential each; 6-8 have respectable production, but willing to chance a couple rookies.

 

To execute this plan, I see the Cubs trading for Juan Pierre and signing Rafael Furcal (1-2), trading for Cliff Floyd (5), and gambling on Murton and Cedeno (7-8). 3, 4, and 6 are known quantities (Lee, Ramirez, Barret).

 

While many fans here dislike the notion of small-ball, Hendry and Baker like it, and I believe Hendry pursues it. This team is built to win close games, not blow-outs. Therefore it will be necessary to have players capable of that style of game at the top of the order. I expect Hendry thinks this offense will win a whole of games 5-4, 4-3, etc., and while small-ball has been shown to be ineffective in most scenarios, it has also been shown to be more effective in one-run games and in the playoffs.

 

-Strong closer and strong bullpen. Dempster proved he was worth the gamble for a new contract. The Cubs likely sign Bob Howry and trade for one other middle reliever that posted an ERA under 3.00 (possibly from Cleveland or Minnestota). Perhaps they even target another closer candidate to set-up, but not one the premeire closer talents (Jones or Gordon types).

 

-Jerome Williams and Todd Walker will be two of the chips used to get some of the players I mentioned above. Hendry will not trade his best farm talent (Pie) and will not target any player whose worth justifies losing Pie. In other words, no super-star acquisition.

 

So what do you think Hendry's plan is?

[CaliforniaRaisin]

Hendry has a plan. It is to improve the defense and get leadoff hitters (his definition of leadoff hitters, not guys with high OBPs). Maybe even improve the pitching.

 

Then the Cubs can have their smartball too! :(

[wekse]

his plan is to drive me crazy with horrible signings.

[LuvChicagoSports]

In various threads I have read that Hendry has no plan, Hendry's plan is to overpay bad talent and ignore "real" talent, or that Hendry can't stick to a plan.

 

There is also disagreement about whether he is too aggressive or ot aggressive enough.

 

So I'm curious to see what you think Hendry's plan is for 2006. Rather than just throw out your projected lineup, explain what the plan Hendry is trying execute is, and then explain why the player's fit into that plan. This isn't your plan, but what you think is Hendry's plan.

 

For me personally, I believe he is trying to build a team in the mold of the 2003 Marlins. Here's how:

 

-Excellent 5-man rotation during the season with an eye for total dominance in a 5 or 7 game playoff series with three #1 starters. The Cubs likely sign Washburn, Byrd, or (insert other respectable pitcher) to fill out the rotation and rely upon Rusch as a long-reliever unless someone gets hurt, at which point he becomes a fill-in starter.

 

I think Hendry will again gamble on the health of his rotation because he has no choice at this point. The team is likely expected to have a starter's ERA under 4 and one of the top staff ERAs in the league.

 

-Overhaul of the lineup in a very formulaic, traditional manner; 1-2 spots in the order have crazy speed and small-ball specialty as needed; 3-5 spots have traditional power with 25+ HR 100 RBI potential each; 6-8 have respectable production, but willing to chance a couple rookies.

 

To execute this plan, I see the Cubs trading for Juan Pierre and signing Rafael Furcal (1-2), trading for Cliff Floyd (5), and gambling on Murton and Cedeno (7-8). 3, 4, and 6 are known quantities (Lee, Ramirez, Barret).

 

While many fans here dislike the notion of small-ball, Hendry and Baker like it, and I believe Hendry pursues it. This team is built to win close games, not blow-outs. Therefore it will be necessary to have players capable of that style of game at the top of the order. I expect Hendry thinks this offense will win a whole of games 5-4, 4-3, etc., and while small-ball has been shown to be ineffective in most scenarios, it has also been shown to be more effective in one-run games and in the playoffs.

 

-Strong closer and strong bullpen. Dempster proved he was worth the gamble for a new contract. The Cubs likely sign Bob Howry and trade for one other middle reliever that posted an ERA under 3.00 (possibly from Cleveland or Minnestota). Perhaps they even target another closer candidate to set-up, but not one the premeire closer talents (Jones or Gordon types).

 

-Jerome Williams and Todd Walker will be two of the chips used to get some of the players I mentioned above. Hendry will not trade his best farm talent (Pie) and will not target any player whose worth justifies losing Pie. In other words, no super-star acquisition.

 

So what do you think Hendry's plan is?

 

Couple of things, however I basically agree with your assumption of what Hendry's plan is. The Cubs have an excellent middle or start to the middle of the lineup with Lee and Ramirez, and even Barrett for that matter (our idiot manager continues to hit him in the eight hole even though he could be a productive RBI man in the 6 spot.) I think instead of adding Floyd, the Hendry is more likely to make a run at a guy like Huff, whom before this year has been very good. Huff has the experience in RF and is younger than Floyd who is on the downside of his career despite a good season last year. The signing of Neifi will hurt Hendry because he wanted to see Cedeno who he was very high on, but our idiot manager will play Cedeno once a week and Neifi six times per week.

[YearofDaCubs]

I personally think Hendry has no game plan. He tries to put things together without thinking them out. It's the same reason why we have glaring holes at the same positions for years now. He always tries to sign guys for a discount. He never seems willing to spend the big money to acquire the big time free agents that would have put us over the top. In the past 3 years there have been many free agents whom would have made a huge difference on this team but Hendry didn't have the balls to pull the trigger on them. When we needed an SS and paying AGon 6mil to play here we didnt even bother looking at Tejada. Not even give looks to Vlad when he was available. Hendry lacks foresight and that's one reason why he will never put us over the top. I didn't like the Baker signing form the get-go but I didn't think it was a terrible move. After dealing with Baker in 2004 and 2005 I can see why the Giants dropped him like a bad habit after he took them to the World Series. The bigger problem with Baker is that Hendry doesn't put him in his place. There should have been no reason why our 1-2 hitters were so bad last year. When you add Hendry and Baker together you get a combination no better than dog food. I am convinced that the Cubs will not amount to anything as long as the dynamic duo clowns are here as GM and Manager. Edited November 8, 2005 by YearofDaCubs

[CubfaninCA]

Hendry has a bias towards pitching. I think the signing of Maddux is evidence of this.

 

The overall plan seems to be build a really strong pitching staff and get position players who will be around for a while (Lee, ARam, Barrett).. Furcal fits into this m.o., and I have a feeling he'll use Walker to get a long-term fit. Of course, they could always opt for Jeff Kent instead. As for pitchers, Burnett, Washburn, Lowe and Livan Hernandez may all be on their radar. Am pretty sure Hendry will get another solid starter.

[Backtobanks]

In various threads I have read that Hendry has no plan, Hendry's plan is to overpay bad talent and ignore "real" talent, or that Hendry can't stick to a plan.

 

There is also disagreement about whether he is too aggressive or ot aggressive enough.

 

So I'm curious to see what you think Hendry's plan is for 2006. Rather than just throw out your projected lineup, explain what the plan Hendry is trying execute is, and then explain why the player's fit into that plan. This isn't your plan, but what you think is Hendry's plan.

 

For me personally, I believe he is trying to build a team in the mold of the 2003 Marlins. Here's how:

 

-Excellent 5-man rotation during the season with an eye for total dominance in a 5 or 7 game playoff series with three #1 starters. The Cubs likely sign Washburn, Byrd, or (insert other respectable pitcher) to fill out the rotation and rely upon Rusch as a long-reliever unless someone gets hurt, at which point he becomes a fill-in starter.

 

I think Hendry will again gamble on the health of his rotation because he has no choice at this point. The team is likely expected to have a starter's ERA under 4 and one of the top staff ERAs in the league.

 

-Overhaul of the lineup in a very formulaic, traditional manner; 1-2 spots in the order have crazy speed and small-ball specialty as needed; 3-5 spots have traditional power with 25+ HR 100 RBI potential each; 6-8 have respectable production, but willing to chance a couple rookies.

 

To execute this plan, I see the Cubs trading for Juan Pierre and signing Rafael Furcal (1-2), trading for Cliff Floyd (5), and gambling on Murton and Cedeno (7-8). 3, 4, and 6 are known quantities (Lee, Ramirez, Barret).

 

While many fans here dislike the notion of small-ball, Hendry and Baker like it, and I believe Hendry pursues it. This team is built to win close games, not blow-outs. Therefore it will be necessary to have players capable of that style of game at the top of the order. I expect Hendry thinks this offense will win a whole of games 5-4, 4-3, etc., and while small-ball has been shown to be ineffective in most scenarios, it has also been shown to be more effective in one-run games and in the playoffs.

 

-Strong closer and strong bullpen. Dempster proved he was worth the gamble for a new contract. The Cubs likely sign Bob Howry and trade for one other middle reliever that posted an ERA under 3.00 (possibly from Cleveland or Minnestota). Perhaps they even target another closer candidate to set-up, but not one the premeire closer talents (Jones or Gordon types).

 

-Jerome Williams and Todd Walker will be two of the chips used to get some of the players I mentioned above. Hendry will not trade his best farm talent (Pie) and will not target any player whose worth justifies losing Pie. In other words, no super-star acquisition.

 

So what do you think Hendry's plan is?

 

It is nice to read a rational post without ranting about what an idiot JH is. I am a big supporter of JH and I do think he has a plan in place, but the signing of Perez is a little hard to understand. I do think Floyd would be a good pickup for RF. I think there is a big deal or two out there because of all of the spare parts he seems to be accumulating. With those spare parts, Rule 5 players, tons of money, and prospects, he ought to build a team that can contend.

[TheDude]

I personally think Hendry has no game plan. He tried to put things togetehr without thinking them out. It's the same reason why we have glaring holes at the same positions for years now. He always tries to sign guys for a discount. He never seems willing to spend the big money to acquire the big time free agents that would have put us over the top. In the past 3 years there have been many free agents whom would have made a huge difference on this team but Hendry didn't have the balls to pull the trigger on them. When we needed an SS and paying AGon 6mil to play here we didnt even bother looking at Tejada. Not even give looks to Vlad when he was available. Hendry lacks foresight and that's one reason why he will never put us over the top. I didn't like the Baker signing form the get-go but I didn't think it was a terrible move. After dealing with Baker in 2004 and 2005 I can see why the Giants dropped him like a bad habit after he took them to the World Series. The bigger problem with Baker is that Hendry doesn't put him in his place. There should have been no reason why our 1-2 hitters were so bad last year. When you add Hendry and Baker together you get a combination no better than dog food. I am convinced that the Cubs will not amount to anything as long as the dynamic duo clowns are here as GM and Manager.

 

So your entire argument is that, because Hendry hasn't signed the premeire FA of each off-season the last few years, he has no plan whatsoever?

 

That's an extremely narrow view. How many rings do Vlad and Tejada have? Or how about the best player in baseball, A-Rod, how many does he have?

[YearofDaCubs]

B2B,

 

I would much rather have Mench over Floyd. The move to me isn't really hard to understand. We have seen this type of move with Hendry before. I saw this one coming a mile away but was hoping that Hendry finally has learned from his mistakes and would try somethign different.

[CubinNY]

Floyd is more of a LFer. He has only played a handful of games in RF. However, I could see Hendry placing him in RF. Floyd is the streakeist of streaky hitters. If the Cubs get him we will have to live with the prolonged slumps in between hot streaks.

[YearofDaCubs]

I personally think Hendry has no game plan. He tried to put things togetehr without thinking them out. It's the same reason why we have glaring holes at the same positions for years now. He always tries to sign guys for a discount. He never seems willing to spend the big money to acquire the big time free agents that would have put us over the top. In the past 3 years there have been many free agents whom would have made a huge difference on this team but Hendry didn't have the balls to pull the trigger on them. When we needed an SS and paying AGon 6mil to play here we didnt even bother looking at Tejada. Not even give looks to Vlad when he was available. Hendry lacks foresight and that's one reason why he will never put us over the top. I didn't like the Baker signing form the get-go but I didn't think it was a terrible move. After dealing with Baker in 2004 and 2005 I can see why the Giants dropped him like a bad habit after he took them to the World Series. The bigger problem with Baker is that Hendry doesn't put him in his place. There should have been no reason why our 1-2 hitters were so bad last year. When you add Hendry and Baker together you get a combination no better than dog food. I am convinced that the Cubs will not amount to anything as long as the dynamic duo clowns are here as GM and Manager.

 

So your entire argument is that, because Hendry hasn't signed the premeire FA of each off-season the last few years, he has no plan whatsoever?

 

That's an extremely narrow view. How many rings do Vlad and Tejada have? Or how about the best player in baseball, A-Rod, how many does he have?

No, it is not my entire arguement. He does not go after the top tier free agents and leaves glaring holes at positions year in year out. What game plan has Hendry had? Sign or trade for a closer last year? Good thing Dempster worked out or else we might have been last in the division. What kind fo job did Hendry do to improve the OF after trading Sosa when other OF help was available? Our bench looked might good last year with Macias and his .160 avg in pinch hitting situations. Then again you probably though Hollandsworth was the answer in left. What kind of game plan has he had?

Edited November 8, 2005 by YearofDaCubs

[Soul]

There are basically two ways to go. One way is to spend on free agents, which costs alot of $$$. The other is to build from within, which requires a good farm system.

 

In the case of free agents, Hendry is limited because the Trib won't let him truly spend like the top-tier teams, ala NY & Boston. In this case, we're screwed.

 

In the case of building from within, the Cubs' minor league system hasn't produced reliable position talent for decades. The pitching farm seems alright, but that's half the puzzle. So, we're also pretty much screwed in this case as well.

 

I don't see it. We're not bringing in the franchise-changing talent from either the minors or free agency. It's not happening. We will see what happens in the coming months. Right now it's pretty bleak from where I'm sitting.

[Magnetic Curses]

I expect Hendry thinks this offense will win a whole of games 5-4, 4-3, etc., and while small-ball has been shown to be ineffective in most scenarios, it has also been shown to be more effective in one-run games and in the playoffs.

 

this is subjective, and why the cubs organization is worthless. it gives dusty the opportunity to micromanage his way to a losing season, despite dlee having an mvp-type year. small-ball does nothing but give the other team opportunities to keep the score close in a game that should be a blowout. small ball CAUSES more one-run games than it wins.

 

if you're smart, you build a team for 162 games, a team that gets on base consistently, hits the ball consistently, and acts consistent in every situation. if they have men on base, they try to hit the ball hard and drive runners in or take a walk because the pitcher is pitching around them. will they leave runners on base? of course. good hitters get hits 30% of the time, so that's bound to happen. they will leave situational hitting for the teams that are too gutless to have faith in their abilities and the teams that enjoy being inconsistent in their decision-making, teams that don't understand laws of averages or attempt to get every coinflip right by calling heads or tails based on gut instinct--you call heads 100 times in 100 situations and you are right 50 times, the rest is up to the talent of your team. you do NOT handicap your team by calling tails 50 times and heads 50 times.

 

end strange rant.

[fromthestretch]

What I think they'll do:

 

1. I see them dealing Walker, which I think is a bad move. He gets on base as well as Furcal and has more power. Factor in that he's only due $2.5 million this year, and I think it's a no-brainer that you keep him. If they do deal Walker, I really hope they get something good in return.

 

2. I see them overpaying for Furcal. Not that Furcal wouldn't be an improvement over last year, but I'm not sure it's enough of an improvement to justify the huge salary.

 

3. I see them doing way too little to address the outfield. Getting someone like Giles or Dunn would be nice. However, I see them settling for a Juan Pierre or Juan Encarnacion.

 

4. I can see them getting a mediocre arm to add to the bullpen. I could also see them overpaying for a mediocre starter. I really hope it isn't Washburn.

 

I do think Hendry has a plan. I just don't think it's a very good one. Obviously, it appears that he wants to bolster defense, and with the Neifi signing, it appears he's willing to overpay for it and take care of it at the expense of the offense. If the Cubs didn't have Cedeno, bringing Neifi back for a bench role wouldn't have been bad (although not for that amount of money). However, there's no doubt in my mind that Cedeno can outproduce Neifi offensively, and he's a solid defensive player.

[abuck1220]

hendry's plan is to try and copy what the most recent world series champs did.

 

the red sox were perceived to have won it in '04 with comraderie and clubhouse shenanigans, so he got rid of all the bad seeds and built a team of BFF's. never mind the bosox great on base % and slugging...

 

the white sox were perceived to have won it all in '05 with speed and defense, so he gave neifi perez the contract of a lifetime. never mind that the white sox actually hit a ton of homeruns and had a great bullpen...

 

so yeah, that's his plan.

[Brian]

step 1: bring back all coaches

step 2: sign Glendon Rusch for 2 years

step 3: sign Neifi Perez for 2 years

 

whatever his plan is a freaking hate it, and i'm sure 2 other steps in there are his and dusty's extensions :x.

[CubfaninCA]

I personally think Hendry has no game plan. He tries to put things together without thinking them out. It's the same reason why we have glaring holes at the same positions for years now. He always tries to sign guys for a discount. He never seems willing to spend the big money to acquire the big time free agents that would have put us over the top. In the past 3 years there have been many free agents whom would have made a huge difference on this team but Hendry didn't have the balls to pull the trigger on them. When we needed an SS and paying AGon 6mil to play here we didnt even bother looking at Tejada. Not even give looks to Vlad when he was available. Hendry lacks foresight and that's one reason why he will never put us over the top. I didn't like the Baker signing form the get-go but I didn't think it was a terrible move. After dealing with Baker in 2004 and 2005 I can see why the Giants dropped him like a bad habit after he took them to the World Series. The bigger problem with Baker is that Hendry doesn't put him in his place. There should have been no reason why our 1-2 hitters were so bad last year. When you add Hendry and Baker together you get a combination no better than dog food. I am convinced that the Cubs will not amount to anything as long as the dynamic duo clowns are here as GM and Manager.

 

Example of a glaring hole for years?? He filled 1b, 3b and catcher w/ long-term solutions. All 3 pickups were steals btw. 2b and SS were filled by spot-gaps, who are beloved by many on this board. LF looks to be filled by a great pickup. CF was set aside for Patterson. Can't blame Hendry. As for RF, Sammy's only been gone for a year.

[TheDude]

I expect Hendry thinks this offense will win a whole of games 5-4, 4-3, etc., and while small-ball has been shown to be ineffective in most scenarios, it has also been shown to be more effective in one-run games and in the playoffs.

 

this is subjective, and why the cubs organization is worthless. it gives dusty the opportunity to micromanage his way to a losing season, despite dlee having an mvp-type year. small-ball does nothing but give the other team opportunities to keep the score close in a game that should be a blowout. small ball CAUSES more one-run games than it wins.

 

My last comment was not subjective. The data proves it.

 

I have to ask, why does small-ball cause more one-run games? I think you jumped to the conclusion that all small-ball haters jump to, which is to assume that all 9 innings of the game are played that way. The relaity is, you play small-ball in select situations, when down by one run late in the game, or up by one run and in position to grab an insurance run.

 

Since you don't start executing small-ball until you're already in a one-run game, you comment makes no sense to me.

[HoopsCubs]

Hendry's plan is pretty clear to me:

 

(1) Pitching

(2) More pitching

(3) Defense

(4) Durability

(5) Timely hitting

 

He's trying to do what the White Sox and Astros did in 2005, and what the Marlins and Angels did in 2003 and 2002.

 

Anyone who doesn't meet a significant number of those categories is out. Patterson is going to be dealt because of (5) and maybe even (3); Walker is going to be dealt because of (3) and (4). Burnitz and Garciaparra aren't being brought back because of (5), and (3) and (4), respectively.

 

Rusch was brought back because of (2) and (4), and Neifi was brought back because of (3) and (4).

 

Here's the line-up that I am now envisioning:

 

Furcal

Pierre

Lee

Ramirez

right fielder (Encarnacion, Wilson, Mench, maybe Abreu depending on what Gillick wants)

Murton

Barrett

Cedeno/Perez

 

Rotation:

 

Zambrano

Prior

Millwood or Burnett or Washburn or Livan

Maddux

Rusch

Wood

[TheDude]

Hoops, I think we are talking basically the same thing. So I am in agreement with your assessment.

[fromthestretch]

Hendry's plan is pretty clear to me:

 

(1) Pitching

(2) More pitching

(3) Defense

(4) Durability

(5) Timely hitting

 

He's trying to do what the White Sox and Astros did in 2005, and what the Marlins and Angels did in 2003 and 2002.

 

Anyone who doesn't meet a significant number of those categories is out. Patterson is going to be dealt because of (5) and maybe even (3); Walker is going to be dealt because of (3) and (4). Burnitz and Garciaparra aren't being brought back because of (5), and (3) and (4), respectively.

 

Rusch was brought back because of (2) and (4), and Neifi was brought back because of (3) and (4).

 

Here's the line-up that I am now envisioning:

 

Furcal

Pierre

Lee

Ramirez

right fielder (Encarnacion, Wilson, Mench, maybe Abreu depending on what Gillick wants)

Murton

Barrett

Cedeno/Perez

 

Rotation:

 

Zambrano

Prior

Millwood or Burnett or Washburn or Livan

Maddux

Rusch

Wood

 

I'd hate to think they are questioning Walker's durability when the time he missed this year was due to a 235+ lbs. outfielder sliding hard into his knee. Yes, he was hurt a bit last year, but this year's injury wasn't really a durability issue. Outside of 2004, he's never really had injury issues that I know of. Based on your list above, I think he's being dealt for (3) and (6), with (6) being perceived willingness to speak honestly with the media.

[Soul]

Hendry's plan is pretty clear to me:

 

(1) Pitching

(2) More pitching

(3) Defense

(4) Durability

(5) Timely hitting

 

He's trying to do what the White Sox and Astros did in 2005, and what the Marlins and Angels did in 2003 and 2002.

 

Anyone who doesn't meet a significant number of those categories is out. Patterson is going to be dealt because of (5) and maybe even (3); Walker is going to be dealt because of (3) and (4). Burnitz and Garciaparra aren't being brought back because of (5), and (3) and (4), respectively.

 

Rusch was brought back because of (2) and (4), and Neifi was brought back because of (3) and (4).

 

Here's the line-up that I am now envisioning:

 

Furcal

Pierre

Lee

Ramirez

right fielder (Encarnacion, Wilson, Mench, maybe Abreu depending on what Gillick wants)

Murton

Barrett

Cedeno/Perez

 

Rotation:

 

Zambrano

Prior

Millwood or Burnett or Washburn or Livan

Maddux

Rusch

Wood

 

There's a little thing about lineup projections in early November: they're always way off. We'll see what happens. This lineup doesn't look like a playoff team to me, so are you worried or do you think if it came to fruition it would be good?

[CubfaninCA]

I personally think Hendry has no game plan. He tried to put things togetehr without thinking them out. It's the same reason why we have glaring holes at the same positions for years now. He always tries to sign guys for a discount. He never seems willing to spend the big money to acquire the big time free agents that would have put us over the top. In the past 3 years there have been many free agents whom would have made a huge difference on this team but Hendry didn't have the balls to pull the trigger on them. When we needed an SS and paying AGon 6mil to play here we didnt even bother looking at Tejada. Not even give looks to Vlad when he was available. Hendry lacks foresight and that's one reason why he will never put us over the top. I didn't like the Baker signing form the get-go but I didn't think it was a terrible move. After dealing with Baker in 2004 and 2005 I can see why the Giants dropped him like a bad habit after he took them to the World Series. The bigger problem with Baker is that Hendry doesn't put him in his place. There should have been no reason why our 1-2 hitters were so bad last year. When you add Hendry and Baker together you get a combination no better than dog food. I am convinced that the Cubs will not amount to anything as long as the dynamic duo clowns are here as GM and Manager.

 

So your entire argument is that, because Hendry hasn't signed the premeire FA of each off-season the last few years, he has no plan whatsoever?

 

That's an extremely narrow view. How many rings do Vlad and Tejada have? Or how about the best player in baseball, A-Rod, how many does he have?

No, it is not my entire arguement. He does not go after the top tier free agents and leaves glaring holes at positions year in year out. What game plan has Hendry had? Sign or trade for a closer last year? Good thing Dempster worked out or else we might have been last in the division. What kind fo job did Hendry do to improve the OF after trading Sosa when other OF help was available? Our bench looked might good last year with Macias and his .160 avg in pinch hitting situations. Then again you probably though Hollandsworth was the answer in left. What kind of game plan has he had?

 

So do you think Hendry should get major props for getting Dempster or is he another guy who fell in the Cubs lap just like Murton?

[YearofDaCubs]

I personally think Hendry has no game plan. He tries to put things together without thinking them out. It's the same reason why we have glaring holes at the same positions for years now. He always tries to sign guys for a discount. He never seems willing to spend the big money to acquire the big time free agents that would have put us over the top. In the past 3 years there have been many free agents whom would have made a huge difference on this team but Hendry didn't have the balls to pull the trigger on them. When we needed an SS and paying AGon 6mil to play here we didnt even bother looking at Tejada. Not even give looks to Vlad when he was available. Hendry lacks foresight and that's one reason why he will never put us over the top. I didn't like the Baker signing form the get-go but I didn't think it was a terrible move. After dealing with Baker in 2004 and 2005 I can see why the Giants dropped him like a bad habit after he took them to the World Series. The bigger problem with Baker is that Hendry doesn't put him in his place. There should have been no reason why our 1-2 hitters were so bad last year. When you add Hendry and Baker together you get a combination no better than dog food. I am convinced that the Cubs will not amount to anything as long as the dynamic duo clowns are here as GM and Manager.

 

Example of a glaring hole for years?? He filled 1b, 3b and catcher w/ long-term solutions. All 3 pickups were steals btw. 2b and SS were filled by spot-gaps, who are beloved by many on this board. LF looks to be filled by a great pickup. CF was set aside for Patterson. Can't blame Hendry. As for RF, Sammy's only been gone for a year.

We had galring holes in RF last year. We had glaring holes at SS before we traded for Nomar. We have had significant glaring holes in our bullpen. We also had glaring holes on our bench last year too unless you think Macias was a viable option. Yes, I have to say that every year we have galring holes somewhere. A little planning on Hendry's end and it wouldn;t be too bad. Bottom line we haven't done anything since 2003. So for two year with a 100mil payroll we did not make the playoffs. That is a problem, a huge one. This offseason is looking more like last year's offseason and that isn't a good thing. At this rate we might even regress from 2004 which has been a trend that started at the beginning of last year.

[YearofDaCubs]

I personally think Hendry has no game plan. He tried to put things togetehr without thinking them out. It's the same reason why we have glaring holes at the same positions for years now. He always tries to sign guys for a discount. He never seems willing to spend the big money to acquire the big time free agents that would have put us over the top. In the past 3 years there have been many free agents whom would have made a huge difference on this team but Hendry didn't have the balls to pull the trigger on them. When we needed an SS and paying AGon 6mil to play here we didnt even bother looking at Tejada. Not even give looks to Vlad when he was available. Hendry lacks foresight and that's one reason why he will never put us over the top. I didn't like the Baker signing form the get-go but I didn't think it was a terrible move. After dealing with Baker in 2004 and 2005 I can see why the Giants dropped him like a bad habit after he took them to the World Series. The bigger problem with Baker is that Hendry doesn't put him in his place. There should have been no reason why our 1-2 hitters were so bad last year. When you add Hendry and Baker together you get a combination no better than dog food. I am convinced that the Cubs will not amount to anything as long as the dynamic duo clowns are here as GM and Manager.

 

So your entire argument is that, because Hendry hasn't signed the premeire FA of each off-season the last few years, he has no plan whatsoever?

 

That's an extremely narrow view. How many rings do Vlad and Tejada have? Or how about the best player in baseball, A-Rod, how many does he have?

No, it is not my entire arguement. He does not go after the top tier free agents and leaves glaring holes at positions year in year out. What game plan has Hendry had? Sign or trade for a closer last year? Good thing Dempster worked out or else we might have been last in the division. What kind fo job did Hendry do to improve the OF after trading Sosa when other OF help was available? Our bench looked might good last year with Macias and his .160 avg in pinch hitting situations. Then again you probably though Hollandsworth was the answer in left. What kind of game plan has he had?

 

So do you think Hendry should get major props for getting Dempster or is he another guy who fell in the Cubs lap just like Murton?

First let me say that Dempster started the year as a starting pitcher which was the opposite of what Hendry wanted. He wasn't a very good starting pitcher and was moved to the bullpen. I do give props to Hendry for acquiring Dempster but one pitcher doesn't make the bullpen. He also passed on a lot of closers the past two years. Hendry isn't all bad but he's bad enough where we haven't made the playoffs the past 2 years with a 100 mil payroll? What exactly do expect from this year? You like to criticize my views what exactly are yours? You think these moves are good enough to compete with Milwauke, Cards, Astros to get us into the playoffs? If so, you've got another thing coming. Hendry's past history proves to me he is going to have a very hard time improving this team enough for us to be contenders in 2006. I hope I'm wrong but I have a feeling I won't be.