40 man additions

[JeffH]

If he signed Eyre after the Rule 5 draft he would have had to put someone through waivers to clear the spot and that is a bigger risk to losing a prospect than through Rule 5 since the team picking the player up only has to add them to the 40 man, not keep the player on the 25 man all season.

 

That's true, although there is another option to clear space. Trading the prospects, which it seems there is going to be lots of this winter.

[BigbadB]

Jose Macias has no business holding a 40 man roster spot. Period.

[JeffH]

No way Leicester was going to make the 25 man roster and he is out of options so it would have been hasta la bye bye this spring anyway and at least Hendry got a PTBNL.

 

This is not necessarily true. If Leicester were waived at the end of spring training, a team would have to put him on its 25-man active roster if they wanted him.

 

There's a pretty good chance nobody would have wanted him that much and he'd have passed through waivers, at which point he could have been assigned to Iowa.

 

Please refer to David Kelton, 2005 spring training.

 

Hendry did this in part as a favor to Leicester.

[YearofDaCubs]

Jose Macias has no business holding a 40 man roster spot. Period.

Wow, so I guess that means he will be back next year. :evil: :evil: :roll: :roll:

[stitchface]

No way Leicester was going to make the 25 man roster and he is out of options so it would have been hasta la bye bye this spring anyway and at least Hendry got a PTBNL.

 

This is not necessarily true. If Leicester were waived at the end of spring training, a team would have to put him on its 25-man active roster if they wanted him.

 

There's a pretty good chance nobody would have wanted him that much and he'd have passed through waivers, at which point he could have been assigned to Iowa.

 

Please refer to David Kelton, 2005 spring training.

 

Hendry did this in part as a favor to Leicester.

 

 

Some favor trading him to Texas. Firing Baker would have been a favor to Leicester.

[Illini Iceman]

No way Leicester was going to make the 25 man roster and he is out of options so it would have been hasta la bye bye this spring anyway and at least Hendry got a PTBNL.

 

This is not necessarily true. If Leicester were waived at the end of spring training, a team would have to put him on its 25-man active roster if they wanted him.

 

There's a pretty good chance nobody would have wanted him that much and he'd have passed through waivers, at which point he could have been assigned to Iowa.

 

Please refer to David Kelton, 2005 spring training.

 

Hendry did this in part as a favor to Leicester.

 

At his age if he was waived and no team in MLB was willing to pick him up to put on the 25 man roster then I don't see why he would be worthy of a 40 man spot (especially not worthy enough for BP to call it "dumb" to trade him).

Macias is not worth a spot, but there a probably guys you could make better arguments for using the spot on than Leicester. Personally I don't see why Koronka is holding a spot either.

[stitchface]

No way Leicester was going to make the 25 man roster and he is out of options so it would have been hasta la bye bye this spring anyway and at least Hendry got a PTBNL.

 

This is not necessarily true. If Leicester were waived at the end of spring training, a team would have to put him on its 25-man active roster if they wanted him.

 

There's a pretty good chance nobody would have wanted him that much and he'd have passed through waivers, at which point he could have been assigned to Iowa.

 

Please refer to David Kelton, 2005 spring training.

 

Hendry did this in part as a favor to Leicester.

 

 

At his age if he was waived and no team in MLB was willing to pick him up to put on the 25 man roster then I don't see why he would be worthy of a 40 man spot (especially not worthy enough for BP to call it "dumb" to trade him).

Macias is not worth a spot, but there a probably guys you could make better arguments for using the spot on than Leicester. Personally I don't see why Koronka is holding a spot either.

 

BP didn't call the trade dumb, they called necessitating the trade by having Neifi and Macias on the 40 man dumb.

[JeffH]

At his age if he was waived and no team in MLB was willing to pick him up to put on the 25 man roster then I don't see why he would be worthy of a 40 man spot (especially not worthy enough for BP to call it "dumb" to trade him).

 

I don't understand your point. Maybe it's me, sorry.

 

Starting next April, he can never again be on a 40-man roster without being in the majors.

 

It might have been worth it to the Cubs to carry him through spring training to see if he was good enough to make the team, good enough to get better value in trade, or unimpressive enough to make it through waivers so he could have another year in the minors to try to work things out.

 

I'm fine with having traded him, but BP's point is valid (although the move wasn't "dumb") - even if they don't understand WHY it's valid.

[Illini Iceman]

At his age if he was waived and no team in MLB was willing to pick him up to put on the 25 man roster then I don't see why he would be worthy of a 40 man spot (especially not worthy enough for BP to call it "dumb" to trade him).

 

I don't understand your point. Maybe it's me, sorry.

 

Starting next April, he can never again be on a 40-man roster without being in the majors.

 

It might have been worth it to the Cubs to carry him through spring training to see if he was good enough to make the team, good enough to get better value in trade, or unimpressive enough to make it through waivers so he could have another year in the minors to try to work things out.

 

I'm fine with having traded him, but BP's point is valid (although the move wasn't "dumb") - even if they don't understand WHY it's valid.

 

I think we actually agree. Macias is wasting a 40 man spot but I don't think that the reason it is a waste is because they could not keep Leciester on the 40 man. There are more worthy prospects.

I see very little chance Leciester would make the team, do enough to increase his trade value above PTBNL level or work things out at his age with another year in AAA. For a player of his talent / rank in the Cubs system I agree with trading him to the first team that wants him for whatever you can get, which is exactly what Hendry probably did.

[don_kessinger_was_good]

Like everyone else, I agree Hendry is a buffoon when it comes to managing his 40-man roster. Yet another reason he needs to go. I don't have a problem with exposing guys like Sing, Greenberg, Brownlie and Fontenot per se--each is a marginal contributor at best, there is no Andy Sisco in that bunch. But since each does have some potential value, it is just inexcusable to waste a spot on a deadbeat like Jose Macias. Again. What the hell is Hendry's problem? How is it that he is the ONLY guy in baseball that can't seem to figure this out? Does Macias have incriminating pictures of Hendry doing something illegal? I mean, that's the only conceivable explanation at this point.

 

Settling down a bit, I thought Greenberg or Sing could be a viable 5th OF option, and I certainly think Fontenot can hit as well as Neifi, so I'm disappointed as usual with Hendry, but not livid like I was last year with Sisco. As for Brownlie, it would have been nice to see if he could develop into a useful ML middle reliever, but we already have a logjam there, so I can understand that decision no problem. If Brownlie can't start, he has marginal value.

[RockTheIvy]

Like everyone else, I agree Hendry is a buffoon when it comes to managing his 40-man roster. Yet another reason he needs to go. I don't have a problem with exposing guys like Sing, Greenberg, Brownlie and Fontenot per se--each is a marginal contributor at best, there is no Andy Sisco in that bunch. But since each does have some potential value, it is just inexcusable to waste a spot on a deadbeat like Jose Macias. Again. What the hell is Hendry's problem? How is it that he is the ONLY guy in baseball that can't seem to figure this out? Does Macias have incriminating pictures of Hendry doing something illegal? I mean, that's the only conceivable explanation at this point.

 

Settling down a bit, I thought Greenberg or Sing could be a viable 5th OF option, and I certainly think Fontenot can hit as well as Neifi, so I'm disappointed as usual with Hendry, but not livid like I was last year with Sisco. As for Brownlie, it would have been nice to see if he could develop into a useful ML middle reliever, but we already have a logjam there, so I can understand that decision no problem. If Brownlie can't start, he has marginal value.

 

I'm actually pretty disapointed that he let Sing exposed. The guy had a very good season last year in double A. If he had no future with the Cubs, he would have provided a good trading chip, especially to an AL team who could use him as a DH.

[don_kessinger_was_good]

I'm actually pretty disapointed that he let Sing exposed. The guy had a very good season last year in double A. If he had no future with the Cubs, he would have provided a good trading chip, especially to an AL team who could use him as a DH.

 

You overvalue Sing. Look at his winter league numbers. He has some potential, he can certainly take a pitch and has legit power. But he's no young pup, and no team would give up serious value for him, you'd get a similar quasi-prospect from the AA level or so in exchange. Yes that's something, but not enough to get worked up over. If some team out there actually thought well of Sing, you can be assured he would have been traded, just like they dumped Leicester. As dumb as I think Hendry is, even HE probably knew several weeks ago which players he was going to protect and which players he wasn't.

 

So if Sing gets claimed by KC let's say, and he can stick all year, then good for him, he seems like a nice guy. Anyone from Joliet can't be all bad...

[JeffH]

This post is directed at no one in particular. It's just for information.

 

Before criticizing a GM for 40-man roster management, it may be helpful to keep in mind that, come April, there can be no more than 15 minor leaguers on optional assignment.

 

So, for every optionable minor leaguer you have on the roster over 15 as of today, you'd better have a pretty good idea that...

 

...he's going to make the opening day 25-man roster...

 

...or...

 

...you can make a worthwhile trade involving him between today and either 1) the time you need to clear a spot for a new veteran acquisition or 2) the start of the season.

 

If you add somebody today and you wind up either 1) trading them for less than fair value or 2) de-rostering them, that is true roster mismanagement.

 

The Cubs currently have 20 optionable minor leaguers on the roster.

[SouthSideRyan]

JOSE REYES?? Are you kidding me?

 

And this definitely means moves are coming. Last year Hendry left 4 or 5 spots open I want to say in order to fit FA signings on. With none open (assuming Macias is dropped) somebody's going to have to clear out to let new players in.....or this is our roster for opening day.

 

Just horrible, horrible management of this. Dope wasn't sticking anywhere, Reyes certainly wasn't sticking anywhere, Fontenot should be a front-runner for a bench position, and Sing and Greenberg should have outside chances.

 

On the plus side, he rostered Ryu, which is a pleasant surprise. I don't mind Moore being rostered, as he's a favorite of mine, but I know deep down inside, he wasn't sticking anywhere, and he certainly won't be of any help to the big league club this year. Not to mention I have a weird Richard Lewis in '05 vibe about him.

 

EDIT: Question, anybody know what Theriot's status was when he was added last year? I'm not very enamored with him and if he could've spent another year non-rostered, then that was an incredible waste adding him for September. I assume he was eligible for rule 5, but just checking.

 

And as a half-apology to Hendry, I think managing a 40 man roster for Rule 5 is the hardest part a GM has to do. You have to look ahead to the next 3-4 months of the offseason and pinpoint exactly what you're going to do in FA and trades, leaving spots open for guys that are going to come in, survey the entire rest of the league and see who's going to have spots open that they can fill with one of your non-rostered guys, and evaluate your own chips to see what kind of demand there is for both your rostered and non-rostered prospects. It's incredibly difficult and is really just a big guessing game trying to figure out how the market and the other 29 GMs are going to act in the following months. That said...JOSE REYES?

[TrueBlueCubFan]

JOSE REYES?? Are you kidding me?

 

And this definitely means moves are coming. Last year Hendry left 4 or 5 spots open I want to say in order to fit FA signings on. With none open (assuming Macias is dropped) somebody's going to have to clear out to let new players in.....or this is our roster for opening day.

 

Just horrible, horrible management of this. Dope wasn't sticking anywhere, Reyes certainly wasn't sticking anywhere, Fontenot should be a front-runner for a bench position, and Sing and Greenberg should have outside chances.

 

On the plus side, he rostered Ryu, which is a pleasant surprise. I don't mind Moore being rostered, as he's a favorite of mine, but I know deep down inside, he wasn't sticking anywhere, and he certainly won't be of any help to the big league club this year. Not to mention I have a weird Richard Lewis in '05 vibe about him.

 

The Dodgers have a GM opening. Have you applied? Since you have all the answer's to the Cubs organizatinal plans & understand all of what their scouting department sees, I'm sure you could put that on your resume.

 

FYI, Why don't you wait & see what's happens, via trades, Rule V, etc. before drawing your pessimistic conclusions?

[Bear Cub]

Is this a list of all Rule5 draft eligibles?

Bobby Browlie

Carmen Piniatello

Jon Connally

Chadd Blasko

Ryan O'Malley

Carlos Vasquez

Billy Petrick

Luke Haggerty

Jason Wylie

Jake Fox

Micah Huffpauir

Brandon Sing

Matt Craig

Buck Coats

Dwaine Bacon

 

Who did I miss? I think it is safe to say that Haggerty wont be drafted this year.

[SouthSideRyan]

FYI, Why don't you wait & see what's happens, via trades, Rule V, etc. before drawing your pessimistic conclusions?

 

Well that really isn't fair. I'd just be pessimistic to judge what happens in the offseason before the season starts. Maybe at least til the all-star break then I can start complaining. But that's not really fair either, I mean look at the Astros, they got off to a terrible start and made the World Series. Better wait til the end of the '06 season. But come on, the season's over, why dwell on the past, what's done is done, let's look ahead to '07 and make this the best darn Cubs team possible!!! But at least wait and see on those '07 moves, til the season begins...

[RynoRules]

I think you are overreacting, Southside. The point is to wait for the finished product (e/t/a mid-January) before judging.

[CubinNY]

I think you are overreacting, Southside. The point is to wait for the finished product (e/t/a mid-January) before judging.

 

You know what is funny. Come mid January people will say, "Well, you can't judge the offseason until after the season is over". Then once the season is over some people will say, "If the Cubs hadn't had all those injuries problems, or chemistry problems, or day games, etc.,

 

There is nothing wrong with honest criticism of moves any GM makes.

[JeffH]

cubs.com is !@#$%^& me off beyond belief.

 

They finally get around to updating the 40-man roster so maybe - just maybe! - I can get some intel on guy #41 who was let go and they forgot to add Scott Moore and Macias is still on there!!!

 

Lousy sons of buzzards!!!

[nilodnayr]

Ice only spent time on the ML roster in 2004 and 2005, doesnt he have another option year?!?!?

[JeffH]

That's not how options work.

 

Here's an easy way to remember it:

 

If, at any time during a given season, a player is on the 40-man roster, but not on the major league 25-man roster or the major league disabled list, he has used an option year.

 

For example - Pie was placed on the 40-man roster yesterday. If, come next spring training, he's sent to the minors and doesn't spend one day in the majors in 2006, he still used an option year.

[JeffH]

cubs.com is !@#$%^& me off beyond belief.

 

They finally get around to updating the 40-man roster so maybe - just maybe! - I can get some intel on guy #41 who was let go and they forgot to add Scott Moore and Macias is still on there!!!

 

Lousy sons of buzzards!!! (Me)

 

It appears that the deadline for "freezing" rosters is today, not yesterday.

 

Someone on another board pointed out that Wood is still on the 60-day DL. He needs to be taken off the DL and put back on the roster today. That will necessitate taking one more guy off the roster one way or another.

 

Release Macias!!!

[sporrer17]

Well I think JH protected a nice group of players, probably the same guys I would have. A few higher upside players who could be something down the road. Jose Reyes would likely have stuck with someone who could afford a light hitting defensive whiz at catcher. Plus he's only 21 or so, so he still has time to develop offensively into something semi-useful. If not, he's still better than Bako :lol:

 

One difference...I may have added Sing and dropped Ryu from the roster. I have never really liked him that much as a prospect.

[CoolHandLuke]

Well I think JH protected a nice group of players, probably the same guys I would have. A few higher upside players who could be something down the road. Jose Reyes would likely have stuck with someone who could afford a light hitting defensive whiz at catcher. Plus he's only 21 or so, so he still has time to develop offensively into something semi-useful. If not, he's still better than Bako :lol:

 

One difference...I may have added Sing and dropped Ryu from the roster. I have never really liked him that much as a prospect.

 

We already have Soto who is a pretty good defensive catcher himself and he provides a lot more offense than reyes.

 

DFA'ing Greenberg and not rostering Sing are the two most dissappointing moves to me. Not nearly like leaving Sisco unprotected though.