Howry signs with Cubs (yes, it's official)

[Schwarber Fan]

ESPN.com is now reporting it:

 

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=2235175

 

yes i will change the name of this thread

[UMFan83]

Without reading 25+ pages on this....this signing means that which players are expendable/bound for Iowa in April:

 

Bullpen as I see it:

 

Dempster ®

Howry ®

Eyre (L)

Williamson ®

Ohman (L)

Wuertz (L)/Rusch (L) (depending on if a starter is aquired/status of Kerry)

Novoa ®

 

These players are expendable or in AAA:

 

Williams

Wellemeyer

Mitre

[TXCubsFan]

Without reading 25+ pages on this....this signing means that which players are expendable/bound for Iowa in April:

 

Bullpen as I see it:

 

Dempster ®

Howry ®

Eyre (L)

Williamson ®

Ohman (L)

Wuertz (R)/Rusch (L) (depending on if a starter is aquired/status of Kerry)

Novoa ®

 

These players are expendable or in AAA:

 

Williams

Wellemeyer

Mitre

 

Corrected.

[nolanwood]

Excellent - we're gonna have one helluva dominant bullpen in '06! Now, I have faith Hendry is gonna bring us the offensive help we need and we're gonna go into '06 looking very tough.

[Guest]

Without reading 25+ pages on this....this signing means that which players are expendable/bound for Iowa in April:

 

Bullpen as I see it:

 

Dempster ®

Howry ®

Eyre (L)

Williamson ®

Ohman (L)

Wuertz (L)/Rusch (L) (depending on if a starter is aquired/status of Kerry)

Novoa ®

 

These players are expendable or in AAA:

 

Williams

Wellemeyer

Mitre

Welly and Mitre can't be sent to AAA without clearing waivers first. (Out of options.)

 

I don't see how we'll avoid carrying a 12-man staff for another entire season. Guess that means we'll need Macias' "versatility" again.

[MeatampPotatoesMan]

Excellent - we're gonna have one helluva dominant bullpen in '06! Now, I have faith Hendry is gonna bring us the offensive help we need and we're gonna go into '06 looking very tough.

 

I wasn't crazy about Eyre, but Howry is a much better deal, IMO. If Dempster starts blowing games regularly, we'll have someone capable of stepping in to close (howry).

 

I would have rather spent the money on the offense rather than on the bullpen, but WELCOME TO CHICAGO MR. HOWRY!!! :D

 

Have 3 awesome seasons, please. 8)

Edited November 24, 2005 by Meat&PotatoesMan

[JWCUB]

Without reading 25+ pages on this....this signing means that which players are expendable/bound for Iowa in April:

 

Bullpen as I see it:

 

Dempster ®

Howry ®

Eyre (L)

Williamson ®

Ohman (L)

Wuertz (L)/Rusch (L) (depending on if a starter is aquired/status of Kerry)

Novoa ®

 

These players are expendable or in AAA:

 

Williams

Wellemeyer

Mitre

Welly and Mitre can't be sent to AAA without clearing waivers first. (Out of options.)

 

I don't see how we'll avoid carrying a 12-man staff for another entire season. Guess that means we'll need Macias' "versatility" again.

 

 

IMO Welly and Mitre will be part of a trade to bring in a big bat.

[CardsFanInChiTown]

Without reading 25+ pages on this....this signing means that which players are expendable/bound for Iowa in April:

 

Bullpen as I see it:

 

Dempster ®

Howry ®

Eyre (L)

Williamson ®

Ohman (L)

Wuertz (L)/Rusch (L) (depending on if a starter is aquired/status of Kerry)

Novoa ®

 

These players are expendable or in AAA:

 

Williams

Wellemeyer

Mitre

Welly and Mitre can't be sent to AAA without clearing waivers first. (Out of options.)

 

I don't see how we'll avoid carrying a 12-man staff for another entire season. Guess that means we'll need Macias' "versatility" again.

 

 

IMO Welly and Mitre will be part of a trade to bring in a big bat.

 

I would temper my expectations if those 2 guys are involved.

[mg420]

Without reading 25+ pages on this....this signing means that which players are expendable/bound for Iowa in April:

 

Bullpen as I see it:

 

Dempster ®

Howry ®

Eyre (L)

Williamson ®

Ohman (L)

Wuertz (L)/Rusch (L) (depending on if a starter is aquired/status of Kerry)

Novoa ®

 

These players are expendable or in AAA:

 

Williams

Wellemeyer

Mitre

Welly and Mitre can't be sent to AAA without clearing waivers first. (Out of options.)

 

I don't see how we'll avoid carrying a 12-man staff for another entire season. Guess that means we'll need Macias' "versatility" again.

 

 

IMO Welly and Mitre will be part of a trade to bring in a big bat.

 

perhaps they are the 2nd & 3rd players in the pierre trade. i would guess that at least one of them will be included with pinto if the trade actullay goes through.

[Jehrico]

Once Demp became a closer in 05 was the Cubs bullpen really that bad? Anyone have the numbers? Thanks!

 

Dempster made his first appearance from the pen on Wed 11 May.

 

dates          Bullpen ERA
04 Apr - 10 May      4.243
11 May - 02 Oct      4.258

 

Interesting, that's worse then I thought. Thanks!

 

That's not really a fair way to put it. He took awhile adjusting to the pen, and didn't become the closer until quite abit later. I don't have the breakdown, but once he adjusted to the pen and closer role, he was lights out. I don't think he allowed a run, earned or otherwise, the last 5 or 6 weeks of the year, or something like that.

[CubsWin]

People are acting as if having Novoa in the pen would doom the Cubs in 2006. He'd be the seventh option out of the pen. That's very akin to saying that having Macias on the bench dooms the Cubs.

You mean it doesn't?

[NorthsideAvenger]

Excellent - we're gonna have one helluva dominant bullpen in '06! Now, I have faith Hendry is gonna bring us the offensive help we need and we're gonna go into '06 looking very tough.

 

I wasn't crazy about Eyre, but Howry is a much better deal, IMO. If Dempster starts blowing games regularly, we'll have someone capable of stepping in to close (howry).

 

I would have rather spent the money on the offense rather than on the bullpen, but WELCOME BACK TO CHICAGO MR. HOWRY!!! :D

 

Have 3 awesome seasons, please. 8)

 

 

FIXED.

[Roast]

You'd think I'd be excited that Hendry is going out and raping and pillaging the market of anything slightly valuble so early on. And really, Before the offseason started, I wouldnt really have been opposed to signing Erye and Howry. Its just that he is tossing out three year contracts left and right is a bit disturbing. As is the ammount of money, which I think coudl be better spent on Giles. But hey, at least we are making some noise.

[Crash]

While I don't mind Howry on the Cubs the contract is too much. Of course I refuse to be upset about this until I see the rest of Hendry's offseason. If he can still signficantly upgrade the offense (at least one OPS monster in the outfield please) then overspending on the Bullpen isn't much of an issue for me this season. But if we have to skimp on the OF because of redundent bullpen arms then it will be most annoying.

[NCCubFan]

People are acting as if having Novoa in the pen would doom the Cubs in 2006. He'd be the seventh option out of the pen. That's very akin to saying that having Macias on the bench dooms the Cubs.

Having Macias on the bench definitely won't doom the Cubs.

 

Having him in the field or at the plate, however,.....

[frostwyrm]

I really wish Hendry had tried trading some of our other relievers before hastily signing Eyre/Howry. Now Hendry's total lack of faith in our homegrown guys has been exposed before they could be dealt.

[WrigleyField 22]

I really wish Hendry had tried trading some of our other relievers before hastily signing Eyre/Howry. Now Hendry's total lack of faith in our homegrown guys has been exposed before they could be dealt.

 

At the same time, you'd hate to be left without your relievers and not sign those guys. Maybe he could have spread it out a little though. sign one guy trade off a couple, so you aren't terribly vulnerable, then sign another guy.

[don_kessinger_was_good]

I really wish Hendry had tried trading some of our other relievers before hastily signing Eyre/Howry. Now Hendry's total lack of faith in our homegrown guys has been exposed before they could be dealt.

 

Um, sure, other teams were just beating down our door to get their hands on the likes of Roberto Novoa, Todd Wellemeyer, Sergio Mitre and crew. The excitement is/was just palpable!!

 

Sometimes, it might be helpful to take off ones's Cub hat and for once, try and think as if you belonged to any other team. It is endemic to fandom I suppose, but you're not going to trade Wellemeyer and Cliff Bartosh for Bobby Abreu, OK? Or even a warm bucket of spit as far as that goes.

 

"Lack of faith in our homegrown guys?" You better believe it, baby. And no other GM in baseball has any faith in these zeroes, either. Pffft.

[frostwyrm]

I really wish Hendry had tried trading some of our other relievers before hastily signing Eyre/Howry. Now Hendry's total lack of faith in our homegrown guys has been exposed before they could be dealt.

 

Um, sure, other teams were just beating down our door to get their hands on the likes of Roberto Novoa, Todd Wellemeyer, Sergio Mitre and crew. The excitement is/was just palpable!!

 

Sometimes, it might be helpful to take off ones's Cub hat and for once, try and think as if you belonged to any other team. It is endemic to fandom I suppose, but you're not going to trade Wellemeyer and Cliff Bartosh for Bobby Abreu, OK? Or even a warm bucket of spit as far as that goes.

 

"Lack of faith in our homegrown guys?" You better believe it, baby. And no other GM in baseball has any faith in these zeroes, either. Pffft.

 

I think these guys had SOME value before the Eyre/Howry signings, but at this point, I doubt they have any. There's no way Hendry can fool another GM into thinking the Cubs were high on these guys for 2006.

[WrigleyField 22]

I really wish Hendry had tried trading some of our other relievers before hastily signing Eyre/Howry. Now Hendry's total lack of faith in our homegrown guys has been exposed before they could be dealt.

 

Um, sure, other teams were just beating down our door to get their hands on the likes of Roberto Novoa, Todd Wellemeyer, Sergio Mitre and crew. The excitement is/was just palpable!!

 

Sometimes, it might be helpful to take off ones's Cub hat and for once, try and think as if you belonged to any other team. It is endemic to fandom I suppose, but you're not going to trade Wellemeyer and Cliff Bartosh for Bobby Abreu, OK? Or even a warm bucket of spit as far as that goes.

 

"Lack of faith in our homegrown guys?" You better believe it, baby. And no other GM in baseball has any faith in these zeroes, either. Pffft.

What if its the difference between giving up 3 guys for Pierre or two? If you only give up two, you still can take that third guy and use him as a throw in tp help deals. Its a valid point, even if not on a large scale.

 

I believe you said in the Pierre thread that getting him sends a message to Furcal that we don't need him. Well this is kinda the same thing, but opposite and on a smaller scale.

[CubfaninCA]

I really wish Hendry had tried trading some of our other relievers before hastily signing Eyre/Howry. Now Hendry's total lack of faith in our homegrown guys has been exposed before they could be dealt.

 

Um, sure, other teams were just beating down our door to get their hands on the likes of Roberto Novoa, Todd Wellemeyer, Sergio Mitre and crew. The excitement is/was just palpable!!

 

Sometimes, it might be helpful to take off ones's Cub hat and for once, try and think as if you belonged to any other team. It is endemic to fandom I suppose, but you're not going to trade Wellemeyer and Cliff Bartosh for Bobby Abreu, OK? Or even a warm bucket of spit as far as that goes.

 

"Lack of faith in our homegrown guys?" You better believe it, baby. And no other GM in baseball has any faith in these zeroes, either. Pffft.

 

I think these guys had SOME value before the Eyre/Howry signings, but at this point, I doubt they have any. There's no way Hendry can fool another GM into thinking the Cubs were high on these guys for 2006.

 

more glass half empty rhetoric. Did Hendry resigning Neifi kill Walker's value?

[abuck1220]

if hendry goes out and gets abreu/giles/dunn for the of, i guess i can't complain about this middle relief splurge. but if he starts talking penny pinching and jacque jones is the rf in 2006...

[CoolHandLuke]

if hendry goes out and gets abreu/giles/dunn for the of, i guess i can't complain about this middle relief splurge. but if he starts talking penny pinching and jacque jones is the rf in 2006...

 

exactly

[treebird]

if hendry goes out and gets abreu/giles/dunn for the of, i guess i can't complain about this middle relief splurge. but if he starts talking penny pinching and jacque jones is the rf in 2006...

 

we will all have to commit suicide on hendry's doorstep

 

i know i will at least

[CoolHandLuke]

if hendry goes out and gets abreu/giles/dunn for the of, i guess i can't complain about this middle relief splurge. but if he starts talking penny pinching and jacque jones is the rf in 2006...

 

we will all have to commit suicide on hendry's doorstep

 

i know i will at least

 

I'm with you. Where does he live?