Bruce Miles
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Everything posted by Bruce Miles
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You've pretty much nailed it. Yes, Hendry is looking to upgrade the pen, and as I've said earlier, I think he'll do something. Let's all remember that this is the toughest area for any team to "get right." The Yankees in '03 had trouble and lost the World Series in part because of bullpen woes. The Marlins had trouble putting together a pen until late in the season, much to the Cubs' eventual dismay. Every year it seems that some guys emerges nobody would ever have believed. You're right, Hawkins will be much better as a setup man. He did pretty well there last year. Even for his closer struggles, he still walked very few batters.
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No matter what happens this winter, Hendry will not allow himself to be boxed in come July. This issues has come up every year, and every year, the Cubs have been able to do something in July and even into August and September.
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I knew this would come up, and it's a great question. Hendry has said repeatedly that he believes baseball is a people business, and for this reason, he values scouts and their opinion. (If you've ever met or talked with his top guy, Gary Hughes, you'd gain a great appreciation for scouts. He ought to be in the Hall of Fame as a scout.) That said, the Cubs don't completely ignore stats and stats such as OBP specificically. I believe that slowly, but surely, they're coming around to the importance of this stat. They have "stats" guy in their front office now. They used stats extensively to evaluate Troy Percival. They have a long way to go yet, but they've come a long way.
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From what I've been told, buyouts for 2004 count against the 2004 payroll. Performance bonuses are figured in at the end. The Cubs have said they don't ever mind paying these because the more incentives are reached, chances are the team has done well. I believe signing bonuses are spread out among the life of the contract.
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(Had some computer difficulty trying to answer before. Let me try again) First, I go to Tribune Tower and get the money for Beltran, regardless of Sammy's situation. If I get Beltran, I go home and have a Merry Christmas. But really after that, I look into a pitcher who can close, and I get a backup infielder.
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Right now, Roast, it's the truth. But that doesn't mean things can't change, if you look at my story in today's Daily Herald (shameless plug). No, they weren't going to give the Red Sox in the Nomar trade. The longer Beltran lingers on the market, the better chance the Cubs have of getting him because Hendry has shown he's pretty creative and tenacious.
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Right now, Roast, it's the truth. But that doesn't mean things can't change, if you look at my story in today's Daily Herald (shameless plug). No, they weren't going to give the Red Sox in the Nomar trade. The longer Beltran lingers on the market, the better chance the Cubs have of getting him because Hendry has shown he's pretty creative and tenacious.
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As I mentioned, I don't see it now because the Cubs don't. But stay tuned. It could change.
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This is the million-dollar question. Hendry may have something up his sleeve that we don't know about, but I think he's preparing to have the candidate come from in-house. I know that scares some people, and it is legitimate cause for some concern. But remember, nobody thought Joe Borowski would do the job he did. You'd have been laughed out of town had you suggested he be the closer in '03. Even Jeff Fassero did a creditable job for four months in 2001. Joe Nathan didn't get much confidence expressed in him last year, but he did fine with the Twins. Right now, they'll look at Dempster. I believe they'll keep Farnsworth, and maybe, just maybe, he'll get it. I'm not suggesting that Michael Wuertz be the closer, but he has something to offer somewhere. He threw the ball better than any other relieve this past September. Let's see how it plays out.
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The Cubs are in a pretty good and flexible position here. As of now, Glendon Rusch is the fifth starter. If he continues making the progress he made under Rothschild this past year, he gives the Cubs the lefty they've needed for some time. If not, there are several other options. As I mentioned in an earlier question, Guzman is one of those somewhere down the line in the 2005 season. It's quite possible somebody could jump up in spring training and take the job, but I see it as Rusch's job to lose as of this moment.
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I asked directly about Aubry Huff at the winter meetings and was told no. That may change if other windows of opportunity close.
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The Cubs are certainly seen as a "cornerstone" franchise in the NL, and Andy MacPhail's work (and it was great work) in helping to secure the labor deal in 2002 earned him a lot of respect. But all of that didn't do the Cubs much good in getting some of those supensions reduced in 2004. LOL. That said, I don't think the Cubs have an undue "pull" in relation to other teams.
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That was an observation on Barry based on things he's seen. No one actually told him that, just as no one would actually tell me that in those words. Hendry and Baker have a good working relationship, but sometimes the boss must prod people to do things. They mutually agreed on Speier even though Baker was reluctant to get rid of Kim. There was no issue with getting rid of Goodwin and Ramon Martinez. And remember, Bako was "Hendry's guy." This is not a "make or break" situation for Baker, per se. I do think the honeymoon is over with many fans. Baker still has enormous faith in Baker's overall people skills despite the tumult of the past year.
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No, I really haven't heard how much revenue they expect to generate with this plan, but I will ask. My guess is that some sort of structure will be built eventually. I can tell you this: I hope it is built. As far as a working facility goes, Wrigley Field is the worst in the big leagues. The front-office staff is almost literally piled on top of one another. The visiting club must come into the Cubs clubhouse to use the weight room. The home clubhouse is a fraction of the size of visiting clubhouses in all the new parks. Expanded batting cages and the like are sorely needed. I'll look into your question, thought.
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I knew I'd get a question on this. The Cubs feel that both pitchers are longshots to make a major-league club. Sisco, they point out, is strictly a starting pitcher who had a down year in the FSL. It's tough for big-league clubs to "hide" starting pitchers all year. You can do that with a reliever, by using him once every eight days. So the feeling is that Hagerty will be back with the Cubs by the end of spring training and while Sisco might make the Royals out of camp, that he'll eventually be back, too. The Cubs felt some of the other guys they protected were closer to being major-league ready and more vulnerable to being lost for good.
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Hendry has said he "wouldn't mind" having Macias back. That's not exactly a ringing endorsement. I think they'll try to upgrade. First, I think they'll re-sign Holly and then see what happens with the rest of the non-tenders. My guess is they'll nontender Macias. Sweeney is certainly a possibility, but I'm not so certain about Randa, the fact they almost traded for him two years ago notwithstanding.
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My guess is Magglio will get a one year or one an an option with lots of incentives. The Cubs like him, but they will be very very cautious about the medical reports. Can't say that I blame them.
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I've read that Drew may be headed to L.A. but they seem to be in a real mess out there. I still think Hendry will find a way to land one of the top three Boras outfielders. If not, we'll see Sammy in right and a combination of Dubois and a veteran in left.
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Seems to me the Cubs and their own free agents have a great deal of respect for one another and that has led to some pretty good deals for both sides. Even the Sammy deal looked good at the time, considering he wanted 6 years and 120 million at the time. (Imagine that!!!). The Lee and Wood deals were good examples last spring. I think you'll see the same attempt made with Aramis this spring.
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Bacon is a ways away yet, but Kelton certainly has a chance. They'll look to re-sign Hollandsworth. Yes, the Cubs do like Mackhowiak, but my guess is the Pirates will keep him. We'll find out about that later today.
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I know that everything I write is true to the best of my knowledge. Speculation is part of the fun of watching _ and covering _ baseball, so all writers will speculate. I might say, for example, that J.D. Drew would make a great fit at Wrigley. That's true, but it doesn't necessarily mean the Cubs are after him. If I know they are, I will say the Cubs have spoken to the player or his agent. We get to the clubhouse three and a half hours before every game and stay in there about an hour afterward. If you're a good reporter and do your job honestly, you have a pretty good idea of what's going on, and the readers can trust what you write.
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Always my pleasure to come here. You have a great community. Dusty, as one might expect, did not sound overly enhused about Dubois when I asked about him at the winter meetings. I'm a little concerned about this. But we might end up with a situation where the front office leaves Baker little choice but to play the kid. I hope he gets a shot. Kelton has opened some eyes in winter ball and may be a darkhorse. I suspect the Cubs will not want to rush Guzman back. Look for him after the season starts.
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No, I don't believe either situation is irreparable. If need be, Jim will referee a meeting between Dusty and Sammy. I believe it will be Jim, and not Andy, who does this. I thought Farnsworth might have been through after hurting his knee late last year, but the Cubs brought him back. Hendry will speak with him, too.
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Part of the reason a team has a farm system is to use prospects in trades to help out now, which is what the Cubs did with Hill, to be sure. I'm not so sure how "hot" a prospect he really is, so I question whether the Cubs "gave up on him prematurely." With Cruz, I've mentioned a million times I don't like the trade. They didn't trade him for a veteran though. They've got two guys in their farm system for Cruz. I don't know if the recent success changes their view. I believe they'll do the same thing: promote those players they feel can help the big club and trade others to fill holes.
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To me, all that talk about Zambrano's emotions is a bit overplayed. Who was the guy who charged the umpire the other day? Kerry Wood!!! LOL. Zambrano seemed to "get it" a little more quickly than did Cruz. Remember, Carlos was moved from starter to reliever to starter again. I feel Cruz is right on the cusp, but Zambrano made the leap more quickly.