CardsFanInChiTown

If they are looking to slash payroll than why did Furcal just such a big offer?

What would you prefer the measuring stick for performance be? Isn't the goal of every GM to get to the World Series? 30 GM's failed at that last year. So Kenny Williams did a better job than every other GM last year? I just don't believe that. I'll turn it around. Who did a better job last year?

MLB.com I just want to go on record and say that I literally laughed out loud when I read that. I don't see anything funny about that. :x

Ha Ha ok joke over, you guys almost had me. This is a joke right? Right?

didnt know I was a GM.... :D (my initials are JW, I think you mean KW...) :oops:

To me JW has made a lot of high risk high reward type moves and they have paid off. You can call that luck if you want but there was also skill involved.

In a McCarthy, Uribe, and prospects deal could the Sox even afford him? With Thome, Paulie and Vazquez deal I don't see where the money is coming from.

And he's won a World Series with his philosophy. I would trade away all the good prospects in the Cubs system if it meant just one lousy World Series. There is more then one way to build a team and trading away prospects for proven plays is one of them. It's also the Cards trading philosophy for better or worse.

I agree, Hendery did a good job with the 04 team. Sometimes things just don't work out. At the same time when a team fails no matter what the reason the blame should still fall on the GM's shoulders. edit - added last sentence.

That didn't go to show anybody anything. What is the point you are trying to make? Is there one, or are you just trying to start stuff with me, again? i guess you are speaking for eveyone then. Honestly, I agree with goony. It's not like you backed up your comment with anything. It came off like a flip remark to me.

Way to gloss over the points that don't support your theory. What about Iguchi, a Japanese player. Hendry and the Cubs haven't even thought about bringing in Japanese players. If you call the $8m Lee's line of .265/.324/.487 very good for a LF, then Iguchi's .278/.342/.438 at 2.3m from 2B is great. Iguchi, Pods and Dye combined to make less than Lee, while Dye (.274/.333/.512) outperformed Lee on his own. Like I said, individual deals can be debated forever. But they don't matter. What matters is the total package. Williams has done a much better job with the total package than Hendry, and he's done more to improve his team this offseason than Hendry, and he apparantly still has plenty of youth to both add to next years roster plus trade for more parts. And Kenny did all this with a payroll $25m below Hendry's. That right there is a huge fact that people like to pretend doesn't exist. Williams has to make due with an average payroll, he's had an above average team every year, and built a great one last year. Hendry has had a top 5 payroll every year, and has had either an above or below average team as a result, never greatness, and it doesn't look to be coming. Hendry's extra $25m can be used to bring in a sure thing corner OF and allow you not to take the downgrade from Lee to Pods. Hendry's extra money should be an asset. So far it has not been. Yes, I didn't bother going into the offense. Yes ,Iguchi had a very good year for them. As did Dye. But did they do more than prevent the offense from being terrible? The team's success can't be tied to what the offense did. And he didn't build a great team. He put together a team whose offensive production was lacking and whose pitching production was amazing. It was all about their pitching. But where were KW's great moves with the pitching staff? How likely is it for their staff to repeat their great success? I'm not defending Hendry. He's been very disappointing. But how much more credit should he deserve if the Cubs were to have won it all in 2003? Just because KW has a ring doesn't mean he's done a very good job. As the Cubs have shown, relying on all of your pitchers to click in one year with barely adequate offensive production is not a very strong strategy. I disagree. I hated the Contreras deal but it paid off. I hated the Hernandez deal but it paid off. Took a risk on Jenks. He took a lot of heat for the Garcia trade and sign. And yes the offense was bad last year so he went out and got Thome. I used to think KW sucked but the guy has gotten the job done.

Money issues aside I think this is a great pick up. Could Vazquez be Contreras version 2? I think so.

I don't get it.

How many runs did KW score? How is that relative? He is the one who put the team together. Nor did I say it took 11 men to win the WS which is what I am responding to. Frankly, I'm surprised how some of you are completely discounting what he did last year by calling it pure luck. Sour Grapes. Some of it was luck however most teams that win the WS are lucky. So KW deserves no credit for building the WS roster and hiring the manager? No, check out my earlier posts. I think he does.

I hate how ozzie has his players bunt in the 1st inning however I think he does a very good job handling his pitching staff.

How many runs did KW score? How is that relative? He is the one who put the team together. Nor did I say it took 11 men to win the WS which is what I am responding to. Frankly, I'm surprised how some of you are completely discounting what he did last year by calling it pure luck. Sour Grapes. Some of it was luck however most teams that win the WS are at least a little lucky.

For a team like the yankees that's a smart risk.

Honestly, I thought it was a little over the top however in the saber world I think JW is underrated.

BP on JW... http://www.baseballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=4624

I thought the Contreras trade was horrible when he made it. Lots of "experts" thought the García trade and sign was bad. I use to think he was horrible but he seems to be improving as a GM.

In my post I called him an "OK ball player" (he was before last season). Not to mention he is still fairly young. He's still under 27 right? I just think he could be useful on a team like Pittsburgh or Colorado.

I think he can do that, just not with the Cubs. He needs to get his head straight at a small market club. Yeah, I know that is the consensus view, but if you stick him in the 7 or 8 hole and just let him play I still think he's as good as any RF candidate realistically available to us (except perhaps Floyd...if he's actually available). Plus he's young, fast, got good D and relatively cheap. They did that for awhile and it didn't work. I went to a few Cub games during his darkest days - his body languge and approach was horrible. Plus he's the new Hawkins\Hundley\Alfonseca whipping boy at wrigley so I don't think he's going to work himself out of his problems in a Cub uniform. I like Corey as a person and I think he's an OK ball player but IMO he really needs a new scene.

I think he can do that, just not with the Cubs. He needs to get his head straight at a small market club.

Has anyone heard what Normar asking for this offseason?

6m a year to be a platoon player=horrible option. Paying Jones $6M a year is a bad idea period, but he is not a totally worthless player. I'll call him an awesome player if he's wearing any uniform other than the Cubs next year. :wink: Actually, if he was getting somewhere between 1-2m and was a 100% platoon and the rest of the team all had .350+ OBP's, I'd be fine with Jones. Jones is going to get 6m a year, and it will be either a 2 or a 3 year deal. No thanks! Actually, I'm shocked more teams (Yankees?) aren't considering him for CF, he could be serviceable there.