Backtobanks

I didn't take that as defense of Hendry. He hasn't gotten it done and it's time for him to go. IMO it was a dig at the "wannabe GMs" and their notion that if the Cubs were only smart enough to sign A and B, and trade X and Y for Z, bam they'd be awesome. Well Adam Dunn was last year's 'step A' signing. Point being, if you think you could/would do better, think again. Any of us would make lots of mistakes in that job (albeit probably different ones). Not signing Dunn wasn't a "smart move." It turned out to be a lucky move. The majority of moves or non-moves a GM makes end up being more lucky than "smart". The problem that I have had over the years with critics of Hendry is that every good move (or non-move) he makes is labeled luck, while his bad moves (or non-moves) are considered incompetence.

I didn't take that as defense of Hendry. He hasn't gotten it done and it's time for him to go. IMO it was a dig at the "wannabe GMs" and their notion that if the Cubs were only smart enough to sign A and B, and trade X and Y for Z, bam they'd be awesome. Well Adam Dunn was last year's 'step A' signing. Point being, if you think you could/would do better, think again. Any of us would make lots of mistakes in that job (albeit probably different ones). My point about all of these discussions is that many of us (myself included) like to speculate on trades and FA signings without knowing all of the "behind the scenes" stuff. That's not a defense of Hendry, it's just that everybody else's job sure looks easy from the front of a computer monitor.

Hendry's best move this year. So much for all of the wannabe GMs here who were begging for Adam Dunn.

They might want "a very nice return" for him, but it's going to be a hard sell with those ugly stats for the last 2 1/2 years.

From MLBTR: The latest from ESPN's Jayson Stark... •The Rays are not likely to trade B.J. Upton this summer, though the Nationals have been monitoring the center fielder just in case. Though the Rays feel they have a long-term need for catching, they're not enticed by the Nats' dangling of Jesus Flores and Ivan Rodriguez. Jaramillo might be able to get him back on track after 2 1/2 terrible years. He's still young (26) and would add speed to the lineup. Maybe a deal centered around Castillo, Colvin, and a pitching prospect. Also, I'm sure the Rays wouldn't mind getting rid of his salary ($4.8 million) considering his production for those 2 1/2 years (.235/.315/.706).

20 HR production at 3B is below average, while 20 HR production at SS is great.

Work something out with Ramirez for a year or 2 at a reduced rate (until Baez or Vitters are ready), sign Fielder/Pujols, Kemp, and a starter. With that kind of lineup mediocrity at 2B is tolerable.

Correct, which is why number of errors isn't a very good measure of defensive ability. A perfect example of this, my favorite player (Ernie Banks) held the record for fewest errors by a SS for quite a few years. I love Ernie, but he was never a great SS. Of course the reason he set the record was because he had such limited range that he made all the plays hit near him.

Dierkes weighs in (from MLBTR): For Contenders With Deep Pockets By Tim Dierkes [June 20 at 9:32am CST] Payroll flexibility is a beautiful thing at the trade deadline, as it allows a team to acquire talent by providing salary relief to the other club. For teams with a little money to burn and an inclination to keep top prospects, here are some players who I think could be acquired mostly by taking on their contracts. This list doesn't take no-trade clauses into account, except for the elimination of Aramis Ramirez. •Catchers: None •First basemen: Derrek Lee, James Loney, Brad Hawpe, Juan Rivera •Second basemen: Mark Ellis •Shortstops: Rafael Furcal, Clint Barmes •Third basemen: Mark Reynolds, Casey Blake •Left fielders: Alfonso Soriano, Carlos Lee •Center fielders: None •Right fielders: Kosuke Fukudome, Michael Cuddyer •Designated hitters: Vladimir Guerrero, Hideki Matsui •Starting pitchers: Javier Vazquez, Kyle Davies, Carlos Zambrano, Ryan Dempster •Relievers: Mike Gonzalez, Kevin Gregg, Joe Nathan, John Grabow, Jonathan Broxton I haven't included players on contending teams here, though it's certainly true someone could acquire players like Aaron Rowand and Jason Bay by only taking on their contracts Not that he knows anymore than we do, but if salary relief is the only compensation - forget it.

Prince Fielder just made about $30 million extra if Pujols is out for any extended period of time. I can see Boras now: "He's only 27, never been hurt, blah, blah, blah" And Hendry offering 8 years, 200 million. Fielder keeps playing the way he has and Hendry might not be the only one offering 8 years and $200 million.

Young players like Castro often make mistakes and learn bad habits because their amazing ability has been far superior to his peers at every level. Hopefully he will now see that he needs to improve at this level.

I don't see anybody in the system that would make him move. Many experts see Baez as a future 3B.

Are we not in rebuild mode? If not, then why not? Maybe it signals that everyone is being evaluated for jobs next year. I love Z, and I personally think he is much more than a #4 starter, but if the Cubs could get some value for him they have to do it. We have the 2nd worst record in baseball. There are plenty of holes to fill on this team and unfortunately you have to trade value to get value. And trading Z creates another hole which is why Im in the dont trade Z camp. It's always a gamble trading an established player for prospects. There are a ton of "can't-miss" prospects who never made it in the ML. As others have stated, the money coming off the books can change a lousy team into a contender pretty quickly. I wish there was some possible trade out there to pick up young, but established players (like Garza).

He has a .759 OPS at AAA. Obviously he's a desirable target, but if we're trading away a pair of 3 win players, I certainly want more back than Montero's questions about catcher defense and 1B viability. Amen to that. Don't forget that Zambrano and Soto are in the prime of their careers (30 & 28). Montero plus a prospect for Zambrano is a possibility with Soto being traded in a seperate deal later on after seeing whether Castillo and/or Montero are reasonable replacements.

I mentioned this in another thread a while back, bur I wonder if Z and Soto for Momtero and a few other prospects would work. I mentioned this in another thread a while back, bur I wonder if Z and Soto for Momtero and a few other prospects would work. Not for the Yankees Proof that Hendry isn't as bad as some of you think. Z & Soto for Montero and prospects #-o #-o #-o #-o

That's not a surprise. The only real possibilities are players like Pena, Byrd, Baker, and Grabow which would save very little money and net us no-name prospects.

Not if he has serious damage to his arm.

Crazy talk. And people are looking WAY too much into this. Of course the Ricketts are going to stand behind Hendry and Quade publicly right now when pressed. Absolutely right. Ricketts either has to stand behind them right now or fire them. Since he has no intention of firing anybody now, he has to stand behind them. Also, he has to see who might be available and at what price before moving forward since he would have to absorb both contracts for next year.

Damn Hendry, he should have known Barney was going to get hurt.

Nobody expects 2 of your starters to get injured early while one of your top prospects also gets injured. Also, Gorz was by far the best trading chip they had.

All this talk of pitching is wonderful, but let's not forget that you have half of the team's 8 other positions manned by minor leaguers. Barney, Castro, and Fukudome are the only regular position players to not miss significant time to injuries.

You must be counting Coleman as a pitcher.

That would be a horrible PR move. I can't see Ricketts or Hendry doing that.

From MLBTR: •Rosenthal "can't see" Jim Hendry returning as the Cubs' general manager given the team's current state. "Forget about signing a free agent such as the Cardinals' Albert Pujols or the Brewers' Prince Fielder," Rosenthal writes. "The Cubs are so far gone, they are much more than one player away." Carlos Pena, John Grabow, Kosuke Fukudome, Kerry Wood and Jeff Baker are all trade candidates this summer; MLBTR's Tim Dierkes recently looked at the values of these players and others on the struggling Cubbies.

The Twins won 94 games last year. We won 75. And we're 5.5 games in front of them. My point is that injuries are a valid excuse for the Twins not meeting expectations (contending in the AL Central) and it should be an excuse for the Cubs not meeting their expectations (borderline .500 team).