Backtobanks

That's a foregone conclusion. Let him try relieving for the rest of this year (assuming there are no physical problems) and, if successful, restructure his contract at $3-5 million plus incentives as a closer.

I'm hoping Hendry has looked at the results of free agency (both his and others) and realizes that most free agents don't produce anywhere near the level people expect of them for the money. I think Hendry's strength has been in the trade market rather than free agency. Pitchers like Zito, Mulder, and Schmidt are great but not if you have to get in a bidding war over them and end up giving them $50-60 million.

If he has his dominating stuff, I'd say groom him as the closer. Howry and Eyre are good enough for the 7th and 8th innings. Dempster would be good trade bait.

If doctors are sure there are no more physical problems with Kerry Wood, just that he gets fatigued after 60 pitches, why not go back to letting him try to develop into a closer. He probably would have plenty of rest this year since the Cubs might not need a closer more than once a week. This would tie into the thread of trading Dempster. Also, the Cubs seem to be in a better position to replace Wood (or any starting pitching) with their prospects (Guzman, Marmol, Marshall, etc.) I know what happened last year, but they tried him in the bullpen while he was injured.

When we talked about Cabrera, that's not the one we're talking about.

I agree. Winning has made Williams a genius and Guillen a Hall of Fame manager. The Sox should be favorites to win their division, league, and World Series when you look at their whole team (including pitching). They come in 2nd and miss the Wild Card and Ozzie starts looking like the profanity-laced big mouth that he is. If he wasn't coming off a championship, I wonder if the Sox or the league would fine or suspend him for some of his actions and comments.

But Neifi can "catch the ball".

I would love to get rid of Baker, but I'm sure Hendry feels he has to give Dusty a chance with all of his players back, especially since Dusty has been using that as an excuse all season. The next question is what would constitute a successful turn around for the team. Obviously, the playoffs are out of the question, but what about ending the season at .500? I know how most of us feel, but what would Hendry do in that situation?

Indeed. But you said it yourself: the Trib is not hiring that new painter. They're staying with the status quo, and have given no indication they will change any time soon. Further, I would argue they didn't do their homework in the first place, instead hiring Hendry as de-facto GM because he was already in the system, not because there was any indication he would be a successful GM. Either way you slice it, there's just no way to insulate ownership from the futility of the team on the field. They are part of the equation, and deserve their share of the blame, regardless of how much cash they dole out on a yearly basis. Not to defend Hendry, but look at most of the big name free agents and you see that Hendry is not the only fool around. Of course, we (Cub Fans) only care about Hendry. The bottom line is that these GMs are willing to give big money to mediocre players that have had one "career year". Everyone is looking for the easy solution (free agency) to a complex problem.

The MLB draft rules are really bizarre. A gentlemen's agreement exists among all of the teams. While there is no slotting system for picks in terms of salaries, there are still recommended contract amounts for each pick/round. If a team's offer goes over one of those amounts, MLB can send a sternly-worded letter to that team asking them to rescind the offer, which teams can follow or blow off altogether. That's not quite accurate since the commissioner can invoke the "best interest of baseball" clause basically whenever he wants. Remember when Charley Finley wanted to sell off his best players on Oakland and the commissioner wouldn't let him. Nonetheless, Selig has NO authority to stick his nose in the day to day business of any franchise in MLB. Especially if said franchise are going by written bylaws of the game. These "handshake agreements" does not---at least to me---open the door for Selig to be able to step in an act as an owner (regardless of the fact he used to be an owner, himself) and help with the negotiations. Unless the Cubs are breaking a LEGITIMATE rule, then Selig needs to bit his tongue. If the Cubs want to give Sammy $7.25 mill signing bonus that is THEIR business, not Selig. Besides HOW MANY 5th rders are going to demand that kind of bonus, anyways? Sammy is a special case, an exception to the rule.

Your original choices only included one replacement (Piniella for Baker). Options like trade Wood (or Prior) might be the best option if we know who we are getting in return. Trading Prior and getting Cabrera in return makes a lot of sense. Trading Wood for the sake of getting rid of him makes no sense. I'm not a fan of Piniella, but removing Baker is what I would vote for.

The problem is that the Cubs will end up paying some or most of the salary to "dump" these players, so it might be a great idea to play the kids, but the Cubs certainly won't be saving much money.

Playing for 2008 before 2007 even begins is completely unacceptable in my opinion. As many bad years as the Cubs have had, and with all the disappointment following the promise of 2003, writing off yet another year cannot be tolerated. The Cubs must somehow find a way to contend next year. We deserve much better than still more wait till next year's. I couldn't agree with you more. Numerous teams have made the worst-to-first jump before if the right moves are made. Please save me the "Hendry's an idiot and won't make the right moves" crap because I don't want to hear it. Teams can have a complete turnaroung. In 2002 the Cubs finished 67-95 and we all know how they did in 2003. Same goes for 1997 (68-94) followed by 1998. I agree too. All of this "White Flag" talk means 2-3 more years of rebuilding while the Sox are contending. There's no way the Tribune is going to let the Sox take over the city while the Cubs wait for prospects to mature. As pitiful as they are, I do think they would be in contention without the injuries to Lee, Wood, and Prior, especially with the injury to Pujols. What the Cubs need is one blockbuster deal (Cabrera?), some health for a change, and continued progress by the likes of Marshall, Guzman, Marmol, and Hill (the progress might be needed to showcase them for trade purposes). The "Cabrera" thread in transactions had the suggestion of trading Prior to Dodgers, DBacks, or Angels (prospect rich teams), with their prospects going to the Marlins, and Cabrera coming to the Cubs. I can't believe a lineup with Cabrera, Lee, Ramirez, and Barrett wouldn't be contending for the NL central.

Of the teams suggested, I rather see him go to the Angels. That way when he wins 20 games a year for the next 15 years, he will be in the AL. I've been reluctant to trade away Prior, but a lineup with Lee, Cabrera, Ramirez, and Barrett makes me drool.

He's not really on the DL, he just started pitching right-handed and changed his number to 22.

When Dusty's through with him, who's going to want a part-time OF with blown confidence.

Nicely done. Send this to all the Chicago newspapers. Send it to the Cubs front office. Ask for an explanation. Tell them the season ticket holders demand an explanation. This story is inspiring, but realistically, I don't think Murton has the talent that Dusty brought to the game. And I'm a Murton fan that believes he should be on the team next year, even if he's just a platoon player. And with Dusty as the manager, we might not ever find out if Murton has the talent that Dusty had.

Glendon Rusch - "bad day" "Bad Day" is really calling the glass half-full.

And especially when they say he has trouble hitting righties. I'm sure he has faced right-handed pitching 85% of the time he has played baseball.

I'll have to go back and hunt for my predictions, but I believe I had: NY Mets Cardinals Dodgers Boston White Sox Seattle (still waiting on this long shot) Of course, the Braves, Indians, and Brewers are playing some kids, so there is some hope for the future.

The point is you don't know. Guzman gives you the opportunity for success. You don't know if he will, but he can. Rusch on the other hand is almost a guaranteed suck game. You aren't disagreeing with him, you are stating the same thing he said: "This, folks, this is what people are talking about when they say that the management of this team cost us a win. You knew that Rusch was going to stink. You didn't know that about Angel. Angel has not had 286 games of (mostly) sucking to let us know he's going to be bad. " Nobody thinks Angel is a guaranteed great outing. But he's showed promise before, so this should not be a surprise. Nothing in life is guaranteed, but some things about the Cubs are. Rusch starting and Neifi starting and batting 2nd are guaranteed disasters.

Not that it makes anyone feel any better, but the Cubs aren't the only "contenders" that are pretty much out of it for this season. The Orioles are 9 back, the Indians 12, the Phillies 9 1/2, the Braves 13, and the Brewers are 8 back. Many sportswriters picked the Indians, Phillies, and Brewers to win their divisions.

With all of the personnel moves that need to be made in the next few weeks (Barrett's suspension, Wood & Prior's return, Lee's return, etc.), Hendry has to DF Rusch or find someone who will give us a used resin bag for him (while we pay his salary). Len & Bob were discussing the possibilities of using Nevin as the backup catcher. I can't believe that Soto won't be called up. With a weakened Wood and Prior, I would think that Dusty is going to need a long bullpen to the detriment of our "powerful" offense. Playing with a 24 man roster and holding a spot for Rusch is ridiculous. Today's loss has to be chalked up to Dusty for starting Rusch. All of us predicted that he would be gone by the 2nd inning with the wind blowing out.

I'm not saying he's worthless and can't continue to improve. I just think he's overrated by the hype, hasn't done enough as a pro to warrent all the excitement, and isn't capable of being a cornerstone corner outfielder. I think he might peak at a little higher level than Jacque Jones, and probably make a lot of money as a major leaguer for many years. But I don't think he's worth giving up a ton of talent, because I don't think he can be a difference maker. Guys who walk as infrequently as him have to be one of a kind talents to have great success. He's no Vlad, or even Soriano. Exactly how many "difference makers" are out there and possibly available in a trade?

It is interesting that as the Cubs approach the worst record in baseball, we are arguing about the merits of obtaining a 24 year old speedster with power potential that has an obp of .346. It is fun to discuss the merits of these trade rumors, but the Cubs do need to do something to make a splash.