Comments on: Cubs GM Jim Hendry is releasing a book!

By: Jzyehoshua

Jzyehoshua — Sun, 12 Sep 2010 14:23:03 +0000

Poor Strategies:
-2006-2010 – The “you don’t need offense at middle infield” theory, sticking for years with Ronny Cedeno at Shortstop (then trading him once he became valuable as a utility player). The various acquisitions of Jose Macias, Cesar Izturis, Neifi Perez, Enrique Wilson, and now Blake DeWitt, often accompanied by the heralding of them as defensive superstars who will save the team.
-2005-2010 – The “aging outfield sluggers are best” theory, going after players like Craig Monroe, Cliff Floyd, Alfonso Soriano, Jeromy Burnitz, Jacque Jones, and Phil Nevin. Which wouldn’t have been so bad if many were only good for slugging, and poor at reaching base – a bad combination for aging players.
-2005-2010 – The “lets just let the young guys fill in the starting rotation” or “pick up some aging ex-star” theory. Marmol, Guzman, and Marshall have adjusted well as relievers but when Hendry for years tried to force them in as starting pitchers it didn’t work too well, along with guys like Sergio Mitre, Rich Hill (who actually wasn’t that bad for a while), Jerome Williams, Juan Mateo, and Randy Wells. And then there’s the attempt to get some well over the hill pitchers in hopes they can turn back the clock, perhaps to make up for the poor decision to trade Greg Maddux, such as Steve Trachsel, and Jon Lieber. Meanwhile, guys who have shown themselves valuable like Ted Lilly and Rich Harden are tossed aside, which makes little sense unless you’re trying to wreck a team. It’s the attempt to hit a home run with another Mark Prior or re-acquisition of Greg Maddux, rather than just getting proven but not too old pitchers with good career ERAs. Consistently devalues the rotation year in and year out and chose to go after Alfonso Soriano rather than Johan Santana.
Other Questionable Decisions:
-2010 – Sends long-time Ace Carlos Zambrano to A ball after 4 starts because of a rough opening day start, even though his career numbers in March/April are always bad and he’s had bad opening day starts for years. Finally getting consistent time in the rotation again, Z has gone 5-0 in his last 7 starts with an ERA of 1.60.

By: Jzyehoshua

Jzyehoshua — Sun, 12 Sep 2010 14:22:42 +0000

Some of Hendry’s Unusual Trades:
-2010 – Trades Derrek Lee for 3 minor leaguers.
-2010 – Trades Ted Lilly and Ryan Theriot for Blake DeWitt and 2 minor leaguers.
-2010 – Trades Mike Fontenot for 1 minor leaguer.
-2009 – Trades Jason Marquis for Luis Vizcaino to make up for the overpaying of Marquis in the first place.
-2009 – Trades Michael Wuertz for 1 career minor leaguer.
-2009 – Sells Rich Hill for cash.
-2008 – Trades Mark DeRosa for Jeff Stevens and 2 career minor leaguers.
-2008 – Waives Casey McGehee and lets the Brewers get him.
-2008 – Trades Angel Pagan for 2 career minor leaguers.
-2007 – Sells Cesar Izturis, who Greg Maddux was traded for, to the Pirates for cash.
-2006 – Sells Josh Hamilton to the Cincinnati Reds for cash.
-2006 – Trades Greg Maddux for Cesar Izturis.
-2006 – Trades Todd Walker for 1 career minor leaguer.
-2006 – Trades Todd Wellemeyer for 2 career minor leaguers.
-2006 – Trades Corey Patterson for 2 career minor leaguers.
-2002 – Trades Bill Mueller with cash for 1 career minor leaguer.
-2002 – Trades Tom ‘Flash’ Gordon for 3 career minor leaguers.
Some of Hendry’s Unusual Signings:
-2009 – Signs 31 year-old Milton Bradley to 3-year, $30 million contract.
-2007 – Signs 31 year-old Japanese star Kosuke Fukudome to 4-year, $48 million contract without structuring around performance.
-2007 – Signs 30 year-old Alfonso Soriano to an 8-year, $136 million contract after his first ’40/40′ season.
-2007 – Signed oft-injured Mark Prior to 1-year, $3.6 million contract without injury clause.
-2006 – Signs 28 year-old Jason Marquis to a 3-year, $21 million contract.
-2005 – Signs 31 year-old Jacque Jones to a 3-year, $16 million contract.
-2004 – Signs 27 year-old Kerry Wood to a 3-year, $30 million contract. Although this was probably the most defensible of these contracts at the time.
http://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/CHC/2010-roster.shtml
http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/transactions/index.jsp?c_id=chc&year=2004&month=2
It’s hard to win when your GM keeps overpaying horribly with bad long-term deals to oft-injured and aging players, and then trades away all your good players for career minor leaguers.

By: Jzyehoshua

Jzyehoshua — Sun, 12 Sep 2010 09:38:30 +0000

Which Cubs fans are citing this, anyway? I’d think it a Cubs fan too.

By: Jzyehoshua

Jzyehoshua — Sun, 12 Sep 2010 09:36:30 +0000

Pretty hard to win when your GM keeps trading away good players for perennial minor leaguers or middle infielders who can’t hit. Ted Lilly and Theriot for DeWitt? Greg Maddux for Cesar Izturis?
Or signing injured or aging players to long-term deals, like long-term deals to Wood and Prior after they got hurt, or an 8 year, $136 million contract to a 30 year-old Alfonso Soriano after he just had a career 40/40 year?
Right now, our farm system is the only thing keeping us (marginally) afloat, and has provided Carlos Zambrano, Carlos Marmol, Geovany Soto, Tyler Colvin, Starlin Castro, Ryan Theriot, Koyie Hill, Sean Marshall, Mike Fontenot, Jeff Samardzija, Angel Guzman, Micah Hoffpauir, and the aforementioned Casey McGehee. Basically a big chunk of the team.
And even then, Hendry trades away good players like Theriot, Fontenot, and McGehee for peanuts time and time again. It doesn’t matter how good your farm system is, as Jim Hendry has shown, just as the Pirates did, that the power of a GM can wreck even the best system.

By: Jzyehoshua

Jzyehoshua — Sun, 12 Sep 2010 09:35:14 +0000

By: willmose

willmose — Sat, 11 Sep 2010 12:23:46 +0000

The other day I slide into 10 to 1908th power parallel universes (and still got back home in time for dinner). In none of the parallef universes had the Cubs managed to win one world championship. While I have only checked a small fraction of the total parallel universes, our universe is apparently the only one where the Cubbies have actually won something. GM Jim Hendry is not the problem. The Cub themselves are problem.

By: Sam Lee

Sam Lee — Sat, 11 Sep 2010 09:57:46 +0000

Cubs fans are citing this as evidence of how unclassy the Brewers are, believe it or not. It reads like a disgruntled Cubs fan to me. Can you get a list of what Cubs bloggers are credentialed in the press box?