The Cubs will be getting their top scouts and baseball people together on Monday and Tuesday to talk about which direction they should take as the trading deadline draws nearer.
According to Bruce Levine on Thursday:
General manager Jim Hendry and assistant GM Randy Bush will preside over the two days of meetings. Hendry’s objective will be to give the scouts direction as the team looks to acquire new players or move some off the present 25-man roster.
I know what you are thinking. Yay!! Fire sale! They finally have reached the same conclusion we all reached over a year ago: this version of the Cubs is no good, there isn’t much left worth saving, so we might as well just tear down the whole thing and start over.
Well, no. Not so much.
As Gordon Wittenmyer reports today:
“In other words, don’t believe all the hype surrounding the front-office meetings next week involving top scouts and baseball brass.
“It’s not as complicated as people would think,” general manager Jim Hendry said. “You want to get healthy. You want Marlon [Byrd] to come back [from the disabled list], and [Darwin] Barney, and let Mike manage a club that looks a little more like the one we broke camp with, and see how we play for a while.”
Head. Desk.
This is why I don’t think Hendry is getting fired anytime soon. Nor is Crane, nor is Quade. This brain trust is who the Rickettseses have picked to go into the future whether we like it or not.
It started with Ricketts giving that little talk about how he doesn’t need a baseball guy watching his baseball guy, which I know MB liked, but I don’t think he meant it how MB took it. He wasn’t saying, “I’m not going to limit the pool of people from which I pick the next leader of the Cubs baseball operations.” He was saying, “I have my leader of Cubs baseball operations right here and I’m not going to bring in anyone to oversee him, overrule him, or otherwise deter him from his plan.”
While I can’t fault that logic from an owner’s perspective, I think the problem we all have with it is that Hendry has pretty much had 16 years to make the Cubs a powerhouse team. He was hired as Director of Player Development in 1995. He has been in a position of power to make the Cubs’ farm system a strength for SIXTEEN FUCKING YEARS. And where are we now?
It’s not like the man has traded away a shitload of awesome talent that went on to star for other teams in the name of contending. You had the occasional flash when Dontrelle Willis was good for a couple of years, or when Eric Hinske won the Rookie of the Year, but what else have we been missing? John Garland? Miguel Cairo? Bobby Hill? Hee Seop Choi?
We mostly still like Geovany Soto, but when he is the best position player to come through the system since Mark Grace, there is a problem. When you have to list Ryan Theriot anywhere on that list, there is a problem.
This is the man that was responsible in some way or another for guys like: Ozzie Timmons, Derrick May, Julio Zuleta, Steve Rain, Kevin Orie, Will Ohman, Cole Liniak, Augie Ojeda, Chad Meyers, Courtney Duncan, Juan Cruz… do I have to go on? Because I’m already depressed.
“It’s no different than I would tell you a month ago,” he said. “My main objective would be to see how we do by the end of July and also make logical decisions that help the ballclub for next year, too.”
I’d agree, Jim. It is no different than it was a month ago. The Cubs sucked a month ago and they suck now. Marlon Byrd isn’t even the difference between making up the seven games they are behind the Pittsburgh Pirates. The only reason the Cubs aren’t the worst team by record in all of baseball is thanks to the Astros (who they can’t beat) and the Royals (for the moment). What the hell is it about this team that demands saving, Jim?
You would think that they would eventually realize that the team isn’t close to contending. You’d think they’d eventually realize that when Ryan Dempster is now part of the problem because we missed the window for him to be a useful part of a good team. You’d think they would learn from that lesson and, while Sean Marshall and Carlos Marmol are very good right now, there will be a day (and it may not be all that far away) where they go down the road of age and regression. Then suddenly the strengths become the problems. Again.
Anybody on this team over 25 years old is probably not going to be a part of any true championship-calibre team. So why keep them?
Instead, they will plow forward with this mentality:
The game plan will include going after top prospects and young players from other teams. Three Cubs players — Alfonso Soriano, Carlos Zambrano and Aramis Ramirez — with no-trade clauses or 5-and-10 no-trade rights have responded to media inquiries about whether they would accept trades.
If they truly think they are going to get “top prospects” for any of those players, they are the only people on the planet Earth besides the people who regularly call into sports radio shows with trade ideas that involve dumping players nobody wants for players everyone wants. These are the guys in your fantasy league who think if they offer enough shitty players, you might give them your MVP candidate in return. Now Jim Hendry is apparently talking like those guys, if Levine is to be believed.
So I hope you all like faux-contending, mediocre teams (at best), and no championships, because that is what the Cubs have ahead of them. We’ll have to see how long it takes for Ricketts to realize that. Or how long it takes for the season ticket holders to finally tell the Cubs to fuck off when they get their renewal notices. It will be even more interesting to see which comes first.
“We still have the trade deadline. Getting Woody and Marlon back is like making a blockbuster trade. Getting Barney back will be huge. This is not over”
(dying laughing)
Horny GoatQuote Reply
They’re either setting up an ultimate mastermind plan or incredibly stupid and deluded.
Rice CubeQuote Reply
Look closely.
Rice CubeQuote Reply
A424, what you are saying here really seems to be spot on, imo. I think it was Monday night when Hendry was in the booth with Len and Bob, he gave almost the same exact quote about Mike getting back the club he broke camp with and Let’s See What Happens. Of course this could just be ass-covering and Hendry not wanting to tell other teams he’s desperate to dump players but I think he believes what he’s saying. Marmol, Geo and Garza should all be on the block at the deadline and I don’t think Hendry would even consider dealing any of them for prospects.
melissaQuote Reply
It’s kind of a credit to Hendry that he’s recognized the overhyped players and dumped them for useful ones on other teams.
DoogolasQuote Reply
[quote name=Doogolas]It’s kind of a credit to Hendry that he’s recognized the overhyped players and dumped them for useful ones on other teams.[/quote]
The Cubs are the ones that actually over-hype their prospects. Corey Patterson and Pie were both touted as untouchable by the Cubs and look how that turned out. I’m just curious if you’re talking about anyone besides the guys the Cubs gave up for Aramis or DLee? What he gave up for Juan Pierre was ridiculous. Even if the prospects that he sent to the Rays don’t pan out he gave up way too much for a guy that the Rays wanted to dump.
melissaQuote Reply
[quote name=melissa]The Cubs are the ones that actually over-hype their prospects. Corey Patterson and Pie were both touted as untouchable by the Cubs and look how that turned out. I’m just curious if you’re talking about anyone besides the guys the Cubs gave up for Aramis or DLee? What he gave up for Juan (dying laughing) was ridiculous. Even if the prospects that he sent to the Rays don’t pan out he gave up way too much for a guy that the Rays wanted to dump.[/quote]
Don’t forget about when Jay Jackson was untouchable, (dying laughing).
GWQuote Reply
[quote name=Doogolas]It’s kind of a credit to Hendry that he’s recognized the overhyped players and dumped them for useful ones on other teams.[/quote]
There have been a lot of signs that Hendry wasn’t good for this team’s future, but up until last off-season I was giving him the benefit of the doubt. He was being told to make a winning team fast with a big payroll to drive up the selling price under both the Tribune and Zell. I was thinking he should get a shot at turning this thing around as he was just doing what he was told.
Two things changed my mind this off-season. Why in the world did he leave Marquez Smith unprotected in the Rule 5 draft? He got very lucky there, and that got me worried. However, for a while he didn’t do anything stupid, so I thought maybe that was a blip of idiocy. Then the Garza trade happened, and I couldn’t see that as anything other then a desperate man trying to save his job at any expense to the future of this team.
Bubba BiscuitQuote Reply
[quote name=GW]Don’t forget about when Jay Jackson was untouchable, (dying laughing).[/quote]
There really is a laundry list of guys the Cubs have touted as untouchable that haven’t amounted to squat. It’s (dying laughing) worthy.
melissaQuote Reply
[quote name=Bubba Biscuit]There have been a lot of signs that Hendry wasn’t good for this team’s future, but up until last off-season I was giving him the benefit of the doubt. He was being told to make a winning team fast with a big payroll to drive up the selling price under both the Tribune and Zell. I was thinking he should get a shot at turning this thing around as he was just doing what he was told.
Two things changed my mind this off-season. Why in the world did he leave Marquez Smith unprotected in the Rule 5 draft? He got very lucky there, and that got me worried. However, for a while he didn’t do anything stupid, so I thought maybe that was a blip of idiocy. Then the Garza trade happened, and I couldn’t see that as anything other then a desperate man trying to save his job at any expense to the future of this team.[/quote]
Marquez Smith has never shown up on a prospect list anywhere, ever. I think it’s a pretty safe bet that Jimbo had a better idea of his value than we did at the time.
GWQuote Reply
Fangraphs just added positional adjustments for pitchers-as-hitters. Zambrano is worth 8.1 WAR in 697 PA. In other words, per plate appearance, Z’s bat has been about as valuable as Albert Pujols’.
ACTQuote Reply
I still can’t believe they traded Hak-Ju Lee.
binkyQuote Reply
First part of this notebook is annoying me:
http://chicago.cubs.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20110625&content_id=20990386¬ebook_id=20992522&vkey=notebook_chc&c_id=chc
Q would rather the Cubs run themselves into outs than because of stupidity. I thought it was the same thing.
Rice CubeQuote Reply
Just as over-aggressive running lead to too many outs, if you’re never getting thrown out on the basepaths, you’re probably being too passive (i.e. not taking enough risks). That’s what Quade is getting at.
ACTQuote Reply
[quote name=ACT]Just as over-aggressive running lead to too many outs, if you’re never getting thrown out on the basepaths, you’re probably being too passive (i.e. not taking enough risks). That’s what Quade is getting at.[/quote]
I’m in agreement with sending Soriano, but the other ones (Reed today, Soto and Ramirez yesterday) were just brain-farts.
Rice CubeQuote Reply
[quote name=ACT]Just as over-aggressive running lead to too many outs, if you’re never getting thrown out on the basepaths, you’re probably being too passive (i.e. not taking enough risks). That’s what Quade is getting at.[/quote]
It’s pretty simple: Run into outs, Let’s See What Happens
melissaQuote Reply
once we get Byrd back, those outs we have been running into ———-> WORLD SERIES!
binkyQuote Reply
Mike just needs the baserunners he broke camp with and all these outs on the bases will clear right up.
melissaQuote Reply
[quote name=Rice Cube]I’m in agreement with sending Soriano, but the other ones (Reed today, Soto and Ramirez yesterday) were just brain-farts.[/quote]Agreed.
ACTQuote Reply
Joe Poz tweets, in one of the few instances he would actually willingly watch the Cubs play:
Rice CubeQuote Reply
[quote name=GW]Don’t forget about when Jay Jackson was untouchable, (dying laughing).[/quote]
Not to mention Rich HIll
BerseliusQuote Reply
[quote name=Berselius]Not to mention Rich HIll[/quote]
Dopirak still could have been had, though, if the price was right.
GWQuote Reply
http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/prospects/rankings/organization-top-10-prospects/2008/265209.html
5/14 right… could have been a little worse, I suppose.
GWQuote Reply
All 30 teams have a list like that.
It doesn’t take away from your argument, but it doesn’t add to it either.
Suburban kidQuote Reply
[quote name=melissa]Has anyone spotted MB in the crowd yet? He’s probably wearing his 3 Wolf Moon T-shirt.[/quote]
Oh, you’re probably right. I thought I saw him in a Maddux softball jersey and 1908 hat, but I guess not.
They did show a picture of his ride though.
Suburban kidQuote Reply
[quote name=Suburban kid]Oh, you’re probably right. I thought I saw him in a Maddux softball jersey and 1908 hat, but I guess not.
They did show a picture of his ride though.
mb, I hope you have complied statistics on all of the hats you’ve worn and made sure to wear the luckiest one. The Cubs are trying to win games, here.
BerseliusQuote Reply
[quote name=Suburban kid]All 30 teams have a list like that.
It doesn’t take away from your argument, but it doesn’t add to it either.[/quote]
No. I was in a hurry and didn’t think to clearly compare the list of failed position prospects vs. the ones who have made decent contributions.
My point, which was lost, was that there are no Jay Buhners, Fred McGriffs, Al Leiters, Willie McGees or anyone like that “that got away.”
Hendry has pretty much kept the best his system has churned out and that’s pretty damn sad.
Aisle424Quote Reply
[quote name=GW]http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/prospects/rankings/organization-top-10-prospects/2008/265209.html
5/14 right… could have been a little worse, I suppose.[/quote]Do the projected lineups ever bear much resemblance to the real thing? I don’t know why they even bother to make them.
ACTQuote Reply
Rice CubeQuote Reply
[quote name=Aisle424]
My point, which was lost, was that there are no Jay Buhners, Fred McGriffs, Al Leiters, Willie McGees or anyone like that “that got away.”
Hendry has pretty much kept the best his system has churned out and that’s pretty damn sad.[/quote]Good point
Suburban kidQuote Reply
New silver lining up: http://obstructedview.net/chicago-cubs/games/cubs-are-involved-in-tightly-contested-battle-in-the-standings.html
Aisle424Quote Reply
Really, I don’t think those quotes from Hendry mean anything at all and certainly aren’t worth the angst. He is blowing exactly the kind of smoke that someone in his position has to blow until the team is completely eliminated. I am 100% certain that Hendry knows that the chances of this years team doing anything are cosmically (and comically) insignificant. I’m also pretty sure that he considers it part of his job to not say so in public, for lots of reasons.
I don’t think that having the front office announce that the season is over and that they will consider taking a bag of balls and some dry toast for most of these players does anything but lower the chances that they get anything at all for the people they want to trade. I am certain that they will try to trade a lot of these players. I am also certain that they’ll fuck it and keep at least a couple of players who they should shed. But treating Hendry’s comments as having much to do with what they actually intend to do is silly. He’s saying what he thinks he needs to to keep people coming to the ballpark and to not make hard-to-trade players worth even less.
I also think that, if you’re on the team, you don’t want the front office publicly giving up until its statistically over, and that’s possibly a consideration too.
UrkQuote Reply