Jim Hendry and the 2009 Cubs...is he trying to build a loser?

[FirstTimer]

this i think is huge. Without a leadoff speed guy atop your lineup, it tough for the middle guys to get on base and work counts, as there are already 1-2 outs. To be perfectly blunt and completely opinionated, I don't think the Cubs are as good as the get credit for. Their "star players" aren't playing at that caliber.

Thing is Soriano in the spring agreed to at wherever Lou wanted him to. He should be batting somewhere around 3-5. Not 1. Then again for the last two years he has carried the team at times from the leadoff spot and helped the team win 97 games last year...Tough call.

Only one player on the team that is playing( not aram) is hitting over .290, and thats Fukudome. Mike Fontenot has the same amount of homeruns as Derek Lee,

Lee isn't really a surprise though. He had one big season and then hurt his wrist. But Lee was never a consistant 40+ HR guy. He had a big season a few years ago and people viewed it as the rule, rather than the exception it was. I think he's a good #3 hitter in front of a guy like Aramis but I was never overly concerned with Lee's lack of pop since 2005. Hell even in 2006 before he fucked up his wrist he only had 8 HR's in 50 games.

Milton Bradley, the great pickup that is supposd to put them over the top is hitting worse than David Ortiz right now from a power standpoint.

Don't even get me started on Bradley.... Should have signed Dunn. Dunn instead of Bradley and even as marginal as this team has been IMO they are leading the Central.

The bullpen has 9 blown saves on the season, and 2 of the 5 starters have era's under 4. Rich Harden is hovering near 5 and i'm almost positive he's on the DL. The Cubs are a dysfunctional group of players that are to some extent, a process of overhype. Carlos Zambrano's OBP is only 20 points lower than the leadoff hitter Alfonso Soriano's. Jim Hendry could very well be trying to rebuild, or he's just adding onto a team that is already pointed in the wrong direction.

I've said my piece on the Bullpen. Should have kept Wood....

[Yawkey Way]

the Derek Lee argument is really tough because he's hit more than 20 homeruns every year since 2000, so it's not too say he hasn't always been a good hitter. But I do think his time is running out in the power slot, he's not really a #3 guy. Their perfect number 3 guy is Adam Dunn, like you said, who can create that left right matchup, consistently mash on the ball, and have A-Ram protecting him. Lee is your perfect number 5 hitter. After all Lee's .OBP is always great for a power type hitter, why not stick him in the 5 spot where you know you will have consistent production.

I think they need to make a trade with San Diego, but not for who you might think. I feel that they should make a play on Adrian Gonzalez. I know theres no DH but i think you can find somewhere to put Lee, don't quote me but hasn't he played the outfield before?

Gonzalez is a home run hitter in petco park, and at 26 years old and under contract for 3 more years at a good price, he's the guy you want in that line up. Trade for Gonzalez, sign Bobby Abreu, and maybe look to sign a reliever/starter. Thats the route i take this year and heading into next year if i'm Jim Hendry.

[celtsxpatsxsox]

i dont see the padres trading Gonzalez and I I dont think the Cubs have the pieces to get him.

[Yawkey Way]

Gonzalez just mentioned during the week that he knew his future is uncertain in San Diego, and that he's not against moving.

[LC AAU]

This years been a fucking wreck. I can't even watch the games anymore.

[Yawkey Way]

How can you sit there and say you've given up on the team, dont watch the games, and call it a wreck when it is June 10th and your still in position to fight for the division.

[zack54attack]

Bradley needs to step it up.


The Cubs were looking at Milton Bradley and Raul Ibanez for RF. They picked Bradley over Ibanez. And look what Ibanez is doing. He would have filled in perfectly to help make up for ARAM's number loss.

[LC AAU]

How can you sit there and say you've given up on the team, dont watch the games, and call it a wreck when it is June 10th and your still in position to fight for the division.

I never said I've given up on them, it's almost painful to watch games now.

[MRN]

Well first of all if anyone could have predicted Ibanez would blow up like this, I think every team would have wanted him. Secondly, how can you hate on Hendry for his decision? Bradley and Ibanez had pretty much identical stats last year. Bradley was 30, Ibanez was 36. Who would you choose?

Someone who isn't a troublemaker, Bradley has had trouble everywhere he has gone.

I would've taken Bradley if I knew he was going to be trouble-free, but that just won't happen.

[FirstTimer]

the Derek Lee argument is really tough because he's hit more than 20 homeruns every year since 2000, so it's not too say he hasn't always been a good hitter. But I do think his time is running out in the power slot, he's not really a #3 guy.

Meh, I'm ok with not having a gigantic power guy at the #3 hole, especially with ARam hitting behind him and Soriano leading off. In a perfect world I'd see the Cubs lineup generally look like this:

Theriot
Fukudome
Soriano
Ramirez
Bradley
Lee
Soto
Fontenot
(Pitcher)

Their perfect number 3 guy is Adam Dunn, like you said, who can create that left right matchup, consistently mash on the ball, and have A-Ram protecting him. Lee is your perfect number 5 hitter. After all Lee's .OBP is always great for a power type hitter, why not stick him in the 5 spot where you know you will have consistent production.

No argument there.

I think they need to make a trade with San Diego, but not for who you might think. I feel that they should make a play on Adrian Gonzalez. I know theres no DH but i think you can find somewhere to put Lee, don't quote me but hasn't he played the outfield before?

Nope. Never played OF. The power hitting 1B from the division you are thinking of is Albert Pujols. He played some OF years ago for St. Louis

Gonzalez is a home run hitter in petco park, and at 26 years old and under contract for 3 more years at a good price, he's the guy you want in that line up. Trade for Gonzalez, sign Bobby Abreu, and maybe look to sign a reliever/starter. Thats the route i take this year and heading into next year if i'm Jim Hendry.

We'd have to give up Vitters most likely. Not sure we could swing that deal, plus then you have no place to put Lee.

[RainboUnicorn]

I stopped reading the original post when you implied that Mark DeRosa was bad last year.

That guy was a huge key for us last year. He played at 4 different positionsthroughout the year. He didn't put up superstar numbers but he still hit a solid .285 and had 87 rbi's. He had his best offensive season of his career. You are high if you think he wasn't a key for us last year.

The thing that pisses me off the most about the DeRosa trade is that I heard a few weeks before that the Padres wanted DeRosa in a trade for Peavey and the Cubs wouldn't give him up (I'm not positive but I'm pretty sure).

Lee is playing alright right now but if he starts to struggle again I could see the cubs trying to trade him before the deadline. Get some value out of him. Then put Hoffpauir at first. Hoffpauir is a stud we can't let him go.

We need Ramirez back!!

[Senser81]

I stopped reading the original post when you implied that Mark DeRosa was bad last year.

You must have misunderstood. I said that Miles had been bad this year, and he is even worse when you consider how well DeRosa played for the Cubs last year at 2nd. My point was that 2nd base went from a position of strength to a position of weakness for no reason other than Hendry's idiocy.

[FirstTimer]

I stopped reading the original post when you implied that Mark DeRosa was bad last year.

That guy was a huge key for us last year. He played at 4 different positionsthroughout the year. He didn't put up superstar numbers but he still hit a solid .285 and had 87 rbi's. He had his best offensive season of his career. You are high if you think he wasn't a key for us last year.

The thing that pisses me off the most about the DeRosa trade is that I heard a few weeks before that the Padres wanted DeRosa in a trade for Peavey and the Cubs wouldn't give him up (I'm not positive but I'm pretty sure).

Lee is playing alright right now but if he starts to struggle again I could see the cubs trying to trade him before the deadline. Get some value out of him. Then put Hoffpauir at first. Hoffpauir is a stud we can't let him go.

We need Ramirez back!!

The player the Cubs wouldn't give up in the Peavy trade was 3B Prospect Josh Vitters.

[FirstTimer]

You must have misunderstood. I said that Miles had been bad this year, and he is even worse when you consider how well DeRosa played for the Cubs last year at 2nd. My point was that 2nd base went from a position of strength to a position of weakness for no reason other than Hendry's idiocy.

I guess my question would be was it Hendry or was it the coaching staff saying DeRosa was expendable because Lou liked Fontenot at 2B? Miles wasn't brought into start. He was brought into be a sub. In the end Hendry has the final say on lettin De Rosa go but I can't help but think that he was pushed into doing so by the coaches liking Fontenot a lot.

[Senser81]

I guess my question would be was it Hendry or was it the coaching staff saying DeRosa was expendable because Lou liked Fontenot at 2B? Miles wasn't brought into start. He was brought into be a sub. In the end Hendry has the final say on lettin De Rosa go but I can't help but think that he was pushed into doing so by the coaches liking Fontenot a lot.

I don't think that Lou has ever liked Fontenot. He seems to loath playing him.