01-06-2010, 05:11 PM
<!--quoteo-->QUOTE <!--quotec-->OH CRAP! My bad. I'm so embarrassed. I forgot about the asshole/headcase who had ONE YEAR of sub 7.11 ERA, and who is now out of baseball! Of course, that 7.11 for Sisco was better than Veal's 7.16 (not to mention the 20 walks in 16 innings, which is the reason the Cubs gave up on him), but since he had a good month in the AFL, I think we can all safely conclude he will be around another 15-20 years, antagonizing us. Why, this is nearly as bad as when the Pirates (via the A's) stole Javier Martinez from us in 1999. I remember reading all the articles about how THAT was going to come back and bite us in the ass.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
It's impossible to determine whether Sisco would have panned out with the Cubs if he was allowed to stick around in the minors and wasn't forced to the big leagues. Still, he was a decent young LH arm that the Cubs didn't protect. Veal was the same way. Yet the team always had a roster spot for Neifi Perez and a horde of mediocre middle infielders.
<!--quoteo-->QUOTE <!--quotec-->We didn't have a spot for Pie last year. Period. He played badly for us, and yes, he was out of options. We couldn't afford to carry him, so we had to trade him. If the Cubs weren't coming off a 97 win season, maybe we could have, but we couldn't. He would not get playing time with us, and would probably still be viewed as a failed prospect. It sucks, but it happens all the time.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Why did we not have a spot for him? We traded him, then proceeded to sign Gathright to play the same role/position Pie could have filled. He was jerked around by the organization for a few years, ran out of options, and was traded at possibly his lowest value. How is that good roster/asset management? How many chances did Hendry have to trade him as part of a deal for an established player?
<!--quoteo-->QUOTE <!--quotec-->No, it's partially Hendry's fault, partially the Tribs fault for jacking up then bringing down his budget, and partially the players faults for sucking. Zambrano (and ARam) probably signed for less than they would get on the open market. Soriano was the first big free agent we ever actually got, and if we paid over the market value, it wasn't by much. Why is Wood even listed here? When he was healthy, he was UNDER paid. Fuk took LESS to sign with the Cubs. Bradley and Miles were bad signings. They happen.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
How does the overall budget have to do with overpaying individual players during negotiations? Hendry's job is to look at his payroll and spend it according to his own plan. The problem is that he overpays players and is left with little flexibility.
As for the individual contracts, Zambrano has been overpaid in every year of his contract if you look at WAR. In '08 he was paid $5.7MM per win. Last year he was paid $4.9MM per win. Those are not good numbers at all. Soriano earned his contract in his first year, came close last year, and with his diminishing skills will likely not earn the $18MM/year paid to him for the next 6 years. His contract is an albatross and will hurt the Cubs for years. Kerry Wood's most recent contract with the club was an overpayment considering there was no market for him after his injury. Fukudome is about as valuable as Marlon Byrd (based on WAR) but nobody would want Marlon Byrd on that contract.
<!--quoteo-->QUOTE <!--quotec-->I'm going to ignore the rest of this because much of it is either unfair or doesn't make sense (Wells counts as a strike AGAINST Hendry because we ALMOST lost him to the Blue Jays, but he gets no credit for him having a lights out rookie year? Prior was "risky"? No credit for Wood or Zambrano? Marshall? Guzman? ).<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
It's a strike against Hendry that he would allow a decent prospect like Wells to even be drafted in rule 5 when the Cubs had the likes of Wade Miller and Clay Rapada on their 25 man roster at certain points in the same season. He gets credit for having a good rookie year (though if you believe in FIP and supporting stats, he probably isn't as good as his rookie numbers show). But again, Hendry has been in charge of the Cubs' farm system for 15 years and the best longterm Cubs he drafted/developed during that time have been Zambrano and Wood. That's not exactly a huge success.
<!--quoteo-->QUOTE <!--quotec-->manage the roster? His teams have been in the playoffs 3 of the last 7 years.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Managing the roster has to do with a lot more than making the playoffs. Given Hendry's payroll the last few seasons, it's not surprising that his team has made the playoffs. But they've failed to advance in the playoffs both years. The NL Central wasn't exactly the most competitive division in the league either.
What of the Cubs' constant reliance on injury-prone pitchers? What of a roster which constantly includes multitudes of middle infielders who are forced to play corner OF and IF spots? What of players constantly running out of options?
<!--quoteo-->QUOTE <!--quotec-->Negotiate contracts?
Lilly
Dempster
ARam
Lee
DeRosa
That's just off the top of my head. Every one of those guys is/was signed for less than either what the market would pay them, or for what they are worth.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
The problem with this thinking is that bad contracts aren't "canceled out" by other market value contracts or even by below-market value contracts. Sure, the Cubs have some players who they signed to solid contracts, but they have a bunch of guys who are paid huge money on back-loaded deals that provide them with no flexibility. The only way to move contracts like Soriano's or Fukudome's is to pay a good amount of the salary, and that still leaves the team with holes to fill. When you make mistakes on so many large contracts, it's tough to redeem yourself. You saw that happen last season and I believe it will continue.
<!--quoteo-->QUOTE <!--quotec-->Hendry's record is spotty. It's hit or miss. The problem is, you take every miss, and act as if the hits don't exist. And that's the biggest problem I have with your argument. You bitch and moan about Felix Pie, Donnie Veal, and Ronny fucking Cedeno (who was caught stealing second on on a mother fucking WALK for God's sake), and you ignore that Hendry procured either through the draft, trade, or sensible contracts, the guys who make up the meat of a team that, while they have disappointed, have also been the best team we've seen in our lifetimes.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
You're not seeing the value of a cheap asset. This is Hendry's problem as well. Why go out and sign Joey Gathright when you just traded away a younger, cheaper guy with similar skills? Why sign Aaron Miles when you just traded away a capable middle infielder who could backup 2B and SS?
And I'm sorry, but being swept in 2 straight postseasons to me is not a great accomplishment. The Cubs feasted on the NL Central when the Cardinals were down, but now they're going to be handicapped for a few years while they try to get out of Hendry's mess of spending. The team is full of aging players who are going to be paid a ton over the next few seasons.
It's impossible to determine whether Sisco would have panned out with the Cubs if he was allowed to stick around in the minors and wasn't forced to the big leagues. Still, he was a decent young LH arm that the Cubs didn't protect. Veal was the same way. Yet the team always had a roster spot for Neifi Perez and a horde of mediocre middle infielders.
<!--quoteo-->QUOTE <!--quotec-->We didn't have a spot for Pie last year. Period. He played badly for us, and yes, he was out of options. We couldn't afford to carry him, so we had to trade him. If the Cubs weren't coming off a 97 win season, maybe we could have, but we couldn't. He would not get playing time with us, and would probably still be viewed as a failed prospect. It sucks, but it happens all the time.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Why did we not have a spot for him? We traded him, then proceeded to sign Gathright to play the same role/position Pie could have filled. He was jerked around by the organization for a few years, ran out of options, and was traded at possibly his lowest value. How is that good roster/asset management? How many chances did Hendry have to trade him as part of a deal for an established player?
<!--quoteo-->QUOTE <!--quotec-->No, it's partially Hendry's fault, partially the Tribs fault for jacking up then bringing down his budget, and partially the players faults for sucking. Zambrano (and ARam) probably signed for less than they would get on the open market. Soriano was the first big free agent we ever actually got, and if we paid over the market value, it wasn't by much. Why is Wood even listed here? When he was healthy, he was UNDER paid. Fuk took LESS to sign with the Cubs. Bradley and Miles were bad signings. They happen.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
How does the overall budget have to do with overpaying individual players during negotiations? Hendry's job is to look at his payroll and spend it according to his own plan. The problem is that he overpays players and is left with little flexibility.
As for the individual contracts, Zambrano has been overpaid in every year of his contract if you look at WAR. In '08 he was paid $5.7MM per win. Last year he was paid $4.9MM per win. Those are not good numbers at all. Soriano earned his contract in his first year, came close last year, and with his diminishing skills will likely not earn the $18MM/year paid to him for the next 6 years. His contract is an albatross and will hurt the Cubs for years. Kerry Wood's most recent contract with the club was an overpayment considering there was no market for him after his injury. Fukudome is about as valuable as Marlon Byrd (based on WAR) but nobody would want Marlon Byrd on that contract.
<!--quoteo-->QUOTE <!--quotec-->I'm going to ignore the rest of this because much of it is either unfair or doesn't make sense (Wells counts as a strike AGAINST Hendry because we ALMOST lost him to the Blue Jays, but he gets no credit for him having a lights out rookie year? Prior was "risky"? No credit for Wood or Zambrano? Marshall? Guzman? ).<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
It's a strike against Hendry that he would allow a decent prospect like Wells to even be drafted in rule 5 when the Cubs had the likes of Wade Miller and Clay Rapada on their 25 man roster at certain points in the same season. He gets credit for having a good rookie year (though if you believe in FIP and supporting stats, he probably isn't as good as his rookie numbers show). But again, Hendry has been in charge of the Cubs' farm system for 15 years and the best longterm Cubs he drafted/developed during that time have been Zambrano and Wood. That's not exactly a huge success.
<!--quoteo-->QUOTE <!--quotec-->manage the roster? His teams have been in the playoffs 3 of the last 7 years.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Managing the roster has to do with a lot more than making the playoffs. Given Hendry's payroll the last few seasons, it's not surprising that his team has made the playoffs. But they've failed to advance in the playoffs both years. The NL Central wasn't exactly the most competitive division in the league either.
What of the Cubs' constant reliance on injury-prone pitchers? What of a roster which constantly includes multitudes of middle infielders who are forced to play corner OF and IF spots? What of players constantly running out of options?
<!--quoteo-->QUOTE <!--quotec-->Negotiate contracts?
Lilly
Dempster
ARam
Lee
DeRosa
That's just off the top of my head. Every one of those guys is/was signed for less than either what the market would pay them, or for what they are worth.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
The problem with this thinking is that bad contracts aren't "canceled out" by other market value contracts or even by below-market value contracts. Sure, the Cubs have some players who they signed to solid contracts, but they have a bunch of guys who are paid huge money on back-loaded deals that provide them with no flexibility. The only way to move contracts like Soriano's or Fukudome's is to pay a good amount of the salary, and that still leaves the team with holes to fill. When you make mistakes on so many large contracts, it's tough to redeem yourself. You saw that happen last season and I believe it will continue.
<!--quoteo-->QUOTE <!--quotec-->Hendry's record is spotty. It's hit or miss. The problem is, you take every miss, and act as if the hits don't exist. And that's the biggest problem I have with your argument. You bitch and moan about Felix Pie, Donnie Veal, and Ronny fucking Cedeno (who was caught stealing second on on a mother fucking WALK for God's sake), and you ignore that Hendry procured either through the draft, trade, or sensible contracts, the guys who make up the meat of a team that, while they have disappointed, have also been the best team we've seen in our lifetimes.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
You're not seeing the value of a cheap asset. This is Hendry's problem as well. Why go out and sign Joey Gathright when you just traded away a younger, cheaper guy with similar skills? Why sign Aaron Miles when you just traded away a capable middle infielder who could backup 2B and SS?
And I'm sorry, but being swept in 2 straight postseasons to me is not a great accomplishment. The Cubs feasted on the NL Central when the Cardinals were down, but now they're going to be handicapped for a few years while they try to get out of Hendry's mess of spending. The team is full of aging players who are going to be paid a ton over the next few seasons.