MLB: Aftermath and 2009 Outlook for the Cubs

[CYdTracked]

This team was obviously not built for a postseason sprint after being swept out 2 years in a row. So what needs to change to improve this team's chances in the post season? A few questions loom:

1. Who will be the Cubs owner in 2009?
2. What to do with Fukudome?
3. Pending free agents: Wood, Dempster, Edmonds, Blanco (mutual option) Ward, Lieber, Howry, Harden (club option) Reed Johnson. Probably several of the young guys up for arbitration too.
4. Trade away any of the current players?

A few comments:
1. I hope Mark Cuban. I think he'd do whatever in his power to end the world series drought and by doing so would be an instant icon in Chicago.
2. He has a no-trade clause, may have to swallow hard and send him and his $11.5 mil contract to Iowa to start the season and get him to correct his bad habits at the plate.
3. You must resign Wood, Dempster, and Johnson and pick up the option on Harden and probably Blanco too. You way goodbye to Ward and Howry and Edmonds.
4. As much as I hate to say it but I'd almost think you have to look into trading Derek Lee. I think the lineup is too right hand dominant with he, Soriano, and Ramirez. Soriano's contract makes him hard to trade and you aren't going to find a suitable replacement at 3B for Ramirez so Lee is the most tradable guy I think. At all costs they need to bring in a power hitting lefty to throw in the middle of this lineup. CF, RF, and 1B are the most likely spots to do this at. Shoring up the bullpen with a couple middle relievers would go a long way too and you let Samardzija challenge Marquis for a rotation spot.

 

[isuno1fan]

I see more heartbreak and losing, but that's just me.

 

[bos]

Name change:

Chicago Munsons

 

[cyfanatic]

I am not sure about the impact Mark Cuban would have in baseball? The lack of funding/payroll has NOT been a problem on the northside in recent years. So what more could he do? The Cubs have a very good manager. They have a very good GM. What could Mark Cuban add to the mix? Now is he a better owner than the Tribune was for many years? Could be? But lately the Cubs have gotten anything they wanted from the Trib.

Baseball is a very different animal than the NBA!

 

[ISUCLONES15]

4. As much as I hate to say it but I'd almost think you have to look into trading Derek Lee. I think the lineup is too right hand dominant with he, Soriano, and Ramirez. Soriano's contract makes him hard to trade and you aren't going to find a suitable replacement at 3B for Ramirez so Lee is the most tradable guy I think. At all costs they need to bring in a power hitting lefty to throw in the middle of this lineup. CF, RF, and 1B are the most likely spots to do this at. Shoring up the bullpen with a couple middle relievers would go a long way too and you let Samardzija challenge Marquis for a rotation spot.

I really agree with trading D. Lee, which pains me to say because he has been my favorite Cubs player for a few years now. My reasoning is a little different then yours though. Lee isn't getting any younger and with a 25 year old Hoffpauir playing the way that he did in Iowa and in the time he got with Chicago, it is almost a must to trade D. Lee. Hoffpauir is the power hitting lefty you say the Cubs need in the middle of their lineup. I would like to see them get that solid middle reliever in the trade for D. Lee along with some good young talent.

 

[cycloneman003]

i agree that hoffpauir is going to be a superb hitter, but you saw d-lee perform probably the best of anyone this postseason. if you can get ANYTHING for soriano you have to get rid of him he just has to many holes in the swing. there will be some team desperate for some power.

some free agents that could really help the cubs:
Raul Ibanez - lefty and can play corner outfield.. is 37 though
Milton Bradley - switch hitter, DH'd this year but played all OF's before, injuries make him a corner OF probably
Tons of middle relievers - theres loads of them out there, maybe 1 or 2 to help shore it up

if you do trade D. Lee, mark texiera is a free agent switch hitter and great fielder at 1B

i think there should be a 4-way battle for that final rotation spot. marquis hasnt earned it really, but samarzdjia obiviously has great stuff, gaudin has really good starter stuff and started some in oakland, and i think shawn marshall deserves a shot. he was very solid this year and would bring another lefty in there

a name to throw out there RICH HILL. injured at the end of the year when pitching in mesa.... maybe he makes a stunning comeback???

expect to see josh vitters at some point next year, and possibly andrew cashner too

 

[cycopath25]

Name change:

Chicago Munsons

Yeah I wouldn't want to be Munsoned out in the middle of nowhere!:biglaugh:

 

[GoCubsGo]

2. What to do with Fukudome?
3. Pending free agents: Wood, Dempster, Edmonds, Blanco (mutual option) Ward, Lieber, Howry, Harden (club option) Reed Johnson. Probably several of the young guys up for arbitration too.
4. Trade away any of the current players?

A few comments:
1. I hope Mark Cuban. I think he'd do whatever in his power to end the world series drought and by doing so would be an instant icon in Chicago.
2. He has a no-trade clause, may have to swallow hard and send him and his $11.5 mil contract to Iowa to start the season and get him to correct his bad habits at the plate.
3. You must resign Wood, Dempster, and Johnson and pick up the option on Harden and probably Blanco too. You way goodbye to Ward and Howry and Edmonds.
4. As much as I hate to say it but I'd almost think you have to look into trading Derek Lee. I think the lineup is too right hand dominant with he, Soriano, and Ramirez. Soriano's contract makes him hard to trade and you aren't going to find a suitable replacement at 3B for Ramirez so Lee is the most tradable guy I think. At all costs they need to bring in a power hitting lefty to throw in the middle of this lineup. CF, RF, and 1B are the most likely spots to do this at. Shoring up the bullpen with a couple middle relievers would go a long way too and you let Samardzija challenge Marquis for a rotation spot.

2. I'm not ready to give up on Fukudome just yet. Remember when everyone was on the Fukudome bandwagon earlier this season? I was as frustrated with him as anyone else down the stretch and in the playoffs, but hopefully with a full MLB season behind him now, he will be better prepared for the daily grind of a long schedule, similar to how Theriot ran out of gas at the end of the 2007 season, but put it together for a full year this season.

3. Wood, Dempster, Harden and Blanco are the obvious re-signs/exercises. Glad to see that Dempster seems like he really wants to come back next year, and given Woody's history with the team, I think the same will be true with him. What the Cubs decide to do with Edmonds and Reed Johnson will depend on who is available in free agency and how much/little money those two are willing to accept. Gotta love Johnson for his grit, gotta love Edmonds for the boost he gave after coming over from San Diego, but CF is obviously one of the positions at which the Cubs could upgrade from a talent standpoint.

4. I agree that Lee seems like the most likely candidate for a trade. It will be interesting to see if Hendry shops him, and if he does, whether any other teams are interested after Lee's inconsistent power this year. I'm not convinced that Hoff is the answer just yet - I don't think he's gotten enough at-bats at the MLB level to prove himself one way or the other. It would be hard to part with the D that D-Lee provides on an everyday basis - Game 2 against the Dodgers notwithstanding.

 

[Rogue52]

Jim Hendry is considered a very good GM? Have you looked at the salaries of Fukudome and Soriano?

Also, I don't see Hendry trading Lee, but there is no doubt that he will be the easiest to move. It's sad that the Cubs are stuck will all of these big contracts. Lee is a great hitter to have to complement a lineup and a sure hand at first base (most of the time).

 

[jdoggivjc]

As much as I dislike the Cubs, I think Cuban would be an awesome fit for them, and would give me an all new high in the respect category for them. However, he won't be the owner if the other 29 owners have anything to say about it (and, unfortunately, they do).

 

[cybsball20]

Lee has a no-trade clause so youwon't be able to get much for him. You can't trade him to a bottom feeder for alot of young talent because he won't go. A team that is already contending won't be likely to give up much.

 

[cycloneryan]

I am sure I will change my mind by next april but it is going to be tough to get pumped up for another Cubs season. This was such a gut wrenching playoffs that I wonder how many fans will still have it in the back of their minds when the 2009 season starts.

 

[psychlone99]

I really agree with trading D. Lee, which pains me to say because he has been my favorite Cubs player for a few years now. My reasoning is a little different then yours though. Lee isn't getting any younger and with a 25 year old Hoffpauir playing the way that he did in Iowa and in the time he got with Chicago, it is almost a must to trade D. Lee. Hoffpauir is the power hitting lefty you say the Cubs need in the middle of their lineup. I would like to see them get that solid middle reliever in the trade for D. Lee along with some good young talent.

I could go along with this, except Hoff isn't 25. He'll be 29 by the time spring training rolls around. He's certainly a late bloomer, which makes me nervous about his staying power. It makes sense to consider Lee in a trade, but I'm not sure Hoffpauir is a long-term solution. Definitely worth considering, however.

If most of us could choose, we would dump Soriano, but that just isn't going to happen so we'll have to live with the guy. I'm also not ready to give up on Fukudome entirely. Was his second half frustrating as hell? Absolutely, but I'm willing to give him a year to adjust. Not only is the MLB season longer, it's also played across 4 different time zones, which isn't the case in Japan. It's fair to assume that it wore on the guy quite a bit.

As another poster mentioned, I think CF offers you the best opportunity to make a significant change on the roster. I love what the RJ/Edmonds platoon brought to this team, but Edmonds isn't getting any younger and RJ probably played a little above his head this season.

Regardless of where any new addition plays, I think the Cubs need to go out and find a leader and a guy who can keep this team loose if they make the playoffs again. The roster is loaded with a ton of talent, but it's lacking a leader and someone who can help his teammates handle the pressure of a 100 years. To say that this team was "tight" is a huge understatement.

 

[acrozier22]

Jim Hendry is considered a very good GM? Have you looked at the salaries of Fukudome and Soriano?

Also, I don't see Hendry trading Lee, but there is no doubt that he will be the easiest to move. It's sad that the Cubs are stuck will all of these big contracts. Lee is a great hitter to have to complement a lineup and a sure hand at first base (most of the time).

Who cares how much they make? The cubs have money to spend and can afford to overpay to get FA's. As much as Soriano pissed me off in the playoffs he is a major reason why they were in the playoffs to begin with. Hendry is a great GM for going and getting Ryan Dempster, Jim Edmonds, Mark Derosa, and Reed Johnson. None of those guys were huge splashes but made a huge impact on the playoff run.

 

[cyfanatic]

Who cares how much they make? The cubs have money to spend and can afford to overpay to get FA's. As much as Soriano pissed me off in the playoffs he is a major reason why they were in the playoffs to begin with. Hendry is a great GM for going and getting Ryan Dempster, Jim Edmonds, Mark Derosa, and Reed Johnson. None of those guys were huge splashes but made a huge impact on the playoff run.

Agree. Good post. Hendry is a very good GM. Also, wasn't it reported in the media somewhere that Fukodome (sp?) accepted a lesser offer to play for the Cubs than what the White Sox offered (that coming from a White Sox fan)? I believe I read that a few times.

 

[djcubby]

Jim Hendry is considered a very good GM? Have you looked at the salaries of Fukudome and Soriano?

You can't judge a GM based on the contract of a couple of players. Besides, those players could have had the same money from a number of different clubs.

He grabbed Ramirez from Pittsburgh for a couple of nobodys, picked up Edmonds for table scraps, grabbed Reed Johnson off the Toronto scrap heap, all of which have had a major impact. Not to mention, signing Lou Piniella when Joe Girardi was the more popular choice.

Marquis and Howry are questions marks, but name me a GM that doesn't have a mistake here or there.

 

[CYdTracked]

I don't think Hoff is the answer as a starting 1B but at the very least he should take Ward's spot on the bench as the left handed hitter.

 

[trevn]

I don't think Hoff is the answer as a starting 1B but at the very least he should take Ward's spot on the bench as the left handed hitter.

I've got your answer for a power-hitting lefty at 1B. Hee Seop Choi :biglaugh:

Just don't throw him a breaking ball.

Seriously though, I agree with trading D. Lee, but I'm not sure what the Cubs would want or get for him.

 

[JHudd]

I've got your answer for a power-hitting lefty at 1B. Hee Seop Choi :biglaugh:

Just don't throw him a breaking ball.

Seriously though, I agree with trading D. Lee, but I'm not sure what the Cubs would want or get for him.

Did you really have to dig that out my memory. :no: Bad....