With most of the multimillion-dollar plums already having been plucked in the free-agent frenzy, the Cubs finally put their 2 cents in on Wednesday, signing right-hander Scott Sanders for $600,000.
Sanders, who has a career record of 30-38 and a 4.74 earned-run average, signed a one-year deal at about half the major-league average salary. He may become the Cubs’ fifth starter.
The Cubs also announced the re-signing of left-fielder Henry Rodriguez for $8.1 million over two years and a club option for 2001 at $5.2 million with a $600,000 buyout.
Rodriguez got his wish to stay in Chicago. The Cubs got their wish to keep his salary relatively low–$3.6 million in ’99 and $4.5 million in 2000–and aren’t stuck with a long-term deal. Rodriguez may have gotten more if he shopped around, but he told his agent to talk only to the Cubs.
“I didn’t want to gamble,” Rodriguez said. “I’ve said all year money doesn’t matter to me. I grew to love Chicago and I want to end my career there. The Cubs treated me well. That’s what matters.”
Though he was injured for most of the season’s last month, he finished with 31 home runs and 85 runs batted in while hitting .251.
If it appears the Cubs of ’99 will bear an uncanny resemblance to the Cubs of ’98, it’s no mirage. General Manager Ed Lynch said he’ll now concentrate on bringing back Gary Gaetti and Mark Clark. Kansas City and Anaheim are pursuing Gaetti and Texas has interest in Clark.
Lynch said he doesn’t fear criticism he has ignored the market while bringing back the same cast.
“I tell you what, if it’s the same year in terms of 90 wins . . .,” Lynch said. “The grass isn’t always greener on the other side of the fence. Those players had good years and we’re comfortable with them. They’re good people and have strong work ethics. Offensively we had a great year.”
Sanders, 29, was traded from Detroit to San Diego at the start of the ’98 season and spent a couple months at Triple-A Las Vegas before going 3-1 with a 4.11 ERA in 30 2/3 innings with the Padres, strictly as a reliever. Lynch said Sanders will get an opportunity to start, unless the Cubs re-sign Clark, in which case Sanders heads to the pen.
“Scott is aware that if that happens he’ll go to the bullpen,” Lynch said. “You can never have too many pitchers.”
Having too many pitchers never has been a problem for the Cubs. They finished 11th in National League pitching last year, despite productive seasons from Kevin Tapani, Kerry Wood, Steve Trachsel and Rod Beck.
Yet it appears as though the only real addition to the staff may be the much-traveled Sanders.
“If we bring back the same pitching staff, we expect to have a better year,” Lynch said. “We underachieved as a staff and have to pitch better.”
Sanders said 10 teams were interested in him, but the Cubs were his first choice. Lynch was the Padres’ minor-league chief when Sanders was in the San Diego farm system and Jim Riggleman was his manager at Triple-A and with the Padres.
” `Rigs’ and Ed Lynch definitely were big reasons why I signed,” Sanders said. “I wanted to get back and be myself, not have to be anyone else but Scott Sanders. Rigs knows me. He knows my style.”
Sanders’ best season came in 1996 when he went 9-5 with a 3.38 ERA in San Diego. When he’s on, he has a good sinking fastball, slider and changeup. But after what appeared to be a breakthrough year, Sanders was traded to Seattle in ’97 for Sterling Hitchcock and his career regressed. He went 6-16 with a 6.63 ERA with the Mariners and Tigers in ’97 and ’98.
“He has struggled,” Lynch conceded. “We hope he returns to his ’96 form in San Diego.”
If Sanders becomes a starter, he’ll join Wood, Tapani, Trachsel and Terry Mulholland in a rotation whose combined salaries in ’99 won’t equal Randy Johnson’s average annual salary of $13.1 million.
