Short-term moves that make new manager Don Baylor’s challenge bigger than it had to be:
– Trading Doug Glanville for Mickey Morandini. The Cubs lost a solid No. 1 or 2 hitter, good defensive outfielder and clubhouse presence for an aging second baseman.
– Protecting veterans, not young players, in the 1997 expansion draft. While the Cubs protected 38-year-old left-handed pitcher Bob Patterson, they lost 24-year-old lefty Ramon Tatis (12-8 in Class AAA for Tampa Bay this year). They would not have had to trade for Morandini if they had kept Miguel Cairo, who has been the Devil Rays’ regular second baseman the last two years. The only minor-leaguer they protected was catcher Pat Cline, who has stalled at Class AAA.
– Trading right-hander Jon Garland for Matt Karchner. At 19, Garland reminds some of Kevin Brown. He finished a big 1999 season in the White Sox farm system with eight shutout innings in the Class AAA World Series.
– Trading right-handers Jason Ryan and Kyle Lohse for Rick Aguilera. Ryan won 12 games last year, including one for the Minnesota Twins. Lohse won 10 between Class A and Class AA. The saving grace to this deal was it brought the return of minor-league left-hander Scott Downs, who had been traded to the Twins for Mike Morgan in ’98.
– Plugging holes with end-of-the-road free agents Jeff Blauser, Gary Gaetti and Benito Santiago rather than developing younger, less-proven alternatives. For instance, though the Cubs liked minor-league free-agent third baseman Olmedo Saenz (.275, 11 home runs, 41 RBIs in 97 games), they allowed themselves to be outbid by Oakland.
