Sammy Sosa often likes to remind reporters he’s not the Cubs’ general manager.
“I’m just an employee,” he will say.
So it wasn’t surprising Sosa spoke from a player’s perspective after the Cubs’ 9-6 victory over the White Sox in the finale to the season’s first half.
“If we can keep playing like we did the last couple of days,” Sosa said, “maybe they won’t make a lot of changes.”
Right. And maybe Donald Trump will cut a rap album and win a Grammy Award.
The Cubs are in store for significant changes in the second half of the season. As far as manager Don Baylor is concerned, the more, the better.
“I would imagine there will be a reshuffling of the roster,” he said.
“We know we lost a lot of games and we have to do something about that, either with the people here or by looking at other people.”
The Cubs stumbled into the break at 35-51, the second-worst record in the National League. If not for a total meltdown by Houston’s Jose Lima, the Cubs would be the lowest of the low.
“We have better players on this team than our record would indicate,” Mark Grace insisted. “I was talking to a buddy the other night and he said that if this was like American Legion baseball where the games are only seven innings, we’d be in first place. I just laughed.”
He could have cried.
The Cubs’ bullpen has been the biggest reason for the team’s first-half collapse. Relievers have blown 15 saves, led by closer Rick Aguilera’s six, Daniel Garibay’s two, Felix Heredia’s two and Kyle Farnsworth’s two.
The fact that another four relievers–Andrew Lorraine, Brian Williams, Todd Van Poppel and Tim Worrell–had save opportunities is telling. Baylor appeared to lose confidence in Aguilera in early May and the manager’s faith has been shaky ever since.
After Worrell worked a 1-2-3 ninth Sunday to close out the Sox, Baylor was asked whether Worrell could emerge as his closer in the second half.
“If Aggy comes up dizzy again,” Baylor said coyly, referring to the dizzy spells that had sidelined Aguilera that morning.
In reality it won’t make a great deal of difference who closes in the month or so after the All-Star break. Baylor is eager to get a look at the two right-handers who have been all but anointed as the future of the bullpen: Farnsworth and Carlos Zambrano.
Farnsworth was horrendous in his first stint with the Cubs this season. The 24-year-old right-hander posted a 9.07 ERA, walked 30 batters in 422/3 innings and allowed nine of 11 inherited runners to score.
But General Manager Ed Lynch has said Farnsworth can be a “phenomenal” reliever given the 98 m.p.h. fastball and 93 m.p.h. sinker he has been showing off at Class AAA Iowa, where he is 0-2 with a 3.32 ERA. Maybe but the plate still eludes Farnsworth, who has walked 14 batters in 212/3 innings.
Zambrano, who just turned 19, might get a look in September. After dominating the Class AA Southern League (39 hits in 601/3 innings), he has impressed at Iowa, going 1-2 with a 2.42 ERA. But his walk total (19 in 26 innings) is enough to make Baylor cringe.
Corey Patterson appears destined to make his major league debut before his 21st birthday Aug. 13, but that comes on the condition the Cubs can clear space in the outfield before the July 31 trading deadline.
Both Henry Rodriguez and Glenallen Hill are being shopped, but Rodriguez’s high salary ($4.6 million) and Hill’s modest production (.246 average, nine homers) will make it difficult for Lynch to acquire better than midlevel prospects.
Grace, Aguilera and Kevin Tapani have no-trade clauses and have not indicated much of a willingness to move.
Barring Sosa’s re-entry into the trade market, right-hander Ismael Valdes will emerge as the team’s juiciest trade bait if he flourishes Thursday night at Minnesota and remains blister-free for the next two weeks. Given Valdes’ maddening season, however, that’s asking a lot.
If Valdes is moved, the Cubs probably will insert Ruben Quevedo into the rotation. Mike Meyers has struggled at Iowa (2-4, 5.77 ERA) and Ben Christensen, although a combined 7-3 with a 2.36 ERA in the minors, was pitching in rookie ball at this time last year.
“If they’re going to bring young guys up, that’s fine,” Grace said. “But it’s up to the guys in this locker room to turn it around.”
Grace is too proud to admit that for another season, the closest he’ll get to postseason play is in the broadcast booth.
“First and foremost, nobody has given up, and I can promise you I won’t allow that,” he said.
“I’m not saying we can make a run at first place but we can certainly make it a lot more fun around here.”
The Cubs had some fun in the final days before the All-Star break when they put together their first two-game winning streak since mid-June. They haven’t won four straight all season.
“Our starting pitching has been outstanding,” Baylor said. “Our defense has not been a problem. Clutch hitting, we’ve lacked in that area.”
How about all hitting. The Cubs’ .259 batting average is the third worst in baseball and they have been outscored by all but five National League teams.
During the disastrous 3-9 trip that ended July 2, their offense produced 46 runs, less than four per game. And three of the games went into extra innings.
Why the lousy offense? Don’t blame Sosa (.305, 74 RBIs), Eric Young (.307), Joe Girardi (.302) or Damon Buford (.273, 12 homers).
The Cubs’ third-base platoon fell apart when Shane Andrews suffered a herniated disc and their left-field production has been spotty with Henry Rodriguez driving in just one run from May 27 to June 30 and Brant Brown hitting .185 since rejoining the team.
Injuries killed promising first halves for Grace and shortstop Ricky Gutierrez.
“I’m a better hitter than .280 with 34 RBIs,” Grace said.
“Hopefully I’ll be healthy the whole second half–no broken fingers, ripped hamstrings or hip flexors. I need to hit the ball better, hit it like a man.”
But even if Grace & Co. can improve, their consolation prize will be another winter of soul searching and waiting ’til next year.
