Remember Shane Andrews and Willie Greene? How about bullpen stalwarts Rick Aguilera, Daniel Garibay, Matt Karchner, Brian Williams, Steve Rain and Jamie Arnold?
The 2000 Cubs weren’t a team; they were a trivia question.
So the Cubs disbanded the group that won 65 games in favor of the 2001 team, which can finish with 90 victories if it closes out the season going 5-1 against National League doormats Cincinnati and Pittsburgh.
The 2002 Cubs will bear a close resemblance to this year’s model, but there remain intriguing questions at second base, shortstop, left field and in the starting rotation.
Plus there’s the matter of who’s in charge. Andy MacPhail, the team president who added the title of general manager in July 2000, will announce shortly after the season whether he will step aside as GM in favor of right-hand man Jim Hendry.
MacPhail has excelled as GM, trading for Rondell White, Bill Mueller, Fred McGriff and Michael Tucker. For those players he gave up nothing more than injured lefty Scott Downs, serviceable reliever Tim Worrell and four mid- to low-level prospects.
MacPhail might be criticized for dealing Ruben Quevedo to obtain Milwaukee’s David Weathers, but Weathers was needed to strengthen the bullpen and the Cubs believe Quevedo is no better than a No. 4 starter.
As for his decision not to pursue third baseman Vinny Castilla more aggressively, MacPhail said that by the time Mueller broke his left kneecap on May 13, Castilla’s deal with Houston was all but completed.
“I haven’t really given that decision a second thought,” MacPhail said. “We still had [Ron] Coomer, and as long as Billy was going to get healthy, the at-bats weren’t there. And my interest wasn’t comparable to [manager] Don [Baylor’s].”
MacPhail sounds as if he’s leaning toward stepping aside as GM. With Wrigley Field renovation plans on hold until after the 2002 season, the team will need him to convince city officials not to stand in the way. MacPhail also plans to have an active voice in labor negotiations with the players’ union.
“I’ve had fun [as GM],” MacPhail said, “but it’s hard to give full justice to both jobs at the present time.”
Baylor has two years remaining on his contract, and although officials are more than satisfied with his performance, they have no immediate plans to offer an extension.
As for the players, here’s a closer look at their status in 2002:
First base: McGriff plans to exercise his $7.25 million option, $1 million of which Tampa Bay will pay.
Second base: The Cubs balked at Eric Young’s initial request for a three-year deal. Young is open to re-signing for two years, but the Cubs appear willing to let him leave.
Possible replacements include Augie Ojeda, Chad Meyers, free-agent-to-be Delino DeShields and Bobby Hill, the team’s second-round pick in 2000.
The 23-year-old Hill hit .301 with 20 steals in 57 games at Double-A West Tenn, but he missed about two months with a hamstring injury. The Cubs will monitor Hill’s performance in the Arizona Fall League before determining their course of action with Young.
Shortstop: Ricky Gutierrez has had a strong season in his free-agent year, batting .294 with 10 homers and 64 RBIs. Considering they have no top-flight shortstop prospects other than 19-year-old Luis Montanez, the Cubs figure to heed Gutierrez’s request for a three-year deal.
Third base: A healthy Mueller will patrol the bag, but who will back him up? Coomer said he wants to return, but the Cubs won’t be able to promise him more than 25 to 30 starts at third and first.
Left field: The Cubs will keep an eye on pending free agents Moises Alou and Juan Gonzalez, but they’re more inclined to re-sign White to an incentive-laden deal tied into plate appearances. White missed two months with a groin injury and hasn’t played more than 140 games since 1997. The left-handed-hitting Roosevelt Brown would complement him.
Center field: Corey Patterson will vie for the starting job next spring. Tucker holds a player option that would pay him $2.25 million in 2002 and $2.75 million in 2003. The Cubs hope he exercises it, but will not be crushed if he doesn’t.
Right field: Sammy Sosa will get the chance to prove he’s worth $72 million over four years.
Catcher: Status quo. Todd Hundley is signed through 2004; Joe Girardi, through next season. The team controls Robert Machado, who deserves to play in the big leagues but might get squeezed.
Starters: Barring a late reversal, the Cubs will decline Kevin Tapani’s $6.5 million option. Their rotation will consist of Jon Lieber, Kerry Wood, Jason Bere and Juan Cruz.
Julian Tavarez and Carlos Zambrano figure to compete for the No. 5 spot until Mark Prior, Ben Christensen and left-hander Steve Smyth are ready.
Relievers: Closer Tom Gordon and setup men Jeff Fassero and Kyle Farnsworth are in the fold. The team may re-sign Weathers and Todd Van Poppel.
