Sorry about that, Jim Hendry. You too, Gary Hughes, Ken Kravec, et al.
With Corey Patterson out for the season with a torn anterior cruciate ligament and a torn meniscus in his left knee, the Cubs no longer need a tireless general manager and an experienced, always-on-the-go support staff. They need a magician or a miracle worker.
Until Monday, the Cubs were focusing their efforts on acquiring a third baseman to breathe life into a lineup that had averaged 3.5 runs during an 8-16 stretch. Now they need a center-fielder too.
Given the high cost of doing business when teams sense desperation, this might be a wise time for the Cubs to admit the obvious: Barring a miracle, they’re a year away from seriously competing with St. Louis, which has four All-Stars and a history of patching up pitching staffs.
More than likely, the Cubs will be making sucker bets if they trade away the legitimate prospects for short-term help, especially if that help doesn’t answer to the name of Mike Lowell or Carlos Beltran.
The lineup isn’t good enough to win without a major overhaul. Not only do they have voids at third and now in center, they also must cope with Sammy Sosa’s downturn in production and a first-base platoon that is on track to deliver 80 RBIs.
Factor in a disappointing bench and the strikeout propensity of Alex Gonzalez, Damian Miller, Hee Seop Choi and newcomer Jose Hernandez and you’ve got a team that isn’t going to score enough runs to win, no matter how strong of a pitching staff it might have.
Hendry, it seems, has three choices:
– Gut the farm system he’s improved to pry Beltran and Lowell away from Kansas City and Florida.
– Bring in veterans who can be acquired at a relatively low price. One possibility is Jay Payton, who is hitting .300 with 13 homers and a .354 on-base percentage for Colorado. Then there’s Ken Griffey Jr. The Cubs have the resources to take on his contract, which runs through 2008.
– Hang onto the strongest hand possible for 2004 while hoping to catch lightning in a bottle with the current roster plus some minor additions. With strong second halves from Sosa, Moises Alou and Choi, the Cubs could win 85-90 games.
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Patterson’s good year spoiled
Corey Patterson is out for the season after tearing up his knee when he landed awkwardly on first base, trying to avoid a Tino Martinez tag. Patterson will undergo surgery after the swelling in his knee goes down, and he expects to be ready to play by spring training.
G 83
H 98
2B 17
3B 7
HR 13
RBI 55
SO 77
AVG .298
Source: MLB.com
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Edited by Michael Kellams (mkellams@tribune.com)
