It took several years to disband the 1969 Cubs but only 16 months for general manager Jim Hendry to tear apart the 2003 team that fell five outs short of the World Series.
After trading enigmatic reliever Kyle Farnsworth to Detroit on Wednesday, Hendry was left with only six players from the 2003 postseason roster. And only three–Mark Prior, Mike Remlinger and Aramis Ramirez–took part in the critical Game 6 loss to Florida in the National League Championship Series.
With spring training one week away, Farnsworth was dealt to the Tigers for 25-year-old reliever Roberto Novoa, 21-year-old third baseman Scott Moore and 21-year-old outfielder Bo Flowers. The Tigers also will receive a player to be named.
The trade was similar to the Sammy Sosa deal in that Farnsworth’s removal from the clubhouse seemingly was the impetus. None of the three prospects was rated among the top 10 in Detroit’s farm system in Baseball America’s rankings.
“We feel it’s a productive trade for us,” Hendry said. “We’re very happy about the guys we got.”
With the departures of Sosa, Farnsworth, Kent Mercker and Moises Alou, Hendry has cleared out players who were involved in last year’s biggest controversies, sending a message that repeat performances won’t be tolerated.
Farnsworth was placed on the disabled list last August when he hurt his knee kicking an electric fan after a poor outing against Houston.
The Cubs might not be done dealing with the Tigers. They’ll probably scout reliever Ugueth Urbina during spring training, knowing the Tigers are likely to trade their former closer after signing former Anaheim closer Troy Percival this off-season.
Despite a 100-m.p.h. fastball and a sharp slider, Farnsworth never got his act together in the majors. Whether he was kicking a fan, throwing a metal folding chair in the dugout in San Diego last May or falling asleep in the clubhouse during a 2002 game at Wrigley Field, Farnsworth’s character always was a topic of debate.
His 6.25 ERA in day games last season, as opposed to 2.39 at night, sealed his reputation as a player who wasn’t made for an organization that plays most of its home games during the day.
“Kyle had some good stretches,” Hendry said. “He’s got a great arm, he’s got great stuff and at times he showed a lot of improvement. And he had some hiccups along the way too. But we felt this was one of those trades that was beneficial to us and to the Tigers too. It could be a classic change of scenery that helps [Farnsworth].”
Hendry denied he had to unload Farnsworth because of his unpredictable demeanor. Farnsworth becomes a free agent in November and was unlikely to re-sign. He and manager Dusty Baker didn’t see eye-to-eye and his perceived lack of maturity was a major reason he never had a sustained opportunity to close for the Cubs.
When Farnsworth was hot, he sizzled. He ranked among the top four National League relievers in strikeouts per nine innings in three of the last four seasons, finishing third last season with 10.53, fourth in 2003 with 10.85 and second in 2001 with 11.74.
But his inconsistency, along with his bar-hopping, whether embellished or not, became issues. For years Cubs management privately wondered whether Farnsworth ever would make a serious commitment to his profession.
“We felt there was a better chance of him reaching his peak somewhere else rather than staying here,” Hendry said. “Detroit will benefit, especially in the short term, and the ballpark is good for him. It’s good for any pitcher, but especially one with his kind of stuff.”
Hendry said the three prospects “will add to our inventory of quality prospects” and that Novoa would compete for a spot in the bullpen. Novoa, a 6-foot-5-inch, 200-pound right-hander, is the only one of the three with a chance to make the Opening Day roster.
He spent most of last season at Double-A Erie, going 7-0 with four saves and a 2.96 ERA in 41 relief appearances, striking out 59 with 18 walks in 79 innings before earning a brief call-up with the Tigers.
There, Novoa was 1-1 with a 5.57 ERA in 16 appearances.
As of now the only bullpen certainties are Ryan Dempster, Mike Remlinger and LaTroy Hawkins.
Hendry rattled off the names of 10 relievers on the roster who could take Farnsworth’s spot, including Glendon Rusch.
Flowers, a former star athlete at Walther Lutheran High School, is expected to start at Class A Peoria.
Moore, a first-round pick in 2002, probably will report to Class A Daytona.
TRADE STATISTICS
TO TIGERS
Kyle Farnsworth, RHP
(All statistics with Cubs)
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YEAR W L ERA G SV IP BB SO
1999 5 9 5.05 27 0 130.0 52 70
2000 2 9 6.43 46 1 77.0 50 74
2001 4 6 2.74 76 2 82.0 29 107
2002 4 6 7.33 45 1 46.2 24 46
2003 3 2 3.30 77 0 76.1 36 92
2004 4 5 4.73 72 0 66.2 33 78
TOTALS 22 37 4.78 343 4 478.2 224 467
TO CUBS
Scott Moore, IF
YR TEAM AVG AB R H HR RBI SB
2002 GCL Tigers (R) .293 133 18 39 4 25 1
2003 W.Michigan (A) .239 372 40 89 6 45 2
2004 Lakeland (A) .223 391 52 87 14 56 2
TOTALS 896 110 215 24 126 5
Roberto Novoa, RHP
YR TEAM W L ERA G IP BB SO
2000 DSL Pirates (R) 4 6 4.15 13 82.1 29 44
2001 Williamsport (A) 5 5 3.39 14 79.2 20 55
2002 Williamsport (A) 8 3 3.65 12 66.2 8 56
2002 Hickory (A) 1 5 5.48 10 42.2 15 29
2003 Lakeland (A) 4 5 3.94 19 99.0 25 71
2004 Erie (AA) 7 0 2.96 41 79.0 18 59
2004 Detroit 1 1 5.57 16 21.0 6 15
MINOR TOTALS 29 24 3.51 109 449.1 115 314
MAJOR TOTALS 1 1 5.57 16 21.0 6 15
Clarence “Bo” Flowers, OF
YR TEAM AVG AB R H HR RBI SB
2002 GCL Tigers (R) .278 97 18 27 0 7 8
2003 GCL Tigers (R) .182 44 3 8 0 2 2
2003 Oneonta (A) .177 124 17 22 0 9 5
2004 Oneonta (A) .276 243 37 67 4 25 16
2004 W.Michigan (A) .276 22 4 6 1 1 0
TOTALS .245 530 79 130 5 44 31
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