We all know that pitching is 80 percent of baseball, so here’s my two cents’ worth for Jim Hendry:
Starters. Begin with Carlos Zambrano and Rich Hill. Over the winter and spring, discover if there are others among Mark Prior and the M-boys (Sean Marshall, Juan Mateo, Carlos Marmol, Wade Miller). If not, buy one or two.
Bullpen. Keep Bob Howry and Scott Eyre. If Kerry Wood gets healthy, make him the closer. The man is unhittable for three or four innings until he self-destructs (walk, flare, hit batsman, grand slam). Sort through the rest.
Don’t let Aramis Ramirez, Juan Pierre or Henry Blanco get away. The position players are pretty good if you figure out second base and shortstop. I favor Ryan Theriot at second and Cesar Izturis at short, though the guy may be injury-prone, with Ronny Cedeno (disappointing progress) in reserve. Keep Angel Pagan.
Manager. Joe Girardi or Lou Piniella or some phenom you know about.
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