Mike Norton, a Tribune subscriber living in California, makes good points. He also has a nice sense of history.
Our kind of guy.
“Having followed the Cubs pretty closely since 1954, many of the team’s personnel moves have baffled me — [for example] ‘Miksis will fix us,'” Norton wrote. “I’m again baffled as to why the Cubs would sign Milton Bradley, a player with a long history of obvious emotional issues that affect his ability to play, and a seemingly endless series of injuries.
“I’m also totally puzzled as to why the Cubs ‘traded’ Mark DeRosa. It looks as if the real ‘trade’ was DeRosa for Bradley — not as bad as Brock for Broglio, but in the same class.”
Like I said, Norton makes good points.
April is coming to a close with the Cubs still stutter-stepping. It hasn’t been a disastrous month, but the twice-defending National League Central champs aren’t playing like the team that had gone 160-110 since putting the slow start of 2007 behind it.
As the architect of a winner, Jim Hendry is enjoying a nice run in Chicago. But he does have critics. They argue he mostly has thrown money at the Cubs’ deficiencies.
Now he must pull off the toughest feat of all for an executive — taking a team close to a championship and putting it over the top.
The crushing playoff series losses against the Dodgers and Arizona made last winter a huge time for Hendry. The early returns are alarming, to say the least. Here’s a progress report on Hendry’s three biggest 2008-09 transactions:
The Bradley signing: Early grade — F
Kosuke Fukudome’s steady disintegration in 2008 put the Cubs in the market for a right fielder for the second year in a row. DeRosa represented an in-house option (he played 38 games in right last season) but Hendry was captivated by free-agent options.
Hendry was intrigued by the chance to get run production from a switch-hitter and downplayed Bradley’s history of injuries and social difficulties.
Hendry probably could have signed left-handed hitters Raul Ibanez (.355-7-17 with Philadelphia), Adam Dunn (.328-6-15 with Washington) or Bobby Abreu (.372-0-12, eight stolen bases, for the Angels) but went looking for a flush, not two pair.
Bradley had two hits Tuesday night, returning to the lineup after resting a bad leg. He’s going to get better after hitting only .107 with one homer in 12 games thus far but is digging a hole with fans that could be tough to escape.
The DeRosa trade: Early grade — F
There was no compelling reason to trade DeRosa, who hit .285 with 21 homers and 87 RBIs a year ago. Manager Lou Piniella wanted to get more left-handed-hitting into the lineup and Mike Fontenot was available to play second base. But DeRosa, who went to the Indians for three minor-league pitchers, could have gotten 400-plus at-bats moving between right field and second base while backing up at third, first and in left.
The Cubs are missing DeRosa, who has four homers and 17 RBIs..
The Jason Marquis trade: Early grade — D
True, Marquis has fringe stuff. But he contributed to the back-to-back titles with 23 victories and 358 innings pitched. If Piniella didn’t want him in the rotation, he still would have had value as a long reliever and sixth starter.
But the back-loaded contract Hendry gave him before 2007 called for him to receive $9.875 million this season, and Hendry was semi-desperate to unload some of that burden. That’s why he took Luis Vizcaino from Colorado, even though no one ever seemed to think Vizcaino could help. The Cubs dropped Vizcaino last week, so their total return on Marquis is a savings of $5 million.
Coupled with DeRosa’s trade, that leads you back to Bradley’s contract.
For Hendry, it’s good news Fukudome is hitting again. The bad news is Bradley’s failure to launch must be keeping him from experiencing a feeling of relief.
One plus for Hendry: At least Bradley didn’t come with his own slogan, like infielder Eddie Miksis in 1951. And he didn’t give up an Andy Pafko to get him, although DeRosa might as well have been in the exchange. That’s clear from Wrigley Field to California.
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progers@tribune.com
D’backs 10, Cubs 0
Nothing doing in the desert against Doug Davis. PAGE 2
Up next
Thursday vs. Marlins,
7:05 p.m., WCIU-Ch. 26
