Cubs general manager
Jim Hendry
denied a report that the Cubs won’t be able to spend on free agents for the next few years because of their debt load.
“That’s not true at all,” he said. “I had a lot of meetings with (Chairman
Tom Ricketts
) in the offseason. We knew the path we went on in ’07, ’08, when the club was going up for sale, it was high-level spending and obviously turned into divisional championship success. When you don’t finish that off, and the length of the time that the sale took, there was … an area there where (spending was) a little stagnant. Nobody’s fault. That’s the price of doing business.
“It’s a historic franchise. It took a long time to sell. All our conversations with Tom in the offseason and currently is, ‘Let’s get to work. Let’s make the right decisions for next year. Let’s scout heavily at the major league level. Let’s keep an eye on our own guys’ development.’ … It’s always been positive.”
The Cubs have $50 million worth of contracts coming off the books this winter and will be looking at signing first and third basemen, among other spots. Hendry pointed to expansion of the Cubs’ Dominican facilities and their new complex in Mesa, Ariz., along with increases in the scouting and development budget, as examples of the Ricketts family’s willingness to commit to building the organization.
“There’s never been any talk of not pursuing any free agents,” he said. “There are no financial difficulties here with the Ricketts family.”
Wood watch:
As expected,
Kerry Wood
went on the 15-day disabled list Monday with a blister on his right index finger. Hendry said he did not expect it to linger like Wood’s three-week stint in 2008, when a blister was slow to heal.
Manager
Mike Quade
said he would mix and match with his bullpen in the late innings but expected
Jeff Samardzija
to get the first opportunity to take Wood’s spot as right-handed setup man.
Block party:
The Cubs announced the first Wrigleyville Block Party will be held Friday to Sunday on the west side of the ballpark during the Yankees series. The event is free and features bands, food and drink booths and “interactive” entertainment for families. The next two block parties will be July 1-3 (White Sox) and Aug. 19-21 (Cardinals).
