We're Half Way There: Grading The 2008-2009 Off Season Now

So, we're over halfway through the season, we're at a point where you can really grade all the moves the GM made last off season. Today we'll compare the person at that position or in that role last year, and the person there for this year. We'll then grade each move on a letter grading scale.

Replacing Mark DeRosa with Mike Fontenot & Aaron Miles
DeRosa, traded the the Indians last December, has a .270 AVG with 13 HR and 50 RBIs this season. Fontenot has hit .230 with 6 HR and 28 RBIs and Miles has hit .203 with 4 RBIs. The Cubs got 3 minor league pitchers in the DeRosa trade, all of which have done OK in the Cubs system in the first half.
Move Grade: D

Replacing Kerry Wood with Kevin Gregg
Gregg has a 3.32 ERA with 16 saves this year. Woody has a 5.28 ERA with 12 saves for a losing team. I think Kerry would be having a better year if he was still in Chicago, and more saves for sure. The Cubs also gave up Jose Ceda in the trade that Gregg came over in.
Move Grade: B-

Replacing Daryle Ward with Micah Hoffpauir
Hoff is hitting .244 with 8 HRs and 25 RBIs. Ward is at AAA in the White Sox organization.
Move Grade: A

Trading Jason Marquis for Luis Vizcaino
Marquis, who was named to the NL All Star Team this year, went 11-6 with a 3.65 ERA with the Rockies this year. Vizcaino pitched poorly early in the season then the Cubs let him go.
Move Grade: F

Replacing Henry Blanco with Koyie Hill
Henry has hit .218 with 4 HRs and 10 RBIs for the Padres, Hill has hit .213 with 2 HRs and 8 RBIs for us.
Move Grade: C+

Replacing Ronny Cedeno with Aaron Miles
Miles has hit just .203 with 4 RBIs this year for us, Cedeno has hit just .186 with 4 HRs and 13 RBIs for the M's.
Move Grade: They both stink, B

Replacing Jim Edmonds with Milton Bradley
This move cost us a lot of cash, and it was not worth it. Bradley has hit .243 with 6 HRs and 21 RBIs for us, Edmonds is retired now but he .256 with 19* HRs and 49* RBIs for us last year.
*= whole season, but divide by 2 and its still move that Milton
Move Grade: F (due to the money that could have been spent elsewhere

Replacing Bobby Howry with Aaron Heilman
Howry has a 3.38 ERA with SF this year, Heilman has a 4.32 ERA for us.
Move Grade: C-

Replacing Mike Wuertz with Angel Guzman
Guzman is 2-1 with a 2.60 ERA, Wuertz is 5-1 with a 2.95 ERA. The Cubs got Richie Robnett (released) and Justin Sellers (now w/ LAD).
The Wuertz trade was bad, but Guzman in the bullpen was good, so move grade: B-

Signing Joey Gathright
Didn't play too much before being shipped to BAL for Ryan Freel who didn't play too much before being sent to KC for a PTBNL.
Move Grade: D

So overall, Jim Henry did make some mistakes this off season, but who would have expected Bradley, Fontenot, Gathright, and Miles to play so poorly and Marquis, Wuertz, Howry, ect. to play so well?? The only move we new was a mistake all along was sending DeRosa out.
JH Off Season Grade: D+

However, you can't blame this whole up and down first half on Jim. Tomorrow I'll have a look at the Cubs Reports Cards, grading each guys first half on a letter scale!

A few more updates...

Futures Game
Yesterday's XM Radio Futures Game at Busch Stadium had play halted for 4 hours due to rain. But the guys waited it out and eventually got 7 innings in. The World team scored twice in the first before the rain delay. The US came back with 5 runs to make it 5-3, going to the top of the 7th. The World team, however, came back with 4 in the 7th, to win 7-5. Josh Vitters, Cubs top prospect, went 0-1 with a walk for team USA. Starlin Castro, Cubs SS prospect, went 1-1 with a run scored for the World team. The run scored was the tying run in the 7th.

Pitcher in LF??
Last night in the 9th inning of the game Sean Marshall was pitching. The bases were loaded with nobody out, and a right handed batter was up with 2 lefties to follow. Cubs manager Lou Piniella craftily brought Aaron Heilman into the game to face the right handed batter, but instead of taking Marshall out of the game, he sent him out to play LF and removed Alfonso Soriano from the game. After Heilman struck out the batter, Marshall was brought back in to face the next to hitters and Reed Johnson in to play left, and Marshall he got out of the jam with out any damage! Great managing by Lou Piniella!

Fox catching
Cubs catcher Koyie Hil caught the first 16 innings of the double header yesterday, and then in the 8th of game 2 Jake Fox got the chance to catch in the big league for the first time. It was Fox's life long dream according to Carrie Muskat. He did a nice job!

Dempster on the Road to Recovering
Dempster was able to play catch in the OF between game yesterday, and he has still been getting his cardio work in by riding his bike.

Lee back in lineup
Derrek Lee left Saturday's game with neck spasms, and sat out the first game of the yesterday. Lee returned to the Cubs lineup in the night game, and his neck is fine.

Cubs Still Interested in Ryan
The Cubs are expected to make a run at former Blue Jays closer B.J. Ryan when he clears waivers on Monday according to the Chicago Tribune. If the Cub add the lefty, then Sean Marshall could be move back into the rotation. If the Cubs sign Ryan, he could spend some time in the minors to try to get back on track.

Cubs Not in on Halladay
The Cubs are not looking to join the Roy Holliday race according to Hot Stove Cubbies.

Sale of the Cubs Complete??
According to CSN Chicago, the sale of the Cubs to the Ricketts Family is finally complete, and should be officially announced today. The deal is expected to be approved in August with the Ricketts taking over control soon after!!! (Thanks to CCO for this one) The bad news is that according to bloomberg.com, the Cubs could file for bankruptcy to complete the sale.

All Star TV Schedule Tonight:

• All Star Game Batting Practive: 4-7 CT on MLB Network
• Baseball Tonight All Star Coverage: 6-7 CT on ESPN
• MLB HR Derby: 7-9 CT on ESPN
• 1971 All Star Game: 7-9:30 on MLBN
• Celebrity Softball: 9-10 CT on ESPN (after HR Derby), includes Ernie Banks playing for Legends team!
• 1995 All Star Game: 9:30-12 on MLBN

Also, the Southern League (AA) All Star Game is tonight, includes 6 Tennessee Smokies!

That's it for now, I'll let you know how it all goes tomorrow!