Grading the 2010-2011 Off Season

We've reached the All-Star Break of the 2011 season. Every year, about midway through and again at the end of the campaign, I like to grade the job that Jim Hendry did the prior offseason. Here is a list of each move and how they look now!

December 8: Cubs Sign Carlos Pena
Spending a good amount of cash on Carlos Pena did not make much sense to me at the time, and it still does not. He hit under .200 a year ago, so nobody should be surprised about his .225 batting average. Although he displays great defense, will hit the long ball and is a great guy, spending money on a first baseman for a one year contract was not smart. The Cubs could have given a guy like Bryan LaHair a look this year. Since they knew it was going to be a rebuilding year, they should have saved the cash and allowed for more playing time for a young guy.
Move Grade: C-

December 17: Cubs Sign Kerry Wood
The one good move made by the Cubs this past offseason was inking Kerry Wood for practically nothing. Woody gave Hendry a huge hometown discount after the two talked at Ron Santo's funeral. He has been a pretty serviceable setup man for the Cubs, posting a 2.48 ERA. Having him back in Chicago has been the feel good story of the year.
Move Grade: A

January 8: Matt Garza traded from Tampa Bay to the Cubs
I am surprised that this deal is not receiving more attention from Cubs fans right about now. I was confused when they pulled the trigger to acquire Garza, because the Cubs were sending mixed signals. Were they going for a division title this year of rebuilding for the future? As it turns out, dumping five farmhands for a middle of the rotation starter was not a good idea. The Cubs sent SS Hak-Ju Lee (.330 average at Class-A Advanced, playing the Futures Game), pitcher Chris Archer (4-4, 4.72 ERA at Double-A), catcher Robinson Chirinos (.268 average at AAA), outfielder Brandon Guyer (.318 average at Triple-A) and Sam Fuld (.238 average for big league team). The Cubs also received outfielder Fernando Perez, who was released last week, and Zach Rosscup, who's pitching well for the Daytona Cubs. Hendry is probably going to regret this move when several of the young stars (Lee, Archer and Guyer) pan out into qualility major league players. By the way- Garza is 4-7 with a 4.26 ERA. This could go down as one of the worst trades in Cubs history.
Move Grade: F

January 12: Cubs Ink Reed Johnson to Minor League Deal w/ S.T. Invite
This turned out to be another solid signing for the Cubs. Although they probably would have been better off giving younger guys (Campana, Snyder, Colvin, etc) his playing time, Reed is still a fan favorite in Chicago and does a great job. He's hitting a robust .328 to go along with his glovework.
Move Grade: B+

January 17: Tom Gorzelanny Traded to Washington
In order to make space in the rotation for Garza, the Cubs shipped Gorzelanny to DC. The Cubs took on money to acquire Garza and didn't get near the quality of prospects in the Gorzo trade that they lost in the Garza trade. In addition, the now Nats' left hander has a 3.94 earned run average, better than Garza's. I realize that this move trimmed salary and netted the Cubs some decent prospects (A.J. Morris, Graham Hicks and Michael Burgess) but the Cubs traded the wrong guy. They have searched for a veteran presents in the back end of the rotation all year, going through guys like Rodrigo Lopez, Doug Davis and Ramon Ortiz. The Cubs thought they had plenty of options for the back of the rotation, but instead they found themselves without a No. 5 guy after a strange turn of events that included an injury to Andrew Cashner.
Move Grade: D

Jim Hendry's Offseason Grade: D+
I'm going with the same grade that I gave Jim during July of 2009 after the Milton Bradley inking, but this one could have an even more detrimental effect on the future of the Chicago Cubs.

All Star coverage and more coming up the next few days!

Post #900- Still Going Strong

Today on Everything Cubs blog we reach another milestone post- the 900th to appear on this site. Just 100 away from four digits! Since 2008, I've been bringing you Cubs coverage. Thank you so much for reading, especially for sticking with me this year when posts have decreased in number and I've had several stretches where I was unable to post. I plan to continue blogging for the foreseeable future!

Be sure to vote on the poll on our right sidebar to grade Mike Quade's tenure with the Cubs! Also, tonight I will be posting a game recap of the Cubs/Pirates game on View From the Bleachers, so be sure to check out that great site. As always, if you have any questions or comments about this blog, email me at cubsblogmailbag@aol.com.

Now, let us jump into the latest in the world of Cubs baseball:

• Last night the Cubs pulled off an amazing comeback after being down 8-0 as late as the sixth inning to avoid being swept by the Nationals in a four game series. They eventually won the game 10-9 behind homers by Blake DeWitt and Carlos Pena. If you gave up and tuned out, you missed one of the most improbable Cubs victories in recent years.


• In fact, the last time the Cubs overcame an eight run defficet was one of my favorite Cubs games of all time. In May of 2008, the North Siders topped Colorado after being behind 8-0 and 9-1. Henry Blanco, Mark DeRosa and Jim Edmonds were the heroes of that game.


• Bob Brenly will be taking off the final series before the All-Star Break. Todd Hollandswoth will fill-in tonight with Len Kasper, while Dave Otto takes Holly's place alongside David Kaplan on the CSN postgame show.


• The Giants need a catcher, but they are not talking to the Cubs about Koyie Hill or Geovany Soto.


• Jon Heyman says that Mike Quade's job is safe, but Jim Hendry's is not.


• Kerry Wood does not plan on waiving his no-trade clause. He's staying in Chicago.


• Ryan Dempster missed his last start with a back issue, but Carrie Muskat reports that he plans on returning to the mound on Saturday night.


• Carlos Zambrano, who is disabled with a bad back of his own, will make a rehab start for Class-A Peoria tonight. He is elgible to come off the DL for the third game after the All-Star Break.


• According to Muskat, MRI results for Marcos Mateo are expected today.

That's it for now, but I'll keep you posted on Everything Cubs as always!

Starlin Castro- The All Star

For the last three years the Cubs have sent just one player, which is the minimum possible, to the All Star Game. Prior to that, eighth Cubs participated in the Mid-Summer Classic in 2008.

On Sunday, Starlin Castro was named to the National League squad as a reserve. Castro is the youngest Cub to ever be named an All-Star. Darwin Barney and Alfonso Soriano were the other two Cubs with an outside chance of making the team, but neither ended up on the roster. With the game in Arizona a week away, it's time to take a look back at the Cubs stars year by year.

2010- Marlon Byrd
2009- Ted Lilly
2008- Kerry Wood, Aramis Ramirez, Carlos Marmol, Alfonso Soriano, Kosuke Fukudome, Geovany Soto, Ryan Dempster and Carlos Zambrano
2007- Derrek Lee and Alfonso Soriano
2006- Carlos Zambrano
2005- Derrek Lee and Aramis Ramirez
2004- Sammy Sosa, Carlos Zambrano and Moises Alou
2003- Mark Prior and Kerry Wood
2002- Sammy Sosa
2001- Jon Lieber and Sammy Sosa

The home run derby will take place next Monday. Jose Bautista, Robinson Cano, Prince Fielder, Adrian Gonazlez and David Ortiz are all confirmed participants. Three more contestants will be added to the field. I'll post a history of Cubs in the event sometime before the derby.

That's it for now, but I'll keep you posted!

Do the Cubs Need to Make a Change on Their Coaching Staff?

Many times, when your team has one of the worst records in the league, a change on the coaching staff is considered. Improvements are rarely seen based on a tweak on the staff, but management likes to send the message to the team that losing will not be tolerated. So the question is, should the Cubs fire of their coaches?

Mike Quade is in his first year as the manager of the Cubs, as are many of the assistant coaches. Q has made some questionable decisions, but I don't think many people expected the Cubs to contend this year anyway. At this point, I think it would be best to stick it out with Quade for at least the rest of the season.

The two coaches that most often take the blame for their team's struggles are the pitching coach and the hitting coach. Pitching coach Mark Riggins is in his first year, so it may be too soon to pull the plug on him. However, I doubt that guys like Carlos Zambrano, Matt Garza, Carlos Marmol, Kerry Wood and Ryan Dempster truly have that much respect for the longtime minor league coach. Riggins main job is to work with younger hurler such as the currently disabled Andrew Cashner, Chris Carpenter, Marcos Mateo and even Randy Wells or Jeff Samardzija. None of those guys have performed particularly well and I haven't heard anyone rave about Riggins. None the less, I'd stick with him for at least the duration of 2012.

Rudy Jaramillo is supposed to be a hitting guru. However, he has failed to help the Cubs offense. The hitters continue to scuffle in Jaramillo's second year on the job. If you're going to make a move just for the sake of making a move, I'd fire Rudy. The Cubs could bring Jim Riggleman on the staff to take his place or promote Dave Keller to interim hitting coach and then hire someone else at the end of the year.

Pat Listach might have been a mistake as Q's bench coach. Mike could have used an ex-big league manager at his side. If the Cubs hadn't been so rude to Alan Trammell, keeping him on would have been a good move. This is another place that Riggleman could take over. Rarely is a bench coach fired in the middle of the season.

Ivan DeJesus has made some poor decisions in the third base coaching box this season. Coaching third is a very difficult job. For next year, the Cubs may consider swapping DeJesus and Listach. Pat did a solid job coaching third for the Washington Nationals and DeJesus is familiar with a assistant coaching role in the dugout. I do think Ivan is an asset to the staff, but he has struggled a bit as the third base coach.

Thoughts?

Crosstown Showdown- Broadcaster Style

With the Crosstown Series Part II between the Cubs and White Sox set to start tomorrow, I beg the question: Which team has the better broadcasters?

For all three games this weekend the White Sox radio team will be on 670 The Score and the Cubs radio team on WGN-720, so if you are in your car you will have to pick between the two. On Saturday you'll be stuck with FOX-TV if you're at home, but on Friday the Sox TV guys will be on CSN and Cubs on WGN, and Sunday it will be the opposite on TV.

Now I know this is a Cubs blog, so most of us are going to the favor the North Siders when I ask this question. But let us really think about it.

TV Play-by-Play
Ken "Hawk" Harrelson is as big of a homer as they come. If you aren't a White Sox fan, chance are you cannot stand the guy. If you are a Sox supporter, you probably love yelling "You can put it on the board... YES!" along with Hawk. He is very entertaining, but I would rather have colorful color analyst than a colorful play-by-play guy. Len Kasper has grown on me since he took over in the Cubs booth in 2005. He does a good job of letting Bob do his job and building the excitement went necessary.
Point: Len Kasper

Radio Play-by-Play
Pat Hughes is one of the best in the business. He is very fair, has a great voice and has a way of making every game seem exciting. In addition, his sense of humor is unique and hilarious. I miss the magic that occurred in the booth for 15 years when Pat was teamed up with Ron Santo. I haven't heard much of Ed Farmer, but I do know that he's no Pat Hughes.
Point: Pat Hughes

TV Color Commentary
Steve Stone and Bob Brenly both have great baseball minds. They are both very insigthful. I believe that BB is easier to listen to and sounds more natural on the air. However, due to Stoney's popularity on the North Side while working with Harry Caray, I believe that most Chicago fans would take Steve over Bob. Just to be fair we'll give this one to the Sox.
Point: Steve Stone

Radio Color Commentary
Keith Moreland was faced with the difficult assignment of having to fill the shoes of Ron Santo this year. Keith is a great guy and provides some insight into the WGN booth, but it is simply not the same as having Ronnie on the air. His mispronunciations and southern accent are my only complaints. When Pat takes his fifth inning break, I wish Judd Sirott would do the play-by-play and Keith would continue doing color, but they have it the other way around. Darrin Jackson, who played for both the Cubs and White Sox, was very popular when he was on TV with Hawk but unfortunately was demoted to the radio booth. I've always liked DJ.
Point: Darrin Jackson

CSN Pre/Post
Everyone love when Dan Plesac did the pregame and postgame shows for Comcast Sports Net, but Holly has stepped in and done just as good of a job. I like having David Kaplan with Holly this year. I find Bill Melton a bit on the boring side for the White Sox pre and post.
Point: Todd Hollandswoth

All and all I think that all eight broadcasters that we have in Chicago are very good. The only one who I do not care for is Hawk, but if he was a Cubs guy that might be different. Thoughts?

Preparing for a Full Day of Baseball

Today the Cubs and the defending World Champion Giants will meet in a double header because they must make up a Sunday game that was postponed back on May 15. A wild homestand for the Cubs continues after a makeup game victory over the Rockies on a scheduled off day yesterday.

The Cubs bullpen could be in trouble today, because in addition to the fact that a twin bill always taxes a pen, they may not get much length out of their starters. Doug Davis will hopefully go deep into the first game, but you never know with the crafty lefty. Rodrigo Lopez, normally a member of the relief core, will be forced to start the second game because none of the five starters are available on regular rest.

This is a split twin bill, with game one starting at 1:20 and the first pitch of the second game taking place at 7:05. Here is the Cubs starting lineup for the first game:
1. Kosuke, RF
2. Campana, CF
3. Castro, SS
4. Ramirez, 3B
5. Pena, 1B
6. Soriano, LF
7. DeWitt, 2B
8. Hill, C
9. Davis, P

The Cubbies already played one day-night double dip this year, splitting a April 20 affair with the Padres. They won the first game 2-1 on a dramatic Reed Johnson home run before falling in the nightcap. At that point they were .500 for the season.

There are always two possibilities that could make a double header even more wild- a rain delay or extra innings. The first is unlikely today as the weather in Chicago is beautiful.

The Cubs did not play a double dip last year and split one in 2009 against the Cardinals. The last time the Boys in Blue swept both games was in Atlanta on August 13, 2008.

"I don't care who wins as long as it's the Cubs!"

Possible Roster Moves

The Cubs currently have three players that are close to coming off the disables list. Kerry Wood is trying to recover from his blister issue. He has begun to toss on the side. Marlon Byrd is set to begin his rehab assignment with Triple-A Iowa tomorrow, but no time table is in place for his return. Darwin Barney is already rehabbing and could return to the big league team on Wednesday.

When these players return, the Cubs will be forced to make several roster decision to make room on the club. Let us take a look at their options to make room for each player.

To Make Room for Kerry Wood
Option A) Send Chris Carpenter back to Iowa
Option B) Trade/DFA John Grabow
Option C) Trade/Release/Demote Rodrigo Lopez
My Take) The best option would probably be getting rid of John Grabow, but the Cubs are unlikely to dump is salary. Most likely Carpenter will be headed back to the minors, but I'd rather see more of him than Lopez.

To Make Room for Marlon Byrd
Option A) Send Tony Campana back to the minors
Option B) Send Lou Montanez back to the minors
Option C) Trade Kosuke Fukudome
My Take) There are probably no takers for Kosuke, so it looks as if one of the kids is going to Iowa. I would send Montanez back down so that the Cubs can receive a longer look at the younger and faster Tony Campana. However, if Campana is not going to play with Byrd, Johnson, Soriano and Kosuke all on the roster, it would make more sense to send him to AAA for some ABs. Montanez is right handed so he makes for a better platoon partner with Kosuke.

To Make Room For Darwin Barney
Option A) Send DJ LeMahieu to Triple-A
Option B) Send both Campana and Montanez to the minors, keep LeMahieu as a backup infielder, use Baker and DeWitt in the outfield if need be.
Option C) Trade Baker or DeWitt
My Take) DJ most likely needs to go back down. I would hate to see the Cubs waste a young player on the bench when he probably needs more seasoning at the minor league level.

Feel free to jump in with your take in the comments. How the Cubs handle these decisions will really indicate the direction that the team is going in. The injuries have actually allowed the Cubs to take a look at some of the younger players, now it is time to find out which younger players have earned a spot in the roster full time.

Today is the 51st anniversary of Ron Santo's big league debut! Check out my book review of Ron Santo A Perfect Ten on View From the Bleachers by clicking here.

That's it for now, but I'll keep you posted on Everything Cubs as always.