End of An Era?

No, Ron Gardenhire can't pitch.  If you ask
me, he shouldn't be managing anymore either.

Where is the blame on Ron Gardenhire for the Twins recent failures?

The media has recently cooled off on the Minnesota Twins.  Thank goodness.  For a while there, the feel-good Twin Cities franchise was driving me insane.  With constant postseason appearances despite a changing supporting core, the Twins represented MLB's equivalent of the Dallas Mavericks.  The knock on the Mavericks for all those years, however, was that they were always just there - a high-seeded playoff team but never actually great enough to win a championship.  Of course they shocked everyone in 2011 by actually the job done, but the Twins are definitely not about to do that.

For the latter part portion of the 2000s and into this new decade, the Twins gained a disproportionate amount of attention as a favorite small-market team of East Coasters.  Why?  Well perhaps the fact that the Yankees played the Twins in the ALDS four times between 2004 and 2010 helped New Yorkers notice that this team had talent.  The Yankees won all four series, but they had seen enough to respect the Twins.

No catcher in the game today is worth
$184 million over eight years.  Besides,
Joe Mauer's Head and Shoulders
endorsements are more than enough
to cover the utility bills.

And instantly, they became overrated.  Joe Mauer's fluke MVP season in 2009 earned him back-to-back covers on the MLB: The Show video game series and a monster, badly-overpaying contract extension.  Mauer, the catcher, became the hero on a team lacking one.  The Twins won most of their games because they were a team that played fundamental baseball during the regular season, only to watch themselves get destroyed in the playoffs as more talented teams came barreling through.  The 2008 Twins, for example, didn't have any starting pitchers earn more than 12 wins, and yet five of them earned at least 10.  And yet, they got to watch the White Sox come down the stretch in September and beat them in a one-game tiebreaker for the division title.

Manager Ron Gardenhire was given much of the credit as to how a team with relatively little star power could play with such a strong collective baseball intelligence on the field.  However, there is the fact that they never won anything in the playoffs.  Ron Gardenhire took over as manager in 2002 and produced immediate results as the Twins made it to the ALCS.  However, they haven't gotten there since and never really made a big push for the World Series.  The Twins of 2003, 2004, 2006, 2009, and 2010 all lost in the divisional round. Meanwhile Gardenhire got all this credit for successfully operating a small-market team and maximizing value out of his players.  However, these strategies never held up as stronger teams that simply had more talent strutted past them each fall.

Target Field is more of a challenge to left-handed hitters than
taking a walk is for Alfonso Soriano.

The Twins haven't been nearly as good of a team since they opened Target Field in 2010.  They did win the Central in 2010, but were swept by the Yankees in the ALDS (surprise) despite having home-field advantage.  The team imploded in 2011, however, as the new ballpark's dimensions caught up to them and the their lefty sluggers - namely Joe Mauer, Justin Morneau, Jim Thome, and Jason Kubel - suffered horribly.  The four hit only 31 homers combined on the season despite having all hit at least 25 in 2009 (Thome did it with the White Sox).

The power outage and/or foolish dimensions of Target Field are not Gardenhire's problems, but his problem is that he did not make necessary adjustments to get the offense going.  The team's RBIs leader, third baseman Danny Valencia, had 72.  He also just watched as his formerly-good pitching staff, which clearly resembles a 'groundball' staff, struck out less batters than any other team while allowing the second-most runs.  In 2010 the Twins allowed the fifth-fewest errors in MLB.  In 2011, they allowed the third-most.

In all facets of the game, the team completely reversed trends negatively while sliding 31 games in the standings between the two years.  This is not the type of season a manager should be able to keep his job from.  When your team goes from a 94-win team to a 63-win team, any defining managerial characteristics you used to pride yourself on have diminished and then look preposterous as your team gets crushed harder than Milton Bradley's stress ball.

The Twins enter 2012 with Gardenhire still at the helm, yet very low expectations to live up to.  This core of Twins players - focused around an overpaid catcher, oft-injured first baseman, and a hodgepodge of mediocre starting pitchers - has made its last playoff run.  Therefore, an era in Minnesota Twins baseball has ended.  It's time for the captain to abandon ship while there's still hope for another to redirect it, and redirect it into rebuilding mode.    

The Ricketts Report

It's been more than a full year since Tom Ricketts and family took over as owners of the Chicago Cubs.  In the first year, the Ricketts have made noticeable changes.  They have made numerous changes to make the Cubs and Wrigley Field better, all while maximizing revenue.  They have received credit for the improvements, coming from a fan base tired of general statements from Chicago Tribune spokespeople and press secretaries.  There have also been criticisms of the Ricketts, especially due to the unusual and unique situation of owning the Cubs, certainly a franchise different than any other.

In the opening press conference on the day the sale of the Cubs was completed, in fall 2009 shortly after the end of the regular season, Tom Ricketts stated that if anyone in the Cubs organization believed that the franchise was cursed, he would move them to a 'lesser-cursed' team.  Among many philosophies, the Ricketts instilled from Day 1 that there is no curse surrounding the team.  This highlighted a politically correct press conference, playing conservative and saying nothing unexpected, and would set the tone for the offseason.  A new marketing campaign was launched upon, dubbing the new slogan, 'Year One'.

The 2009-10 offseason was not an aggressive one for the Cubs, who were just glad to be rid of the cancer known as Milton Bradley.  Marlon Byrd was the only positional starter signed, while the other veteran bats in Xavier Nady, Chad Tracy and Kevin Millar were intended for the bench.  A solid pickup in Byrd, but not one that could turn the Cubs into a playoff team.  The Ricketts announced change would be coming to Wrigley Field in 2010, and this could be found in the ballpark.  While not immediately noticeable, the changes include a better variety of food options including popular new nachos served in a replica helmet for $15.  Some bathrooms were remodeled (womens only; no wonder neither you nor I noticed).  Ticket prices were raised to add more revenue, improvements were made to the Captain Morgan Club outside the stadium, a new exclusive club called the PNC Club, created in the space of six former skyboxes, opened in midseason with a full bar, lounge area, seats outside, and a hefty admission tag.  Most importantly, the Cubs hired 'fan relations' staff whose job it was to learn what fans thought of the changes, and what could be done to improve further.  I was quite surprised when a fan relations staff member approached and asked me many thorough questions about the changes at the ballpark.  Of course, all of the efforts made by the Ricketts in this paragraph were all to help accomplish one goal; increase revenue.

While the Ricketts have attempted to get in touch with the fan base, many aren't sure they're listening.  It has been just one calendar year since the completed sale of the team, so withheld judgment may be necessary, but some attempts to increase revenue have not sat well with the fan base.  For example, raising ticket prices before the 2010 season was not a great idea, considering how prices have raised faster than dollar inflation in recent years.  The Cubs overtook the Red Sox in 2010 with the highest average ticket price of any MLB team at $52.56.  That figure was 10.1% increase over 2009 and a drastic comparison to the Arizona Diamondbacks' league lowest rate of $14.31.  In this current offseason of 2010-11, the Ricketts announced a proposal to the government of Illinois, a publicly-funded renovation plan of Wrigley Field.  Under the plan, fans would pay a majority of funds for the renovation through extra taxes at the ballpark and on tickets, merchandise, and the like.  Somehow, the White Sox were able to command government money to build a new stadium in the early 90s after they nearly moved to Tampa.  But now, when the Cubs decide to renovate Wrigley Field, which should be the equivalent of building a new stadium but with the same structure, we, the public, have to pay for it.  Despite the economy, the government needs to understand the vitality of this project due to the projected economic growth to the area (read on).  The renovations include the construction of the infamous Triangle Building to the immediate west of Wrigley.  The building will connect to Wrigley and have shops, restaurants, fan entertainment, a Cubs Hall of Fame, underground batting cages for the players, administrative offices, and more.  While the renovations look to create jobs and economic growth for the area (a projected $3 billion over the next 35 years), it will cost the fans plenty of money in the new taxes.  Execution of the plan is still in jeopardy, because if the Cubs continue to lose and attendance continues to drop, the revenue stream for the plan could fail.

This brings up another topic of conflict with the Ricketts ownership: winning.  The Cubs didn't do it much in 2010 and Cub fans were disappointed in the Ricketts' attempts to fix the team.  While they may be concerned about revenue first now, the team needs to win to keep fans happy.  At the moment the Cubs are being held down by bad contracts (Alfonso Soriano, Kosuke Fukudome) and are short on financial flexibility.  The problem, though, is that the Ricketts are afraid to take an aggressive move this early in the ownership to win.  For example, the hiring of Mike Quade over Ryne Sandberg was the politically correct move.  Actually, both would have been politically correct, but the hiring of Quade and letting go of Sandberg is more justifiable than the vice versa option.  Quade went 24-13 at the end of the season, was supported by virtually every player on the roster, and was backed strongly by Lou Piniella.  Sandberg had paid his dues in the minors and had done everything he could to win the job, but didn't win out because his hiring would have meant a smack in the face to the entire organization that had come to like Quade.  I'd expect more aggressive moves this season, but it may not be enough.  The players and staff need to understand that the Cubs will not put up with a lack of effort or failure.

In conclusion, the Ricketts shouldn't have started their ownership of the franchise with passive action.  Renovations and improvements to the fan experience hold promise to make the Wrigley Field environment a more enjoyable one, but the methods of achieving this goals continue to raise eyebrows and uncertainty.  This team has missed the playoffs in two straight seasons, by a relatively wide margin, while failing expectations both seasons.  Neither have been good for the franchise, and winning is the crucial fix to many problems.  Winning can set up a chain reaction through a revitalization of the team meaning more revenue, that same original goal.  The Ricketts showed a disinterest in winning compared to revenue growth in 2010, a pattern that needs to change going forward.          

The Mariners' Hunt to Regain Seattle

In 1997, led by manager Lou Piniella, center fielder Ken Griffey Jr., shortstop Alex Rodriguez, and designated hitter Edgar Martinez and ace Randy Johnson, the Seattle Mariners won the American League West for only the second time in franchise history but the second time in three seasons.  They would lose to the Baltimore Orioles in the ALDS, but the winning group could do something the 2010 Mariners could not: score runs.  This 1997 team scored an incredible 925 runs, a total very few teams can accomplish.  This Mariners team was popular: they had the most hyped prospect in the history of baseball in Rodriguez, a fan favorite in Martinez, a power bat in Jay Buhner, and the face of baseball in Griffey Jr.  Playing in the enormous Kingdome in Seattle, the fan base started showing up and making the place a notorious bandbox, especially during Game 5 of the 1995 ALDS against the Yankees where the Mariners won and advanced to the ALCS off a historic walk-off double by Martinez.  The Kingdome had plenty of issues, however, and in midseason of a mediocre 1999 season the Mariners moved into shiny new Safeco Field.  Seattle won the wild card in 2000 with 91 wins, setting up an incredible 116 win season in Ichiro Suzuki's rookie season of 2001.  The heavy favorite to win the pennant in the playoffs, they were eliminated by the Yankees in the ALCS.

That would be Seattle's last playoff appearance to this day, and although the Mariners won 93 games both of the next two seasons, they missed the playoffs and the feeling changed.  Gone were Buhner, Griffey Jr., and Rodriguez, and the team character that stuffed the rowdy Kingdome had gone missing.  Ichiro Suzuki was a perennial All-Star through all of this, but as time went on he became the only star remaining.  After scoring 927 runs in 2001, the Mariners haven't scored even 800 runs since 2002.  Adrian Beltre never lived up to expectations he set during a huge 48 homer season with the Dodgers in 2004, and a post-40-year-old Jamie Moyer served as ace until they had a better option in Felix Hernandez.

In 2007 the Mariners won 88 games, leading in the wild card race until a 10 game losing steak down the stretch doomed them.  The team wasn't exciting enough to wake up the Seattle fans, however, ranking just 16th in attendance.  A terrible season in 2008, with 101 losses, was followed by a surprising 85 win team in 2009.  Signs of life came from this Mariner team; Ken Griffey Jr. returned to finish his career where it all started and hit 19 homers as a pleasant surprise.  Felix Hernandez won 19 games and was an AL Cy Young Award finalist, all under new manager Don Wakamatsu.  A new sabermetric obsession over fielding and range statistics enthralled the baseball stat world, and the Mariners were widely viewed as the best fielding team in the country.  Stat gurus and baseball experts alike were starting to warm up on the Mariners to be the team to leapfrog the Angels in the AL West to win the division.

Picked by many as the surprise team in baseball, the Mariners didn't disappoint.  They were surprising, for the absolute opposite reason.  Mediocre for the first two months (18-31), an absolutely terrible June doomed their season.  The Mariners went 6-22 in June, scoring on 75 runs or about 2.68 runs per game.  Over the entire season they were shut out 15 times.  Besides Ichiro's .315 batting average, they were led by Chone Figgins' .259.  Russell Branyan led the team in homers with just 15, but he only played 57 games for the Mariners after being traded from the Indians.  Milton Bradley had a minimal effect on the team, which was probably a good thing, but he essentially wasted his high salary and the at-bats he did get in 73 games.  The team RBI leader was Franklin Gutierrez with a ridiculous 64.  The Mariners finished last in Major League Baseball in batting average, slugging percentage, on-base percentage, total bases, runs, hits, doubles, triples, homers, and runs batted in.  This was a team that didn't have a chance to win unless Felix Hernandez was on top of his game and not giving up any runs, and the Mariners would be lucky to score two.  Unfortunately for Seattle, the fans had nothing to be excited about except Seahawks training camp.  The city forgot about the team last season, and the fans can't be blamed.  Seattle forgot about the Mariners, and the Mariners did nothing to fix it.

Earlier today, Hernandez won the AL Cy Young Award.  Holding a record of 13-12, average for sure, Hernandez had by far the least wins by any pitcher winning the award.  How did he get so few wins?  The offense.  Hernandez had little to zero margin for error because if he wasn't going to shut down the opponent, the Mariners couldn't win.  His 2.27 ERA would have suggested an 18-7 record or something similar.  Looking forward, the Mariners need to address this problem.  Safeco Field is a pitchers park and the franchise has committed to pitching and defense, but that doesn't work if all the players are defense-first and no one takes responsibility offensively.  They also need offense for another reason: the fan base.  Baseball traditionalists enjoy pitchers duels, but today's generation of baseball fans want to see some offense most of the time.  With the bombers of the Kingdome in the late 90s like Griffey Jr., Martinez, Buhner, and Bret Boone the fan base got behind the team.  This is a goal the Mariners need to focus on regaining the city that fell in love with them, or will remain in infamy.  

Cubs Hot Stove Buzz

The Cubs have plenty of needs on their wishlist for this offseason.  One of the biggest is the left handed first baseman, preferably with power.  Aramis Ramirez and Alfonso Soriano said earlier in the season that the Cubs should focus on pitching needs this offseason and that they can handle the offense, but they haven't proved that at all over the last two seasons.  In 2009, Derrek Lee led the offense by far.  In 2010, the offense sucked for the most part.  In the first baseman market for the Cubs so far is, above all, Adam Dunn, then Victor Martinez or Aubrey Huff, then Lance Berkman.  I really do see Dunn coming to Chicago the only question is if the Cubs are willing to pay that much for a guy probably looking for $10 million.

Before the Cubs can get too excited about spending money, they need to trade Kosuke Fukudome.  Fukudome is owed $13.5 million in 2011, so it will be tough considering Fukudome's awful value relative to salary.  Jim Hendry has a lot of critics, but everyone can agree that the one thing he has done best is dump bad contracts (see: Milton Bradley).  He only has one year left on his contract and has been a huge bust offensively but great defensively.  He will never sniff that kind of money for the rest of his baseball career.  On the pitching side, the Cubs are interested in Jon Garland who expressed interest in the Cubs last offseason.  Other mid-level starters are what the Cubs are looking for, and could find that in a guy like Carl Pavano or Javier Vazquez.  Cliff Lee is out of the Cubs price range.  Kerry Wood, who would like to return to Chicago, will have to take a pay cut if he is to do so because there is no way the Cubs will pay him $10 million that he was making last year.  I don't see the Cubs wanting to pay him more than $2 million.  The hunt for a veteran middle reliever continues.

1st Half In Review

For the Chicago Cubs, the first half of the 2010 baseball season has been about as disappointing as a half for any team this season.  Coming into the season with high hopes of regaining form of spectacular play in the regular season of 2008 with new ownership and a new attitude, it became clear early on that the 2010 Cubs would struggle to score runs.  This was quite evident in the entire first half and the 7-0 shutout loss to Vicente Padilla and the Dodgers summed it up frustratingly.

After exciting runs for and in the playoffs in 2003 and 2004, the Cubs changed from being perennial cellar dwellers to a high profile team that looked to win every year no matter what.  The 2008 season was the high point for the Cubs on the field, a team that did so many things right fell to Los Angeles in the playoffs and joined past playoff futility.  The Cubs didn't perform to expectations at all in 2009, and many changes to the bullpen and the controversial signing of Milton Bradley while losing team pieces like Mark DeRosa and Jason Marquis were cited as the problems with the team.  However, as the Cubs have yet again struggled in 2010, they may go back to being baseball's 'Lovable Losers'.

Report Card:

Offense: D+
Defense: C+
Starting Pitching: A-
Bullpen: B
Coaching: B-

Overall Grade: C

The biggest struggle so far has to be scoring runs.  The Cubs have been just terrible scoring runs, ranking 13th in the NL in runs.  The Padres, yes, the Padres who play in enormous Petco Park and have Adrian Gonzalez for their only real home run threat have scored more.  The Cubs are 11th in walks, a category that was praised in 2008 when the Cubs' patience lead to a more efficient offense.  They are also 11th in OBP and BA.  They are tied for the least stolen bases in the NL with 34.  Looking up and down the roster, this is not a team made for smallball.  It is a team to get runners on and get them around using big doubles or homers.  So far, neither the runners nor the bop from the big boppers has arrived.  The defense, long a troubled category for the Cubs, is nothing special thing year except maybe the all out play of Marlon Byrd and the over/under on how many errors Starlin Castro can make in a week.  The pitching has become a real bright spot from the most unlikely places like Carlos Silva, Tom Gorzelanny, and Sean Marshall.  Lou Piniella has literally done all he can and now he just has to wait but you just have to question his ability to get through to the players.

The Cubs are stuffed with huge contracts and are severely overpaying more than a few on the roster.  From now until the Trade Deadline, look for the Cubs to try to unload at least one of these contracts whether they are in contention or not.  I think the first one to go will be Ted Lilly.  Lilly has become a fan favorite at Wrigley Field because of his old school yet effective pitching style.  And okay, his crazy adventures on the basepaths.  Ted has drawn interest from the Mets who would be able to take his salary and are looking for another arm to beef up for the stretch run.  While I don't think the Cubs will be able to get rid of all the big contracts they want to if the Cubs are bad, I wouldn't be surprised if Derrek Lee and/or Kosuke Fukudome go.  Fukudome has a ridiculous $14 million contract when a player with his stats doesn't even deserve a quarter of that.  Lee has been a fixture at first base for many years now on the North Side and had a comeback campaign in 2009 but hasn't recaptured the magic into this year, disappointing fans once again after his MVP-caliber season in 2005.

I think the Cubs will make a run.  Aramis Ramirez is back and healthy as he proved on the West Coast trip before the break.  He will be key in this run and it won't be anything crazy like the White Sox but the Cubs will play good ball on this homestand here and continue it on the road.  The starters can be relied upon for great starts and the bullpen can survive long enough not that they have everything figured out, including the playing time for impressive rookie Andrew Cashner.  The young kids that the Cubs are fielding in the minors and even the majors now like Castro and Cashner should provide reason to be excited.  Attendance at Wrigley Field has taken a surprising downturn but I think it will get higher with the continued weather of summer and a better home record by the Cubs.  With their blowout win Thursday night, I think they're headed in the right direction.

Final Prediction: 80-82

First Basemen Front and Central

The first basemen of the central divisions of baseball may be as stacked as they ever have been in the history of baseball.  Ferocious power hitters and tenacious defenders, these guys have their names all over the offensive leaderboards.  All eleven of the eleven central teams have a great first baseman.

National League
The first basemen of the NL Central have combined for 69 homers this season, including 15 by Albert Pujols and Joey Votto each, 10 by Garrett Jones and Derrek Lee each, 6 by Lance Berkman and 13 by Prince Fielder.  St. Louis' Pujols, a three-time MVP of the NL, can be counted on for consistent power production like this for years to come.  Votto is one of the NL's top young stars, leading the Reds in their push for first at age 26.  Fielder, also only 26, has had great power for years now and became one of few Milwaukee Brewers to hit 50 home runs in a season back in 2007.  Derrek Lee, who mashed 46 HR in 2005 and 35 HR in 2009 on the Cubs, really hasn't hit as well as anyone would've liked him to in 2010 but he got hot this last weekend and looks to keep his roll going.  Lance Berkman is on the downside of his career at 34 but still is the main run producer for a failing Houston Astros offense.  Jones took Pittsburgh by storm in 2009 after his summer call-up, a thrilling young talent who, with Andrew McCutchen, has given something for Pirates fans to root for.

American League
The first basemen of the AL have combined for 65 home runs, including 7 by Billy Butler, 17 by Paul Konerko, 8 by Travis Hafner, 19 by Miguel Cabrera, and 14 by Justin Morneau.  Butler is the offensive face of the Kansas City franchise, a young slugger with dominant power still in developing stages.  Paul Konerko is having a big comeback year, flashing back to his 40 HR days of old.  Morneau is leading the AL in walks and has become a perennial fixture for the Twins.  Hafner's career has been damaged much by injury, and he hasn't played a full season since 2007 but could be getting back to his old productive self.  Cabrera has been the best offensive player in the American League in 2010.  If the Tigers make the playoffs, he is my surefire MVP.  His 19 HR and 60 RBI lead the AL, and the .328 AVG ain't too bad either.

Significance?  69 HR by NL 1B, 65 HR by AL 1B.  What's the big deal?
Well, many scouts and baseball personnel like Ryne Sandberg agree, power at the corners is crucial.  Ryno's theory is simple: power in the corners (1B, 3B, RF, LF) and speed and defense up the middle (C, 2B, SS, CF).  There is more power in the Central than any other division in both leagues, where there are 59 HR from the NL East (Ryan Howard, Ike Davis, Adam Dunn, Gaby Sanchez, and Troy Glaus) and 44 HR from the NL West (James Loney, Aubrey Huff, Todd Helton, Adam LaRoche, Adrian Gonzalez).  In the AL, there are 49 HR from the AL East (Kevin Youkilis, Mark Teixeira, Carlos Pena, Lyle Overbay, and Garrett Atkins) and 26 HR from the AL West (Daric Barton, Mike Napoli filling in for Kendry Morales, Justin Smoak, and Casey Kotchman).  While steals are on the rise in today's game, the home run ball is becoming underrated as the home run in critical in the winning formula.  With no power, there are no wins.  With no power, you get the 2010 Seattle Mariners who are last in the league in home runs and their home run leaders are Milton Bradley and Mike Sweeney with a whopping six.

The Final Home Run Stats
AL East: 49
AL Central: 65
AL West: 26

NL East: 59
NL Central: 69
NL West: 44

Want more on home runs?
Check out hittrackeronline.com and tatertrottracker.com for all the stats you want.

Half-Decade In Review: Outfielder Breakdown!

Have you ever noticed anything about most of the Cubs' big signings in the last half-decade? I have. Mostly outfielders, the Cubs pour money into these guys imagining they will be 10 year mainstays at their position with no controversy. This couldn't be farther from what happens almost every time. In fact, every year since 2005 has seen a change in the regular starter in at least one outfield position. Here is my breakdown of each acquisition:

Jeromy Burnitz, RF, 2005: This quickly-aging veteran was signed to erase memories of Sammy Sosa, whom the city had turned its back on. Burnitz had received MVP votes after clubbing 37 homers in 2004, which led Cub fans to believe they were getting a high-level slugger. Burnitz was a slight disappointment, as was most of that 2005 team, by hitting only 24 homers and a .322 OBP. Right Move? It might have been the right move because he didn't have a bad injury record (had played at least 126 games each year after first becoming a starter in 1997), was still a power threat, and was a durable lefty who regularly batted more than 600 ABs. However, his rising age (36 in 2005) should have added some red flags by his name.

Jacque Jones, RF, 2006: Jones was one of the most under-appreciated players of the 2006 season. Jones was highly-criticized for his lackluster defensive play in right especially early in the season, but he finished the year with 27 homers (tying a career high) and a .285 BA. Right Move? Yes. After Burnitz left town, the Cubs once again needed a right fielder. Jones added pop and around 10 stolen bases a year, which was preferred over Burnitz' all-or-nothing style of play. Jones struggled offensively early in 2007 but became one of baseball's best hitters in the second half despite never getting his power back. He was traded to the Tigers for 2008 and then the Marlins, having not appeared in an MLB game since.

Juan Pierre, CF, 2006: Derrek Lee's monster 2005 campaign complete with a batting title (.335 BA) and home run bash fest (46) came with one disappointing and confusing figure. He had just 107 RBI because the hitters ahead of him did a horrible job of getting on base. Enter Pierre. Pierre was a stolen-base machine, 167 bases in just three seasons in Florida. The plan worked because he led MLB in at-bats (699), hits (204), and games played (162). Lee missed 112 games due to a wrist injury however, and Pierre now was on base with not enough to drive him in. Right Move? Absolutely! The Cubs were very lucky to land this speedster and it was very unfortunate his all-out play was only seen in the Cub uniform during the lost season of 2006. Pierre moved on to the Dodgers where he became a critical part of their outfield rotation.

Alfonso Soriano, LF, 2007: Soriano was likely the best player available on the free agent market in this offseason after cranking up a 40-40 season with the Washington Nationals even playing in cavernous RFK Stadium. He was given the biggest contract in Cubs history, with good reason. It was clear after 2006 that more offense was need and better defense should be a bigger emphasis with a big roster turnover including the change at manager. The converted infielder's unconventional play in left was fine as long as he was making plays, which he was. His arm was a cannon and he was among the league leaders in assists. Right Move? Remains to be seen. Soriano has shown big flashes of the player he was, but here we are in Year Four and Cub fans have yet to see a full, healthy season from him. Missing over a month in 2007, he still hit 33 homers. However, his homers and average have decreased since then, and he has not even hit 20 steals in any season with the Cubs. Much pressure on this man should be expected in 2010, and rightly so after the Cubs put a no-trade clause in his contract making him stuck to the Cubs for eight years, or four more after 2010.

Kosuke Fukudome, RF, 2008: Another right fielder, this time imported from Japan. Fukudome, the former MVP with the Chunichi Dragons, was profiled as a mix between an Ichiro and a Hideki Matsui. He was the Cubs' first Japanese player. Right Move? Yes. This one took some thinking. Offensively, the main reason the Cubs broke open and scored the most in the NL was because of their new-found patience at the plate. Fukudome inspired the rest of the team with his natural patience, and the Wrigley Field crowd went crazy for Kosuke through the first half of 2008. However, his season ended badly in 2008 and he was more consistent after being moved to center field in 2009. Contrary to popular belief, he statistically plays better defense in center rather than right, but he has admitted to being more comfortable in right and he can make more big plays in right.

Jim Edmonds, CF, 2008: A midseason acquisition in May, Edmonds came from the rival Cardinals and fans were intrigued to see his performance on the other side of the I-55 Rivalry. Edmonds had always been a smart ballplayer, good power hitter, and great defender. He had won eight Gold Gloves, including six consecutively from 2000-2005. Right Move? Yes. Good thinking on Jim Hendry's part to look past his age and poor early performance with the Padres to see what he could bring to Chicago. Worst case scenario would have been a platoon role with Felix Pie and Reed Johnson, making CF a weak spot but not terrible. On that 2008 team, there was no need for production out of that position. Edmonds was a free agent in 2009 but is targeting a comeback in 2010.

Milton Bradley, RF, 2009: Bradley (above, #21) had a few repeating themes in his career: tirades, gifted hitting ability, team jumping, a bad clubhouse influence, injury problems, and more off-field issues. Bradley was an injury risk for sure when he was signed, and many Cub Nation questioned why the Cubs couldn't have signed Raul Ibanez or Pat Burrell instead of a big risk. Bradley, however, led the AL in OBP in 2008 and was always a patient hitter with pop. Right Move? NO. Another move of this caliber will have Jim Hendry fired. Bradley got in trouble from his first at-bat in Wrigley Field, getting suspended for making contact with an umpire while arguing a third strike in a crucial pinch-hit situation against the Cardinals April 16th. The rest of the season was filled with slamming quotes, broken bats, and benching. Lou Piniella had to confront Bradley and sent him home during the middle of a game against the White Sox due to bad behavior. Offensively and defensively he was a big disappointment, hitting only 40 RBI and he will live on in Chicago sports lore for one of the worst defensive plays of the decade. He famously threw the ball into the stands with one out which allowed a run to score and another runner to move up after forgetting how many outs there were to the disgust of the sold-out crowd at Wrigley Field including me.

Marlon Byrd, CF, 2010: Fukudome gets to move back to his natural position after Byrd (above, #22) was signed from Texas on New Year's Eve. Byrd had somewhat of a breakout year in 2009, collecting 155 hits, 43 doubles, 20 homers, 89 RBI, 599 PA, and 262 total bases, all career highs. He can steal a few bases and play great defense. Right Move? YES! I have always known Byrd would be a great fit for the Cubs. The Cubs are now looking for a fourth outfielder like Jermaine Dye, Xavier Nady, Johnny Gomes, etc...and a role with Byrd is exactly what the Cubs need. Rudy Jaramillo will continue to make him a more patient hitter, and Jaramillo's magical ways will win over these hitters. The Cubs are looking to improve on defense, and Byrd helps that in the outfield (especially with Soriano now turned into a liability on defense) as well as being a plus clubhouse influence.

The bottom line is although the Cubs have learned plenty of lessons about outfielders, they look pretty set for 2010 with three able dudes. Byrd is a team chemistry guy, and I foresee a bond between him, Fukudome, and Soriano.

Silva Lining Despite Bradley Fail

As we approach the end of a wild 2009, most Cub fans are excited to turn the page onto a fresh, new season. Jim Hendry has already done some shopping and now he looks to add to a team that is just a piece or two away from getting back to 2008-style Cubs Baseball. To the relief of many, Milton Bradley was finally traded when it looked like all possibilities had frozen, to Seattle for on-field troubled right-hander Carlos Silva and cash. The deal is actually amazing in my opinion, because of the salary offset solution. Bradley and Silva are two players with very overpaid contracts and neither have lived up to their lofty expectations. Bradley, coming off an All-Star season in 2008 in Texas, was signed to a $30 million contract over 3 years. Silva, after moderate success in Minnesota, was signed to a 4-year, $48 million contract with Seattle. Silva went 4-15 in 2008, frustrating fans in Seattle even further while they suffered through an 100-loss season. In 2009, he was injured for the majority of the season, returning briefly to pitch poorly with an ERA over 6.

The salary offset I was talking about is that the Mariners will send $3 million to the Cubs for each of the next three years to help offset the differences between the two contracts, so its as if the players we traded have the exact same salary. I'm sure Silva will be working with Larry Rothschild this spring very much to become the pitcher that won 47 games over 4 years with the Twins. Silva is a sinker-baller who doesn't strike out many. In fact, hardly anyone at all. Although sinker-ballers are well-suited for Wrigley Field, Silva has struck out just 474 batters in 1128.2 innings in his career. Larry Rothschild and the rest of the Cubs staff will be hard on Silva to be a relevant pitcher again. There is a chance he could make the Cubs' starting rotation out of Spring Training, but it is a long shot. I don't think this is the right move. This guy, like he has been for most of his career, is an overweight, overvalued hurler who is not ready to step onto the big stage of Chicago and perform, especially after his last two seasons. If he makes the team, and again IF, then he needs to be put in the bullpen in and used in situations with no danger. This means being used in the role Rule 5 pick David Patton was used in last season where you use the person only with a big lead or when you are well behind. If he performs well, then we can put him in the mix with the middle relievers.

As for Milton Bradley, I see him having a bounceback in Seattle. Although the off-field issues will always be there, a calming leader presence like Ken Griffey, Jr. will continue to mentor Bradley on how to handle himself on and off the field. You might hear that line a lot for young rookies being mentored by veterans, but for a guy like Bradley, mentoring should never get old. With Bradley and Griffey, Jr. the Seattle Mariners are really on their way. The AL West will be one of the most exciting divisions in 2010, and the most surprising players in the free agent market could make a run for the wild card or (gasp) upend the invicible LA Angels for the division crown. But that's next year.