Now that Albert Pujols has found a new home in California, it is time for baseball to turn its attention to Brewers first baseman Prince Fielder, who is also a free agent this winter. I am not all that dissapointed that the Cubs did not pursue Albert Pujols for two reasons. One is that he is not the kind of player that you are going to build a team around. The Cubs are in a re-building stage, and Pujols is too old to be a centerpiece of a re-building team. The second is that expectations would be too high. If the Cubs were to sign the best player in baseball, they would be expected to contend immediately, and I don't think they could.
Prince Fielder, however, is a different story. Fielder is younger, giving the Cubs more time to work with him and re-build around him. Also, he has always remained fairly "under the radar" despite putting up numbers that make him among the best in the game. Fielder is no doubt a superior option for the Cubs. He is an option that the Cubs must take seriously.
Not only is Fielder a great candidate for the Cubs, but he is a necessary one. The proper way to re-build is to re-build around a player that stands out. Without Fielder, the Cubs don't have that player. Ramirez is getting old and Soriano cannot be counted on for anything. The Cubs have done a nice job building up several quality young players, and Fielder would provide a centerpiece for the re-building. After that, you could trade Ramirez or Soriano (if anyone wants to pay him) and start new.
Rumors have been slow-coming over the Fielder situation. A friend of Fielder's reportedly said that his coice would be to play in Chicago, although similar rumors surfaced about Miami. At this point, the Marlins say that they won't be involved in courting Fielder. So who else? The Rangers have been rumored for awhile, and now that division-rival Los Angeles has aquired Pujols, they may want to make a splash. Other than that, Peter Gammons told CSN Chicago that the Cubs are going about the situatiion correctly, saying that he believes that Prince will end up on the North Side. However, a few hours later, Gammons tweeted that the Cubs are not likely to sign Fielder because the money isn't there. The situation appears open.
I trust Theo Epstein and his staff to get this one right. The Cubs are being presented with a prime opportunity to establish themselves as a favorite in the NL Central with Pujols out of St. Louis. Theo knows a thing or two about building World Series teams, and I trust that he will bring that knowledge to Chicago. If the Cubs want to contend in the next 5 years, they need to start making moves now.
Showing posts with label cubs. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cubs. Show all posts
Friday, December 9, 2011
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
Multiple reports: Theo Epstein to Cubs
Throughout the day, developments about Theo Epstein's future with the Cubs have taken place. Multiple reporting agencies including FOX Chicago, FOX Boston, WEEI, ESPN's Buster Olney, and the Chicago Tribune are reporting that Epstein and the Cubs have agreed to a 5yr/$15-20mil deal, although the Cubs will not confirm the report.
Epstein won two World Series championships as General Manager of the Boston Red Sox, but after the Red Sox failed to make the playoffs in 2011 they started cutting ties with staff, including manager Terry Francona.
Many questions remain with Epstein at GM. I would personally assume that he is going to fire Mike Quade as his first move. The question is then who will be managing the Cubs next year. Many have speculated that Theo will pursue Ryne Sandberg because he asked Ryno to manage Red Sox minor league affiliate Pawtucket. Former GM Jim Hendry took a pass on Sandberg last year, despite Ryno being a fan favorite and a Cubs hall of famer as a player.
I am very happy about this move by the Cubs. Firing Hendry was the right thing to do, as he seemed unwilling to re-build as GM. Hiring Epstein is right because he is a baseball genius and knows how to take a team with little or no World Series experience all the way.
One thing I stress to Cubs fans is to give him time. I have seen many people on the internet today talking about World Series aspirations for the 2012 season. While that is always a great goal, Epstein deserves more than one year to turn the club around. I am confident that he can bring the Cubs a World Series in the five years on his contract, but only if the fans are patient with him.
I will have any updates on the Cubs as well as some football coverage coming up. Remember that you can get sports news quicker by following @WCSBlog on Twitter, and then you can read about the details here later. I look forward to following the Cubs as this plays out. Go Cubs!
Epstein won two World Series championships as General Manager of the Boston Red Sox, but after the Red Sox failed to make the playoffs in 2011 they started cutting ties with staff, including manager Terry Francona.
Many questions remain with Epstein at GM. I would personally assume that he is going to fire Mike Quade as his first move. The question is then who will be managing the Cubs next year. Many have speculated that Theo will pursue Ryne Sandberg because he asked Ryno to manage Red Sox minor league affiliate Pawtucket. Former GM Jim Hendry took a pass on Sandberg last year, despite Ryno being a fan favorite and a Cubs hall of famer as a player.
I am very happy about this move by the Cubs. Firing Hendry was the right thing to do, as he seemed unwilling to re-build as GM. Hiring Epstein is right because he is a baseball genius and knows how to take a team with little or no World Series experience all the way.
One thing I stress to Cubs fans is to give him time. I have seen many people on the internet today talking about World Series aspirations for the 2012 season. While that is always a great goal, Epstein deserves more than one year to turn the club around. I am confident that he can bring the Cubs a World Series in the five years on his contract, but only if the fans are patient with him.
I will have any updates on the Cubs as well as some football coverage coming up. Remember that you can get sports news quicker by following @WCSBlog on Twitter, and then you can read about the details here later. I look forward to following the Cubs as this plays out. Go Cubs!
Sunday, June 12, 2011
Jim Hendry needs to be fired
I haven't talked about the Cubs much this season so far. That's because there hasn't been much to talk about. The Cubs are 25-38, and they don't appear to be improving much. Sure, some injuries have hurt the team, but overall the errors, poor hitting, and a terrible bullpen have been to blame.
It's a much broader problem than just what happens in the game, though. The Cubs haven't made the playoffs since 2008, and while they've had much longer stretches without playoff appearences, they don't look to be improving. Now, you may say I'm overreacting, but this is much different from the playoff-less stretch between 1945-1984. It's been 102 years since 1908, going on 103, and the franchise hasn't won a playoff series since 2003.
But today I want to address an issue that is on many Cub fans minds. This issue is the job status of GM Jim Hendry. Hendry has been here since 2002 and has made 3 playoff appearences with the team. Pretty good, right? Not so much. Sure, in 2003 they went far, but he had just taken over the position, and not too much of the team was his credit. The other two playoff years turned into disasters. In both 2007 and 2008, the Cubs were swept.
But enough reliving the Cubs torturous history. Let's focus more on Hendry's specifics. I am of the opinion that his flaws far outweigh anything he has done well. Look at Alfonso Soriano. Soriano is a decent player, but why are we paying him $20 million a year? I understand that Hendry thought that he was going to be a good player (who didn't?), but I never believed that he was good enough to pay that much.
Another problem I have is his willingness to pay veterans huge sums of money. Sure, it was nice to have Greg Maddux back, and it's nice to have Kerry Wood back, but is it really worth paying these players a lot of money when they come back and don't even help the team that much? Sometimes you've just got to tell players that we don't have room in the budget, and that maybe they could get a job in the organization after retirement.
I could go on and on with his horrible moves. Dusty Baker, Milton Bradley, LaTroy Hawkins, Lou Pinella, Koskuke Fukudome, Rich Harden, Michael Barret, and on and on. I'm not going to, though, because you fans know all of this. You all know how frusterating his reign at the Friendly Confines has been.
Now, don't get me wrong, Hendry isn't the worst GM in sports, and I am all for giving people enough time to show what they can do, but don't you think that he's had enough time? It's been 9 years, and so far he has cost the club a lot of money and the team hasn't completed the one goal he should have: winning the World Series. The Cubs not having won the series in 102 years does not excuse failing to win.
So, it's time for the Cubs to take a serious look at their future. Are we going to keep this guy around who has had his chance and failed for 9 years, or are we going to bring in somebody new to mix it up? The fans are losing faith in the organization, and it's time for them to get their act together.
It's a much broader problem than just what happens in the game, though. The Cubs haven't made the playoffs since 2008, and while they've had much longer stretches without playoff appearences, they don't look to be improving. Now, you may say I'm overreacting, but this is much different from the playoff-less stretch between 1945-1984. It's been 102 years since 1908, going on 103, and the franchise hasn't won a playoff series since 2003.
But today I want to address an issue that is on many Cub fans minds. This issue is the job status of GM Jim Hendry. Hendry has been here since 2002 and has made 3 playoff appearences with the team. Pretty good, right? Not so much. Sure, in 2003 they went far, but he had just taken over the position, and not too much of the team was his credit. The other two playoff years turned into disasters. In both 2007 and 2008, the Cubs were swept.
But enough reliving the Cubs torturous history. Let's focus more on Hendry's specifics. I am of the opinion that his flaws far outweigh anything he has done well. Look at Alfonso Soriano. Soriano is a decent player, but why are we paying him $20 million a year? I understand that Hendry thought that he was going to be a good player (who didn't?), but I never believed that he was good enough to pay that much.
Another problem I have is his willingness to pay veterans huge sums of money. Sure, it was nice to have Greg Maddux back, and it's nice to have Kerry Wood back, but is it really worth paying these players a lot of money when they come back and don't even help the team that much? Sometimes you've just got to tell players that we don't have room in the budget, and that maybe they could get a job in the organization after retirement.
I could go on and on with his horrible moves. Dusty Baker, Milton Bradley, LaTroy Hawkins, Lou Pinella, Koskuke Fukudome, Rich Harden, Michael Barret, and on and on. I'm not going to, though, because you fans know all of this. You all know how frusterating his reign at the Friendly Confines has been.
Now, don't get me wrong, Hendry isn't the worst GM in sports, and I am all for giving people enough time to show what they can do, but don't you think that he's had enough time? It's been 9 years, and so far he has cost the club a lot of money and the team hasn't completed the one goal he should have: winning the World Series. The Cubs not having won the series in 102 years does not excuse failing to win.
So, it's time for the Cubs to take a serious look at their future. Are we going to keep this guy around who has had his chance and failed for 9 years, or are we going to bring in somebody new to mix it up? The fans are losing faith in the organization, and it's time for them to get their act together.
Monday, March 28, 2011
Cubs open against Pirates in Friday
Regular season baseball is finally here! The Cubs will open the season at home against Pittsburgh, a team that is not known to rack up the wins, but a team that the Cubs struggled mightily against last season. They were even swept by the Pirates more than once.
But last year is behind us. The Cubs are coming in with a new manager, Mike Quade, who has been working with the team for a while and a guy the players know well. Quade took over after Lou Pinella's retirement last year with 30 games to go, and the Cubs won more games in that last month than any other team.
The Cubs named their 5th starter to the rotation, Andrew Cashner, on Friday. Ryan Dempster is to start on Friday, opening day for Chicago's NL ballclub, followed by Zambrano and then Matt Garza, a new addition to the team.
I am really looking forward to this baseball season. Lindy's Baseball Report called the Cubbies a "dark horse," saying that they have enough talent to do some damage as long as their pitching does what it is supposed to.
Check back here frequently for news and analysis. WCS is proud to cover Chicago's favorite baseball team!
But last year is behind us. The Cubs are coming in with a new manager, Mike Quade, who has been working with the team for a while and a guy the players know well. Quade took over after Lou Pinella's retirement last year with 30 games to go, and the Cubs won more games in that last month than any other team.
The Cubs named their 5th starter to the rotation, Andrew Cashner, on Friday. Ryan Dempster is to start on Friday, opening day for Chicago's NL ballclub, followed by Zambrano and then Matt Garza, a new addition to the team.
I am really looking forward to this baseball season. Lindy's Baseball Report called the Cubbies a "dark horse," saying that they have enough talent to do some damage as long as their pitching does what it is supposed to.
Check back here frequently for news and analysis. WCS is proud to cover Chicago's favorite baseball team!
Friday, May 22, 2009
Why the Cubs are missing out
The other day the Padres and White Sox worked out a deal to bring Jake Peavy to the South Side. However, Jake Peavy did not give approval on the deal, so it fell through. Peavy has made it clear that the only team he wants to go to is the Cubs.
The Padres were willing to make a deal with the Cubs back in February at the Winter Meetings. However, Jim Hendry decided he didn't want to make a deal for unknown reasons. That was a big mistake. It couldn't be any easier for him to bring in talent, and he's pushing it away!
All he had to do was work out a little deal with San Diego, who is going to be very generous since they're having trouble getting rid of Peavy. Hendry is missing out on a major oppourtunity. If a star pitcher says that you are the only team he wants to go to, you should be able to work something out.
Hendry better get his act together, or people are going to start getting very angry at him and he'll eventually be out of a job.
For response to this blog post e-mail me at ChicagoIllinoisGuy@yahoo.com
The Padres were willing to make a deal with the Cubs back in February at the Winter Meetings. However, Jim Hendry decided he didn't want to make a deal for unknown reasons. That was a big mistake. It couldn't be any easier for him to bring in talent, and he's pushing it away!
All he had to do was work out a little deal with San Diego, who is going to be very generous since they're having trouble getting rid of Peavy. Hendry is missing out on a major oppourtunity. If a star pitcher says that you are the only team he wants to go to, you should be able to work something out.
Hendry better get his act together, or people are going to start getting very angry at him and he'll eventually be out of a job.
For response to this blog post e-mail me at ChicagoIllinoisGuy@yahoo.com
Sunday, April 19, 2009
The Perfect Day
Chicago sports were rockin' on Saturday as the city's sports teams went 4-0 in some thrilling games, two of them being playoff games.
The Bulls started their playoff series with the Celtics in Boston. The two teams fought hard all game and would go to overtime where the Bulls would prevail. Rose scored more points in that game than Michael Jordan scored in his first Bulls playoff game. The Bulls won the game by a score of 105-103. It was a team effort as Rose showed great leadership and the Bulls now lead the series, 1-0.
The Blackhawks went into Saturday's game with a 1-0 lead on Calgary after an OT thriller a few nights ago. The Hawks played very bad at the beginning of the game as they were losing 2-0. The Hawks later woke up and mounted a comeback and went on to win the game with a tally of 3-2. Jonathan Toews, Blackhawk captain, scored two of the Hawks' three goals, his first career playoff goals.
On the North Side the Cubs got set to take tto the field against the hated Cardinals. The regular season series with a playoff athmosphere was tied at 1-1. Ryan Dempster had the start for the Cubbies and struggled early as the Cubs went down 4-0. The Cubs would mount a slow comeback that was capped by a D-Lee triple and the Cubs went up 5-4. The Cardinals sent the game into Extra Innings at 5-5. Neither team scored until the bottom of the 11th when Aramis Ramirez stepped to the plate and delivered a walk-off homerun to win the game. Final score, 7-5.
The White Sox were in Tampa to play the Rays. The Sox went up early and their pitching pinned the Rays to only 3 runs. Mark Buehrle pitched seven innings of good baseball and Paul Konerko homed and collected three RBI's as the Sox polished a nice win in Tampa, 8-3.
It was an exciting day in Chicago sports that featured overtimes, comebacks, records being broken, and walk-off homeruns. Go Chicago!
The Bulls started their playoff series with the Celtics in Boston. The two teams fought hard all game and would go to overtime where the Bulls would prevail. Rose scored more points in that game than Michael Jordan scored in his first Bulls playoff game. The Bulls won the game by a score of 105-103. It was a team effort as Rose showed great leadership and the Bulls now lead the series, 1-0.
The Blackhawks went into Saturday's game with a 1-0 lead on Calgary after an OT thriller a few nights ago. The Hawks played very bad at the beginning of the game as they were losing 2-0. The Hawks later woke up and mounted a comeback and went on to win the game with a tally of 3-2. Jonathan Toews, Blackhawk captain, scored two of the Hawks' three goals, his first career playoff goals.
On the North Side the Cubs got set to take tto the field against the hated Cardinals. The regular season series with a playoff athmosphere was tied at 1-1. Ryan Dempster had the start for the Cubbies and struggled early as the Cubs went down 4-0. The Cubs would mount a slow comeback that was capped by a D-Lee triple and the Cubs went up 5-4. The Cardinals sent the game into Extra Innings at 5-5. Neither team scored until the bottom of the 11th when Aramis Ramirez stepped to the plate and delivered a walk-off homerun to win the game. Final score, 7-5.
The White Sox were in Tampa to play the Rays. The Sox went up early and their pitching pinned the Rays to only 3 runs. Mark Buehrle pitched seven innings of good baseball and Paul Konerko homed and collected three RBI's as the Sox polished a nice win in Tampa, 8-3.
It was an exciting day in Chicago sports that featured overtimes, comebacks, records being broken, and walk-off homeruns. Go Chicago!
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