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Contract Year Blues Posted by: partyvancaptain on April 29, 2009 at 8:39 pm
This may admittedly be a Captain Kneejerk type thread, and I hope by the end of the year I am eating these words. But to be honest, I sang this refrain for a while now, and so far it always ends up true. This isn't a problem that is exclusive to the Cubs (see: New York Yankees) but man, Jim Hendry seems to fall for this a lot.

And in the end, I say the same thing: BEWARE THE CONTRACT YEAR. Let's look at the evidence.

Derrek Lee (2005): This is a classic example of a contract year. Granted, the whole wrist injury didn't help him at all. But I think Dan's post illustrates a bigger problem with Mr. Lee. He was in triple crown consideration for half the year, and ended up winning the hitting title with 46 home runs to boot. Since then, 51 home runs in 1435 at bats. And we still have to pay for that one year through 2010. Though on the bright side, next year is another contract year.
Alfonso Soriano (2006): Yes, that Alfonso Soriano. He is a maddening player. He is doing quite well through one month this year. But let's be honst, that insane contract he got was for the 40-40-40 season he had in Washington. Of course, he has been injured in his first two years here, but with that said, he has played at a more hitter-friendly ballpark. He hasn't come close to that. Nor should he be expected to. But rather than negotiate with him to pay more for what his value is, we threw a bunch of money at him, and now we sit with it for a long time. He will produce, but I think we could have been a bit wiser with that money.
Ryan Dempster (2008): This one could become a counter example, and I hope it does, but a career sub-.500 pitcher with an ERA near 5 who has been a reliever for four years, comes up with a great year at the age of 31, you *MUST* be wary of it. Now, maybe it really was Ryan's new glove-flippy delivery, but chances are he will revert back to form shortly afterwards. And you will pay him as if he is that 2008 form. Oops.

Those are only three examples. And there are plenty of examples of guys who had terrible years on a contract year. Jason Marquis in '06 is an example of that. Though for some reason we still overpaid him... odd. It isn't as if every player who has free agency on the horizon will bust out and have a great year. I am just begging Jim Hendry to look at players who do with a bit more of a critical eye. Worst case we lose out on those guys, but we can most definitely replace them with our payroll with wiser investments.

I don't believe in curses. I believe in bad management. Jim Hendry has made good trades, don't get me wrong. But I think he is below average when it comes to free agents and contracts. Anyone can throw a bunch of money at the guy who just had a good year, and tie up the organization in a bad contract. It takes a good scouting staff and a keen GM to find guys like Ryan Ludwick, Carlos Quentin (who I do believe was traded for admittedly) and Jason Werth. Heck, David Ortiz was initially signed as a Twins castoff for 1 year and $1.25 million.

I have a few other bones to pick with the way the Cubs are run. (Hint: one of the issues rhymes with the word Blinors.) I will talk about those later.

Posted in: Free Agency, Contracts, Ryan Dempster, Derrek Lee, Alfonso Soriano, Jim Hendry, Captain Kneejerk
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Friday Evening Quarterback Posted by: partyvancaptain on April 17, 2009 at 7:22 pm
What an intense first couple of games against the Cardinals. I have to tell say, I think the Cardinals are going to do pretty well this year, and it will be great seeing this rivalry at its peak when both teams are relevant. When is the last time that happened? Probably 2004, and even then, the Cardinals ran away and hid with the division pretty early. Here are some thoughts on the game.

Alfonso Soriano proves once again how maddening of a player he can be, but at this point, you know what you are going to get. Only he can look absolutely terrible against a pitcher making his debut, and yet come up with the game winner. That is Fonzy being Fonzy (with all due respect to Manny.) I heard some people saying he made a gesture at the Cardinals rounding first, but I think he was motioning towards Frumpy Sinatro. I could be wrong. Bottom line, we will find out soon how the Cardinals feel about it. I just hope Soriano doesn't have a repeat of last year against the Braves.
Carlos Marmol proved why strikeouts are an important part of relieving. He got himself into trouble, but almost summoned a strikeout on command. That quickly ended much of the threat, and that is a tool that I think Kevin Gregg may not have.
Speaking of Kevin Gregg, what the heck is up with this whole 'stiff knee' thing? And how come Hendry/Piniella didn't know anything about it until now? If he has this limitation (only being able to warm up once), then that should have been known quite a while before this point. Kevin Gregg (or robo cop as I like to call him) can be a valuable asset, but if he is limited to when and how he warms up, that could hand cuff us, and that could be bad.
Captain Kneejerk says Geovanny Soto's past his prime. Maybe we can trade him and get Rich Hill back. Seriously, though, I am not too worried about Geo.
Neal Cotts has found a niche as the LOWGY (Lefty One Walk GuY), a job previously filled by dearly departed Will Ohman. It is quite simple: he doesn't have devistating stuff. He has to nibble a lot. He doesn't have the control to nibble consistently. That leads to a lot of walks. If he has an on day he can be good, but that is a big if. The question is, how much patience will Lou have with him? Seems to be more than he ever had with Scott Eyre- who is doing OK for himself in Philly. Oh well.

That is all I got for now. On one last note, not that anyone would care, but I have banned Baseball Tonight from my television. Why? Well, I have MLB network, which is 10x better and actually covers all the teams. Seconly, John Kruk, when analyzing the fight between Boston and Los Angeles, actually had the audacity to compare the emotional state Los Angeles was in following Nick Adenhart's death with the emotional state Boston was in following... a slow start. Granted, it was almost certainly unintentional, but damn... a lot of teams get off to bad starts, and don't pick fights. Apparently it is just unacceptable for Boston... at least in ESPN's eyes. I don't like ESPN much. That is all.

Posted in: Cubs, Alfonso Soriano, Carlos Marmol, Kevin Gregg, Geovanny Soto, Neal Cotts, Captain Kneejerk, ESPN Sucks
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Authors mrschroeder08 partyvancaptain pee_callus25 Tags 2010 Preview 5 Million Dollar Black Hole AAAA Aaron Heilman Aaron Miles Alfonso Soriano Andres Blanco Angel Guzman Aramis Ramirez Arizona Diamondbacks Atlanta Braves B.J. Ryan Baltimore Orioles Bob Brenly Bobby Scales Bonehead Booing Boston Red Sox Brett Jackson Bullpen Canadian Concoction Captain Kneejerk Cardinals Carlos Marmol Carlos Silva Carlos Zambrano Chad Fox Chad Tracy Chicago Cubs Chicago White Sox Cincinnati Reds Cleveland Indians Cold War Colorado Rockies Contracts Cubs-Cardinals Rivalry Cubs sale Cubs Curtis Granderson Daniel Herrera David Patton Derrek Lee Designated Hitter Detroit Tigers Disabled list Dominance ERA+ ERROR Esmailin Caridad ESPN Sucks Eternal frustration Eternal Optimism Farewell Farney Florida Marlins Free Agency Future Gatorade Geovanny Soto Geovany Soto Gerald Perry Grades Houston Astros I-Cubs Injuries Jake Fox Jason Marquis Jason Waddell Jeff Gray Jeff Samardzija Jim Hendry Jim Wolf Joey Gathright John Grabow Jose Ascanio Kansas City Royals Kerry Wood Kevin Gregg Kevin Hart Kevin Millar Koyie Hill LaTroy Hawkins Legendary Lineup Los Angeles Angels Los Angeles Dodgers Lou Piniella Luis Vizcaino Man Crush Mark DeRosa Marlon Byrd Micah Hoffpauir Middle Infield Midwestern Bias Milton Bradley Milwaukee Brewers Minnesota Twins Minor Leagues MLB 2K9 Neal Cotts New York Mets New York Yankees Oakland Athletics October Offseason Opening Day OPS+ Payroll Philadelphia Phillies Pittsburgh Pirates Playoffs Randy Wells Rant Rich Harden Ryan Dempster Ryan Freel Ryan Theriot Sam Fuld Sam Zell Sammy Sosa San Diego Padres San Francisco Giants Sandy Alderson Sean Marshall Seattle Mariners St. Louis Cardinals Steroids Strikeouts Suckiness Tampa Bay Rays TBS Texas Rangers Tom Gorzelanny Tom Ricketts Toronto Blue Jays Trade Tribune Company Tyler Colvin Von Joshua Waivers Walks Washington Nationals WTF Xavier Nady RSS Feed Contract Year Blues Posted by: partyvancaptain on April 29, 2009 at 8:39 pm This may admittedly be a Captain Kneejerk type thread, and I hope by the end of the year I am eating these words. But to be honest, I sang this refrain for a while now, and so far it always ends up true. This isn't a problem that is exclusive to the Cubs (see: New York Yankees) but man, Jim Hendry seems to fall for this a lot. And in the end, I say the same thing: BEWARE THE CONTRACT YEAR. Let's look at the evidence. Derrek Lee (2005): This is a classic example of a contract year. Granted, the whole wrist injury didn't help him at all. But I think Dan's post illustrates a bigger problem with Mr. Lee. He was in triple crown consideration for half the year, and ended up winning the hitting title with 46 home runs to boot. Since then, 51 home runs in 1435 at bats. And we still have to pay for that one year through 2010. Though on the bright side, next year is another contract year. Alfonso Soriano (2006): Yes, that Alfonso Soriano. He is a maddening player. He is doing quite well through one month this year. But let's be honst, that insane contract he got was for the 40-40-40 season he had in Washington. Of course, he has been injured in his first two years here, but with that said, he has played at a more hitter-friendly ballpark. He hasn't come close to that. Nor should he be expected to. But rather than negotiate with him to pay more for what his value is, we threw a bunch of money at him, and now we sit with it for a long time. He will produce, but I think we could have been a bit wiser with that money. Ryan Dempster (2008): This one could become a counter example, and I hope it does, but a career sub-.500 pitcher with an ERA near 5 who has been a reliever for four years, comes up with a great year at the age of 31, you MUST be wary of it. Now, maybe it really was Ryan's new glove-flippy delivery, but chances are he will revert back to form shortly afterwards. And you will pay him as if he is that 2008 form. Oops. Those are only three examples. And there are plenty of examples of guys who had terrible years on a contract year. Jason Marquis in '06 is an example of that. Though for some reason we still overpaid him... odd. It isn't as if every player who has free agency on the horizon will bust out and have a great year. I am just begging Jim Hendry to look at players who do with a bit more of a critical eye. Worst case we lose out on those guys, but we can most definitely replace them with our payroll with wiser investments. I don't believe in curses. I believe in bad management. Jim Hendry has made good trades, don't get me wrong. But I think he is below average when it comes to free agents and contracts. Anyone can throw a bunch of money at the guy who just had a good year, and tie up the organization in a bad contract. It takes a good scouting staff and a keen GM to find guys like Ryan Ludwick, Carlos Quentin (who I do believe was traded for admittedly) and Jason Werth. Heck, David Ortiz was initially signed as a Twins castoff for 1 year and $1.25 million. I have a few other bones to pick with the way the Cubs are run. (Hint: one of the issues rhymes with the word Blinors.) I will talk about those later. Posted in: Free Agency, Contracts, Ryan Dempster, Derrek Lee, Alfonso Soriano, Jim Hendry, Captain Kneejerk Add or View Comments (0) Friday Evening Quarterback Posted by: partyvancaptain on April 17, 2009 at 7:22 pm What an intense first couple of games against the Cardinals. I have to tell say, I think the Cardinals are going to do pretty well this year, and it will be great seeing this rivalry at its peak when both teams are relevant. When is the last time that happened? Probably 2004, and even then, the Cardinals ran away and hid with the division pretty early. Here are some thoughts on the game. Alfonso Soriano proves once again how maddening of a player he can be, but at this point, you know what you are going to get. Only he can look absolutely terrible against a pitcher making his debut, and yet come up with the game winner. That is Fonzy being Fonzy (with all due respect to Manny.) I heard some people saying he made a gesture at the Cardinals rounding first, but I think he was motioning towards Frumpy Sinatro. I could be wrong. Bottom line, we will find out soon how the Cardinals feel about it. I just hope Soriano doesn't have a repeat of last year against the Braves. Carlos Marmol proved why strikeouts are an important part of relieving. He got himself into trouble, but almost summoned a strikeout on command. That quickly ended much of the threat, and that is a tool that I think Kevin Gregg may not have. Speaking of Kevin Gregg, what the heck is up with this whole 'stiff knee' thing? And how come Hendry/Piniella didn't know anything about it until now? If he has this limitation (only being able to warm up once), then that should have been known quite a while before this point. Kevin Gregg (or robo cop as I like to call him) can be a valuable asset, but if he is limited to when and how he warms up, that could hand cuff us, and that could be bad. Captain Kneejerk says Geovanny Soto's past his prime. Maybe we can trade him and get Rich Hill back. Seriously, though, I am not too worried about Geo. Neal Cotts has found a niche as the LOWGY (Lefty One Walk GuY), a job previously filled by dearly departed Will Ohman. It is quite simple: he doesn't have devistating stuff. He has to nibble a lot. He doesn't have the control to nibble consistently. That leads to a lot of walks. If he has an on day he can be good, but that is a big if. The question is, how much patience will Lou have with him? Seems to be more than he ever had with Scott Eyre- who is doing OK for himself in Philly. Oh well. That is all I got for now. On one last note, not that anyone would care, but I have banned Baseball Tonight from my television. Why? Well, I have MLB network, which is 10x better and actually covers all the teams. Seconly, John Kruk, when analyzing the fight between Boston and Los Angeles, actually had the audacity to compare the emotional state Los Angeles was in following Nick Adenhart's death with the emotional state Boston was in following... a slow start. Granted, it was almost certainly unintentional, but damn... a lot of teams get off to bad starts, and don't pick fights. Apparently it is just unacceptable for Boston... at least in ESPN's eyes. I don't like ESPN much. That is all. Posted in: Cubs, Alfonso Soriano, Carlos Marmol, Kevin Gregg, Geovanny Soto, Neal Cotts, Captain Kneejerk, ESPN Sucks Add or View Comments (0) © 2007-2009, Partyvan User Name: Password: Forgot your password?