Oh, Jim Hendry. For a guy with what appears to be the correct number of chromosomes, you sure don’t understand baseball very well. Here we are on September 1st and, just as I suspected, you are still pretending that your mediocre team can make the postseason. In case you were wondering, Jim, Baseball Prospectus has you at a PECOTA-approved .78967% chance of winning the NL Central and a 2.24022% of winning the NL Wild Card. Yes, Jim. As of today, September 1, 2009, your team has a 3.02989% chance of making the postseason. But I can understand why you wouldn’t want to sell off any of your players. You’re with a franchise so historically steeped in good fortune, that 3.02989% might as well be 93.02989%!
Even Kenny Williams, feeble-minded dolt that he is, realizes Bears season has begun in Chicago. I’m not saying that trading away Jim Thome or Jose Contreras was going to be the difference in the White Sox’s season. BP only has them with a 14.42673% chance of making the playoffs. But giving up Thome puts, who, Jermaine Dye into the DH slot? Scott Podsednik, maybe? Someone shitty, that’s who. It certainly doesn’t help the Sox in the “playoff hunt,” that’s for damn sure.
So, why is Hendry so stupid that he can’t see the writing on the wall? The belief that “we’re still in this thing” presumably led Hendry to keep both Aaron Heilman and Rich Harden. One is a detriment to the team and the other might have landed the Cubs a halfway decent prospect or two, something the farm system is sorely lacking.
I’m inexplicably going to the game tonight, which makes me stupider than this entire goddamn organization. Screw you, Cubs.
So you’re telling me there’s a chance… YEAH!
What the hell are the Dodgers going to do with Jim Thome? He’ll only be able to DH in the World Series. Pinch hitter? What??
He’s going to be a part-time guy. Basically, the first pinch-hitter off their bench. It must be nice to have that luxury.
John Kruk agreed with the obvious you just said, but also felt the need to throw this in there, “Well, you can’t really put him at 3rd base because Casey Blake is there and having a good year.”
Kruk didn’t really say that, did he? Nice to be able to get paid to be a commentator and not have to know things, like, for example, Thome hasn’t played 3d base since 1996.
The Sox received a 26 year old A ball player and they sent money with Thome. Is that what Hendry should have done with Harden? Why trade Harden to the Twins if they were offering anything less than the 2 supplemental first round picks the Cubs will get? No point in dumping Harden when you can offer him arbitration and get him back for a reasonable one year deal or the 2 picks. Hendry wasn’t stupid at all for keeping Harden, Heilman is a different story. Williams dumped 2 old guys that weren’t worth much, hardly a great move.
He dumped a lot of salary, though. He can pick up a good pitcher to go with Buerhle, Danks, Floyd and Peavey. That’s a pretty awesome pitching corps to go with a dang good lineup from top to bottom.
WTF? Kruk is an idiot. Thome hasn’t played in the field AT ALL for the last 2 years. Not even 1st base. He’s had 4 games at 1B and that’s his entire fielding record since 2005.
http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/t/thomeji01.shtml
That salary was gone at the end of the year anyway and he had to send money in the deal to LA. The Cubs don’t have 2 aging ball players that are free agents at the end of the season to dump. Interesting you bring up Peavy. What team takes on the salary dump of a big contract and gives up 4 good pitching prospects?
This again illustrates the need for a *sarcasm* font, I think MGRW was laying it on, pretty thick…
What if Hendry offers Harden arbitration and he accepts it, though? I’d love to have Harden back, but it will be interesting to see how much he would get in arbitration.
The speculation I’ve heard is that Harden would get around 10-12 million in arbitration. But the Cubs have never, ever, not even once, gone to hearing with a player. They always settle.
I agree with you psychoch, if Hendry offered arb they would probably work out a deal. Worst case scenario seems to be Harden for 1 year and $12MM through arb. I wouldn’t mind that at all.
I know who DID pick up Peavy’s contract. And I also know who WANTED to, but couldn’t get it done.