October 2009
The Tom Ricketts Era Has Officially Begun
Today is a brand new day in the world of the Chicago Cub fans. At 11 o’clock in the morning, Tom Ricketts was officially introduced as the new owner of the ball club. For Ricketts, the day started with the press conference, and led into a few interviews with the sports radio stations in Chicago. Throughout the day, he has said several things which will make Cub fans excited about the future of the team, under the leadership of Ricketts and his family.
At his introductory press conference, Ricketts said all the right things. That is exactly what you would expect him to do to be perfectly honest. While you would expect him to be completely upfront and honest with you, somewhere in your brain you would have to know that he will also tell you exactly what you want to hear. You should also note, that talk is cheap, and results speak far more then words ever do. I am not from Missouri, which is the show me state, but I want to see him back up everything he said. If he is able to keep his word, and accomplish everything that he said, he will be the best possible owner the Cubs could have gotten.
During his introductory press conference, Ricketts started out by introducing his family, and thanking everyone involved for making everything possible. Once all of the formalities were taken care of, the time had come for him to take care of business, and lay out a basic blue print for what Cub fans could expect from him as owner. The first thing on his agenda to relay to the fans, was that he had a few messages he wanted to pass along.
The first message he gave to the Cubs, was that he was here to win the World Series. That was a dream come true to hear from your owner. That statement alone had to make Cub fans everywhere smile, as the thought of finally winning the World Series would be a dream come true. The only other time we had a major figure head in the Cubs organization was when John McDonough talked about the Cubs winning the World Series. Hearing the actual owner of the ball club mention that as an actual goal speaks volumes more then someone in upper management. Hearing the owner make that one of his goals, makes the fans feel that this is more of a priority.
The second message Ricketts talked about, was Wrigley Field. He went on to say that he wants to improve the Wrigley Field experience for the fans that go to the games today, and to preserve the experience for all future generations. This is key to many Cub fans, who love the everything about the ballpark, and would be upset if the team ever left the friendly confines of Wrigley Field. The place is a historic landmark, and personally, I hope that Ricketts and his family does whatever they are able to do, in order to keep the Cubs playing there until they have no other choice but to relocate.
Some of the other topics he approached to improve the ball club, was to start at the bottom, improving the farm system. This has been a problem with the franchise for several years. When Former Cubs President Andy McPhail first came to the team, he spoke of how he was going to build the farm club to produce great talents, much like his former team, the Minnesota Twins. That is one of the many goals that McPhail was unable to accomplish in his time with the team. If the farm system is able to be taken to a level can is able to produce quality major league talent, the team has a whole will have taken a gigantic step forward to reaching their ultimate goal of winning the World Series. However, this goal will take some time to accomplish. You can not rebuild a farm system over night, a complete restructuring takes years to accomplish. Just knowing that this needs to be done, puts Ricketts in a class above every other owner the Cubs have had in recent memory.
As far as the current state of the team, one thing that may trouble Cub fans was that Ricketts says that the team, as they currently stand, has enough talent to win the World Series. This will not sit too well with those fans who think that there needs to be massive changes in order to make this team a contender. If Ricketts truly believes the club from 2009 has enough talent to win the World Series, then he wont go out of his way to improve the ball club. This could very well confirm what I have been saying all along that there will not be many moves, if any, to improve the ball club. While he mentioned that there would be a slight increase in payroll. When you consider that there are several players who will be getting pay raises, that will likely be the “slight increase” in payroll that the Cubs will be getting.
One topic he has not touched, was the subject of Milton Bradley. He waives off the question, laying everything about him at the feet of his General Manager, Jim Hendry. While the general thought is that he must be traded, a noncommittal response might be the best way for Ricketts to go. However, a comment at the press conference which flew under the radar might worry you, as a fan of the Cubs. One reporter proposed a hypothetical situation, along the lines of what we expect to happen with Bradley this off season. The question was, what would his response be if Hendry asked for permission to execute a trade that would benefit the club, but mean they would have to eat some of the contract in the process. The disturbing part, was not Ricketts response, which was that he would consider the situation and see if the trade would benefit the club. What was disturbing, was when Todd Ricketts (Tom’s brother) chimed in before his brother could answer the question. What Todd said, was that “Jim knows better then that”. Knows better then what, is what should worry some Cub fans. Should he know better than to ask permission to make a trade to better the team? Or should he know better than to ask to eat some of a contract? This could be a bit troubling, if what Todd said means that they will not trade Bradley if they have to eat some of the contract. Just speculation on my end, but that one statement might be cause for concern.
In one of the lighter moments of the press conference, Ricketts was asked if he believes in curses. What he said in response, was exactly what I had hoped he would say. He said that there is no curse, and any player who believed that there was a curse, would be moved to a “lesser cursed team.” From my stand point, this was the best thing he could have said. For too long Cub fans have looked to the past, and blamed goats and cats for why the team has failed to win the World Series, instead of where the blame really does belong. No, not on Steve Bartman, but on the players and managers who have failed to deliver in crunch time. Pinning the blame on something other than what has the biggest impact on the outcome of a game is a lame duck excuse, and knowing that Ricketts has stated that he wants nothing to do with players who believe in the curse, is a great step in getting the negativity as far away from the ball club as possible.
As I said at the beginning, talk is cheap. Anyone can talk the talk, and tell the fans what they want to hear in order to make themselves look better. As Cub fans, all we can do is believe that he is being up front and honest with us. He is a fan, just like we are. He knows the pain and heartache we have all been through over the years. What is important to keep in mind, is with the state the Cubs are in, he will need more then one off season to improve the club to the status he wants them to be in. Have patience, and do not go after him if the team falls short of expectations in his first season as owner.
Cub Fans Expecting Big Changes For the 2010 Season Should Expect to be Disapointed
The Chicago Cub fans are getting excited, and are looking for good things to come in the 2010 season. One reason they are happy, is with the departure of the Tribune Company and Sam Zell as the owners. With Tom Ricketts now taking control of the ball club, there is a new sense of optimism is overcoming the masses. They believe that with Ricketts as the new owner, a man who has suffered through years of heartbreak like we have, he will stop at nothing to win the World Series with the Cubs. After all, isn’t that the goal of every team in baseball every year? You could argue that the Tribune Company (and Zell for that matter) never tried to win the World Series until the fans had the taste in their mouths after being five outs away in 2003. Since then, they have spent more money then any fan could have imagined their team ever spending. Sure, they made a bad investment or two, but they spent the money fans wanted them to spend.
The very first move that Ricketts made, was signing Rudy Jaramillo to take over the duties of hitting coach. As I stated in my last blog, many people in baseball feel that Jaramillo is the best hitting coach in the game today, his resume speaks volumes. With such a move, some fans believe that this will be the start of a massive upgrade in player personnel, bringing in some off the best talent that money can buy. They figure that if Ricketts is going to go out and get the best hitting instructor, then he must be also determined to sign the best players available. How true that is, remains to be seen, as we are still close to a month away from free agency beginning. However, there are several reasons to believe that there will not be the spending spree that Cub fans have been dreaming of.
First and foremost, the situation with Milton Bradley will hold up the Cubs spending until everything is resolved. Ricketts and Cubs General Manager Jim Hendry need to know exactly how much money they will have to eat of his salary before they start looking at players outside the organization. Much like with what happened at the end of the 2004 season when they were trading declining Cubs megastar Sammy Sosa, the organization will be handcuffed until a move is made. Why do they have to wait you might ask? Simply put, he makes $9 million next season. If Hendry is somehow able to find a team willing to take his whole salary, and lets be honest that wont happen, then he has $9 million more to work with. Knowing how much money you have left to spend is a big advantage when you are negotiating with players and against other teams. In all likelihood, Ricketts will have to eat at least half of Bradley’s remaining salary. That is money he is spending that you wont see on the field of play, and takes away from what can be spent. Hopefully, a trade of Bradley comes at the start of the free agent period, or even before hand. If this goes the same route as the Sosa trade, who was traded just before Spring Training of 2005, then the Cubs will miss out on most of the better free agents. Reports do say that there are several teams interested in trading for Bradley, and Hendry remains confident that he can make a deal without eating a majority of his remaining salary. So we will have to wait and see what happens.
Staying with the Bradley situation, Hendry will have to get a player back in any deal that is made. Add that players salary to whatever you may have to eat on Bradley’s deal, and that takes a good percentage out of the budget that has been set for the 2010 season. Maybe Hendry will get lucky and be able to make a trade for a guy who does not make as much as Bradley, or makes the same amount, and the Cubs just have to eat the difference in salary. Some of the rumors included the Cubs trading Bradley to the Tampa Bay Rays for Pat Burrell who had as bad of a year as Bradley did, and also makes $9 million next year. This would seem like a perfect fit, don’t you think? Both teams want to get rid of a player that didn’t work out and their salaries match for the following year. Maybe the Cubs would just have to eat the remaining $12 Million for the 2011 season. However, some reports stated that the Rays would only take Bradley if the Cubs ate most, if not all, of his contract. Another rumor was a possible swap with the San Francisco Giants for Aaron Rowand, which would benefit both teams. With Rowand owed $36 Million over three years, and Bradley owed $21 over two, a Giants executive said he would approve that deal. Cubs would take on more guaranteed money over a longer period of time, and more per year but they would be rid of Bradley. The Giants on the other hand would be saving $15 million in the end. Whether or not either deal is made, remains to be seen.
If the Cubs are unable to find a deal for Bradley, they may have to ultimately eat the entire contract, especially if they are deadset against bringing him back. Much like with paying a portion of his salary in a deal, that money will be included in the budget, and take away what can be spent on possible free agent candidates. While some may look at cutting him as freeing up $9 million for the 2010 season to spend elsewhere, in all reality you are just giving away that money while keeping every cent on the books. If they have to eat his entire salary, there will need to be other moves made to accommodate losing that amount, and fans may not like what happens in the aftermath of that move. So just be careful what you ask for Cub fans, you may not like the end result.
Enough about Bradley, and on to some other possible reasons why the Cubs will not be able to go on a spending spree to bring in star players. Obviously, there is a lack of open positions. As I have stated a few times, the Cubs really only have one or two open spots that can be filled. The main spot which may be available to upgrade is second base. Depending on what transpires with Bradley, there may be a spot open in the outfield at either Center or Right. Unless you want to ditch some of the younger talent we have on the team, such as Ryan Theriot or Geovany Soto, the moves that can be made are severely limited because of open positions. Don’t start with the “trade Alfonso Soriano” or “trade Kosuke Fukudome” to free up positions and money. That will create more mess like the currently have with Bradley. If you think the Cubs will have to eat a lot of money to get rid of Bradley, imagine what they will have to eat to get rid of Soriano. Do you really want to limit the team financially even more? I would hope not. So the lack of positions is another major roadblock in making massive changes.
A final reason, are the rumors that there are certain clauses in the bankruptcy filing which will significantly limit any and all moves that the Cubs are able to make. Ricketts may very well have his hands tied financially for at least the first year of his ownership tenure in regards to the payroll of the players. If this is in fact truth, then Ricketts may not be able to add anyone to the team to improve them. If people are unaware of these set limitations on Ricketts, they may turn sour on him when they come to see that there hasn’t been much done at all to improve the team. Don’t get confused by the adding of Jaramillo, his contract does not get added into the Cubs overall team budget, and wont effect how much they will, or will not, be able to spend in upgrades. According to Carrie Muskat and her Cubs blog, they expect the budget to remain close to the 2009 version, allowing only for pay increases for current players making up the difference.
Like many fans, there is a list of players who I would love to see the Cubs sign. There are also Cubs who contracts are up that I want to see them resign. But all of these may very well depend on the Bradley deal, and the bankruptcy rulings which might limit upgrade. The offseason is a long one, and hasn’t even officially begun yet. As time goes by, there will be more information coming out as far as how much the Cubs will be able to spend for the upcoming season. After the Cubs have their Organizational meetings, we should learn a bit more about how much money they have to spend. With the General Manager, and Winter Meetings, we will learn more about the direction Hendry and Ricketts will be going for the 2010 season. But for reasons I have just stated, do not expect a lot of moves, or anything real major. If you do, then I am afraid that you will be highly disappointed.
With Jaramillo on board, the 2010 offseason for the Cubs has officially begun
Today, the Chicago Cubs made the first move of the off season, and signed Rudy Jaramillo to take over the role of hitting coach. Many people around the league will tell you that Jaramillo is one of the best hitting coaches in the game. With the Cubs struggling with offense throughout the 2009 season, he could have a huge impact on a team that could never put together an extended run of hot hitting. While you can make the argument that the hitting coach is an overrated position on the coaching staff (and Derrek Lee said as much) if you have to have one, you might as well go out and get someone who has as good of credentials as Jaramillo.
While he should be able to help out a number of Cubs, one player in particular might benefit the most from his addition to the coaching staff. That player would be Alfonso Soriano who spent two years under his instruction while he was playing for the Texas Rangers. Why would Soriano benefit more then other players? One reason could be that in 2010, Soriano will be spending his first full season out of the leadoff spot since he was with the Rangers and Jaramillo. In those two seasons, he hit mainly third in 2004, and fifth in 2005. In those two seasons, Soriano averaged 32 homeruns and 98 RBI. Not only did Soriano have success under Jaramillo, he had a strong relationship with him as well, which is what he was quoted to say in the Chicago Sun-times on Tuesday.
So why do people consider Jaramillo to be one of the best hitting coaches in the game? According to the article on the Cubs homepage, the players he has worked with have had a tremendous amount of success. The article noted that Jaramillo’s hitters have won 17 Silver Slugger Awards, four Most Valuable Player Awards, three home run titles, and three RBI crowns under his tutelage. That is a very impressive list to put on your resume. While the hitters themselves are the ones who do all the work, the hitting coach is the one who tries to work out any possible kinks that hitter may have. How much of a difference he will make is anyone’s guess, but if he is able to help Soriano return to the player he was before this year, then he will have earned his salary.
Now, for those who think that this move was made to accommodate Milton Bradley, who the Cubs have said they are going to do everything in their power to move, that is not the case. Too much has transpired since his suspension for Bradley to ever play another game as a member of the Cubs. With the way his soon to be former teammates tore into Bradley, he can not come back. In fact, the only player to really stand up for Bradley was Aramis Ramirez. Well, he was the one guy to speak about him that didn’t throw Bradley under the bus. The only way he can come back to the Cubs, is if you were to trade everyone on the roster who said anything bad about him. The Cubs will not trade away half of their roster to make the club house more friendly for Bradley. That just wont happen, so you can forget about any chance of that happening.
The 2010 off season has officially begun for the Cubs, and while they did not add any on field talent, they took the first step in improving their offense. The main difference between Jaramillo’s philosophy and what the Cubs have been taught in the previous three years in plate discipline. Jaramillo tries to get his hitters to be more aggressive, as opposed to showing patience at the plate. Maybe that is just the change the team needs for them to return to being one of the best offensive clubs in the game in 2010. Anyway you slice the situation, this is a good start to getting the Cubs back on track.
the 2009 Cubs were better then you think
Now that there are no more games to be played in the 2009 season, at least not for the Chicago Cubs, we can take a better look at this ball club and the failure of a season they had. Yes, I said failure. Take any stats you want, if you do not win the World Series, your season was a failure. The goal of every team every year is to win the World Series. The season is, in essence, a one question test. You either answer the question correctly, or you fail. Unfortunately, for the 101st straight time, the Cubs season ended in failure. Don’t get me wrong, you can have a good year, and a good team in years that you don’t win the World Series, but the season still amounts to nothing if you don’t win the whole thing.
Take this years Cubs team for example; many fans will say that this ball club was a complete disaster. They will say that General Manager Jim Hendry blew up a World Series contender, turning the Cubs into a joke. Fans are also blaming Cubs Manager Lou Piniella for not doing a better job of managing the team, or for playing the wrong players at the wrong time. While both Hendry and Piniella could be to blame for the demise of the 2009 Cubs, ask yourself this question. Just how much worse was this years team compared to last years?
When looking at the two teams, the 2009 Cubs ended the season with 14 fewer wins then the 2008 ball club. That is a horrible stat, but there are many things to keep in mind when looking at the record for the 2009 Cubs. During the 51 games that Aramis Ramirez was on the disabled list, the Cubs went 25-26. Are you telling me, that if Ramirez was healthy, we wouldn’t have won more then those 25 games? I am not saying that the Cubs would have won 14 more games in that stretch to match their 2008 record, but that would not be out of the realm of possibility. Don’t forget all the games he sat out as well because his shoulder was giving him problems after he came back. The entire season, he only played in 82 games. Had he played the whole season, or at least the average number of games he usually does anyway, the Cubs would have won at least the 14 games they needed to match last years record. While the Cubs did not lose all the games that Ramirez missed, he would have helped them win some of the games they did lose.
Do you need more proof that this years team is not as bad as fans have made them out to be? Look at our pitching staff. This years pitching staff, as a whole, were better then the 2008 team’s, even with Kevin Gregg blowing saves. The ERA was slightly better this year, posting a 3.84 ERAA, as opposed to an 3.87 the year before. This years club also struck out eight more batters, in one less game. Keep in mind that the Cubs top four starters each missed at least two starts, some missing more. As a whole, they likely missed about 12-15 games combined. While they didn’t lose all the starts that their replacements made, they would likely have had better outing and brought the team a few more wins.
Am I being a bit of a homer here? You could easily say that I am, But at the same time, I am being completely honest. This ball club was nowhere near as bad as people are saying. Sure, Hendry traded away some fan favorites and made a few mistake signings, but they did not make this team bad. This team had the talent to compete, and would have lasted a lot longer in the divisional race had they not been completely decimated by injuries. You can say that the Milton Bradley signing doomed this years ball club, you can say that the trade of Mark DeRosa killed this ball club, but that is not the case whatsoever. This years team was just as good as last years team. In fact, you could even say that this years team was, in fact, better then last years team. If Ramirez, Soriano and all the pitchers were healthy all year, the Cubs would have surpassed last years win total. You can deny that all you want, offer up all the reasons and all the excuses you can think of; but you know that I am not far off base.
The end justifies the means, so yes, this years team was worse then last years. You can also use what ifs for every team in baseball to get whatever message you want across. Perhaps that is what I am doing, but my logic here is very realistic. The 2009 Cubs should have had a better record then the 2008 version.
Anno Catuli
Recent Comments