Looking at the Game of Baseball from all ends of the Spectrum
Kerry Wood addressed the issue of the possibility of being a Cub again. "Nothing is impossible. We’ll see how things play out.", he said according to the Trib.
I liked Kerry Wood. I still do. Talent and upside aside, he represents Cub mentality even two years after he left the team. Most Cub fans I know think of him fondly. Itās reported that even Jim Hendry has a soft spot for Wood.
Bring him back, I say.
It seem that every team has backed out of the Jake Peavy hunt save the Braves and the Cubs.
Now word comes out that Atlanta has gone as high as they can/will:
“We felt that we offered a strong package of players, and if we couldnāt get a deal done with the players offered we would move on to pursue other players,” the Braves general manager said Friday in an e-mail to The Associated Press.
That means we get ‘im, right?
Not so fast.
Apparently, the Cubs original offer doesn’t wow Pads GM Kevin Towers. IF Peavy gets traded, the Cubs are still in the mix but right now, Ryan Dempster is probably a higher priority.
Seeing that there’s no deadline set on any potential deal, this might be something that gets put on the backburner.
According to Paul Sullivan from the Tribune, the Cubs are probably good for just one “big-ticket item” this off-season. Ok, I’m not a GM but if I were Hendry, I’d sign Dempster for what he’s worth and spend that big-ticket money on a leadoff hitter. Preferably one that hits from the left side.
Breaking up is hard to do
Speaking of Hendry and such, it sounds like Kerry Wood never really wanted to leave the Cubs after all. At least, that’s the press’ take on what Wood had to say:
“It’s bittersweet. Obviously this is my first choice. I wanted to stay here and the best choice for me and my family. … But that’s part of baseball right now,” Wood said in a conference call Friday.
These just may be polite words, there may be an element of truth to it, or quite possibly, he really means it.
“Seems to me that letting Kerry Wood leave without making an offer is like shooting Ole Yeller.Ā I must be getting too sentimental for this game”
-a text message from my friend DonS
Today the Chicago Cubs acquired Kevin Gregg in a trade with the Florida Marlins.Ā In return, the Fish received pitching prospect Jose Ceda.
In case there was any doubt to Kerry Wood’s future with the Cubs, Cubs’ GM Jim Hendry put them to rest.
āWe felt it was time Kerry goes out and does what is best for him and his family and get a huge multiyear deal, if possible,ā Hendry said. āThis is really the right thing to do. Weāve had some really honest conversations in the last week. We donāt have to get into how much I think of him, but at the same time I donāt think we could do for him right now what he deserves and what I think heāll get going elsewhere.ā
No doubt, that was hard for Hendry to say.Ā He and Wood have been pretty tight even through Wood’s lean years.
Wood was the longest standing member of the Chicago Cubs.Ā A member since 1998, the playoff year and year he won the Rookie of the Year Award.Ā And yes, he did have those lean years but he was always a Cub in the truest sense of the word.
And now Gregg.
A 6’6″ righthander who will turn 31 next year, Kevin Gregg has turned two solid if not spectacular seasons with Florida in 2007-08. With ERAs of 3.54 and 3.41 respectively, he collected 61 saves in those two seasons.
I say this just once (and will probably deny it mid-2009 when we are in the middle of a playoff race).Ā I’m not particularly fond of the notion of Gregg as our closer.Ā Maybe Hendry has some grand scheme which includes Carlos Marmol in the closing role but I doubt it.Ā If Kevin Gregg is the man who we depend on when the game is on the line in the 9th inning, I have my doubts.Ā Let’s face it, the Cubs are still contenders in 2009.Ā And I don’t see Kevin Gregg as “contender” material.
Perhaps I too am too sentimental for this game.