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Comments, News & Rumors - 2004 December
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Headlines
Cubs and Hollandsworth agree to terms - 12/27/04 7:32pm
What free agents are left? - 12/27/04 7:17pm
Krum accuses Cubs and former trainer - 12/27/04 7:15pm
Alou goes to Giants - 12/24/04 11:48am
Cubs re-sign Macias - 12/20/04 9:35pm
Sosa Updates - 12/19/04 9:15am
Clement goes to Red Sox - 12/19/04 8:55am
Stone and others speak up about Sosa - 12/15/04 10:53pm
Farnsworth trade in works? - 12/15/04 7:35pm
Sosa trade talks heat up - 12/15/04 7:32pm
Cubs interested in Twins' Jones - 12/15/04 7:29pm
Baker wants Sosa back - 12/13/04 7:53pm
Cubs expected to find Closer from within - 12/13/04 7:43pm
Ordonez interested in Cubs - 12/11/04 1:43pm
More Moves by the Cubs - 12/8/04 6:22pm
Walker promises to be Vocal - 12/8/04 6:19pm
Garciaparra and Walker stay with Cubs - 12/7/04 7:59pm
Cubs re-sign Garciaparra - 12/7/04 12:19pm
Cubs expected to re-sign Garciaparra and Walker - 12/6/04 6:35pm
Sosa Trade less likely with steroids scandal - 12/5/04 3:35pm
Cubs reported to make 1 year offer to Nomar - 12/2/04 8:52pm
12/27/04 7:32pm - Cubs and Hollandsworth agree to terms
On Monday, the Cubs and Todd Hollandsworth agreed to a one year contract. Hollandsworth could fill the left-field position in 2005 if the Cubs are unable to make any trades or sign any other free agents.
Last year, Hollandsworth was a great pinch hitter, batting .563 in the role, hitting some monster home runs. Before going on the DL, Hollandsworth batted .318 with 22 RBI's.
Hollandsworth said last season he would play with a protective device around his shin that has been severely injured twice during his career on foul balls, including last summer.
- Bryan | Return
12/27/04 7:17pm - What free agents are left?
After the recent signings of free agents like J.D. Drew and Moises Alou, fans have been wondering if the Cubs will pull of any big trades or sign any big free agents. Besides re-signing Garciaparra and Walker, there hasn't been much going around. All focus has been on dumping Sosa and his contract to another team. At this point, this looks like a tough obstacle to overcome.
Last week the Cubs had been looking into a possible Sosa for Shawn Green deal. Their contracts are basically the same, but it looks like the Dodgers are less than interested in Sosa.
Now it appears that only a few big-name free-agents are left, including Carlos Delgado, Jeromy Burnitz and Magglio Ordonez. Don't expect the Cubs to go after Carlos Beltran with Sosa around. If they could do that, Hendry would have already met with Beltran's agent, Scott Boras. With the Astros upping their offer to $96 million over 6 years, the Yankees will probably bid even higher.
- Bryan | Return
12/27/04 7:15pm - Krum accuses Cubs and former trainer
With a year of strange injuries, was it possible the Cubs hired an unlicensed trainer? Could this have been the reason for the strange trips to the DL for some players?
Recently, former assistant trainer Sandy Krum, sued the Cubs over wrongful termination. Basically, Krum said that he informed Jim Hendry that former head trainer, Dave Groeschner, was unlicensed and was fired shortly after that. Below are some excerpts from the lawsuit.
On about August 16, 2004, Krum met with James Hendry, Vice President/General Manager of the Cubs, and informed him, during a 3 1/2 hour meeting, about numerous improper and unprofessional events that had occurred as part of the training and duties of the athletic trainers, one of which was that he had learned that the Head Athletic Trainer for the Cubs was not licensed by the State of Illinois to perform his duties for the Cubs.
At or about the last game of this season, October 2004, while sitting in the dugout before the game, Crane Kinney, Legal Counsel, and a member of the Cubs Board of Directors, told Krum that "we are sorry for putting you through this and we will handle it next week."
On or about October 13, 2004, Krum was terminated from his employment with the Cubs. The Cubs continued to pay his salary until December 17, 2004.
Krum was terminated because he informed Hendry that the Head Athletic Trainer of the Cubs, the person responsible for making certain that the athletes of the Cubs were able to perform at the best of their ability and to quickly and adequately rehabilitate themselves after injury, was not licensed to so act in the State of Illinois.
From August 15, 2004 until his termination, Krum was not told of any deficiencies in his work, was not disciplined, suspended or reprimanded in any manner whatsoever.
But for his informing Hendry that the Head Athletic Trainer of the Cubs was not licensed to perform his duties for the Cubs, Krum would have been retained as an employee of the Cubs.
Below is a statement from Krum where he suggests the injuries of 2004 may have been minimized if they had a properly licensed trainer in 2004.
My passion for the field of Sports Medicine has roots going back twenty-nine years. I have always aspired to become a Major League Baseball Athletic Trainer after watching and working with former major league athletic trainers. Tony Garofolo, Bill Buehler, Jeff Cooper, Larry Starr, and Kent Biggerstaff among others. Oh, what those athletic trainers brought to the profession was tremendous and I applaud them.
I understand, although I am greatly concerned that Jim Hendry and the Chicago Cubs felt it in their best interest to "go in a totally different direction" regarding their athletic training staff. More concerning to me is how, after bring informed by me, they allowed A NON LICENSED ATHLETIC TRAINER to continue in his practice as Head Athletic trainer, knowing this was against the laws of The State of Illinois.
Not only did the Chicago Cubs break the law, THIS activity is indeed what led to prolonged stays on the Disabled List for the Cubs 2004 team. To point the finger at me, telling me I'm to blame??? I believed that the publicity that would have arisen, given the stadium deterioration issues, and injury issues, would have caused great embarrassment to the organization. I told Hendry about these matters because of my great love of the team, my concern for the players and the integrity of the organization. I hoped he would fix the problem. He did not.
Someone needs to take a look in the mirror. Perhaps they will see that the direction they are looking at, while a totally different direction, is the wrong direction.
- Bryan | Return
12/24/04 11:48am - Alou goes to Giants
Cubs fans are sad to see him go, but happy he is joining his father and Barry Bonds in
San Francisco. Wednesday, he signed a 2 year $13.25 million contract to join the Giants.
With the free agents disappearing fast, it is going to be hard to replace a big bat like
Alou's. He will be a welcome addition to pair with Barry Bonds.
As for the Cubs, they did not have any interest in pursuing Alou and decided to part
ways. Last year, Alou hit a career high, 39 home runs. Alou is expected to play
in Right Field with the Giants.
- Bryan | Return
12/20/04 9:35pm - Cubs re-sign Macias
The Cubs re-signed the versatile Jose Macias on Monday. Macias is a great utility option as he can play just
about any position. Last year he played games at second, third, and all of the outfield positions. He
batted .268 in 98 games.
"He's a quality team player with a lot of versatility that can help a team in many ways," Cubs general
manager Jim Hendry said. "I'm sure he'll be a good compliment to Neifi Perez as an extra infielder."
- Bryan | Return
12/19/04 9:15am - Sosa Updates
Depending on who you talk to, the possibility of Sosa being traded is either a certainty or a
long shot. Internet rumors are changing by the minute, but one thing is for sure: The Cubs are
working hard to move him.
Rumors are out now that the Mets are again interested in Sosa. It also looks like the Dodgers and
Orioles have increased their interest in Sosa. The latest rumor has it that the Orioles would take
Sosa if the Cubs were willing to pay 80% of Sosa's 2005 contract. Don't expect that to happen.
As free-agent outfielders sign with teams, you can be sure that a team is going to need a strong power hitter.
If the Trade for Randy Johnson goes through, the Dodgers will be left with some big holes in the offense.
Could Sosa end up there?
One thing is for sure. Sosa will be on some team next year. As of now, it will most likely be the Cubs.
Does this mean that the Cubs can't get Beltran? If they were smart, they should try because they would
only be stuck with Sosa for the 2005 season.
- Bryan | Return
12/19/04 8:55am - Clement goes to Red Sox
Former Cubs pitcher, Matt Clement, signed a deal that landed him in Boston on Friday. The deal was worth
$25.5 million over 3 years.
Clement chose the Red Sox over the Angels and White Sox, who both offered similar deals. Last year, he was
9-13 with the Cubs with a 3.58 ERA.
"In the end, geography may have taken a prominent place," Clement's agent, Axelrod told MLB.com of Clement's
decision. "Matt's family and his wife's family are in Pennsylvania. The thought of his dad and other family
members being able to easily get to Boston to see him pitch became a big factor for him. Who wouldn't want to
pitch in front of their family at Fenway Park?"
- Bryan | Return
12/15/04 10:53pm - Stone and others speak up about Sosa
Tuesday, Sammy's reputation took another hit with comments by Steve Stone and other teammates.
"If you create Frankenstein, you can't be real surprised if he eats the village," Stone said. "It's not his
fault. You created him. ... The Cubs as an organization had a very permissive attitude toward
Sammy Sosa.
"For 12 years, they allowed him to get away with exactly what he wanted to get away with, to do what he wanted
to do. If Sammy wanted to have a guy sitting next to him on the bench, they let him do that. If he wanted to
have a guy in uniform to work out with him, they let him do that. And if Sammy wanted to come to spring
training late, they allowed him to do that."
Tuesday's ESPN's edition of "Outside the Lines" also had some candid comments from Todd Walker and
Ryan Dempster. The show focused mainly on Sosa's problems in 2004. Its no secret that Mark Prior, Kerry Wood,
and others have spoken up to the media, but this was the first time others have also gave their opinion.
"When he was hurt, when he was gone, people would say, `It'd be nice to have him on the bench pulling for us,'" Todd
Walker said. "It'd be nice, maybe, if he could pinch-hit, or be available for that, which is something
everybody else would have to do."
Walker also added that some players may have been afraid to confront Sosa. "People were either scared to
tell him, or didn't want to tell him because it wasn't a big deal. But they made it out to be a big deal to
other people.
Walker also suggested that he should have moved down in the batting order sooner.
"He made that switch, but it took about two weeks for that to happen," Walker said. "And I think in a normal
player's mind, they think, well, they could do that to me and I wouldn't have a say in it. In Sammy's case,
I think he wants to be treated as a king, as, in the baseball world, he is."
"In the past, that wasn't even an issue," Walker said. "Sammy is Sammy, and everybody loved him on the team,
regardless. Everybody in Chicago loved him, obviously. Now that probably has changed a little bit."
Ryan Dempster, in a radio interview that aired on the show, said that Sosa's decision to leave during the final
game of the season was the last straw for many players.
"When you do something like that, you lose a lot of respect in the clubhouse real fast," Dempster said.
"There were some things during the year he quietly lost respect for. But I think that was just the
final straw. That `C' that he wears on his jersey (for captain) - he doesn't deserve it when you do
something like that."
- Jim | Return
12/15/04 7:35pm - Farnsworth trade in works?
The Cubs have been talking to Baltimore Orioles about trading reliever Kyle Farnsworth for closer Jorge Julio, who had 22 saves last season. Julio finished with a 2-5 record and a 4.57 ERA.
The Orioles have been holding back for now because the Cubs also wanted in infielder, Jerry Hairston, in the trade.
- Jim | Return
12/15/04 7:32pm - Baker wants Sosa back
The market for a possible Sosa trade is growing fast. Five to six teams appear to be interested, some of which include the Mets, Braves, Nationals, Royals, and possibly the Orioles.
To remain a contender in the battle for Carlos Beltran, if a trade is possible, Jim Hendry wants to work it out within the next three to four weeks.
"The climate seems to have changed quite a bit since we left the general managers meetings [last month],'' Cubs GM Jim Hendry said. "We have been approached by five or six clubs with some level of interest. That was not the case until we arrived here in Anaheim.''
For some time now, the Cubs have been talking with the Mets. Now the Nationals have moved in to the picture, but this deal is unlikely because the Nationals would expect the Cubs to pay every cent of Sosa's contract.
"Honestly, I think it's a million-to-one against,'' Nationals general manager Jim Bowden said. "I'm going to pay zero. Any money that I have is going toward starting pitching.''
That still didn't stop Bowden from expressing interest in Sosa. This may be another tactic in the trade talks. Adding Sosa to the Nationals would be a nice boost for a team moving into a new area.
Another team that is a possibility is the Braves. They may be willing to move Mike Hampton or Andruw Jones to offset costs and appear to have gained some interest in Sosa, however, they are believed to want the Cubs to pay a sizable portion of his $17 million salary for 2005, along with a $4.5 million buyout for 2006.
Sources indicate that the Cubs do not intent to pay a large portion of Sosa's contract just to dump him. They may be willing to pay $4 or $5 million, but they would not cover the full $12 million. They feel there is no upside to paying a large portion of his contract if he is to go to another team. The Cubs are confident they can repair the relationship between Sosa and the team.
- Jim | Return
12/15/04 7:29pm - Cubs interested in Twins' Jones
If the Twins do not offer outfielder, Jacque Jones, a contract before the December 19th deadline, the Cubs may swoop in and make a push at the 29 year-old right fielder.
Jones hit .254 last year with 24 home runs and 80 RBI's. He wound be a good candidate to fill some holes in the vacant outfield spot at Wrigley. The vacant spots may grow as the Cubs work harder to trade Sammy Sosa.
- Jim | Return
12/13/04 7:53pm - Baker wants Sosa back
Dusty Baker is hoping to make peace with Sosa. He also hopes that Sosa remains with the Cubs in 2005.
"We needed Sammy [in 2004]. We still need Sammy," the Cubs manager said Saturday during baseball's Winter Meetings. "I don't want to see him leave town under the circumstances the way they are now after everything that he's done for the Cubs and everything he's done for baseball in the late '90s. He deserves to be held in higher esteem than what happened last year."
"Right now, Sammy's on the Cubs," Baker said. "And until he's not on the Cubs, we have to figure out a way to have him be productive and hopefully happy and help us win."
After a tough season, fans turned on Sosa. His performance was down and he was reluctant to move down in the batting order. His frustrations showed up when he skipped out on the last game of the season.
"Whatever feelings he has inside, it's up to us to get rid of that," Baker said. "I know last year it wasn't easy on him. It was the first time he was booed. I know that affected him. I could see it on his face. I talked to him about it a couple times."
Currently, Jim Hendry says that he is not shopping Sosa and expects to have him back in 2005. He did say that 5-6 teams have inquired about Sosa, but their identities remain a mystery. Having Sosa return to the Cubs will mean that they will have to deal with the deteriorated relationship between Sosa and Baker, as well as the rest of the team. Most of all, Sosa will have to repair his relationship with the fans.
"You can repair that by hitting, hitting a lot of home runs and throwing out people," Baker said. "The only way you repair people is through action. Sammy's not old to the point where he can't continue to have great years. The last couple years he's been hurt and if you lose time, especially in the middle of the season, that's a long time. You're playing catch-up the whole time."
Baker does not expect an apology, but does have a plan to fix the problems.
"First, you have to talk it out," the manager said. "It wasn't just me, it was a lot of things there. It was the fans, the media, some of his teammates -- there were a lot of things there. Sammy's one of the major parts who we have to get back together. If Sammy's going to be on our team, we need him to win."
- Bryan | Return
12/13/04 7:43pm - Cubs expected to find Closer from within
Don't believe the rumors. Kerry Wood is not being considered for the closer spot for the Cubs next year.
Jim Hendry insisted that they are not planning to do that. "I've never talked about that in my life," Hendry said.
Recently, they lost out on Milwaukee closer Dan Kolb, who was traded to Atlanta. Now it looks more and more like the Cubs will find their closer from within for the 2005 season.
"You've got [Ryan] Dempster, you've got [Kyle] Farnsworth, you've got [LaTroy Hawkins], you've got Joe [Borowski] coming back," Hendry said of the candidates. "In that arena of choices, all are capable of fitting the bill."
With all those names, the Cubs may be leaning towards Dempster to fill the spot. "He's got the main ingredients," Hendry said of the right-hander. "He's got a 94, 96 [mph] fastball, he's got a slider that most hitters in the National League would tell you is well above average. And he has the makeup and intestinal fortitude that's required in the ninth inning."
Besides Dempster, the Cubs have not eliminated the possibility of Joe Borowski coming back to take the closer role. Hendry said that he had arthroscopic surgery on his knee and has lost about 10-15 pounds. He has been working out six days a week and is scheduled to begin throwing soon.
"We watched Rod Beck save 51 ballgames in '98 and I don't think he threw the ball 87 or 88 mph all year," Hendry said. "Sometimes it's a matter of intestinal fortitude and savvy. We don't want to sit here this early and eliminate Joe."
- Bryan | Return
12/11/04 1:43pm - Ordonez interested in Cubs
The Chicago Tribune is reporting that disgruntled White Sox star, Magglio Ordonez, is interested in coming to the Cubs. Ordonez sat out most of last season with a knee injury.
"Why not the Cubs?" Ordonez said from his Miami home. "I think it would be a good place for me. They have great fans. They're sold out every day. They have great pitching and they have a good chance to win it all. All I want to do is win. Winning is my No. 1 priority."
Cubs GM, Jim Hendry, said that he would be talking to super agent, Scott Boras, about all his free agent outfield clients, including Carlos Beltran, J.D. Drew, and Ordonez. Without trading Sosa and dumping his large contract, it may be hard to get into a bidding war for these players.
- Bryan | Return
12/8/04 6:22pm - More Moves by the Cubs
While the news that the Cubs retained Garciaparra and Walker was great, the Cubs have been making more moves as they plan for 2005. On Tuesday, just before the arbitration deadline, the Cubs also signed Henry Blanco to a two year deal. He is expected to replace Bako as Greg Maddux's personal catcher.
Blanco played for the Twins last year, appearing in 114 games batting .206 with 10 home runs and 37 RBI's. He is not a good contact hitter, but he does have above average power. He is a great defensive catcher, who finished second in the American League gold glove voting for catchers. He threw out 44 percent of attempted baserunners last year.
The Cubs also offered arbitration to Clement and Hollandsworth, expecting to re-sign Hollandsworth. Clement will probably sign with another team, leaving a 5th spot open in the starting rotation. Re-signing Hollandsworth could prove to be huge after they declined to re-sign Moises Alou.
The Cubs did not offer arbitration to Bako, Mercker, Grudzielanek, Grieve, Goodwin, and Martinez. They will likely end up on other teams in 2005.
- Bryan | Return
12/8/04 6:19pm - Walker promises to be Vocal
With Walker and Garciaparra coming back, it looks like they are focusing on being more vocal in the clubhouse. After all the issues from last year, it is good to see some players standing up. Last year, Walker and Nomar probably weren't able to speak up as much because they were new to the team.
"We have a good group of guys, though Steve Stone and Chip Caray may not say that," Walker said.
Walker also spoke up about the Sosa problems. He suggested that if Sosa returned, the players would hold a meeting to air everything out. He expected Sosa to apologize for leaving the ballpark early on the final game of the season.
"I think Sammy will step forward and do it," he said. "Half the team probably does [feel an apology is necessary], and half the team probably doesn't."
- Bryan | Return
12/7/04 7:59pm - Garciaparra and Walker stay with Cubs
Today, Nomar Garciaparra agreed to a one year deal to stay with the Cubs. It was an $8 million deal with
another possible $3 million in incentives.
"I really loved playing there, I really loved the experience I had in the short time I was there," he
said. "I just felt Chicago is the best place for me. I'm looking forward to going out there and, hopefully,
turning this into a long-term relationship."
"I made a promise to a particular catcher that if I got a particular number that I'd be seriously
considering coming back," Garciaparra said.
"Ever since Nomar got here, he was happy to be here," Hendry said. "He was genuine and sincere about how
well he was received by the fans. There was a lot of good will between himself and Dusty and
his teammates."
The Cubs also re-signed second baseman, Todd Walker, to a $2.5 million deal, completing the 2005 Cubs infield.
With Lee at first, Walker at second, Garciaparra at short stop, and Ramirez at third, the Cubs look prepared
for 2005. Neifi Perez will backup Nomar and could also fill Walker's spot if necessary.
In other news, the Cubs offered arbitration to Matt Clement, but declined to offer arbitration to Moises Alou.
Hendry's next order of business is to find a closer and focus on the Sosa trade.
- Bryan | Return
12/7/04 12:19pm - Cubs re-sign Garciaparra
ESPN 1000 is reporting that Nomar Garciaparra will return to the Cubs on a 1 year $8M contract with incentives
that could make the deal worth $11M.
An official annoucement could come within the next hour or so. A Todd Walker announcement could come later
today as well, but Walker still is looking over two year offers from Texas and Tampa Bay.
- Bryan | Return
12/6/04 6:35pm - Cubs expected to re-sign Garciaparra and Walker
The Sun-Times is reporting that the Cubs expect to re-sign both Todd Walker and Nomar Garciaparra by Tuesday night. Garciaparra looks like he will make around $8 million with a very good incentive package.
After that is complete, look for the Cubs to focus on finding a closer and trading Sosa. Now that the Mets have backed out of a possible Sosa deal, there are not that many other teams that are interested, but Jim Hendry has been a miracle worker for the past few years. Fans shouldn't count anything out when it comes to dealing Sosa. The Rockies, Marlins, and Rangers all may be potential suitors.
Either way, it looks like the Cubs will definitely have to find one new outfielder to replace Alou. There is still a handful of star free-agent outfielders, including Carlos Beltran, Magglio Ordonez, J.D. Drew, Jeromy Burnitz, Steve Finley, and Jermaine Dye. If Sosa is traded, expect an outfielder in return. At the most, the Cubs may need to get two veteran free agents to fill the voids.
With the closers disappearing fast, Hendry may focus on that as his next move. Hendry has not given up on trading for Milwaukee's closer, Dan Kolb. If the Cubs offer some prospects, the Brewers may bite on a trade. Dustin Hermanson and Robb Nen are the only free agents left on the closer market. Troy Percival, Armando Benitez, and Jose Mesa have already been signed. There is also a possibility of the Cubs acquiring Ugueth Urbina from the Detroit Tigers as they have already signed Percival to the closer role.
- Bryan | Return
12/5/04 3:35pm - Sosa Trade less likely with steroids scandal
With the recent steroids admissions of Bonds and Giambi, it may be less likely that Sammy Sosa will be traded.
The Mets have reportedly backed off their trade talks with the Cubs after Barry Bonds admitted he unknowingly used
steroids. Talks of Sosa being on steroids have been around since the 66 home run year in 1998. Sosa has denied
over and over that he uses steroids but this just adds to the complexity of a possible Sosa trade.
With a large amount of money, declining production, and the steroid scare, Sosa looks more and more like he may
remain with the Cubs whether he or the Cubs like it or not.
- Bryan | Return
12/2/04 8:52pm - Cubs reported to make 1 year offer to Nomar
According to the Daily Herald, Cubs GM Jim Hendry has talked to the representative for Edgar Renteria, but is keeping Garciaparra at the top of their list.
Hendry reportedly met with Garciaparra's agent and it is expected that the Cubs will not offer arbitration to him. Instead, they plan to offer a one-year deal for less than the $11.5 million he made last year, but it is expected to be rich with incentives.
"I'm definitely going to have some serious talks (with Tellem, Garciaparra's agent) this week and try to come to a conclusion either way before the 7th," Hendry told the Daily Herald.
- Bryan | Return
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