Jim Hendry Explains His Spending Proclivities with the Cubs and Other Bullets

hendry and zambranoReason number one I’m glad the Super Bowl is over? Writers can stop declaring that Colin Kaepernick was almost a Cub like they were the first person in the world to look at his draft history. Mooney wrote it first. Respect.

Reason number two I’m glad the Super Bowl is over? Pitchers and catchers report in less than a week.

  • There were a couple profiles on former Cubs GM Jim Hendry recently. The first, from Ken Rosenthal, is a modestly interesting look at his early days scouting in the Marlins’ system. The second, an article from Gordon Wittenmyer, includes a relatively candid admission from Hendry that confirms much of what we believed about the final years of the Tribune Company’s ownership: “We had some huge contracts and we tried to win in a hurry when Tribune was going to sell the club, and when you don’t finish it off with a ring, it’s easy to say, ‘Well, you neglected this or that.’ If it would have worked, it would have been great. But that’s not the way we ran things for years …. In a perfect world, especially when you have good finances behind it, you can take a long time and steadily keep building it and pick and choose your ways to go about it in free agency. That’s the ideal way to do it, and it looks like that’s the way Tom and Theo are going about it.” In other words, the spending binges of the 2006/2007/2008 era were driven by a top-down policy from the TribCo in an effort to prop up the value of the Cubs before a sale. We’ve all long suspected this, but it’s surprising to hear Hendry confirm it. Making money available to be spent by your GM is one thing (a very good thing), but mandating that large sums be spent (on backloaded deals) isn’t always a good thing.
  • Here’s the thing, and I hate saying it because I really do believe Hendry is probably a very nice guy and a very smart baseball man: if Hendry doesn’t want the blame of having buried the Cubs beneath the weight of some awful contracts in the late-2000s, he also doesn’t get the credit for those 2007 and 2008 playoff teams. Because, without the big money deals to Alfonso Soriano, Carlos Zambrano, Ted Lilly, Derrek Lee, Jason Marquis and others, the Cubs probably don’t make the playoffs in 2007 and 2008. Either you took the shot in 2007/2008 and missed, while accepting the pain that comes with taking that shot; or you were forced to do things that you didn’t think were in the best long-term interests of the organization, and they almost worked. We can’t have it both ways when we remember the Hendry era.
  • Baseball America offers a very early Draft preview, discussing the generalities of what’s to come. Remember: there’s an entire season of amateur ball to be played before the Draft in June. So very, very much can change.
  • Bill Simmons wrote a long piece about PEDs, and about the things we think but do not say. In short, Simmons says it’s ok for us to be suspicious of virtually every professional athlete, and to discuss that suspicion openly without fear that we’re going to be ripped apart for doing it without any hard evidence. Agree? Disagree? If Alfonso Soriano has another great year in 2013, are you going to be OK with people openly discussing whether he’s clean simply because he had a good year at 37?
  • written by

    Brett Taylor is the Lead Cubs Writer at Bleacher Nation, and you can find him on Twitter at @BleacherNation and on LinkedIn here. Brett is also the founder of Bleacher Nation, which opened up shop in 2008 as an independent blog about the Chicago Cubs. Later growing to incorporate coverage of other Chicago sports, Bleacher Nation is now one of the largest regional sports blogs on the web.

    more cubs news

    STUD: Nico Hoerner Won That Game for the Cubs With Sheer Will

    In a game where a rookie pitching prospect makes the best start of his career, a key set-up man has a bounceback performance after a rough start to his season, and a formerly dominant reliever toiling away in Triple-A comes...

    Enhanced Box Score: Cubs 3, Diamondbacks 2 – April 15, 2024

    Un-be-lievable. That game went from snooze-fest to nail-biter in a HURRY. And I don't think I'm too far off base saying the Cubs got pretty lucky in that one. Not only were they able to tie the game in the...

    NO WAY! Michael Busch Ties Cubs HR History with Yet ANOTHER Home Run

    Coming into tonight's game, Michael Busch had homered in four straight contests. The streak was notable enough for all the obvious reasons, but it was especially interesting because all four long balls came with two strikes and all four came...

    Pre-Gamin’: Cubs at Diamondbacks – Lineups, Broadcast Info, Game Thread

    CUBS LINEUP — The Cubs are opening up a new series tonight in Arizona, and they'll do it without their ace, Justin Steele, their No. 3, Jameson Taillon, one of their top relievers, Julian Merryweather, and, their most important hitter....

    Oh, No! Seiya Suzuki to the IL with an Oblique Injury

    I hate Mondays. I hate the NL West. And I hate obliques. After losing their No. 3 starter before the season (Jameson Taillon), their ace on Opening Day (Justin Steele), and one of their best relievers a week ago (Julian...

    The West Coast is Almost Behind Us (But Not Yet!) – Cubs vs Diamondbacks Series Preview

    Cubs vs Diamondbacks — This West Coast nonsense is nearly at an end. Following this three-game road series against the Diamondbacks, the Cubs will head back home for four-straight games against the Marlins at Wrigley Field, followed by a schedule...

    Andrew McCutchen is an Extremely Elite Person

    As NL Central dwellers, we've long known two things about Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Andrew McCutchen: (1) he's pretty darn good at baseball, and (2) he's an even better person. The latest example of both comes by way of his 300th...

    More Fun with Michael Busch’s Historic Home Run Streak

    It's still way too early to make definitive statements on the surprise offseason trade that netted the Cubs Michael Busch and Yency Almonte from the Dodgers in exchange for pitching prospect Jackson Ferris and outfield prospect Zyhir Hope. I look...

    Hector Neris Has Had a Brutal Start to the Year – But What Can the Cubs Do?

    Even if there weren't concerns about his velocity-drop coming into the season, anybody would've projected regression for Hector Neris in 2024. The Cubs primary set-up man (and big offseason free agent relief signing) had a 1.71 ERA for the Astros...

    Former Cubs Pitcher Ken Holtzman Has Passed Away

    Although he pitched before my time, I always think of two things when I hear the name Ken Holtzman: very good lefty, two no-hitters. Indeed, Holtzman was one of the most successful starting pitchers in Cubs history, and recorded two...

    Latest News

    Dodgers vs. Nationals: Free Live Stream, TV Channel, How to Watch

    The Los Angeles Dodgers (11-8), who will give the start to Bobby Miller, host the Washington Nationals (7-9) with Patrick Corbin on the hill, Tuesday at 10:10 PM ET.If you're trying to watch this game, keep reading for TV and...

    Pelicans vs. Lakers Predictions, Best Bets and Odds: NBA Play-In Tournament – Tuesday, April 16, 2024

    The New Orleans Pelicans (49-33) are only 1-point favorites as they attempt to stop a five-game home losing streak when they square off against the Los Angeles Lakers (47-35) on Tuesday, April 16, 2024 at Smoothie King Center. The matchup...

    Warriors vs. Kings Predictions, Best Bets and Odds: NBA Play-In Tournament – Tuesday, April 16, 2024

    The Sacramento Kings (46-36) will look to De'Aaron Fox (eighth in the league scoring 26.6 points per game) when they attempt to defeat Stephen Curry (ninth in the NBA with 26.4 PPG) and the Golden State Warriors (46-36) on Tuesday,...

    Royals vs. White Sox: Start Time, Streaming Live, TV Channel, How to Watch

    The Kansas City Royals (11-6), who will give the start to Brady Singer, visit the Chicago White Sox (2-14) with Jonathan Cannon on the hill, Tuesday at 7:40 PM ET.Keep reading to see how to watch the Kansas City-Chicago matchup...

    STUD: Nico Hoerner Won That Game for the Cubs With Sheer Will

    In a game where a rookie pitching prospect makes the best start of his career, a key set-up man has a bounceback performance after a rough start to his season, and a formerly dominant reliever toiling away in Triple-A comes...

    Mets vs. Pirates: Start Time, Streaming Live, TV Channel, How to Watch

    Jose Quintana takes the mound for the New York Mets (8-8) when they host starter Jared Jones and the Pittsburgh Pirates (11-6) at 7:10 PM ET on Tuesday.Keep reading to find out all the details on how to watch New...

    Mariners vs. Reds: Free Live Stream, TV Channel, How to Watch

    Logan Gilbert will take the ball for the Seattle Mariners (7-10) when they host starter Hunter Greene and the Cincinnati Reds (9-7) on Tuesday, with first pitch at 9:40 PM ET.Keep scrolling to find out all the details on how...

    How to Watch Diamondbacks vs. Cubs: Live Stream or on TV

    Tommy Henry takes the mound for the Arizona Diamondbacks (8-9) when they host starting pitcher Kyle Hendricks and the Chicago Cubs (10-6) at 9:40 PM ET on Tuesday.Keep reading to see how to watch the Arizona-Chicago matchup in the article...

    How to Watch Cardinals vs. Athletics: Live Stream or on TV

    The St. Louis Cardinals (8-9), led by Brendan Donovan, visit Shea Langeliers and the Oakland Athletics (7-10) at 9:40 PM ET on Tuesday.Keep scrolling to find out all the details on how to watch St. Louis play Oakland live.When is...

    Bruins vs. Senators Prediction: Picks, Live Odds and Moneyline – Tuesday, April 16, 2024

    The Boston Bruins have been made -225 favorites over the Ottawa Senators (+185) playing on home ice on Tuesday at TD Garden in Boston.Bruins vs. Senators Favorite, Moneyline, TotalFavorite: Bruins (-225)Underdog: Senators (+185)Total: 6Best Bruins vs. Senators Promo Codes[lasso type="table"...

    more cubs news