The biggest acquisition for the Chicago Cubs this off-season was the first one – the hiring of former San Francisco Giant manager Dusty Baker to take over the helm of the Northsiders.
Baker is a three-time winner of the Baseball Writers NL Manager of the Year (1993, 1997, 2000). In that 1993 season, the Giants exploded to a 103-59 record (.636) before suffering through three sub-.500 seasons. But in his final six seasons with the Giants, his squad posted a 547-425 mark (.563), which ranked second in the NL to Atlanta (594-376, .612).
It was expected that there would be a major overhaul of the Cubs in the early days of Baker’s rein, with the names of Jeff Kent and David Bell heavily tossed about in negotiations. But the transition has been slow, tactical and, at times surprising.
FREE AGENTS AND RELEASES
The list of free agents lost and players released from the 2002 Cubs: Jason Bere, Roosevelt Brown, Will Cunnane, Courtney Duncan, Angel Echevarria, Joe Girardi, Jon Lieber, Pat Mahomes, Mike Mahoney, Fred McGriff, Jesus Sanchez and Chris Stynes. At this time, the only players that have signed elsewhere are Bere (Cleveland), Girardi (St. Louis), McGriff (Los Angeles) and Stynes (Colorado).
The primary agenda was obvious for the Cub front office – overhaul the bullpen, locate a left-handed starting pitcher, and shore up the catching and third base positions.
BULLPEN
The Cub front office has done a great job of reorganizing the bullpen. Right off the bat, Chicago signed one of the top left-handed set-up men in baseball, former Atlanta Brave Mike Remingler, who posted a 7-3 record with 30 holds, a 1.99 ERA and a 1.12 WHIP.
Chicago also stole Cardinal set-up man Dave Veres, who posted a 5-8 record with 16 holds, a 3.48 ERA and a 1.28 WHIP. Both of these acquisitions will provide support for Antonio Alfonseca, who was resigned for this season. Alfonseca, who is overcoming a personal crisis that ruined the second half of his 2002 season, has lost 25 pounds over the off-season and is expected to be back to the form he was when the Cubs acquired him last season. If these three perform as expected, they will be a formidable trio and will tremendously improve baseball’s 29th-ranked bullpen of last season.
LEFT-HANDED SP
The Cubs gladly watched other teams get stuck with the high-salaries and/or problems of Tom Glavine and Mike Hampton, and decided to take a chance on former Giant Shawn Estes. Estes is coming off a poor season, but it is expected that his reuniting with Baker and pitching coach Dick Pole will revitalize his career. Estes went 15-6 and 9-8 with ERAs of 4.26 and 4.02 in 2000 and 2001. The Cubs would also love to land another solid LHP starter before spring.
CATCHING
The team’s biggest headache, Todd Hundley, was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers, along with outfielder Chad Hermansen. That, in itself, was a huge accomplishment. Curiously, in return, the Cubs received 1B Eric Karros and IF Mark Grudzielanek (more later). The big outcome of the trade was that while the salaries of Karros and Grudzielanek pretty much equaled Hundley’s, the two players’ contracts are for only one year, while Hundley’s lasts two years. So, the Cubs will be in the clear in 2004, one year earlier than if they kept Hundley.
On the field, the Cubs traded minor league SP David Noyce and OF Gary Johnson for former Diamondback Damian Miller to be their No. 1 catcher. A .269 career hitter, Miller is exactly the type of catcher I thought the Cubs needed – an above-average hitter with some pop and a solid defender. To back him up, Chicago traded minor league IF Ryan Gripp for Paul Bako, a solid defensive backstop from the Brewers.
The Cubs say they are not done with the catching spot, keeping a finger in the Ivan Rodriguez pie, in case he and his agent come back done to earth, and/or Rodriguez decides not to go to the Orient.
THIRD BASE (AND OTHER INFIELD SPOTS)
The arrival of Jeff Kent to anchor the 3B spot seemed to be all but a done deal. But the numbers didn’t match-up and Kent went to Houston. So, while Mark Bellhorn is still penciled in as the 3B, the spot is still open for the right guy.
As mentioned earlier, the acquisition of Grudzielanek gives the Cub infield some extra defensive flexibility. He was originally mentioned as a back-up to Bobby Hill, but, in addition to helping out at short behind Alex Gonzalez, Grudzielanek can also play 3B.
While it wasn’t earth-shattering, the biggest IF pick-ups for the Cubs may be the one-year contract given to Ramon Martinez, and the minor-league deal to Lenny Harris. Martinez, who hit .271 for the Giants last season, has a knack for responding with men in scoring position, and is capable of spraying hits into the gaps. He is acceptable defensively. Harris is an excellent low-ball hitter, particularly against right-handed pitchers. Last season, he hit .305 while chalking up just 17 strikeouts in 197 at-bats. Harris continues to have above-average speed and is a versatile defender. Both Martinez and Harris can play 2B, SS and 3B, while Harris can also play a little OF.
Karros, who hit .271 with 13 HR and 73 RBI last season, primarily will be used as a big bat off the bench, and as a right-handed compliment to Choi at 1B against tough LHPs.
Finally, in the outfield, the Cubs agreed to terms with Troy O'Leary, who had been with the Montreal Expos, to a one-year contract. O'Leary, who hit .286 with 3 HR and 37 RBI and will be vying for the fourth OF spot, excels at taking outside pitches to left and pulling off-speed pitches into the open space in right field.
SPRING-TRAINING INVITEES
The Cubs have invited the following players to spring training: pitchers Rod Beck, Will Cunnane, Angel Guzman, Mike Meyers, Heath Murray, Phil Norton and Mike Sirotka; catchers Eliezar Alfonzo, Mike Mahoney and Keith McDonald; infielders Harris and Phil Hiatt; and outfielder Midre Cummings.
NEXT TIME
In the next issue, this column will update any new moves, review the Cubs’ 40-man roster, the early projected line-up and the top prospects in the Cubs’ minor-league system.
