It wasn't supposed to end this way. The powerful right arm of Kerry Wood was supposed to lead the Cubs to the promise land. Like Ron Santo said more than 10 years ago during Wood's masterpiece, "If this kid keeps pitching this way we will be playing in October."
Kerry Wood quickly became the face of the Chicago Cubs on that cloudy May afternoon, and after finding what seemed to be his home as a closer for the team that drafted him, Kerry Wood's days as a Chicago Cub are over. The former 'Kid K' will don a new uniform with the familiar number 34 on his back next season....and beyond. The Cubs reportedly wanted him back on a one-year deal but would not commit to the three or four- year contract and the $50 million dollars that Wood could command on the open market....so Kerry Wood's career as a Cub came to an unceremonious end on a Thursday afternoon in November.
When Wood took the mound in Game 2 of the NLDS in October, there was a feeling if the Cubs were eliminated from the playoffs that could have been his last appearance on the mound at Wrigley in a Cubs' uniform. After bursting onto the scene a decade before and waiting for seemingly years for him to fulfill his promise, one of the most beloved Cubs of all-time threw his last pitch as a Cub....something everyone knew was possible, but just not probable.
When it was announced that the Cubs had decided to let Kerry Wood leave, the first emotion was that of shock and disbelief. After all this is Kerry Wood, not some pitcher that signed a free-agent deal for a lot of money and said all of the right things in his first press conference with the Chicago Media. This is a guy that knows what it means to be a Cub and has given his all for the only organization he has ever known.
Many of the conversations over Wood always began with, 'when he is healthy'. Well for the first time since 2003, the Cubs had a healthy Kerry Wood. They finally figured out a way to use him and keep him on a mound...and for the most part, he was very effective. Wood did his job and electrified the crowd at the old ballpark every time he took the mound to start the 9th inning....even after all the years of waiting. Think about it, there is half a generation of fans that do not know the Cubs without Kerry Wood.
Wood is the only Cub pitcher since 1908 to win a clinching game in the post-season...and will forever be remembered as the 'Kid' that struck out 20 batters in one of the most dominant pitching performances in the history of the game. It has yet to sink in that the longest tenured Cub will have a new address next season.
Kerry Wood will be missed and maybe it is time to let go of the past and all of the 'could-have-beens'. But one thing is certain, Kerry Wood will always be a Chicago Cub....no matter what is on the front of his jersey.
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Zambrano and Aramis Ramirez are the only holdovers from the magical/cursed 2003 season...and Ramirez came in a mid-season trade.
So much turnover.
I would like the Peavy trade to work for the Cubs, because I would like a few years of consistency, with some solid young arms: Harden, Z, Peavy. Lilly is around 2 more years, and perhaps Jeff S. or Guzman can form a remaining young core in the starting rotation.
With a young Marmol as closer, and a young Soto, that makes for a very possible long reign for our pitching/catching corps. I think that consistency would be a good thing.
D Lee is on the way out...he has been trending down for years. I liked the Fukudome idea at first, but I was sold the "he is like Ichiro" crap, and he already looks old and flailing at the plate.
Soriano will look really old at the end of his contract, but we don't have to worry about that for the next 3-4 years, I don't think.
Aramis is probably peaking, but he never had speed, and his numbers are always consistent, so he should age more gracefully (production-wise).
No idea what the future holds on CF, 2B, and SS, long-term.
As potent as our streaky offense was, it seems like a house of cards long-term.
This is a tough moment for me personally.
I have been a Cub fan for about as long as Woody has been on the team.
For a decade, he has been the oars-man of the Cubs pitching ship.
For What it's worth --- hes terrific pitcher and a good guy. Unfortunately, he has been blighted by injuries, but he never ducked out on the team like some other people and when healthy showed up with his electrifying stuff.
a fond farewell to a great Cub!!
What sad news ... my feelings are the complete opposite of how I felt when "The Employee" left town. Goodbye Kerry! We loved ya!
Kerry Wood has been an exceptional athlete and an honorable man with the Cubs for 10 years. He brings great courage to his work, and he leaves the team much better off for his being a Cub. He is one athlete who left it all on the field, and who was even-handed in his relationships with the teams' ownership and his teammates.
Neil summed up the situation so well with, "Kerry Wood will always be a Chicago Cub." I might add like Ernie, Billy, Ron, Fergie and Rhyno and a few others.
My guess is that he will end up with the Rangers or Astros with a three year contract for about $36 mil.
I know I will be in the minority on this one...but this really doesnt bother me all that much. Nothing at all like Greg Maddux or Mark Grace.
I don't see why anyone is shocked. We had warning a week or so ago when Jim Hendry was quoted talking about Dempster and Wood. He was eager to get Dempster re-signed but didnt show that excitement with Wood saying he would have to talk with Wood and see what his thoughts were. The writing was on the wall at that point.
Wood as a closer just didn't cut it for me. Was he average? Yes. Above average? Perhaps. Certainly not an elite closer. How many times did he come in and nail the first batter with a pitch? Even in his days as a starter, yes he fanned over 200 people each year but he also walked almost 100 each year, and led the league twice in hit batsman.
He won the only clinching playoff game in 100 years....and then blew chunks in the next round against the Marlins going 0-1 in 2 starts with a 7.30 ERA.
His ERA for a closer sucked. Here's a comparison to some closers:
K-Rod 62 Saves 2.24 ERA 77K's
Brad Lidge 41 Saves 1.95 ERA 92K's
Jon Papelbon 41 Saves 2.34 ERA 77K's
Joe Nathan 39 Saves 1.33 ERA 74K's
Mariano Rivera 39 Saves 1.40 ERA 77K's
Joakim Soria 42 Saves 1.60 ERA 66K's
Kerry Wood 34 Saves 3.26 ERA 84K's
Look at the difference in ERA from the above and Kerry. Not cool for a lights out closer.
Hopefully Marmol will become a great closer. If they werent going to shop for a free agent closer like K-Rod, I like the option of giving Marmol a shot at it.
Kerry has been a class act in Chicago, great in the community. I wish him nothing but success, but won't need any tissues as he walks out.
shut up joe.. it was his first year as a closer and he did just fine.. there's no reason to believe he would only get better
he was a cub.. simple as that.. he bled blue and was loyal to the city of chicago. he may not have been the best closer ever.. but he was the right one for this team
a sad day for cubs baseball
Sure he did just "fine"...but he is not an elite closer. If you want to settle for mediocrity, go root for the Reds.
Look at most championship teams....they almost always have an elite closer.
2008 Phillies = Brad Lidge
(2008 41 saves 1.95 ERA)
2007 Red Sox = Jonathan Paplebon
(2007 had 37 saves 1.85 ERA)
2006 Cardinals = Jason Isringhausen
(Granted, had an off year this regular season with an ERA over 3.00, but was very much an elite closer at the time)
2005 White Sox = Dustin Hermanson (wasn't an elite closer, but in his first year closing in 2005 had 34 saves and a 2.04 ERA)
2004 Red Sox = Keith Foulke
(wasn't an "elite" closer, but had a stretch of 5 good years closing all with an ERA in the 2.00 range. 2004 he had 34 saves and a 2.17 ERA)
2003 Marlins = Braden Looper
(nothing special here, the exception to the rule)
2002 Angels = Troy Percival
(Had 40 saves and a 1.92 ERA in 2002)
2001 Diamondbacks = Byung Yung Kim
(Closed for a couple seasons for the Babybacks and did well. 2001 picked up 19 saves with a 2.94 ERA. Followed up the next year with 36 saves and a 2.04 ERA)
2000 Yankees = Mariano Rivera
(One of the greatest. 2000 posted 36 saves and a 2.85 ERA...only the 3rd time in 13 years his ERA was over 2.34)
1999 Yankees = Mariano Rivera
(In 1999 posted 45 saves 1.83 ERA)
1998 Yankees = Mariano Rivera
(In 1998 posted 36 saves 1.91 ERA)
So you see the trend, that many times the teams winning the championship have an elite closer.
Woody was a fan favorite, great teammate, wonderful in the community. But, he's not an elite closer. Sorry. I'd rather give Marmol a chance to see what he can do.
remember that one time when the cubs won 97 games with kerry wood as their closer in his first year???
closing was not the problem in the playoffs.. and even if he wants to give marmol a shot a closer, then move wood to a setup role.. wood said he would have done anything to remain a cub..
Thats not much of a point you just made...I remember that yera we won 97 games..with Kerry Wood as the closer in the first year....let's see he saved 34 games...that accounts for just about 1/3 of the teams 97 wins... So that would mean 2/3 of their wins he had nothing to do with.
Wood is not going to be a set up man, and certainly you arent going to pay his kind of money to someone to set up.
Joe, I couldn't disagree with you more. ERA, while important, is not always the best gauge of a good, solid closer. You have to look at hits, walks, HR allowed, etc. in addition to that. It is my belief that a 3.25 ERA and under is optimal for a closer. Wood was right about that.
Here's the justification for that. Say you're a closer, and come in for mop-up duty in a non-save situation, and you get lit up for like 5 runs. When you only pitch about 70 innings or less as a closer, that DRAMATICALLY affects your ERA.
In fact, according to my research, taking a sample of Lidge, Wood, Marmol, Gregg, Fuentes, KROD, and Papelbon, and looking at all factors, including IP, hits, walks, HR allowed, and ERA, by my research, Wood was right there with Papelbon.
Papelbon had only 8 walks allowed!!! Wood was second with 18 walks. In fact, even considering ones you listed with Nathan, Rivera, and Soria, aside from Rivera, Wood compares very favorably to the other ones in the afforementioned categories. Again, you have to look at the big picture. What if it really was just one or two bad games? In my opinion, that's exactly what it was with Wood...at the beginning of the year, he had a few very tough blown saves.
However, we can't afford the likes of Rivera, Nathan, and Papelbon.
Gregg is due in arbitration, an increase from $2.5 million, to probably $6 million.
Wood, more than likely will be offered somewhere around $9-10 million per.
If Gregg and Marmol are your choices for closer, then I believe you are playing with fire.
While Marmol had 114 K's, he also had 41 walks and gave up 10 home runs.
Gregg, on the other hand, gave up 51 hits, 37 walks, and only 58 K's to go along with 3 HR allowed.
Wood had 54 hits, 18 walks, and 84 K's to go along with 3 HR allowed
As a closer, I believe your biggest threats are HR allowed and walks. Walks, as we know, almost always lead to runs late in games. It is important to know, again, that only Papelbon and Rivera on that list, had less walks than Wood.
Wood was not given enough credit, and for the extra $3-4 million for Wood, I'd take that in a heartbeat over Gregg.
Hendry's justification is HORRIBLE as well. He stated Marmol is with us, so it made sense to go that route? Really, Jim, are you serious?!?!?!? First of all, if you make the trade for Gregg, stating that Marmol is the main reason, and you'd be saving money, then you deserve to be fired for making the trade.
Essentially what Hendry did, was trade for a $6 million set-up man. That's a HORRIBLE idea. Second of all, do any of you guys remember the Astros pen of a few years ago? They had Dotel, Lidge, and Wagner in succession.
Both Dotel and Lidge were eventually moved into closer's roles. Both struggled mightily at first, with Dotel completely flaming out in that role, and Lidge re-discovering his form again this year.
Marmol is, in effect, Lidge, but without great commad of his fastball. I don't know, maybe Marmol can figure out how to harness his fastball, and throw it consistently for strikes. But all I know, is that having another year of Samardzija, Marmol, and Wood, definitely would've been an amazing pen, and at the very worst (if the Shark is moved to the rotation), Ceda, Marmol, and Wood----that would've been an amazing punch as well. All three of them are up in the 10K+/9 inning category.
I'm just sick to my stomach about all this.
Mark my words, Hendry will go after areas where we had in-house solutions already. He'll go after Ibanez, when we have Hoffpauir, who is about the same potential as Ibanez, but with more power. He's already gone for Gregg, when if he really was planning on giving the closer's role to Marmol---we already had Ceda in-house, plus, he could've saved the arby dollars for Gregg and re-signed Wood. He's already focused too much attention on acquiring Peavy, and already lost on exclusive negotiations with Dempster, and our rotation is the least of our concerns right now. Our offense has failed us big-time in the postseason.
Unless Hendry goes after Furcal, Dunn (big power) or Manny (not going to happen), or pull off a trade for big power, then he's failed us.
By trading Ceda, and letting go of Wood, Hendry has not only weakened our pen now, but also for the future.
But please, make no mistake about it, Hendry will NOT make the right decisions for this team. He will not make the logical choice, because, as was pointed out on here before, Hendry will make a choice, hoping to "catch lightning in a bottle," and he almost always fails at that. He's hoping to catch lightning in a bottle with Gregg, just as he did with Johnson, Edmonds, Ward, Trachsel (remember how much we had to get rid of to get that dud?), Jacque Jones, DeRosa, and Marquis. He struck gold with Johnson, Edmonds, and DeRosa, so he probably thinks he can do it again. The guy's an idiot.
There's a reason teams like the A's (with Beane's philosophy), and the BoSox with Bill James' direction, have done very well in trades, player development, and have remained very competitive throughout this decade. It's because they rarely take chances on guys, hoping to get lucky. They do their research, check on historical performance, and then make trades, or FA signings according to this research.
It's almost like Hendry sits in a room, and throws darts blindly at a board, hoping to get lucky and hit a bullseye. It's a fruitless way to operate a franchise, and it's why I said we're rudderless right now. Hendry got his job security, and now, all he cares about suddenly is being fiscally responsible?!?!?!? are you kidding me? This is coming from a guy who gave Marquis, a dud, EVERYWHERE he's been, a 3 year, $21 million contract. This is also coming from a guy who did the same for Jacque Jones, and traded away true lightning in a bottle (Hamilton), in favor of Jones (whom they'd already given up on that offseason anyway).
I just don't get it
Utterly disgusted...
This is more upsetting than the last two October's..
And it shouldn't be. But it is..
This is certainly the great depression in the history of the Chicago Cubs, A man with such honor and integrity and most importantly loyolty to a team where so many have placed dollar signs before all else. I truly hope this is not the final end to the Wood era, perhaps he will return in the future. All I can say is thank you, Kerry for everything. You are a true man and I have the utmost respect for you. You deserve the absoute best and I wish you health and happiness not only in the rest of your career, but your life.
2003 stung. But this stings deeper.
.
You make good points, Aaron...I was nodding my head in some agreement. However, I still dont think that Woody was a top shelf closer. It would be very debatable if I'd rank him in the top 10. I'm sure if we looked at closer rankings elsewhere he's be right around that 10 mark plus or minus 2.
The one question I have about the theory you had on closers..the elite generally do not do mop up roles. And even they did make an appearance or two that way, then why do all the closers I list have great ERA's..most being under 2.00? Why didn't they get lit up.
I'm not saying Kerry was the worst of the worst....but he certainly wasn't the best of the best.
I understand what Jim Hendry said about having Marmol...he's right. You have a future closer...when is the right time to give him the ball and give him a shot? The time is when your past closer is a free agent, wasn't lights out, and money is needed to be spent elsewhere.
I know they spent money on Gregg...and I still hope that he is for a future trade....if not the logic may be that they can reach agreement or go to arbitration and yes the money would be just a little less than Wood...but the big difference is Wood would have got a 3 year guaranteed contract whereas Gregg will only be a one year deal more than likely.
Several people have mentioned Josh Hamilton...yes Hendry traded him, but if he has any fault it was for not thinking of signing him in the first place--which many other teams felt the same way because of his past issues. He only drafted him as a favor to Cincinatti so they could get him. Not like we had him and gave up on him.
Ironically I just did a search for closer rankings and found that cbssportsline.com had initial rankings for 2009...and low and behold Kerry is ranked 8th which fits exactly what I said....10th plus or minus two. It also shows a green arrow that me moved up, so he had been ranked lower.
Here's the link:
http://fantasynews.sportsline.com/fantasybaseball/story/10996515
No way could a guy turn down all that cash (3/4 years at 10mm-12mm per year)
He has a tear in his shoulder he would have been a risk. I admit, I am bummed out but there is no way Hendry should go more than 1 or 2 years.
Hello CCO, its been a very long time since I made post. It seemed like an appropriate time to do so.
I will really miss Woody. He was a class act all the way and a great player when healthy. That's the key though, when healthy. I'm not too upset about letting Kerry go. If he signed for cheap again, then sure. He deserves more though and we could use that money elsewhere.
I do, however, have a big problem with the trade. Why on earth would you trade Ceda for Gregg??? Ceda is going to be a stud!!! Gregg is a decent player and I like the aquisition, but not for Ceda. I'm sure that there was someone else that would've worked out for this deal. The only way this is acceptable is if Gregg is part of a deal to get Peavy. That's it.
now for a Billy D. Williams moment.
"I love Brian Pica... (er I mean) Kerry Wood"
Go Cubbies!!!
One more thing:
Please Kerry, for the love of God, don't sign with the Cardinals. I just couldn't handle that.
See ya Kerry Wood! I can now feel my blood pressure decending. I'm sorry to say, but it's about time! I just think that he's a JINX being a part of thet disapointing 2003 team where they CHOKED, similar to 2007 and 2008. Kerry had his chance to shine, and he blew it, with all the potential he had.....MAN. We gave him so many chances and he was hurt, or he f-ed up. I don't care what anyone says, but injuries are brought on by that individual, not coaches. He's a big boy and can figure out when things aren't feeling right. He doesn't belong in the same sentence as Nolan Ryan who is a pitching GOD, and a work horse who NEVER had problems being hurt like Wood. Poeple have the "most respect" for him? He was a let down. I don't care what anyone says. He had a golden arm when he was young and look what we got out of it.....nothing! Where's our World Series? how about a Cy Young? Hell, how about a 15 game winning season? NADA!! Maybe he'll go and sign with San Diego where he can be with his wife, Mark Prior!! hahaha Let's turn the page and hopefully we'll learn from this!
I am still pretty upset Wood is gone. You will be missed Kerry.
Aaron, I am right there with you, I was really looking forward to seeing the Shark, Marmol, and Wood.
Dumb
I've seen a few comments over the past few days about JH trading Hamilton. Theat is incredibly deceiving as JH drafted Hamilton for the sole purpose of trading him to Cinci in a prearranged deal. If it wasn't for that prearranged deal, JH would not have drafted Hamilton. Can't blame JH at all for that one.
I've seen a few comments over the past few days about JH trading Hamilton. Theat is incredibly deceiving as JH drafted Hamilton for the sole purpose of trading him to Cinci in a prearranged deal. If it wasn't for that prearranged deal, JH would not have drafted Hamilton. Can't blame JH at all for that one.
Good Luck Woody! I agree PLEASE don't sign with the Cardinals or the Brewers...Tampa needs a closer hint, hint.
Did anyone see Paul Sullivan's column today. KW would have stayed with a one year contract, in his own words. I can't believe that JH didn't think there was a place for him as a Cub. I am very disappointed. I can't root against the Cubs, but I sure hope Kerry Wood gets a WS ring, somewhere. He deserves one.
just disappointed hendry let go of woody.still hope he comes back but lou does want woody out.
I believe simple eye sight can decieve... IMO this is all part of a poker play/soap opera. Mark this words, Kerry Wood will be a Cub next season. Nobody will give him 4 years and I mean nobody. Lets be honest here, I deeeeeeply love the guy but...his injury history is latent. Things in life have to happen for a reason, just like he had to test the market. If he gets a 3 year deal he could go but believe me he will get back at JH before leaving. Remember this....he and Jim are close and Jim needs to justify a big contract for that kind of risk [player] with the impending sale of the team. He will get an offer of 3 years 30 million and Jim will sign him for 24 with incentives that will mount to the same ammount and it will look like a discount. However, I do not believe he was a stellar closer either but Kerry strikes again and plants the doubt....WHAT IF???
Maybe he would be better, even perfect the second time arround and he might deserve that chance. My two cents. To be continued....
No way Kerry gets a 4 year deal....but he will certainly find someone to give him 3. No doubt.
Give Kerry Wood the 1 year he want's
While I'd still like to see Kerry stay, I don't see it happening...Someone - and yeah, please not St. Louis! - will give him a 3 or 4 year deal, and he will be an elite closer elsewhere...I
respectfully disagree with Joe S., Woody's ERA was inflated by a couple ugly outings early in the season, and one bad inning later...For much of the year his ERA was 2-something, and he often struck out the side to get the save, which to me says he can still dominate hitters. It's a damn shame he'll be doing it somewhere else next year.
As for the closer this coming season, I think Gregg will beat out Marmol, and ultimately Jeff Samardzija will seize the closer's role, if we don't stupidly let HIM get away, as well.