According to a report from the Chicago Sun-Times, the Cubs declined to offer arbitration to Kerry Wood on Monday. With failing to offer Wood arbitration, they will not receive draft compensation in next year's draft for losing Wood to free agency. Wood is a Type-A free agent and the Cubs would have received two picks in the 2009 draft.
Update 8:02pm C.T. with Additional Information - Bobby Howry, Jim Edmonds and Daryle Ward not offered arbitration.
Update - According to the report on Cubs.com, the door is not is not closed on the Cubs possibly bringing Kerry Wood back for the 2009 season. The initial report from the Sun-Times indicated that the arbitration offer from the Cubs "appeared to be the last chance for a return in 2009." The Cubs can continue to negotiate a deal with Wood as arbitration rules have changed over the past few years.
The Cubs, as expected, did not offer arbitration to Bobby Howry, Jim Edmonds and Daryle Ward.
This is the dumbest thing I have ever heard. The Cubs organization is making it real hard to stay a Cubs fan!!!!!!!!!!!
Terrible move. JH says the Cubs are letting Kerry go because Kerry will command a multi-year deal and then he declines to offer Kerry the chance to come back for one year. One year would be low risk ... and we need those extra draft picks!
I first thought Wood was a candidate for non-tender and then decided he would be tendered and traded. It is painful to see Woodie cut loose. It came down to $10 mil that was needed more elsewhere in the eyes of JH and Lou. It doesn't seem likely, but Wood could still negotiate something with the Cubs--if he isn't offered at least 2 years at $8 mil + somewhere.
I just posted on a previous topic that Abreu (Yanks) and Looper (RHP Cards) have been dropped too. I would think that Abreu now moves up on the JH--Loupie food chain.
Actually it was a smart move on their part to not offer him arbitration, because obviously he was ready to accept it.
We are trying to figure out how to get Jake Peavy, and throwing over 10 million to Woody for a season is not what we can do. We already need to dump Marquis salary to make it happen.
I would love a rotation of Peavy, Zambrano, Harden, Dempster, and Lilly. Are you kidding me??
I'm happy to give Marmol a chance at closing. Why not? Gotta happen sometime right? I'll take Marmol, Gregg, and the Shark as the 7th-8th-9th guys. Throw in Cotts as a lefty, and hopefully a healthy Gaudin. Add in another lefty assuming Marshall is part of the trade for Peavy.
As for offense, look at our numbers last year. We were at or near the top in offensive categories. We don't need to much help despite all the cries for help. At this point, I'd be happy to go with Fukudome in RF and hope for the best, with Hoffy as the backup option. Why not let Reed have the fulltime CF job? The guys a gamer. Maybe scrappy Sam Fuld can work his way back to be the back up CF.
The Cubs have posted it on their site that Wood was not offered arbitration. As it was pointed out, the Cubs still could negotiate with Wood. Perhaps that is what the case is. It is entirely possible they will bring him back but not under arbitration where he would assuredly receive an increase from this years salary. Perhaps they will bring him back at the same salary or a lower salary with a high incentive pay out.
Joe....good eye and I put the possibility in the update. The Sun-Times made it sound like this was it. I still wonder if he comes back once the payroll for next season is figured out.
If they let him walk though....not smart, should have risked it for th draft picks.
and yet another reason Hendry should be fired...
draft picks and young talent is what we need. Wood was worth the risk. I feel like I'm in the twilight zone, because of Hendry's ineptitude.
This is the same guy that pilfers talent from teams looking to shed payroll, or bad contracts. He catches lightning in a bottle, then most think he's a genius because he got lucky.
This is the same guy that brought you: Neifi, Hollandsworthless, Burnitz, Jones, the albatross of a contract with Soriano, giving Marquis 3 and 21, when no other team was willing to give him more than 2 years, and nowhere close to that money, trading Ceda for a guy that was to be non-tendered, Fukudome's albatross deal,Howry and Eyre's contracts, trading top prospects for Trachsel, etc....I could go on and on.
Guys, need I mention the fact that Lilly had done little before he came here---Hendry caught lightning in a bottle there...same for the Johnson and Edmonds signings when they were both released from their former teams. Edmonds will be non-tendered, and appeared very much his age at times last year, even though he hit nearly 20 bombs...DeRosa made him look like a genius. Ditto Dempster...but, keep in mind, it was Dempster's idea to return to the rotation. But for every lightning in the bottle play that he does, there's a Scott Williamson signing, etc.
Why can't we get true difference-makers in free agency? After all, Hendry has a $130 million budget, doesn't he? How many Beltran's, Abreu's, Giambi's, AROD's, etc. have we signed under Hendry's regime?---true difference-makers that were signed for big cash and produced before they went to their current teams...The answer is----none!
You might say Soriano was the reason we got into the playoffs in 2007, and I would say that you're partially correct, but he hasn't produced anywhere close to numbers he did before----which is why it was a horrible contract for a non difference-maker.
The main praise bestowed upon Hendry seems to be resigning his own freaking players like ARAM, Lee, Zambrano, and Dempster, while there's hardly any attention given to the fact his regime cannot develop a star in the system, nor can they evaluate differenc-making free agent talent and get them to sign with the Cubs.
I know I'm being harsh, but c'mon, how can this idiot survive 3 managerial regimes!?!?! If your boss has a gargantuan budget, and cannot put together a winner that consistently gets past the first round of the playoffs...or simply in the playoffs to begin with---then he doesn't deserve to stick----same for his BFF Rothschild.
It's almost like the Chicago Bears---Lovie Smith and his BFF Babich...With their talent, they should've easily been in the playoffs every year since their Super Bowl a few years ago, but they're in danger of losing out again, just as the Cubs are because of the ineptitude of Hendry.
Trusting guys like Z, Wood, Marmol, Lee, ARAM, and Soriano might be understanding, but trusting guys like Lilly, Dempster, Harden, Marquis, Gregg, Samardzija, Soto, Theriot, Derosa, etc. to produce at or above their 2008 numbers is borderline ridiculous....why? go by the numbers....stats do NOT lie!!!!!!!! It's true...even look at thebaseballcube website for your favorite players' minor league stats, and they're very, very similar to their MLB stats---I know---I've looked. So, when you get anamolies like we had last year, you better prepare for regression, and Hendry hasn't!
Aaron,
Dude you really are in need of some counseling. Don't pontificate with your head.... Understand the strategy and then get behind the organization. JH is the one and only reason the CUBS are where they are. He is brilliant and trusted amongst the entire MLB GM landscape.
Go for a w alk and then applaud Jimmy when Woody is back with us in the Spring for a contract that worth the risk.
Aaron,
You are right the Bears have tons of talent and should be contending every year. Can you name me one WR on the Bears? And if Angelo didnt get lucky with Forte, we would be in last place in the NFC north. Stick to your war and peace rants when it comes to the Cubs, but please do me a favor and leave the Bears out of it. Thanks
MGMT
BTW..Abreu, Giambi ... differnce makers? What difference did they make this year with the Yankees?
I cannot believe this move because we really could use some extra draft picks because our farm system just isn't good. We needed to offer arb. to woody even if he excetped and we traded him.(though i hate to see him leave he has been so faithful to the organization and put up good numbers last season) I cannot believe that wood is not coming back as of right now i hope the cubs wake up and put him back in our bulpen next season.
We get no draft picks and younger or older talent if we offer Wood arbitration and he accepts--unless we then trade the guy we all admire. The Cubs would have offered $7 mil, Woodie would have asked a $10 or $11, and he would have won.
JH now has that $10 as a downpayment for another standout--like Abreu, Peavy, Ibanez or Seth Smith. Maybe Furcal. Less costly possibilities could be a combo of Hinske or Jr. and Greene. There are a couple of young lefty relievers who could help too.
Sadly for Wood admirers, including me, Woodie becomes the sacrifice to make us more competitive in 2009. That's because we appear to be long in the pen and limited by our existing Big People contracts.
I have felt all along that JH will find a way to sign Wood...For some reason I think the strategy has allways been to let the new owner do his first goodwill act as the new owner by giving Wood to the fans. It is a no brainer that way because the new owner earns acceptability and Woody gets his 2 years.
If not I see this as a bad public relation move and a bad way to pay respect to a guy that is kind of the soul of this team. We need a LH Bat for sure, but dont tell me that Soriano is more of a Cub than Wood. Anyway as a buisness decision at this point I understand JH not offering Arbitration.
Anyway if JH would have offered arb. and then traded him it would have been a lot uglier.
This is what I would have done...in the Aaron format...
JH:Heres your arbitration Kerry...
KW:I want 10million
JH:here is 5million
Hearings; you get 8.5million
JH:Woody I need a starter and a LH bat, I'm trading you.
KW:NO WAY
JH:OK then, you are in the starting rotation period.
KW:I'll brake down before the all-star
JH:Ok, I'll take that chance and if it works out We both win, if not...You will retire and be a Cub forever!
narrator: as death smiles at you, you can only smile back :]
Guys, I think its pretty clear. The cubs don't want Wood back. They didn't offer him arbitration for 1 reason and 1 reason only. They were worried he would accept. Ditto for Howry. What else could it be ? They just bypassed 4 high draft picks by declining to offer arby. That's pretty huge. But they obviously felt they would rather do that than have to pay Wood $10M this year had he accepted...A risk they were unwilling to take and it speaks volumes.
I know they can still negotiate with him, but realistically it ain't gonna happen. And if they were going to do so, why would they have come out 3 weeks ago and said bye-bye to him ? They could have said nothing at that time. There was no reason to say anything.
So don't get your hopes up that he will be back. Sad to say, but he gone....
I've been possesed by the CANDLE!!!
What's clear about Wood is that we couldn't afford him and another player or two who would help us more. Agustin, please don't encourage flickering light on this site. Soriano will never have the respect that Wood does with most of the Faithful--even if hits 45 HR's and we win a series.
Somebody's man, Adam D, just got cheaper. He was not tendered arbitration by the D-Backs. He thinks that gets him another mil or two a year because the signing team keeps its draft picks.
As a side note about the JH bashing....do you really think he made the moves he has with Kerry on his own? Don't think 'ol Crane had anything to say about it? It's not like this is JH's team to do with as he sees fit. Even under normal circumstances a GM has to report and get a game plan with the President or Owner, let alone when the team is up for sale and everything up in the air.
Just common sense.
you are right JimK...sorry!
Next up....which of the arbitration eligible players will the Cubs offer arbitration to by the December 12th deadline.....
Ronny Cedeno
Neal Cotts
Chad Gaudin
Kevin Gregg
Reed Johnson
Michael Wuertz
I think the only one questionable will be Weurtz. But I hope they are all brought back.
From 2 through 7, non-tendered free agents Renteria, Abreu, Burrell, Dunn, Pudge and Garrett Anderson. Non-tendered starting pitchers, from the left, R.Johnson, Pettitte and Moyer; and, from the right, Smoltz and Wood. In the pen, Howry, Gordon and Hoffman. Some of these guys still can hook with their left hand--as we like to say about talent in Indiana.
Dusty Baker wants Wood to be his setup man in Cincy. That would be very hard to se 18 times a year.