Kuzul

As I’m doing my ritual refreshing of my twitter page, I see my cousin re-tweet something that made me stop in my tracks.

@2big2failsports RT @ CSNChicago: Cubs trade Mike #Fontenot to Giants for class-A outfielder Evan Crawford

Now it makes sense that the Giants would make a deal for a middle infielder. Shortstop Edgar Renteria is on the DL for the third time this year with a biceps strain. It would also make sense to go after Fontenot, who is more of a utility/part-time player, not a starter.

But the move also meant that Hendry has let go of the second part of the “Cajun Connection” which was the Cubs middle infield for the last four years.

While you could understand the Fontenot deal, being that he had reached his ceiling as that of a utility infielder and solid bench piece, the Theriot deal was unnecessary. Theriot being the type you never really want to trade as one of your fan-favorites and a solid firey captain. The deal was only made necessary because of the ineptitude of one Jim Hendry.

Hendry became the GM of the Cubs on July 5th, 2002, the middle of a disappointing season. He made a big splash in the off-season by hiring Dusty Baker away from San Francisco, then somehow managed to trade Todd Hundley to the Dodgers for Eric Karros and Mark Grudzilanek.

His biggest coup would come in July of 03, in what is still one of the most lopsided trades in Chicago Cubs history (lopsided in our favor that is) when he traded Bobby Hill and Jose Hernandez to Pittsburgh in exchange for Kenny Lofton and Aramis Ramirez, then after the injury to Hee Sop Choi, added Randall Simon through the waver wire.

These deals set up a 2003 season where the Cubs were just five outs away.

That winter he made another shrewd trade involving Hee Sop Choi going to the Marlins in exchange for Derrek Lee, then trading for Michael Barrett, and signing Greg Maddox.

Yet the Cubs still would not make the post-season again until 2007, when they were swept by Arizona in the NLDS. However, prior to that 07 season, Hendry signed Ted Lilly and Alfonso Soriano, and it was argued that he had overpaid for both players.

In 07 and 08 you couldn’t say he did, as the Cubs for the first time in their history won two consecutive division titles and made it to consecutive post-seasons for the first time since 1906-1908.

They also went 0-6 in the post-season.

And that’s where the bottom fell out for Hendry.

During the 08-09 off-season, Hendry traded Mark DeRosa, one of his best players in 07 and 08, to Cleveland for a bag of baseballs, then looked helplessly as the Indians traded DeRosa to their division rival Cardinals.

In a related story here in 2010, the Cardinals are 64-49, one game ahead of Cincinnati in the National League Central. The Cubs are 48-65, just 7.5 games out of the NL Central Cellar that has belonged to the Pirates since what feels like the dawn of time. 

Hard to believe that only two years ago, this was the team with the best record in the National League, and the change didn’t come from losing Soriano, Ramirez, Lee, or Zambrano, but from losing DeRosa, Edmonds, Reed Johnson, and gaining Milton Bradley.

The Bradley signing was when I knew the wheels had fallen off with Hendry.

Bradley was brought in to help the Cubs weakness, left-handed hitting. Never mind the fact that Adam Dunn was also available (and went to Washington for the same price that the Cubs ended up paying Bradley) and Dunn could’ve helped out by playing some Right Field and occasionally spelling Derrek Lee at first, and has always murdered the Cubs (Dunn’s Wrigley Field Stats: .282 batting average, an OBP of .410, .651 slugging percentage, an OPS of 1.061, 25 HR, 46 RBI in 66 career games).

Dunn had even stated during the off-season that he wanted to play for the Cubs, according to a report from Phil Rogers:

Dunn, who has hit 40-plus homers in five consecutive seasons, is trying to convince the Cubs to sign him for the right-field vacancy, instead of the equally defensively challenged Bradley. 

If defense was the reason for going after Bradley instead of Dunn, then this just shows Hendry’s ineptitude, as its stated that Bradley was equally defensively challenged!

What happened? Dunn submitted his typical season, hitting .267 but with a .398 OBP, 38 HR’s and 105 RBI, while playing in what’s known as a pitcher’s park.

Bradley was a distraction throughout the year and was even sent home with 15 games left in the season, playing in 124 games hitting .257 with an OBP of .378, hitting only 12 HR’s and 40 RBI. He was traded to Seattle in the off-season, where the drama has continued.

After last year you would think that Hendry would begin the rebuilding process. New owner, and Lou’s final year. But instead he thought that the team coming back healthy and the subtraction of Bradley (and addition of Marlon Byrd, who has been the Cubs MVP this season) would be enough. It wasn’t. 

Of course, The Rickett’s family said that Hendry would be back for 2011 after Piniella announced his retirement in July.

Hendry shouldn’t come back. He should’ve been fired after the disastrous Bradley over Dunn decision and the non-trade to not acquire Jake Peavy (who had also wanted to play for the Cubs like Dunn).

The Cubs hope in 2011 to reload, but what good is reloading if your trigger is broken? This season looks as if its a weak Free Agent class outside of Jeter and Pujols, who are sure to be retained by their current clubs.

Carl Crawford is the jewel, but there will be an intense bidding war for his services. Even if the Cubs do sign Crawford, that will not be enough to have this team contend next year.

Ramirez isn’t getting any younger, nor is Soriano (who IS getting more expensive). Zambrano needs a change of scenery, and the Cubs need to build a farm system. Fans are getting tired of a team that is neither exciting to watch nor a contender, which the Cubs won’t be.

Cubs fans are sophisticated enough to know that we’d rather wait another five years to build a true contender through shrewed deals and a revamped farm system. Rather, then to keep going into every season with an overpriced psuedo-contender that we know won’t get it done in October if they’re even fortunate enough to get there.

If only our GM was as sophisticated and smart, and if only he’d take notes from his former employer, the Marlins.

While the Marlins have had their struggles this season, the vision of the team is spelled out.

Lock up youngsters like Hanley Ramirez, Josh Johnson, and Chris Coghlan, along with prospects such as Mike Stanton and Gaby Sanchez. With that core, position yourself to be a true contender when the new stadium opens up in 2012.

The Cubs could use the same blueprint. They have the start of a good foundation with Starlin Castro, Tyler Colvin, Geovanny Soto and the recently acquired Blake DeWitt. That’s Shortstop, Second Base, Catcher, and corner outfield in place, with an average age of 24.

The problems is getting rid of the high-priced players without letting go of that core. It can be done, but its also something that Hendry hasn’t done since the Hundley trade, and most likely will not do. 

Instead, myself and other Cubs fans would rather have a GM who will realize the limitations of this team and make the necessary moves. While alos having an eye towards the future, as opposed to the regret of the past that the Hendry era has brought us.

Tribune sold the team, and Piniella will retire at the end of the season. Time for Hendry to also be on his way out the door, so that the Chicago Cubs could have a new beginning.

Follow Thomas Galicia on twitter, @thomasgalicia. You can also find him on facebook.

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Not long after Chicago Cubs manager Lou Piniella announced his plans to retire at the end of the season, former Cub, and current Hall of Famer, Ryne Sandberg decided to throw his name in the list of potential candidates to replace Piniella next season.

But does Sandberg really know what he’s getting himself into?

The pressure of the Cubs winning a World Series has built up like a nasty rumor at the workplace, and Sandberg hopes he can be the man to clean it all up.

Sandberg’s decision to be considered for the job is no surprise, and if he were to get the job, he would be following a couple of respectable managers who failed to accomplish the ultimate MLB goal.

Dusty Baker had the Cubs only five outs away from reaching the World Series. But Cubs’ fans know how that season ended.

It’s no wonder that Lou Piniella has aged like Robin Williams in the movie “Jack” over his four seasons with the Cubs.

Don’t get me wrong, I like “Sweet Lou.” He’s led the Cubs to three winning seasons with a possible, but unlikely, chance to finish over .500 this season. He has also taken the Cubs to the postseason twice in that span, only to see the entire team go cold like a frozen margarita in both appearances.

When Piniella is done at the end of the season, his relationship with Cubs’ fans will be similar to that of Baker’s. You know, that relationship that didn’t work out but you promise each other you’ll still remain “good friends,” when in reality you grimace at the thought of showing up at the same pizza parlor as that person. Oh well, we’ll always have the memories.

Not that Sandberg has much to worry about, but if you screw up with the Cubs, you’re likely to get shun from the city altogether. Just ask Milton Bradley. Heck, you don’t even have to be a member of the organization to get exiled from Chicago. Sorry Steve Bartman.

But Sandberg may be just what the Cubs need. He’s played in Chicago and he knows what kind of pressure comes along with winning in the organization.

In the 80’s and 90’s, Sandberg was “the man” for the Northsiders. This was back in the good ole’ days when the Cubs had Andre “The Hawk” Dawson, a young Mark Grace, and, who were all of those good pitchers the Cubs had back then?

Sandberg worked as a coach under managers Don Baylor and Dusty Baker for several years before managing the Cubs’ minor league affiliates for the past four years.

He is currently managing the triple-A Iowa Cubs to a first place season, where he has taught and developed several young, up-and-coming players looking to make a splash at the big league level.

In a time when the Cubs need to get back to the fundamentals, what better candidate than Sandberg, who had a career .989 fielding percentage, the major league record at second base.

So I say give Sandberg a shot. If he fails, he’ll be just another statistic on a long list of Cubs managers who couldn’t get the job done.

Sure there might be some failure along the way, but after 100 plus years of no championship and a disappointing season this year, what are a couple more down seasons to Cubs’ fans? The volcano has already erupted and Sandberg wants to sweep up the ashes.

Can you imagine? One of their own, a Cubbie favorite, rises like a phoenix from those ashes with the team grasped firmly to accomplish what seems almost impossible these days. If he succeeds, he’ll be a legend in Chicago forever. That’s probably an understatement.

After all, fairytale endings only come with some struggles along the way. Unfortunately for the Chicago Cubs, it’s a long book they’ve been writing.

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With Lou Pinella announcing he will retire at the end of the Chicago Cubs season, all I hear is conjecture regarding who people think will be the Cubs’ next manager.

There are multiple candidates, but for now, it’s all speculation, and that’s all it’s going to be until it actually happens.

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So…two or three weeks of anger management classes and suddenly Cubs pitcher Carlos Zambrano is a new man, huh?

You’ll have to forgive me if I’m not buying what the Cubs are selling.

Apparently “cured” of the anger issues that have prevented Zambrano from reaching the full potential of his obvious talent, Big Z has been cleared to begin his baseball rehabilitation in Mesa.

From one “rehab” to another “rehab” and—Poof!—magically, all is well again.

Zambrano, who was suspended following a June 25 dugout tirade at U.S. Cellular Field, threw 25 pitches Thursday in Mesa, AZ. ESPN’s Bruce Levine reports that “Hendry said the Cubs and Zambrano will get together at some point next week and decide where he’ll continue his rehab in the minor leagues.”

Look, this is a joke. Except the joke’s on us because if the man truly does have a mental illness—and let’s be honest, that’s what we’re talking about here—then you can’t expect years and years of problems to be worked out in a two-week session.

Let’s face it: This is a marriage that is irrevocably broken. Jim Hendry and the Cubs simply have to do what it takes and send Zambrano packing.

That means having to eat the majority of his contract, and that is a dish that Hendry has no appetite for.

But if this is allowed to continue, it’s going to fester into something far worse than what we’ve witnessed to this point. Simply put, at some point, Zambrano’s frustration will boil over to the point of no return.

And I doubt that any of his teammates or management want to be hit by the shrapnel from that explosion.

Meanwhile, cognitive restructuring (changing the way you think) takes time. Trying to change years of destructive behavior is not easy to do.

According to the American Psychological Association, “Sometimes it’s our immediate surroundings that give us cause for irritation and fury.” They suggest that a change of surroundings may be necessary.

If so, then that lends even more credence to the idea that Zambrano has to go. For his good and the good of the organization.  

For you know that Zambrano isn’t going to be happy having both to face teammates that don’t like him and to return to the bullpen, a role he truly dislikes.

It’s time for Mr. Hendry to forget about trying to “fix” the man. Likewise, do not have the illusion that you can trade Zamrbano for prospects or find a team willing to absorb the approximately $45 million remaining on his contract.  

Just end this thing before someone gets hurt.

After all, deep breathing and meditation only go so far.

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In Anaheim, cubs owner Tom Ricketts said he fully supports GM Jim Hendry, though he stopped short of guaranteeing Hendry job security.

According to MLB.com’s Carrie Muskat, Ricketts had this to say:

“The fact is right now, Jim is our general manager, I support him, I think he does a great job, and after that we’ll just take it one day at a time,” the chairman said.

“I’m not going to assign blame to anyone or anything,” said Ricketts. “The fact is we came into the season, we had what appeared to be a pretty strong lineup. It hasn’t worked out for whatever reason and it seems like the guys are putting it together now and let’s just keep winning.”

I’ve been writing for awhile now if I ever got the chance to own a major league baseball team, the first thing I would do is to install my own baseball man to lead the franchise.

Look, it’s not as if this ownership jumped up and bit Ricketts in the middle of the night. No, he had plenty of time to think about this and to find a baseball guy whom he trusts to, if not replace the GM, at least evaluate the situation.

Instead, Ricketts kept Crane Kenney on board and allowed Hendry to continue as the highest ranking club executive with any knowledge of baseball.

Hey, I understand the rationale behind not making immediate changes to the front office. But how can you possibly know whether or not Hendry and his crew are doing a good job if you don’t know much about baseball?

And Ricketts has admitted as much. Does he expect Kenney to know? Is he using the won-loss record as proof?

If so, he’s wrong about Kenney and he’s ignoring the record—for it’s awful, especially or a club with as high of a payroll as the Cubs have.

The article goes on to say that the club is looking to shed high salaries (surprise, surprise!) and that Kosuke Fukudome may be the their most tradeable chip.

But I’m wondering how Ricketts will be evaluating Hendry going forward.

You know, I’d like to have confidence in our new owner, but I just don’t understand what he’s using to base his evaluations on, other than his own eyes.

And those are eyes that he readily admits get cloudy when it comes to the finer points of the game we love.

Oh well, I fully expect that Hendry will continue on as GM no matter what happens this season. And no matter, really, since this mess would be difficult to untangle for even the best GM.

At least the Chairman is watching.

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The Cubs are 9.5 games out of first place in the National League Central as of Tuesday morning. That’s good for fourth place in the division behind the Reds, Cardinals, and Brewers.

One of the more concerning things about that picture is that the Brewers, who are considered by many to be out of contention altogether at this point, have inched their way past the Cubs. Yes, the difference between the two teams is only one game, but it’s simply one more sign that this season needs to turn around fast if the Cubs are going to have a shot at making the playoffs.

I’m not waving the white flag on this team right now, but it’s probably time to start focusing more on the organization’s long-term future than it’s playoff aspirations.

That’s not to say that moves can’t be made to help the Cubs’ 2010 iteration, but anything done needs to be at least as helpful, if not more, for the next few seasons as it is for the here and now.

Fortunately, the Cubs may have a bright future lurking. They just need to figure out how to get from where they are now to where they could be.

First Things First

The Cubs organization has four first basemen with major league experience: Derrek Lee, Xavier Nady, Micah Hoffpauir, and Bryan LaHair.

Lee’s lower-than-usual production has been well-covered; Nady has had a few good stretches, but hasn’t been setting the world on fire; Hoffpauir has been drawing his walks and hitting for some power in Triple-A Iowa, but is dragging a bit with a .239 batting average; and LaHair has maintained some power with a decent walk rate and batting average as Hoffpauir’s teammate.

LaHair is the youngest of the bunch at 27, Hoffpauir is 30, Nady is 31, and Lee is 34. Lee and Nady have expiring contracts, Hoffpauir will be out of options, and LaHair will most likely have a minor league contract if he returns.

Although someone currently playing another position may end up at first a few years down the road, there are no sure-fire major leaguers developing in the minor leagues.

Free agents might be an option with guys like Paul Konerko, Carlos Pena, Adam Dunn, Lance Berkman, Lyle Overbay, and Mike Lowell potentially hitting the market. Guys like Michael Cuddyer and Brad Hawpe might even be able to switch over full-time.

Derrek’s Future

Whatever the case, if Derrek Lee isn’t going to be coming back next season, it might very well be in the club’s best interest to trade the aging first baseman.

He has secured Type B status for the upcoming offseason and may be on the verge of reaching Type A status, both of which would land the Cubs compensation in next year’s draft if he were to be offered and refuse arbitration, but there is absolutely no guarantee that he wouldn’t accept it.

If he did, the Cubs would be stuck with Lee and whichever one-year contract (the Cubs’ offer or Lee’s) an arbitrator deemed acceptable.

If the risk that lies in offering him arbitration outweighs the potential reward, then it would be better for the organization to get something via a trade before the deadline than to get nothing by letting him walk into free agency without any strings.

Fallout

That would immediately make Nady the starting first baseman this year and open up a roster spot for either Brad Snyder, who is boasting a .293/.374/.527 slash line in Triple-A Iowa this season, or Sam Fuld, who’s getting on base at a decent rate despite not hitting for much in the way of average or power, in the outfield.

Although either player would likely see minimal playing time on the big league squad, they are old enough (both are 28) that development is less of a concern than their potential impact right now.

And both players could have a positive impact on this team: Snyder as a bat off the bench and decent defender or Fuld as a defensive replacement and speed threat.

Since Nady probably won’t demand too much money as a free agent this offseason, he might be an option to keep around as the starting first baseman for the next few years.

Assuming that his arm is back to normal by next year, if LaHair or Hoffpauir emerge as a legitimate starter at first base, Nady could still move back to the outfield.

Another Option

On the other hand, Aramis Ramirez isn’t the same defensive third baseman he used to be and he will almost certainly exercise his 2011 option. He could move over to first base, allowing Mike Fontenot and/or Jeff Baker to get more playing time over at third.

If that path seems likely and the Cubs are securely out of contention before the trading deadline, then the they could afford to also part ways with Nady and let either LaHair or Hoffpauir finish out the season.

Josh Vitters, who has been at Double-A Tennessee since May 7, would then be able to step in when he’s ready (whether that be late 2011, 2012, or beyond) with Ramirez’s transition already taken care of and a starting spot readily available.

Otherwise, should Vitters be ready in late 2011, he would most likely be hung up in Triple-A or be forcing a veteran to the bench—an unenviable position for a young player, to say the least.

Barring a breakout season from Vitters next year, that scenario is unlikely to happen. After all, the Cubs’ third-best prospect this year according to Baseball America will only be 21 years old.

But in the event that it does happen, it would be better to not be handcuffed.

Of course, shoring up two positions doesn’t create a winning ballclub.

Fortunately, the Cubs farm system has been replenished with talent in recent years and, despite the criticisms of many, this roster will have the flexibility to make things happen before too long.

It might take some creativity due to unforeseen circumstances and complications that have popped up since the signing of some of the organization’s cornerstones, but it is completely possible.

Keep an eye out for the next part of this series, coming soon, that will delve deeper into what the future may hold for the North Siders.

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“It was unacceptable,” said Cubs manager Lou Piniella of pitcher Carlos Zambrano’s dugout fireworks after the first inning of Friday’s 6-0 loss to the crosstown rival White Sox at U.S. Cellular Field.

“His conduct was not acceptable,” said general manager Jim Hendry, echoing Piniella’s sentiments while announcing Zambrano’s indefinite suspension from the team.

Unacceptable seems to be the team’s buzz word for the day, and to be sure, Zambrano’s actions were unsavory—he engaged teammate Derrek Lee in a shouting match and screamed at what seemed to be the entire Cubs bench. Is it really fair, though, for Zambrano to be singled out so?

Not remotely. Yes, Big Z was in the wrong to so publicly and demonstratively chastise the sorry bunch of losers who stood by and observed the Sox’s four-run first inning. The lambasting, though, was long overdue.

The 2010 Cubs were no one’s darlings. For a team still boasting one of the league’s highest payrolls, relatively little was expected. Their 32-41 record, in isolation, is by no means a surprise.

It should appall Cubs fans, however, to note the lackluster way this team has reached its mid-summer nadir. There has been no hustle in this team from day one; there has been no heart.

Their ancient, narrowly competent manager—once one of baseball’s most fiery and effective motivators—has seemed cranky at best, and utterly disengaged at worst. Their sometime cornerstones at the corner infield positions (third baseman Aramis Ramirez and first baseman Lee) have struggled at the plate and straggled in the field. Each has clearly suffered a season of long loss of focus and energy, not to mention a certain amount of their once prodigious skill to the weather of age.

Behind Piniella stands a staff ill-prepared to cover its leaders shortcomings. Bench coach Alan Trammell is a tactical wizard, but seems to have little sway over the strategically inferior Piniella, and offers nothing in the way of a healthy kick in the pants to the team’s many loafers.

Pitching coach Larry Rothschild can supply no useful input to the confused Piniella on bullpen usage, while hitting coach Rudy Jaramillo continues to work feverishly on the broken swings of Ramirez and Lee (not to mention the ever-hapless Koyie Hill), rather than simply suggest to his boss that he start the team’s better hitters (Xavier Nady, Chad Tracy and Geovany Soto for instance) more often.

Alongside the skipper stands Hendry, the architect of this rapidly crumbling house of cards. Despite astute moves this winter (signing outfielder Marlon Byrd and trading for starting pitcher Carlos Silva), Hendry failed to address the team’s real areas of need (the bullpen, to which he counter-productively returned left-handed walk artist John Grabow, and the back half of the starting rotation) while insisting that the team was, in fact, looking to win now.

To be sure, there have been pleasant surprises along the way. Byrd and Silva have far exceeded expectations, as have outfielder Tyler Colvin and catcher Soto. Any of those four would be deserving All-Stars, and were more of their teammates playing with their razor-sharp focus, this team could well be 41-32.

Instead, though, the team’s followers—Ryan Theriot, Alfonso Soriano, Kosuke Fukudome, and Randy Wells—have seemingly lost whatever spark had kept them attentive to the task at hand, and have followed Lee and Ramirez into la-la land.

Above all the doings and undoings stands the puppet-master, team chairman Tom Ricketts, whose slick and media-savvy public relations work successfully diverted attention from a fairly outrageous hike in ticket prices (one fans have wisely not rewarded, as Wrigley Field has so far averaged about 1,200 fewer patrons per game than it had through this time last season) and a revealingly un-revolutionary approach to the business side of the game. Meet the new boss; he’s the same as the old boss.

If one accepts, then, that the Cubs have been generally unacceptable this season, it may stand to reason that Big Z—ever the unwillingly cooperative lightning rod—was merely trying to be the leader everyone expected him to be this year. In football, a sideline tirade of similar magnitude would make a quarterback his fan base’s new hero. The aggressiveness, the anger, and even the finger-pointing fury Zambrano displayed only reflected a deep-seeded frustration with the shameful attitude the so-called leaders of the 2010 Cubs have adopted as their de facto identity.

Insofar as his actions were undeniably detrimental to team chemistry, Zambrano should be made to apologize. But in the final calculus, Hendry, Piniella, Rothschild, Lee, and Ramirez should all lose their places on this team before Zambrano.

Distractions like this one can help save a manager’s hide, or justify retaining a pair of aging erstwhile sluggers. Ultimately, though, in a championship vacuum like the one at the corner of Clark and Addison in Chicago’s Lakeview community, distractions are simply unacceptable.

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Friday is Aramis Ramirez’s 32nd birthday. It’s also the day that he will be activated off of the disabled list.

In order to make room for the embattled third baseman, somebody needs to move off the 25-man roster. Since the team has only just started a stretch of 20 days without an off day, they can’t afford to go with fewer than 12 pitchers.

That means, while Ramirez might have a very happy birthday tomorrow, one of the club’s position players will be less than thrilled.

I think it’s safe to say that Colvin has earned himself some job security in the outfield. No need to worry about him catching a plane to Iowa.

Catchers Geovany Soto and Koyie Hill are obviously safe, too. There’s no way this club is going to carry fewer than two catchers at any point in time.

If for no other reason, Alfonso Soriano, Derrek Lee, Xavier Nady, and Marlon Byrd are all unlikely to get demoted because they have more than five years of major league service time. As such, they would have to consent to the demotion.

Since Kosuke Fukudome has a partial no-trade clause, he would also have to consent to a demotion, putting him in the same boat.

That leaves Ryan Theriot, Mike Fontenot, Starlin Castro, Jeff Baker and Chad Tracy.

Theriot’s season has been very much a down year so far and has only improved to inconsistent lately. He would have to clear optional assignment waivers first, but “The Riot” does have two options remaining.

Fontenot has slowed considerably off of his hot start, but that cooling has only been very recent. He has a slash line of .091/.130/.091 in his last 23 plate appearances heading into Thursday, and has one option remaining, but would also have to clear optional assignment waivers.

Castro started his big league career very hot, but has cooled off since (.193/.255/.227 in his last 99 plate appearances). Cubs fans might not like to hear it, but the front office could decide that he could use some seasoning in Triple-A.

Baker is out of options, meaning that he’ll have to be put on waivers before a demotion, and he’s been hitting better recently (.324/.350/.486 in his last 40 plate appearances), but he just hasn’t had a very good year overall (.250/.299/.417).

Tracy has more than five years of major league service time, like the four veteran Cubs I mentioned earlier, but he consented to being optioned on May 7. Although he did great in Triple-A during his most recent stay there, he just hasn’t swung the bat well for the major league Cubs.

The fact that the two LSU alums (Theriot and Fontenot) would need to pass through optional assignment waivers makes me think that they wouldn’t be moved unless a trade was imminent. Since Theriot has been included in trade rumors lately, he could get designated for assignment, but I just don’t get the feeling that that move will happen any time soon, if at all.

Castro may or may not benefit from spending some time in Iowa, but there is probably too much hype surrounding him to send him down, unless he continues to struggle. The simple fact is that he’s the type of player that could just as easily get his seasoning in the big leagues as he could in Triple-A.

In other words, I wouldn’t hold my breath on that one.

So now we’re left with the two players that are widely believed to be the front-runners for a move anyways: Jeff Baker and Chad Tracy.

Baker can play anywhere in the infield and at either corner outfield position, has been hitting better lately, and would have to clear waivers before being sent down. Tracy can play the corner infield (and possibly corner outfield) positions, provides a left-handed bat, hasn’t been hitting in the big leagues this year, doesn’t have to go through waivers, and might be willing to consent to another demotion.

The Cubs already made this decision once, so I would assume that they’ll go in the same direction again.

I’m not a betting man, but I’d put my money on Chad Tracy being the odd man out. It’s simply the move that takes the least away from the team right now and gives them the most flexibility with their roster going forward.

EDIT (6/25): Apparently, I overlooked a clause in Tracy’s contract that only allowed him to be optioned in the first 45 days of the season. It appears that whoever gets moved off the 25-man roster might end up out of the organization altogether.

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It’s the start of the summer solstice, so it’s getting hot. OK…not that kind of “hot”, but…well, I admit it — the pic is just a gratuitous photo to get your attention.

But it is June 21, and the Chicago Cubs sit seven games behind the division leading Cardinals, in third place at 31-38. It’s no longer early, and it’s no longer too soon to panic.

Now before we get caught up in unrealistic proposals here, let me start by saying that Alfonso Soriano is going nowhere. As much as the Cubs would almost certainly love to dispose of the remainder of that $136 million contract, it’s not even worth talking about.

Likewise, nobody wants Aramis Ramirez, who makes a lot of money, gets hurt every year and is off to his worst start ever.

Even someone like Carlos Silva, who is enjoying an almost astounding revival with the Cubs, is probably too rich for most teams blood, especially teams that don’t believe he can sustain this pace.

Meanwhile, forget about guys like Chad Tracy, Mike Fontenot and the like. They don’t make enough money nor would they garner enough in return to be of interest.

So that leaves, in my estimation, five players who might be of interest should they be made available on the trade market to contending teams. Let’s take a look at each player and where they might be headed.

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This current Chicago Cubs team has shown the unremarkable ability to lose in many different ways, most often due to a lack of so-called clutch hitting.

And yes, this team has certainly had its share of bullpen issues along the way, just to add insult to injury.

But one thing has remained constant throughout the Jim Hendry era: a lack of fundamental baseball.

Remember when we blamed Dusty Baker for a lack of attention to fundamentals as his teams kicked around the ball and couldn’t ever seem to do the little things that win games?

Well, isn’t it funny how that has continued, despite the fact that Baker is no longer here?

The point is, you can now blame Lou Piniella all you want, but you can’t continue to change managers every three-to-four years, see the same results, and say the blame falls solely on the manager.

No, at some point you have to look at the root cause being an organizational failing.

Look, Cubs fans are right to be frustrated that Lou, until recently, trots out the same guys no matter how they play and then raises his hands in the air and says ‘what the hell can I do’?

But why can’t fundamentals be taught at the minor league level? Why can’t fundamentally sound players be drafted? For it’s not just players acquired from other teams that refuse to play fundamental baseball for the Cubs.

Not only that, once a player does come to the team, shouldn’t the organization stress the right way to play the game?

Some teams have marketed their way of baseball.

The Dodgers used to have videos on the subject back in the day, and the Red Sox continue to stress an offensive baseball philosophy focusing on not making outs that is pervasive throughout the entire organization.

Instead, Jim Hendry flies by the seat of his pants. If the Cubs had an organizational philosophy, it would be inconsistency.

They don’t stress on-base percentage, as Corey Patterson, Felix Pie, Ryan Theriot, Josh Vitters, Tyler Colvin and Starlin Castro will attest to.

They don’t seem to teach hitting to the right side to move along runners, or how to bunt, or even when to hit a cutoff man and when to throw home.

In short, they don’t teach winning baseball.

Because if they did, how could so many of their kids come up not knowing what to do in these situations? You mean to tell me it’s a coincidence?

I don’t believe in coincidences, sorry.

You keep chaning managers and changing players and end up with the same result.

Sure, there’s the occasional Geo Soto who seems to understand the offensive value of getting on base, but those kids are rare.

And if you don’t think that stuff matters, you only have to look at the bad signings Hendry has been forced to make when he sees players who fill those needs.

Lack of OBP?  No problem, let’s throw $48 million at Kosuke Fukudome.

Sure, he’ll get on base, especially in the first half of a season, but in the end his numbers aren’t worth even half of the money he’s making.

Lack of a draft philosophy valuing speed? Again, no problem, we’ll simply give $136 million to Alfonzo Soriano, though I’m not blaming Hendry for failing to know that Soriano would suddenly fail to steal bases.

The list goes on.

You have to have an organizational philosophy that is carried out throughout your entire organization, from the type of player you draft, to the kind of player you acquire.

Then, you continue to reinforce that philosophy all during development so that when a new player comes to town, his teammates will take him aside and say, hey, this is the way we do things around here.

But that is lacking with the Cubs and has been for a long time.

Not only is it lacking, but so is leadership in the clubhouse.

It has been long acknowledged that Derrek Lee is the de-facto leader of the Cubs. Yet he hardly even talks to his teammates.

Meanwhile, a lot of Cubs fans have pinned their hopes on the arrival of new owner Tom Ricketts, mainly based on the fact that he is a purported Cubs fan.

Yet Ricketts’ only hire in the baseball operations department is a stats guy.

Now, how many Cubs fans, if they had the chance to take over, would already have had a baseball man in place or at least a knowledgeable baseball man to help evaluate things?

Ricketts admits he is no baseball expert. So shouldn’t he have one at his disposal?

Hey, Ricketts has Crane Kenny.

Ouch.

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