Hendry makes the grade for his off-season moves
Behind every great season, there is an equally great off-season.
Granted, this season hasn't been a great one for the Cubs. Right now, they're a touch above mediocre.
That's far cry from last year, when they finished with a record of 66-96, setting the stage for one of the most memorable off-seasons in team history.
Let's look at the off-season from the perspective of how it was viewed then and how it turned out:
Alfonso Soriano, eight-year, $136 million contract
• The talk then: The Tribune Co. spent how much on whom? Must be a desperation attempt at one final run for glory.
• How it turned out: Soriano needs 2 homers to reach the 30-mark for the third straight year and the fifth time in his career. His 16 outfield assists are impressive, but he in many ways is a man without a position.
Soriano's on-base percentage of .331 is too low for a leadoff man. Manager Lou Piniella may take on the tough task of trying to convince Soriano to bat lower in the order next year. Soriano's baserunning and fundamental lapses also are maddening.
The new Cubs owners are going to have quite some payments on their hands down the road.
• Grade: B
Mark DeRosa, three-year, $13 million contract
• The talk then: The Cubs are paying a utility man for one career year.
• How it turned out: It's hard to imagine the Cubs being anywhere near first place without the versatile DeRosa, who hasn't squawked about moving from position to position. His batting average of .297 and OBP of .376 both are well above his career norms.
• Grade: A
Ted Lilly, four-year, $40 million contract
• The talk then: Hey, wasn't this the guy who got into a fight with his manager? And he's never pitched 200 innings.
• How it turned out: Yes, Lilly got into it with Toronto manager John Gibbons last year, but he's been much tougher on the Cubs' opponents this year. His 15-7 record and 3.78 ERA make him the true ace of the Cubs pitching staff.
Lilly has reached the 200-inning plateau for the first time, and he has 168 strikeout and 54 walks. His WHIP (walks plus hits per inning pitched) of 1.14 is fourth best in the NL.
• Grade: A
Jason Marquis, three-year, $21 million contract
• The talk then: The Cardinals left him off their playoff roster, and if pitching coach Dave Duncan can't fix him, what is Larry Rothschild going to do?
• How it turned out: If the Cubs have to play a tiebreaker to make the playoffs, Marquis is their man. His 12-8 record and 4.07 ERA are about what the Cubs could have hoped for -- certainly the ERA is better than last year's 6.02.
• Grade: B
Cliff Floyd, one-year, $3 million contract
• The talk then: This is GM Jim Hendry's buddy, and he'll never stay healthy.
• How it turned out: After an admitted poor first five months, Floyd has begun to swing the bat well down the stretch, with a .390 OBP and a .676 slugging percentage in September. He's also a go-to guy in the clubhouse.
• Grade: C
Daryle Ward, one-year, $1.05 million contract with mutual option for 2008
• The talk then: Yawn.
• How it turned out: Ward has filled the role of pinch hitter and backup infielder-outfielder nicely, as his .327 average, .438 OBP and .523 slugging attest. He's known as "professional hitter" not afraid of any situation. He also never has complained about his role.
• Grade: B
We'll also give Hendry an "A" for re-signing third baseman Aramis Ramirez to a five-year, $75 million contract when many thought the Cubs would lose Ramirez.
The Cubs also get an early "B" for trading utility man Freddie Bynum for pitcher Kevin Hart, who has come up and done a nice job in September.