Hendry: We don't need nearly as many pieces

It's pretty clear Cubs manager Lou Piniella is aiming high as baseball's winter meetings get started Monday in Nashville.

"The biggest thing we need is a bat in right field, a left-handed hitter," Piniella during a weekend stopover in Chicago.

So was Piniella disappointed the Washington Nationals traded Ryan Church to the New York Mets?

Think higher.

"We had some passing interest in him last year," Piniella said, brushing off the question. "But we're trying to get a bigger bat. We're going to try to go get a good bat that can hit in the fourth or fifth hole."

It's also pretty clear that Japanese outfielder Kosuke Fukudome is No. 1 on the Cubs' Christmas wish list. The Cubs expect Fukudome to declare any time now whether he's coming to North America.

His history of power and high on-base percentage seems to have Piniella convinced Fukudome has the ability to be that fourth or fifth hitter.

"According to our scouts, he does, yes," Piniella said.

Cubs general manager Jim Hendry was traveling Saturday from the Dominican Republic to Nashville as several of his staffers were failing to get out of Chicago because of the ice and snow.

Hendry is seeking quality, if not quantity, this year.

"We don't need nearly as many pieces as we did last year," said Hendry, who wound up hospitalized in Orlando with a heart scare at least year's winter meetings. "But we have some important ones. We'll go to Nashville trying to be aggressive in not only the trade market, but in certain free-agent parts, also. Hopefully, we can come out of there or shortly after, by the holidays, to add a couple pieces to make us a better club.

"We're not far away from having a really good club, but we need a few additions to accomplish that."

The Cubs won the National League Central this year with a record of 85-77, but they'd like to crack the 90-victory mark in 2008.

Fukudome appears to be just what the Cubs need in right field. He's also the best of a weak free-agent lot, and if the Cubs can't come up with enough dough in what could be a costly bidding war, they'll have to turn to the swap mart.

"I would think that to get the left-hand bat that we want, it's going to have to be a trade," Piniella said. "I don't see anybody out there in the free-agent market."

The Cubs have plenty of young pitching to offer in trades, and it's likely they'll offer Sean Marshall, Sean Gallagher and minor-leaguer Donnie Veal for the right bat.

The other interesting name on the trading block is veteran Mark Prior, who missed all of 2007 because of shoulder surgery.

The San Diego Union-Tribune reported Saturday that the Padres are openly interested in Prior. The paper wrote that Padres GM Kevin Towers has "chatted with Prior after crossing paths with him on morning walks."

That may come close to violating Major League Baseball's rarely enforced tampering rules, but those meetings also could be just coincidence as Towers and Prior don't live far from each other in San Diego.

The Union-Tribune said the Cubs inquired about Class A second baseman Rayner Contreras, Class AA pitcher Wade Leblanc and Class AA left fielder Chad Huffman earlier this year.

The Cubs probably wouldn't mind moving disappointing right-hander Jason Marquis, who has two years and $16.25 million left on the three-year, $21 million contract he signed a year ago. However, Piniella said Friday that Marquis will be in the rotation and that the Cubs need to find a way to keep him strong for the entire season.

Hendry and the Cubs already have lost out on one target in second baseman Kaz Matsui, who is a technicality or two from finalizing his deal with the Houston Astros. It may be that the Cubs open the 2008 season with Mark DeRosa at second base.

"We've got a real good core group," Hendry said. "The Matsui situation wasn't a reflection of what we had. It's hard to argue with how DeRosa and (shortstop Ryan) Theriot played. We were pleased with them both. We're just trying to add speed, athleticism and left-handedness.

"DeRosa, of course, is really a general manager's dream because he can play a lot of places. It was never out of lack of respect to Mark. I don't care where he ends up playing. He's going to get plenty of at-bats. If we go to spring training and Mark DeRosa's the everyday second baseman, that's a good thing, not a bad thing."