Hendry wants lefty in right
NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- While the Cubs await word on whether Kosuke Fukudome will leave Japan, general manager Jim Hendry said Sunday he will explore all avenues to get a left-handed hitting right fielder.
"I spoke to his agent during the week," Hendry said on the eve of baseball's winter meetings. "I think the player will make his final decision on whether he's going to leave his country or not. We're hopeful for it very soon. It's certainly an area where he is going to decide on his own terms, as he should. Hopefully he'll come to the states.
"We're in good shape."
In addition to waiting to hear whether Fukudome will bring his power and on-base ability overseas, Hendry will continue exploring trade possibilities for the elusive quantity the Cubs covet.
"We need to find somebody who can play well in right and hit left-handed," Hendry reiterated.
Good hitters are good hitters, regardless of whether they hit from the left or right side, but the Cubs are fixated on a lefty to go along with right-handed sluggers Derrek Lee, Aramis Ramirez and Alfonso Soriano. Hendry brushed off a question of whether his target could be right-handed.
"Depends who I got," he said. "I've never seen anybody play better than (Willie) Mays. If somebody like that was available, I'd have to think about it."
Hendry then turned from flippant to serious.
"I think in a perfect world, we're going to try to center on adding a left-handed bat in the outfield," he said. "Great players hit right-handed pitching who are right-handed. Our whole club, and even the people we know are going to play, like (catcher Geovany) Soto and (Ryan) Theriot coming back and DeRo (Mark DeRosa), and all three of our marquee guys are right-handed. So you'd love to get another lefty."
Hendry added the Cubs "still like" right-handed hitting outfielder Matt Murton, but he appears to be a last-resort option at best.
When all this happens depends on the wheeling and dealing Hendry can pull off. Often, the winter meetings turn into a big dud, but the weak free-agent crop this year at least makes for an environment that's friendly to trading.
"I'm sure we'll have something done," he said. "I can't promise you we're going to leave here with a new right fielder. But I'm sure we'll make a few things happen. I don't know how significant they'll be, but you'd like to."
The most intriguing name that has come up in trade talk with the Cubs is veteran pitcher Mark Prior, who missed all of 2007 because of shoulder surgery. Prior is a San Diego native, and the Padres seem to have interest.
The Cubs have until Dec. 12 to offer Prior a contract. If they don't, he will become a free agent. If the Cubs do tender Prior a contract, they can't cut his salary any more than 20 percent of the $3.575 million he made this year.
Ideally, the Cubs would like to sign Prior to a one-year deal with a club option because he can become a free agent next fall.
"I'll treat Mark just like I would everyone else," Hendry said. "I'll always do what I think is in the best interest of the ballclub. We certainly haven't made any final decisions of what we think is best for the club. It's just one of those spots that you're in.
"We had a nice chat. We brought him in for the playoffs in Arizona. There's no negative issues with Mark."