Hendry deal could come soon

There was no official word from the Cubs on Friday about the status of general manager Jim Hendry.

However, Hendry may well have a new contract extension of at least three years by Monday, when he begins presiding over the organization meetings in Mesa, Ariz.

Hendry was out of town Friday and said he would rather not comment on the situation until it concludes. He'll be en route to Mesa sometime this weekend.

Team chairman Crane Kenney, a strong backer of Hendry, said he wished not to comment, given the sensitivity of the talks.

However, it appears the last hurdle is final Tribune Co. approval and the perfunctory crossing of t's and dotting of i's.

Hendry, 53, is a potential lame-duck GM. He has until Dec. 30 to pick up the 2009 option on his current deal, but the Cubs don't want things to linger much longer than Monday, when serious planning for next season begins.

Cubs people confirmed Friday that they denied the Seattle Mariners permission to talk with Hendry about their GM job, a clear signal the Cubs have every intention of wanting Hendry back.

Hendry, who started with the Cubs in late 1994 as director of player development, took over as GM in the middle of the 2002 season, when then-president and GM Andy MacPhail fired field manager Don Baylor.

Beginning with Hendry's first full season, 2003, the Cubs have gone 504-467, for a .519 winning percentage. The Cubs won the National League Central title in 2003, 2007 and 2008. They came within five outs of the World Series in '03 before falling in seven games to the Florida Marlins in the NL championship series.

The Cubs were swept in three games in the 2007 and '08 NL division series, giving them a nine-game losing streak in the postseason.

Under Kenney and Hendry, Cubs payrolls have grown steadily, to the area of $120 million.

Hendry has traded for such players at first baseman Derrek Lee and third baseman Aramis Ramirez. He signed left fielder Alfonso Soriano to an eight-year, $136 million contract before last season, only to watch Soriano fail in two straight playoffs.

Other high-profile free agents signed by the Cubs include Japanese right fielder Kosuke Fukudome, who fell out of favor with the Cubs after making the all-star team this year in his rookie season, and pitcher Ted Lilly, who won 17 games this year.

Hendry now is faced with the task of deciding whether to re-sign pitchers Ryan Dempster and Kerry Wood and getting the Cubs over the hump in the postseason. Hendry said he has had no serious formal talks with agents for Wood and Dempster.

"I'm looking forward to the meetings," he said. "It was a rough couple weeks after the season ended, but we'll regroup and get back to work."