Post by Deleted on Oct 31, 2017 19:29:36 GMT -5
As the Chicago Cubs entered the 1978 season, they were faced with the fact that two Cubs mainstays for the last number of years, Ron Santo and Fergie Jenkins, were aging and nearing the end of their careers and a number of their other top players were facing free agency at the end of the 78 season. Still, there were reasons for optimism, after all, the Cubs were coming off of two of their greatest seasons in the clubs history, winning their division and reaching the NLCS in 76, and winning 92 games last year and finishing second in their division.
Some however wondered if the window was about to close. Today General Manager Matt Andersen made two moves hoping to keep the window open a little bit longer. The first move was simply about clearing up some salary cap space as Andersen moved OF Tommie Reynolds, who lost his starting job last year as John Wockenfuss and Benny Ayala both proved themselves more than capable of an every day spot, to the Boston Red Sox in exchange for minor league reliever Jose Alvarez, a hard throwing righty in his first professional season. The move cleared up over 4 million in salary space both in 78 and 79. It was a move that Andersen had been looking to make once it became apparent that Reynolds would not be in the starting lineup.
The real wake up call was to come later in the day. 35 year old Fergie Jenkins strained his elbow ligament, the same elbow that caused him to miss the last two months of the season last year, and looks to be out for a little longer than a month. The bigger issue is that this is the second major injury for Fergie in the last 8 months, and the Cubs have to face the fact that Fergie isn't getting any younger, and his reliability as a productive member of the rotation going forward, at this point, is very much in question. That, combined with the fact that the Cubs top two starters, Burt Hooton and Ray Bare are both in their walk years led Andersen to pull the trigger on a massive deal bringing Jack Billingham to the North Side. Andersen sent three minor leaguers, Mickey Hatcher, Billy Sample and Terry Kennedy to Cincinnati in exchange. This signaled the beginning of what looks to be a rebuilding project for the Reds, and for the Cubs, it signals that they aren't quite ready for the window to close. The Cubs still do have a number of young, promising bats, both at the major league level and in the high majors. The pitching was the concern. Not only are Hooton and Bare looking at free agency, so is uber closer Ron Klimkowski, and his elite setup man Jim Todd.
This will at least start to address the rotation, as Billingham is signed through the 1980 season, and has shown no signs of slowing down despite being 35 years old. More importantly it gives the Cubs yet another top of the rotation arm as they look to make 78 even more memorable than the last two seasons. If the Cubs can resign one or both of Hooton and/or Bare and keep at least one of their top bullpen arms in place, the window may be open for a number of years going forward. Cubs fans still have reason for optimism as the Cubs front office has sent a strong signal that they are no longer content to sit back and wait for things to come to them. They fully intend to go out and take what they want in the National League.
Some however wondered if the window was about to close. Today General Manager Matt Andersen made two moves hoping to keep the window open a little bit longer. The first move was simply about clearing up some salary cap space as Andersen moved OF Tommie Reynolds, who lost his starting job last year as John Wockenfuss and Benny Ayala both proved themselves more than capable of an every day spot, to the Boston Red Sox in exchange for minor league reliever Jose Alvarez, a hard throwing righty in his first professional season. The move cleared up over 4 million in salary space both in 78 and 79. It was a move that Andersen had been looking to make once it became apparent that Reynolds would not be in the starting lineup.
The real wake up call was to come later in the day. 35 year old Fergie Jenkins strained his elbow ligament, the same elbow that caused him to miss the last two months of the season last year, and looks to be out for a little longer than a month. The bigger issue is that this is the second major injury for Fergie in the last 8 months, and the Cubs have to face the fact that Fergie isn't getting any younger, and his reliability as a productive member of the rotation going forward, at this point, is very much in question. That, combined with the fact that the Cubs top two starters, Burt Hooton and Ray Bare are both in their walk years led Andersen to pull the trigger on a massive deal bringing Jack Billingham to the North Side. Andersen sent three minor leaguers, Mickey Hatcher, Billy Sample and Terry Kennedy to Cincinnati in exchange. This signaled the beginning of what looks to be a rebuilding project for the Reds, and for the Cubs, it signals that they aren't quite ready for the window to close. The Cubs still do have a number of young, promising bats, both at the major league level and in the high majors. The pitching was the concern. Not only are Hooton and Bare looking at free agency, so is uber closer Ron Klimkowski, and his elite setup man Jim Todd.
This will at least start to address the rotation, as Billingham is signed through the 1980 season, and has shown no signs of slowing down despite being 35 years old. More importantly it gives the Cubs yet another top of the rotation arm as they look to make 78 even more memorable than the last two seasons. If the Cubs can resign one or both of Hooton and/or Bare and keep at least one of their top bullpen arms in place, the window may be open for a number of years going forward. Cubs fans still have reason for optimism as the Cubs front office has sent a strong signal that they are no longer content to sit back and wait for things to come to them. They fully intend to go out and take what they want in the National League.
