2008 Woodie Awards
Cubs have alot of work to do in offseason
Cubs will have to address several key positions this winter
Mark Johnson
Issue date: 10/9/05 Section: Sports
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The pressure will be on Chicago Cubs General Manager Jim Hendry this offseason.
His club is now certain to miss the playoffs this season despite ranking ninth in Major League Baseball in team payroll. Chicago paid its players $87,032,933 this season, not counting the $17,000,000 it shipped off to the Baltimore Orioles to cover the salary of former RF Sammy Sosa.
At the top of Hendry's to-do list will be deciding the fate of pitcher Kerry Wood, whose season ended earlier this month after he underwent arthroscopic surgery on the right shoulder that had plagued him for much of the season.
Wood, a National League All-Star as a starter in 2003, was converted to reliever this summer after several stints on the disabled list the past few seasons. Since Ryan Dempster will likely be brought back to fill the closer's role after he had converted 31-of-33 save chances through Tuesday.
Considering Wood is slated to make $10 million next season, he would be extremely expensive to pitch in a middle relief role. If healthy, he has shown the ability to make a fine complement to Carlos Zambrano, Mark Prior and Greg Maddux in the Cubs starting rotation. Of course, health, and his occasional wild streaks, have always been the issue with Wood.
If Wood cannot come back as a starter, Hendry will have an even harder time filling the remaining starter's slots behind the already mentioned three he has penciled in. Jerome Williams has a pretty solid grasp on the No. 4 spot, though he has been inconsistent since coming via trade from the San Francisco Giants.
The No. 5 spot figures to be fought over between Glendon Rusch, young lefties Rich Hill and John Koronka, righties Sergio Mitre and Todd Wellemeyer and possibly a free-agent acquisition assuming Wood does not factor in.
The next question for the Cubs is what to do at the middle infield positions. Shortstop Nomar Garciaparra, who signed a one-year contract prior to this season for $8.25 million and just broke the 200 at-bat barrier this week because of injuries and is not expected to be brought back.
His club is now certain to miss the playoffs this season despite ranking ninth in Major League Baseball in team payroll. Chicago paid its players $87,032,933 this season, not counting the $17,000,000 it shipped off to the Baltimore Orioles to cover the salary of former RF Sammy Sosa.
At the top of Hendry's to-do list will be deciding the fate of pitcher Kerry Wood, whose season ended earlier this month after he underwent arthroscopic surgery on the right shoulder that had plagued him for much of the season.
Wood, a National League All-Star as a starter in 2003, was converted to reliever this summer after several stints on the disabled list the past few seasons. Since Ryan Dempster will likely be brought back to fill the closer's role after he had converted 31-of-33 save chances through Tuesday.
Considering Wood is slated to make $10 million next season, he would be extremely expensive to pitch in a middle relief role. If healthy, he has shown the ability to make a fine complement to Carlos Zambrano, Mark Prior and Greg Maddux in the Cubs starting rotation. Of course, health, and his occasional wild streaks, have always been the issue with Wood.
If Wood cannot come back as a starter, Hendry will have an even harder time filling the remaining starter's slots behind the already mentioned three he has penciled in. Jerome Williams has a pretty solid grasp on the No. 4 spot, though he has been inconsistent since coming via trade from the San Francisco Giants.
The No. 5 spot figures to be fought over between Glendon Rusch, young lefties Rich Hill and John Koronka, righties Sergio Mitre and Todd Wellemeyer and possibly a free-agent acquisition assuming Wood does not factor in.
The next question for the Cubs is what to do at the middle infield positions. Shortstop Nomar Garciaparra, who signed a one-year contract prior to this season for $8.25 million and just broke the 200 at-bat barrier this week because of injuries and is not expected to be brought back.
