The Venting Room - Blow off Your Trade Deadline Inactivity Frustration Here

for not trading Carlos Pena and getting back a couple D level prospects, or trading Jeff Baker for a 25 year old pitcher in high A. F them.

God, some of you guys are insane.

Is Hendry holding out because he thinks we can compete next year with the same core of players or is he just not getting offered what is reasonable? Or is it just not what Hendry thinks is reasonable?

but I’m surprised that Fukudome was it. I figured someone like Grabow would be moved for a Grade D prospect. The hope that teams would pick up the salary of a Soriano or Zambrano was never realistic.

Sure someone like Baker could be traded but the return wouldn’t be much. Other than maybe Byrd, I’m not surprised that nothing happened.

The Cubs didn’t want to trade anyone who might have gotten us some good prospects and yet they were supposedly in “Selling” mode???

This is beyond ridiculous. I get the feeling the front office has no idea what they’re doing.

did or didn’t do at the trade deadline in a vacuum, looking at the big picture, I’m completely at a loss as to what plan or direction this organization has right now. And frankly, I in all seriousness wonder if someone in the front office could tell me if I asked.

You decided to keep Baker AND Dewitt, in a market where easily a half-dozen teams were scrambling for good utility men? I just don’t get it.

The Cubs organization is insane and it is driving me crazy. I guess we have the Chicago Rush in the playoffs and NFL is back.

The only thing I can think of is Hendry is loyal to his players by fault. But even that doesn’t make sense. Why not move a veteran like Baker to a contending team. So be it if we get back a marginal prospect. This team has run its course. I don’t expect 17 players to get traded, but Hendry should of been active and moved some players.
 This bunch is fried, deep fried. And Prince and CJ won’t turn this team into a 90 win team. All that will do is inflate the payroll some more with Soriano roaming left, Ramy taking the first two months off, DeWitt spelling Sori in left, Hill behind the plate after Soto is on the DL, Marmol walking the bases loaded, hitting a batter and Randy Wells as our 4th Starter. To top it off, Quade on the top step and Jimbo in the GM seat.

 Al Davis be a better owner for the Cubs than the Ricketts?

.400 winning percentage and all they do is dump Fukudome.

I don’t even have the words. Wow. Just wow.

I f*cking hate the Cubs right now. In all my years of being a Cubs fan, I have not seen such horrible fundamentals NOT ONLY ON THE FIELD, but in the front office!!! All we did was trade a 4th OF for C- level prospects. Why didnt we trade Pena? Soto? Both these guys are affordable and would’ve gotten us a B or higher prospect if we packaged them!! Hell, Byrd is my favorite player, but same thing on him!! Can the Cubs do ANYTHING right?

Why don’t you talk to him at the next homestand? Perhaps there was something about him that he really isn’t bright as he seems?

In fact, it’s not even empty. It fell off the counter and shattered on the bathroom floor, so if you have to get up in the middle of the night put on your slippers so you won’t slice up your feet.

Very, very frustrated. I thought (and still do) that Hendry deserved the benefit of the doubt until the deadline passed. The flurry of deals that just got done yesterday and today are proof of why the criticism of inaction came too early. But now that the deadline has come and gone with only Dome being traded, that criticism is more than due. As others have said (long before me): WTF Hendry?

The only consolation I have is that Soriano and Zambrano still could easily be traded this season. Both will clear waivers. But for the life of me I can’t understand the attachment to Pena (won’t be offering arb, so no compensation pick), Johnson (BBTN reports teams asked after him but we said he was unavailable), or Baker (ditto).

Pena and Johnson are players that were available cheaply late in free agency. They will be available again if we really want them around next year. But in the meantime get some salary relief from Pena to help fund next year’s budget; and get prospects for the others that you can potentially package in a trade for a real corner OF. What’s the downside?

There’s almost no point at making a play for Pujols for Fielder if you’re not going to have a team around them. If the Cubs let Ramirez walk, they won’t have that kind of value at third base for a long time. They have no outstanding corner outfielders on the way. They have no future true “ace” on the way. What is going to happen to this team over the next two seasons?

Has Cubs as big losers at the deadline. Said Hendry should be fired on the spot. So apparently we aren’t the only ones who are mystified by the lack of activity.

I can’t say I’m surprised by anything inept or nonsensical that the Cubs do. I certainly didn’t expect them to make any major moves.

Hendry’s preparing for next year with most of the same cast of aging, underachieving veterans. So much for the Fielder/Pujols fantasy that sustained lots of people for much of the summer.

I’m not angry or disappointed either. I lost my capacity for anger a few months ago. I don’t believe anything significant is going to happen between now and the start of next season.

Who wants to bet that Ricketts will have some personal situation (or maybe a safari) that will keep him from attending the convention this year? I can’t believe that even HE would be so clueless as to show his face there after treading water yet again.

By hiring Gillick, TR would relegate himself to a sinecure. I don’t think he wants to be thought of as the Owner’s Son who serves only as a figurehead.

I am not saying he is a bad guy. There is really no reason why he should know what he is doing. He was a Cubs fan who read all of Bill James’ books and happened to have a father with $2.5 Billion. Hiring Gillick would be a good idea IMO. I never said, “I don’t need a baseball guy to watch my baseball guy.” Just tell me why you have idealized Tom Ricketts. Why do you think he acts in mysterious ways?