Before we put the Milton Bradley situation to bed though, I want to make one last defense of Bradley (coupled with the obvious attack on idiotic Cubs fans and Chicago media).  One of the Trib’s many resident idiots Paul Sullivan ran a story yesterday about Bradley’s most “tumultuous” moments as a Cub.  The obvious implication and tone of the piece is to cast Bradley in a negative light, but let’s actually look at each one of these incidents and see the real story:

April 16: After getting standing ovation at Wrigley Field before his first home at-bat, Bradley is called out on strikes and ejected by plate umpire Larry Vanover, who alleges Bradley made contact with bill of his cap. Later suspended by MLB for infraction.

It was a bad call and he was reasonable in arguing it.  Everyone knows there was no real contact and he shouldn’t have been suspended.  this is a case of umpires treating certain players with bad reputations (whether deserved or not) differently.

April 22: Booed by Cubs fans for not running out ground ball in his first start at home, then refuses to talk to media afterward.

Really?  Cubs fans were booing him on April 22?  That seems a little early for us to have turned on him, doesn’t it?  No matter how bad he was playing he deserved a chance to get going.  April isn’t exactly kind to a lot of new Cubs players.  All the day games and cold weather require an adjustment period.

April 23: Asked how his injured groin feels after game, Bradley cracks, “I feel like 30 million bucks” while walking away from reporters.

So?

May 24 : Tells Tribune that umpires have vendetta against him: ” ‘We’re going to get him any time we can. As soon as he gets two strikes, we’re going to call whatever and see what he does. Let’s try to ruin Milton Bradley.’ “

I don’t understand how this is not true.  He was just being honest and the frustration is understandable.  I mean look at his suspension from earlier for accidentally brushing caps with the ump?  He felt that way for a reason.

June 12: Throws ball into bleachers after making two-out catch against Twins, allowing run to score. “Sue me,” he defiantly says afterward.

Yeah this one was bad.  Especially for a slumping player.  At this point things have begun to deteriorate beyond repair and not knowing how many outs there were did not look good.

June 26: Tells Tribune he feels like he’s “afloat on an island” because his teammates have isolated him: “They say all the right things, but it’s just b.s.” Later creates dugout scene after popout and gets into confrontation with manager Lou Piniella, who calls him “piece of (expletive)” and sends him home.

This is entirely management’s fault.  I’m not saying Bradley isn’t a mopey irritable guy.  What I’m saying is that management knew this when they brought him in and did not give him ANY support system of any kind.  They just left him to hang out there in the media and none of his friends or people who could make him comfortable were in the clubhouse.

July 12: Declares himself “back” after poor first half and says “negative” media is only thing stopping Cubs: “Don’t read the newspaper. Don’t watch TV. Just play, because we have everything we need right here. If we stay together in here, cut out all the outside b.s., we’ll be fine. There’s way too much hoopla, there’s way too much talk. There’s way too much speculation.”

While the media was not the only reason the Cubs sucked, I couldn’t agree more with him that they are negative and it is obnoxious and has an impact on the team.

Aug. 26 : Suggests he has been victim of racial abuse in interview with beat writers. Asked for specifics, he facetiously shouts: “America doesn’t believe in racism.” Also rips Chicago waiters for “bad-mouthing” him.

100% happened.  Dusty, Jacque, Latroy, and other African-Americans have said the same thing and each time Cubs fans and media doubts them.  Kerry wood acknowledged the racism that goes on and still people refuse to believe it is happening.  Wake up!  People are still racist all over and Cubs fans are no different, if anything they have proven to be worse than the norm with their behavior towards black players.

Sept. 17: Takes himself out of game without pinch runner ready, refuses to answer questions afterward, repeating: “What else ya got? What else ya got?”

At this point it was clearly over.  The rift between Bradley and the team/fans made anything he said or did go under harsh scrutiny making this stupid move by him all the more criticized.

Sept. 19: Takes himself out of starting lineup and refuses to pinch-hit, leading to heated confrontation with hitting coach Von Joshua. Beforehand, he complained of “negativity” in organization in Daily Herald interview.

Meh.

Sept. 20: Suspended for final 15 games and sent home by GM Jim Hendry. Cubs players stand by Hendry’s decision. “Sometimes you just have to look in the mirror and realize that maybe the biggest part of the problem is yourself,” Ryan Dempster says.

Dempster was right, Bradley was his own biggest problem.  As I have said before, however, the Cubs and Hendry knew that when they got him and did nothing to help him deal with his problems or at least cushion him from their repercussions.

Did Bradley suck?  Yes.  Did he need to be traded? Yes.  Was he the cause of his own problems? Definitely. But he was no different here than he was anywhere else.  While signing him may have been a mistake, signing him without taking into account his psychological profile and trying to help him with it was the real mistake.

That being said, here are some observations on Ricketts’ press conference:

On payroll: He made clear that he will not be raising the payroll that much this season.  He said it might go up a little bit, but don’t expect any huge signings.  He kept reiterating that there is no “silver bullet” that will automatically win the World Series.

On management of the team: Ricketts says he will not be a hands-on owner like Steinbrenner, but he also won’t fade into the background.  He wants to be “seen but not heard” around the field.  He is also going to keep the current structure of the team in place, meaning Jim Hendry will run the team and report to Crane Kenney, who will report to Ricketts.

On creating a winner: Ricketts was adamant that there is no free agent that will save the team.  Instead, he focused a lot on player development, scouting, and drafting.  For now it seems like he will keep the current scouting system in place, but they are looking to improve greatly in that area.

On Milton Bradley: He is not going to be involved in personnel.  He insisted that this will be Hendry and other management’s job.

On Wrigley Field: Wrigley Field will not change.  He will not be tearing out seats or adding luxury boxes.  He seems to be strongly in favor of preserving the tradition of the field.  He also said he has no plans for a jumbotron now.  And don’t worry, he reassured the media and fans that the troughs in the men’s bathrooms aren’t going anywhere.

On the Wrigleyville neighborhood: He wants that triangle building across the street.  Bad.  You could tell by his answers to questions about it.  Hopefully he is able to establish a good relationship with the neighborhood, unlike his predecessor, but this is not a good start.  Only time will tell how the community reacts to his push for the new building.

All in all he seemed to have a very good attitude about everything.  He clearly respects the tradition of Wrigley and wants to put a winning ballclub on the field consistently.  So far so good with this new ownership group.

In general, the main areas that needed to be dealt with were: 1) With Fukudome falling apart last season, the Cubs needed to pick up a power-hitting right-fielder; 2) Jason Marquis had a big contract so he was going to have to go, but who would replace him in the rotation? 3) DeRosa’s contract was a bit large, would they pay him or look elsewhere for the versatility he provided? and 4) Wood’s contract was up, would Hendry let him walk and try to find a closer elsewhere (from within, Marmol, or from without, someone else) and how would the rest of the bullpen fill out?  Let’s take a look at how Hendry addressed those issues and how those decisions have played out so far this season:

1) Fukudome’s meltdown leading to the need for a power-hitting right-fielder:

Hendry had a few options this offseason in this department.  While hindsight is 20/20 and it is easy to second-guess, Hendry took an obvious risk on Milton Bradley.  His attitude issues aside (I don’t think those are a big problem), the injury history was definitely a major concern.  Hendry gave Bradley a 2 year $20 million contract with an option for a 3rd year at $10 million.  So far Bradley has hit .242/.347/.389 (BA/OBP/SLG) with 5 home runs so far this season and spent a considerable amount of time on the bench with nagging injuries.  While those numbers are not spectacular, there is still a lot of time left in the season and he has been heating up of late.  Although his power hasn’t come around completely yet, he is hitting .313 in June and his OBP of .347 for the season (.371 in June) is great by most standards.

Although its a bit early to decide if signing Bradley was a terrible decision, its not to early to look at what the other options were.  Adam Dunn and Raul Ibanez were both available.  Dunn is hitting .265/.404/.544 with 18 home runs so far.  While most people are down on Dunn for his low average and high strikeouts, its clear that he is having another monster season and the Nationals gave him essentially the same contract as Bradley got (without the 3rd year option).  Ibanez is also raking the ball, hitting .312/.371/.656 with 22 home runs.  Although he just landed on the DL this week with a strained groin, his production has been impressive as well.  Although it was impossible for Hendry to see the future, both of these guys were significantly less injury (and attitude) risks.

Grade: C-

2) Jason Marquis Out, Open Spot in the Rotation

Marquis’ contract called for a giant option for the 2009 season, so trading him was a must.  Not to say that he didn’t contribute, but he is an average pitcher and not worth the contract.  With Peavy rumors swirling, Hendry decided to stand pat and trust the guns in his farm system.  The assumption was that Marshall or Samardzija would win the spot in the rotation, with guys like Gaudin and the newly-acquired Heilman competing as well.  Marshall won the spot and performed great for the first couple of months.  When Harden went down, the Cubbies brought up Randy Wells, who has sparkled in his outings (even in the face of a severe lack of run support).  Now that Harden is back, Wells is being kept in the rotation allowing Lou to use Marshall out of the pen as another lefty.  None of these guys are Peavy, but Peavy is out for a while with an injury and Marshall/Wells have worked out beautifully.

Are the Cubs really pursuing Pedro Martinez?  Why?

Grade: A-

3) DeRosa’s Contract was $5.5 Million, Keep Him or Look Elsewhere?

Hendry decided to trade DeRosa right around New Years Eve.  Besides being a great hitting 2nd basemen, he played numerous other positions and brought invaluable versatility to the Cubs.  Hendry acquired Aaron Miles to replace him, with the assumption that Fontenot would compete for the job.  Both Miles and Fontenot have been inconsistent at best.  Miles has been just awful, hitting .202/.240/.261.  Fontenot has been better, hitting .235/.324/.390, but still far inferior to DeRosa, who has put up a line of .279/.349/.477 with 13 home runs.  The hitting isn’t the only problem however, since DeRosa’s versatility would have come in very handy.  While Hendry couldn’t have predicted Aramis Ramirez would go down for such a long stretch, things like that happen and DeRosa gives the team a  great option in case of an injury situation like the one that happened.  This move looks worse and worse everyday as the Cubs struggling offense and injury-riddled infield continue to be a problem.

Grade: D

4) Wood’s Contract was up, Re-Sign Him or Let Him Walk?  And The Rest of The Bullpen?

No one wanted to see Kerry Wood go, but with a guy like Carlos Marmol in the wings, its seemed like this could work out.  All Hendry needed to do was go out and get a good set-up man so that Marmol could move seamlessly into the closer role.  Instead he went out and got a mediocre closer and an ok middle reliever (Gregg and Heilman).  Gregg has been up and down, going through some very rough patches.  Although most people have focused on how poor he’s been, the truth is he is having a pretty decent season.  He has converted 10/12 save opportunites and his ERA is just shy of 4 (3.99).  He has 30 strikeouts in 29.1 innings.  Although he has put on a few more baserunners than any of us would like (1.43 WHIP), he hasn’t been awful.  Ironically enough, the rest of the bullpen has been the real problem, starting with Marmol and ending with Neil Cotts (thank god that guy is gone).  Marmol’s ERA is 3.77, yes, but he has blown 2 saves in 5 opportunities and given up massive amounts of walks–31 in just 30 innings.  He has been extremely streaky, putting up a 6.00 ERA in April, 1.39 in May, and 5.63 so far in June.  Heilman has a 4.50 and the rest of the bullpen is made up of AAAA-type guys or kids that aren’t quite ready for the show.  The one bright spot in the pen has been Angel Guzman, who is having a great season so far and hopefully will continue to shine.

Overall the bullpen is a mess, however, and the decision to let Woody walk is at the root of the entire problem.  There’s one thing missing in this analysis though: With Wood up on a pedestal, you would assume he is having a great season in Cleveland, right?  Wrong.  Up until May 19, his ERA was 8.31 and he was 5/8 in save opportunities.  Since then however, he has turned it around, giving up no runs and converting on 3/3 saves.  His ERA is still a bit high at 4.63, but he looks to be turning it around.  It’s tough to blame Hendry for this one, since Marmol should be better than he is, but thinking that Kevin Gregg was the answer and not doing anything else substantial to bolster the bullpen was short-sighted at best.

Grade: C-

Overall Offseason Grade: C-

Although looking within for help in the rotation has played out well for Jim Hendry, the rest of his moves (or lack thereof) were poorly planned or just poorly executed.  Milton Bradley has been a bust so far, the bullpen is a mess, and DeRosa would have plugged some serious holes in the Cubs infield.  All that negativity aside, the Cubs are still .500 and battling for the division, even with all the injuries they have sustained.  Hopefully they can turn things around in the second half of the season and make Hendry look like a genius again.