1/27/2004 02:01:00 PM by Rob

Winter Recap/Juan Cruz

Let's recap this winter, shall we?

- Game 6, then Game 7 happened, where it was made clear that our bullpen was thin, and the bottom of our order was impotent.

- Much dead weight was cleared away! Yay! We have money to spend.

- Derrek Lee was acquired. Big whoop. McGriff without painful arthritis.

- LaTroy Hawkins was acquired. Nice. So was Kent Mercker.

- Michael Barrett was acquired. Whoop-dee-do.

- Todd Walker turned down more money to come here.

- Wood, JoeBo, Lee, Grud, Goodwin, Martinez, Bako, and Farns have all re-signed.

So at this point, presumably the bullpen is in better shape, but the only offensive upgrade evident from Game 7 is, in my opinion, a tiny one at first base. We gain a little pop if Patterson comes back strong, but in return we lose a true lead-off man.

Sorry, Todd Hollandsworth for not mentioning you, but you suck, you are the classic "if you can't beat him, join him" pickup, and I expect NOTHING from you.

Months go by, it is now less than a month until the start of camps, and we still await The Big One! Whether it is Pudge to fill a oozing gap in the lineup, or Maddux for sheer feel-good PR, I do not feel we have done enough at this time.

My winter mood: mildly disgusted and completely disillusioned at the Trib for not spending enough of the tens of millions of dollars in Pure Profit from last year's run.

So what about Juan Cruz?

Notice I don't have "Cubs Trade Juan Cruz" anywhere on the winter roundup. This, frankly, is a surprise to me, and I am now preparing myself for the notion that Cruz IS our fifth starter, maybe even 4th if he starts well, and Zambrano continues his post-season funk. He has done nothing in the minors but tear people up, he is killing them in the winter leagues, and it is time for them to put him in there, support him, treat him like one of the rotation, and let him prove it to us once and for all...can he Pitch, or can't he?

They held on to him...they must see something...it is now time to find out what?

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