I have nothing against Jim Edmonds, other than the fact that he used to be a Cardinal, which has no tangible relevance whatsoever. He used to be a great player. He used to tear it up against the Cubs in Wrigley Field. He used to track down every ball that came within a block of center field. Now, he’s a has-been. In fact, he’s the very definition of a has-been. The Cubs shouldn’t waste the money or the effort.
Cubs GM, Jim Hendry, does make a good point— with the Padres paying most of Edmonds’ 2008 salary, signing him doesn’t really put a dent in the Cubs payroll, meaning they can still go out and acquire that starting pitcher they so desperately need if they expect to make a serious World Series run. But it does force Piniella to send a player back to the minors. Again, Felix Pie is the odd man out. (Side note: I have a problem with Lou’s decision to keep 13 pitchers on the roster and only 4 outfielders. How many times have we seen Zambrano or Marquis come in as pinch hitters late in a close ball game?)
This year, anything less would be a disappointment to Cubs fans. This is the best team Chicago has fielded in a long time— better than the ‘03 team, better than the ‘89 team, and maybe even better than the ‘84 team. It is for this reason that I can stomach seeing one of our young prospects sent back to the minors to make room for an established veteran. After last year’s disappointing early exit, there’s an air of “now or never” hovering over Wrigley Field, especially when one considers that the team that many predicted to represent the National League in the Series last year is even better this year. Our stars— Derrek Lee, Aramis Ramirez, Kosuke Fukudome— are all in their prime. Every hitter on the team is showing remarkable patience at the plate. Our defense (for a change) is solid. Mark DeRosa has found a comfortable home in Chicago, putting up better numbers here than in any pre-Cubs year. Ryan Theriot has proven that his strong showing in his brief ‘06 Major League stint wasn’t just a fluke (currently, and quietly, batting .336). Geovany Soto is having an All-Star-worthy season. And Carlos Zambrano finally looks to be on his way to a possible Cy Young we’ve all been expecting. Yes, the pieces are all coming together— so sending Felix Pie back to the minors to bring in veteran leadership seems like the natural move. The problem is that Edmonds isn’t exactly a leader anymore.
In 2004, Edmonds hit .301, smacked 42 homers and drove in 111 runs— his most productive season ever. The following year he hit .263 with 29 homers and 89 batted in. In ‘06, .257/19/70. In ‘07, .252/12/53. So far this year, he’s hitting .178 with 1 homer and 6 RBI. He has also struck out 24 times in 90 at-bats (26%). Now, I’ll concede the fact that Edmonds has been injured and limited to 110 and 117 games in ‘06 and ‘07, respectively. That doesn’t change the fact, though, that he hasn’t produced when healthy. Regardless of excuses, the bat that was once feared is no longer a threat.
Edmonds has also lost a step or two in the field. He may not be a defensive liability, but he certainly isn’t the valuable gold-glover he used to be. His lack of speed on the base paths could also become a factor
If the Cubs were to bring true veteran leadership to Chicago, I wouldn’t be opposed to sending Felix back to Iowa. But I just don’t feel like this move is justifiable, considering Felix has been hitting the ball much better lately, on top of playing a consistently stellar center field and posing a constant threat on the bases. Plus, sending him back to the minors now would be a huge blow to his confidence.
Jim Hendry needs to realize that the one piece missing from the Cubs’ puzzle this year is a solid #2 starter. Ted Lilly has shown positive signs lately, but after his giant stumble in game 2 of last year’s NLDS, fans have little confidence that he’ll be the one to step up and fulfill the other half of the necessary one-two punch that every real contender possesses. Ryan Dempster has been a very pleasant surprise in the rotation, but he hasn’t thrown more than 92 innings in a season since 2003. He may wear out down the stretch. Marquis has also been inconsistent, and Hill couldn’t throw consecutive strikes to save his life before being sent back to Iowa.
While it doesn’t cost us any money to acquire Edmonds, it does cost us the chance to develop a still-green Felix Pie, who could prove to be a valuable asset in the future. Since the Corey Patterson debacle, the Cubs have shown little patience with young prospects. I fear Pie may slip through the cracks and end up terrorizing the Cubs in another team’s uniform. We’ve all seen it before.
