- Jim Hendry
"For the British professional cyclist, see
Jim Hendry (cyclist) "Jim Hendry (born
July 27 ,1955 , Dunedin,Florida ) is theVice President /General Manager of theChicago Cubs . Hendry was promoted to GM onJuly 5 ,2002 by former Cubs President/CEOAndy MacPhail . He has worked for the Cubs since 1995. Prior to his promotion to GM, he was named Assistant GM/Player Personnel Director on October 12, 2001, and previously the Director of Player Development, in charge of both Scouting and Minor League Operations. Jim has two children named Lauren and John.Hendry graduated from
Spring Hill College , where he had majored in communications and journalism. He could not find a job in broadcasting, and took a job as a high school teacher and baseball coach inMiami . This led to a job atCreighton University in 1983, and he was promoted to head coach in the middle of the 1984 season. FollowingCreighton's NCAA College World Series appearance (1991) , Hendry was named National Coach of the Year. He left Creighton later that year to become special assistant to thenFlorida Marlins GMDave Dombrowski , and also coached minor league teams in 1993 and '94.Tenure with Cubs
Hendry's tenure as general manager has produced mixed results. In 2003, the Cubs made their first playoff appearance in the Hendry era, but just three years later, Hendry's Cubs had the worst record in the National League. One of his first moves provided fodder for critics and boosters alike: late in spring training 2002, he dealt
Julian Tavarez andDontrelle Willis to theFlorida Marlins for pitchersMatt Clement andAntonio Alfonseca . The deal produced mixed results; Clement was the Cubs' most consistent pitcher in 2002 and continued to be valuable in 2003, while Tavarez's volatile behavior was a distraction to the Cubs in 2001. On the downside, Alfonseca struggled while a Cub, and the minor league pitcher traded to the Marlins wasDontrelle Willis , the 2003 Rookie of the Year.The Cubs did not contend in 2002, and Hendry fired manager
Don Baylor in July, replacing him with Iowa Cubs managerBruce Kimm on an interim basis. The Cubs staggered to the end of the season in 2002, and Hendry purged several veterans from the roster. One veteran with whom the Cubs appeared to be stuck wasTodd Hundley , a free agent acquisition before the 2001 season who struggled on the field, feuded with fans, and had even begun to tarnish the image of his fatherRandy Hundley , a member of the storied Cubs teams of the 1960s and 1970s. Hundley's large contract would have made trading him difficult, so the only way that he could leave the team would be if Hendry released him. Nevertheless, Hendry found a taker, former Los Angeles Dodgers general manager Dan Evans, who offered second basemanMark Grudzielanek and first basemanEric Karros . Grudzielanek and Karros were also high-priced veterans on the downsides of their careers. But the two players managed productive seasons in 2003, also providing veteran leadership.Hendry made his biggest splash in the 2002-2003 offseason when he hired former
San Francisco Giants managerDusty Baker to manage the club just days after Baker's Giants lost in seven games to the Anaheim Angels in the World Series.2003 Cubs: Only five outs away
The Cubs started 2003 well, but stumbled after center fielder
Corey Patterson injured his knee in June. A little more than two weeks after his injury, Hendry sent prospect Bobby Hill and veteran Jose Hernandez to thePittsburgh Pirates for a center fielder who could replace Patterson for the remainder of the season,Kenny Lofton . The Cubs also received third basemanAramis Ramirez in the trade ending the revolving door that had been at 3B ever sinceRon Santo was traded to the White Sox. Ramirez blossomed into a star with the Cubs, and Lofton provided the spark at the top of the lineup that the Cubs needed.The Cubs won the National League Central Division title in 2003, and beat Atlanta in the National League Division Series, their first postseason series victory since 1908. They then came within five outs from their first
World Series appearance since 1945. They were up three games to one on theFlorida Marlins in theNLCS and ended up losing the last three games, including the infamous Game 6 involving fanSteve Bartman .The Disappointment of 2004
After failing to close out the
2003 NLCS against theFlorida Marlins , Hendry made several acquisitions, picking up first basemanDerrek Lee forHee Seop Choi in a trade with the Marlins, acquiring catcher Michael Barrett in a three-way trade with theOakland Athletics , giving upDamian Miller in the process andMontreal Expos , signing free agentsLaTroy Hawkins ,Todd Walker andGreg Maddux . OnMarch 25 ,2004 , he sent prospect pitchers Juan Cruz and Steve Smyth to theAtlanta Braves for two minor leaguers, pitcher Andy Pratt and infielder Richard Lewis [http://chicago.cubs.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/team/transactions.jsp?c_id=chc&year=2004&month=3] .The Cubs were
Sports Illustrated 's preseason choice to win the World Series in 2004. Injuries to key players likeMark Prior ,Sammy Sosa ,Kerry Wood , Joe Borowski, and Alex Gonzalez hindered the Cubs during the early part of the season. On July 31, Hendry made a four-team deal with theMontreal Expos ,Minnesota Twins andBoston Red Sox , sending Gonzalez and prospectsBrendan Harris andFrancis Beltran to the Expos and prospectJustin Jones to the Minnesota Twins. In return, the Cubs receivedAll-Star shortstopNomar Garciaparra from Boston, along with prospectMatt Murton .Garciaparra missed several games down the stretch because of this injury, forcing Hendry to sign
Neifi Perez off of waivers. Meanwhile, the Cubs' bullpen became a bigger and bigger source of concern. WithBorowski out for the season, the Cubs made Hawkins the closer, and Hawkins struggled down the stretch, blowing two key games the last week of the season. The Cubs led the Wild Card race by 1 1/2 games with nine to go before fading to three games behind the eventual Wild Card winner, theHouston Astros .As the Cubs saw their lead in the Wild Card race distintegrate, the Cubs became mired in controversy regarding the treatment of the team by television announcers
Chip Caray and Steve Stone. After the 2004 season, Chip Caray signed a deal to broadcast Atlanta Braves games (with his father,Skip Caray ) while Stone eventually decided not to return as Cubs' color commentator. Meanwhile, sluggerSammy Sosa walked out on his team twice at the end of the season. The first time came during an extra-inning loss to theMontreal Expos atWrigley Field when Sosa, who did not start because of back spasms, decided to leave the ballpark in the seventh inning to beat traffic onLake Shore Drive back to his condominium atLake Point Towers . With Sosa not on the bench available to pinch-hit, Baker called on Ramon Martinez to pinch-hit with the tying run on base in the 12th inning of a 7–6 loss. The second time came the last game of the season, when Sosa left the park moments after learning he wasn't in the starting lineup. When Sosa claimed he stayed until the seventh inning of the game, Hendry released a surveillance tape showing Sosa leaving the park shortly after the 1:20 first pitch.As a result, the first priority of the 2004-2005 offseason was unloading Sosa. After in-depth talks with the
New York Mets andWashington Nationals , the Cubs sent Sosa to theBaltimore Orioles , getting infielderJerry Hairston Jr. and two minor-leaguers in return. Hendry then signed veteranJeromy Burnitz to replace Sosa in right field. He signed middle relieverChad Fox and tradedKyle Farnsworth to theDetroit Tigers forRoberto Novoa and minor-leaguers Scott Moore and Bo Flowers.2006 Cubs: A Season of Disarray
After a sub-.500 season marred by injuries in 2005, the Cubs made few major moves going into the 2006 season.
Before the 2006 season, Hendry received a two-year contract extension from the
Tribune Company . That gives Hendry financial security the next two seasons, but it doesn't guarantee he will remain with the club. The biggest move was trading three young pitchers,Ricky Nolasco ,Sergio Mitre andRenyel Pinto to the Marlins for center fielderJuan Pierre . In November, 2005, Hendry attempted to shore up his bullpen with relieversScott Eyre andBob Howry . The Cubs also signed free agentJacque Jones to play right field. He signed injuredfree agent starterWade Miller to a one-year, $1 million contract with $1 million in incentives. Hendry also re-signed journeymen players likeGlendon Rusch andNeifi Perez to multi-year deals. Again, injuries marred the 2006 season with Lee going down with a broken wrist just 14 games into the season.Mark Prior andKerry Wood again went down with frequent injuries. Another factor in the Cubs' poor performance in 2006 was their finishing last in the major leagues in walks.As the Cubs struggled into July, Hendry announced that he was going to evaluate the coaching staff's performance at the All-Star Break, causing many pundits to speculate that Baker, as well as coaches
Gene Clines ,Gary Matthews ,Larry Rothschild andDick Pole , were in jeopardy of losing their jobs. Hendry responded that he was not necessarily firing anyone, and that he would not necessarily finish his evaluation over the four-day break. OnJuly 26 , Hendry announced manager Dusty Baker would stay on for the rest of the season. At the end of July Hendry traded Maddux to theLos Angeles Dodgers forshortstop Cesar Izturis , and Walker to theSan Diego Padres for pitching prospectJose Ceda , both of which were announced after the deadline had actually passed, but were completed before the deadline.Wade Miller made his first start of the season onSeptember 9 ,2006 , making five starts total and finishing the season 0–2 with a 4.57 ERA. He filed for free agency after the season and has subsequently re-signed with a contract extension.On
October 2 ,2006 , Hendry announced that the Cubs would not offer manager Dusty Baker a contract extension [http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news;_ylt=Av5EO.qIwFYI_vylOt6JPRo5nYcB?slug=ap-cubs-baker&prov=ap&type=lgns] . The Cubs finished the 2006 season with 66 wins and 96 losses, finishing 17 1/2 games behind division winner and eventual2006 World Series ChampionsSt. Louis Cardinals and last place in the National League Central Division. It's the first time the Cubs have finished in last place during Hendry's tenure as General Manager and first time as a team since 2000.Preparing for 2007
Hendry began a huge offseason spending spree starting on
October 17 ,2006 when Hendry hired veteran managerLou Piniella to replace Dusty Baker as the Cubs manager for at least the next three seasons with a club option for a fourth season [http://chicago.cubs.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/news/article.jsp?ymd=20061017&content_id=1715443&vkey=news_chc&fext=.jsp&c_id=chc] . On November 19, Hendry signed [ [http://mlb.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/news/article.jsp?ymd=20061119&content_id=1743450&vkey=hotstove2006&fext=.jsp The Official Site of Major League Baseball: News: Cubs close to huge deal with Soriano ] ] formerWashington Nationals superstarAlfonso Soriano to an 8 year, $136 million contract to play outfield for the Cubs. Third basemanAramis Ramirez opted out of his current contract and filed for free agency, but subsequently signed a new contract with the Cubs, a five year $73 million deal [http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news;_ylt=Ai5tb4Sc88mrrkSH8gg8w0iFCLcF?slug=rotowire-ramisamirezeignswith&prov=rotowire&type=fantasy.] .In other moves, Hendry inked
Wade Miller to an incentive laden, one-year $1.5 million extension to stay with the Cubs [http://chicago.cubs.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/news/article.jsp?ymd=20061109&content_id=1737915&vkey=news_chc&fext=.jsp&c_id=chc] . He also signedfree agent second baseman andutility player Mark DeRosa (previously of the Texas Rangers) to a three-year, $13 million deal onNovember 14 ,2006 [http://chicago.cubs.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/news/article.jsp?ymd=20061114&content_id=1740573&vkey=news_chc&fext=.jsp&c_id=chc] . OnNovember 16 ,2006 . he completed a trade sending relieversDavid Aardsma and prospectCarlos Vasquez to the cross-town rivalChicago White Sox for left-handed setup manNeal Cotts [http://chicago.cubs.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/news/article.jsp?ymd=20061116&content_id=1741694&vkey=news_chc&fext=.jsp&c_id=chc] . OnDecember 6 ,2006 , the Cubs agreed to a four-year, $40 million deal withfree agent pitcher Ted Lilly , who played the previous season for theToronto Blue Jays , beating out theNew York Yankees [http://mlb.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/news/article.jsp?ymd=20061206&content_id=1752625&vkey=hotstove2006&fext=.jsp] , while Hendry was hooked up to an EKG machine. OnDecember 9 , it was reported that Hendry signedfree agent Jason Marquis to a three-year, $20 million contract. Marquis had last pitched for St. Louis [http://mlb.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/news/article.jsp?ymd=20061209&content_id=1758640&vkey=hotstove2006&fext=.jsp] . OnDecember 15 , the Cubs also announced their signing of backup first baseman and outfielderDaryle Ward [http://chicago.cubs.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/news/article.jsp?ymd=20061215&content_id=1762173&vkey=news_chc&fext=.jsp&c_id=chc] . Hendry also signed outfielder/1B veteranCliff Floyd , a Chicago native, to a one-year, $3 million deal on January 24, 2007 [http://chicago.cubs.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/news/article.jsp?ymd=20070124&content_id=1785486&vkey=news_chc&fext=.jsp&c_id=chc] . Hendry inkedMark Prior to a one-year, $3.575 million contract for 2007 as well.The Cubs sent utility outfielder prospect
Freddie Bynum to theBaltimore Orioles for a player to be named later [http://chicago.cubs.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/news/article.jsp?ymd=20061206&content_id=1753223&vkey=news_chc&fext=.jsp&c_id=chc] (right-handed pitcher Kevin Hart). They selected former number-one Rule 5 draft pickJosh Hamilton from theTampa Bay Devil Rays and immediately traded him to theCincinnati Reds for cash considerations. In the draft, the Cubs also selected right-handed pitcher James Henderson from Washington, and lost: left-handed pitcher Edward Campusano to theMilwaukee Brewers , right-handed pitcher Lincoln Holdzkom to theHouston Astros , infielder Richard Lewis to theKansas City Royals , and shortsop Jason Smith to Toronto [http://chicago.cubs.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/news/article.jsp?ymd=20061207&content_id=1753863&vkey=news_chc&fext=.jsp&c_id=chc] .While at the Winter Meetings, Hendry felt chest pains and was taken to the hospital where he had an
angioplasty ; he finalized the Lilly deal from his hospital bed. By the start of Spring Training, Hendry spent $300 million dollars in new contracts.2007 Season
With new ownership coming at the end of the 2007 season and with the Cubs falling in the standings in May and June, Hendry's chances of staying as the General Manger remained an open question at mid season.
On May 28, 2007, Jim Hendry stated that his team was underachieving. At the time, the Cub had a 22–26 record and were five games behind division-leading Milwaukee.
After June 2, the Chicago Cubs went on to put up the best record in baseball as they chased after a playoff spot. Help arrived when Jim Hendry made it clear that the team was a buyer and not a seller with the acquisitions of
Jason Kendall ,Craig Monroe andSteve Trachsel . On September 28, 2007, the Cubs clinched theNational League Central for the first time since 2003 with an 84–76 record.The Cubs faced the young
Arizona Diamondbacks team in the first round of the 2007 NLDS. They went on to get swept by the D-Backs.References
External links
* [http://www.thecubdom.com/playerpages/JimHendry.html Jim Hendry Bio on The Cubdom]
* [http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/execdb/showperson.php?idx=HendrJi01&fname=Jim&lname=Hendry Jim Hendry on Baseball America's Executive Database]
* [http://www.baseball-almanac.com/teams/chicago_cubs_general_managers.shtml Chicago Cubs General Managers]
* [http://www.baseballdigestdaily.com/bullpen/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=131&Itemid=39 Jim Hendry Interview at Baseball Digest Daily]
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