Another Trade That Makes Cubs' GM Jim Hendry Look Bad

(Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)

It's a weeknight, I've had dinner, and I'm near my favorite soap box.

I'm mad at Chicago Cubs General Manager Jim Hendry. Let's talk about why I'm mad this evening.

Hendry has been searching for the better part of this decade for two things: an every day center fielder and a left-handed hitting outfielder with pop.

Early in the telecast of the Cubs game in Atlanta this evening, news broke that the Braves had traded a trio of minor leaguers to the Pittsburgh Pirates for All-Star centerfielder Nate McLouth. Charlie Morton, Gorkys Hernandez and a third minor leaguer got the deal done for Atlanta.

McLouth hit 26 home runs, stole 23 bases and drove in 94 runs last year. He hits left-handed. Have I mentioned that he signed a three-year deal for under $16 million this winter?

So it appears the Pirates were willing to deal their best player for a good pitching prospect, a decent outfield prospect and a throw-in. Hernandez is certainly not the top outfield prospect in Atlanta—Jordan Schaefer and Gregor Blanco would likely rank ahead of him. And Morton's a good prospect but hasn't seen much success in the majors yet.

Meanwhile, the Cubs are paying Milton Bradley more the next two seasons than McLouth will make in the next three, and his career highs in home runs and RBIs aren't what McLouth did last year.

Have I mentioned that McLouth doesn't have a history full of injuries, ejections nor suspensions?

I understand that Hendry no longer has elite prospects to make Pittsburgh salivate the way guys like Bobby Hill did in the past, but it's hard for me to imagine that a package of Randy Wells or Sean Marshall and Tyler Colvin wouldn't have made McLouth a Cub.

Have I mentioned that McLouth is four years younger than Bradley? Who can steal bases? And has eclipsed 80 runs batted in for a season in his career? And has played in more than 100 games three consecutive seasons? And doesn't have a temper issue?

Hendry wanted to add a player with McLouth's resume this winter but decided to overpay for Bradley. He had hoped that Kosuke Fukudome would be the player McLouth is when he overpaid for him last winter. But now McLouth is in Atlanta.

At least McLouth won't embarrass the Cubs a dozen times a year any more. So Hendry's got that going for him, which is nice.

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