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Before the 2007 season, he drafted Josh Hamilton in the Rule 5 draft and immediately sent him to the Cincinnati Reds in a prearranged deal for cash. Hamilton was the former first pick in the draft and a five tool player who happened to play center field and also bats left-handed.
Had the Cubs kept him, they might never have had to sign Fukudome or Bradley because they would have had that lefty power hitting outfielder that they were looking for. That would have freed up a ton of money to make other moves.
Hamilton was a low cost risk despite his previous baggage. If you don’t keep him on your team for the entire season after picking him, you have to offer him back to his previous team for half of what you paid to sign him.
Hamilton had a good season with the Reds in 2007, who then parlayed him into pitcher Edinson Volquez, who won seventeen games for them in 2008.
Hamilton had a breakout year in 2008 and was an MVP candidate. In addition to power that had him compared to Mickey Mantle, he also played a great center field and had a rocket for an arm.
The Rangers ended up with Hamilton, the Reds ended up with Volquez, and the Cubs ended up with cash. Can you see why I’m as critical of Hendry as a GM with absolutely no foresight?
He also let Juan Pierre leave the team as a free agent after trading three young pitchers for him before the 2006 season. While this technically happened in 2006, the end result occurred with Pierre leaving the team before the 2007 season.
Hendry gave up Ricky Nolasco, Reynal Pinto and Sergio Mitre. Pinto has done a nice job for the Marlins in the bullpen, while Nolasco won 15 games for them last year.
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