The Chicago Cubs Should Give Aaron Heilman a New Role: DFA

(Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)

When Omar Minaya isn't accusing reporters of pandering for jobs, there's one thing he would tell you with very clear certainty: Aaron Heilman has no place in the Mets organization.

It's too bad Chicago Cubs' General Manager Jim Hendry never asked for Minaya's opinion before trading a talented young left-handed pitcher, something the Cubs didn't have and haven't replaced, and a talented middle infielder for him this past winter.

Yes, it's sad but still true. The Cubs traded Garrett Olson and Ronny Cedeno to the Seattle Mariners for Heilman, and would have seen better use from the two pieces they moved than they have from Heilman.

The reality is that Heilman, though he has good stuff, has never put it together on the mound. He's as inconsistent from pitch to pitch as he is from week to week. Heilman is something no manager in a pennant race should have to deal with: uncertainty.

Entering Tuesday night's game, Heilman had a 2-3 record with a 4.56 ERA. Those numbers are easier to stomach than some of Heilman's other numbers this year.

He's struck out 40 batters in 47.1 innings, but has walked 30, as well. A 4-to-3 strikeout-walk ratio is mediocre at best, especially in the number of appearances (47) Heilman has made this year.

As a mid- to late-inning reliever, Heilman is someone Manager Lou Piniella should be looking to for a couple quick outs in a tough situation. His 1.61 WHIP, however, indicates that every time Piniella calls on Heilman for an inning, there's a really good chance someone's moving up two bases.

There's also the issue of not picking up his teammates. Of the 29 inherited base runners Heilman has been called upon to strand, he's allowed 13 (45 percent) to score. That's not a stretch to believe when you consider Heilman has allowed opponents to achieve a lofty .362 on-base percentage.

The Chicago Cubs are in a tight, competitive race for their third consecutive division championship. If they're going to beat a very good St. Louis Cardinals team, outlast the feisty Milwaukee Brewers, and hold off a talented veteran Houston squad, they're going to need their bullpen to perform.

As long as there's a possibility for Heilman to enter the game and give more away than the Red Hot Chili Peppers, no lead is safe and, more importantly, no tie game is locked down.

It's time for the Cubs to sever their relationship with Heilman just as the Mets did this winter.

The Cubs have other right-handed options in their bullpen. Rookie Jeff Stevens, one of the players acquired from Cleveland for Mark DeRosa, has performed well, as has Jeff Samardzija.

And with Carlos Marmol and Kevin Gregg starting to circle the wagons, there are enough arms that Piniella doesn't need to feel financially obligated to put Heilman into a game.

I know Hendry doesn't want to eat salary, much less admit he made a mistake, but it's worse to keep a bad player in a crucial spot in the bullpen than it is to put a million dollars in your back pocket and move on.

If the Cubs want to win this division, they need to part ways with Heilman.

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