Kevin Gregg Named Chicago Cubs' Closer: And Fans Wonder Why They're Cursed?

Kevin Gregg was named the Cubs' closer on Sunday.

You know what? I don't feel sorry for the Cubs any more. They are cursed and it sucks for them. 

With Lou Piniella’s latest bonehead move of naming the abysmal Kevin Gregg closer, have fun, Cubs fans—you’re not winning the World Series this year either. 

This will make the drought 101 years or something like that, correct?

It’s not just the fact that Carlos Marmol was supposed to be the top closer on my fantasy team, but Kevin Gregg?  Really, Lou? 

The same Kevin Gregg that you traded one of your top pitching prospects for? The same trade in which ESPN minor league guru Keith Law calls a heist? 

It’s Kevin Gregg, a guy who struggled mightily in the (sense sarcasm) pressure-cooker of a baseball environment in Miami, where there are more empty seats than a game at Shea Stadium in October.

“Gregg came in here and hasn’t given up a run all spring,” Piniella said Sunday. “I think leaving spring training, we’re a better team the way we’ve put this thing together.”

All I got to say is, "Ha Ha Ha!" 

It’s funny that the Cubs are trying to break the longest title drought in all of sports, and Piniella thinks they’re a better team with Gregg as closer. After all, the Cubs are coming off a season in which they had an All-Star closer. 

Well okay, enough mockery from me.  Let’s get to the numbers.

Florida Marlins to the Chicago Cubs. As you can see, a sell-out in Florida (left) is not the same as a sell-out in Chicago." title="ball-parks" width="632" height="230" />

 

 

Kevin Gregg is going from being the closer of the Florida Marlins to the Chicago Cubs. As you can see, a sell-out in Florida (left) is not the same as a sell-out in Chicago (right).

Carlos Marmol, being so effective last year, led fans to believe when the inevitable happened and Kerry Wood got hurt, the Cubs may be even better with Marmol taking the ball in the ninth. 

In fact, when Wood got injured, Marmol replaced him on the All-Star team, but genius Piniella never named Marmol the closer, instead using a closer by committee approach (Marmol converted three saves on three chances when Wood was out).

Marmol went on to save seven games in nine chances, while posting an awesome 2.68 ERA in 87.1 innings pitched. Most impressively, he had 41 holds, meaning that he held a lead in a game 41 times.

He also led all major-league relievers with 114 strikeouts.  

After hearing the news and reading his quotes, it’s pretty clear that Marmol was disappointed and he damn well should be.

“I don’t think it was going to make a difference,” he said. “I think they knew what they were going to do before we got here. That’s why I said there was not [any] competition. I guess we’re going to get ready for the season, no matter what. You’re still going to see me smile. I’m going to be the same guy, doing my job.

“It’s good for the team that I can throw more than one inning,” he said. “It’s good for the team and I guess it’s good for him. I don’t know what to say.”

After reading that, I almost get the sense that Marmol believes it’s only a matter of time before the job is his. He says he’s going to keep on smiling and most people wouldn’t say that after losing out on a job. Nevertheless, Marmol knows, and outside of Piniella, it seems everyone knows it’s only a matter of time.

Ironically, it seems Cubs fans are dumber than I thought. They actually agree with Piniella’s decision.

How do you agree with the appointment of a guy who led the majors in blown saves last year as your closer? 

People can wonder if Marmol might not be able to handle the pressure of the ninth inning, but the bottom line is you’re going to have those same questions about pressure with Gregg who is no longer closing in Florida.

Last season, Gregg saved 29 games for a team nobody knows exists. The year before, he saved 32. However, he blew nine saves last year and he had a 3.41 ERA—not what you’re seeking from a closer. 

He had a high ERA compared to other closers who pitched the same amount of innings as him (not mentioning the fact that Marmol pitched more innings and had a lower ERA). 

I love the fact that Trevor Hoffman pitched less innings, played on the worst team in baseball, but still had more saves.

It's true that Gregg did pitch on a balky knee last season, and that can be the reason for some of his struggles. However, you heard it here first: Gregg will implode in the pressure-cooker of Chicago. 

If he was so reliable, don’t you think the Marlins would have kept him? There’s a reason they shipped him off, probably due to the fact that the Marlins couldn’t believe what the Cubs were willing to give up for Gregg. 

Here’s what Law had to say:

“Getting Jose Ceda for one year of Kevin Gregg is a heist for Florida, and could really end up as a disaster for the Cubs, given how they intend to realign their pen.

“Gregg has an average arsenal, sinker-slider-split, and other than occasionally running the fastball up to 94, doesn’t have a plus pitch. His control is below-average, with 72 unintentional walks over the last two years in 152 innings, and only a fluky-low home run rate in 2008 kept his ERA under four. He’s not quite Antonio Alfonseca redux, but he’s no replacement for Kerry Wood, either.”

If Piniella intends to make the switch to Marmol in the middle of the season, there’s no reason he shouldn’t have named Marmol the closer now. 

It would have given Marmol the confidence and experience to excel down the stretch and into the playoffs. However, the Cubs decided to go with a guy who imploded during the stretch run last season. 

All I have to say is, "Kevin Gregg" and "World Series" in the same sentence? HAHAHA!

After announcing his decision, Piniella had this to say to the press, “Look, we’re not going to tip-toe through the tulips with this thing.” 

Well, he’ll have plenty of time to “tip-toe through tulips” come October if Gregg is his closer this season.

Until next time, envision tulips and the warmer weather.