Chicago Cubs on Trial: Did They Make the Wrong Move with Kid-K? Part II

Editor's Note: The preceding article detailed the charges against the Cubs, and also outlined the case of the defense. This article contains the defense's case, and also a concluding non-partisan statement charging you, the fans, with deciding the case's outcome.

Defense

Well, it certainly is difficult to defend a franchise after such an eloquent case that my opponent has just presented.

However, the reason we are in this court battle isn't to determine who can use the better rhetoric or who can impress you, the fans, most with our impassioned pleas to your love of fiery players and great memories. Those things can never be taken away from you, nor should they.

But they should not cloud your judgment on the matter at hand: whether or not the organization acted irresponsibly in its handling and subsequent dismissal of Mr. Wood. We will seek to prove that our client, the Cubs, handled the situation appropriately, and that the moves made by the club are designed not to hamper our playoff aspirations, but to instead enhance them to the point that we can get to our ultimate goal: a World Series championship.

Our first defense is also the most obvious when it comes to Kerry Wood: his frequent injuries. No team should reasonably be expected to put up with a player who can't seem to stay healthy, but the Cubs certainly gave Mr. Wood more than ample opportunity to prove that he can stay uninjured. Other than 2003 and 2008, he was unable to do so.

Our playoff hopes in many seasons were hinged upon the ability of Kerry to stay off the DL and stay on the pitcher's mound. Most notably in 2001 and 2004, the frequent absence of Wood may very well have cost this organization great chances to win championships, something that you may or may not realize hasn't happened since 1908. Think about that.

This organization should be given some sort of a prize for putting up with his frequent DL-stints, and in a way, I guess we are being given just desserts. We are giving Kerry the opportunity to blossom elsewhere, and for our trouble we will be given the satisfaction of perhaps seeing him succeed elsewhere. If he gets hurt, not only would it validate us, but we also still get a draft pick as compensation for losing his services.

Another defense that we have is the cost in both monetary terms and in years. With players in our system like Carlos Marmol and Jeff Samardzija, we cannot be reasonably expected to lock up a closer with a history of arm trouble for three, four, or even five years.

Financially, investing $6 million or more also does not make sense. Would you purchase stock in a company that is continually losing on its shares, and after brief rebounds, simply crashes again? Of course you wouldn't.

And yet, the Cubs did just that, hoping that this time, it would finally pay off for them. Ultimately, the risk didn't prove to be worth the reward, and the Cubs have exercised their rights in letting Wood go and seeing what we have in-house.

We should not be punished because we exercised these rights, or because we merely want to see what we have on the shelf while it's still fresh and young. Wood's on-mound attributes may be difficult to duplicate, but how will we ever know if he is getting paid $6 million a season to stifle the development of our future potential closers?

A third defense is the inability of Kerry to pitch more than one inning at a time. When you look at the stats, they back up this assertion.

Over the course of this season, Kerry racked up 66-1/3 innings. He did this in 65 appearances. Clearly, this indicates a definite problem for the Cubs. They need a closer who is not limited to just one inning of a game.

Often times, the closer is required to pitch an extra third of an inning, or even two-thirds of an extra inning if need be. Wood is not capable of doing this every time that the Cubs need him to.

This lack of endurance can do nothing but a hurt a team, and with the Cubs often playing with only 11 pitchers, we need all of them to be able to pitch more than a single inning at a time. Kerry simply does not fit the bill.

The fourth and final defense of this move is this: The Cubs are not getting any younger. They are quickly aging, and the reality of baseball is that it is moving toward being a younger game. Teams like the Rockies and Brewers, who are predicated on a lot of young talent, have taken over the game, and in order for the Cubs to compete, they will likely want to do it the same way.

Let's face facts: Ted Lilly, Mark DeRosa, Derrek Lee, Kosuke Fukudome, and Aramis Ramirez are not getting any younger, and Kerry Wood certainly fits this bill. His body is older than his 31 years of age, with all of the injuries and rehabs that it has gone through. Surgeries and recoveries make the body look older than it really is, and Wood would fit here.

To conclude my argument that the Cubs did not behave in a manner that would damage their playoff chances, let me just say this: Kerry Wood is a good example of what is sorely lacking in this sport: Loyalty to a team. This trait, however, is easily outweighed by the loyalty and blind stubbornness that the Cubs have exhibited in not giving up on the man.

His many injuries and accelerated aging are certainly things that any team is going to have to look at. The Cubs made a responsible decision, evaluated all of the variables, and decided that they have a better chance to win with Kevin Gregg and Carlos Marmol than they do with Kerry Wood. This administration has made decisions that have led to three playoff appearances, so I think we as fans should trust them with this one.

It is hard to see a player like Kerry Wood go, but when the initial emotion-driven trauma wears off, and the situation is looked at through the cold prism of reality, you will easily see that the Cubs made the right decision in this situation. Thank you for listening, and I know you will make the right decision.

Conclusion

It is now up to you, the fans to vote. Did the Cubs make the right decision by letting Kerry Wood go? Or did they damage their playoff chances by giving up too early and hurt fans in a manner that they don't deserve?

You get to serve as the jury here, and I'm interested to hear your opinions. The fate of the Cubs is in your hands.