I have wondered what the Cubs were planning on doing with their bullpen for sometime. The Cubs have lost veterans Kerry Wood and Bob Howry along with prospect Jose Ceda. They added Kevin Gregg, but if bullpens are a numbers game…Jim Hendry has to do some adding. Today in the Tribune, Paul Sullivan gives us a peak at what the Cubs might do. They may look to Japan for veteran help:
The pitcher they’re most interested in is Ken Kadokura, a 35-year-old right-hander, and they also had a tryout for 34-year-old left-hander Shigeki Noguchi. The Yomiuri Giants released both veterans after the 2008 season.
Kadokura, who spent most of ‘08 in the minors, has a career record of 76-82, with 10 saves and a 4.36 ERA.
He throws a fastball, a splitter and a slider and could get a look as a middle reliever, with Jeff Samardzija getting an opportunity to start in spring training games.
“He hasn’t pitched on the mound lately, but he is in great condition and has great command,” Cubs Pacific Rim scout Steve Wilson told Nikkan Sports News. “We need some experienced pitchers for the bullpen.
“I will suggest [general manager] Jim Hendry consider signing him, at least as a spring training invitee.”
The Cubs believe having another Japanese-speaking player around will help Fukudome feel more comfortable.
So, from the sounds of this, Samadzija will start in the Cactus League, and Kadokura if signed has a real chance to land a spot in the Cubs pen. I wish I could tell you more on Kadokura, but I don’t know.
PM UPDATE–the rototimes chimes in with this:
Considering Kadokura is 35, was released by the Yomuri Giants and spent a lot of the season in the minor leagues, it seems odd that the Cubs would be interested in acquiring his services. Kadokura has a career record of 76-82, with 10 saves and a 4.36 ERA.
So after years of going after other big league teams released players, the latest resurrection project comes from Japan. YeeeeeeeeHaw!
I can tell you there is an excellent chance he’ll suck. He won’t make the team. It’s just for Fukudome and we know that won’t help either, but may as well try. Can’t hurt.
Just get Fukake a full time Japanese hooker, it will be cheaper and make Fukake happier.
LOL. You said it, I didn’t.
Hendry is yet to account for the losses of Howry and Wood IMHO.
Fuckin ey right CCD.
I’m not the least bit concerned about the bullpen. Nobody was going to do in 2009 what Wood did in 2008 so you can’t replace that. You just have to try and replace what he’d likely do in 2009 and the cubs did that with Kevin Gregg. As for Howry, well, I consider that addition by subtraction and most importantly, the bullpen is such an unreliable beast that you should never spend more than a few hours trying to put it together. Hendry spent a lot of time working on the bullpens when Dusty was the manager and a lot of money too. They weren’t very good. Waste of that time and money. Hendry seems to have learned that you just use what you have and hope for the best.
Just tell that to the Mets or Brewers, Maddog. I do agree that relievers are one of the biggest crap shoots and Hendry went way overboard with the 3 year contracts to both Eyre and Howry. Still a lefty specialist would do wonders but a number of the more servicable and affordable ones have already been signed. So I hope you’re right Maddog but I have my doubts.
I don’t know if I’m right nor not, Klute. I haven’t any idea. I’d say the same thing if the Cubs bullpen was Mariano Rivera, Carlos Marmol, Kerry Wood, Francisco Rodriguez, and the next 3 best relievers as well. Obviously a bullpen like that would have a greater chance of being good, but let’s consider that “being bad” for that group of pitchers is probably excellent for another bullpen. There’s just so few innings for the relievers that you have little reliability in terms of what they’ll do. In 60 innings a reliever with a true talent level of a 3.00 ERA would likely fall somewhere between 5 and 1.5. If that pitcher was to get 1000 innings he’d have an ERA of somewhere around 2.85-3.15.
Same goes for the bench. If you figure in 100 plate appearances the variance in production is about 100 points in wOBA (just consider OBP if you’re not familiar with wOBA). A true talent of a .330 wOBA bench player would hit somewhere between .230 and .430 and each of those would be well within the range of expected results.
Basically, a 3.00 ERA pitcher in 60 innings could have an ERA of 5.00 and it would fall within expectations. One reliever isn’t going to drastically improve the Cubs bullpen. 60 innings is next to nothing.
I’d like to have a strong bullpen and a strong bench, but those are so hit and miss that I don’t think you spend much money on them. Truth be told, I’d trade Carlos Marmol next offseason. You may not be able to replace him, but he’s a reliever–he’s not irreplaceable.