Dale Sveum

Readers of this blog will be well-aware of my disdain for the recently fired Cubs manager.  Enough said.  I thought he was a mistake from the beginning, and also that the idea of hiring a placeholder manager and fielding a team of placeholders was a fundamentally dumb idea.

So, anyway, he is gone, and the search for a replacement begins.  I have to assume that the Cubs have at least made some back-channel inquiries about Joe Girardi, who seems a logical choice.  I kind of agree with Gordon Wittenmyer that they need to make this move.

Sveum was undoubtedly the victim of the poor performance and lack of progress of several of the teams showcase "stars," most particularly Starlin Castro, but also Anthony Rizzo, Jeff Samardzija, and Edwin Jackson.

Sveum's demise was also the result of a deeply flawed strategy that is being implemented by Epstein and Hoyer.  I'm convinced that this whole process of rebuilding bottom up doesn't work for a major market team.  You've got to put a hopeful product on the field in order to retain fan interest.  The Cubs have not done so.  They haven't even tried, with the result that their attendance is down so much they are hemorrhaging cash.

If the Cubs want to get back to some semblance of relevance, they not only need to get a good manager and good coaches who can recognize and develop real talent, they need to start by improving the team right now with players who will contribute over the long haul and bring some measure of respectability.  Losing cultures get turned around by winning every now and then.

So right now, I would say they should make a run at Shin-Soo Choo and also at least kick the tires on a legitimate #1 starter like David Price.  Choo is a free agent, but Price would cost them at least one solid prospect.  If we are to believe the hype on some of these guys the Cubs are developing in the minor leagues, they can afford it.

Besides that, everyone knows that they are lucky if one or two of these guys lives up to the hype.  Remember Felix Pie?  Five tools, etc., etc.  Another caution about the farm system.  If you notice, with the exception of Alcantara, a switch hitter, and Vogelbach, they are all right-handed hitters who never walk.