Kerry's moving to the bullpen next year.

[rockin500]

I agree with reefer. I think this team completely just unfolds when another piching injury is intact. Going to relief may help, but getting rid of him all together would help even more. He has made more problems for this team than good.

what would be the harm in the bullpen? he'd be insurance if and when dempster sucks, and if eyre and howry are both completely ineffective. a heavily incentive laden contract does no harm and further strengthens a bullpen. he'd certainly be better than wuertz, rusch, novoa there in the middle innings. and if you know hes in the pen, you dont have the should he/shouldnt he bullshit with him as a starter

[redsrbetter]

I would hope you are right. When you look at it in that light you can imagine Wood having closer stuff and simply dominating the end of baseball games. But his injuries have simply put the fans in a raw unhealthy feeling toward him. At least the Cubs fans I know are not too high on the guy. Maybe moving him to a relief role will change the way the fans feel and will change his career alltogether.

[DMBZeppelin]

Die hard Cubs fan here, and I love Kerry Wood. Though I do get agrivated with his injuries. Case and point is 2005. He was just dominaiting with the pen. Cubs fans won't care if he's in the pen. Because you count on him a lot less. If he's out for a week with injury then it's not as bad if you're missing a starter from the rotation. Zambrano, Prior, Marshall, Guzman, and Marmol could be a good rotation next year. Then with Dempster, Eyre, Wood, and Howry in the pen that just be awesome. Eventually with experiance guys like Nova will be very good. I think Wood will just be awesome, and probably eventually the closer (as soon as Dempster slumps).

[love_that_reefer]

You count on him less? I see what you are trying to say but he would be in with the game on the line. You would actually count on him more. What's the harm? What's the good? Why not go out and get a REAL reliever without a injury report longer than John Holmes' dick? Wood and Prior have slowed this team down enough.

[rockin500]

they already have a good backend of the bullpen. they dont need to sink any more money there and a minimum contract with incentives is not really a big deal since the middle part of the pen is usually full of young guys who cant really cut it.

getting another good reliever is going to cost at least 4 mil per year anyways, and with all the other needs out there, putting him in the pen isnt a bad idea, IF he is willing to take a lowball offer.

[love_that_reefer]

It just blows my mind that Cub fans still want this headache on their favorite team. The guy is a DL All Star and pitching him everyday is not going to help that so why waste a roster spot and money on this guy? It simply doesn't make any sense to me.

[rockin500]

eh, I'd rather have an oftinjured Wood than someone like Novoa.


still, i cant say i really expect him to actually take a lowball offer.

[redsrbetter]

I still just can't get past the what factor here. What would have happened if Wood and Prior had healthy careers? Combine that with Zambrano and you have one of the nastiest staffs in baseball. And we haven't even mentioned Maddux in there. Its just a shame that this did not work out and it all had to do with health.

Its the classic story of what it could have been.