Jim Hendry

As the Chicago Cubs—though still premature—close in on their first losing season season since 2006, one thing may be able to relinquish an utterly disappointing season.

Currently, numerous mock-draft web sites have the Cubs taking yet another pitching prospect, ranging from Alex Wimmers and Asher Wojciechowski, to Stetson Allie and Drew Pomeranz.

As seen with Chicago pitcher-prospects Jeff Samardizija and Jay Jackson, developement of young pitchers can be time consuming, and possibly result in career minor league pitchers. 

Despite their early-season struggles, the Chicago Cubs have plenty of reasons not to be afraid just yet. From the revamped minor league system, to a smarter Jim Hendry, to the twenty-fifth man on the roster (and the fortieth in September), the Cubs organization and their ever-loyal fans have no reason to worry about the 2010 season.

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In the 2010 season, the Chicago Cubs rotation has been as dependable as a Toyota— especially since the recent move by Lou Piniella of Carlos Zambrano to the bullpen, and complete domination by recently acquired starter Carlos Silva.

It's only mid-April, but there are plenty of people already discussing who on the Cubs roster should get traded.

The discussions always center around what those players are doing on the field—obviously an important part in discussing potential trades, but are usually short on providing full context.

Trades are much more complex than, "Well, I have this guy that I want to get rid of and you have this other guy that I want. Any chance you want to make a swap?"

As regular readers of my stuff know, I am not a backer of Jim Hendry. In fact, I think he is one of the worst GMs in baseball.

Sure, his teams have enjoyed more success than some other Cubs general managers of recent vintage—but I think an increased payroll may have something to do with that.

Plus, it is not exactly a challenging baseline that has been established.

Look at this $140 million team full of bloated, untradeable contracts, and draw your own conclusions.

Plus, Hendry has had an unimpressive run as the club's farm director.

It’s a tale of two teams, but three cities. And as Charles Dickens wrote, it’s a tale of the years they intertwined from the start, one enjoying a “season (or seasons) of light,” the other dreading a “season of darkness.”

The Atlanta Braves and Chicago Cubs always pop up on each other’s schedules at least twice, sometimes more, every year. But rarely do they begin a regular season against each other.

Chicago Cubs General Manager, Jim Hendry, had some good words of advice for Milton Bradley on Wednesday. Hendry told ESPNChicago.com that it is time for Milton to look at himself in the mirror and take some responsibility for his unsuccessful season in Chicago.

Bradley recently did an interview with ESPN's Colleen Dominguez. He told her that he felt like a prisoner in his own home when he was in Chicago. Also that he received hate mail with no postage mark on it. When asked if this mail came from inside the organization, Bradley told her that he hoped not but maybe it could've.

This article was originally published at TheDailyCub.com , a blog dedicated to giving you quality Cubs content.

The Cubs were pretty quite this past off-season. They didn’t make too many moves, and the ones that they did make were more to sure up the bench rather than to provide a punch to the lineup.

Stopping to read the Jim Hendry outfield foibles over the last few seasons reads like the tale of a man who just doesn't get it. Corey Patterson, Jacque Jones, Jeromy Burnitz, Matt Lawton, Cliff Floyd, Juan Pierre, Alfonso Soriano, Kosuke Fukudome, and Milton Bradley, just to name a few.

In pretty much every case, the Cubs have either failed to get the production that they hoped for, and/or wildly overpaid for it. I'll let you figure out which is which.

Watching highlights of new Chicago Cub centerfielder Marlon Byrd running the bases makes me wonder if the Cubs are trying out for “The Biggest Loser.”

If you have ever had your girlfriend ask you, “Honey, does my butt look big in these jeans,” you know where I’m coming from. We all know what the politically correct answer is, but boy does Marlon Byrd look big in his baseball pants.