I think it's safe to say that all Cubs fans are sick of hearing about how good Angel Guzman is "going to be." Well, it looks like we can finally put the hype to bed. The ligament tear Guzman has in his right shoulder will most likely end what has turned out to be a very very disappointing career. Sometimes it's hard to stomach the fact that Angel Guzman is actually six months younger than Carlos Zambrano. There was a time when it was thought that Guzman was going to be just as good as (or even better than) Big Z. They are both from the same country, both signed major league contracts when they were teenagers, but Zambrano made his Cubs debut a full 5 years before Guzman. Big Z has been a workhorse his entire career, while Guzman hasn't even logged 200 total innings of work in just 88 games over the past four seasons. What happened? Is it just bad luck? Was it bad coaching or preparation? Should we blame the goat? Whatever the answer is, the Cubs now have a gaping hole in their bullpen, and Jim Hendry needs to find a solution quickly.
At one time Chan Ho Park and Kiko Calero were on the Cubs' radar, but they both signed with other teams. Park saw the dollar signs from the Yankees and Hendry was paranoid about injury concerns with Calero (even though he posted a 1.95 ERA in 2009) so he went to the Mets. The latest name on the board is Jason Frasor from the Blue Jays. Frasor is a Chicago native who had a decent year last year (2.50 ERA and 11 saves). He may not be the most ideal candidate, but in my opinion Hendry already dropped the ball by not getting Park or Calero so I hope he just pulls the trigger. The talent pool as of right now for available relievers is pretty much dried up, and I'm sure Frasor would welcome a ticket out of Toronto to return home.
Another intriguing idea is John Smoltz. He is currently without a team and while his numbers with the Cardinals last year weren't spectacular you can't deny his clubhouse presence and mentoring capabilities. Wouldn't it be nice if a future Hall-of-Famer could help Carlos Marmol find that consistently he's painfully lacking? Smoltz is an obvious injury risk so I highly doubt Hendry would sign him if he wouldn't even bite on Calero, but I think he should at the very least be given some consideration.
The fact that the Cubs need bullpen help isn't some great mystery and I'm sure Hendry will get a deal done simply because he knows he has to. Be ready to hold your breath this year when Randy Wells exits after six shutout innings because we will all be wondering the same thing.....can the bullpen hold the lead?
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