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Cubs CHC

200983–78 (0.516)
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GM: Jim Hendry

Overview

Ranks vs the 30 teams in 2009, or a custom range (defaults to every team-season since 1985, when our data starts).

to

Front Office

PoorAverageGreat
Value
Payroll $M
$140M
Surplus $M
-63
Win %
0.516
TAB
-6.3
WAB
-3.8
Roster composition
Roster fWAR
32.8
Dead money %
28%
Depth Players
9.0
Dead WAR
-4.4

Offense

PoorAverageGreat

Pitching & Defense

PoorAverageGreat

Roster

2009 depth chart — stacked by playing time

C

RGeovany Soto96
BKoyie Hill79
RJake Fox3

1B

RDerrek Lee139
LMicah Hoffpauir27
RJake Fox7
RJeff Baker⇄3

2B

LMike Fontenot70
RJeff Baker⇄52
BAndrés Blanco40
BAaron Miles35
BBobby Scales11
RAlfonso Soriano2

3B

RAramis Ramirez79
LMike Fontenot50
RJake Fox27
RJeff Baker⇄20
RRyan Freel⇄9
BBobby Scales8
BAaron Miles4
RAlfonso Soriano1
BKoyie Hill1

SS

RRyan Theriot151
BAndrés Blanco15
BAaron Miles8

LF

RAlfonso Soriano116
LSam Fuld29
RJake Fox23
BBobby Scales17
LMicah Hoffpauir11
RReed Johnson10
RSo Taguchi3
LSean Marshall1

CF

LKosuke Fukudome113
RReed Johnson42
LSam Fuld26
LTyler Colvin6
BMilton Bradley1

RF

BMilton Bradley108
LKosuke Fukudome44
LMicah Hoffpauir25
RReed Johnson7
BBobby Scales4
RJake Fox3
LSam Fuld2
RSo Taguchi1

DH

RJake Fox3
LMicah Hoffpauir2
RDerrek Lee1

Starters

RCarlos Zambrano4.5 WAR
RRyan Dempster3.5 WAR
LTed Lilly3.4 WAR
RRandy Wells3.4 WAR
RRich Harden2.0 WAR
LSean Marshall0.7 WAR
LTom Gorzelanny⇄0.5 WAR
RKevin Hart⇄0.0 WAR
RJeff Samardzija-0.2 WAR

Bullpen

★ RKevin Gregg23 sv
RCarlos Marmol27 h
LJohn Grabow⇄24 h
RAngel Guzman15 h
RAaron Heilman10 h
LNeal Cotts2 h
RJeff Samardzija1 h
RDavid Patton0 h

Each position shows its top 3 by games (top = starter) — click "+more" for the rest. The letter is bats/throws; ⇄ marks a player traded mid-season. Starters are ranked by WAR, bullpen by holds; ★ marks the closer (most save chances). MLB Stats API.

Key additions (new vs 2008)

PlayerfWAR
Jeff Baker1.5
Milton Bradley0.7
Sam Fuld0.6
Tom Gorzelanny0.5
Esmailin Caridad0.5
Bobby Scales0.4

Key subtractions (gone from 2008)

Player2008 fWAR
Mark DeRosa4.2
Jason Marquis2.2
Kerry Wood2.1
Jim Edmonds1.5
Sean Gallagher0.7
Henry Blanco0.6

Contract Value

WAR translated into tier-adjusted market value, then compared with what the player was paid by Cubs. Guaranteed contracts from the 2015-present contract-data period use the known contract period through 2009; everyone else is shown as a 2009 season snapshot.

PlayerPeriodfWARTier Market $MPaid $MSurplus $M$ / WARTierContract
Carlos Zambrano 2009 +4.5 +78.3 18.8 +59.5 $4.2M 2.19× –
Randy Wells 2009 +3.4 +52.7 0.4 +52.3 $0.1M 1.96× –
Ryan Dempster 2009 +3.5 +54.2 9.0 +45.2 $2.6M 1.96× –
Derrek Lee 2009 +5.2 +56.9 13.2 +43.7 $2.5M 1.37× –
Ted Lilly 2009 +3.4 +53.5 13.0 +40.5 $3.8M 1.96× –
Rich Harden 2009 +2.0 +24.0 7.0 +17.0 $3.5M 1.49× –
Ryan Theriot 2009 +2.2 +15.7 0.5 +15.2 $0.2M 0.89× –
Kosuke Fukudome 2009 +2.4 +23.0 12.5 +10.5 $5.3M 1.22× –
Jeff Baker↔ 2009 +1.5 +10.0 0.4 +9.7 $0.2M 0.82× –
Carlos Marmol 2009 +0.8 +8.8 0.6 +8.3 $0.7M 1.34× –
Geovany Soto 2009 +1.2 +5.0 0.6 +4.4 $0.5M 0.52× –
Tom Gorzelanny↔ 2009 +0.5 +4.4 0.3 +4.1 $0.5M 1.02× –
Sam Fuld 2009 +0.6 +4.3 0.4 +3.9 $0.6M 0.83× –
Sean Marshall 2009 +0.7 +3.7 0.5 +3.2 $0.7M 0.67× –
Aaron Heilman 2009 +0.3 +2.7 1.6 +1.1 $6.4M 1.34× –
Mike Fontenot 2009 +0.3 +1.2 0.4 +0.8 $1.6M 0.56× –
Justin Berg 2009 +0.2 +1.1 0.4 +0.7 $2.0M 0.67× –
John Grabow↔ 2009 +0.2 +1.2 0.9 +0.3 $4.0M 0.67× –
Jose Ascanio↔ 2009 +0.1 +0.5 0.4 +0.2 $3.7M 0.67× –
Jake Fox 2009 +0.1 +0.3 0.4 -0.1 $5.4M 0.58× –
Luis Vizcaino↔ 2009 +0.2 +0.8 0.9 -0.1 $6.0M 0.67× –
Angel Guzman 2009 +0.0 +0.2 0.4 -0.2 $9.6M 0.67× –
Kevin Hart↔ 2009 +0.0 +0.0 0.2 -0.2 $50.2M 1.02× –
Micah Hoffpauir 2009 -0.0 -0.1 0.4 -0.5 – 0.56× –
Andrés Blanco 2009 -0.1 -0.3 0.4 -0.7 – 0.56× –
Jeff Stevens 2009 -0.1 -0.7 0.4 -1.1 – 0.67× –
David Patton 2009 -0.3 -1.4 0.4 -1.8 – 0.67× –
Reed Johnson 2009 +0.2 +1.1 3.0 -1.9 $17.4M 0.83× –
Joey Gathright↔ 2009 -0.3 -1.7 0.4 -2.2 – 0.83× –
Milton Bradley 2009 +0.7 +4.6 7.0 -2.4 $10.1M 0.83× –
Aramis Ramirez 2009 +2.1 +14.1 16.6 -2.6 $8.0M 0.85× –
Ryan Freel↔ 2009 -0.3 -1.3 1.4 -2.7 – 0.58× –
Jeff Samardzija 2009 -0.2 -1.2 2.0 -3.2 – 0.67× –
Koyie Hill 2009 -0.7 -2.8 0.5 -3.3 – 0.52× –
Neal Cotts 2009 -0.4 -2.2 1.1 -3.3 – 0.67× –
Kevin Gregg 2009 -0.3 -2.8 4.2 -7.0 – 1.34× –
Aaron Miles 2009 -1.4 -6.4 2.2 -8.6 – 0.56× –
Alfonso Soriano 2009 -0.1 -0.8 17.0 -17.8 – 0.83× –
Bobby Scales 2009 +0.4 +2.6 – – – 0.83× –
Chad Fox 2009 -0.1 -0.3 – – – 0.67× –
Esmailin Caridad 2009 +0.5 +2.6 – – – 0.67× –
Jason Waddell 2009 +0.1 +0.4 – – – 0.67× –
Mitch Atkins 2009 +0.0 +0.1 – – – 0.67× –
So Taguchi 2009 -0.0 -0.2 – – – 0.83× –
Tyler Colvin 2009 -0.1 -0.7 – – – 0.83× –
Total—+32.9+405.1139.8+260.9—

Trades

Every graded 2009 deal involving the Cubs — best expected value first. Surplus is realized value in $M; 10 total.

2009 · CHC / BAL
CHC · Jim Hendry +$7.2M
Garrett Olson, Henry Williamson
BAL · Andy MacPhail −$7.2M
Félix Pie
CHC came out ahead by $7.2M
2009 · OAK / CHC
OAK · Billy Beane +$16.0M
Michael Wuertz
CHC · Jim Hendry −$16.0M
Richie Robnett, Justin Sellers
OAK came out ahead by $16.0M
2009 · PIT / CHC
PIT · Neal Huntington +$38.4M
Kevin Hart, Josh Harrison, José Ascanio
CHC · Jim Hendry −$38.4M
Tom Gorzelanny, John Grabow
PIT came out ahead by $38.4M
2009 · CHC / ARI
CHC · Jim Hendry +$0.8M
Scott Maine, Ryne White
ARI · Josh Byrnes −$0.8M
Aaron Heilman
CHC came out ahead by $0.8M
2009 · CHC / OAK
CHC · Jim Hendry +$1.6M
Jeff Gray, Ronny Morla, Matthew Spencer
OAK · Billy Beane −$1.6M
Jake Fox, Aaron Miles
CHC came out ahead by $1.6M
2009 · CHC / SEA
CHC · Jim Hendry +$40.8M
Carlos Silva
SEA · Jack Zduriencik −$40.8M
Milton Bradley
CHC came out ahead by $40.8M
2009 · COL / CHC
COL · Daniel O'Dowd +$38.4M
Jason Marquis
CHC · Jim Hendry −$38.4M
Luis Vizcaíno
COL came out ahead by $38.4M
2009 · BAL / CHC
BAL · Andy MacPhail +$9.6M
Joey Gathright
CHC · Jim Hendry −$9.6M
Ryan Freel
BAL came out ahead by $9.6M
2009 · CHC / COL
CHC · Jim Hendry +$2.4M
Jeff Baker
COL · Daniel O'Dowd −$2.4M
Al Alburquerque
CHC came out ahead by $2.4M
2009 · CHC / SEA
CHC · Jim Hendry +$10.4M
Aaron Heilman
SEA · Jack Zduriencik −$10.4M
Ronny Cedeño, Garrett Olson
CHC came out ahead by $10.4M

Current & Historical Payroll

2009 payroll
$139.7M

What the front office was committed to as of 2009, 2009–2015. Pre-2015 has no contract-terms data — forward italic $ are realized actuals (hindsight, not commitments known then). Control labels (ARB/FA) are point-in-time.

current $ guaranteed $ actual $ (hindsight) arbitration (proj) pre-arb (proj) free agent

Guaranteed / signed (19)

PlayerAgeSvc2009201020112012201320142015
Carlos Zambrano288.000$18.8M$18.9M$18.9MFREE AGENT
Alfonso Soriano3310.000$17.0M$19.0M$19.0M$18.0M$11.1MFREE AGENT
Aramis Ramirez3111.000$16.6M$16.8M$14.6MFREE AGENT
Derrek Lee3312.000$13.2M$9.8MFREE AGENT
Ted Lilly3310.000$13.0M$7.8MFREE AGENT
Ryan Dempster3211.000$9.0M$13.5M$13.5M$8.0MFREE AGENT
Milton Bradley319.000$7.0MFREE AGENT
Rich Harden276.000$7.0MFREE AGENT
Kevin Gregg316.000$4.2MFREE AGENT$450k
Reed Johnson326.000$3.0MFREE AGENT$900k$734k
Aaron Miles326.000$2.2MFREE AGENT
Aaron Heilman306.000$1.6MFREE AGENT
Ryan Freel338.000$1.4MFREE AGENT
Neal Cotts296.000$1.1MFREE AGENT
Luis Vizcaino3410.000$933kFREE AGENT
John Grabow306.000$920k$2.7M$4.8MFREE AGENT
Koyie Hill306.000$475k$700k$850kFREE AGENT
Chad Fox3812.000—FREE AGENT
So Taguchi397.000—FREE AGENT

Arbitration-eligible (10)

PlayerAgeSvc2009201020112012201320142015
Carlos Marmol263.000$575kARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Geovany Soto264.000$575kARB 3FREE AGENT
Ryan Theriot294.000$500kARB 3FREE AGENT
Sean Marshall263.000$450kARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Joey Gathright285.000$432kFREE AGENT
Mike Fontenot294.000$430kARB 3FREE AGENT
Angel Guzman273.000$422kARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Andrés Blanco255.000$400kFREE AGENT
Jeff Baker284.000$354kARB 3FREE AGENT
Tom Gorzelanny264.000$256kARB 3FREE AGENT

Pre-arbitration (16)

PlayerAgeSvc2009201020112012201320142015
Kosuke Fukudome321.000$12.5MPre-ArbARB 1ARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Jeff Samardzija241.000$2.0MPre-ArbARB 1ARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Micah Hoffpauir291.000$408kPre-ArbARB 1ARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Randy Wells261.000$402kPre-ArbARB 1ARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Jake Fox262.000$402kARB 1ARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Sam Fuld272.000$402kARB 1ARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Jeff Stevens250.000$400kPre-ArbPre-ArbARB 1ARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
David Patton250.000$400kPre-ArbPre-ArbARB 1ARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Justin Berg250.000$400kPre-ArbPre-ArbARB 1ARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Jose Ascanio242.000$354kARB 1ARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Kevin Hart262.000$181kARB 1ARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Mitch Atkins23–—
Jason Waddell28–—
Bobby Scales31–—
Tyler Colvin230.000—Pre-ArbPre-ArbARB 1ARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Esmailin Caridad250.000—Pre-ArbPre-ArbARB 1ARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT

Graphs

How each 2009 acquisition stacked onto Cubs's playoff-odds curve. The side table is ranked by PPA.

Rosternomics — front-office performance, roster value, and transaction history. Follow @rosternomics on X.
Decision-maker records extend to 1933; resource-controlled WAR and payroll metrics cover 1985–2026. Data sources include FanGraphs, Baseball-Reference, the Chadwick Bureau register, the Lahman Database, prospect rankings from Baseball America, MLB Pipeline, and FanGraphs, and public payroll records. Transaction and trade data was obtained free of charge from and is copyrighted by Retrosheet. Executive birth/death data via Wikidata (CC0).
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