Come To Think Of It...Not Offering Kerry Wood Arbitration Makes No Sense

Look, I understand that the Cubs think signing Kerry Wood to a multi-year contract is too risky. I get that. But to not offer arbitration to him is just plain stupid. Yet that's just what Jim Hendry decided, that Woody was too risky to even offer arbitration to. So what's the worst thing that could have happened, that Wood might have accepted the offer and forced the Cubs to bring their closer back for one more year? And this would be a bad thing because...? In fact, if Hendry was being honest, a one year deal is exactly what the Cubs should have been not only willing to do with Wood, but something they actually desired. But once again, what they say and what they mean are often two different things. And anyway, if Wood and Hendry were such good friends, as almost everyone insists, why couldn't they have made a gentlemen's agreement that if offered, Wood would not take arbitration, thus allowing the Cubs to get the compensatory picks they had coming. I mean, if Wood cares about the ... (link)