Fact: the Cubs need a offensive center fielder for 2010, at least.  Perhaps 2011 as well.

Fact: Mike Cameron would have been almost ideal, but he is now off the market.

Q: would Hendry have been able to sign Cameron if he was able to trade Milton Bradley during the Winter meetings?

My answer is - I don't think so.  The $22 million still owed Bradley is spent money - either we pay it directly to him, or we pay it to a combination of a player from another team we receive in trade, as well as that team itself. 

Lets just say that Tampa did send us Pat Burrell for Bradley.  We'd have to pay Burrell his 2010 salary, which is the same as Bradley's 2010.  Plus, Tampa would insist that we pay them the difference between what Bradley is owed in 2011 ($12 million) and what they think Bradley would be worth in 2011 (probably $3 million).  So we'd be paying Tampa the bulk of Bradley's 2011 contract while he plays for them. 

Therefore, the money we'd save would be almost none, certainly nowhere near enough to justify taking on Cameron, even on a one-year deal.  As it turned out, Cameron got 2 years from the Red Sox for what, 13, 14, 15 million?

So, assuming Hendry is on a budget (which is a story for a whole other time), he cannot afford to take on Cameron, or Marlon Byrd, or any other experienced center fielder on the market.

I am afraid, Cub fans, that in 2010 center field will be manned by the three-headed cheap monster of Reed Johnson, Sam Fuld and Tyler Colvin.  Which in my personal opinion is really going to suck, unless Soto, Ramirez, and Soriano ALL reach career highs in production.  But make no mistake - this is not due to Hendry's inability to trade Bradley last week.  Nobody in the majors is going to make a trade that would allow us to recoup much of the Bradley contract.  We are stuck with crap in center because Hendry signed Bradley in the first place, that and signing Fooky, too.  Don't forget we owe him $24 million over the next two years, too.

Why not leave the Fooker in center, and get a right fielder?  2 reasons - the first is that productive right fielders are no cheaper, and in fact more expensive, than productive center fielders.  See where Jason Bay turned down 4x$15 million?  Secondly, and more importantly, the Fooker was the single worst center fielder in the majors last year, by a wide margin.  He's a "plus" right fielder, but a big "minus" center fielder.  We never signed him to play center.

I guess what I am trying to tell you kids is, if you are looking for a splash of new blood to make your 2010 baseball season more exciting, forget it.  We are going to see a level of "stability" unlike anything we have seen since pre-free agent days.  Outside of Harden and Gregg, we are heading to war with the same team that went 83-78 last year. That's why I'm trying to pump up Kiko Calero...I'm afraid that Kiko, or a Kiko-esque figure, is going to be it as far as New Blood for 2010.

It ain't a fire sale, but then again, we don't really have anybody to fire sale with, anyway.