Ricketts got this Cubs call right

It was quite entertaining to hear Mike Quade go after Carlos Silva and at the same time take ownership of the decision to dump the delusional dope.

And while anyone with a working wit knew Silva didn't belong, rookie managers don't make $8 million decisions.

It was Cubs GM Jim Hendry who made the call, and it was owner Tom Ricketts who had to approve a move that flushed a serious amount of cash down the ancient Wrigley Field toilets.

“Tom was great about it, but it's not like it was a spur-of-the-moment thing,” Hendry said Wednesday from Arizona, as the team packed up and headed for Chicago. “Tom and I talked about it when we made the trade (for Silva in December 2009), and we talked about it again in the off-season.”

After starting 9-2 with a 2.96 ERA in 2010, Silva suffered from numerous physical ailments and went 1-4 in his final 5 starts with a 14.21 ERA.

“I have to own the (Milton) Bradley deal. That's a fact,” Hendry said. “We made the trade for Silva simply to eliminate one player from our clubhouse.

“We were fortunate that Silva gave us a few good months and it got us the money to sign Marlon Byrd last year.”

But Hendry says Ricketts knew from the moment they acquired Silva that the Cubs might have to swallow his contract, and that the owner supported Hendry all along.

“After the way (Silva) finished last year, we didn't know what we'd get when we got to camp,” Hendry said. “Over the winter we knew it was a possibility, and then we see him at the (Cubs) convention and his conditioning is not what you'd expect from a guy in his position.

“Tom and I had some conversations again (in January) that the day may come that we have to release him with one year left on his deal.

“We knew we might have to do it if we want to break (camp) with the best 25 and the 12 best pitchers.

“Tom said, ‘Do what you think is right.' He's been supportive all along on this. He wanted to do the right thing all along.”

And then Silva showed up in spring training making assumptions about his spot in the rotation and was aggravated when he learned he would have to earn it.

Quade immediately — and wisely — smacked Silva upside the head with a declaration that no one at the back end of the rotation had anything guaranteed.

Silva's response was to pitch poorly and get into it with Aramis Ramirez in the dugout.

Quade tried to massage it by praising Silva's intensity and work habits, but perhaps that would have been the opportune time to suggest a purchase of that mirror.

Then again, it probably wouldn't have made any difference.

“The bottom line was he was not good enough to make the team,” Hendry said. “After the second half he had last year and the small amount of innings, we didn't see any improvement when we went to camp.

“After the first few games I spoke to Tom again, so we knew this was coming and he was absolutely supportive of the decision.”

The Cubs didn't have to do the right thing here. They could have kept Silva around in an attempt to save face, but they didn't.

The last Cubs manager may have preferred a washed-up veteran to a youngster, but all involved now wanted Andrew Cashner in the rotation, and with Silva gone they've got Cashner in Chicago starting every five days.

It's been a bad couple of years for the Cubs and Hendry, but it sounds like his plan from the start was to move Silva if he showed anything this spring and cut him if he didn't — even with the understanding that it would drudge up memories of Bradley.

At the same time, Ricketts' decisions have been appropriately panned since he took over the team, and yet with all the financial issues he's facing he was prepared to do the right thing for the baseball team, money be darned.

So this was a very positive step, and a rather surprising one at that.

This space has not been particularly kind to either the last couple of years, but fair is fair.

Hendry reached the proper conclusion, and Ricketts deserves the credit for approving the call and getting this one right.

brozner@dailyherald.com

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