The Cubs played all 10 rookies on their roster in another loss Wednesday as they slog through a transformation that gets harder to watch with every respected and well-liked veteran they trade away.
Get used to it.
This time it was Derrek Lee accepting a salary-dump trade to the Atlanta Braves for prospects just a month after using his no-trade rights to reject a trade to the Los Angeles Angels.
Lee is the fourth fan and clubhouse favorite traded in less than three weeks -- and the most tenured and biggest in stature of the group.
His trade ends a nearly seven-year run that included a batting title, two playoff appearances, two All-Star appearances, two Gold Gloves and 179 home runs.
''And he's a better human being than he is a baseball player,'' said Cubs pitcher Ryan Dempster, a Lee teammate for 11 seasons, including four in Florida.
''The numbers -- you can [replace] that with anybody,'' left fielder Alfonso Soriano said. ''But the personality, I don't think so. We can't replace that.''
For all the dismantling the Cubs have done and still have left to do over the winter, this one likely will come to symbolize the overhaul more than the other moves -- even though nobody, including Lee, expected him to be back after his contract expired this fall anyway.
Lee was the clear clubhouse leader since his monster 2005 season and was the most significant, if not the last, stabilizing influence among the every-day players during this wrong-way season of lame-duck managers, Class AAA tryout camps and fifth-place plunges.
With 41 games left in his managing career, a somber Lou Piniella said he plans to meet with the players, probably Friday, after this latest clubhouse loss.
''We're going to have to,'' Piniella said. ''We've lost some good people in here over the last three weeks or so, and I guess we're going to have to sit down and talk about it a little bit as a team.''
One of the reasons the Lee trade hits as hard as it does is because until early this week, it wasn't expected. Lee, who has $3.4 million left on his contract, cleared waivers this month, but after rejecting a proposed trade to the Angels -- for what he said were family reasons -- he didn't seem willing to leave Chicago.
''It just felt right now,'' said Lee, whose four homers in three games over the weekend inspired a call from the Braves on Sunday night. ''The main thing is, we've got six weeks to go, and Atlanta's in first place. They're playing great baseball, and I understand what [general manager Jim Hendry's] trying to do over here. It just felt right, and the chance to go to the postseason, it's hard to pass up.
''The timing just didn't seem right [in July]. The Angels were close but not right there. Moving your family for that period of time. ... This time it seemed like it would work.''
Hendry approached Lee on Sunday night, and the next morning Lee gave Hendry the go-ahead to pursue the trade that eventually landed the Cubs three minor-league pitching prospects: right-handers Robinson Lopez (Class A) and Tyrelle Harris (AA) and left-hander Jeffrey Lorick (A).
For the Cubs, the motivation was clear. By including $1.7 million in the deal, the Cubs also save $1.7 million in payroll -- which gives them a $4.5 million overall savings, including previous trades of Ted Lilly, Ryan Theriot and Mike Fontenot.
''Unfortunately, we're in the spot that we're in, and we have to grind through a very tough time and then refocus ... on getting ready to win again next year,'' Hendry said. ''I think it will be good for him, and from that regard, I'm happy for him. But the overall situation we're in kind of makes us all somewhere between miserable and sad every day.''
For the moment, Lee isn't going anywhere. He spends today awaiting the Braves' arrival Friday for a three-game series against the Cubs. He's expected to be in the Braves' lineup, playing first base, on Friday.
''The weirdest part, I think, will be being on this field in a different uniform,'' said Lee, who will do that for the first time since helping the Marlins beat the Cubs in Game 7 of the 2003 National League Championship Series. ''I'll probably have to stop myself from running to this other dugout over there. It'll be different, but it'll be exciting.''
Meanwhile, the Cubs plan to recall first baseman Micah Hoffpauir today to take Lee's spot on the roster. Piniella said he'll probably rotate players to cover first base the rest of the way.
''We've just got to keep moving forward,'' said Dempster, who's scheduled to start against Lee and the Braves on Friday. ''There hasn't been a lot to cheer about, but if there's something to cheer about, that would be on Friday when Derrek Lee comes in and takes his first at-bat. I hope everybody in the stadium gives him a standing ovation for everything he's given for the past seven years he's been here because he deserves that at the very least.''
Comment at suntimes.com.
PADRES 5 CUBS 1
San Diego AB R H BI BB SO Avg.
Venable rf 5 1 2 0 0 0 .230
Hairston Jr. 2b 3 1 1 0 2 1 .254
Ad.Gonzalez 1b 2 3 2 1 3 0 .298
Headley 3b 3 0 1 1 0 1 .276
Stairs lf 2 0 1 2 0 0 .197
a-Denorfia ph-lf-cf 3 0 1 0 0 1 .284
Hundley c 4 0 1 0 0 0 .237
Gwynn cf 2 0 0 0 0 0 .212
b-Hairston ph-lf 2 0 0 0 0 1 .221
E.Cabrera ss 4 0 1 0 0 1 .203
Richard p 3 0 1 0 0 1 .182
Gregerson p 0 0 0 0 0 0 --
Adams p 0 0 0 0 0 0 --
d-Ludwick ph 1 0 0 0 0 1 .276
Stauffer p 0 0 0 0 0 0 .167
Totals 34 5 11 4 5 7
CUBS AB R H BI BB SO Avg.
Barney 2b 4 0 1 0 0 0 .154
S.Castro ss 3 0 1 0 1 0 .316
Byrd cf 4 0 1 0 0 1 .306
Ar.Ramirez 3b 4 0 0 0 0 1 .227
Nady 1b 3 0 1 0 1 0 .236
A.Soriano lf 4 1 2 0 0 0 .263
Mateo p 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
Je.Baker rf 4 0 1 1 0 0 .236
W.Castillo c 3 0 0 0 0 0 .167
e-DeWitt ph 1 0 0 0 0 0 .272
Coleman p 2 0 0 0 0 1 .000
J.Russell p 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
Berg p 0 0 0 0 0 0 --
Diamond p 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
c-Zambrano ph 1 0 0 0 0 1 .233
Cashner p 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
Colvin lf 1 0 0 0 0 0 .250
Totals 34 1 7 1 2 4
San Diego 201 000 011--5 11 0
CUBS 010 000 000--1 7 0
a-grounded out for Stairs in the 5th. b-flied out for Gwynn in the 6th. c-struck out for Diamond in the 7th. d-struck out for Adams in the 9th. e-grounded out for W.Castillo in the 9th.
LOB--San Diego 9, CUBS 8. 2B--Stairs (5), Nady (10), A.Soriano (30), Je.Baker (8). HR--Ad.Gonzalez (23), off Coleman. RBI--Ad.Gonzalez (76), Headley (49), Stairs 2 (10), Je.Baker (15). SB--A.Soriano (5). CS--Venable (4). SF--Headley.
Runners left in scoring position--San Diego 6 (Gwynn, Denorfia 3, E.Cabrera 2); CUBS 3 (Coleman 2, W.Castillo). GIDP--E.Cabrera. DP--CUBS 1 (Barney, S.Castro, Nady).
San Diego IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA
Richard W, 11-5 6.2 7 1 1 2 2 105 3.69
Gregerson H, 30 0.1 0 0 0 0 1 4 2.75
Adams H, 28 1 0 0 0 0 1 9 1.85
Stauffer 1 0 0 0 0 0 7 0.98
CUBS IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA
Coleman L, 0-1 4.1 6 3 3 3 1 82 7.82
J.Russell 0.1 0 0 0 0 0 4 4.70
Berg 0.1 0 0 0 0 0 2 4.73
Diamond 2 1 0 0 0 2 30 7.20
Cashner 1 3 1 1 0 2 27 6.15
Mateo 1 1 1 1 2 2 30 12.46
Inherited runners-scored--Gregerson 1-0, J.Russell 3-0, Berg 3-0. HBP--by Coleman (Headley). WP--Cashner.
Umpires--Home, Fieldin Culbreth; First, D.J. Reyburn; Second, Gary Cederstrom; Third, Ed Hickox. T--2:59. A--33,267.
HOW THEY SCORED
PADRES FIRST Venable infield single. Venable was caught stealing. J.Hairston walked on a full count. Gonzalez walked on four pitches, J.Hairston to second. Headley was hit by a pitch, J.Hairston to third, Gonzalez to second. Stairs doubled, J.Hairston scored, Gonzalez scored, Headley to third. Two runs. Padres 2, Cubs 0.
CUBS SECOND Nady grounded out. Soriano doubled. Soriano stole third. Baker doubled, Soriano scored. One run. Padres 2, Cubs 1.
PADRES THIRD J.Hairston grounded out. Gonzalez homered to left on a 2-1 count. One run. Padres 3, Cubs 1.
PADRES EIGHTH Cashner pitching. Gonzalez singled. Headley singled, Gonzalez to second. Denorfia infield single, Gonzalez to third, Headley to second. On Cashner's wild pitch, Gonzalez scored, Headley to third, Denorfia to second. One run. Padres 4, Cubs 1.
PADRES NINTH Mateo pitching. Ludwick pinch-hitting for Adams. Ludwick struck out. Venable singled. J.Hairston walked on four pitches, Venable to second. Gonzalez walked on a full count, Venable to third, J.Hairston to second. Headley hit a sacrifice fly, Venable scored. One run. Padres 5, Cubs 1.
Color Photo: Charles Rex Arbogast, AP / Derrek Lee is expected to be in the Braves' lineup Friday at Wrigley Field for the opener of a three-game series.
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