Dear readers and posters.

I am getting a lot of messages that say there from one person but they are actually not from them. They do this by adding the person's signature at the bottom of the page. I have one person trying to say that he is Nick I ( a dedicated reader and poster here) and I know that is not him for the reason it does not sound like him and Nick I would not use the immature language that this person uses.

So I suggest to everyone to sign in using a screen name instead of Anonymous. If you feel more comfortable to use Anonymous then that is fine. It will just be hard for someone to try to act like you if you sign in under a screen name. Plus it lets me give you credit if you send me a breaking story or rumor!

If you have any questions please let me know.

Thanks
cubsfan82

Lou on Mike and Mike.

Lou was on Mike and Mike this morning and he had some very bold statments-

- Lou said he has the lineup pretty much set.

1. Soriano LF
2. Theriot SS
3. Fukudome RF
4. Lee 1st
5. Aram 3b
6. Derosa 2b
7. Soto C
8. Pie/Fuld
9. Pitcher

- There will be a tough battle for CF, with Pie and Fuld battling for the starting position with Pie the favorite.

- There looking for a #3 pitcher within the system. He says Dempster is "on a mission" and can see him in the #3 spot with the number 5 spot up for grabs. With Dempster slotted in the rotation it seems Lieber will get the other spot.

- There looking for another lefty and righty in the pen. He loves his young arms.

-Also, he mentioned that Hendry is "talking to a few teams" right now, and that if one deal is made, then Soriano will not be leading off. He wasn't confident about a deal getting done, and he's confident with what he has. It sounds like Brian Roberts, Chone Figgins, Reggie Willits, or CoCo Crisp maybe on the horizon. With the Roberts being the most logical, considering Pie/Fuld in center.

- He emphasized the importance of a fast start, which is what they're focussing on right now.

- Says the line-up is too right handed as it is right now.

- He would be disappointed if Z does not win 20 games.

Some good info from Lou!

Dempster fires back at Millar!

Ok, Dempster is back on my good side! I like the fire he is showing, predicting a World Series and firing back at Millar. He shows the fire that I did not see last year when he was the closer and I hope he shows that fire on the mound because if he does then he will be tough! Intensity and emotion are such a big part of baseball and I am glad Dempster is showing it!

Here is the link to the story-

http://www.dailyherald.com/story/?id=139435

Cubs Notes.

-It seems that Lou really likes Jose Ceda. He is a 6'4, 245lbs. power righty that could win a spot in the pen. Lou says he likes hit stuff and it's hard not to look past his 23 innings scoreless streak in A ball. He likes his stuff and I would not be surprised if he wins a roster spot even though it is likely he starts in AAA Iowa.

- Fukudome and many other players were very patient in the first batting practice this week. Of the 12 pitches Fukudome saw he swung at 2 of them. Lou says he likes the approach and feels we will have a very patient team at the plate which the Cubs struggled with last season.

- Ronny Cedeno is out of options and it seems he is likely to make the team as a utility player or traded in the Roberts deal( if it even happens).

- Lou thinks Jeff Samardzija could make his Cubs debut this Summer. He likes what he has done in his short time with the organization,

- The Cubs have 4 guys that are actually fighting for the starting CF spot and all 4 are lefty's. Felix Pie, Sam Fuld, Tyler Colvin, and Eric Patterson. It seems that Tyler Colvin and Eric Patterson will start in AAA Iowa next season and the actual battle will be between Fuld and Pie. Lou has already said that Pie is the front runner but do not count out Fuld. Speaking of AAA Iowa, what a team they will have next season if no one is traded.

The Latest on Roberts.

Thanks to MLBTR-


-Brian Roberts is not in Orioles' camp today; he's gone to a local hospital for a stomach ailment.
Roch Kubatko does not believe he's secretly been traded.

-Roberts will make no trade demands.

-Ken Rosenthal says the chances of a Roberts trade "seem to diminish each day." Rosenthal cites Roberts' relationship with Peter Angelos, and wonders whether the Orioles could wait until July to get more teams involved. If a Cubs deal does occur, Ronny Cedeno is highly likely to be included.

-Three days ago, ESPN's Peter Gammons wrote that the Cubs refuse to part with Felix Pie or Jose Ceda for Roberts. Also, many MLBTR readers have speculated that the Orioles no longer have use for any of the Cubs' outfielders.

If this deal does in fact happen it will be before Spring games start. My deadline for a deal is Weds. Feb. 27th. If it does not happen by then, then it will not happen.

I also see Murton being traded before Opening Day. He will either go to the O's in the Roberts trade, or the Rangers. But more than likely he will go to the Padres for a couple of decent prospects.

The other player likely on the move is Marquis. He could be the odd man out in the rotation meaning either he is the long man in the pen or traded to a team that needs pitching depth. I see the Angels and BoSox being a good fit. The Angels have Willits, which would be a great addition if Pie does not cut it at the plate. Even if Pie does do well he would be the ideal 4th outfielder. The Red Sox may trade Crisp for Marquis straight up becuase Crisp will lose his CF spot in ST and will want out of Boston. He could fill the role in CF but could still be a backup in Chicago.

Roberts asked for trade???

According to many of my readers and it is also on http://forum.orioleshangout.com/forums/showthread.php?t=59468-

As usual read into this as little or as much as you want. I was told late last evening that Roberts has spoken with upper management and ownership and requested a trade to happen soon if he is in fact going to be traded. AM wants him moved. The focus now is with the Cubs and Payton would be a part of the package going back to Chicago. With Roberts scheduled to report today he feels a deal could happen by the end of the week.

I now think this deal will come through. If Roberts did in fact as for a trade I can see it happening very soon. While Angelos has a man crush on Roberts he will have to face the fact that Roberts does not want to be apart of the rebuilding process and trade him to the Cubs. I would really like to see a deal get done soon so Roberts can get use to the players, coaches, etc.

Byrd deal maybe dead. More on Roberts.

Thanks to MLBTR-

Cubs' Talks For Byrd Reach Impasse
The Cubs have been interested in Rangers' center fielder Marlon Byrd for some time now, apparently offering Matt Murton. However, MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan says the Rangers' insistence on good young pitching in the deal has caused a stalemate. The Cubs like Byrd, but not at that price. Jeff Wilson and Anthony Andro of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram say Byrd is still "drawing considerable interest" from the Cubs, however.
Evan Grant wrote recently that one of Jason Botts, Nelson Cruz, or David Murphy is likely to be dealt before Opening Day. A Byrd trade might allow the Rangers to keep all three.

Byrd still seems to me a good platoon partner for Pie and 4th outfielder. I would not mind seeing the deal go down but not for there asking price. David Murphy would be a decent addition though he is left-handed.

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It seems as though all the players we thought we would be traded this off-season, have been traded, minus one...Brian Roberts. The oft-rumored deal to send Roberts to the Cubs continues to linger. Ken Rosenthal first suggested that Roberts would be a good fit for the Cubs back in early December and Jeff Zrebiec confirmed the Cubs interest. Then the deal may have been dead, with the O's asking price too high and by the end of January Gordon Wittenmyer suggested Cubs had turned their focus to Marlon Byrd. Then according to Jon Heyman a deal appeared imminent. Rosenthal thought the O's insisting on the inclusion of Felix Pie was a deal-breaker. But then Baltimore acquired Adam Jones and Chris De Luca noted the deal might have life. But now Heyman wonders if the proposed package(s) is not enough and if Peter Angelos will nix a deal, as Roberts is one of his favorite players. Now that Spring Training has begun we have to wonder if a deal can still get done. let's take a look at how the Roberts deal is being handled in the blogosphere.

If there is a topic you would like to see covered in "Baseball Blogs Weigh In" please let me know HERE.

View From the Bleachers sees Roberts as a nice addition but not a necessity as he may only be a slight upgrade from Eric Patterson. They don't see the deal as a "foregone conclusion" considering the players being offered by the Cubs.

Camden Chat is not impressed with the Cubs offer, but they wonder if Roberts is worth keeping.

Another Cubs Blog sees the signing of Alex Cintron by the Cubs as a sign that the Cubs are making progress towards getting a deal done.

Ivy Chat wonders if the Cubs have enough in the system to obtain both Roberts and Joe Nathan. While they would like both, they would prefer Nathan.

Crawley's Cub Kingdom notes that Alfonso Soriano's legs are not 100% and that he may not be suited to lead off in 2008, increasing the need for Roberts.

A Hundred Next Years is not sure the upgrade from Mark DeRosa to Roberts is worth the price.

Wrigleyville23 calls it "The Roberts Rain Delay" and notes that the political process here in the U.S. actually moves faster than trade discussions between the Cubs and the O's.

Orioles Fan Base talked to our own Tim Dierkes about this situation.

Cubs could deal for Willits and Roberts??

Here is a good tidbit from a reader of mine and it is on http://brewersfandemonium.yuku.com/t...n-Roberts.html in the comment portion-

will keep you posted, but I did just talked with someone I know who was John McDonough's (Cubs former VP) assistant who is still there and he told me that both the Willits and Roberts deals are hot right now and would be surprised if one of them is not done by the end of the week.Names he told me the Cubs are willing to trade are Cedeno, Theriot, Gallagher, Fontenot, Marquis, Dempster, or maybe even Pie. Cubs AA former first round pick Tyler Colvin could be in a package as well.I apologize for being a Brewer fan who knows someone in Cub hierarchy, by the way. Living in Chicago makes it tough to know any Brewer contacts.

I would be very happy if a deal went down where the Cubs added Willits and Roberts. My only concern is trading Pie in any deal. I do not see the O's wanting Pie in an already crowed outfield and I do not see the Angels wanting him either for the same reason. I would trade Gallagher, Fontenot, Cedeno, and Marshall to the O's for Roberts. Then trade Marquis and prospect for Willits. The trades I have came up with make sense for the Cubs, O's, and Angels. I would love to see it get done. They could use Willits as a platoon/4th outfielder and Roberts of course would take the reigns at 2nd base leaving Derosa to the super utlity role. I would prefer to get Willits over Roberts because I like Derosa to play 2nd everyday. Right now thes just seems to be a rumor but I will keep you posted if I hear anything else.

Here is Willits numbers-

http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/players/7742

He would be a perfect addition to this team. High OBP, good AVG., plays all three OF positions, and is a speedy switch hitter. Marquis and a midlevel prospect for Willtis is a good deal for the Cubs!

Cintron signs a minor league deal and other notes.

-The Cubs added some depth today by inking Alex Cintron to a minor league deal with an invite to camp. Cintron is a .277 lifetime hitter at 29 years old. He is coming off an elbow surgery and could be the backup middle infielder if Cedeno is traded or starts in Iowa. Lou seems to think he will be the utility infielder next season, that to me says Cedeno won't be on the 25 man roster.

-Among the other pitchers who threw Monday were Carlos Zambrano, Rich Hill, Kerry Wood, Jon Lieber, Jason Marquis, Bob Howry and Ted Lilly.

- Aramis Ramirez is the only regular position player yet to work out and he will there today, if he is not already there.

- Lou thinks that Cotts could be in the mix for the other lefty in the pen.

Cubs notes.

- In case you missed it Carlos Zambrano will be the opening day starter.

- Sweet Lou has Rich Hill as his number 4 starter in the rotation. All winter we have expected Hill to be the 3rd starter in the rotation but Lou wants to break up the leftys. He also says he does not see Lieber as a long man in the pen, which means he will be in the rotation next season. This will leaves 5 guys fighting for one spot. Those 5 guys are Dempster( the favorite), Marquis, Gallagher, Marshall, and Hart. I see Hart winning the pen spot or starting in AAA, I see Marquis being traded to the O's, Angels, or Red Sox( which it think will happen), I see Marshall being the long man in the pen or traded, and I see Gallagher either being traded or starting in AAA Iowa. That would leave Dempster as a starter.

Matt Murton know about trade talk. Greatest Prank EVER!

Matt Murton is a class act. It was revealed today that Matt Murton is a regular reader of MLBTR.com( a site that many of us check on a daily basis). He has been busy this offseason reading all the trade rumors about him because he is blocked by Fukudome and Soriano in the outfield. Jim has been looking to deal the outfielder to a club where he can have regular playing time. The Cubs are in need of a speedy switch hitter or righty to play all three outfield spots. That just does not fit Matt Murton's ability. Matt Murton is a lefty fielder with good OBP, decent power, and good avg. which should be a good fit for some teams like the Indians, Padres, and Rangers. I wish Matt Murton the best whether he is the 4th outfielder on this team or a starter on another team. He is a good player, person, and a class act.

Here is the link to his comments-
http://www.dailyherald.com/story/?id=136592

I like how MLBTR thinks the Indians are a good fit. I would love to send a package of Murton and some prospects to the Indians for Jhonny Peralta. He hit .270 with 21 homers and 72 RBI last season. He also posted a .341 OBP. He does not give the Cubs speed or better D but he does give them more power and an upgrade at SS in my opinion. Peralta is listed as the starting SS but it seems that Asdrubal Cabrera may take his spot and they may not have a place for him. It is just a thought.

OMG Brett Meyer Prank on Kyle Kendrick link-

http://youtube.com/watch?v=0nKKqPOiJxI