Cubs need to trade Howry. Should take a look at Roy Halladay.

I usually do not go nuts like some Cubs fans and say " get rid of this player" but in this case we should. Bob Howry once again is scuffling and this time they can't use the excuse that he starts off slow because it is the end of July and he has not came close to turning the corner. Bob is in the last year of his 3 year deal which makes him a perfect candidate to trade. Not to mention the reliever market has few great relievers and not to many average relievers which means you would find a take on Howry after guys like Fuentes, Ohman, and Street find new homes.

Consider that last year he only gave up 31 runs in 78 games and he has already did that ths year in 50 should be enough to get rid of the guy. His era is an awful 5.22 for a late inning reliever, and I think the Cubs should trade him before he doe any more damage. The White Sox, Brewers, Phillies, Mets, Dodgers, Red Sox, and Yankess should all have interest in the veteran reliever because his price will be a lot lower than Fuentes, Street, etc. Jim needs to trade Howry before he give us higher numbers in the "L" column, plain and simple!

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The Jays are secretly shopping Roy Halladay and I think the Cubs should call the Jays if the have not already. Those of you who do not know Roy Halladay, he is a beast! He is almost guaranteed to give you at least 200 innings pitched a year. In his 10 year career he has only pitched under 200 innings 5 times and is on pace to have 200+ innings this year. He is has never lost over 8 games in a season and is almost guaranteed to give you at least 12 wins a year. In the past 6 years he has went 22-7, 8-8, 12-4, 16-5, 16-7, and is currently 12-7 this year. His lifetime ERA is 3.56 and has a 2.82 ERA this year. OH, and the really good thing is he has 3 years 40 million left on his contract if you count this year. He would cost the Cubs a ton to get, but I think you sell the farm for a guy like that! The guy is a number 1 on every team in baseball and would be a great addition for the Cubs.

Samardzija called up. Wood sent to DL.

Jeff Samazija has been called up because Kerry Wood was placed on the 15 day DL yesterday. Something else that is interesting is that Jeff might get a start this weekend against the Marlins. The Cubs are toying with the idea to push back Harden's starts to every 6 days because his record and ERA are really good when he gets 5+ days of rest. I would support this move if they do in fact make it. It will be nice to see this kid pitch!

Soriano and Eyre back. The Cubs will decide soon on what to do at deadline.

The Cubs have activated Scott Eyre and Soriano from the DL. The sent Micah Hoffpauier and Kevin Hart to AAA. I would not be surprised if Hart and/or Hoffpauier's name comes up in the next week about possible trade chips. Both have had decent success in the ML level and could be a nice addition to a team that may want to start over.

I also think you will start to see Cedeno, Font, Hill, Pie, Ceda, Veal, Vitters, Samj, and others to come up in trade talks which are really starting to heat up with the deadline right around the corner.

The Cubs will decide in the next 4 or 5 days whether they need a bat, reliever, or another starter before the deadline ends on the 31st. They need to see how Soriano's hand is doing and how Eyre looks coming off the DL. Another thing that hinges on wether they make a deal for a reliever is on Wood. He is not likely to head to the DL now which is a relief but they will still keep an eye on him to see if they need to make a deal for a Fuentes, Marte, or Mahay.

The Cubs also look decent at the starting rotation. They could upgrade the rotation by trading or releasing Marquis and getting Burnett but that does not look likely even though the Jays have made it no secret that they would trade A.J.. The Jays said they have not received any calls on Burnett but they have said to like Ronny Cedeno and both teams have been scouting each other the past week or so.

The Cubs could use another bat in this lineup but where and who?? The Cubs should get a good lift from Soriano who returns tonight against the Dbacks but if the Cubs see any inclination that Soriano is not 100% they will make a deal for a big bat. The Cubs would prefer a left handed bat but besides Adam Dunn( will not be traded within the division), Raúl Ibañez ( who is not that big of a bat), and Barry Bonds (we will not go there) there is not much on the market.

One player that does interest the Cubs whether or not Soriano comes back is Matt Holliday. Now I know you all are saying where would he play, but trust me they would find a place for Matt. They could move Fukudome to CF, leave Soriano in LF, and put Holliday in RF. It would be a good defensive outfield, not to mention the lineup with him in it. WOW! The price of Holliday would be astronomical but he would be well worth it. Guys like Vitters, Hoffpauier( could eventually replace Helton), Veal, Marshall, and Ceda would really interest the Rockies. Lets face it they need young good pitching and we have that. Just keep your eye on the Rockies and Holliday because he is likely to be dealt right before the deadline ends, if traded at all.

More Hot Stove Talk

Here is some more rumors and news-

- The Cubs had Chicago Cubs special assistant Ken Kravec at yesterday's Jays/Rays game. Not sure he was looking at, maybe Joe Inglett or Marco Scutaro? It should be also noted that the Cubs have had prior interest in A.J. Burnett but he did not pitch yesterday. It should also be known that the Jays have received no offers for A.J.

- How Soriano returns will determine what the Cubs do before the deadline.

- Here is some news on Soriano thanks to Cubs.com-

Soriano had three plate appearances for the Mesa Cubs -- a rookie-level team -- on Monday morning, as he went 0-for-2 with a walk as the designated hitter.


Soriano reported no lingering effects in his hand and said he would even be ready to come back for Monday night's game in Phoenix against the Diamondbacks.

"I didn't feel anything in my hands and nothing in my fingers," Soriano said. "No pain, that's what's important.


"If they want me to play tonight, I'll play tonight. If they want me to do one more game of rehab, I'll do that. It depends on what the team wants. It's their decision, not my decision."

Soriano said he will likely head down to Tucson for at least one game, where the Iowa Cubs are playing against the Diamondbacks' Triple-A affiliate, before rejoining the Cubs in Chicago to face the Marlins on Thursday.

I hope he takes at least one or two more rehab games before heading to the field.

Soriano early return and other notes

-Soriano is expected to make an earlier return than expected. He maybe in the Cubs lineup Wedensday against the D'backs instead of the Marlins on Thursday. He took batting practice on the field for the second straight day Saturday, swinging more aggressively than Friday in a longer BP session. He is expected to do a rehab assignment in Mesa on Monday.

- Wood could be sent to the DL with a blister on his index finger depending on how it does in the next couple of days.

- Cubs placed Jon Lieber on the 15 day DL and recalled Micah Hoffpauier from AAA Iowa.