- The Cubs have had internal discussion about Jake Peavy but have also talked about Randy Wolf of Braden Looper according to the Sun-Times. They do note that the Cubs would still have to get owner approval. They should trade for Peavy, or sign Sheets, or sign Pettitte. No more Wolf or Looper crap!
- On Talkin Baseball, Crane Kenney that the Cubs are looking into launching a video on demand channel for the Cubs by Opening Day. Sounds great right!?! It gets better, the Cubs are still looking at getting an All-Cubs channel like the YES Network. It would carry all Cubs games. Sign me up!
- Bruce Levine had some updates for today so lets have a look-
***** The Cubs are looking at Juan Uribe as the 25th man on the roster. The Cubs are looking at a backup for second, 3rd, and SS that is right handed and he fits the bill well. The Cubs have also been looking at guys that can fill in as backup role at the corners as an option as well. They like Millar, Hinske and Aurilia. I do not see the Cubs bringing in Hinske(lefty) or Millar(has not played third in years) but I do see Aurilia, Uribe, and Nomar( that is my pick not Levine's).
***** Levine said the Cubs still like Heilman and the M's still like Cedeno, so a deal still could be made there. I would do that in a heartbeat!
***** Levine said the Cubs need Peavy because they do not have a true ace with the way Z has been pitching. Plus it allows the Cubs to move Harden the 5th spot, which would allow us to skip some starts. He thinks Peavy would cost Jeff Stevens, Garrett Olson, Josh Vitters, Kevin Hart, and Welington Castillo. Seems like a lot but sign me up. Then make the Cedeno/Heilman trade and sign Nomar, Uribe, or Aurilia and your set for Opening Day!
More to come I am sure!
Saturday, January 24, 2009
Friday, January 23, 2009
670 The Score Talk and more...
- 670 the Score said they are excited about the Ricketts Family as the new owner of the Cubs. As well as me!
- Steve Stone believes the Peavy trade will go down now.
- Mulley & Hanley speculate that a Peavy deal is in place, just waiting for Hendry to get the call from Ricketts or vice versa.
- If Peavy does not happen for some reason the Cubs will have the go ahead to get a guy like Perez or Sheets. Honestly after Peavy they should target Pettitte.
- Buster Onley says "there have been no recent conversations between the Padres and Cubs about Jake Peavy," but he believes talks could be restarted quickly given the Cubs' selection yesterday of the Thomas Ricketts group as the potential new owner. Thanks to MLBTR.
- Steve Stone believes the Peavy trade will go down now.
- Mulley & Hanley speculate that a Peavy deal is in place, just waiting for Hendry to get the call from Ricketts or vice versa.
- If Peavy does not happen for some reason the Cubs will have the go ahead to get a guy like Perez or Sheets. Honestly after Peavy they should target Pettitte.
- Buster Onley says "there have been no recent conversations between the Padres and Cubs about Jake Peavy," but he believes talks could be restarted quickly given the Cubs' selection yesterday of the Thomas Ricketts group as the potential new owner. Thanks to MLBTR.
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Owner Info
UPDATE 7:15pm- The Chicago Tribune is reporting that the Ricketts Family has won the bidding with a 900 million dollar bid. The final details still need to be worked out with the Tribune and Ricketts family. GREAT NEWS!
UPDATE 4:50pm- According to the Suntimes Ricketts is the rumored favorite, read the article. It is a good read!
Here is some information on the owner situtation-
- SI.com's Jon Heyman has the Ricketts family as the favorite to buy the Cubs. Lets hope so!
- According to Richard Sandomir of the New York Times, the Tribune Company submitted a favorite among the three Cubs' bidders to their creditors. Check out this article for more information. If I understand this correctly the Tribune company made their decision today but we will have to wait for the final negotiations to go through. This is a change from what everyone was hearing yesterday that the winning bidder would be announced. All I want is for the new owner to talk to Hendry and give the OK to get Peavy. Is that too much to ask???
UPDATE 4:50pm- According to the Suntimes Ricketts is the rumored favorite, read the article. It is a good read!
Here is some information on the owner situtation-
- SI.com's Jon Heyman has the Ricketts family as the favorite to buy the Cubs. Lets hope so!
- According to Richard Sandomir of the New York Times, the Tribune Company submitted a favorite among the three Cubs' bidders to their creditors. Check out this article for more information. If I understand this correctly the Tribune company made their decision today but we will have to wait for the final negotiations to go through. This is a change from what everyone was hearing yesterday that the winning bidder would be announced. All I want is for the new owner to talk to Hendry and give the OK to get Peavy. Is that too much to ask???
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Cubs Bidding Announcement Thursday.. Goodbye Hank White..
- According to my sources and ESPN 1000 the Tribune Company will announce the winning bidder of the Chicago Cubs tomorrow. We heard earlier in the week that an announcement was due by midweek(assuming today) but there will be an announcement tomorrow.
- Its official the Cubs will not have Henry Blanco as their back up catcher next season. He signed a deal worth 750K with the Padres today( another move to make Peavy come to the Cubs??? He did handle the young pitching staff last season, I mite be reaching some lol). Brad Ausmus also signed with the Dodgers so the veteran catcher market is getting thin. It is assumed that the Cubs will sign Bako to a minor league deal with an invite to Spring Training as backup if Koyie Hill does not pan out. The Cubs really seem to like Hill and want a lefty to back up Soto. I would have preferred to go with Blanco but that is just me and about a million fans! I still think the Cubs should give Pudge a look even though he bats from the right side. He hit rightys well(.298 avg and .331 OBP and 220 homers through his career). Plus I love his defense and will cost about million or two because of the lack of interest in him.
- Its official the Cubs will not have Henry Blanco as their back up catcher next season. He signed a deal worth 750K with the Padres today( another move to make Peavy come to the Cubs??? He did handle the young pitching staff last season, I mite be reaching some lol). Brad Ausmus also signed with the Dodgers so the veteran catcher market is getting thin. It is assumed that the Cubs will sign Bako to a minor league deal with an invite to Spring Training as backup if Koyie Hill does not pan out. The Cubs really seem to like Hill and want a lefty to back up Soto. I would have preferred to go with Blanco but that is just me and about a million fans! I still think the Cubs should give Pudge a look even though he bats from the right side. He hit rightys well(.298 avg and .331 OBP and 220 homers through his career). Plus I love his defense and will cost about million or two because of the lack of interest in him.
Harden Out of WBC, Small Tear in Shoulder.
Rich Harden will not pitch for Team Canada in the upcoming World Baseball Classic. The Tribune reported Harden "might not be ready to start for the Cubs during March because of his on-and-off right shoulder."
His number one priority is the Chicago Cubs. He still says he feels good and should be ready by spring training even though the Tribune says otherwise.
I do not think this is that bad. A lot of pitchers pitch with small tears and discomfort but it does make a deal for Peavy more likely.
His number one priority is the Chicago Cubs. He still says he feels good and should be ready by spring training even though the Tribune says otherwise.
I do not think this is that bad. A lot of pitchers pitch with small tears and discomfort but it does make a deal for Peavy more likely.
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Mike Wuertz Signs and Invites to ST.
-Mike Wuertz signed a 1 year deal worth 1.1 million, avoiding arbitration.
- The Cubs also signed Mike Stanton to a minor league contract with an invite to Spring Training.
- The Cubs also invited others besides Mike Stanton. Check out the list-
Ed Campusano
Esmailin Caridad
Andrew Cashner
Chad Fox
Ken Kadokura
J.R. Mathes
Rocky Roquet
Matt Smith
Jason Waddell
Bill White
Darwin Barney
Andres Blanco
Luis Rivas
Bobby Scales
Doug Deeds
Jason Dubois
SWelington Castillo
Steve Clevenger
Mark Johnson
So Taguchi
- The Cubs also signed Mike Stanton to a minor league contract with an invite to Spring Training.
- The Cubs also invited others besides Mike Stanton. Check out the list-
Ed Campusano
Esmailin Caridad
Andrew Cashner
Chad Fox
Ken Kadokura
J.R. Mathes
Rocky Roquet
Matt Smith
Jason Waddell
Bill White
Darwin Barney
Andres Blanco
Luis Rivas
Bobby Scales
Doug Deeds
Jason Dubois
SWelington Castillo
Steve Clevenger
Mark Johnson
So Taguchi
Peavy or Giles Will Be Traded!
UPDATE- 10:00am- Lee Hamilton reported on MLB Live Late Edition on Monday night that the Cubs and Padres have renewed trade talks for Peavy according to his sources. He said the Padres must "get pitching back for Peavy" and he is hearing Sean Marshall, Garrett Olson, Kevin Hart and Jeff Stevens to San Diego for Peavy. He said Josh Vitters may not be involved and his sources said the Cubs pulled out the first time because they do not want to trade Josh Vitters.
I still think the Cubs will have to include Vitters but that package above is very impressive. I hate to give up Marshall because he is insurance if a pitcher goes down. I would prefer Vitters, Olson, Hart, Hill, and Cedeno.
Tom Krasovic of the San Diego Union-Tribune says the Padres are 4-5 million over budget and need to trade Peavy or Giles to relieve payroll. The problem is that both have no trade clauses and Peavy will only go to Chicago and Giles seems to want to go no where. The obvious move would to trade Peavy to Chicago but the ownership situation needs to be resolved somewhat( which will be by midweek when we find out who the Tribune picks.)
The Padres need to also address other concerns in their field as well as farm system. They cannot add anymore players until one is dealt which means they need to deal Peavy or Giles soon and before Opening Day at the latest. Talks could be revisited soon but has not started yet.
Here is some quotes and tidbits from both articles-
"Right now, what we have projected is between $44 million and $45 million,” Alderson said Friday. Asked if that number is about $5 million above budget, Alderson said, “Right now, it would be."
The risk factors of floating salary in anticipation of making a trade are numerous. Injury, for one. “Poor performance is another potential factor,” Alderson said.
The Cubs remain the most likely trade destination for Peavy. Asked about the Dodgers, who also are among Peavy's preferred clubs, Alderson said, “I don't see anything there.” Since November, the Padres have considered the Angels as “lurkers” for Peavy.
I have had no discussions with the Cubs or any other club about Peavy since the winter meetings, so there is really nothing to update," Padres General Manager Kevin Towers said via e-mail last night. "Our position remains the same. We are not pursuing other clubs about potentially moving Jake and nobody has contacted us either since the winter meetings."
"Obviously, we took note of the trade that took place (Sunday)," Axelrod said Monday, en route to an appointment with Peavy. "You would certainly not be out of line to surmise from all of (the Cubs' moves) that they might be working toward something. But I haven't heard a word that anything is different."
Because Peavy's e-mail is overflowing, my interview request to the Padres' pitching ace bounced back unanswered last week. A subsequent voicemail message remains unreturned. Efforts to contact Peavy through the Padres finally produced a phone call from the player's agent, Barry Axelrod, Saturday morning.
Axelrod is a man of exquisite manners, but his answer, nonetheless, was no. Peavy can be expected to continue in cone-of-silence mode until he reports to spring training.
Where he will report, however, remains unresolved.
MORE ON THIS TO COME!
I still think the Cubs will have to include Vitters but that package above is very impressive. I hate to give up Marshall because he is insurance if a pitcher goes down. I would prefer Vitters, Olson, Hart, Hill, and Cedeno.
Tom Krasovic of the San Diego Union-Tribune says the Padres are 4-5 million over budget and need to trade Peavy or Giles to relieve payroll. The problem is that both have no trade clauses and Peavy will only go to Chicago and Giles seems to want to go no where. The obvious move would to trade Peavy to Chicago but the ownership situation needs to be resolved somewhat( which will be by midweek when we find out who the Tribune picks.)
The Padres need to also address other concerns in their field as well as farm system. They cannot add anymore players until one is dealt which means they need to deal Peavy or Giles soon and before Opening Day at the latest. Talks could be revisited soon but has not started yet.
Here is some quotes and tidbits from both articles-
"Right now, what we have projected is between $44 million and $45 million,” Alderson said Friday. Asked if that number is about $5 million above budget, Alderson said, “Right now, it would be."
The risk factors of floating salary in anticipation of making a trade are numerous. Injury, for one. “Poor performance is another potential factor,” Alderson said.
The Cubs remain the most likely trade destination for Peavy. Asked about the Dodgers, who also are among Peavy's preferred clubs, Alderson said, “I don't see anything there.” Since November, the Padres have considered the Angels as “lurkers” for Peavy.
I have had no discussions with the Cubs or any other club about Peavy since the winter meetings, so there is really nothing to update," Padres General Manager Kevin Towers said via e-mail last night. "Our position remains the same. We are not pursuing other clubs about potentially moving Jake and nobody has contacted us either since the winter meetings."
"Obviously, we took note of the trade that took place (Sunday)," Axelrod said Monday, en route to an appointment with Peavy. "You would certainly not be out of line to surmise from all of (the Cubs' moves) that they might be working toward something. But I haven't heard a word that anything is different."
Because Peavy's e-mail is overflowing, my interview request to the Padres' pitching ace bounced back unanswered last week. A subsequent voicemail message remains unreturned. Efforts to contact Peavy through the Padres finally produced a phone call from the player's agent, Barry Axelrod, Saturday morning.
Axelrod is a man of exquisite manners, but his answer, nonetheless, was no. Peavy can be expected to continue in cone-of-silence mode until he reports to spring training.
Where he will report, however, remains unresolved.
MORE ON THIS TO COME!
Monday, January 19, 2009
New Owner on Horizon... Peavy...Gregg... Etc..
- According to the WSJ.com, after a nearly two-year process, Sam Zell and Tribune Co. plan to name a winning bidder for the Chicago Cubs by the middle of the coming week, according to two people involved with the bidding. This all is pointing toward a Peavy deal. Hendry makes a funny move by trading DeRosa for 3 young pitchers, trades Pie for Garrett Olsen and Hank Williamson( Olsen was a guy the O's wanted in a Greene or Peavy deal), trades Marquis and most of his contract for a relief pitcher so he has enough room for Bradley, he says "don't judge my moves until Opening Day" and "we will have a better team by Opening Day." As soon as the announcement of the winning bidder( hope it is Ricketts), Hendry will give a call and he will then get the official blessing from the new owner. Peavy will be a Cub.
- Kevin Gregg was inked today to a one year deal worth 4.2 million dollars. He will be a free agent at the end of the season.
- The Cubs also signed RHP Ken Kadokura to a minor league contract and invited him to ST. Other signed are Matt Smith, Erick Almonte and Joseph Colon to minor league contracts on Monday that includes invitations to Spring Training.
- The Cubs will go with the Aaron Miles/Mike Fontenot platoon at 2b. They are not interested in Orlando Hudson. Even though if his price is good why not try him at SS??? Switch hitter that hits for average and some power. Great defensive player! Why not take a flyer on him 2 years 10 million with incentives on games played to bring it higher. Could not hurt, I think he could handle SS well.
- Kevin Gregg was inked today to a one year deal worth 4.2 million dollars. He will be a free agent at the end of the season.
- The Cubs also signed RHP Ken Kadokura to a minor league contract and invited him to ST. Other signed are Matt Smith, Erick Almonte and Joseph Colon to minor league contracts on Monday that includes invitations to Spring Training.
- The Cubs will go with the Aaron Miles/Mike Fontenot platoon at 2b. They are not interested in Orlando Hudson. Even though if his price is good why not try him at SS??? Switch hitter that hits for average and some power. Great defensive player! Why not take a flyer on him 2 years 10 million with incentives on games played to bring it higher. Could not hurt, I think he could handle SS well.
Sunday, January 18, 2009
Pie traded to O's... Peavy Next???
UPDATE 7:45 pm- It seems Tom Krasovic agrees with my thoughts. He even goes further to say some potential players in the deal. My ideal trade would be Vitters, Hart, Olson, Cedeno, and Hill for Peavy.
Honestly I feel as soon as we find out who won the bidding(which should be any day now, but the end of the month at the latest) Peavy will be traded to Chicago. That has been my feeling though out this whole Peavy trade talk, that he will be a Cub before Opening Day!
I want to say I am sorry I did not post this earlier, I have not been home all day.
The Cubs have traded Felix Pie to the O's for Garrett Olson and young Class-A righty Henry Williamson. The O's plan on using Pie in LF full time with Scott as DH and Huff at 1st. The Cubs could used Olson as a potential 5th starter or middle relief, depending on Sean Marshall's role. Olson was once figured as one of the O's top prospects and potential top of the rotation type guy but has faulted some. He is a 25 year old lefty that has went 10-13 over his short ML career with a 6.67 ERA. He was much better in the minors going 22-19 with a 2.95 ERA over his minor league career. I am much more impressed with Henry Williamson though. A young 22 year old righty with really high strike outs so far in his career. In 90 innings pitched in rookie and A ball he struck out 110 batters. I love strike out pitchers.
Now I do not think Olson will be in a Cub uniform for long. During the crazy winter months during the Jake Peavy mess there was a "three way trade rumor" that was brought up in the media but nothing has came of it, until now. The Padres, Cubs, and O's were said to have a potential deal that would have sent Pie to the O's for Olson, then the Cubs would flip him to the Padres with a package of players for Peavy. Now does this mean Peavy is next? Who knows? But I do want to bring up a little tidbit from the past months. It was said that the Cubs would not trade Pie for Olson unless a deal for Peavy was in place or at least more than a possiablity, they had no interest in Olson unless it involved Peavy. So keep that in mind.
On a side note the Cubs are close to deals with arbitration eligible players Micheal Weurtz and Kevin Gregg.
Honestly I feel as soon as we find out who won the bidding(which should be any day now, but the end of the month at the latest) Peavy will be traded to Chicago. That has been my feeling though out this whole Peavy trade talk, that he will be a Cub before Opening Day!
I want to say I am sorry I did not post this earlier, I have not been home all day.
The Cubs have traded Felix Pie to the O's for Garrett Olson and young Class-A righty Henry Williamson. The O's plan on using Pie in LF full time with Scott as DH and Huff at 1st. The Cubs could used Olson as a potential 5th starter or middle relief, depending on Sean Marshall's role. Olson was once figured as one of the O's top prospects and potential top of the rotation type guy but has faulted some. He is a 25 year old lefty that has went 10-13 over his short ML career with a 6.67 ERA. He was much better in the minors going 22-19 with a 2.95 ERA over his minor league career. I am much more impressed with Henry Williamson though. A young 22 year old righty with really high strike outs so far in his career. In 90 innings pitched in rookie and A ball he struck out 110 batters. I love strike out pitchers.
Now I do not think Olson will be in a Cub uniform for long. During the crazy winter months during the Jake Peavy mess there was a "three way trade rumor" that was brought up in the media but nothing has came of it, until now. The Padres, Cubs, and O's were said to have a potential deal that would have sent Pie to the O's for Olson, then the Cubs would flip him to the Padres with a package of players for Peavy. Now does this mean Peavy is next? Who knows? But I do want to bring up a little tidbit from the past months. It was said that the Cubs would not trade Pie for Olson unless a deal for Peavy was in place or at least more than a possiablity, they had no interest in Olson unless it involved Peavy. So keep that in mind.
On a side note the Cubs are close to deals with arbitration eligible players Micheal Weurtz and Kevin Gregg.
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