- It looks like the Red Sox could be landing former Cubs pitcher Ryan Dempster. No surprise there considering they had interest in trading for him during the deadline in July.
- The Cubs claimed pitcher Sandy Rosario off of waivers from the Red Sox. The 27 year old Rosario has not been given much of a chance in the big leagues. Putting up just 7.2 IP and a 15.26 ERA but his minor league numbers say a different story. Last season with Miami’s AAA affiliate he posted a 1.04 ERA with 16 SV in 26 IP. His career numbers are pretty good as well posting a 21-14 record in the minors with a 3.48 ERA in 310 IP with 319 SO. This guy seems like a classic “let’s see if this guy has it figured out”. He has the make-up of a good reliever but only time will tell.
- The Cubs are set to sign 36-year-old Korean pitcher Chang-Yong Lim to a 2 year $5M deal but it is a minor/major league split which means he does not make a ton of money until he is in the majors. The big issue is he is coming off his 2ndTommy John Surgery and will not be ready to pitch in games until 2014. There is some risk but more reward. He is right-handed reliever with a funky side arm delivery in which his fastball sits in the low 90s. I really like a pick up like this for the Cubs.
- Buster Olney said the buzz around baseball is positive on how the Cubs are rebuilding from the ground up. He also throws in a tidbit about the Cubs being poised to maybe trade for David Price next winter to which I say… HELL YEAH!
- Jayson Stark is reporting the Cubs among 7 other clubs are in the mix for 34-year-old right-handed reliever Mike Adams. He goes on to say that he will likely make his decision in the next few days.
- The Cubs adding depth to their bullpen is an obvious need but with a rotation that is not as strong they see a very cost effective way to counteract that by signing good relievers. Thus making their rotation not leaned on as much like last season.
- Now onto the good stuff. It looks like the Angels and Josh Hamilton are on the verge of a 5 year deal worth $125M which could impact the Cubs in many ways. First off the deal makes the Angels outfield, infield corners, and DH too full. They have Mike Trout, Peter Bourjos, Mark Trumbo, Vernon Wells, Alberto Callaspo, Albert Pujols, and Kendry Morales to fill only 6 starting spots. Players that will not be traded are Mike Trout and Albert Pujols so that fills two spots. Vernon Wells is a tougher sell than Soriano so he is likely not to be moved. So out of this possible fall out after Hamilton you really only have 2 starting spots open for the rest of the players involved. That tells me that Bourjos, Trumbo, Morales, or Callaspo will be traded before the start of the season. There has already been thoughts that Callaspo could be traded with Bourjos taking over in CF, Trumbo at 3rd, Morales/Wells to DH and Hamilton in RF. There has also been talk about Bourjos or Trumbo being traded for starting pitching (RA Dickey) which makes some since minus their rotation being solid.
Now with the players that would interest the Cubs the most are Peter Bourjos which you can find his stats here, Mark Trumbo (here),or Alberto Callaspo (here). Morales is purely a DH/1st baseman and that does not fit the Cubs. The Cubs have an obvious fit with Peter Bourjos to fill the huge void in CF for them. He is 25 years old, has not even tapped into his talent, can play great defense, and has great speed. He also would cost the Cubs a lot in the terms of talent. Another big fit would be Mark Trumbo who will be just 27 next month. Trumbo can handle the OF, 1st, and many think he can handle 3rd. Trumbo is a pure power hitter and very cost effective but he could cost more in talent than Bourjos. Finally Callaspo fits what the Cubs are doing right now. Looking for guys they can plug into hole in hopes of him doing well then flipping them for prospects. The Cubs currently have Luis Valbuena and Ian Stewart (non-guaranteed contract) to man third in this up and coming season. So obviously Callaspo is an upgrade offensively but he could also be a good platoon with Stewart or Valbuena being a switch hitter. He is going to cost a lot less in talent but is not as good of a player.
The fall out of this Hamilton deal is going to spread far and wide. Whether the Cubs are able to capitalize remains to be seen.
Until Next Time…
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