3 Moves Ahead....

The Cubs have done a wonderful job solidifying their bullpen and rotation this off season but one big thing remains and that is the Cubs offensive upgrades or changes.  Here are 3 moves I think the Cubs should do next.


1.  Trade Carlos Marmol for Gerardo Parra and a mid-level prospect.

The Cubs have been shopping Marmol around and now that the Dbacks have agreed with Cody Ross they have a surplus of outfielders.  Word is the Dbacks could revisit Upton trade talks or look to deal Kubel or Parra.  The Cubs have been linked to Parra in the past and I think it makes more sense than ever to trade for him.  The Dbacks are rumored to be looking for a reliever in return for either Parra or Kubel.  Matt Thorten of the White Sox has been mentioned in a Kubel trade; so why wouldn't a Parra for Marmol trade not work.  I say it should.

2.  Trade Alfonso Soriano to somewhere.

The Cubs should get some good value for Soriano once some of the other outfielders come off the board.  To where? I can only speculate.  The Phillies, Mariners, Braves, and Rays makes sense.  This will leave LF open for Parra to start everyday.

3.  Sign Michael Bourn.

The price of Bourn continues to fall as the market gets smaller and smaller.  The Cubs have already shown wiliness to sign a big contract to a younger player in Edwin Jackson.  A really big need for the Cubs is a CF with good defense and speed.  He provides that.  I do not think the Cubs should overpay for Bourn but a 4-5 year deal worth $60M-$72M makes sense to me.  This would allow the Cubs to keep DeJesus in RF or even trade him.  If they traded him they could go with Schierholtz and Sapplet platoon in RF.  Either way the Cubs outfield defense would be one of the best in the league.


With all this said and done it seems the Cubs may go into the season with a possible Stewart/Valbuena platoon at 3rd.  But with the moves made that I listed above this is what I see for the starting lineup.

1. Michael Bourn CF
2. David DeJesus RF
3. Starlin Castro SS
4. Anthony Rizzo 1st
5. Gerardo Parra LF
6. Welington Castillo C
7. Ian Stewart 3rd
8. Darwin Barney 2nd
9. Pitcher

Not the dynamic power hitting lineup but I think it is good enough to at least be competitive.  With the Cubs new starting pitching defense has to be a priority since they are not a lot of power hitters available.  You have to work with what the market is giving you and I see that taking place here.

Until Next Time..

Cubs Hits: EJax, Pitching, and More....

• A report from Jim Bowden suggest the Cubs and Rangers are finalist for Edwin Jackson.
• The price for Edwin Jackson is 4 years or more around 12-14M a year. If I am the Cubs I do not go much beyond 4 years 48M. In fact I do not guarantee 5 years.
• The Cubs are still trying to sell Soriano but many teams are waiting to see where other free agents go before trading for the veteran outfielder.
• The Tigers are taking calls on Drew Smyle in which case the Cubs should me more interested in him given his controllable cost compared to Porcello.
• Ken Rosenthal on the MLB Network said he does not expect the Rangers to be the high bidder for Edwin Jackson. So that is good news for the Cubs since Bowden said the Rangers are the Cubs only competition right now.
• The Cubs are very quietly still looking at available outfielders on the free agent market including Michael Bourn and Cody Ross.
• T.R. Sullivan from MLB.com says Edwin Jackson is not a logical fit for the Rangers at 4 years $50M. I would take Jackson at that cost if I was the Cubs.
• Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe says Matt Garza could still be a target for the Red Sox.
• The Cubs are one of the teams interested in J.P. Howell but so is about half the teams in baseball.
• The Cubs still have some interest in bring in Kyle Farnsworth.

Some Levine Chat Talk-

• The Cubs probably have interest in Bourjos but the Angels are not going to give him away.
• Levine must be out of the loop because he says Jackson will get a three year deal from another team and the Padres are the leading dog for him. (Jackson wants 4 years so the Padres bowed out)
• The Cubs are still in on Shaun Marcum.
• Team are reluctant to give up young talent for players like Soriano.
• The Cubs do not have an extensive talent to trade for the likes of Mark Trumbo and Stanton.
• Bruce is getting grumpy at his old age. Check it out from his chat-

- Steve (Wilmington, IL) What do you make of Buster Olney saying the Cubs will make a run to get David Price next offseason? If this is true, who would they actually consider giving up?

Bruce Levine Next offseason? I don't understand what that is supposed to mean. Price may be traded or signed by Tampa before next offseason. To me that's just pie in the sky.

• Levine does not see a Barney for Porcello swap because they now have Omar Infante.
• The Padres do not want to trade Headley and Grady Sizemore as an impact player is gone.
• Levine bets Marmol gets traded for a small package of prospects. (agreed)
• No word on when Vizcaino will be ready but maybe not until early 2013
• The Rangers could be a match for Marmol.
• Organization believes Brett Jackson has tremendous upside.
• The Cubs would love to trade for Trumbo but do not have the goods.
• Andre Ethier is too old and expensive for the Cubs.

Until Next Time….