Ward to 15 day DL, Moore called up.

Ward was sent to the DL with a strained calf. So the cubs made a roster move today bringing up versatile player Scott Moore. He can play all infield positions and has some pop in his bat. He is hitting 10 for 19 in last 7 games with 5 homers! Moore was acquired in the Kyle Farnsworth trade and he is going to be in the lineup today. Lets see how the kid takes the pressure of playing with the big boys. Good luck to you Moore!

Cubs trade Izzy, intrest in Dotel and other notes.

thanks to MLBtraderumors.com-

Pirates Acquire Cesar Izturis

The Cubs have traded shortstop Cesar Izturis and cash to the Pirates for a player to be named later. I suppose the move is meant to push Jack Wilson, but I don't really see the point as they're similar players.

Addition by subtraction for the Cubs, who might want to call up Ronny Cedeno soon. Instead they brought up Jake Fox, who was moved off the catcher position earlier this year. He's hitting .284/.327/.504 in 91 games at Double A. Fox has been playing first base and outfield for the Smokies lately, so he can help fill in for Derrek Lee. Fox could become a Ryan Doumit type one day, catching on occasion. He was college guy, and has been old for his levels. This could possibly be a trade showcase, though Fox doesn't have a ton of value.

A fellow had emailed me about the Bucs' interest in Izturis a few days ago, but I couldn't confirm it and didn't print it. The reason I mention it is that he also said the Cubs have interest in Xavier Nady.

Mlbtraderumors.com also says the are intrested in Dotel.

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- Cubs called up Jake Fox, who can play Catcher, First, and OF. He will help during the Dlee suspension

- Floyd and Ward left the game today with injuries. Ward was trying to grab Pedro Feliz's infield popup in front of the pitcher's mound and converged with three other players. He fell as he tried to make the play and immediately was pulled from the game. His status is day to day. Floyd collided with pitcher Matt Morris in the third inning and stayed in the game. He eventually scored from second on a passed ball by catcher Bengie Molina, but was lifted on defense in the fourth.Floyd, who has been battling shoulder and elbow problems, was pulled because of a sore neck. Look for Pie or Murton to be called up if any hit the DL( which is unlikely)

Greinke a fit for Cubs?? Lee serving suspension because of injury.

Thanks to mlbtraderumors.com-

Cubs Interested In Zack Greinke
Whether he tops out at 96 or 100 mph, there's no doubt 23 year-old Zack Greinke is an intriguing pitcher. His name helps us remember or mnemonic devices from elementary school. The man even has his own website.
Bob Dutton mentioned Greinke as a trade possibility a few days ago, and now Jeff Vorva of the Daily Southtown reports that the Cubs are interested. Vorva is quoting "broadcast reports" for this rumor; I will try to find more detail. UPDATE: The rumor is from 670 The Score out of Chicago.
Greinke would be a fine addition for the Cubs whether used as a starter or reliever. I don't believe he becomes a free agent until after 2010, though you'd have to check my math. However, Greinke is a very valuable property for Kansas City and the Cubs would have to give up something good. Maybe Dayton Moore could add some middle infield depth with Ronny Cedeno or Eric Patterson. Would that be enough for Greinke?

I would really like getting Zach. He is 4-5 with a 4.54 era. He has 61 SO in 74 innings. He is only 23 years old and would be valuable as a long relief guy since he has made 7 starts this year. Iwould trade Cedeno for Zach. That's a fair trade. But not Epatt, he could get a much better reliever.

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Derrek Lee drops appeal

By Paul Sullivan, 12:24 p.m.

Cubs first baseman Derrek Lee has dropped his appeal of a five-game suspension that was handed down following his June 16 fight with Padres pitcher Chris Young.Lee believed Young had thrown at him intentionally.

Lee was injured during Tuesday night's 4-2 loss to the Giants after fouling a ball off his left ankle. He expects to be out for 2-3 games, which in part lead to his decision to drop his case. A hearing on the appeal had not been scheduled.Lee will miss the rest of the Giants series and a weekend set against Arizona. The Cubs have Monday off. Lee's first game back is set for Tuesday in the first game of a series against St. Louis.

Young also received a five-game suspension and a fine, though it in effect amounted to one game because he’s a starting pitcher who works once every five games. He served it before and after the All Star break.Cubs hitting coach Gerald Perry also received three games and a fine from Major League Baseball disciplinarian Bob Watson for "aggressive actions" while trying to separate players.Padres pitcher Jake Peavy and outfielder Brian Giles were fined for their roles in the fight but were not suspended. Young and Lee were also fined.In June, sources said the Cubs argued that Lee’s history should be taken into consideration in the final decision.

They also pointed to comments by Peavy in the San Diego Union-Tribune that suggested he would have hit one of Alfonso Soriano’s teammates if he’d been pitching after watching Soriano backpedal out of the batter’s box to initiate a home-run trot during the series with the Padres.Peavy was involved in the scrum, though San Diego manager Bud Black insisted he "was just trying to pull Derrek Lee off of somebody.

If there is a good time to lose Dlee to a suspension, I guess since he is hurt this is a good as time as ever.

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Other rumors-

The cubs are taking a strong look at teams that start to become sellers. According to multiple sites the Cubs are rumored to be interested in Gagne and Lofton of the Rangers.

More Cubs Rumors and Notes!

Thanks to MLBTRADERUMORS-


Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune has some quotes up today from Carlos Zambrano, and they strongly indicate he'll sign a contract extension to stay with the Cubs once the season ends. Specifically, he said there's a "90% chance" he re-signs. Negotiations may not have re-opened, but Z is certainly positive about the situation. The Cubs are likely to pay extra for waiting.

Signing Zambrano might put the Cubs in a position to enter 2008 with the exact same rotation they have now - Zambrano, Rich Hill, Ted Lilly, Jason Marquis, and Sean Marshall. That group will almost certainly regress from where it is now, but it still looks like a better than average staff to me.

Time to put on my fan cap and speculate about some moves I'd like to see for 2008 (if you hate this sort of thing, just stop reading. No complaints about too much Cubs stuff.)

For the catching situation, I'd just turn it over to Geovany Soto and Henry Blanco. They should be acceptable.

I'd like to see a third of the Iowa Cubs promoted for '08. Bring up the DP combination of Eric Patterson and Ronny Cedeno, and give Felix Pie a legitimate full-time shot at CF. These kids are all hitting well at Triple A. Can you imagine a Cubs lineup with four of eight position players homegrown?

No more patchwork stuff in right field. Go out and spend some money on the best right fielder available - Kosuke Fukudome. It would be fun to see the Cubs garner Japanese attention. Even at $14-15MM a year, I'd throw it down. This will compensate if a few of the kids falter.

I don't have a great solution for Matt Murton. Trade him for a respectable reliever if possible, or just use him as the fourth outfielder. Projecting him as more than that may have been wishcasting anyway. Similar situation with Mike Fontenot.

Mark DeRosa and Ryan Theriot are solid guys but they're on my bench.

Nontender Scott Eyre and Jacque Jones, eat the salaries and be done with it.

Keep Ryan Dempster in the pen but use Carlos Marmol as the closer. Mix and match with kids and vets, same as this year. Don't spend big bucks on free agent relievers. Dempster could slide into the fifth starter role if the pen is a strength and Marquis bombs.

Another $3.6MM on Mark Prior on the chance he can outpitch Marquis? Sure. Wouldn't be opposed to bringing in a Freddy Garcia/Jon Lieber/Kenny Rogers if the price is right. You can never have too much pitching.

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Here is some juicy rumors-

It seems Izzy is on his way out next. There are rumored to be at least 3 teams interested in Izzy( BoSox, Royals, and Pirates). Its has been rumored that Hendry is eyeing the power righty bat of Xavier Nady. Could Hendry actually pull off a trade sending just Nady for Izzy he would be a genius! Nady is the Perfect fit for a platoon situation in RF with Floyd or Ward. Nady can play alot of positions he has played 3rd base but he has played all OF positions and first base. He is hitting .284 with 14Hr and 51rbi in 80 games. He posts a lifetime .328 OBP with an OBP of .352 and .336 the last two years. He hits leftys well with .314 and he hits well in day games.367 average. He hits well at Wrigley also, hitting .353 avg 1hr .423 OBP in just 68 AB. Nady is only making 2.15 million and has almost 4 years of ML service.

To say the least this would be a win for Hendry. How bout packaging Murton or Jones or Eyre with Izzy to get Nady and a reliever???

As for the Royals, I don't really want any of there outfielders except maybe Reggie Sanders. He is a good veteran and a good player. Now can he play the outfield??? that is a big question. I still think he can. He could be a problem healthy wise. He is hitting .380 with 2 hr in 50 ab with KC. He has a lifetime .289 avg against leftys. Not the worst choice in the world but not best. I can see dealing Izzy for relief help.

The BoSox don't have much to give up to the cubs except Wily Mo Pena. If you read this site you know I love him.

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Also today Soto was sent to Iowa to make room for Kendall.

Cubs get Kendall for Bowen and minor leaguer.

Cubs get veteran Jason Kendall today for Bowen and minor league pitcher. This is very good move in my opinion. He is a solid defensive catcher and OK offensively and much better than Bowen! He is expected to be in uniform tomorrow!

Wood Great in Rehab Start!

Thanks to MLB.COM-

CHICAGO -- Kerry Wood made his first Minor League rehab outing on Saturday in Mesa, Ariz., and struck out the side. That's good news for the Cubs.
Wood has been on the disabled list since the start of the regular season with tendinitis in his right shoulder. He did pitch in Spring Training, totaling five innings over five games. But the right-hander, who won the National League Rookie of the Year Award in 1998, had to be shut down because of his cranky right shoulder.
On Saturday in Mesa, pitching for the Cubs' Rookie League team against San Francisco's squad, he threw 14 pitches and struck out all three batters he faced.
"Kerry has worked hard," Cubs manager Lou Piniella said Saturday. "Let him work. Let him keep working at his own pace. Let's not rush him and see where that takes us.
"He's a good young man," Piniella said of the right-hander, who turned 30 on June 16. "It'd be a really good feel-good story, No. 1, and more important than that, it would be a story that would help our situation down the road."
When Wood does come back, he'll pitch strictly in relief and not as a starter. He came back last season as a starter and was 1-2 with a 4.12 ERA in four games but had to be shut down because of problems with his shoulder. Wood, who had arthroscopic surgery on his shoulder in August 2005, has a career 71-56 record and 3.68 ERA.

Cuban's bid Leaked????

According to several sources the Cuban bid has been leaked already. The "bid" Cuban has placed is leaked to be 1.4 billion dollars. That is a very large bid and it is expected that many other investors will make a bid but will it be more than 1.4 Billion?

The majority of investors intrested in the cubs have a net worth around 2.5 billion. Would the inverstor be able to outbid Cuban's leaked 1.4 billion dollar bid? I honestly dont think so and hope they dont. The Cubs need an owner like Cuban. He spares no expense when it comes to winning( which is starting to earn him the nickname young Stienbrenner), he is very invloved with the team, fans, and players, he is one of the most passionate and smart men in the US today. And I know I would be honered to call him the owner of the Cubs!

Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban, has submitted his bid to purchase the Chicago Cubs!

How one goes about sending in an application to buy a Major League Baseball franchise is a mystery to those of us who aren't in the ballclub-acquisition business. By fax? By standard mail? Or is there an on-line form?

Controversial Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban said Thursday that he has submitted his application to purchase the Cubs. He said he believed he sent it in last week, though he wasn't sure. Dates don't matter anyway. What matters is that he's officially serious about buying the valuable, championship-starved franchise on the North Side.

For those Cubs fans who are excited about the possibility of a free-spending owner taking over their beloved team, the news that Cuban formally has taken the first step in the bid process is huge.

But it's hard to shake the image of Commissioner Bud Selig holding Cuban's application by his thumb and index finger, and at arm's length, as if he were holding a rat by the tail. That's probably unfair to Cuban, who runs a successful NBA franchise, but it seems to sum up baseball's general estimation of him.

This sentence ran in a Tribune story Thursday about a potential ownership bid by the Ricketts family, whose estimated worth of $2.3 billion was built on its Internet-based discount brokerage: "And while Internet billionaire Mark Cuban, owner of the Dallas Mavericks, has expressed interest, most observers think Major League Baseball would balk at a potential owner as unpredictable and outspoken as Cuban.

"I e-mailed Cuban to get a response to that sentence—a sentence that wasn't a whole lot different than what I've been hearing since Tribune Co. announced in April it intended to sell the Cubs.

"I never comment on 'most observers' reports," Cuban said. "It's like responding to a random blog post, a waste of time.

"I told him the sentence in the story seemed to capture the sentiment of him among baseball people.

"Sentiment?" he said. "Hearsay of hearsay of hearsay doesn't deserve a response either.

"He's right about the hearsay. It's not always true. But I'll say what I hear from people who are close to Selig: Baseball doesn't like Cuban. It doesn't like the fact he has had to pay about $1.5 million in fines for criticizing the NBA and its referees, among other sins. It can't imagine what he would do around umpires, a notoriously grumpy group. Baseball doesn't like the perception that Cuban wants to be the star of the show. It doesn't like the thought of Cuban as ringmaster of the Wrigley circus.

Again, hearsay. About as good hearsay as you can get, but hearsay. What Cuban brings to the table is an armored bank truck. Forbes estimates his worth at $2.3 billion. He has a reputation as an owner who doesn't spare expenses when it comes to building a team or taking care of his players.

Selig has a fairly easy out if he's looking for one regarding Cuban. He has said the prospect of local ownership will weigh heavily in the selection process. John Canning, who heads a private-equity firm based in Chicago, is considered a strong candidate. Other potential candidates include Chicago Wolves owner Don Levin, as well as a partnership of Chicago attorney Thomas Mandler and businessman Jim Anixter.

The Ricketts' bid will be led by Tom Ricketts, who earned undergraduate and graduate degrees from the University of Chicago. The family is based in Omaha.

The Ricketts family reportedly is readying its application. Cuban's is already on someone's desk at MLB headquarters

.At a minimum, he could help drive up the sale price of the franchise, which some experts believe could top $1 billion.

It's hard to picture Bulls and White Sox chairman Jerry Reinsdorf, who has seen Cuban's act in the NBA, remaining quiet during the bid process. It's one thing to have to deal with Cuban as a fellow owner; it's another to have to deal with him as a fellow owner in the same city. Selig takes his cue from the owners and is especially close to Reinsdorf. It's true there's a "Cub" in Cuban's name. It's also true there's a "ban." Stay tuned.

http://chicagosports.chicagotribune....home-headlines

Rumor and News overload!

There is alot of rumors and some news out there today. First the news-

- Soto was called up today and Pie was sent down. The cubs will carry three catchers for some dumb reason and they send down a young kid who deserves to play CF everyday.

And now for the numerous rumors-

- Arod is expect not to negotiate thru the season. If the Yanks want to keep him they will have to negotiate with him after the season Boras said. Boras also said he will be the first 30 million dollar a year man. I believe him and expect the cubs along with other big market teams to make a push.

- The cubs are still trying to shop Jones. The Twins are very interested but they want the cubs to pay the majority of the contract. The cubs seem unwilling to do that ( they should just trade him and pay him, let Pie play). The A's, Marlins, Rangers, and White Sox remain interested.

- Griffey to the cubs?? Don't count it out-
www.daytondailynews.com/s/content/oh/story/sports/pro/reds/2007/07/11/ddn071207reds.html

I'm assuming they mean the Cubs because him going to the cheap ass Sox wouldn't make sense considering they want to get rid of TI and Dye and maybe Vazquez.

Griffey would look damn good in cubbie blue!

-Bruce Levine on ESPN Radio 1000 that the Cubs have 3 serious bidders for Cesar Izturis. He said if Cesar is traded Cedeno would be called back up from Iowa. I don't think the cubs would call up Cedeno, why would they want to get another youngster up here to sit on the bench. Stick with the Three headed Monster in the MI ( Derosa, Theriot, and Font).

There is all the rumors for today. Interesting to see if these Rumors have any truth to them!

Cubs looking for a righty bat

Chicago-Sun Times:

PITTSBURGH -- Another rough day scoring runs, in particular against a left-hander, has the Cubs looking even a little harder at trying to add a right-handed hitter to the roster before they resume play Friday.
The Cubs had a 4-3 road trip against bad teams in Washington and Pittsburgh but blew a chance to gain at least another game on first-place Milwaukee in the division-- mostly because they were held to six runs combined in the three losses.
And two of those losses came against left-handers as the Cubs fell to 8-14 when a lefty starts for the opponent. They are hitting just .243 against lefties (.277 against righties).
''[General manager Jim Hendry] and I will talk during the All-Star break,'' manager Lou Piniella said, ''and see if we can look at the possibility of getting a right-handed batter in here so it can help us out against left-handed pitching.''


As I said before, I feel the cubs need another right handed bat to platoon in RF with Floyd. I also feel the cubs need an everyday CF and I think Pie is the answer but here is a list of OFers that are righthanded that can handle lefthanded pitching-

Wily Mo Pena- He is a young right hander with raw power. He will be really cheap trade wise and could be the perfect platoon partner with Floyd in RF

Jermaine Dye- Another solid right handed bat who will be a free agent at the end of the season. Kenny Williams is asking for 2 of the 3 top prospects in the organization for Dye. This means Veal, Gallagher, Pie, Hill, Marshall, Epatt, Theriot, or Cedeno in a deal.

Austin Kearns- Having a down year. He is also young, hit great at Wrigley. He also could be expensive considering there GM want the world for his players.

Mike Cameron- Free agent after the season. Decent speed, great defense, good righty bat, and would look good in the #2 hole. He also has power and could play RF or CF for the cubbies. He is hitting .357 against lefties. He could be the answer, he also could cost alot.

Aaron Rowand- Just an all around good player both defensively and offensively. Would be really expensive

Carl Crawford- Another guy out of our reach but I would absolutely love to have him. This won't happen but I put it on here for the hell of it.

Craig Monroe- Raw power. .331 average against leftys. Don't know if he is available but we should give the Tigers a call.

Jonny Gomes- Smashed leftys, he could cost a pretty penny.


Another way to get a righty bat in the lineup is to maybe considering getting a defensive catcher with a decent bat. Here is a list of some catchers-

Ryan Doumit- Good defensive catcher that has a really good bat. Would cost alot to get him to.

Ramon Hernandez- Good defensive catcher and decent offensively but not showing it this year. I think we could work another deal with the O's.

Yadier Molina- He is one of two catchers that I would give up alot to get. I know he is a cardinal but he in my opinion is one of the best defensive catchers in the league.

Jarrod Saltalamacchia- To be honest I think this guy is the answer to alot of our problems. A young switch hitting C, who is tremendous defensivly. Got great pop and is only like 21 years old. He could be the catcher for now and the future!