A Rumor that could Run Wild

Thanks to MLBTR for this-

Jacoby Ellsbury's reportedly strained relationship with the Red Sox and his attractiveness to potential suitors make him a strong trade candidate this off-season, according to Paul White of USA Today. Boston GM Theo Epstein has hinted that the Red Sox roster is in need of a "restocking," according to White, and Ellsbury could be a good fit for the Padres, Diamondbacks, Angels, Braves, Mets and Cubs.

On the heels of the rumor above comes this juicy rumor from my inbox-

The Cubs and Red Sox may revisit talks regarding Jacoby Ellsbury as soon as this week but it could get more aggressive once the Winter Meetings get underway. The Red Sox were reportedly very interested in 3rd baseman Aramis Ramirez who is exercised his 14.6 million dollar option for 2011. Aramis also has a 16 million dollar club option for 2012 with a 2 million dollar buyout. The Cubs and Red Sox have been trading partners in the past most notably when they struck a deal that sent Nomar to the Cubs. The Red Sox and Cubs have also had their share of blockbuster trades going bust. One of those busted deals had the Cubs acquiring Manny Ramirez and a young 2nd baseman by the name of Dustin Pedroia. In that deal the Red Sox would have received Aramis Ramirez among other players from a third unknown team. That unknown team would have received prospects in the deal as well.

Sources tell me this deal will involve more than just Ellsbury and Ramirez with the Sox looking for an outfielder in return and the Cubs looking for a prospect or two. The Red Sox could try to pull away Brett Jackson or Tyler Colvin but it is unlikely the Cubs would part with either one. The Cubs would love to give them Soriano but the Red Sox would require the Cubs to pay almost 80-90% of the contract for that to happen. The most likely scenario is for the Red Sox to acquire Fukudome or Marlon Byrd in the trade. The Cubs will have to pick up the tab on Fukudome or Byrd with the Red Sox paying all of Aramis Ramirez contract; that being said if the Cubs are paying off one of the outfielder’s contract then they will need compensation in the form of a mid-level prospect or two.

So in the end you have the Cubs acquiring an inexpensive speedy 5 tool outfielder and one or two mid-level prospects. The Cubs also rid themselves of one of their pricey veterans along with getting younger. They do leave a large void at 3rd base but a temporary fix would be moving Starlin Castro or Blake DeWitt to 3rd or bring up Vitters , signing a cheap free agent like Jorge Cantu, Eric Chavez, Ty Wigginton, or Miguel Tejada; or make a trade for a third baseman. Lost in this trade is the Cubs removing 14.6 million dollar off the books for this season and at the very least 2 million for 2012. The Cubs could use the 14.6 million they have saved by trading Aramis to acquire a starting pitcher, 1st baseman, and/or a set-up man.

The Red Sox also get a really good deal. They get rid of yet another player that they are having issues with in Ellsbury and acquired a 3rd baseman in Aramis Ramirez who could battle for the AL MVP if the stays healthy enough to. This takes out the possibility of the Red Sox signing Adrian Beltre who is expected to sign a deal around 4-5 years around 50-80 million dollars (the A’s already offered 5 year 64 million) so it also saves them money as well. Instead of spending that large amount the Red Sox will be on the hook for at the most 21 million over two seasons for Aramis Ramirez. The Red Sox also essentially get a free outfielder to fill Ellsbury’s void. Fukudome could benefit from platooning with Mike Cameron although Marlon Byrd would give them clubhouse leadership, a player that gives 110% all of the time, and steady numbers throughout a season. Both would fit well in the mold of players that have come and gone through the Red Sox roster. The Red Sox could also use the money they were willing to give to Beltre and sign a big name free agent Jayson Werth or Carl Crawford or a mid-level guy like Magglio Ordonez, Hideki Matsui, Valdimir Guerrero, or Rick Ankiel. They could also trade for Justin Upton like they have been rumored to be interested in.

Rumors run wild this time of year, just thought I would give you a heads up on this one.

Cheers,
W.J.

Could this be a blockbuster in the making or just another bust? Only time will tell!

Until Next Time….

Boy, I am Stuffed..... full of rumors..

Happy post Turkey Day everyone! Hope you are not too full because here are some left over rumors from the days past-

- If the Cubs cannot trade for Adrian Gonzalez they will turn their full attention to Carlos Pena. Pena is the Cubs top priority right behind A-Gone.

- The Cubs seem to have moved on from Adam Dunn and his large contract expectations.

- The Cubs have called on Lance Berkman. Lance is also being courted by the Oakland A’s who view him as a 1st baseman/DH type. Berkman does not agree, he sees himself as a 1st baseman/outfielder and as a guy who wants to stay in the NL. Bruce Miles stats free agent wise Lance is #2 behind Carlos Pena but other names are in play.

- The Cubs continue to talk to the Rangers about Chris Davis and he could fill the void for the Cubs next season. Davis is a power-hitting strike out machine who is only 25 years old. The Rangers are asking for Wellington Castillo or Robinson Chirinos in return which is a fair asking price. If the Cubs cannot land Pena, Berkman, or A-Gone he seems the best fit giving the price and age of Davis.

- Adam LaRoche, Lyle Overbay, and Nick Johnson also are rumored to be on Hendry’s list.

- The Cubs are continuing to look at Grant Balfour, Jason Frasor, and Kerry Wood as their set-up man vacancy. Wood seems the most likely of the three to sign with the Cubs.

- The Cubs really like Vazquez, Garland, Millwood, Harang, and Padilla for their starting rotation. Vazquez seems to be on the verge of signing with the Marlins while Garland seems to be headed to LA.

- Randy Wells spot in the rotation is not guaranteed and he could be replaced by Andrew Cashner, Casey Coleman, or Jeff Smardzija. Chris Archer will likely start in AAA next season although he could become the dark horse if they others don’t look sharp.

- The Cubs will offer Jeff Baker a contract but it will be of the take it or leave it variety.

- Don’t rule Starlin Castro to move to 2nd base sometime next season if Hak-Ju Lee looks good in ST. The Cubs have already made it know he will get time there is off-season.

- Former 44th overall pick by the Orioles in the 1999 amateur draft Scott Rice signed a minor league deal with the Cubs. He is a 6’6 lefty who has not lived up to expectations. He will add depth to say the least.

- Cross Aubrey Huff and Victor Martinez off the free agent wish list. Huff will stay with the Giants and V-Mart signed with the Tigers.

Until Next Time….

Hendry and Levine Talk Cubs....

- In a shocking move Larry Rothschild left the Cubs to become the Yankees new pitching coach. Larry wanted to be closer to his family and since his family lives in Florida and the Yankees have ST there it is a good fit. Larry is widely considered one of the best pitching coaches in the game but of course has been under fire for many years for what he has done with Carlos Zambrano, Rich Hill, and others. I wish him the best. The Cubs are expected to add a pitching coach over the Thanksgiving holiday. Mark Riggins, Mike Mason, Lester Strode, and Dennis Lewellyn are top candidates to replace Rothschild. Mark Riggins is the favorite.

- Greg Maddux does not want the pitching coach job or else he would be named it right now. Maddux wants to concentrate on this family an d learn more about baseball operations.

- The Cubs want Tyler Colvin to be an everyday player, even if that means him playing 1st everyday and acquiring a right fielder. I would like the idea of putting Colvin at first and signing Vlad to platoon with Fukudome in RF.

- Crane Kenney assured Hendry he would have flexibility to make a move or two and Hendry also said he would be discussing a trade or two with Randy Bush and Oneri Fleita.

- The Cubs are very interested in Chris Davis according to Levine.

- Javier Vazquez is on the Cubs radar. He could actually sign before Dec. 1st with all the teams interested in him.

- Chris Archer will likely start the year in Iowa but by May or June there rotation could be Zambrano, Dempster, Andrew Cashner, Casey Coleman, and Chris Archer. Shark and Wells could be traded from now until then.

- The Cubs re-signed Bryan LaHair to a minor league deal.

Until Next Time...

Updating the Meetings..

Updates for the meetings-

- It is uncertain that Blake DeWitt will be the Cubs starting 2nd baseman next season. Darwin Barney could replace him if he has a good ST and the surprise candidate is Hak-Ju Lee, although the rumor is if he breaks camp with the Cubs he will play SS and Castro will play 2nd base. Lee has better fielding tools, speed, range, and arm than Castro. I cannot wait to see both playing together in ST.

- The Cubs believe they have a future ace in the making in Chris Carpenter.

- Carlos Zambrano will not be traded. He will not waive his no-trade and the Cubs will not ask him to do so. The Cubs also may hold onto Fukudome as their 4th outfielder. He did well under Quade and Kosuke does better when he has limited ABs. He is not an everyday player and does not have the stamina to play 150+ games either.

- Marmol will get a nice raise this year. He will likely make 4-5 million for 2010.

- The Cubs have not talked to Adam Dunn’s agent and are instead looking for an above average defensive 1st baseman for next season. Rumor has it that Pena is at the top of the Free Agent list.

- Jim Hendry meant with a lot of agents during the meetings and also a lot of teams. He meant with the Rangers to see if they could match in a potential trade. The Rangers want a young up and coming catcher and the Cubs are looking for a young left-handed 1st baseman. It is rumored the Cubs could offer Wellington Castillo or Robinson Chirinos for 25 year old first baseman Chris Davis.

- The Cubs are meant with agents for Javier Vazquez, Aaron Harang and Vicente Padilla.

- Micah Hoffpauir signed a one-year deal to play in Japan.

- Jim Hendry had talked trades with the Royals, Rangers, Rockies, Yankees, and Red Sox over the past two days but nothing is imminent according to sources.

- The Cubs would love to bring Kerry Wood back to Chicago.

Until Next Time….

Latest Cub Rumors from the Meetings

- The Cubs are very interested in James Loney if the Dodgers officially make him available. The Dodgers are looking for a power hitting first baseman and could look to trade Loney and sign someone like Carlos Pena or Adam Dunn. The rumored asking price for Loney is really not that bad. The Cubs could obtain him for a good prospect and a mid-level prospect.

- The Cubs have no interest in Justin Upton or Stephen Drew according to sources. The Cubs like the outfield they have and are likely to go into next season with Blake DeWitt at 2nd and of course Starlin Castro at SS.

- Westbrook signed with the Cards, leaving the Cubs with rumored interest in Garland, Millwood, and Vazquez. Why is there no love for Brandon Webb?

- Bruce Levine cannot confirm or deny interest in Jacoby Ellsbury. I can see them going after Ellsbury if they trade Marlon Byrd.

- Levine said the Cubs could trade Marlon Byrd if they find a run producing outfielder. I think trading Byrd would be a mistake because he brings more to the table than just baseball skills.

- Levine says these meetings are a precursor to the deals that will be completed within the coming weeks. The Cubs are rumored to be ready to make a "huge push" toward Adrian Gonzalez. Even if that means trading Andrew Cashner or another one of their stud prospects.

- The Cubs are evaluating the trade front for 1st baseman and have interest in Billy Butler, Todd Helton, Kila Ka'aihue, Nick Swisher, and Luke Scott

- Hendry is encouraged by recent talks with other GMs and said he has been talking more trades this year than in years past.

- The Cubs signed Scott Moore to a minor league deal.

Until Next Time...

Trying to Deal...

- GM meetings run Tuesday and Weds. but most GMs stay there the whole week.

- Most teams lay out the frame work for trades this week and complete or revisit them by the Winter Meetings in December.

- Hendry is looking to make two or three solid additions rather than one big splash.

- The Cubs top target is to trade for Adrian Gonzalez, there 2nd choice is Carlos Pena if he comes at a better price (cheaper than Dunn).

- If the Cubs fail to get one of the two they will turn there attention to stop gaps like Adam LaRoche, Aubrey Huff, Nick Johnson, Lance Berkman, and Lyle Overbay.

- Westbrook, Millwood, and Vazquez have made the Cubs watch list.

- Jim will try desperately to unload Fukudome, even for another bad contract. Luis Castillo for Fukudome or Oliver Perez for Fukudome deals has been rumored. Along with Fukudome for Gil Meche.



Until Next time…..

Cubs Rumors....

- The Cubs could have some interest in trading for Gordon Beckham if the White Sox decide to trade him.

- The Cubs are are keeping tabs on B.J. Upton since the Rays are believed to be shopping him and the asking price is reasonable.

- The Cubs and Red Sox do not have interest in trading Fukudome for Dice-K according to sources.

- Carlos Beltran would be open to playing RF and waiving his no-trade clause. How about Fukudome and Silva for Carlos Beltran. The money would be almost even and he could play RF for the Cubs with Colvin playing first.

- Ryne Sandberg might land a job with the Phillies.

That is all for now, until next time....

Levine Latest and More...

The latest from Levine and others-

- The Cubs have no interest in trading for Dan Uggla.

- Zambrano and Soriano have untradeable contracts.

- Aramis Ramirez could be traded and I have heard the Cubs have already received calls from the Red Sox and Angels about Aramis.

- The Cubs first choice to play first for them is Adrian Gonzalez followed by Carlos Pena then Adam Dunn.

- Levine backs up what we have been hearing which is Hak-Ju Lee will be one of the players involved in A-Gone trade talk along with Jay Jackson and Chris Archer.

- Levine says Starlin Castro and Brett Jackson will not be involved in trade talk. Carlos Marmol will not be involved with a potential Padres trade.

- The Cubs think Josh Vitters and Brett Jackson will be impact players at the ML level.

- Hendry has not received the 2011 payroll numbers but the Cubs are not expected to spend big on free agents this winter.

- Sean Marshall is enjoying being a reliever.

- Add Jake Westbrook to the list of pitchers the Cubs like. Brandon Webb is still my pick.

- Levine says it is still a possibility that Tyler Colvin is the Cubs starting 1st baseman next season.

- Brandon Guyer needs another year in the minors.

- The Cubs are talking to teams about Fukudome.

- The Cubs have interest in bring Bill Hall in as a utility player much like the role DeRosa filled for them a couple years back. He would likely fill in for Jeff Baker, who is expected to be non-tendered.



Until Next Time….

Gonzalez to Cubs Looking Better and Better!

Adrian Gonzalez could be the 2011 first baseman and beyond, Levine stated yesterday that the Cubs would “love to add Gonzalez.” Levine said the Cubs are one of many teams that have an eye on A-Gone and that if the Cubs did trade for him the Cubs would give up three to four top young prospects.

The Cubs are not going to have a lot of money to spend on free agents unless they trade away some of there large contracts so they may be more involved in the trade market. There are many reasons Adrian Gonzalez is so appealing to the Cubs 1) He is only owed 5.8 million next season 2) If the Cubs traded for him they will likely work out a long term deal with him before the deal is completed, giving them stability and production at 1st base for many years to come 3) Adrian has stated he likes Chicago and loves playing in Wrigley 4) He has posted 30+ homers and 99+ RBI in the past 4 season in a pitcher friendly park and division 5) He is only 29 years old 6) The big money owed to him will not effect the Cubs until the start the 2012 season which is when 38 million dollars will come off the books (Adrian will likely get 23 million a season) 7) The Cubs have a nice quanity and quality of prospects to land Gonzalez. All these reasons make the Cubs chances better than most teams.

The big question is what talent do the Cubs have to part with? Don’t worry Cub fans Starlin Castro is staying put but the same cannot be said for Andrew Cashner. According to my source the Cubs would have to give up Castro or Cashner in any deal for Adrian Gonzalez. The Cubs will not give up Castro in “any deal” because SS like him are hard to come by. The Cubs are more willing to give Cashner because of past experiences with Mark Prior, Kerry Wood, and other pitchers that have had promise but failed to live up to expectations. The Padres are looking to fill numerous voids with the players they acquire via A-Gone trade. They are looking at starting pitching, CF, and middle infield. The players the Cubs could look to trade and the Padres may have interest in are Brett Jackson, Hak-Ju Lee, Josh Vitters, Jay Jackson, Chris Archer, Andrew Cashner, Ryan Flaherty, Chris Carpenter, Tyler Colvin, and Brandon Guyer. Any three to five of those prospects could be apart of a potential Gonzalez deal. I think Josh Vitters, Andrew Cashner, Tyler Colvin, and Hak-Ju Lee would get Gonzalez on the Nothside. Only time will tell.

Until Next Time..

Free Agency Starts and So does the Cubs Rumors...

- The Cubs payroll will be down this season but how much is still a mystery. But the rumor is Adam Dunn will likely sign elsewhere unless he takes a discount to come to Chicago.

- The Cubs may look at Victor Martinez or Aubrey Huff to fill their void at first base next season. V-Mart will likely command 10 million a season which to me does not make sense for the Cubs. They should have two lists, one that includes free agents like Carlos Pena and Adam Dunn and another that have one year rentals such as Lance Berkman and Nick Johnson.

- The Cubs might need to trade Fukudome before adding any significant free agents according to Bruce Levine. The same thing happened with Milton Bradley last season.

- John Garland might be on the Cubs wish list. Garland is a good competitor and has playoff experience but I think they should go after Brandon Webb.

- Adrian Gonzalas is available via trade and the Cubs are expected to give the Padres a call. Rumor says Cubs would want a 24-48 hour negotiating window with Adrian to lock him up, if a trade is reached. The Padres reportedly were scouting Jay Jackson, Brett Jackson, Brandon Guyer, Hak-Ju Lee, Josh Vitters, Tyler Colvin, Wellington Castillo, Geovany Soto, and others at the end of last season and in off-season baseball. The Cubs will not trade Starlin Castro though.

- Koyie Hill is likely out of the Cubs picture next season, they could look at veteran backup but are likely to go with with one in house.

Until Next Time..