Monday, August 18, 2008
Pie "untouchable" status dropped.
Felix Pie has been struggling at every level this season and has been quite injury pron which could lead the Cubs to dropping his untouchable status. Felix Pie is looking like a Cory Patterson prototype to all us Cubs fans and even management. Pie has all the upside in the world but so did Cpatt, which could mean the Cubs shopping him this winter. There are many teams that showed interest in Pie before like the Jays, Padres, Rangers, and Yankees, but with his trade stock down the Cubs would be wise to package him with other prospects to address some of their holes left this offseason. Either way, I think Cub fans will not see Felix Pie in the outfield for the north-siders anytime soon.
Saturday, August 16, 2008
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
Samardzija could get start Sunday and other notes.
-Because of the double header today Lou is considering pitching Jeff or Sean Marshall Sunday because he does not want to pitch Harden on short rest. He also said he would consider pitching Marquis on short rest but is more likely to pitch Jeff or Sean Sunday against the Fish. I think Lou should give the spot start to Samardzija on Sunday because I want to see his stuff over 5+ innings, but that is just me.
- We heard Sheffield name on the Cubs front yesterday and he is expected to clear waivers tomorrow afternoon. It is a chance that the Cubs will let him clear waivers rather than claim him to get a better deal and more time to hammer a trade out.
- Another name the Cubs had interest in at the trading deadline is Raul Ibanez. He was put on waivers along with Jarrod Washburn and both were claimed yesterday. It is possible that the Cubs claimed Ibanez and is working out a deal for the power hitting lefty. This would be interesting move because it is likely Ward would be placed on waivers or released because Ibanez can play 1st and the corner spots. Not to mention he is a better hitter right now than Ward. He will likely cost a decent prospect, I expect like a Donald Veal or Felix Pie could be involved. We should know in 24 hours who claimed Raul.
- We heard Sheffield name on the Cubs front yesterday and he is expected to clear waivers tomorrow afternoon. It is a chance that the Cubs will let him clear waivers rather than claim him to get a better deal and more time to hammer a trade out.
- Another name the Cubs had interest in at the trading deadline is Raul Ibanez. He was put on waivers along with Jarrod Washburn and both were claimed yesterday. It is possible that the Cubs claimed Ibanez and is working out a deal for the power hitting lefty. This would be interesting move because it is likely Ward would be placed on waivers or released because Ibanez can play 1st and the corner spots. Not to mention he is a better hitter right now than Ward. He will likely cost a decent prospect, I expect like a Donald Veal or Felix Pie could be involved. We should know in 24 hours who claimed Raul.
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
Cubs like Gary Sheffield??
With Fukudome's struggles with the bat and their lack of production with Daryl Ward, the Cubs are considering claiming and working out a trade for Gary Sheffield who was placed on waivers today according to a source of mine.
The Cubs had interest in Gary Sheffield 2 years ago and tried to work out a trade with the Yankees but the Tigers ended up getting Sheffield. Gary has been injured quite a bit this year with oblique and shoulder woes but he is still a good hitter despite his .219 avg. and only 10 homers in 278 ABs. Remember Jim took a gamble on guys like Reed Johnson and Jimmy Edmonds and look how they turned out.
If the Cubs did get Sheffield the Tigers would more than likely be responsible for most of the 3.8 million this year and most of the 14 million due to him for 2009. Plus they would have to make a move to make room for Gary. The likely option is to put Howry and/or Ward on waivers or release them.
There is a lot of options for the Cubs to make up for Fukudome's lack of production, this is just another option I guess.
The Cubs had interest in Gary Sheffield 2 years ago and tried to work out a trade with the Yankees but the Tigers ended up getting Sheffield. Gary has been injured quite a bit this year with oblique and shoulder woes but he is still a good hitter despite his .219 avg. and only 10 homers in 278 ABs. Remember Jim took a gamble on guys like Reed Johnson and Jimmy Edmonds and look how they turned out.
If the Cubs did get Sheffield the Tigers would more than likely be responsible for most of the 3.8 million this year and most of the 14 million due to him for 2009. Plus they would have to make a move to make room for Gary. The likely option is to put Howry and/or Ward on waivers or release them.
There is a lot of options for the Cubs to make up for Fukudome's lack of production, this is just another option I guess.
Thursday, August 07, 2008
Scott Eyre to the Phillies.
In a minor move today the Cubs sent Scott Eyre to the Phillies for A ball pitcher Brian Schlitter. Schlitter is 4-3 with a 2.22 ERA, 6 saves, and 58 SO in just 48 innings. He is a good young arm who could be in the Cubs pen in the next 2 years. The Phillies have also agreed to pay the remainder of Eyre's contact.
Wednesday, August 06, 2008
Eyre DFA, Wood back, and other notes.
-Yesterday the Cubs made room for Wood to come off the DL by DFA LHP Scott Eyre. Eyre has been inconsistent and the injury bug has hit him hard this year. The teams that are said that are interested are the Cards, Brewers, Phillies, and Red Sox. With the Sox having the most interest in the lefty. The Cubs will more than likely be off the hook for the 1.5 million they owe him for the rest of this year.
- I would not be surprised if Howry, Ward, and maybe Lieber are put on waivers this month. Howry has been awful and there are kids like Ceda who have nasty stuff that deserves a shot in the big show. Ward and Lieber are interesting situations, you have guys like Jeff S. and Sean Marshall that are not going anywhere so Lieber could be released or DFA when he comes off the DL. Ward has not been producing like Ward usually does and there is guy in AAA named Hoffpauier who could fill his spot on the bench.
- I would not be surprised if Howry, Ward, and maybe Lieber are put on waivers this month. Howry has been awful and there are kids like Ceda who have nasty stuff that deserves a shot in the big show. Ward and Lieber are interesting situations, you have guys like Jeff S. and Sean Marshall that are not going anywhere so Lieber could be released or DFA when he comes off the DL. Ward has not been producing like Ward usually does and there is guy in AAA named Hoffpauier who could fill his spot on the bench.
Sunday, August 03, 2008
Cubs Rumors and notes.
-Mark Cuban has been named the front runner by MLB execs and by other potential buyers of the Cubs, to win the bid to buy the Cubs. I really hope he becomes the Cubs next owner!
- The Cubs have minor interest in Felipe Lopez. He would be likely to be signed to a minor league contract with the availability to be called up in case of injury or when the roster size increases to 40.
- Lieber will start rehab and could be activated anytime. It is said he could be placed on waivers or outright released to make room for Wood. It hard to make room for a guy when your pen has been solid.
- Hill was doing well until he went to AAA. Do not count on him at all this year.
- Wood is feeling great and threw to some guys today and yesterday. He could be back anytime.
- Of course the Cubs did not make any moves at the deadline but that does not mean the Cubs won't make moves if the right guy is put on waivers. They could also put guys like Lieber on the waiver wire. One rumor is the Rockies have interest in Jason Marquis as their 5th starter, I am not sure if he will pass through waivers but as of right now I like the depth in our rotation.
- The Cubs have minor interest in Felipe Lopez. He would be likely to be signed to a minor league contract with the availability to be called up in case of injury or when the roster size increases to 40.
- Lieber will start rehab and could be activated anytime. It is said he could be placed on waivers or outright released to make room for Wood. It hard to make room for a guy when your pen has been solid.
- Hill was doing well until he went to AAA. Do not count on him at all this year.
- Wood is feeling great and threw to some guys today and yesterday. He could be back anytime.
- Of course the Cubs did not make any moves at the deadline but that does not mean the Cubs won't make moves if the right guy is put on waivers. They could also put guys like Lieber on the waiver wire. One rumor is the Rockies have interest in Jason Marquis as their 5th starter, I am not sure if he will pass through waivers but as of right now I like the depth in our rotation.
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Manny Rumor Untrue. Cubs trying to get Raul Ibanez and other hot stove talk.
Well the information I got from one of my sources was untrue. The Cubs have no interest in Manny Ramirez and do not like his contract or situation going on in Boston. This team has good chemistry and they do not want to disrupt that with a guy like Manny. It should be noted that the BoSox are interested in Adam Dunn though, just in case your wondering.
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Hot stove is red hot, lets take a look-
- On the Marty and Miller show on 1460 KXnO in Des Moines, they had David Kaplan on and he has some good information on the rumor front. David said the Cubs are trying to acquire Raul Ibanez through a trade with the Mariners. The M's wanted Felix Pie and Donald Veal in a deal for Ibanez and the Cubs said "no" to that. The talks are on going and if they were to acquire Ibanez either Daryl Ward or Jim Edmonds would be traded or put on waivers. Ibanez can play left, right and first base. By the way Ibanez is a lefty who post a .279 Avg., 15 homers, 62 RBI, with a .349 OBP. If acquired, I would imagine he would fill in for Fukudome and Soriano for an off day. You could also move Fukudome to CF and put Raul in RF, which would be OK but your giving up defense. I think I would trade Pie in a deal for him but not Veal. He would be a great upgrade from Edmonds and/or Ward. He would be a great pick up if the price went down.
- Will Carroll said today the Dodgers had brief talks with the Cubs about Scott Eyre and Ronny Cedeno but nothing came of it.
Tonight and tommarow should be a busy days for teams. I would be fine with the Cubs staying how they are or upgrading their team with a guy like Ibanez. I think he would be a decent replacement for Ward, or they could just bring up Hoffpauier again.
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Hot stove is red hot, lets take a look-
- On the Marty and Miller show on 1460 KXnO in Des Moines, they had David Kaplan on and he has some good information on the rumor front. David said the Cubs are trying to acquire Raul Ibanez through a trade with the Mariners. The M's wanted Felix Pie and Donald Veal in a deal for Ibanez and the Cubs said "no" to that. The talks are on going and if they were to acquire Ibanez either Daryl Ward or Jim Edmonds would be traded or put on waivers. Ibanez can play left, right and first base. By the way Ibanez is a lefty who post a .279 Avg., 15 homers, 62 RBI, with a .349 OBP. If acquired, I would imagine he would fill in for Fukudome and Soriano for an off day. You could also move Fukudome to CF and put Raul in RF, which would be OK but your giving up defense. I think I would trade Pie in a deal for him but not Veal. He would be a great upgrade from Edmonds and/or Ward. He would be a great pick up if the price went down.
- Will Carroll said today the Dodgers had brief talks with the Cubs about Scott Eyre and Ronny Cedeno but nothing came of it.
Tonight and tommarow should be a busy days for teams. I would be fine with the Cubs staying how they are or upgrading their team with a guy like Ibanez. I think he would be a decent replacement for Ward, or they could just bring up Hoffpauier again.
Monday, July 28, 2008
Jim says done dealing, yet rumors keep rolling in.
Jim Hendry said yesterday barring an injury the Cubs will stay with what they got but some more rumors have been rolling in.
The first rumors involves the Cubs shopping relievers Scott Eyre and Bob Howry who are both in the final year of their contracts. They could net the Cubs some decent prospects considering the relief market is diminishing by the day. The White Sox could be suitors for both.
The next rumor sounds a little far fetched but if it whispers I will pass it on to you. Theo Epstien has said he will make an effort to deal Manny Ramirez if he waives his no trade clause( which Manram has already he said he would if it benefited him and the BoSox). Manny has a club option for 09-10 for 20 million a season which is pretty steep but a team could just decline it if they do not have the resources or need for Manny next season. While the the trade seems unlikely to me because the Sox are going to want a big hitter in return for him, it is still a possibility. The rumor is a three way deal that involves the Red Sox, Reds, and yes the Cubs. Although I do not have all the names involved, I have heard the Red Sox would get Adam Dunn, the Cubs would get Manny Ramirez, and the Reds would get young pitching and prospects from both clubs I would assume.
Here is why this makes sense to me-
Red Sox- The Sox would get rid of the headache of Manram and get a big lefty bat that has more power and about the same defense as Manny. Not to mention their clubhouse would immediately get better with the Manny circus gone.
Reds- Instead of losing Adam Dunn to free agency and just getting Draft pick compensation for him they would get some good prospects that could help out their pen and rotation. Their farm system is not the greatest so this would really help the restock.
Cubs- While this potential deal could cost the Cubs some good prospects, chemistry issues, and lose some defense in the outfield, it does improve the lineup. Manny is such a great hitter, I would even say one of the best hitters in baseball. With him being in a hitter friendly park would be such a joy to watch. Yes, we would have to deal with Manny being Manny, but gosh what a lineup it would be by adding him in there. One issue is where to put him?? I would think the Cubs would move Fukudome to CF, Soriano in LF, and Manny in RF. Manny in RF does scare me though. The other issue is do you get rid of Edmonds or Johnson??
There is a lot of question marks in this potential rumored deal and I am just passing on what I am hearing. I personally have mixed feeling about the deal but check out this lineup-
Soriano LF
Fukudome CF
Lee 1st
Aram 3b
ManRam RF
Soto C
Derosa 2b
Theriot SS
Pitcher
The first rumors involves the Cubs shopping relievers Scott Eyre and Bob Howry who are both in the final year of their contracts. They could net the Cubs some decent prospects considering the relief market is diminishing by the day. The White Sox could be suitors for both.
The next rumor sounds a little far fetched but if it whispers I will pass it on to you. Theo Epstien has said he will make an effort to deal Manny Ramirez if he waives his no trade clause( which Manram has already he said he would if it benefited him and the BoSox). Manny has a club option for 09-10 for 20 million a season which is pretty steep but a team could just decline it if they do not have the resources or need for Manny next season. While the the trade seems unlikely to me because the Sox are going to want a big hitter in return for him, it is still a possibility. The rumor is a three way deal that involves the Red Sox, Reds, and yes the Cubs. Although I do not have all the names involved, I have heard the Red Sox would get Adam Dunn, the Cubs would get Manny Ramirez, and the Reds would get young pitching and prospects from both clubs I would assume.
Here is why this makes sense to me-
Red Sox- The Sox would get rid of the headache of Manram and get a big lefty bat that has more power and about the same defense as Manny. Not to mention their clubhouse would immediately get better with the Manny circus gone.
Reds- Instead of losing Adam Dunn to free agency and just getting Draft pick compensation for him they would get some good prospects that could help out their pen and rotation. Their farm system is not the greatest so this would really help the restock.
Cubs- While this potential deal could cost the Cubs some good prospects, chemistry issues, and lose some defense in the outfield, it does improve the lineup. Manny is such a great hitter, I would even say one of the best hitters in baseball. With him being in a hitter friendly park would be such a joy to watch. Yes, we would have to deal with Manny being Manny, but gosh what a lineup it would be by adding him in there. One issue is where to put him?? I would think the Cubs would move Fukudome to CF, Soriano in LF, and Manny in RF. Manny in RF does scare me though. The other issue is do you get rid of Edmonds or Johnson??
There is a lot of question marks in this potential rumored deal and I am just passing on what I am hearing. I personally have mixed feeling about the deal but check out this lineup-
Soriano LF
Fukudome CF
Lee 1st
Aram 3b
ManRam RF
Soto C
Derosa 2b
Theriot SS
Pitcher
Sunday, July 27, 2008
Cubs to stay put?? Samardzija staying put and a little on Rob Drake.
According to Jim Hendry the Cubs are looking to stay put and not make any deals before the deadline on the 31st. I think the Cubs should at least trade Howry for a minor leaguer, then when Wood is activated he can take Howry's spot on the 25 man roster. That is what I would do anyways. Here is what Jim had to say-
"'You have to stay on top of it,' Hendry said. 'We got an extra bullpen guy in the trade with Oakland in Chad Gaudin. What you obviously need is for [Kerry Wood] to come back healthy and then everything else usually falls in line. And Samardzija is going to give us a lift.'"
On offense, Hendry feels Alfonso Soriano's bat is only going to get hotter. He conclusively adds,
"'We aren't hitting since the break like we want to, but we aren't going to go out and replace our star players because they're having a bad week,' Hendry said. 'And the other players, let's give them their due, the Ryan Theriots, Mike Fontenots, Reed Johnsons and Henry Blancos. Those people are doing more than their fair share. You don't upgrade from that.'"
While I absolutely agree with Hendry, one thing I do not understand is why Jim does not upgrade our pen with a guy like Fuentes, Mahay, Arthur Rhodes, or Jack Taschner. Any one of them would be an upgrade to Howry, Cotts, Marshall, etc. You add one of those guys to your relief core, you would be in great shape.
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Jeff Samardzija looked great on Friday and it looks like when Woody returns on Tuesday, Jeff won't be the one sent to Iowa. Here is what Lou had to say-
If you see a young man throwing the ball like that, I don't think he'll be the guy leaving, I'll tell you that," manager Lou Piniella said Saturday. "If he continues to throw the ball [well], it's almost like trading for a reliever."
I would actually like to see Jeff start some games in place of Marquis, who is so inconsistent the 2nd half of the year. Either way this kid has staying power with the club and I am glad we finally got another fireball in our pen.
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On another note-
Rob Drake needs to be investigated by MLB. He has had issues with Ozzie Guillen( throwing him out last week), Matt Sinatro( throwing him out yesterday), and Sweet Lou ( throwing him out already twice this year. You might remember the first time was when Lou was heading back to the dugout when Drake through him out). He has consistently blown calls at every position on the field and not only against Chicago based teams. This has been going on all season long with Drake and the MLB needs to do something about it.
"'You have to stay on top of it,' Hendry said. 'We got an extra bullpen guy in the trade with Oakland in Chad Gaudin. What you obviously need is for [Kerry Wood] to come back healthy and then everything else usually falls in line. And Samardzija is going to give us a lift.'"
On offense, Hendry feels Alfonso Soriano's bat is only going to get hotter. He conclusively adds,
"'We aren't hitting since the break like we want to, but we aren't going to go out and replace our star players because they're having a bad week,' Hendry said. 'And the other players, let's give them their due, the Ryan Theriots, Mike Fontenots, Reed Johnsons and Henry Blancos. Those people are doing more than their fair share. You don't upgrade from that.'"
While I absolutely agree with Hendry, one thing I do not understand is why Jim does not upgrade our pen with a guy like Fuentes, Mahay, Arthur Rhodes, or Jack Taschner. Any one of them would be an upgrade to Howry, Cotts, Marshall, etc. You add one of those guys to your relief core, you would be in great shape.
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Jeff Samardzija looked great on Friday and it looks like when Woody returns on Tuesday, Jeff won't be the one sent to Iowa. Here is what Lou had to say-
If you see a young man throwing the ball like that, I don't think he'll be the guy leaving, I'll tell you that," manager Lou Piniella said Saturday. "If he continues to throw the ball [well], it's almost like trading for a reliever."
I would actually like to see Jeff start some games in place of Marquis, who is so inconsistent the 2nd half of the year. Either way this kid has staying power with the club and I am glad we finally got another fireball in our pen.
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On another note-
Rob Drake needs to be investigated by MLB. He has had issues with Ozzie Guillen( throwing him out last week), Matt Sinatro( throwing him out yesterday), and Sweet Lou ( throwing him out already twice this year. You might remember the first time was when Lou was heading back to the dugout when Drake through him out). He has consistently blown calls at every position on the field and not only against Chicago based teams. This has been going on all season long with Drake and the MLB needs to do something about it.
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