Soriano to LF, Tigers intrested in Ohman, Z deal about to get tabled, and other tidbits

Lots of news and rumors have been pouring in so here they are-

"We're going to put him in left field," Piniella said. "He's got that strain, and it'll be less running and much better for him."

I honestly think this is best. Now that he is in LF you will definitely see his bat to heat up. Now does that mean Pie will be sent to AAA and Jones take CF? will Jones or Murton be dealt to make room for Pie in CF? OR could it be that Pie will be sent down and Theriot play center? All these are possibilities for the cubs and only time will tell what will happen. I will make one prediction if Jones is not in the starting lineup today against Wainwright then you gotta think there in the process of trading him somewhere. So keep you eyes open.

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Ohman has been linked to the Tigers, here is the story from MLBtraderumors.com-

Look, it's a real live trade rumor in April. Phil Rogers reports that the Tigers might make a move for a left-handed reliever, and the Cubs' Will Ohman is on their radar.
Oddly, the Cubs are carrying three lefties right now in the pen - Ohman, Scott Eyre, and Neal Cotts. Last year, the 29 year-old Ohman put up 65 innings of 4.13 ERA ball, which included a K/9 over 10. He was excellent against lefties, but for some reason faced righties over half the time.
Ohman has done poorly in six appearances for the Cubs this year. Manager Lou Piniella recently commented on his 30 and 40-foot curveballs. If the Cubs don't trade him, they'll probably demote him soon enough. Ohman's contract calls for $2.5MM over 2007-08, plus incentives.

If the Tigers want him, the cubs should see what they want from him. But wouldn't it make sense to package Jones, Ohman, and Isturiz and shop them that way for a better offensive shortstop who plays average defense? Because as of right now Cedeno is getting more playing time because Izzy is not doing well at SS and not doing anything with the bat. We need a full time shortstop with a a good bat a decent glove and I think that package right there could get us one like Felipe Lopez from Washington, or like an Omar Visquel from San Fran. I just don't think this combo of Cedeno, Izzy, Theriot at SS will work. But that is just me.

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Here is another interesting thing from MLBtraderumors-

Just saw Ken Rosenthal on TV, and he had his usual collection of inside information.
Rosenthal says that contract talks with the Cubs' Carlos Zambrano are "about a week away from being tabled." All along we've been hearing how he'd likely remain a Cub, even with the impending sale of the team. Zambrano's only had one good start in four tries this year; perhaps the Cubs want to see that ace again before committing. It seems silly that such a huge contract could be affected by four starts, but you never know. If Zambrano reaches the open market, the Cubs will likely be outbid.
Rosenthal also mentioned that instead of extending setup man Scott Linebrink's contract, he might become their best trading chip. They could look to upgrade at third base or left field, or even try to acquire their center fielder of the future. Most folks feel that Kevin Towers would find a way to replace him on the cheap.

The cubs need to get him signed regardless. I think this contract thing is effecting his pitching and putting to much pressure on him to pitch perfect. So do one of two things. Either sign him to a deal before may or wait until the offseason( which the cubs shouldn't do because they will lose him).

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OTHER NOTES-

1. Wood has tendonitis and doesnt know when he will pitch again.

2. Prior still is not showing improvement and hasent started a game in Iowa.