Could Willis Come Back to the Cubs?? Cubs not to make a trade at deadline?

This according to MLBtraderumors.com-


Will Carroll of Baseball Prospectus has an interesting note in today's Rumor Mill:

"The Cubs also still covet Dontrelle Willis as "the one that got away" and--despite his not being on the market--Willis is one player the Cubs could get if Larry Beinfest suddenly changes his mind about that. Adding Felix Pie to Jacque Jones and Donald Veal would get it done, while not adding to the Cubs payroll."

Jim Hendry already tried to patch up one of the all-time classic Cub mistakes by signing Greg Maddux before the 2004 season. At least that departure didn't happen under Hendry's watch.
Back in March of 2002, Hendry traded Ryan Jorgensen, Jose Cueto, Julian Tavarez, and Willis to the Marlins for Matt Clement and Antonio Alfonseca.

Jones, while hitting better of late, probably would not be missed by the Cubs. He's still only slugging .382 in July. Veal was the Cubs' best pitching prospect heading into the season but has taken a step backward in Double A. Veal has been control problems, though his arm has been described as "electric." Lefty starters who can touch 95 can be hard to find.

Pie, though, would be the gem of the deal and the player with the best shot at stardom. Literally - BP gives him a 30-40% chance at becoming a star player. He struggled mightily in his first 139 ABs with the Cubs, but he now owns Triple A pitching. He should be the Cubs' starting center fielder for the next six years at least. Trading him for the declining Willis would create another "one that got away" situation, which seems perfectly Cub-like. Most likely nothing happens in the next two days, but we might revisit this rumor this winter.

I honestly don't see this happening and I don't see Hendry trading Pie for Willis. Now if the deal included maybe Pagan/Murton, Veal, and JJ I would do it in a heart beat. Like I said the asking price for Willis has to come down considering the year he is having.

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This according to MLBRUMORS-

Don't expect the Cubs to make any trades, despite some names like Griffey, Gagne and Payton being floated. First of all, Griffey Jr., while a favorite of Pinella's, would be way too expensive. If they can't sign Zambrano, imagine the outrage among fans and Zambrano himself, if they laid out big bucks for Griffey. While Gagne is coveted by various clubs at the moment, the Cubs' bullpen is in pretty decent shape. They did very well during Ryan Dempster's absence and not only is he back, but it looks like Kerry Wood might actually be close to rejoining the team. His rehab is going well and he is expected to move up to triple-A, getting him one step closer to returning to Wrigley, no longer as a starter but as a reliever. While Matt Murton was brought up from the minors the other day, Jacque Jones' resurgence in center field since the All-Star break might make any further moves there unnecessary and even counter-productive. The chemistry is unmistakably good there right now and bringing in another outfielder, just for the sake of making a trade doesn't make sense. Murton should stay and be given the job of spelling Soriano and Floyd down the stretch.

While I do agree with some of his points, what I don't agree with Hendry standing on the sidelines. Hendry is always looking for the team to get better. Acquiring players like Lee, Aram, Pierre, Lofton, etc at the deadline or during the season. Hendry is not the type to stand around as Texieria goes to Atlanta, the stros getting Wiggington, Phills getting Guchi, etc. The trade may not be a big trade but there will be a trade before the deadline.

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Other rumors-

The recent hot rumors have been these

1. Griffey to the Cubs
2. Dye to the Cubs
3. Payton to the Cubs
4. Willis to the Cubs
5. Gagne to the Cubs

Interesting huh??? I should point out 90% of rumors never happen lol