Cubs notes, rumors, ideas and my thoughts.

First off I want to say that I was wrong about the cubs yesterday. I thought maybe Rich Hill and the cubs could turn it around yesterday but that didn't happen. I do want to congratulated the cubs on a good season tho! The cubs exceeded all expectations by going worst to first in the NL, making the playoffs were remarkable to say the least. This team at times last year looked dead in the water, yet the cubs were resilient in there efforts and propelled them to there first playoff birth since 2003. This team is very special, with all the additions last year and multiyear contracts that were signed this club every year will be in the race. Just imagine your big dogs such as Lee, Sori, Z, and Aram will be together thru at least 2010. There is no reason to think this team will get better and compete for the Central every year. So keep your head up fans and cubbies you have nothing to be ashamed of!

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Rumors seem to be starting already for the cubs so lets have a look at them-

-The cubs are expected to non-tender Craig Monroe during the offseason. This is not a surprising move considering the depth in the OF we have and considering he was left off the playoff roster. In my honest opinion, I think you offer him arbitration because he would be a good powerful right handed bat off the bench for the cubs next year and he would be a good cheap option. But thats just my 2 cents worth.

- The cubs maybe in the position to bring in another catcher for next year in case Blanco's injury woes continue. With Soto's good power and decent job behind the plate he is expected to have the starting job for next year but it wont be handed to him. Expect the Cubs not to sign and Lo Duca or Pudge but maybe a move affordable defensive backstop. Expect Torrealba's name to come up alot in the offseason. He is decent both at the plate and behind it, he is young, and would be a good addition to this team. Here is a link to his numbers-
http://colorado.rockies.mlb.com/team/player.jsp?player_id=150275

- Jones name has already come up on trade rumors. This poor guy, I don't know how he deals with it. With Pie expected to have the starting CF job next year you might see a platoon in RF with Jones and Murton. But it seem the Cubs still might trade Jones but who knows.

- The cubs will try to hold onto Wood next year but it looks like they will have competition considering he thru 96 mph last night and could be getting big bucks on the open market. Still look for the cubs to hold onto Wood.

- Floyd is looking to retire, even if he doesn't don't expect the cubs to resign him.

- Trachsel and Kendall are expected to be non-tendered by the cubs but look for Prior to be back with the team next year at about a 4 mil arbitration settlement.

-The cubs are expected to exercise Ward's club option. Its only 1.2 million which is not bad for the best lefthanded pinch hitter in MLB. Scott Eyre has a player option but is unlikely he exercises it and expect Ohman to be traded in the off season

-Ryan Dempster is signed through 2008, but has said he would like to come back as a starter. The Cubs already have Carlos Zambrano, Ted Lilly, Jason Marquis and Rich Hill penciled into the rotation for '08, and rookie Kevin Hart is expected to get a shot in spring training. Carlos Marmol is supposed to be the closer of the future, but Dempster stands in the way unless he joins the rotation or is traded. Don't expect Dumpster to be with the team next year.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

LOOKING AHEAD-

The Cubs are expected to make some moves next season but with the majority of the team coming back alot of move aren't necessary. The cubs will need an upgrade in RF and possibly SS if they feel Theriot and Cedeno cant handle the everyday responsibilities. Names that are already rumored are Renteria, Tejeda, Eckstien(pointless), and of course Arod. If the cubs do trade for Renteria or Tejeda it will cost Marshall, Patterson, or even one of our other young starters like Veal, Gallahger or Hart. As for RF there are alot of option the cubs can do.. They can stick with a combination of Jones, Murton and Pie in CF and RF or they can move Pie to RF and trade or sign a big named CF or leave Pie in CF and get a RFer. I expect the cubs to go after another big name next year. They will be players in Arod if he does opt out and if not him watch for them to make a play of Tejeda or a decent RF like Fukadome.

Don't expect the Cubs to sign any more starters. With there young talent they can fill out there 5th starter in house. They may some reliever but again they may address the needs in house or thru trades.

Either way this will be another fun off season for the Cubs!

If you want to see my offseason to do list its under the date Saturday Septemeber 8th under Chicago Cubs needs next year and payroll.

PREDICTION: Cubs to win game 3!

With the Chicago Cubs dropping the first 2 games in Arizona and having an uphill climb to advancing to the NLCS there is concern both in the clubhouse and with fans. The Cubs are heading back to the Friendly Confines where the hope there bats and pitching get on the same page. To look at the glass half full, the Cubs will have a loaded Wrigley Field with there own fans behind them and cheering them on. Wrigley Field the past month have been like a playoff atmosphere and the cubs have played well at home and I expect no different. The Cubs will have inexperienced Rich Hill on the mound against an aging changing speeds experienced pitcher in Hernandez. With inexperience you have 2 things that can happen... 1. You could blow up and let the pressure get to you and hand the series over to the Dbacks or... 2. You have tremendous sucess, take advantage of the tense Dbacks in an elimination game and force a game 4 with Z taking the mound. I think Hill with dominate and give the win to the Cubs.

The Cubs will not only win they will do it with the long ball, good pitching, and great defense. This will be the turn around game for the Cubs( it will have to be!!!) and bring that Cubbie Swagger we seen the last 2 months of the season. Expect Rammy, Sori, Lee, and Floyd to have big games and expect Hill to have a dominating playoff performance. I expect and predict the Cubs to win this game and I also expect and predict them to win the game on Sunday forcing a game five. Who knows what happens after that!

The Cubs need that Swagger back and I think it comes to them Saturday when there in front of there fans at the Friendly Confines.

GO CUBS GO!!!!!

Cubs Playoff Roser Set.

Some surprises, some no brainers here is the roster


Infield:
Lee
Theriot
DeRosa
Fontenot
Cedeno
Ward
Ramirez

Outfield:
Floyd
Murton
Soriano
Pie
Jones

Catchers:
Soto
Kendall

Pitchers:
Z
Lilly
Hill
Marquis
Eyre
Marmol
Hart
Howry
Wuertz
Wood
Dempster

Blanco, Marshall, Trachsel, Monroe and Ohman left off roster. The surprise to me is Monroe, he smashes lefties and he is good in the clubhouse and has post season experience. I would have picked him over Font or even Murton in my opinion. He has more power than Murton and better defense and a cannon for an arm. Another surprise is having Marshall left off the roster. If the cubs make it past the Dbacks you might see them both on the next roster in the NLCS. Lou has a good lineup, lets just hope he doesn't put dempster in a close game and god help us if he decides to have him close.

Cubs will face Dbacks

CINCINNATI -- The Cubs are headed west.
The Cubs will open the National League Division Series on Wednesday against the NL West winners, the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Carlos Zambrano (18-13, 3.95 ERA) will start Game 1 for the Cubs against Arizona's Brandon Webb (18-10, 3.01 ERA), with Ted Lilly (15-8, 3.86 ERA) going in Game 2 on Thursday. The best-of-five series will shift to Wrigley Field for Game 3 on Oct. 6 and Game 4, if necessary, on Oct. 7.
The Cubs entered Sunday's regular-season finale not knowing who they would be playing because of the complicated Wild Card scenarios. All they had to do was wait and see if the Phillies lost, or the Mets lost or the San Diego Padres won. If one of those three things happened, the Cubs were headed to Arizona. The Florida Marlins obliged, and beat the Mets, 8-1.
This is the Cubs' first trip to the postseason since they won the division in 2003. That team was five outs away from reaching the World Series, when the Marlins rallied to take the NL Championship Series.
This is a new team, with a new look and new manager Lou Piniella.
"We've got as good a chance as anybody else," Piniella said. "We're going to have to pitch well, and we're going to have to get some timely hitting. We're built for the short term as well as the long term.
"We've got a veteran team here, basically, and we've got some pitchers in the rotation who can keep you in ballgames, and we have a strong bullpen to close things out," he said. "Really, what it amounts to is how well we hit."

My 25-man playoff roster

Here is my 25 man playoff roster-
1.Soriano
2. Theriot
3. lee
4.aram
5. floyd
6. Soto
7. jones
8.Derosa
9. Ward
10. Monroe
11. Murton
12. Kendall
13. Pie
14. Cedeno
15.Zambrano
16. Lilly
17. Hill
18. Marquis
19. Marshall
20.Dempster
21. Marmol
22. Howry
23. Eyre
24. Weurtz
25. Wood

Men left out are Fuld, Blanco, Font, Ohman, Hart, Trachsel.... I was debating Hart over Marshall but we may need another lefty coming out of the pen.

Monroe over Font anyday. He could be very valuable off the bench or to start against a lefty. He has post season experience so you have to have him on the 25 man roster.

Soto proved he deserves to be in the playoffs in the last stretch. He is a power bat and a good backstop. He is also very clutch hitting .385 with RISP. Sorry Blanco.

The only thing that could change is adding a pitcher or position player if Ward cant go. But I think Ward will be on the roster for the mere fact even when not 100% he will be very valuable off the bench. He is the best pinch hitter in the league in my opinion.

Feel free to comment or put your 25 man roser down.

Cubs name first 2 starters in playoffs.

Thanks to cubs.com-

CINCINNATI -- The Cubs aren't sure who they're playing in the National League Division Series, but they do have their first two starting pitchers set for the postseason.
Carlos Zambrano (18-13, 3.95 ERA) will start Game 1 of the NLDS and Ted Lilly (15-8, 3.86 ERA) will go in Game 2. Lilly will make his final regular season start on Sunday against the Reds, but wasn't expected to throw more than 40 pitches.
Rich Hill (11-8, 3.92 ERA) and Jason Marquis (12-9, 4.43 ERA) are the Cubs' other two postseason starters, but what order they will go in the NLDS was likely to be determined by who the team's opponent is.
"We'll play it by ear," Cubs manager Lou Piniella said. "Right now, we're just waiting to see where we're going to go. Nothing has been decided on except Zambrano and Lilly will be the first two pitchers."
Zambrano notched his career-high 18th win on Friday when the Cubs clinched the NL Central.
"His last two games have been really good and that has to buoy his confidence," Piniella said. "He's our ace."
"I'm ready, I'm excited," Zambrano said. "After I went to the playoffs in '03, I got thirsty and hungry for that first game. Now that I have more experience in the big leagues, I'm ready for the playoffs."
Piniella and Cubs general manager Jim Hendry did meet on Saturday to discuss the postseason roster, which does not have to be finalized until Wednesday morning.

THE CHICAGO CUBS ARE DIVISION CHAMPS!!!!

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE CHICAGO CUBS! YOU ARE THE BEST IN THE NL CENTRAL AND ARE HEADING TO THE PLAYOFFS!!!!

YOU DESERVE IT!!!!

GO CUBS GO!!!!

Bonds a fit for the Cubs?? What???

According to MLBTR-

Cubs a Good Fit for Barry's Bat
Tim mentioned in this post that fielding know-it-all John Dewan thinks Barry Bonds can still play a tolerable outfield. Well, Bob Nightengale has broken the rumor-ice and brought two NL teams into the "Where Will Bonds Play Next" game:
Chicago and Florida.
The Cubbies, heavy in right handed hitters, would love a bat like Bonds' in the lineup. They probably have the money, though they'll add $10MM in payroll for '08 just to maintain the current group. With Bonds' regular need for time off, there'd still be plenty of playing time for Matt Murton.
Bonds, meanwhile, just may be the apple of Jeffrey Loria's eye. The Florida Marlins owner was fined by the commissioners office last year for flying Bonds to New York in his personal jet. But if the Fish deal Dontrelle Willis in the offseason, it'd be hard to convince Bonds that they're a serious contender.

Wow I have to say this is a surprise. I wouldn't have thought Bonds would 1. Be interested in the cubs. 2. Cubs be interested in him. Barry as everyone knows has alot of baggage and could demand something like 8+ million a year from his new club. That's alot for a guy who doesn't play day games after night games. Having said all that man would I love his left handed bat in the lineup. He would be a great fit in the two hole hitting behind Soriano and in front of Lee or in the 4 hole in between Lee and Aram. Bonds would finally have a hitter friendly park and have guys in front and behind him that would protect him in the lineup.

I know saying I like Bonds will stir up alot of debate but if you look purely at his bat, you cant say you dont like the potential move.

My two cents worth he lands in Oakland or Seattle.

Arod to cubs spectulation raises!

It looks more and more arod will opt out of his contract whether the yanks win or lose the world series. The front runners you say???? The Red Sox and.... yes! the Chicago Cubs!

Thanks to MLBTR-

A-Rod, Partial Cubs Owner?

Deadspin's Will Leitch has an article in New York Magazine dissecting the Alex Rodriguez opt-out situation. Leitch, through a source, has a new piece of info for us sure to generate some discussion. He lists the Red Sox and Cubs as the teams most likely to lure A-Rod away from the Yankees, and lays out a unique Cub contract possibility:

Scott Boras knows which [ownership] group is most likely to be awarded the Cubs. The source says Boras has already been in touch with that group about the possibility of a contract that could reach $30 million a year over the next ten years while deferring a certain portion of money toward an eventual stake in the franchise.

David K. Li's source feels that this might constitute tampering. The group Leitch is likely referring to is the one headed by John Canning, who is currently a part-owner of the Brewers.
Pretty wild stuff. Cubs fans can salivate over a lineup featuring Alfonso Soriano, Derrek Lee, Aramis Ramirez, and A-Rod. Keep all of those guys healthy the next few years and they could have the league's best offense. Still, ten year contracts are pretty rare and quite risky. It's tough to project a player more than a few years out, but it's going to take at least eight years to sign Rodriguez.

The Cubs have roughly $110MM on the books for 2008 (more on that in a separate post). They entered the '07 season with a payroll right around $100MM. Even in a backloaded deal I'd imagine A-Rod would earn $20MM+ in his first year. So if the Cubs want to go past the $130MM mark, they could have Rodriguez. That'd put the Cubs third in payroll behind only the Yankees and Red Sox.

This would be the biggest pick up for the cubs next year! Every cubs fan would approve of Arod becoming a cub, if they don't then they must not watch any baseball. I would personally love to give Arod a share in the company and would love to give him a deal worth 30 million a year. He is above and beyond the best player in baseball right now. No one has equalled his numbers on a constant basis. He will hit 40+ homers( especially at Wrigley), he steals bases, drives in runs, and is all around a great guy. If this guy can produce in the Evil Empire he can produce in Chicago. He is a hall of famer, and wouldn't he look good cubbie blue???? Breaking Bonds homerun record in blue pinstripes??? Playing shortstop for out beloved cubs??? The answer is YES! YES! AND OH YESSS!!!!

The thought of Arod playing at Wrigley has me drooling at the lineup. If he does become a Cub, he would play SS, a place where he is comfortable and a place where he has success( 2 time gold glove winner).

If the Cubs got Arod, they would be the best offensive team in MLB!!!

Trachsel to start Thursday and Z to start Friday.

Cubs.com-

CHICAGO -- The Cubs have tweaked their rotation and will start Steve Trachsel on three days' rest Thursday while Carlos Zambrano will get an extra day and go Friday against the St. Louis Cardinals.
Trachsel threw 47 pitches over two innings Sunday against Pittsburgh and was roughed up, allowing six runs on six hits and one walk in the loss. He'll face Houston in the series finale at Minute Maid Park.
Cubs manager Lou Piniella had considered inserting rookie Kevin Hart into the rotation for Thursday so Zambrano could face the Cardinals, but opted for the veteran Trachsel.
"I don't think we really have much choice," Piniella said Monday. "He didn't throw many pitches yesterday in Pittsburgh, so it's not like he pitched six or seven innings."
Zambrano, who ended his personal winless streak with a win Saturday over the Pirates, is 2-0 with a 2.03 ERA against the Cardinals this year.
Ted Lilly and Sean Marshall will start for the Cubs in Saturday's day-night doubleheader at Busch Stadium, and Jason Marquis will finish the series Sunday. Piniella said Zambrano and Lilly will come back on three days' rest for the series against Cincinnati from Sept. 18-19, respectively, with Rich Hill starting Sept. 17.
"Then everything would be back on track," Piniella said.
The Cubs did lose an off-day Monday to makeup the Aug. 19 game against the Cardinals, but still have two off-days remaining, Sept. 20 and Sept. 24.
"I don't know why you need two days off the last nine games of the season and then play 34 out of 35 days," Piniella said. "I don't understand that reasoning, but look, I'm not a schedule maker. To get everything back on track, we'll have to bring both [Zambrano and Lilly] on three days' rest.
"Our pitchers are fairly fresh," Piniella said. "We've watched their pitch counts all summer. we've got enough pitchers now with all these callups that if somebody's struggling or we have a big lead -- which we haven't had -- we can shorten somebody up."
Head to head: The Cubs will play the Cardinals five times in the next seven days and entered Monday's game 7-4 against the Redbirds this season. St. Louis was nine games back on July 27 and has inched back into the National League Central.
"This is a big advantage to Milwaukee," Piniella said of the Cubs and Cardinals going head to head. "You've got the two teams challenging them playing each other. They'll be picking up ground, assuming they win games against somebody. What we need to do here is get hot against St. Louis and hopefully get them behind us a little more."
September hasn't been great for the Cubs, who are 4-5 and batting .265. The pitchers have a 5.81 ERA this month.
"The starting pitching hasn't been all that good the past two weeks or so," Piniella said. "We've had some sporadic work where we get a good game. The guys who have pitched the best have been Lilly and Marquis. We need a little more consistency. They're capable of it. Everybody goes through little slumps. I'm not overly concerned."