Today the Chicago Cubs executed a pre-planned trade for minor league pitcher Arismendy Mota, selected yesterday by the Washington Nationals in the AAA phase of the Rule 5 draft. The Cubs sent “cash considerations,” which is a euphemism for “we agreed that the Nats will draft this kid for us, and then we will send […]
Despite a wildly disappointing Winter Meetings, which saw the Chicago Cubs accomplish nothing – most notably, Milton Bradley is still a Cub, and pool of interested teams dwindles by the day – General Manager Jim Hendry is still optimistic that things will turn out all right when all is said and done. Although he expressed […]
Yesterday the Chicago Cubs selected right-handed pitcher Michael Parisi from the St. Louis Cardinals in the Rule 5 draft. Minor League pitching coordinator Mark Riggins and Cubs scout Mark Servais both recommended Parisi, 26, who is 40-39 with a 4.27 ERA in 115 career Minor League starts. He was originally the Cardinals’ ninth-round pick in […]
Do you have your gigantic grain of salt handy? Good. Bob Nightengale of USA Today has tweeted that the Chicago Cubs are “close” to dealing Milton Bradley to the Tampa Bay Rays. If true, it is almost certainly for Pat Burrell, with the Cubs greasing the wheels with some cash. If this is the trade, […]
Major League Baseball’s winter meetings come to a close today, and yes, Milton Bradley is still a member of the Chicago Cubs. How can this be? This weekend, we were told Bradley might be moved before the meetings start, but certainly at the meetings. Come Monday, we were told to expect an announcement on Tuesday. […]
The Rule 5 Draft takes place today, and the Chicago Cubs are expected to consider drafting a player or two. You would have to believe if a solid-looking outfielder were available, for example, the Cubs would take a chance. “My gut feeling is we have a few people we would consider,” GM Jim Hendry said. […]
Maybe the Chicago Cubs will look for a starting pitcher after all. Tim Brown of Yahoo Sports has tweeted (what is the present perfect tense of “to tweet” – has tweeted? has twut?) that, among other teams, the Cubs are showing interest in Cardinals free agent pitcher Joel Pineiro. The Cubs have not denied this […]
There are now conflicting reports on whether there is, in fact, a mystery American League team close to landing Milton Bradley from the Chicago Cubs. Gordon Wittenmyer and Paul Sullivan suggest there is such a team, while Carrie Muskat says there isn’t. For my part, I side with Wittenmyer and Sullivan on this one, if […]
Fresh on the heels of trading Kevin Millwood, the Texas Rangers have signed Cubs castoff Rich Harden. The deal is reportedly a one-year, $7.5 million deal with a $11.5 million option (presumably a team option) for 2011, per NBC Sports. This signing – and the speed of it – definitely lends credence to the theory that […]
Apparently, when Jim Hendry traded Aaron Heilman earlier this offseason to the Diamondbacks, it wasn’t purely a salary dump or a dealing from a position of surplus. Silly us, we all saw a team with more than 10 legitimate bullpen options (and that was before Jeff Gray was acquired), and figured, “the Cubs are dealing […]
Yes, Milton Bradley is still a Chicago Cub. For now. In case you missed any of the very swift-moving rumor action from last night, here’s a rundown of how things have developed, and where things stand: One source said the two-team deal was ”three-quarters” done by late in the day Tuesday and involved the Cubs […]
When the Chicago Cubs lost out on OMG Curtis Granderson, eyes and minds turned to what now appears to be a relatively crowded New York Yankee outfield. But the Cubs eyes did not turn, apparently. A Cubs source shot down rumored interest in New York Yankees switch hitter Melky Cabrera for their center-field needs and […]
According to Gordon Wittenmyer’s Twitter, the Cubs may be on the verge of trading Milton Bradley to a “surprise” AL team tonight. Various rumors have linked Bradley to the Rays, Rangers, and Royals in the AL, so none of those three would qualify as a “surprise.” Yahoo Sports has suggested that the surprise team is the […]
Various reports indicate that the mega-blockbuster (but hoping it wouldn’t happen) three-way trade between the New York Yankees, Arizona Diamondbacks, and Detroit Tigers, which will see the Yankees wind up with Granderson and the D-backs land Jackson, is about to go down. If it is any consolation (it’s not), the Cubs may now pursue a […]
File this one under please-be-untrue: Today’s reports indicate that the Detroit Tigers have demanded that they receive a studly, ready-to-go center field prospect in any deal they would make for Curtis Granderson. If that is true, and the Tigers hold firm to that demand, you can probably count the Chicago Cubs out. The closest thing […]
The good news is that, despite the Chicago Cubs’ hot pursuit of Mike Cameron/Marlon Byrd/Rick Ankiel, the team is still looking at Curtis Granderson if the Tigers are willing to move him. Apparently, they are, but as with pitcher Edwin Jackson, the Tigers are asking for a ton. According to a report from Peter Gammons, […]
Jim Hendry has said that the Chicago Cubs are looking for another reliever, preferably a veteran righty. As horrible an idea as we’ve repeatedly said this is, we don’t really call the shots. And if the Cubs absolutely had to pick up a reliever, they could do worse than the Padres’ Heath Bell. But he […]
The good guys at Cubscast have put together a Twitter campaign to show public support for Andre Dawson’s Hall of Fame candidacy. And hey, sports writers uses Twitter like whoa, so this is not one of those futile online petition things. So if you’re a Twitter user, tweet #Dawson4TheHall at 1:20CT repeatedly. Your country needs you.
Although sending Milton Bradley to Tampa for Pat Burrell remains the far most likely scenario, the Chicago Cubs are working to increase the possible destinations for Bradley. Meanwhile, the Cubs met with about a half-dozen teams during the first day of the winter meetings at the Indianapolis Marriott and had plans for at least two […]
These things are flying fast and loose. Last night, per Bruce Levine, Cubs officials met with the Kansas City Royals about a potential Milton Bradley/Gil Meche swap. You’ll recall: (1) the Royals had expressed interest in signing Bradley some moons ago, and (2) the exact same sentence, but swap “Cubs” for “Royals,” and “Meche” for […]
Joel Sherman of the New York Post has tweeted that, if the Cubs are able to swing a Milton Bradley / Pat Burrell swap, the Mets are interested in a Burrell / Luis Castillo swap. This is, of course, an iteration of the three-way deal that has been discussed at length for weeks, but this […]
If minor league managing is anything like being a minor league prospect, Ryne Sandberg is pretty close to getting a call-up to the Majors. The Cubs Hall of Famer will manage the AAA Iowa Cubs this year, after the team’s former manager Bobby Dickerson headed off for (greener?) pastures in the Orioles’ system.
The Texas Rangers and Tampa Bay Rays have emerged as the clear cut favorites to land Milton Bradley from the Chicago Cubs. But neither team is too keen on paying much of anything for Bradley over the next two years. Tampa, for their part, is excited about the prospect of having Bradley in the lineup, […]
So, new owner Tom Ricketts hasn’t wasted time in cashing in on the golden calf that is Chicago Cubs fan attendance. The team has instituted some serious hikes on ticket prices for “premium” games. Those premium games are called all kinds of crazy metal names – platinum, bronze, molybdenum – but it basically just means you’ll […]
Baseball’s Winter Meetings are this week, and executives from all over will gather in Indianapolis to wheel, deal, discuss, and plan for 2010. And the Chicago Cubs are no different. Ok. Enough setup. Let’s get to the rundown: The Cubs have to move Milton Bradley before almost anything else can happen. At least three teams, […]
It has long been assumed, and indeed confirmed by the man himself, that Chicago Cubs Manager Lou Piniella would be hanging up his clipboard after 2010, the final year of his deal with the Cubs. But now, for the first time, Piniella has left open the door to returning in 2011. Somewhere Ryne Sandberg is […]
