In rumors that make no sense, Jerry Crasnick is reporting that he’s heard the Chicago Cubs and San Francisco Giants have discussed swapping outfielders Kosuke Fukudome and Aaron Rowand in a “classic bad-contract, change-of-scenery deal.” It’s almost impossible to see anything coming from this, as swapping a productive, left-handed outfielder for an unproductive, right-handed outfielder can’t […]
It’s a very lukewarm Friday, apparently. One of the Chicago Cubs’ few free agent targets this offseason, Brandon Webb, is set to make his decision in the next few days. Free-agent pitcher Brandon Webb is likely to pick a team within the next couple of days, a source told FanHouse. Multiple teams remain in the […]
With the Cubs remaining active in the pitching market (Matt Garza, Brandon Webb), and with Kerry Wood now in the bullpen (making a rotation move for Andrew Cashner possible), the theoretical glut of starting pitching is going to have to sort itself out at some point. To that end, the New York Mets are reportedly […]
While it remains unclear whether the Chicago Cubs would consider dealing starter Carlos Zambrano, and it remains unclear whether Zambrano would accept a trade should one be consummated, it’s becoming more clear that, right now, the New York Yankees aren’t interested. According to both Jon Heyman and Buster Olney, the Yankees are not presently interested […]
Kerry Wood is coming home. According to multiple reports, the Chicago Cubs have signed setup man Wood to a one-year, $1.5 million deal. There aren’t words to describe how excellent this news is, even for a relatively minor move. First, the contract is jaw-droppingly small. Wood was reported to be seeking a multi-year deal worth […]
The Chicago Cubs continue to pursue pitching options such as Tampa Bay starter Matt Garza, who is more likely to move now that Cliff Lee has signed. The question remains: for a team with a theoretical glut of starting pitching, what happens to the other starters if the Cubs add a guy like Garza? [The […]
It was rumored yesterday that the New York Yankees might turn to guys like Carlos Zambrano in the wake of being rebuffed by Cliff Lee, and indeed, more sources are coming forward saying that the Yankees are indeed considering talking to the Cubs about Zambrano. The New York Daily News goes so far as to […]
The Chicago Cubs’ non-roster invitee list has grown a bit since last check, and there are a couple more guys who will be vying for a bench or bullpen spot on the 2011 team. The Cubs have added first baseman Bryan LaHair and outfielder Brad Snyder to the list of non-roster invitees for Spring Training. […]
Well this would be a very pleasant (moderate) surprise. The Cubs, who have a major need for a veteran right handed reliever are moving towards finalizing a deal with free agent Kerry Wood. Wood, who spent the first 10 years of his major league career with the Cubs, spent 2010 with the Indians and Yankees […]
Sit down and grab a paper bag. We hear from very good baseball sources that the White Sox have made a two-year offer to free agent pitcher Kerry Wood. Wood played 10 years with the Cubs and pitched last season for the Yankees, who reportedly are interested in bringing him back. Wood has said he […]
In addition to the numerous other outgrowths of the Cliff Lee signing, the Phillies are looking to dump their current fifth starter, Joe Blanton. Would the Chicago Cubs be interested in picking up the scraps? The Phillies are shopping Joe Blanton, who is owed $17 million over the next two years. He has been the […]
As I predicted yesterday, Cliff Lee going to the Phillies is going to be the genesis of a great deal of action – and a great deal of gum-flappin’. Specifically, it has generated speculation about the Cubs once again trying to trade Carlos Zambrano. The big question that remains to be answered is whether Texas, […]
It was easy to get excited about the prospect of former Chicago Cubs employee Mark Prior returning to the club who paid him so much for such a questionable attitude and such questionable decision-making with respect to his injuries. Indeed, it was almost too titillating to bear. But alas, Prior has elected to sign with the Yankees. […]
The Chicago Cubs have officially released their 35-game 2011 Spring Training schedule, though many of the games were already known. Among the highlights: the opener is February 27 against the A’s at HoHoKam, and the conclusion is an intrasquad game on March 30 to benefit Chicago Cubs Charities. The Cubs will also play a couple […]
You won’t find a Chicago Cubs fan who doesn’t hate Alfonso Soriano’s current deal. Sure, it was exciting to – for once – land the preeminent free agent on the market a few years ago, but it took little more than a few minutes for the sheen to wear off (wait, the Cubs gave him […]
Kerry Wood opened the door ever so slightly this weekend to a return to the Chicago Cubs. At Ryan Dempster’s charity even on Friday, Wood told the Chicago Tribune that there was a chance he could return to Chicago. “There has been a lot of interest, but at this stage of my career it has […]
According to multiple reports, Cliff Lee is set to sign with the Philadelphia Phillies for something in the neighborhood of 5 years and $120 million. Setting aside for the moment the fact that the Phillies may now have one of the best rotations in history (Halladay, Lee, Oswalt, Hamels, and the fifth guy seriously doesn’t […]
New Chicago Cubs’ first baseman Carlos Pena has some big shoes to fill. Derrek Lee was the man at first for more than half of the 2000s before he was traded to the Braves this August, and you would struggle to find a single Cubs fan who could utter a cross word about Lee if […]
Like a hot girl who keeps a couple back-up guys at the ready, Brandon Webb is going to take his time and consider all comers before landing on a team. To that end, he’s been speaking with the Washington Nationals, and, like that aforementioned hot girl told me oh-so-many times, Webb is telling the Nats […]
I’m at least partially kidding. But several Chicago Cubs are already working out in anticipation of the 2011 season at “Camp Colvin,” an offseason workout camp in Mesa, Arizona, named after outfielder Tyler Colvin, who used offseason training last year to pack on 25 pounds of muscle. Among the players in camp are Colvin, Ryan […]
Cliff Lee’s impending decision will affect the Chicago Cubs, even though they are not in on the free agent ace. Multiple reports have Lee down to the New York Yankees and returning to the Texas Rangers. The impact on the Cubs? The Rangers are interested in Matt Garza *if* they cannot re-sign Lee. They’ve already […]
Though Matt Garza is the most exciting Cubs’ target this offseason, he isn’t the one with a Cy Young on his mantle. And that guy, Brandon Webb, is still on the Cubs’ radar. Baseball sources confirmed to me tonight that the Cubs continue to evaluate the medical reports on starting pitcher Brandon Webb who has […]
Another source says (1) the Tampa Bay rays are “certain” to trade Matt Garza this winter, and (2) probably to the Chicago Cubs, according to Ed Price. Unfortunately for Cubs fans, the Rays really like Andrew Cashner, Brett Jackson, Chris Archer, and Hak-Ju Lee – in other words, literally the Cubs’ four best young pieces. Would […]
There was a time – oh, say, July – when the collective thought of Chicago Cubs fans and management, alike, went something like this: “How are we ever going to dump Carlos Zambrano? How bad is it going to look when we come hat in hand to every team in MLB? How much money will […]
The Chicago Cubs were close to a deal for Tampa Bay starter Matt Garza yesterday, and then… nothing happened. Obviously 95% of trades that are discussed never actually happen. But is this one truly dead, or just held up? Hard to say. Paul Sullivan reported yesterday that a deal for Matt Garza is “unlikely,” citing […]
