Scott Maine to Chicago, Justin Berg to Iowa

Another rookie reliever is on his way to Chicago, as the Cubs today called up lefty pitcher Scott Maine from AAA – and promptly deposited Justin Berg in Iowa to take his place. Maine, 25, was acquired from the Diamondbacks over the Winter in the Aaron Heilman trade, and has worked his way through the Cubs system this year, putting up a 3.12 ERA as a reliever between two levels.

As for Berg, he struggled in his second stint with the Cubs in 2010, leaving his season ERA at a disappointing 5.77. He’ll be back in September, and will get another shot to make the pen next year.

It’s Official: Cubs Trade Derrek Lee to Braves

We’ll have some further analysis and commentary about the deal soon, but for now, I wanted to make sure to get you the basics.

Lee, who invoked his 10-and-5 rights and rejected a trade to the Angels in late July, agreed to a deal Wednesday with the Atlanta Braves, who were looking to upgrade their lineup. The Cubs acquired right-handed pitchers Robinson Lopez and Tyrelle Harris and left-handed pitcher Jeffrey Lorick.

Lee needed to undergo a physical and also clear waivers before the trade could be completed. He had an epidural injection in his lower back on Monday to ease discomfort from a bulging disc but was expected to be ready to play Thursday. The Cubs, coincidentally, open a three-game series against the Braves on Friday. cubs.com.

And with that, if it weren’t clear enough already, the Chicago Cubs have closed up shop for the 2010 season. Derrek Lee will be missed – in a general sense, mind you. Not this year. No one could be missed this year.

Chicago Cubs Sign Four More Draft Picks at the Deadline

Yesterday evening was the deadline for signing draft picks from this year’s Rule 4 (first year player) Draft. The Chicago Cubs closed out strong, signing four their remaining picks.

The Cubs agreed to terms with four more First-Year Player Draft picks by Monday’s 11 p.m. CT deadline, including seventh-round pick Benjamin Wells and ninth-round selection Kevin Rhoderick.

In total, the Cubs agreed to terms with 15 of their first 16 picks. The only exception was outfielder Ivan DeJesus of Cupeyville (Puerto Rico) High School, who is no relation to Cubs first-base coach Ivan DeJesus.

Wells, a right-handed pitcher out of Bryant High School in Arkansas, and Rhoderick, a right-handed pitcher from Oregon State University, were the last to sign among the Cubs’ top 10 picks.

Besides Wells and Rhoderick, the other Draft picks who agreed to terms Monday include left-handed pitcher Casey Harman, selected in the 29th round out of Clemson University, and left-handed pitcher Brian Smith, a 40th-round pick out of St. Mary’s Catholic (Ontario). cubs.com.

Bonus terms have not yet been disclosed, but it tends to be the case that last day signings of later round guys are “hard signs,” which means the kid is of a talent level better than where he was selected, and has been holding out for a little more cash under the threat of heading back to school.

In all, the Cubs signed 29 of their 50 picks, and 21 of their first 25, which is a success by most accounts. For comparison, last year, the Cubs signed 24 players, including just 17 of their first 25.

Breaking: Cubs Trade Mike Fontenot to Giants for A Ball Outfielder

Breaking news: the Chicago Cubs have sent infielder Mike Fontenot across the diamond to the San Francisco Giants for Single A outfielder Evan Crawford, according to various sources.

The Giants unsuccessfully tried to acquire Fontenot before the non-waiver trade deadline. More details as they become available.

UPDATE: Crawford was the Giants 9th round pick last year, and although he put up decent numbers in Low A ball last year, he’s struggled this year in A ball. He just turned 22 last week, and is a speedy centerfielder.

UPDATE 2: AAA Iowa infielder Darwin Barney will finally get his shot in the bigs as a utility infielder, where he likely has a productive future. We’ll have some more on Barney tomorrow.

Marcos Mateo to Chicago, Mitch Atkins to Iowa

The Chicago Cubs have called up righty Marcos Mateo from AAA Iowa to join the rotating cavalcade of bullpen arms. Mateo, 26, had an outside shot of making the Cubs’ pen out of Spring Training, but instead settled for AA. He pitched well, and made his way up to AAA, where’s he’s been just so-so. He leaves behind a 4.97 ERA (bad) and a 1.263 WHIP (not that bad), and 15 strikeouts in just over 12 innings.

As for Mitch Atkins, he had an ugly 7.20 ERA and 1.900 WHIP over a few bullpen appearances. He’ll head back to Iowa and likely return in September when rosters expand.

Mitch Atkins to Chicago, Brian Schlitter to Iowa

The Brian Schlitter disaster tour is over (well, at least on hiatus), as the Chicago Cubs sent the young reliever – together with his 12.38 ERA – back to AAA Iowa. In a corresponding move, the Cubs recalled righty Mitch Atkins to shore up the bullpen (*chuckles at the thought that any internal move the Cubs could make at this point would shore up the bullpen*).

Atkins returns to a 6.43 ERA with the big club, leaving behind a 3.49 ERA at AAA. Atkins has been a starter most of his career, but if he’s to have a future with the Cubs, he’ll need to start showing he can be effective out of the pen.

Casey Coleman to Chicago, Carlos Silva to the DL

After experiencing a racing heart and chest discomfort, Chicago Cubs pitcher Carlos Silva spent what was probably a pretty scary night in the hospital. The good news is that everything checked out, but the bad news is that no one is yet quite sure what’s wrong with him – so the Cubs have put him on the 15-day disabled list.

To take his spot in the rotation, the team has called up AAA starter Casey Coleman, who joined the team today, together with fellow AAA starter Thomas Diamond, who is himself replacing departed starter Ted Lilly.

The Cubs called up right-handers Casey Coleman and Thomas Diamond from Triple-A Iowa. Coleman’s father, Joe, and his grandfather, Joe, both pitched in the big leagues, and they are the first family in Major League history to have three generations of pitchers in The Show.

Coleman, 23, was 10-7 with a 4.07 ERA in 20 starts at Iowa. He has struck out 59 in 117 1/3 innings and was holding batters to a .243 average. He doesn’t overpower hitters and has been described as a Greg Maddux-type pitcher.

His father, Joe, played from 1965-79, and made the 1972 All-Star Game with the Tigers. He faced Cubs manager Lou Piniella as well. Casey’s grandfather, Joe, had a 10-year Major League career from 1942-55, including an All-Star season in 1948. cubs.com.

In addition to the pedigree, Coleman comes with some hardware: he was the Cubs’ minor league pitcher of the year last year. Still, despite that achievement and the relative success this year in AAA at just 23, Coleman is not considered a top prospect, or a legitimate threat to take a future starting role in the Cubs’ rotation.

But he got the call over guys like Jay Jackson and Jeff Samardzija, so the Cubs clearly want to give him a shot. And hey, before last year, no one really believed Randy Wells would become a Major League starter, let alone one who would contend for Rookie of the Year.

In other news, it seems Carlos Zambrano will have to wait another week to work his way back into the rotation.

We Hardly Liked Ye: Cubs Release Bob Howry

Carlos Zambrano has officially come back to the Cubs, and because the team hasn’t traded Ted Lilly yet (the clock is ticking, Jim), they had to make a corresponding roster move.

That move was the release of one Robert Howry. And there was much rejoicing.

Howry, who turns 37 on Aug. 4, was 1-3 with a 7.71 ERA in 38 games and scuffled in July, posting a 12.46 ERA in 10 games. He gave up 12 earned runs on 19 hits over 8 2/3 innings this month.

Howry was released by the D-backs on May 17 and signed with the Cubs on May 21 for his second stint with the team. He also pitched for the Cubs in 2006-08. cubs.com.

Howry is best remembered by Cubs fans for his spectacularly awful 2008 season after solid 2006 and 2007 seasons that we, for some reason, always forget.

He’ll probably resurface somewhere else in the bigs for at least a little while before fading into partial obscurity (revived only when the Cubs give some reliever an audacious, 3-year contract).

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