Lukewarm Stove: Morales, Cespedes, Moreland, Garza, Darvish, Santana, Headley

The rumor mill churns a bit more slowly after the Winter Meetings, but it still churns. On with the latest news and rumors from around the league…

  • Today is the deadline to tender contracts to arbitration-eligible players. A presumed target of the Chicago Cubs who could theoretically fall into this category is Los Angeles Angels first baseman Kendrys Morales. Morales, because of a bad leg break that robbed him of last season and a half, was already a non-tender candidate last week, when the Angels picked up a certain, notable first baseman on the free agent market. The move gave the Angels three first baseman on the roster – Albert Pujols, Mark Trumbo, and Morales. Given the logjam (which includes an extra outfielder who would presumably have DH’d), it was a relatively safe assumption that Morales had just gone from “possible” non-tender to “definite” non-tender. Not so, says GM Jerry DiPoto. Well, his exact words on Saturday were that the Angels “absolutely expect” to tender Morales a contract today, which is technically different from “we absolutely will tender Morales a contract.” My guess? The Angels have been getting a few hits on Morales over the past few days (including from the Cubs, who I have been told are very interested), but no team is willing to step up and make a substantial trade offer, believing there is a fair chance Morales will not get a contract. So, DiPoto stepped up and called their bluff. Make me an offer, he’s telling the interested teams. Will one step up today? Will the Angels make good on their threat to tender a contract?
  • Despite the year and a half absence from baseball, and the questionable health, you can understand why teams are interested in taking a chance on the former Cuban defector, Morales. He is a good defender, a switch hitter, and put up OPS around .900 in the 200 or so games before his injury. He’s still just 28, and is under team control for three years. Even if the Angels are willing to dump him and his expected $3 million-ish salary, other teams – like the Cubs – would be thrilled to take it on. As things stand, the Angels say they’ll move Trumbo to 3B, have Pujols play 1B, and leave the DH spot for Morales. We’ll see.
  • Speaking of excellent Cuban players, there is still no word on Yoenis Cespedes’ free agency (he set up residency in the Dominican Republic, and free agency was expected to be granted within a couple weeks – that timeline has long passed). That is not to say there’s any reason for concern, but it’s dragging on. The Cubs are expected to be among Cespedes’ many, many suitors.
  • There’s a rumor floating around that the Rangers are hoping to sign Prince Fielder so they can flip Mitch Moreland to the Rays for pitcher Wade Davis. If the Rangers do pick up Fielder – and they are expected to bid – I’d take a wild guess that they’ll first intensify their discussions with the Cubs about Matt Garza.
  • Speaking of Garza to the Rangers, the smart money says the Rangers probably aren’t going to accede to whatever high demands the Cubs may or may not have, if the two teams are discussing a trade at all (they are), until after the winner of the Yu Darvish post is revealed. Bidding ends Wednesday at 5pm ET, but Darvish’s team in Japan will have four business days to decide whether to accept the bid (they will, but they might wait), so we might not know who won the post until the middle of next week. Relatedly: the Cubs are expected to bid.
  • A side note on the Darvish blind bidding process – when Daisuke Matsuzaka was posted in 2006, the Red Sox won with a $51 million posting bid. Second place? Just $39 million by the Mets. The blind bidding process can really make you spend a ton more than you ultimately had to.
  • Another young starting pitcher might be on the market, as the Angels may be making Ervin Santana available after picking up CJ Wilson. Santana’s value is debatable. He’s 29 (today – happy birthday, chum!), and is owed $11.2 million in 2012 with a $13 million team option in 2013 ($1 million buyout). He’s got a career 101 ERA+ (102 and 112 the last two years), so it’s not as if he’s a stud. Could the Angels really demand a huge return for a expensive, slightly-above average pitcher, who might be a free agent after the year? Probably not. The question for the Cubs: would they consider trying to pick up someone like Santana on the relative cheap, or instead, do they view Santana’s presence on the market as one more obstacle in their efforts to get top dollar for Matt Garza?
  • The Tigers are talking to the Padres about Chase Headley, but there is currently “no momentum.”
  • If the Dodgers non-tender James Loney today, is anyone interested in him as a fall-back first base option for the Cubs? He was just arrested on suspicion of DUI, but, setting that aside, he’s 27 and has a career 108 OPS+ (110 in 2011). He’s average defensively, and provides almost no pop. Still, he’s a decent-ish hitter, and would come cheap (again, this is if he’s non-tendered). I say eh. Maybe a back-up-back-up plan.
  • written by

    Brett Taylor is the Lead Cubs Writer at Bleacher Nation, and you can find him on Twitter at @BleacherNation and on LinkedIn here. Brett is also the founder of Bleacher Nation, which opened up shop in 2008 as an independent blog about the Chicago Cubs. Later growing to incorporate coverage of other Chicago sports, Bleacher Nation is now one of the largest regional sports blogs on the web.

    more cubs news

    Wrigley Field is Gonna Be Lit This Year (As in New Colored Lights!)

    Last year, the Cubs started using their new LED outfield lights to do a little dancing display during 'Go Cubs Go,' lighting along with the song and throwing in a W. It was very fun and I liked it. This...

    The 2024 Chicago Cubs for Dummies

    Boom. We made it. The offseason is over, and the Cubs regular season - and those elevated expectations - begins tomorrow. But in case you slept through the winter, I'm here to catch you up on everything you need to...

    Why Craig Counsell Wanted Miles Mastrobuoni on the Cubs’ Bench

    I don't know why Miles Mastrobuoni bugs some folks, but it's probably heavily-weighted toward his small-sample, bad-batted-ball-luck start last year, and that time he didn't dive while playing in right field. It can be hard to shake initial impressions, I...

    Kinda Sounds Like Craig Counsell May Have a Set Top Three in the Batting Order

    New Chicago Cubs manager Craig Counsell has said, generally, his batting order philosophy is the very simplistic (and very correct): just get your best hitters the most at bats. Sure, there's some play in that to set up good match-ups,...

    Los Angeles Dodgers Signing Will Smith to a TEN-YEAR Extension

    The Los Angeles Dodgers have done it again. And by it, I mean they have signed a funkily-structured contract that is going to leave some folks annoyed. The Dodgers are extending catcher Will Smith on a DECADE-long deal with a...

    The Stretch: 2024 MLB Season Preview

    On Monday, during a team-building conversation with some of the Bleacher Nation and Betsperts Media Group folks, we discussed sports—shocking, I know—and Brian Twining asked the group what their favorite sport was. For me, it's baseball. There's no debate. I...

    We Have to Talk About Some of the “Deals” the Cubs Sat Out in Free Agency

    This week, in a conversation with Jon Greenberg at The Athletic, Cubs President Jed Hoyer made an honest and sober (but also moderately disappointing) admission about the 2024 Chicago Cubs: "We need to perform probably at or a little bit...

    The Chicago Cubs Are Reportedly Now Worth Over $5 Billion

    Given all the tumult in the baseball broadcasting world, and the uncertain future for that portion of revenues, you'd be forgiven for expecting that MLB franchise valuations would slow their recent surge. But, according to Sportico at least, you'd be...

    Reds Second Baseman Matt McLain Had Shoulder Surgery

    The injury to Matt McLain's shoulder issue obviously wound up being worse than he and the Cincinnati Reds had been hoping. The damage to his left (non-throwing) labrum ultimately required surgery: https://twitter.com/m_sheldon/status/1772993402604339478 When the hope is that a guy can...

    Cubs Actually Getting a Whole Lot of Votes to Win the NL Central

    ESPN dropped its big season preview, and included were a set of divisional predictions by way of their writers, editors, and analysts voting. There's nothing in the way of proof or certainty there, but with 26 voters, I do like...

    Latest News

    Celtics vs. Hawks Prediction: Expert Picks, Odds, Stats and Best Bets – Thursday, March 28, 2024

    The Atlanta Hawks (33-39) are big, 17.5-point underdogs as they attempt to build on a three-game winning streak when they host the Boston Celtics (57-15) on Thursday, March 28, 2024 at State Farm Arena. The matchup airs at 7:30 PM...

    Celtics vs. Hawks Predictions, Best Bets and Odds – Thursday, March 28, 2024

    The Atlanta Hawks (33-39) are big, 17.5-point underdogs as they attempt to build on a three-game winning streak when they host the Boston Celtics (57-15) on Thursday, March 28, 2024 at State Farm Arena. The contest airs at 7:30 PM...

    Bucks vs. Pelicans Predictions, Best Bets and Odds – Thursday, March 28, 2024

    The New Orleans Pelicans (44-28) are only 2-point underdogs against the Milwaukee Bucks (46-26) at Smoothie King Center on Thursday, March 28, 2024. The game begins at 8:00 PM ET on NBA. The matchup's point total is 223.If you are...

    How to Watch Indiana State Sycamores vs. Utah Utes: Live Stream or on TV

    The Indiana State Sycamores (31-6) will attempt to build on a three-game winning streak when they host the Utah Utes (22-14) on April 2, 2024. The Utes have also won three games in a row.Indiana State won its most recent...

    How to Watch Seton Hall Pirates vs. Georgia Bulldogs: Live Stream or on TV

    The Seton Hall Pirates (23-12) will attempt to extend a three-game win streak when they host the Georgia Bulldogs (20-16) on April 2, 2024. The Bulldogs have also won three games in a row.In its previous game, Seton Hall beat...

    Diamondbacks vs. Rockies: Free Live Stream, TV Channel, How to Watch

    The Arizona Diamondbacks, led by Corbin Carroll, take on Nolan Jones and the Colorado Rockies in their first game of the season, at 10:10 PM ET on Thursday.If you're trying to watch this game, keep reading for streaming and TV...

    Mariners vs. Red Sox: Start Time, Streaming Live, TV Channel, How to Watch

    The Seattle Mariners, led by Julio Rodriguez, square off against Rafael Devers and the Boston Red Sox in their opening game of the season, at 10:10 PM ET on Thursday.If you're trying to watch this game, keep reading for streaming...

    Guardians vs. Athletics: Start Time, Streaming Live, TV Channel, How to Watch

    In their season opener on Thursday, Jose Ramirez and the Cleveland Guardians face Brent Rooker and the Oakland Athletics, with first pitch scheduled for 10:07 PM ET at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum.The article below will give you everything you need to...

    Senators vs. Blackhawks Prediction: Picks, Live Odds and Moneyline – Thursday, March 28, 2024

    The bookmakers give the edge to the Ottawa Senators on home ice (-198) over the Chicago Blackhawks (+164) when they face off on Thursday, March 28 at 7:00 PM ET.Senators vs. Blackhawks Favorite, Moneyline, TotalFavorite: Senators (-198)Underdog: Blackhawks (+164)Total: 6.5Best...

    Wrigley Field is Gonna Be Lit This Year (As in New Colored Lights!)

    Last year, the Cubs started using their new LED outfield lights to do a little dancing display during 'Go Cubs Go,' lighting along with the song and throwing in a W. It was very fun and I liked it. This...

    more cubs news