Are the Cubs Considering a Deal for Kerry Wood?
When Chicago Cubs reliever Angel Guzman went down, presumably for the year, rumors picked up about the Cubs adding another right-handed reliever. The kicker, of course, is that the Cubs were already looking for such a right-handed reliever, and efforts to add a guy now will be met with outrageous demands.
But maybe the Cubs can pick up a guy who’s got an outrageous contract, making the deal slightly more palatable. Maybe it could be someone who is loved by Cubs fans.
Kerry Wood, RHP, Indians — He would make a lot of sense for the Twins, as closer Joe Nathan will likely undergo season-ending Tommy John surgery. Wood makes $10.5 million, and with Minnesota’s budget stretched to $96 million and change — highest in team history — the Indians would have to pick up a good slab of it. The Twins are considering in-house candidates, but don’t be surprised if they look around. Wood also is drawing interest from his former team, the Cubs. The Boston Globe.
It is, of course, unclear why the Boston Globe would have unique visibility to the Chicago Cubs’ reliever desires, and this report also ignores recent statements by both Jim Hendry and Tom Ricketts that the Cubs’ payroll is maxed out.
But if they could swing a deal where they only pick up a few million of Wood’s deal? Maybe they’d consider it. Wood, as you know, spent his entire career in Chicago before leaving via free agency last year to Cleveland. Last year was arguably the worst of his career, and assuredly the worst since he became a reliever - he had a 4.25 ERA, a 1.382 WHIP, and converted just 20 of 26 save opportunities.
Still, he’d look pretty great back in a Cub uniform.
ShareWatch More Chicago Cubs Spring Training Games
That headline feels like it should be followed with “or else.” But no, I don’t intend it to be threatening. That’s just your insecurity talking.
The MLB Network is going to air a crap ton of Spring games this year, so in addition to the handful of games on WGN, you’ll be able to catch a few more Chicago Cubs Spring Training games on TV.
The full list is available at that link, but the Cubs games include March 19 against the White Sox, March 22 against the Indians, March 23 against the Royals, March 26 against the A’s, March 28 against the Mariners, and April 1 against the Rockies.
ShareEsmailin Caridad Has Already Won a Bullpen Spot?
The race to take a spot in the Chicago Cubs bullpen is a wildly crowded one. Carlos Marmol, Angel Guzman (if healthy), and two of the would-be starting pitchers (Sean Marshall, Tom Gorzelanny, Jeff Samardzija, and Carlos Silva (sigh)) seem like mortal locks to make the pen.
But is a fifth pitcher already locked in as well?
Piniella said rookie right-hander Esmailin Caridad, who debuted last August and had a 1.40 ERA in 14 appearances, is all but assured a spot in the bullpen.
”He’s on the team; he’s almost got to pitch himself off,” Piniella said. ”I don’t think he will. I like this young man. He competes. He’s got a good arm. He can pitch a lot. And he handled himself here quite well the last two months or so of the season that he was here.”
In fact, it might not be out of the question to see Caridad pitch himself into a late-inning setup role, especially if Guzman’s recovery goes longer than expected.
”He’s got the stuff for it,” Piniella said. ”Now, does he have the experience, the savvy? We’ll have to wait and see. One good thing about this young man is he’s not scared.” CHICAGO SUN-TIMES.
Caridad has been high on the Cubs’ radar since late 2008, but I’ll be frank: I had no idea that he was this locked in. Given that the list of other pitchers competing for spots in the bullpen is almost too long to recount without missing someone (Jeff Gray, Mike Parisi, Jeff Stevens, Justin Berg, Blake Parker, John Gaub, Thomas Diamond, James Russell, J.R. Mathis, Jeff Kennard, Vince Perkins, Casey Coleman, and Andrew Cashner), it’s hard to imagine that Caridad is locked in.
But so Piniella has said. I guess we’ll see how it plays out, and hopefully Caridad doesn’t get complacent.
ShareSpring Training Participants
Here’s a helpful recap of the players participating in Spring Training with the Chicago Cubs this year - pitchers and catchers report this week. Thanks to Bruce Miles for putting this together.
Pitchers: Mitch Atkins, Justin Berg, Esmailin Caridad, Ryan Dempster, Rafael Dolis, John Gaub, Tom Gorzelanny, John Grabow, Jeff Gray, Angel Guzman, Ted Lilly, Carlos Marmol, Sean Marshall, Marcos Mateo, Mike Parisi, Blake Parker, David Patton, Jeff Samardzija, Carlos Silva, Jeff Stevens, Randy Wells, Carlos Zambrano
Catchers: Welington Castillo, Koyie Hill, Geovany Soto
Infielders: Jeff Baker, Andres Blanco, Mike Fontenot, Micah Hoffpauir, Derrek Lee, Aramis Ramirez, Ryan Theriot
Outfielders: James Adduci, Marlon Byrd, Tyler Colvin, Kosuke Fukudome, Sam Fuld, Xavier Nady, Alfonso Soriano
Nonroster invitees
Pitchers: Andrew Cashner, Casey Coleman, Thomas Diamond, Jeff Kennard, J.R. Mathes, Vince Perkins, James Russell
Catchers: Robinson Chirinos, Steve Clevenger, Chris Robinson
Infielders: Darwin Barney, Starlin Castro, Blake Lalli, Kevin Millar, Chad Tracy, Josh Vitters
Outfielders: Matt Camp, Brett Jackson, Bryan LaHair, Bobby Scales, Brad Snyder
Obvious player to watch: Starlin Castro
Dark-horse candidates to watch: Darwin Barney, Blake Parker
Pitching prospect to watch: Andrew Cashner
Annual Rule 5 pick: Mike Parisi
I’d also suggest watching John Gaub, a lefty with a chance to make the pen, Jeff Stevens, a righty with a chance to make the pen (received from the Indians, together with Gaub and another prospect for Mark DeRosa), and Casey Coleman - the Cubs’ minor league pitcher of the year last year, whom I think could have a very outside shot at landing the fifth spot in the Cubs rotation.
ShareIn Case You Were Hoping for Mark DeRosa
You can stop hoping. And you probably shouldn’t have been hoping in the first place; not because Mark DeRosa is not a fine player, but instead because the Cubs haven’t been meaningfully connected to a Mark DeRosa rumor since they dealt him to the Cleveland Indians last year.
A person with knowledge of the negotiations tells The Associated Press that the San Francisco Giants have reached a preliminary agreement with veteran infielder Mark DeRosa on a two-year contract.
The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the agreement has not been finalized. According to SI.com’s Jon Heyman, it’s believed to be two year deal with $12 million for the ex-Cub. Chicago Breaking Sports.
DeRosa is expected to become the full-time third baseman for the Giants. As a utility player, there isn’t a better one in the game than Mark DeRosa. As a full-time third baseman, he’s probably going to look a bit overmatched, as he did in St. Louis.
ShareThe End of the Milton Bradley Era: A Portrait of the Player as a Young Man
There’s a story about Milton Bradley as a young man that pops up from time to time.
When Bradley was hitting his stride, and dominating his high school league, scouts began arriving to take a look at the athletic, switch-hitting outfielder. Bradley, for his part, was ready to impress. One scout recalls that, while observing Bradley, he saw the kid crush a home run, and take off around the base paths. But when he arrived at home plate, there was no one there to greet him. No high fives, no pats on the back. No smiles. The scout remembers it as the only time he’d ever seen a high schooler hit a home run, and not a single teammate came out to congratulate him.
The story is reflective of Bradley’s young baseball experience: tremendous talent obfuscated by anger and attitude problems; he was even kicked off the team at one point.
And so it is with Milton Bradley.
There’s always been another side to Bradley, though. A sensitive introvert, affected by a tough upbringing in California. When Bradley was in high school, crushing home runs and receiving no high fives, he was also crushing his school work. Milton Bradley was an A student. Milton Bradley wrote poetry.
And so it is with Milton Bradley. Keep reading about the life and times of Milton Bradley.
ShareObsessive Bradley Trade Watch: Milton Going to an AL Team Tonight? UPDATED x2
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 Mariners, and the return is starting pitcher Carlos Silva - a guy the Cubs looked at back when he was a free agent. Silva is signed through 2011, like Bradley, and is owed a total of $25 million over those two years. Silva’s two years in Seattle have been an absolute disaster - hurt last year, and God awful in 2008. And frankly, he wasn’t very good before that. The Cubs need a starting pitcher, but let’s hope this isn’t how it goes down.
UPDATE: See Cigar’s note in the comments. The Mariners/Silva rumor has been, thankfully, squashed. Also, we could see an announcement on the Bradley front tomorrow morning (if word doesn’t leak sooner).
UPDATE 2: Wittenmyer has updated and said that the prospective deal is 3/4 done, that it’s a two-team swap, and it’s for a player that the Cubs will then have to spin off. Hmm. AL team - not the Rangers, Rays, Mariners or Angels - that would take Bradley, and that has a player that want to dump, whom the Cubs wouldn’t want to keep. Any guesses?
The Indians want to dump Kerry Wood ($10ish million left on his deal for 2010) - if Jim Hendry is so intent on getting a righty reliever who can set-up or close, why not consider Wood? Indians may not want Bradley back, though. I’m just thinking out loud at this point.
More details as they become available…
ShareFlorida Putting on Full Court Press for Cubs
So, the state of Florida REALLY wants the Cubs to spring with them. So much so, that they’ve dispatched the governor, Charlie Crist, to help secure the team.
Crist met in Tallahassee, Fla., on Tuesday with Cubs chairman Tom Ricketts, team president Crane Kenney and other team officials to discuss the team possibly moving from Mesa, Ariz., to Naples, Fla. Crist said he’s willing to go as far as possible to woo the team.
“We like palm trees better than cactus and hope that the Cubs might, too,” Crist told the AP.
The state of Florida has lost several teams in recent years, including the Cincinnati Reds, Cleveland Indians and Los Angeles Dodgers, and it would definitely benefit if the Cubs moved to the Sunshine State. A study showed the Cubs bring in $52 million to Arizona annually.
Ricketts said their goal is “really about getting the best facility.”
If the move is made, Kenney said the Cubs would likely relocate their Class A Florida State League team from Daytona to the new stadium. cubs.com.
The Daytona Cubs must be excited about that possibility.
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