So the Cubs Aren’t Getting Cuban Shortstop Hechavarria
Filed under: Chicago Cubs Rumors, Cubs Minor Leagues and Prospects, MLB News and Rumors
Last week, there was a head-scratcher of a rumor that had the Chicago Cubs attached to a top Cuban shortstop prospect, who is free to sign with any team. Yesterday, word trickled out that the kid - Adeinis (not Adeiny, apparently) Hechavarria - would more likely be signing soon with the Blue Jays.
The Post has learned Adeinis Hechavarria is going to get more money than the $8 million Jose Iglesias Iglesias got from the Red Sox.
However, it won’t be from the Yankees. And it has nothing to do with the Yankees not wanting to spend the money on the Cuban refugee shortstop.
According to an industry source Hechavarria is close to signing a $10 million deal with the Blue Jays because he didn’t envision himself playing short for the Yankees.
Hechavarria, 21, was leery of Derek Jeter’s impending extension that will keep him at short for the foreseeable future.
Having seen Hechavarria work out often in the Dominican Republic, the Yankees were high on the 6-foot-1, 170-pounder with a body that resembled a young Alfonso Soriano. NYPOST.com.
Alfonso Soriano? Oh, well, in that case, we don’t want him. Kidding, of course.
The Cubs’ interest was always a bit perplexing given the expect cost, and the fact that Hechevarria and Starlin Castro sound like they are both equally good at short and equally ready to play in the bigs.
ShareThe Other Cactus League Teams Are Seriously Pissed About the Cubs Tax
In order to construct a new stadium and new facilities for the Chicago Cubs, to keep the team’s Spring Training in Arizona, the city of Mesa has reached out to the State of Arizona for funding assistance. The State, in turn, has proposed a surcharge on all Cactus League game tickets, a decision which has rubbed some of the other Cactus League teams the wrong way - the most vocal of which have been the Chicago White Sox and Arizona Diamondbacks. But it seems that basically all the teams are pretty upset.
The proposed ticket surcharge hasn’t been well received. Last Friday, the other 14 Cactus League teams had a conference call to voice opposition of the plan.
“If it’s a choice between this surcharge and the Cubs leaving for Florida, I would gladly put on my work gloves and help them pack up the truck,” one Cactus League team official said.
What the city of Mesa will remind the other teams is that the Cubs drew 251,275 fans to their road Spring Training games in 2009, an average of 13,225 per game. The next-biggest draw was the Red Sox, who drew 208,550 fans total fans and an average of 10,976 to road contests. Muskat Ramblings.
Clearly the other teams don’t believe the Cubs leaving would have the negative impact that the city and State believe it would have. And naturally, relative to each other, the teams are probably right. That is to say, the Cubs staying in Arizona means more to Arizona/Mesa than it does to the other Cactus League participants. The Cubs staying is certainly a good thing for those teams, but they’ve obviously crunched the numbers and believe that the tax will more negatively impact their bottom line than would the Cubs leaving.
ShareLive Together, Die Alone: LOST and the Chicago Cubs
“Every man for himself is not going to work. It’s time to start organizing. We need to figure out how we’re going to survive here. Now, I found water. Fresh water, up in the valley. I’ll take a group in at first light. If you don’t want to go, then find another way to contribute. Last week most of us were strangers. But we’re all here now. And God knows how long we’re going to be here. But if we can’t live together, we’re going to die alone.” - Jack Shephard
I have generally avoided using this space to pontificate on things personal and outside of baseball. I figure you all come here to read about the Cubs, not my thoughts on health care reform. And for a guy who has an obsession with the television show LOST that is equaled only by his obsession with the Cubs, it’s hard not to go off about the show from time to time. Warning: this is one of those times.
But the truth is, this post is as much about the Cubs as it is about LOST. The parallels weaving their way through the show, the Chicago Cubs, and Cubs fandom are worth at least one, little article as we approach tonight’s premiere of the much-anticipated final season and dramatic conclusion of LOST. The article’s a bit longer than our usual fare here at Bleacher Nation, but I think it’s worth your time if you’re a fan of the Cubs or a fan of the show. Keep reading up on the Cubs-LOST crossover.
ShareNo Joe Nelson for the Cubs
Free agent reliever Joe Nelson has signed a minor league deal with the Boston Red Sox, effectively taking him off the Chicago Cubs’ radar, if he was ever on it to begin with.
The Red Sox reached agreement with veteran reliever Joe Nelson on a Minor League deal with an invitation to Spring Training on Monday, the 35-year-old right-hander confirmed to MLB.com.
After a solid bounceback year for the Marlins in 2008 — when he sported a 2.00 ERA in 54 innings — Nelson struggled with the Rays this past season, posting a 4.02 ERA in 42 relief appearances before spending August and September in the Minor Leagues.
In 2009, Nelson sported an 8.53 ERA in May, but an ERA no higher than 3.00 in April, June or July.
For his five-year career, Nelson is 7-2 with a 4.07 ERA.
As of now, Jonathan Papelbon, Hideki Okajima, Daniel Bard, Manny Delcarmen and Ramon Ramirez (the one who posted a 2.84 ERA in 70 games for the Red Sox last season) look to have solidified spots in Boston’s bullpen. redsox.com.
Nelson was recently quoted as saying he really wanted to come to the Cubs, and given that he accepted a minor league deal on a team with a relatively crowded bullpen, we can surmise that the Cubs never made him an offer.
ShareReliever Joe Nelson Wants to Be a Chicago Cub
The Chicago Cubs continue to look for a reliever, but maybe they should just let the reliever come to them.
Free-agent pitcher Joe Nelson, who has made 101 appearances over the past two seasons, has expressed an interest in the Cubs.
Nelson, 35, is seeking an opportunity to be a late-inning reliever and help a young staff.
Nelson had a 2.86 ERA with Florida and Tampa Bay in 2008-09. He has allowed only 74 hits in 94 innings while striking out 96. His best season was in 2008, when he posted a 2.00 ERA in 59 appearances with the Marlins. He also has pitched for the Braves, Red Sox and Royals. Chicago Breaking Sports.
Nelson has had a bizarre professional career, having not really broken through until age 33 with the Marlins. He pitched in the bigs in 2001, 2004, and 2006 with an assortment of teams, with long minor league stints in between, before having a dominating year in 2008 for the Marlins. He was good, but not great, last year for the Rays. Given his erratic career, he’s unlikely to get a big money deal - just a one-year, small money deal. It might not even be a big league contract.
And by the way: could there be a guy who better proves that middle relievers are a total crapshoot?
ShareFourth Outfielder Watch: Cubs Looking at Rocco Baldelli
It’s almost an obsessive watch, but we’re not quite there yet.
Among the candidates for the Chicago Cubs’ fourth outfielder job is former Tampa Bay Ray prospect Rocco Baldelli according to the St. Petersburg Times. Baldelli, 28, was a breakout star as a young man in Tampa (though he was somewhat overhyped because of his young age), but has battled a myriad of injuries since turning 24, not the least of which was an elbow problem that resulted in Tommy John surgery.
He was an adequate reserve outfielder last year for the Boston Red Sox, putting up a .253/.311/.433 line. He can truly play all over the outfield, and still has a lingering bit of upside. That probably makes him something of a fall-back for the Cubs, together with Xavier Nady, from their current primary target, Jermaine Dye. Other rumored names have included Ryan Spilborghs and recently-departed Cub, Reed Johnson.
ShareMatt Holliday Got Paid - So is it a Good Deal for the Cards? The Cubs?
Two weeks ago, it looked like the St. Louis Cardinals were going to lose Mark DeRosa, Joel Pineiro, John Smoltz, and Matt Holliday this offseason. Things were looking up for the rest of the National League Central.
And then yesterday, the Cardinals re-signed Matt Holliday to a seven year, $120 million deal. Humbug.
Setting aside considerations about the deal, itself, this is undoubtedly very, very good for the 2010 St. Louis Cardinals, and very, very bad for the 2010 Chicago Cubs. Holliday’s stats may have been inflated by his time in Colorado, but he’s a great hitter regardless. And he’s generally considered a good defensive outfielder - one attempted groin catch notwithstanding. Pairing him with Albert Pujols makes the Cardinals’ lineup solid without even considering what the other six positional players look like.
That all said, there’s much more to this deal than merely “Cardinals retain good hitter.” The deal must be considered, and Holliday’s performance and age must be considered. And indeed they are considered, after the jump.
ShareRosenthal Thinks Ben Sheets Ends Up with the Cubs
Wouldn’t it be incredible to be a pundit? Readers hang on your every word - no doubt earned after years of excellent writing and reporting.
So I don’t begrudge Ken Rosenthal his following or his platform. But when he tosses out predictions like the Chicago Cubs signing Ben Sheets, it would be nice if he had something there to back it up.
Ben Sheets — Arguably the best starting pitcher in the entire free-agent class, but the question remains: Is he healthy?
Sheets missed all of last season while recovering from elbow surgery. Teams likely will want to see him throw before deciding whether he is worthy of an investment.
He still makes the most sense for a high-revenue club that can absorb the risk, but the Yankees and Red Sox do not figure to spend more on starting pitching.
Prediction: Cubs.
via FOX Sports on MSN.
On what basis, Ken? Look, I’d love to see the Cubs land Sheets. But for that to happen, it would have to be an incentive-laden deal, or at a minimum a one-year deal with a low salary and a big money option for 2011. The Cubs, regrettably, are up against a serious budget crunch, with most sources - including Jim Hendry, himself - indicating that the team has, at most, another $4 to 6 million left to spend after the Marlon Byrd signing.
And Ben Sheets has given no indication that he’d go for a deal like that. He’s been asking for multiple years at more than $10 million per year. Sure, he’s not going to get it, but he’s going to get something more than the chicken scratch the Cubs would prefer to spend on a high risk player.
Maybe if the market for him continues to fade, we can have this conversation. And maybe Ben Sheets will end up with the Cubs. But for now, Sheets is a costly risk that this team, as con$titued, can’t afford. Given that, you’d think Rosenthal would offer at least some justification for his prediction.
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