Series Preview: Brewers v. Cubs, August 2 – August 4, 2010
It’s Series Preview time again, as the Chicago Cubs welcome the Milwaukee Brewers to Wrigley Field – still the one team, outside of Arizona, against whom the Cubs have played well this year. The Brewers didn’t conduct a sell-off, so they’ll be at full-strength.
A refresher on the series preview here at Bleacher Nation:
The idea is to hook you up with the bare minimum of what you need to know about every series this year. That way you can look like a genius, hardcore fan in front of all your friends, with minimum effort. Oh, and there will be pictures of beautiful women, too.
Check out the Brewers series preview, after the jump
Ted Lilly and Ryan Theriot Have Been Traded to the Dodgers
Per multiple reports, the Chicago Cubs have traded pitcher Ted Lilly and second baseman Ryan Theriot to the Los Angeles Dodgers. Part of the return is expected to be second baseman Blake DeWitt, but no word yet on dollars and the rest of the return. We’ll keep you posted.
UPDATE: Looks like the Cubs are getting DeWitt, two pitching prospects, and the Dodgers taking on $2.5 million(ish) in salary (Cubs sending $2.5 million). With that much cash coming from a cash-strapped team like the Dodgers, I’m not optimistic about the quality of the pitching prospects.
UPDATE: One of the pitching prospects is apparently Brett Wallach (not to be confused with first base prospec Brett Wallace, also traded this week). Ranked 20th in the Dodgers system…
UPDATE: The other pitcher is Kyle Smit, a AA reliever who’s had success since moving to the pen a couple years ago. Does not appear to be a top prospect. DeWitt must be the center piece of this deal. More analysis to come.
Lukewarm Stove: Ryan Theriot Believes He’ll Be Traded Today
Chicago Cubs second baseman Ryan Theriot told his friends yesterday that he expected to be traded by the Cubs today, according to Gordon Wittenmyer.
Theriot, who is making $2.6 million this year, is under team control through 2011, but given his salary and lack of correlative performance, he’s a non-tender candidate. Don’t expect the Cubs to get a great return if, in fact, they deal Theriot – of course, Ken Rosenthal has mentioned Theriot somehow netting Kelly Johnson, so I guess you never know.
Lukewarm Stove: Dodgers Want Ted Lilly AND Ryan Theriot
With trade partners dwindling, the Chicago Cubs might be able to package two of their movable parts together in one deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The Dodgers are talking to the Cubs about a trade for both left-hander Ted Lilly and second baseman Ryan Theriot, according to a major-league source.
It is not known whether a deal is close. The Cubs almost certainly would need to include cash to cover part of the nearly $5 million combined that Lilly and Theriot are owed for the rest of the season.
Lilly is a free agent at the end of the season. Theriot is under club control for two additional years.
The Dodgers already have made one trade, acquiring outfielder Scott Podsednik from the Royals. The additions of Lilly and Theriot would further deepen and strengthen their roster.
Lilly would join a rotation that already includes left-hander Clayton Kershaw and right-handers Chad Billingsley, Hiroki Kuroda and Vicente Padilla.
Theriot likely would take over at second base, with the Dodgers possibly sending Blake DeWitt to Triple-A. FOX Sports on MSN.
The return would almost certainly hinge on how much of the remaining salaries the Cubs are willing to eat. Either way, the Cubs would be better off making a move than standing pat.
Lukewarm Stove: Rockies Considering Ryan Theriot
A recent swoon has taken the Colorado Rockies from definite contenders to possible sellers. If they decide to stay the course and compete, they might look to add a versatile player like Ryan Theriot.
Theriot, 30, is an interesting name since he wouldn’t figure to be just a stopgap at second base. He’s a .287 career hitter who has stolen 28, 22 and 21 bases in the past three seasons and is on pace for 26 this year.
Theriot lost in arbitration to the Cubs last winter, settling for $2.6 million instead of the $3.4 he requested. He would be in line to make $4 million-$5 million next season. Which brings us to Barmes, who is in a similar situation.
Barmes’ future as the Rockies’ second baseman is cloudy because of his arbitration-eligible status. He is making $3.35 million this season and could jump to around $5 million next year. It’s highly questionable whether the Rockies would be willing to pay that kind of money for a second baseman. Denver Post.
If you’re not willing to pay $5 million per year for Clint Barmes, why would you pay $5 million per year for Ryan Theriot? Shrug.
For that very reason, Theriot is not expected to be tendered a contract by the Cubs this winter. That does not, of course, mean that the Cubs could not re-sign Theriot to a lower deal, but he would have the opportunity to go elsewhere. With that in mind, the Cubs would likely be content to move him.
Chicago Cubs Sign Second Round Pick Reggie Golden
Filed under: Chicago Cubs News, Chicago Cubs Transactions, Cubs Minor Leagues and Prospects
Some good news on the draft front – yesterday the Cubs announced that they had signed their second round pick, high school outfielder Reggie Golden.
Reggie Golden got his first peek at life in the big leagues on Saturday.
Golden, the Cubs’ second-round Draft pick, signed his contract on Friday and was able to do a little hitting in the cage with players such as Marlon Byrd, Mike Fontenot, Ryan Theriot and Kosuke Fukudome. The Cubs now have signed 24 of their first 50 selections.
“It feels good,” Golden said of being in a Major League clubhouse. “I grew up watching these guys play, especially Derrek Lee and Alfonso Soriano. I’ve got chills.”
Golden, selected out of Wetumpka High School in Wetumpka, Ala., was recommended by area scout Tom Clark, who accompanied the outfielder on Saturday.
“He’s a combination of speed and power, and that’s hard to find, especially nowadays,” Clark said. “He can run, and he has power.”
Golden finished his high school career with 36 home runs, 156 RBIs and 146 runs. He did sign with the University of Alabama, but has instead opted to get his professional career started. cubs.com.
Terms of his deal weren’t disclosed quite yet, but I’d imagine that he received a little bit more than expected in order to keep him from enrolling at Alabama.
UPDATE: I was right. Golden received a $720k signing bonus, which was about $160k over the slot recommendation. Indeed the Cubs must really like him.
Lukewarm Stove: Rockies Looking at Ryan Theriot?
The Chicago Cubs, even if they weren’t sellers, would probably be looking to move an infielder. They’ve got three guys rotating at second base – Ryan Theriot, Mike Fontenot, and Jeff Baker – and that’s at least one too many. The Rockies, who’ve lost shortstop Troy Tulowitzki until at least August with a broken wrist, are in the market for a middle infielder.
Detroit had talks with the Cubs centering around second baseman Ryan Theriot. Those conversations have cooled down. Major League sources tell ESPNChicago.com that the Colorado Rockies now have apparent interest in Theriot. ESPN Chicago.
Theriot hasn’t been worth a hoot at the plate this year – .278/.317/.313 for a career worst 65 OPS+ (still think you’re worth $3.4 million, Ryan?) – but he remains versatile, and assuming he comes back to his career averages, should be good in the second half.
Lukewarm Stove: Giants Want Tom Gorzelanny, Probably Don’t Want Ryan Theriot
The San Francisco Giants are in a battle out West, and are falling slowly out of the race. Thus, they’re looking to shore up their team as baseball heads into the second half.
The Giants also are in the market for pitching and they had a scout at Wrigley Field last week watching Tom Gorzelanny, who is very appealing to clubs because of his low salary and ability to start or relieve. chicagotribune.com.
Of course the Giants are interested in Gorzelanny – as would be most teams. He’s cheap, under control for a couple more years, can start or relieve, is a lefty, and is rockin’ it this year. Incidentally, those are all the same reasons the Cubs would have to receive quite a haul to trade him.
Speaking of the Giants, they had, at least at one time, an interest in second baseman Ryan Theriot, whom the Cubs are unlikely to tender a contract at the end of the year (though they might try to re-sign him after he’s non-tendered). We haven’t heard much on this front, however, in a couple weeks.
