Ah, it’s the wonderful time of year again – the Lukewarm Stove is back. In case you’ve forgotten, the Lukewarm Stove at Bleacher Nation is your home for Chicago Cubs rumors. Unlike the traditional “hot stove,” we’re more than happy to include every rumor even remotely related to the Cubs (or remotely plausible, for that matter), and/or those rumors for which there isn’t a whole lot of information available. Get it? Lukewarm? Because it’s not quite hot? Have I beaten you over the head with the concept enough?
Ok, enough of that meta business.
In a recent chat, Bruce Levine noted that he’s been hearing that soon-to-be free agent first baseman Adam Dunn is “high on [the Cubs’] priority list.” He doesn’t elaborate, but the suggestion alone is noteworthy as the first confirmation that the Cubs will actually explore the possibility of signing Dunn. Given the reduced payroll for next season, together with the $120ish million already committed to players under contract and arbitration-eligible players, a player like Dunn could be the only addition the Cubs make all winter.