Some of us have wondered openly why Derrek Lee’s name is never brought up in first base rumors for the Chicago Cubs. He’s obviously familiar with the organization, he’s solid defensively, and he should be inexpensive. Sounds like a perfect fit, no?
The Cubs are not interested in re-signing Derrek Lee, who is being pursued by the Padres to replace Gonzalez. Chicago Tribune.
Oh. Well. That was blunt.
The question of “why,” I guess, will remain unanswered. I suspect that there may be some bad feelings there, on one side or the other.
As for the other options at first, the Cubs continue to pursue Carlos Pena – indeed, a source says the Cubs met with Pena’s agent (Scott Boras) on Monday night (Bruce Levine says the same in the article linked below). Internally, the Cubs fear that if they are drawn into a bidding war with other interested teams (the Orioles, Blue Jays, and Nationals, among others), they can’t win.
The Cubs are finally considering Adam LaRoche after weeks of bizarre silence on that front.
Brad Hawpe, briefly mentioned as a possible first base option, is currently mulling “multiple offers.”
And yes, the Cubs are still talking to the Rangers about a Chris Davis trade.