Byrd Rumor Not Quite Debunked and Other Bullets – April 22, 2011

With a really tough repeat series against the Rockies looming on the horizon, winning this series against the Dodgers is pretty darn important. It’s also going to be pretty darn hard for the Cubs, going against guys like Chad Billingsley and Ted Lilly. Ryan Dempster coming to his senses would help.

  • Bruce Miles took on the Marlon Byrd trade rumor in a recent post, but read carefully between the lines, if you will. In the post (a good one), which focuses on when prospects get called up, with Brett Jackson as the face, Miles drops this line: “No, the Cubs aren’t seeking to trade Marlon Byrd, from what I’ve been told.” The rumor is that the Nationals – who are actively seeking a center fielder – and the Cubs have discussed a possible trade involving Marlon Byrd. Miles has been told that the Cubs aren’t seeking to trade Byrd. Even if the Cubs were deep in discussions with the Nats, would you expect them to say anything else? In fact, one could argue that, if the Cubs were dead set against trading Byrd, Miles would have been told that.
  • The Brewers all but ushered Prince Fielder out the door yesterday when they signed Ryan Braun to an extension through 2020 for big-time cash (average annual value is $21 million). Everyone, including, for example, Tim Kurkjian this morning on Sportscenter, believes the Brewers decided they could keep one of their two big-time bats, and Braun was the guy. The question now: if Braun is worth $20 to 21 million per year, is Fielder worth more?
  • Paul Sullivan makes the compelling (and obvious) argument that Jeff Baker should be playing first base against lefties.
  • Bud Selig thinks attendance at Wrigley Field will bounce back, and is primarily due to the terrible weather. I know many of you are “vote with your wallets” believers, but, in my opinion, the Ricketts will spend so long as they have money to spend. That means empty seats are a bad thing for the future of the Cubs.
  • written by

    Brett Taylor is the Lead Cubs Writer at Bleacher Nation, and you can find him on Twitter at @BleacherNation and on LinkedIn here. Brett is also the founder of Bleacher Nation, which opened up shop in 2008 as an independent blog about the Chicago Cubs. Later growing to incorporate coverage of other Chicago sports, Bleacher Nation is now one of the largest regional sports blogs on the web.

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