Jim Hendry Says Fielding Offers on Darwin Barney “Makes No Sense” and Other Rumor-y Bullets

Sean Marshall wasn’t available for comment after his rough outing last night against the Phillies. That one appearance took his ERA from 2.70 all the way up to 3.18. He’s in a bit of a cold stretch – he’s given up seven earned runs in his last 6.2 innings.

  • So far, Matt Garza has not murdered any of his bullpen teammates, and it sounds like he can hold it together for another week. “There’s no blame,” he said. “That’s just the way the ball bounces.”
  • Phil Rogers recently wrote an article entitled, ‘Could Sox or Cubs Trade for Rockies Ace Jiminez?’ about the possibility of the Cubs landing Ubaldo Jiminez – who might make sense for them in a number of ways, given his cheap team control after this season. Let me save you from the link bait – Rogers asks the question, and in approximately one sentence about the Cubs, he answers: no.
  • If you’re wondering what kind of return Jeff Baker might bring in a trade, look no further than yesterday’s Jeff Keppinger deal. The two are very similar players, right down to their age and contract situation (both are under control through next year, though Keppinger is about $1 million more expensive). The Astros got a decent relief prospect, and a mediocre ML reliever/spot starter. It’s not hard to see why the Cubs might be reticent to trade Baker if that’s all they can get.
  • Jim Hendry was checking out the Iowa Cubs yesterday, and he was quoted as saying he’s already rejected a number of proposed deals involving the Cubs’ younger core. “Why would I trade Sean Marshall? Why would I trade Darwin Barney? Those calls kind of stop quickly. It makes no sense.” We’ll have more on Sean Marshall as a trade target later today, but as for Barney, I suppose I’ve made my thoughts known. If the Cubs are refusing to listen to offers on him because they believe he’s a surefire, long-term starter second base, I will be very, very unhappy.
  • Hendry also offered a sad statement about his time as the Cubs’ GM in recent years: “I haven’t changed any since we won 97 games in 2008. I’ve worked just as hard.” I have no doubt that Hendry has worked his ass off, and that he’s a really nice guy. But, results matter. That’s why this game exists.
  • Mike Quade spoke to MLB disciplinarian Joe Torre yesterday about his anti-umpire comments over the weekend. Sources still believe he’s unlikely to receive any discipline.
  • The Tigers “are considering” asking the Cubs about a big-time deal involving Aramis Ramirez, Carlos Zambrano and cash in exchange for prospects and Brandon Inge, says Phil Rogers. There’s not a lot of meat to this rumor, hence the mere bullet. But something worth noting: if the Cubs do pair Ramirez and Zambrano, you can expect that they’ll do so with an eye toward clearing as much of Zambrano’s salary as possible, rather than getting a haul in prospects. Not sure if that’s a good thing.
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    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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