Jason McLeod, Himself, Will Observe Yoenis Cespedes and Other Bullets

MLB’s GMs are meeting in Milwaukee, and that means hot stove goodness. Well, at least lukewarm goodness. So, there will be plenty of that later today, as well as thoughts on Aramis Ramirez, and Theo Epstein’s meeting with Carlos Zambrano yesterday. Until then, bullets…

  • I noted Sunday that the Cubs would soon be holding a private workout for Cuban star Yoenis Cespedes, and it looks like that workout will take place on Thursday in the Dominican Republic. And the Cubs aren’t kidding around: Scouting and Player Development Chief Jason McLeod will be in attendance with a handful of other Cubs’ scouts. The Cubs plan to check out some other players while they’re down there, too. The Cubs’ interest in Cespedes was first reported, eh hem, by me. Boom. Self-congratulated.
  • Theo Epstein is hopeful that he and Red Sox GM Ben Cherington can finally settle the outstanding compensation issue between the two sides, now that they’ll be “under the same roof” this week. Of the dispute, Epstein told a Boston radio station, “I know I’m right, because I know my own faults better than Ben does. I know my limitations. I’m just not worth that much. But I’m sure it will work out, one way or the other, in a way that satisfies all the parties involved. The talks are very amicable. That’s the most important thing.” If the two sides can’t work it out, Bud Selig’s office may have to settle the dispute this week.
  • The Players’ Association had planned to meet with agents this week as a part of the briefing process, but, since there is not presently a collective bargaining agreement on which to brief those agents, the meetings have been postponed. Many remain hopeful that a deal can be finalized this week – there are multiple reports that the hard slotting issue is close to a resolution, ditto for draft pick compensation – but it may take another week or two. The owners meet later this week, so settling it now sure would be convenient. The current agreement expires December 11, but don’t let the NBA nuclear option scare you: a deal will get done.
  • Super agent Scott Boras shared his thoughts on two clients of note, first basemen Prince Fielder and Carlos Pena: “Prince has hit well in Wrigley Field, that’s for sure, and he’s done OK in that division, too …. It’s power and defense [with Carlos Pena]. You’re always looking at that position for someone who can give you the production, the 85-100 RBIs and 25-30 home runs, and can give you good defense. There’s not a lot of first basemen in the league providing that.” Boras noted that he hasn’t yet spoken with Theo Epstein and Jed Hoyer, but expects to speak to them this week. “You have a whole new regime there, so as to what they think or how they think, I haven’t had the opportunity to know,” Boras said. “Knowing Theo and how his regimes work, they’ll have a very decisive resume for what they want to do, and they’ll let me know.”
  • Brewers’ GM Doug Melvin offers his thoughts on hitting coach Dale Sveum and former pitching coach Mike Maddux, both of whom are candidates for the Cubs’ managerial job.
  • More details on Assistant to the GM Shiraz Rehman’s duties, from the Cubs’ official release: “Rehman will support the general manager on potential player acquisitions and will assist in providing scouting, financial and statistical information to support trade and player evaluation. He will also develop the club’s evaluation database and coordinate the department’s technological efforts.”
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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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