Reed Johnson Signing is Official and Other Bullets

Oh, man. As a long-time Chicago Cubs fan, I’m not sure I recognize good luck when I see it. So, imagine the repeated slack in my jaw last night as the Wolverines  repeatedly utilized the horsehoe they apparently stored in their collective butt before leaving Ann Arbor. Between you and me, I needed a little something to smile about in my sports fandom world, so I’ll gladly take a Michigan Sugar Bowl win any way I can get it.

  • The Cubs made the Reed Johnson signing official yesterday, and Reed will take home $1.15 million in 2012 (which feels a bit like “paying for past performance,” but whateves). The Cubs have six outfielders that could make the 25-man at this point: Soriano, Byrd, DeJesus, Johnson, Sappelt, and Campana. At most, five will get the call. The Johnson signing also puts the 40-man roster, presently, at 40. That’s without Kerry Wood, mind you. Obviously there are some guys who could be dropped off – Marcos Mateo and Alberto Cabrera stand out – but the Cubs are going to have to make a number of additional moves before this offseason is up.
  • Carlos Zambrano, whose Winter pitching may be at an end, has been rather fortunate in Venezuela (other than, you know, taking a comebacker to the face). Despite a 2.45 ERA, which would place him among the league’s leaders, his FIP of 5.11 suggests that the ERA is more luck than skill. (FIP primer here.)
  • Jim Callis says new Cubs’ prospect Ronald Torreyes would have been the Reds’ number 10 prospect if he hadn’t been traded to the Cubs before Callis’ rankings for the Reds came out.
  • The Red Sox have signed Carlos Silva to a minor league contract. Obligatory compensation joke: when the Red Sox ultimately have to boot him, the Cubs will take him on as an A-ball bullpen catcher as compensation for Theo Epstein.
  • Carrie Muskat answers questions from folks who don’t understand why Sean Marshall was traded and who don’t understand why the Cubs might consider trading Matt Garza. Let me take this one, Carrie: to make the organization better. The end.
  • In case you missed it yesterday, Coco Crisp decided to re-sign with the A’s for $14 million over two years. He made, at best, marginal sense as an addition for the Cubs, so no grousing here.
  • Bruce Miles is interviewed over at View from the Bleachers.
  • The Cubs Convention is a week and a half away. I’ll be there with the Mrs., and I look forward to meeting any of you in attendance who’d like to grab a beer or something Friday or Saturday evening. I remain open to thoughts on a meeting spot.
  • 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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