The Cubs Are Unaffected by Trade Rumors and Other Bullets

I’m headed out to the game today with friends from Sons of Ivy, and, unrelatedly, I got to meet BN’er TWC last evening. It’s already been a great Chicago trip.

  • The Cubs are 10-4 in their last 14 games. How about that?
  • Dale Sveum says the trade rumors this time of year aren’t going to affect his players. “I don’t think it ever impacts wins or losses,” Sveum said. “I think once these guys cross the line in batting practice, none of that stuff comes into play. Off the field, it’s something that’s there and it’s been there a long time. You have to deal with it.” I think it would be hard not to think about it day to day, but I suppose in the heat of the game action, you could probably let it drift from your mind. It certainly isn’t affecting Alfonso Soriano…
  • Yesterday’s draft pick signing deadline came and went without any excitement for the Cubs, who’d already locked up their first 20 picks, and 28 of 42, overall. The Pirates couldn’t get a deal done with Stanford right-hander Mark Appel, whom you’ll recall slid from his expected top spot all the way down to 8th (past the Cubs). He rejected the Pirates’ final offer of $3.8 million, and will try to do better next year after pitching his senior season at Stanford.
  • Bruce Levine says the Cubs should hang onto Alfonso Soriano, not only because he’s killing it this year, but also because he’s a good influence on younger players.
  • Dale Sveum talks about Jeff Samardzija’s progress as a starter, and about the Cubs’ need to limit his innings as best they reasonably can.
  • Ian Stewart’s recovery from wrist surgery, which included removing a small bone fragment that may have been the source of his problems, is expected to take six to eight weeks. The would make Stewart ready for baseball activities in early September, but that doesn’t necessarily mean he’d be ready for game action.
  • The Cubs will host a Ron Santo Day on July 27 to commemorate Ronnie’s induction into the Hall of Fame.
  • Everyone knows about Ryan Dempster’s streak, but Shawn Camp has a 12.2 scoreless inning streak going.
  • 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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