No, Seriously, the Cubs Have to Make Moves Today and Other Bullets

No Bears fans out there, right? That was ugly …

  • A reminder: today is the deadline for MLB teams to file their reserve lists, which is the formal way of saying it’s the date by which they’ve got to set their 40-man rosters for purposes of the Rule 5 Draft. If you don’t want a Rule 5-eligible player to be selected in the Rule 5 Draft (held on December 6), today’s the day you’ve got to add him to the 40-man. The Cubs’ 40-man stands at 39, which means that they could add just one player today (without any other moves), and then not sign any free agents (or select a player in the Rule 5) unless they de-roster guys between now and then. Why not just do it today? In other words, I’m not banging on meaningless drum here: the Cubs really need to make some moves today.
  • Here’s a look at the players that are Rule 5 eligible that the Cubs might want to protect, and here’s a look at the current 40-man and whom the Cubs might want to drop. At a minimum, I’d really like to see the Cubs move guys like Ian Stewart and Steve Clevenger off of the roster (perhaps more), and protect guys like Logan Watkins, Trey McNutt (I still like his upside in the pen), and Christian Villanueva (if the Cubs think there’s a chance a team will really reach on him).
  • Of course, you just never know with these things: if most other teams are facing a roster crunch similar to the Cubs, there may not be very many viable landing places for the Junior Lakes and Matt Szczur’s that the Cubs might considering moving – and there may not be very many teams that have the space to claim players the Cubs waive (or select players the Cubs leave exposed to the Rule 5). I hate to think I’m getting heartburn for nothing, but if the Cubs sit on their hands today, I guess they must be thinking along these lines.
  • A profile of Anthony Rizzo, and a look back at how he landed on the Cubs.
  • Commissioner Bud Selig, in approving the massive Blue Jays/Marlins trade, issued a statement (which is, itself, a rare occasion upon approving a trade) that suggests he’s really unhappy with the Marlins, but can’t do anything about it: “After a thorough examination of this information, it is my conclusion that this transaction, involving established Major Leaguers and highly regarded young players and prospects, represents the exercise of plausible baseball judgment on the part of both clubs, does not violate any express rule of Major League Baseball and does not otherwise warrant the exercise of any of my powers to prevent its completion. It is, of course, up to the clubs involved to make the case to their respective fans that this transaction makes sense and enhances the competitive position of each, now or in the future …. [I will] continue to monitor this situation with the expectation that the Marlins will take into account the sentiments of their fans, who deserve the best efforts and considered judgment of their Club. I have received assurances from the ownership of the Marlins that they share these beliefs and are fully committed to build a long-term winning team that their fans can be proud of.”
  • The Brewers are allowing their fans to design an alternate jersey that will be worn against the Cubs on March 22 in Spring Training. It’s the kind of delightfully tacky thing the Cubs could/would never do, and I hate that it’s the Brewers, because I think it’s awesome. I mean, it’s a Spring Training game, and it’s a fun thing for fans to do (and see). Here’s hoping they land on the most ridiculous uniform possible.
  • 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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