Mark DeRosa Retires and Other Bullets

mark derosa cubsBelieve it or not, there’s a fresh BN Podcast episode on the way later today!

  • Ladies, guard your hearts, and gents, guard your … well … hearts: although he was under contract for 2014 at $750,000, Mark DeRosa has elected to retire. That means the long-time Cubs fan favorite is available to become the new color man in the radio booth for WGN, as we discussed yesterday. DeRosa, one of several reported options for the gig, has provided occasional commentary on various broadcasts over the last few years He would certainly be an energizing choice – as energizing as a possible one-year radio color man can be. If DeRosa is looking to break into broadcasting, though, maybe a short stint – assuming the Cubs can’t figure out a way to lock him up for a longer period regardless of the WGN radio contract potentially ending after 2014 – would be perfect for him. It’s not unlike those short-term, “prove it” contracts the Cubs’ front office would be all to fond of handing out to free agents these days. And, if things aren’t working out with Pat Hughes come July, the Cubs can flip DeRosa for a high school broadcaster.
  • Don’t expect the Cubs to go out of house for a third baseman in 2014, as GM Jed Hoyer tells Cubs.com that he’s very happy with the Cubs’ depth at third at the organizational level, and in terms of big league coverage in 2014. It sounds like it’s going to be a mix of Luis Valbuena, Donnie Murphy and Mike Olt at third to start 2014. The former two would probably operate in a platoon if Olt can’t win the job outright.
  • The Mesa Solar Sox won again yesterday, getting a 1-3 effort from Jorge Soler with a walk. Kris Bryant and Albert Almora were each 1-4. Lendy Castillo threw an inning where he struck out one and gave up an unearned run … but he also walked three. Oof.
  • Although Red Sox GM Ben Cherington tells CSN that the Cubs were never denied permission to interview bench coach Torey Lovullo, it is because the Cubs never technically requested permission. But, reading the report, you can still that this is just further confirmation of how things played out: because of the agreement not to poach Red Sox employees tied to Theo Epstein’s hire after the 2011 season, the Chicago Cubs – strictly speaking – were not even allowed to ask about trying to hire a Red Sox employee. So let’s not get mixed up in the language: the essence is that the Red Sox prevented their bench coach from interviewing for one of the top managerial jobs in the game because of a two-year-old agreement that was put in place when he wasn’t even a Red Sox employee. They can color it however they want. It was a shitty thing to do. But the Cubs now have Rick Renteria, and all is well. Moving on.
  • I like you Mark Titus of Grantland. I’ve always liked you. (See the fourth footnote.)
  • The Willis Tower in Chicago (née Sears Tower) is no longer the tallest building in the United States, with the new World Trade Center taking the title thanks to the spire on top, which was ruled a true “spire” and not a mere antenna (yup, that’s actually a thing that people discuss … and drag mayors into the fight).
  • 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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