Do the Cubs Need to Make a Change on Their Coaching Staff?

Many times, when your team has one of the worst records in the league, a change on the coaching staff is considered. Improvements are rarely seen based on a tweak on the staff, but management likes to send the message to the team that losing will not be tolerated. So the question is, should the Cubs fire of their coaches?

Mike Quade is in his first year as the manager of the Cubs, as are many of the assistant coaches. Q has made some questionable decisions, but I don't think many people expected the Cubs to contend this year anyway. At this point, I think it would be best to stick it out with Quade for at least the rest of the season.

The two coaches that most often take the blame for their team's struggles are the pitching coach and the hitting coach. Pitching coach Mark Riggins is in his first year, so it may be too soon to pull the plug on him. However, I doubt that guys like Carlos Zambrano, Matt Garza, Carlos Marmol, Kerry Wood and Ryan Dempster truly have that much respect for the longtime minor league coach. Riggins main job is to work with younger hurler such as the currently disabled Andrew Cashner, Chris Carpenter, Marcos Mateo and even Randy Wells or Jeff Samardzija. None of those guys have performed particularly well and I haven't heard anyone rave about Riggins. None the less, I'd stick with him for at least the duration of 2012.

Rudy Jaramillo is supposed to be a hitting guru. However, he has failed to help the Cubs offense. The hitters continue to scuffle in Jaramillo's second year on the job. If you're going to make a move just for the sake of making a move, I'd fire Rudy. The Cubs could bring Jim Riggleman on the staff to take his place or promote Dave Keller to interim hitting coach and then hire someone else at the end of the year.

Pat Listach might have been a mistake as Q's bench coach. Mike could have used an ex-big league manager at his side. If the Cubs hadn't been so rude to Alan Trammell, keeping him on would have been a good move. This is another place that Riggleman could take over. Rarely is a bench coach fired in the middle of the season.

Ivan DeJesus has made some poor decisions in the third base coaching box this season. Coaching third is a very difficult job. For next year, the Cubs may consider swapping DeJesus and Listach. Pat did a solid job coaching third for the Washington Nationals and DeJesus is familiar with a assistant coaching role in the dugout. I do think Ivan is an asset to the staff, but he has struggled a bit as the third base coach.

Thoughts?

Breaking News: Pat Listach Named Cubs Bench Coach

According to several big league sources Pat Listach will serve as the Cubs bench coach in 2011. An official announcement is expected after the World Series. Listach managed in the Cubs system for four years including 2008 when he was named the PCL Manager of the Year.

Pat left the organization for a job on the Washington Nationals staff as their third base coach in 2009. After two years in DC he will come back to the Cubs to coach under Mike Quade on the big league staff.

Listach will replace Alan Trammell, who left to join Kirk Gibson in Arizona. The 2011 Cubs coaching staff is now just about complete. It is possible that Quade will add one more guy to serve as his special assistant, a role Ivan DeJesus ('07-'09) and Matt Sinatro ('10) filled under Lo Piniella.

In other news, the Cubs announced a few tweaks to the 40-man roster last week. They have added catcher Robinson Chirinos to the roster and outrighted outfielder Jim Adduci.

Carrie Muskat answered her inbox questions today on Cubs.com. Here's the recap:

• Carlos Marmol's strikeout average of 15.9 per 9 innings set a record for relievers.
• Micah Hoffpauir's status will be discussed this week at the organizational meetings in Mesa.
• If Aramis Ramirez wants a contract in 2012, he'll have to bounce back this coming season.
• Carrie likes the idea of Starlin Castro as the lead-off hitter. Castro enjoys being at the top of the order and is one of the fastest guys on the club.

It's going to be a big week for the Chicago Cubs with the organizational meetings underway in Mesa. Tomorrow a vote will take place to determine the future of Cubs Spring Training. I'll keep you posted with all the news out of the Valley of the Sun all week long!

Breaking News: Trammell and Sinatro Out, Other Coaches Return

Alan Trammell, who has spent the last three years as the bench coach for the Chicago Cubs, will join Kirk Gibson's staff with the Arizona Diamond Backs. Gibson was Trammell's bench coach in Detroit and now the roles will be switched with the D'backs.

The Cubs will have a spot to fill on Mike Quade's coaching staff with Tram's departure. Alan was expected to be a candidate to replace Lou Piniella at the helm but he did not receive much consideration from the organization.

The first two candidate that come to mind to fill the void are Ryne Sandberg and Pat Listach. Both ideas have been shot down by the Chicago media today. ESPN reports that Sandberg has been offered his job back at Triple-A Iowa, but he will not be invited to be on the big league staff.

Bruce Levine writes that Listach is expected to return to Washington. He will be retained by the Nats and most likely will not join another staff unless it is a managerial offer. Listach managed the Iowa Cubs for several years before becoming the third base coach in DC.

Paul Sullivan tweets that the rest of the Cubs coaching staff (besides Lou's buddy Matt Sinatro) will return. It was already announced that Lester Strode, Rudy Jaramillo, and Larry Rothschild would return. If Sullivan's tweet is correct, it appears that Ivan DeJesus and Bobby Dernier will be retained as well. DeJesus could serve as the team's bench coach or stay at third base.

The full coaching staff is expected to be announced before the organizational meetings, which take place the first week of November in Mesa.

In other news, the Cubs outrighted right hander Jeff Gray to Triple-A, which opens up another space on the 40-man roster. Gray worked in seven games for the Cubs in 2010.

Ben Maller says that the Cubs are interested in signing Adam Dunn for 3 years, $40 million.

Coaching Staff Roundup: Rothschild Takes Option, Tram Expected to Move On, & More

Rothschild Exercises Option
Cubs pitching coach Larry Rothschild has picked up his option for the 2011 season. Bruce Levine reports that Larry informed team officials of his decision Monday, which was his last day to do so. This does not mean that Rothschild will definitely return to the club next season, because he could be fired if a new manager comes in and bring in "his guy". Paul Sullivan tweets that if Mike Quade becomes the skipper, Rothschild will return.

Jaramillo Expected to Stay
Rudy Jaramillo is the only Cubs coach in addition to Rothschild who is under contract for the 2011 season. Despite the Cubs offensive struggles in 2010 he is still well respected around baseball. This means that Rudy will most likely be back regardless of who the new manager is.

The Final Four
The Chicago Tribune reports that it appears that Mike Quade, Ryne Sandberg, Eric Wedge, and Bob Melvin are the final four for the Cubs managerial position. Carrie Muskat also lists these four as finalists. Tom Ricketts reportedly would like a guy with a Cubs background, which would indicate that Q and Ryno could have an edge, but Tom has met with Wedge. Levine expects the new skipper to be announced soon.

Bench Coach
Bruce Levine mentioned during his chat earlier in the week that the Cubs do not see Alan Trammell as a big league manager. He added that Alan will most likely be "moving on". If Ryne Sandberg is named the manager, Tram could be replaced by ex-Cub Larry Bowa.

Rest of the Staff
The Tribune points out that the rest of the Cubs coaching staff could easily stay intact if Mike Quade is named the manager. This would create less of a transition period. Bringing in a skipper that has already been around for three years and keeping the rest of the coaches could help the Cubs gel faster in 2011.

Random Quick Hits

• Cubs pitcher Angel Guzman started playing catch this week in Mesa according to a report from Carrie Muskat. Guzman missed the entire 2010 season.
• The Mesa Solar Sox posted an 8-3 win yesterday but no Cubs prospects saw action. They will have the home opener tonight with Jake Muyco, David Cales, Chris Carpenter, and Kyle Smit all scheduled to pitch. Josh Vitters, rehabbing his broken hand, may see the field tonight.
• Chris Archer fanned ten over six shutout inning yesterday in Team USA's 4-1 win over Cubs in the Pan American Games Qualifying Tournament.

That's it for now, but I'll keep you posted on Everything Cubs as always!

Breaking News: Lou Piniella Steps Down

Cubs manager Lou Piniella has announced that he will step down effective after today's game against the Braves. Piniella wants to be able to stay with his ailing mother in Florida. Her health is not well and being with her comes first. He did not envision his career ending like this.

Third base coach Mike Quade will be the interim manager the rest of the year. He will be considered as a candidate as the 2011 skipper, but bench coach Alan Trammell will not. Trammell's job on the staff will certainly be in danger at the end of the year, and The Score reports that there is a feeling the whole coaching panel could be let go at season's end.

Sweet Lou should get a nice ovation prior to today's game against the Braves. Despite the fact that we did not win a playoff game, Piniella's tenure with the Cubs will never be forgotten.

Sweet Lou, we'll miss you.

I'll update if I get any more info!

Series Preview: Cubs VS Cardinals

St. Louis here I come! I'll be blogging live from Gateway City all weekend as I take in the games on Friday night and Saturday afternoon.

The Cubs are trying to get things together. They are in the middle of a tough stretch of 20 games in 20 days, while the Cardinals are enjoying a stretch of three off days in an eight day span. The Cubbies lost three of four in San Francisco but played well in all four games. The bats are showing signs off life, but in the end a lineup of mostly subs couldn't get the job done against the Wild Card leaders.

They were without their starting first baseman & manager due to family problems, their catcher and third baseman due to injuries, and their second baseman and reserve infielder due to trades. On top of that, Alfonso Soriano and Marlon Byrd both received a day off in the series. Their bullpen includes five rookies. What about their two best starting pitchers in the first half? One disabled, one traded. It's no wonder the Cubs lost that series.

The Cubs have seen a ton of prospects get the chance to get some big league experience lately. Three position players alone were called up from Iowa during the set with the Giants. Darwin Barney made his big league debut at second base on Thursday but did not come to the plate. Welington Castillo made his debut on Wednesday night and doubled in his first big league at-bat. Micah Hoffpauir went 0-for-6 with an error in one start and one pinch hit AB in the series. Micah could be sent down today when Derrek Lee is activated off of the bereavement list.

D-Lee is expected to rejoin the team. Keep the fan favorite first baseman in your thoughts as his grandfather is very ill. Lou Piniella will also return to the dugout tonight after leaving to be with his ailing mother. Bench coach Alan Trammell managed the last four games and is now 1-6 on the year when he takes over for Lou.

While the Cubs will be with their manager, the Cardinals will be without theirs. Tony LaRussa was suspended by Major League Baseball for his involvement in a bench clearing brawl in a game between the Cards and Reds earlier in the week. LaRussa will start his suspension tonight and then return for the series finale on Sunday. Bench coach Joe Pettini is expected to be at the helm in place of the suspended skipper.

While the Cubs are 17 games out of first and falling fast, this is a very important series for the St. Louis ballclub. They swept the Reds this week and hold a one game lead over Cincinnati for the top spot in the NL Central. The Reds, who will also be without manager Dusty Baker because of the brawl, will take on the Marlins this weekend.

The Red Birds come in at 64-49, while the Cubs hold a record of 48-67. The pair of old rivals will see a lot of each other down the stretch. They play a three game series at Busch Stadium Sept. 13-16, and then the Cards come to Wrigley September 24-26. That series will conclude the Cubs final homestand of the season.

The Cardinals are one of the only team in the division that the Cubs do not have a record under .500 against... but their mark against the Cards is at .500 at 3-3. They dropped two of three at home May 28-30, but then the Cubs won the set July 23-25. This is the first trip the Cubs have made all season to Busch Stadium.

Aramis Ramirez could be back in the lineup tonight. He injured his left side on Monday when he dove for a ball and missed the end of the Giants series with soreness. The Cubs are starting to get some guys back in there, but another waive of guys from Triple-A is still expected.

Game 1: Friday at 7:15 CT
Cubs Starting Pitcher: Thomas Diamond, RHP (0-2, 8.00 ERA)
Cardinals Starting Pitcher: Jake Westbrook, RHP (0-0, 3.46 ERA)
TV/Radio: CSN/WGN Radio

Game 2: Saturday at 3:10
Cubs Starting Pitcher: Carlos Zambrano, RHP (3-6, 5.76 ERA
Cardinals Starting: Chris Carpenter, RHP (13-3, 2.89 ERA)
TV/Radio: FOX/WGN Radio

Game 3: Sunday at 1:15
Cubs Starting Pitcher: Ryan Dempster, RHP (10-8, 3.66 ERA)
Cardinals Starting Pitcher: Kyle Lohse, RHP (1-4, 5.89 ERA)
TV/Radio: WGN-TV/WGN Radio

Let's push the Cardinals out of first!

Weekend Radio Recaps: Trammell & Ted on ESPN 1000

Today Ted Lilly was on Talkin' Baseball to talk with Levine and Hood about the possibility of being traded:

• First the guys talked about the Chicago Cubs Cookbook, which is a great fundraiser for Di George syndrome.
• Carrie Muskat of Cubs.com put together a book of Cubs players' favorite recipes.
• Ryan Dempster is a guy who always goes out of his way for others, so it's great to help with him and his daughter.
• Lilly said that the Cubs are starting to play better, but it's been one of those seasons where everything hasn't come together on the same day.
• Teddy would like to stay in Chicago, win, and have the trade thing not be an issue. He feels like one of the things he is responsible for is to help his team win. There is a lot of unfinished business for him in the Windy City.
• "This has been a great place to play and the reason for that is the fans," Lilly said.

Alan Trammell joined Waddle & Silvy yesterday to talk about the open Cubs managers job:

• Alan doesn't have any secrets about the coaching staff to give the guys.
• The four years Trammell has been with Lou have been tremendous and he really appreciates the opportunity.
• He played in the AL all of his career, but he says that the folks in St. Louis are good fans and good baseball people.
• When asked if he expectes to be a prime candidate for the opening managerial position, Trammell said that that would be a better question for Jim Hendry.
• Alan is a coach here and wants to focus in the 2+ months left in the season. Regardless on what your record is, you're supposed to come out and try to win everyday.
• He said that it's nice to be considered for the Cubs manager's job, but right now he wants to focus on 2010. Nobody in the organization has told him that he will be considered yet.
• This has not been the type of season that the Cubs were expecting. "It's just been one thing after another. We've been consistently inconsistent," he said.
• Trammell thinks that he and Lou have totally different personalities.
• Dusty Baker and Piniella have both said that it is much more challenging to win with the Cubs than they thought coming into the gig. Alan says that it's been a long time since the Cubs won, and that topic comes up so much, that it makes it tougher.
• He is very pleased with Starlin Castro's progress. Alan can tell that this guy wants to be a good player and is only going to get better.

That's it for now, but I'll keep you posted.

Starlin Castro Called up to the Big Leagues

Starlin Castro is now a Chicago Cub. The story was first reported via twitter this morning, and now it is official. Castro is the Cubs' top prospect in the organization. The 20-year hold short stop was hitting .376 with 20 RBIs at AA-Tennessee this year. He will make the jump from double-A to the big leagues without making a pit stop in Iowa.

Ryan Theriot will shift to second base so that Castro can take over everyday duties at short. Both middle infielders were working on the field in Cincinnati today at 2:00 with coaches Alan Trammell and Ivan DeJesus.

To make room for Castro on the roster, the Cubs sent Chad Tracy to AAA-Iowa. Chad had been struggling in his pinch hitting and backup role. Jeff Baker and Mike Fontenot are effected by this move as well, because both will see less playing time.

Starlin will become the youngest Cubs short stop ever and the youngest player to make his Cubs debut since Oscar Game (19 years, 250 days) in 1969. Castro is in the starting lineup for tonight's game. Here's the rest of the starting 9:

1. Ryan Theriot, 2B
2. Kosuke, RF
3. Derrek Lee, 1B
4. Marlon Byrd, CF
5. Aramis Ramirez, 3B
6. Alfonso Soriano, LF
7. Geovany Soto, C
8. Starlin Castro, SS
9. Carlos Silva, P

The Castro callup lead to a string of roster moves in the Cubs' organization:

• Andrew Cashner promoted to AAA-Iowa.
• Josh Vitters promoted to AA-Tennessee.
• Marwin Gonzalez promoted to AA-Tennessee.
• Mike Parisi optioned to AA-Tennessee.
• Ryan Flaherty optioned to Class-A Daytona.

Our new short stop will sport jersey number 13. The last Cub to wear that "unlucky" number was Andres Blanco last season. Before that, it was last seen on Nefi Perez's back in 2006.

If nothing else, this gives Cubs' fans a reason to tune in! I'll keep you posted.

Will the Hawk Get the Call?

Update: Andre Dawson is in the Hall of Fame! He recieved 77.9% of the vote! I'll have more later...

We'll find out today at 12:30! The announcement will be broadcast live on MLB.com and MLB Network.

Lee Smith and Alan Trammell are also included in the group of others up for election.

Dawson's page on Baseball Reference.com

Lee's page on Baseball Reference

Trammell's page on Baseball Reference

A quick look at Andre's history on the Hall of Fame ballot:

• 2002: 45.3%
• 2003: 50%
• 2004: 50%
• 2005: 52.3%
• 2006: 61%
• 2007: 56.7%
• 2008: 65.9%
• 2009: 67%

I'll update with the results later!

Theriot on SC, Hall of Fame Votes, and More

Ryan Theriot was on Sports Central Monday for his weekly visit with David Kaplan:

• Theriot has been at the batting cage since 3:00.
• His kids have PCS (post-Christmas syndrome).
• Houston likes trains, Pirates, guns, and swards so his Christmas was great.
• Ryan finally got a washer and dryer for his house.
• Theriot got his wife a painting studio for Christmas.
• Neither Kaplan or Theriot are very good at art. David Kaplan got an F in art in 7th grade. That was the only class Kap ever failed.
• Ryan also failed one class, and economics class is college. The teacher he had didn't like athletes at all.
• The Riot got good grades in college (except the economics class).
• Ryan thinks Mark DeRosa is worth more than 2 years $12 million, but Kaplan says "not in this economy. Theriot would still like to have DeRo back.
• He will come up to Chicago a few days before the Cubs Convention.
• Theriot has been working out with his wife.
• He got a new riffle for Christmas. Kap doesn't like hunting. David has never fired a gun in his life, and has never gone hunting.
• Theriot likes to shoot targets and hunt animals. He mainly hunts ducks and deer.
• He thinks the riffle is a cool gun to have even though he will probably never shoot an animal with it.
• Ryan likes being among nature and breathing the fresh air. He calls it a stress reliever.
• Two nights ago was the last craw fish night.
• Last night was the Theriot's 7 year anniversary. He and his wife dropped the kids' and Grandma's and went out for a nice night.
• The guys discussed whether or not a grizzly bear could outrun a horse. I'm not sure how that fits on "Sport Central" or on "Everything Cubs blog".
• Theriot sounded surprised when Kap said Jose Contreras.
• Paul Sullivan hasen't cut his hair since the Cubs last game. The Riot and Kap want Sully to do an extreme makeover at the Cubs Convention. Theriot is a fan of Sullivan's glasses.

Speaking of Sully, he was on Chicago Tribune Live and briefly discussed the Cubs:

• The Cubs didn't want DeRosa back. They didn't even look at him.
• Mark got about what he was worth.
• If Paul was the GM of the Cubs, he would consider signing DeRo once again.
• The Cubs are looking to move Theriot to second base eventually, and if you sign DeRosa to a 2 year deal, it means you're keeping Mark at second and keeping Castro in the minors for the next two years.
• Sullivan said Jeff Baker paid really well as a Cub.
• Guys like DeRosa and Henry Blanco were "glue guys" for the '08 Cubs (they held everything together).
• The Cubs didn't want to bring Mark back, because when you bring guys back it's never the same as the first time. They did it with Fergie and Holtzman, and it just wasn't the same.
• The players the guys got in the DeRosa deal last year were talked about. Mark Carmen (who was also on CTL) wasn't too excited about the 3 minor league pitchers, calling them average. Sullivan says John Gaub looks pretty good, but he's unsure about Jeff Stevens.

Hall of Fame: If You Voted for Dawson, Please Stand Up?

Next Wednesdays is the day we find out whether or not Cub great Andre Dawson is going to be inducted into Cooperstown next July. Dawson need to be in, there's no doubt. Former Cub closer Lee Smith and current Cub bench coach Alan Trammell are also on the ballot. Cubs beat writer (and friend of this blog) Bruce Miles has revealed the 9 guys that he voted for. Miles voted for Roberto Alomar, Bert Blyleven, Dawson, Barry Larkin, Edgar Martinez, Jack Morris, Tim Raines, Smith, and Trammell. As of December 4, Carrie Muskat had already checked Andre Dawson. White Sox beat Writer Mark Gonzales is voting for "The Hawk" as well as Barry Larkin, Bert Blyleven, and Roberto Alomar. Teddy Greenstein has a check mark next to the names of Dawosn, Alomar, Blyleven, Dawosn, Mattingly, and Smith. Philip Hersh is giving Alomar, Blyleven, Dawson, Larkin, Martinez, Mattingly, Morris, Smith, and Trammell his vote. Fred Mitchell is voting for Alomar, Blyleven, Dawson, Larkin, McGriff, Morris, Raines, and Smith. Phil Rogers checked the following names: Alomar, Baines, Blyleven, Dawson, Morris, Raines, and Trammell. Cub beat writer Paul Sullivan will vote for Alomar, Baines, Dawson, Raines, and Smith. Dave Van Dyck is only voting for 3 guys, but "The Hawk" and Smith are both in that elite group, along with Roberto Alomar. So far we have 9 votes for Andre Dawson, and no writes who left the box next to Dawson's name unchecked. Gordon Wittenmyer for the Sun-Times says Dawson is on his ballot, which brings us up to ten votes. Jon Heyman tweeted that he too voted for Dawson. Ken Rosethal voted for Hawk, Lee, and Alan.

We could go on and on a possible even find out if Dawson made it or not by looking at all of the BBWAA voting member blogs and twitters. However, there's over a hundred. Let's just wait 8 more days to find out. I'll have a numbers breakdown up about Dawson over the weekend. The announcement is made a week from tomorrow (Jan. 6) at 1:00 PM CT on MLB.com & MLB Network.

Len & Bob Bash

Tickets for this year's Len & Bob Bash are on Sale! Click here for more.

Minor League Update

Cubs prospect Robinson Chirinos was mentioned in the list of best minor league games of the year for his 2 grand slam game on May 31.

Cub Plays of the Year

Check out the videos of the top Cubs plays of 2009, and then vote on your favorite on Cubs.com!! I like Reed's catch and Piniella's craftiness. It's fun to remember that there were some good moments this past season!

Rumor Updates

The acquisition of Jose Contreras is unlikely according to Chicago Breaking Sports.com, because Carlos Silva will fill the role of spot starter/bullpen man. Contreras should get better offers from teams that are looking for starters. Brining back popular Reed Johnson could be a better option that trading for Ryan Spillborghs. Troy Renck of the Denver Post talked to a major league source who downplayed the Cubs' interest in Spillborghs. Troy's "gut tells him that the Rockies' asking price will be too high to get a deal done."

That's it for now, but I'll keep you posted with just 2 days left of 2009...