Rumor Roundup: Arbitration, Saito, the Stove, and More!

No Arab Offers for Cubbies
Tomorrow is the deadline to offer arbitration to free agent players. The Cubs are not expected to offer arbitration to Kevin Gregg, Rich Harden, Reed Johnson, or Chad Fox. Gregg is a Type A free agent, and Harden is a Type B, so if the Cubs offer them arbitration and they reject it, the Cubs would receive a draft pick or two. However, if the player were to accept the arbitration offer the team would be stuck with signing them to at least a one year deal at market value.

Teams that do not offer salary arbitration to free agents get nothing in return if the players sign elsewhere. It does make sense that Hendry will not offer arab to Gregg, because if he would likely accept. However Harden, a "type B", would most likely not take the offer, especially if you told him that he would be used in long relief.

Are the Cubs making a mistake by letting these guys leave without receiving any draft compensation for them?

Cubs Interested in Saito?
The Cubs are one of 8 teams interested in right-handed reliever Takashi Saito, according to MLB Trade Rumors. The White Sox, Braves, and Mets are three of the other teams interested. Saito had a 2.43 ERA in 55.2 innings of work for the Boston Red Sox in 2009.

Hot Stove Notes
The Hot Stove on the MLB Network listed the Cubs as one of multiple teams interested in Rick Ankiel and Chone Figgins. MLB Network insider Jon Heymon mentioned that there is still a chance that Curtis Granderson will stay in Detriot.

Perry Finds New Job
Former Cubs hitting coach Gerald Perry has been named the hitting coach of the Pawtucket Red Sox. The Paw Sox are the AAA affiliate of the Boston Red Sox. In addition, Torey Lovullo was named the Pawtucket manager.

Caray Out at TBS
In other former Cub related news, Chip Caray will part ways with TBS after coming under fire for inaccurate calls during the 2009 postseason. When Chip broadcast for the Cubs, he and Steve Stone left the team after some controversy with players.

Naples Update
Cubs owner Tom Ricketts and president Crane Kenney are scheduled to meet with Naples officials tomorrow to discuss the possibility of moving Cubs Spring Training. "We take it seriously and we'll react accordingly," Mesa mayor Scott Smith said. Smith is not going to part ways with the Cubs without a fight.

Recap of a Slow Weekend
Not much is going on as far as the Cubs are concerned right now, but things are expected to heat up at the Winter Meetings, which start a week from today. If you didn't check out the site this weekend, there's a lot of posts for you to catch up on:

• What are Cubs Fans Thankful for?
• Who's on the Cubs Shopping List?
• Cubs Roundup: Talkin' Baseball Recap HOF Ballot & More
• Numbers Breakdown: Cubs Second Base
• My Early Opening Day Roster Prediction
• Don't forget to vote on our poll on the right sidebar!

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

Cubs Roundup: Talkin' Baseball, Hall of Fame Voting, and More

HOF Ballot

The Major League baseball Hall of Fame ballot is out for 2010! Andre Dawson is on the ballot for the 9th time. Lee Smith is also back on the ballot. Cubs bench coach Allan Trammell, former Cub Fred McGriff, and former Cub Eric Karros are up for voting as well. Dawson received 67% last year, just short of the needed 75%. Results will be announced Wednesday January 6.

Cubs Searching for Outfield Help

According to FOXSpots.com, the Cubs will kick of their search for a center fielder once Milton Bradley is traded. A left handed hitter would work best, so a deal for Curtis Granderson will be explored. Other guys out there include Coco Crisp, Scott Podsednik, and Rick Ankiel. Right handed center fielders available include Marlon Byrd, who played for Rudy Jaramillo with Texas, and Mike Cameron. Jim Hendry is not as concerned with the "left-right" issue as he was last year. The Cubs need a good hitter, no matter which hand he hits with.

Bruce Levine and Jonathan Hood had Talkin' Baseball on ESPN 1000 today. Here's the Cubs Notes:

• In an ideal world, Chone Figgins is the lead off man for either the Cubs or White Sox, but right now there's no payroll flexibility for either team.
• For the Cubs, you're going to be hearing more about Hendry making trades, not signing free agents.
• Wally Heyward, who is the new Chief of Sales and Marketing, had been instrumental in the 2016 Chicago Olympic bid. Bruce Levine went out on a limb and said that marketing guys are the second most important person in the front office.
• The way teams structure their payroll is based on projections from the sales and marketing department.
• The Cubs are taking to different sponsors about adding them on the plywood that they put in front of the Horseshoe Casino. Budlight could become a sponsor in that area.
• If doing advertising on the sign stands out like a sour thumb, they won't do advertising their.
• If the sign that goes up there blocks the roof top view, their could be some controversy with them. The Roof Top Owners pay the Cubs a certain percentage of their earnings.
• The best matchup for Milton Bradly is still the Tampa Bay Rays. When Hendry get Pat Burrell back from the Rays, they have no place to put him because of Soriano. So Jim must then find a team interested in Burrell.
• The Texas Rangers are "out of the question" as a suitor for Bradley. There's no matchup with Toronto. The Mets are a better fit, but there's some question there too.
• The Cubs whole offseason is dedicated to getting better. They cannot just give Milton Bradley away and pay his whole contract.
• The best trade would be with the Mets because Luis Castillo actually works on this team. However, the money matchup is not good with the Mets.
• Bruce thinks the Cubs need another bullpen guy. The Cubs are most likely looking for a right hander.
• Jeff Samardzija is ticketed to fight for the 5th starter's spot. 2010 is a huge year for Samardzija.
• Starlin Castro is the guy in the organization that Levine is looking forward to seeing more of.
• Rick Ankiel is a possibility for the Cubs. He might fit what the Cubs are looking for.
• The Twins are interested in Rich Harden. The Cubs could have traded him to the Twins in July, but the Cubs felt that they were still in it. They could have gotten a prospect or two back for him, but Jim didn't want it.
• The Boston Red Sox are also in the hunt for Harden.
• Roy Halladay to the Cubs would be an almost impossible deal to make.
• Levine thinks this should be Andre Dawons's year.
• McGriff could be the all time leader in home runs for guys not in the Hall.
• Lee Smith should "absolutely" be in the HOF.
• Trammell should have made many more All Star games if it weren't for Cal Ripken.
• The last day to offer your players arbitration is this Wednesday. If the Cubs don't offer Harden and/or Gregg arb., they will not get any compensation (draft picks) if those players sign with other teams.

Jeff Samardzija of the Cubs joined Levine and Hood:

• Jeff thought the time in Mexico went great. He learned to get used to the country and had a lot of fun.
• He worked on establishing his fastball and throwing the curveball.
• It was nice for Samardzija to end the season with 5 solid starts.
• The last few years have been a great experience for him, but he sees himself as a starter. That's what he wants to do, that's what he's going to do, and he wants to learn as much as possible.
• Whether you're the favorites or not, you have to go out and play hard everyday for 162 games.

Ricketts on Monsters in the Morning

Tom Ricketts was on Comcast Sports Net yesterday:

• Most of the major changes will be with the triangle building.
• The clubhouse will be a better place for the players next year.
• When the players come back they will notice that there is a better situation for them.
• There are a lot of little things that Ricketts will try to do to make improvements to Wrigley.
• Tom plans to put together a 4-5 year plan to make improvement to Wrigley.
• He thinks having more space to work with would be good, but it has not been discussed.
• They would like to have more option of places to bring a family in the area, not more bars.
• Laura Ricketts is going to be very active in the community relations area.
• The family had a very, very normal childhood. Most of the money Ricketts' dad has made was in the last few years.
• Tom says the Cubs should embrace some of the good things from the past. There's a lot of really positive history in the organization. Anything associated with a curse needs to be forgotten.
• There will be not billy goats at Wrigley Field, because there is no curse and no need for it.
• The Cubs would like to do more of bringing back greats from their past.
• Tom doesn't think the Cubs gave Andre Dawson enough support.
• He would like to see the Cubs take more walks.
• Ricketts thinks it's important to be a fan of the sports if you want to own a sports team.
• It is a business, but you get more back then just a financial return.
• His favorite all time Cubs include Ryne Sandberg and Andre Dawson.
• He is not focused on who will replace Lou in 2011 if Piniella does leave.
• The family knows that there is no "one player who puts you over the edge".
• The Cubs are going to invest more on player development.
• Letting the GM have flexibility to make mid-season trades is the key.

Sully & Kap Talk Cubs

David Kaplan and Paul Sullivan briefly chatted about the Cubs on Chicago Tribune Live yesterday:

• Nothing is going on with the Cubbies.
• Neither Matt Holliday nor Roy Halladay is coming to the Cubs.
• Granderson- who knows?
• Sully doesn't see the Cubs doing a whole lot until Bradley is gone.
• Sullivan has heard that the Cubs could eat as much as $17-18MM, but the Cubs are saying they will pay no more than half the money left on Bradley's contract.
• There's no scenario where Bradley comes back.
• The two team he mentioned were, once again, Tampa & Texas.

Spring Training Update

Carrie Muskat tells us via her blog that some members of the Ricketts family will travel to Naples, Fla., next week to look at possible Spring Training sites. Mesa Mayor Scott Smith says the city should know within a few weeks whether the Cubs are going to keep their Spring Training facility in Arizona.

Infield Update

MLB Daily Dish says that the Cubs could look to add a free agent shortstop like Orlando Cabrera. If they sign a guy like Cabrera to a one year deal, they could move Theriot to second base, where he would learn the position by platooning with Baker. Starlin Castro could be called up some time next season, but the Cubs are not going to rush him. If the Cubs do not make a free agent signing or trade, then Jeff Baker, Mike Fontenot, Andres Blanco, Aaron Miles, Bobby Scales, and Darwin Barney will be in the infield mix along with Theriot in Spring Training.

That's all for now, it should be a fun month of December!

Who's On the Cubs Shopping List?

Since it's Black Friday, I thought it would be fitting to take a look at Jim Hendry's shopping list for this winter. Included with each name is my prediction of how likely it is that they will become a Cub.

• Curtis Granderson- Cubs have reportedly been pursuing the Tigers' outfielder most of the month. Could be one of the Cubs top choices, but they're not willing to give up Starlin Castro or any other top prospects, and the Tigers have a high asking price. 35%
• Roy Halladay- The Blue Jays have contacted the Cubs about Halladay, but the Cubs are most likely not going to add him unless Carlos Zambrano leaves. Also, the Cubs don't have the cash or prospects to get this deal done. 2%
• Pat Burrell- If the Cubs pull of a trade that sends Milton Bradley to the Rays, they most likely will end up taking Burrell. According to Bruce Levine, if the Cubs would then try to move Burrell. 45%
• Aroldis Chapman- Earlier in the offseason, the Cubs were included in the list of just about every MLB team that was interested in Cuban lefty Aroldis Chapman. Right now, he's most likely headed for either Boston or New York. 1%
• Mike Gonzalez- now that the Cubs have re-signed Grabow, they are unlikely to pursue a left handed reliever 4%
• Chone Figgins- The utility speedster would fit the Cubs needs, but they may not be able to afford him. The Mets, Phillies, and Angels are also in on him, but their is no front runner. Giggins will be 32 year old in Spring Training. 19%
• Mike Cameron- Has been listed as a backup plan for the Cubs if they are unable to land Granderson. The Padres, Braves, and Yankees also are in the mix. He will not return to Brewers. 60%
• Matt Holliday- Jon Heyman groups the Cubs as a possible fit for Holliday, but this is not very likely. 5%
• Luis Castillo- There were reports from FOX Sports that Castillo could end up with the Cubs in the 3-team trade that would send Bradley to the Rangers. Other media outlets shot down the report. Castillo is most likely not the answer for the Cubs middle infield. 10%
• Marlon Byrd- Byrd is anotheroption to replace Bradley in the Cubs outfield. T.R. Sullivan sees a 3-year deal worth 18-24MM for the former Rangers. Byrd wants to return to the Rangers, but they most likely will let him walk. 25%
• Mark DeRosa- According to most sources, DeRo is not coming back to the Chicago. They don't have the money for him, and feel that he is too old to make a long term commitment to.
• Orlando Hudson- Bruce Levine is a big fan of the O-Dog, and has mentioned that he would look good in blue. Hudson will seek a 2 year deal worth at least $15MM. Hudson could hit second and play second base, but the Cubs may not have the money. 40%

Let me know what you think in the comment or at cubsblogmailbag@aol.com

A few more Black Friday Cubs Notes:

• Bruce Miles doesn't see the Cubs as a player for Halladay.
• He adds that Starlin Castro is not going to be traded.
• Kosuke's Q&A with Carrie Muskat.
• Sammy Sosa has been sued for $203K in Domician court.
• Paul Sullivan says the Cubs aren't going to rush Starlin Castro. He will get an invite to Spring Training, and a chance to break camp with the Cubs if he has a great spring. However, it's a long shot.
• Ryan Theriot has been told that he may have to move to second base in the near future to make room for Castillo as short. He's fine with the idea. "Ryan feels like if he has to change positions and move to second base, he would have no problems," Hendry said. "He has made it no secret he loves the Cubs and wants to stay.
• Cubscast put together a great Thanksgiving All Music episode.
• The CCO Radio will return on Wednesday, December 2.
• Check out yesterday's post to find out what Cubs fans are thankful for.

It's been a fairly slow week on the Cubs front, but things are expected to heat up after the holiday weekend. We will continue with daily Cubs related posts!

Tuesday Quick Hits: Bruce's Chat, Lee, Halladay, Bradley, and More

• Albert Pujols was named the NL MVP today. Derrek Lee finished 9th in the voting.
• New billboards have been added at Wrigley. They are designed to block the view of rooftop advertisements.
• As we've mentioned before on this blog, Koyie Hill is hosting a Make-A-Wish Foundation fundraiser on December 5.
• Jake Fox of the Cubs is headed to the Dominican Republic to join Licey for the second half of the season.
• The Chicago Cubs are teaming up with National Runaway Switchboard to host a holiday dinner for the runaway and homeless youth.
• Wally Hayward has been named the Cubs new Executive VP, Chief Sales and Marketing Officer.
• The Cubs are unlikely to land Blue Jays pitcher Roy Halladay due to lack of room in payroll.
• According to Buster Olney, the Rays will only take Milton Bradley for Pat Burrell trade if the Cubs absorb enough money.

Bruce Levine had his weekly chat today. Here are the highlights:

• More signage in the outfield is a possibility.
• Andrew Cashner is not ready for the bigs, and he will not be competing for a spot in the rotation next spring. Samardzija and Marshall could compete to fill that void left if Harden departs.
• Hendry's payroll is maxed out. After Bradley is gone, he can start making "some lateral moves."
• The Cubs are not likely to go after Chone Figgins.
• If Hendry get Burrell for Bradley, he'll have to turn around and trade him again.
• The Cubs would love to add Curtis Granderson, but the Tigers are asking for a lot. "It's hard to see a good matchup between the teams, because the Cubs are not going to trade Starlin Castro.
• Levine has mentioned Orlando Hudson as a fit with the Cubs on every chat for weeks.
• Bruce thinks the Cubs need to hold on to the top prospects to sooner or later will have to establish their own group of high-profile, low-pay stars.
• The rumor is that Derrek Lee is a favorite of the Ricketts family.
• If the Cubs have another down season, Jim Hendry probably will be fired.
• The Cubs would love to add Roy Halladay, but they'd have to dump Zambrano and his no trade clause first.
• Bruce thinks Gorzelanny is better as a swing man. He doesn't think Gorzo is the answer to the 5th spot in the Cubs rotation.
• Harden's injury history is the main reason that the Cubs are not looking to resign him.
• He reiterated that the Cubs have no money to spend.
• The Cubs don't need all that much added to the team to be back up their and win the division again.
• Levine thinks Soto has a good attitude but poor work ethic.

Monday Night Rumor Roundup

GM Meetings Getting Started
The Major League Baseball GM meetings at the O'Hare Hilton in Chicago. The meetings last until noon Wednesday. The Organizational Meetings went great according to Hendry:
"We had a chance to meet the Ricketts family, and we feel they are going to be tremendous owners for the city of Chicago."

Hendry's Priorities
After Milton Bradley is gone, Paul Sullivan lists the areas the Cubs would like to upgrade this winter as: leadoff batter, center field, and middle infielder. Chone Figgins may not be in the Cubs price range, and they'll probably stick with Kosuke Fukudome. Speaking of Kosuke, they could move him back to right field and add a center fielder such as Aaron Roward. Bruce Levine adds a relief pitcher to the Cubs wish list.

The Bradley Latest
Gordon Wittenyer reports that the Cubs have at least 3 teams interested in Milton Bradley that have contacted them in the last week or so. Hendry and Randy Bush hope to meet with 5 or 6 teams and figure to look more toward trades than free agents this winter. No deals are expected to be made this week by the Cubs. Bruce Levine says that the Cubs could kill two birds with one stone by dumping Bradley. They would improve both chemistry and talent.

Cubs Award Candidates
Carlos Zambrano could win another Silver Slugger award when they are announced on Thursday. Big Z won the award in 2006 and 2008. AL Gold Gloves will be announced tomorrow, and Wednesday is the National League. Derrek Lee has a good chance of adding another Gold Glove to his trophy case.

Cubs Free Agents
John Grabow and Kevin Gregg have been named type A free agents, and Rich Harden is a type "B". The Cubs will receive a first round draft pick from the team that signs Gregg or Grabow, or a second round pick if Harden signs elsewhere. The Cubs will get nothing if they lose Reed Johnson because he isn't a type A or B FA. According to Bruce Levine "Rich Harden and Kevin Gregg will not be back next season". The Cubs would like to sign Reed Johnson, but Reed is seeking a multi-year deal and the Cubs do not want to give him that.

300 Home Cubs
The Cubs could have 3 players reach the 300 homer mark in 2010. Lee has 293, Ramirez is at 264, and Soriano is just 10 homers shy of 300 career.

Roy Halladay for Bradley?
Bruce Miles from the Daily Herald writes that one scenario has the Cubs getting ace pitcher Roy Halladay for Milton Bradley and a package of prospects. To get Roy, the Cubs must move money. Roy would provide "an instant jolt in the Cubs' rotation."

10 Names
Here's the list of 10 guys that the Cubs are looking at according to different sources:

• Roy Halladay
• Jason Bay
• Miguel Tejada
• Marco Scutaro
• Chone Figgins
• Johnny Damon
• Mike Cameron
• Aaron Roward
• Mark DeRosa
• Pat Burrell

That's it for now, I'll keep you posted as the Hot Stove starts to sizzle.

MLB Network and a Few Cubs Notes

The MLB offseason is officially getting under way. Starting today is the GM Meetings, so it should be an interesting busy week for baseball. Let's start this Monday with taking a look at the MLB Network's schedule for the next few weeks. Those of you that have the Network should be sure to tune it to those shows, and for those that don't have it or if you miss some of the shows, I will post anything Cub related.

• Today at 3 CT: AFL Rising Stars game repeat
• Tonight from 6-8 CT: Prime 9 Repeats
• Tonight at 9: All Roads Lead to Baseball-MLB Players and Personnel Share Their Road Trip Stories
• Tues. 6:00, 7:00: Studio 42 Bob Costas sits down with Cal Ripkin Jr. then Bud Selig.
• Wed. 5:00: The season debut of Hot Stove!
• Thurs. 5:00: 2009 Silver Slugger Special
• Thurs. 6:00: Hot Stove
• Thurs. 8:00: 2009 Clutch Performer
• Monday Nov. 16 5:00: Hot Stove Rookies of the Year Special
• Nov. 17 5:00: Hot Stove- NL Cy Young
• Nov. 17 7:00, 8:00: Studio 42 w/ Bob Costas- Closers, Bruce Froemming
• And much more throughout the winter

Now let's get to a few Cub rumors as we get set to start a new work week, and the GM Meetings start in Chicago:

• The Cubs "might have interest" in Chone Figgins according to MLB Trade Rumors.
  Paul Sullivan says the Cubs are ready to let Rich Harden and Reed Johnson go.
• Phil Rodgers thinks the Cubs will attempt to add bullpen depth via trades.
  Rodgers also thinks that they could be looking for starting pitching with Lilly's healthy a question mark and Harden likely leaving. He notes that Samardzija has pitched well in Mexico.
• Thanks to Chicago Cubs Online for this one- according to Baseball Prospects there are some rumors floating around about the Cubs looking to move Geovany Soto. Interesting tidbit.
• Baseball Prospectus also notes that The Cubs might listen on ace Carlos Zambrano, but would need to be overwhelmed to deal him.
• Kerry Wood, Bobby Jenks, and Matt Capps are available, as are Renyel Pinto, Dan Wheeler, and Mike Wuerz. Will one of these relievers end up in a Cub uniform?

That's it for now, it should be another interesting week.

By the numbers; Who will lead off for the Cubs in 2009?

On my poll question (on the right sidebar on the blog main page) I ask, Who do you want to see leading off for the Cubs in 2009? So far 14 of the 23 voters have picked Brian Roberts. The rest of the results:
3 votes Figgins
2 votes Soriano
2 votes other
1 vote Reed Johnson
1 vote Theriot

If you haven't voted yet check out this breakdown and then cast your vote.

Brian Roberts: career- .284 BA, .355 OBP, .416 SLG; 2008- .296 BA, .378 OBP, .450 SLG
Chone Figgins: career- .290 BA, .356 OBP, .387 SLG; 2008- .276 BA, .367 OBP, .318 SLG
Alfonso Soriano: career- .282 BA, .329 OBP, .518 SLG; 2008- .280 BA, .344 OBP, .532 SLG
Reed Johnson: in 2006 Reed lead all lead off hitters with a .390 OBP
Ryan Theriot: impressive numbers when leading off in 2007 and 2008.

6 days left to vote, The debate continues...

Please comments and/or cast your vote.

My Cubs Roster 2009

Here's what I would like to see as the Cubs opening day batting order next year.
CF C. Figgins
1B D. Lee
3B A. Ramirez
RF A. Dunn
LF A. Soriano
C G. Soto
2B M. DeRosa
SS R. Theriot

Here's my Starting 5:
Big Z
Dempster
Lilly
Harden
Randy Johnson

And the Bench:
Paul Bako
Micah Hoffpauir
Mike Fontenot
Reed Johnson
Ronny Cedeno (or other back up infielder)

The Pen:
Jeff Samardija
Kevin Gregg
Carlos Marmol
Angel Guzman or Kevin Hart
Neal Cotts
Sean Marshall
Chad Gaudin

What do you think? Tell me what batting order you would like to see out there on Opening Day 2009 by writing a comment. It's easy to comment, you don't even have to log in. ☺

This is what I would like to see happen, however I think it is unlikely that Lou will shift Lee and Soriano spots in the order and that Jim will add both Figgins and Dunn. Right now it seem the Cubs will add Milton Bradley. Other possible lead off men for the Cubs in 2009 would besides Alfonso and Figgins are Orlando Hudson, Brian Roberts, and Rafael Furcal. (The Cubs have some degree of interest in all 3.)
I'll keep you posted.