Radio Recap: Hendry on Talkin' Baseball

Former Cubs general manager Jim Hendry joined Bruce Levine on ESPN 1000 yesterday. Here is what he had to say.

• Hendry has taken the last couple of month to spend a lot of time with his two children.


• He has also played a lot of golf since departing from the Cubs.


• Theo Epstein and Hendry are good friends. They met years ago when Hendry was the assistant GM for the Cubs. Jim is happy for the Cubs, and said he left on very good terms.


• "Tom Ricketts and his family are terrific, and they hit a grand slam with Theo," he said.


• Theo has already started bringing in quality people, while keeping the quality guys that worked there under Hendry.


• Jim feels fortunate to spend 17 great years for the Cubs. "I have nothing but great things to look back upon on my experience there," he said.


• Hendry is thrilled for the Cubs and things that it is going to be a great place for a long time under Theo.


• He has taken the last couple months to think about nothing but his children. He has not wanted to think about what he wants to do in the future.


• Hendry wants to work, but he does not have a clear cut path as to what he wants to do. He already has friends expressing interest in bringing him in to their organization.


• "It's nice to have some options, and it's nice to spend some time with my kids," he said.


• Mike Quade texted him just before the announcement of his departure last week. Hendry thinks Q and Theo both handled the exit well. Hendry has not spoke with Mike yet but he plans to soon.


• Hendry thinks that the statistical analysis must be combined with good scouting.


• Jim spoke very highly of Epstein, Ricketts and the entire organization throughout the interview.


• "I think great days are ahead for the Cubs," he said.

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

Radio Recaps: Bruce Levine's Latest on Talkin' Baseball

Bruce Levine talked baseball on ESPN 1000 today. Here are some of the things he had to say about Chicago's North Side baseball team.

• Randy Wells and Carlos Silva have not been guaranteed a spot on the Cubs roster.
• Andrew Cashner will be given a shot to start. He that does not work out, he will be in the pen.
• Since James Russell is the only lefty in the mix, he will be given a fair chance at the rotation.
• One fan called in to complain about a surcharge that is put into effect when someone tries to buy tickets early. If a team can make some money by doing something, they are going to do it.
• Fred does not want to hear about Albert Pujols. Levine agrees that this story has not legs because it is ten months away.
• Bruce says that it is certainly possible that the Cubs could bring in a Field or a Pujols, but the guys agree that it may be too much to spend on a 33-year old that you will be stuck with for ten years.
• Levine thinks that GMs need to pay players for what they think they will do during the contract, not what they have already done.

Tom Ricketts joined the guys to talk Cubs baseball:

• Ricketts wants the team to build on the momentum that they had at the end of last season.
• He wants the Cubs to use this next 40 days effectively to get ready for April 1.
• Jim Hendry has 100% support from the Ricketts family. Tom thinks that Hendry had a terrific offseason making the most of what little flexibility the team had going into the offseason.
• Ricketts is excited to have Carlos Pena on the ballclub. A contract extension late in the season if he is having a good year could be an option for Hendry.
• It is true that the Cubs will have a lot more flexibility next offseason. How they decide to put that money to work will be decided late in the season.
• Fans will see more food options that the concession stands this year.
• Levine asked Tom where he stood on a second wild card. Ricketts can see both sides of it and does not have a hardwired opinion.

That's it for now, I'll have more later on the first day of full squad workouts!

Radio Recaps: Lou and The Riot on Talkin' Baseball

Bruce Levine had a slew of guests on for his 20th anniversary edition of Talkin' Baseball on ESPN 1000.

Here is what Ryan Theriot had to say:

• "As players we don't really have a choice of where we play until we get to free agency. Right now, I'm excited to be a St. Louis Cardinal."
• Ryan thinks about his arbitration hearing a lot. He doesn't think he would still be a Cub even if he didn't go to arbitration, but there is no answer to that question.
• The sky is the limit for Starlin Castro.
• When Fred asked him what he thinks the reaction will be for him when he comes back to Wrigley, Ryan said that he hopes to get one like Mark DeRosa received when he returned.
• Theriot think there will be an extra edge when he plays his former teammates, but he knows they respect him on the field and off. Ryan knows exactly what every one of the Chicago Cubs is all about.
• "There is a big respect factor," he said.
• Bruce called Ryan "a classic overachiever" during his tenure in Chicago.

Levine thinks that Carlos Marmol will have a deal in place by the time pitchers and catchers report.

Another ex-Cubbie, Lou Pineilla, joined Bruce and Fred:

• "It's a nice opportunity. I don't have to travel. I look forward to working with the Giants, but at the same time I have a special affinity for the Cubs in my heart. I wish Mike Quade, Jim Hendry and the rest of the guys the best of luck."
• It was very difficult for Lou and the players because of the health of Piniella's family last season. He wasn't there to give them the 100 percent support that a manager should give.
• Sweet Lou's mother is in the hospital again right now. She has been there the last 12 days.
• He thinks that the Ricketts are the right owners to lead the team.
• Piniella will be scouting the American League for the Giants. He will be doing AL Spring Training and then the Tampa Bay Rays during the regular season.
• He had chances to join a few organizations to do some work on TV, but this made good sense to him.
• Lou gets a chance to get out of the house a little bit, but still come home every night.
• The last five years of his career, Piniella worked for five different owners.
• "I wish the Ricketts family nothing but the best. They're good people, they're genuine people. I'm sure that they're going to bring a championship to that city in the near future."

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

Jim Hendry on Talkin' Baseball

Cubs pitching coach Larry Rothschild left the team last week to take a job with the New York Yankees. Immediately, speculations about Greg Maddux replacing Larry started, but this situation does not seem likely. Other guys inside the organization like Mike Mason (AAA Iowa), Lester Strode (bullpen coach) and Mark Riggins (minor league roving pitching coach).

Jim Hendry spent some time on ESPN 1000 this week to talk Cubs with the crew on Talkin' Baseball:

• The conclusion to Larry Rothschild's tenure with the Cubs came to an end rather quickly.
• This didn't come as a complete shock to Jim. Hendry and Rothschild have a good relationship.
• This was a family decision for Larry.
• It is still early to tell, but the Cubs are looking to find the best first baseman them can. Moving Tyler Colvin to first is a possibility. Colvin is prepared to do either one.
• Colvin's role will be dictated by who else the Cubs get.
• This year's GM Meetings were more business-lie than in the past. There was not a whole lot of time for trade talk.
• Crane Kenney told Bruce that the Cubs should have some money to spend.
• Hendry believes that the team will be able to add a piece or two. They will also look for a trade or two in the offseason.
• The Cubs expect to fill the pitching coach void within the next week or two. They plan to go inside the organization and make a hire soon.

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

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.

Sunday Radio Recaps: Jaramillo, Samardzija, and Hollandsworth

Cubs hitting coach Rudy Jaramillo joined the guys on Talkin' Baseball on ESPN 1000 yesterday:

• Rudy is still in the process of trying to "win these guys over" and get them to understand his program.
• He wants to have communication with his hitters because it is important in any sport.
• Derrek Lee is a special athlete. Jaramillo thinks it is smart to stay out of Lee's way and let him do his thing.
• Lee is a gentlemen that is fun to be around.
• Alfonso Soriano is starting to gain some confidence. He's working really hard and comes into the cage twice a day. "We still have a long way to go, but at least he's going in the right direction," Jaramillo said.
• His bat speed is there, but his foundation is out of whack.
• Marlon Byrd plays hard, brings energy, and comes ready to play everyday. Right now, Byrd is not hitting for the average that they want him to, but that will improve.
• At times he is trying to do too much, but that is pretty common when you come to a new team.

Jeff Samardzija joined the Danny Mac Show on Wednesday:

• Samardzija felt a lot better once he got back out there for the home opener and pitched well.
• Working a quick inning felt great.
• There's always a little bit of pressure when you take the ball to pitch in a big league game.
• Jeff goes out there every time looking for perfection.
• He still feels like he is young and his arm has a lot left. He looks forward to getting as many big league innings as possible.
• In the bullpen, everyday is different and you don't know when your going to get in the game.
• Samardzija has gained respect for successful relief pitchers around the league. The hardest part is that you only have 5-7 minutes to get warm instead of the 45 minutes starters get.
• Everyone in the bullpen is on the same page. The bullpen staff's goal is to work the middle innings and get the ball to Marmol.
• Not too many guys are worried about what role they have in in the bullpen.
• The more experience you get, the better.
• Jeff hears football questions in every interview every day.

Todd Hollandsworth joined Dan and Matt on Friday to talk Cubs:

• Holly never had the opportunity to support other pro teams in the city he was playing in during his big league career. Todd likes the fact that Dempster and the Cubs are rallying behind the Blackhawks.
• Todd doesn't like the idea of having Carlos Marmol pitch more than 1 inning.
• If you do that, you will get to the All Star Break and have an even bigger mess.
• You want to be able to use your closer as much as possible but you don't want them to be overused early in the season.
• Matt and Dan want Marmol to have a massive work load, but Holly points out that the future is an unknown. It's a manager's job to be cautious with your closer.
• The most encouraging thing Todd has seen is 2-out hitting. There have been some good signs early in the year.
• The Cubs look confident and look like they are believing in each other.
• This offense is what it is. You might need to lean on the home run a little more than you should.
• Tyler Colvin should get more of an oppertunity to play. Lou is not doing Colvin any favors by keeping him on the bench. If Alfonso Soriano is not hitting, there is not much else he brings to the game.
• Colvin is earning the starting job. If your going to take Soriano out in the 7th inning, you might as well do it in the first.

A 4-2 homestand sounds pretty good. Let's got get a win.

Marlon Byrd on Talkin' Baseball

The newest Chicago Cub joined Bruce Levine and Jonathan Hood on Saturday:

• The number one reason he wanted to come the Cubs is the history involved with our organization.
• The second reason for choosing the Cubs that Byrd mentioned was Rudy Jaramillo, who he thinks is one of the best hitting coaches in baseball.
• Being able to go to a place where he can play center field everyday on a team that has a chance to win also attracted Marlon.
• He credits Jaramillo for getting his career back on track.
• Byrd continues to learn more from Rudy every year.
• Three guys that he really knows personally are Geovany Soto, Derrek Lee, and Alfonso Soriano. He played with Soriano in Washington and knows Soto from their Pacific Coast League days.
• Rudy really simplifies hitting into 5 steps: rhythm, timings, hitting the ball square, seeing the ball, and hitting the ball.
• He knows that the Chicago Cubs are expected to win every year. He expects Chicago to be like his time with the Phillies.
• Byrd has a relationship with Milton Bradley that goes beyond baseball. Their families are very close.
• Most people only know the baseball side of Milton, but Marlon knows every side of him.
• Bradley told Byrd, "Do what I couldn't do in Chicago."
• Knowing where you are going to hit in the lineup and play in the field everyday helps Marlon get in a rhythm and perform better.
• Byrd thinks playing a lot of day games will be easier for him that playing a lot of night games.

The Cubs' hitting coach thinks Byrd will be a perfect No. 5 hitter in the order.

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

Talkin' Baseball

Bruce Levine and Jonathan Hood talked baseball on ESPN 1000 on this snowy Saturday morning:

• Levine says that the deck was stacked against Milton Bradley from the beginning.
• Hood didn't like Gordon Wittenmyer's article about black players struggling at Wrigley Field right before Milton's first game at Wrigley Field.
• Hate mail is "part of the gig", and most pro athletes get it.
• The bottom like for Bradley was play on the field.
• Hendry has said that the Cubs are going to move on the from this. He stepped up and took the blame for himself. It was his choice to sign Milton.
• Getting $9 million back was the key to the deal, and that money will help him improve the 2010 Chicago Cubs.
• Carlos Silva was a work horse for the Twins, but then things fell apart when he went 4-15 for the M's.
• Even if the Cubs get nothing out of Silva, Levine still likes the deal because the Cubs get some money in the deal to help them go after a player that they do want.
• Levine mentioned to Seattle radio hosts that the Cubs have an aggressive media in Chicago.
• Having lots of media here was too much for Bradley.
• Todd Hunley was the first Cub to be booed out of town.
• The White Sox crowd "is no different" now then the Cubs crowd.
• We have a tougher media who ask tougher questions. The beat reporters are more involved in not just reporting the news, but also giving their opinion.
• Bruce sees a guy who couldn't handle Chicago and failed.
• Jonathan thinks that Seattle could be Milton's last chance, but Bruce doesn't think so because when someone thinks you still have talent a team will still give you a chance.
• Bradley failed in Chicago, and that will always be remembered. He still has a chance to do good in Seattle.
• Jim Hendry talked with the Yankees about a possible trade for Melky Carbera to fill the outfield vacancy.
• Bruce thinks Melky would be a good addition in center field for the Chicago Cubs.

Matt Capps joined the guys to talk baseball:

• Capps loves Chicago. Every time he's been there he's always enjoyed it.
• The people and the atmosphere at Wrigley help make it a great city and a great sports town.
• He has had a lot of success as a set-up man and as a closer.
• At this point Matt wants to win, and he wants to go to a team with an opportunity to win. Whether it's pitching in the 7th, 8th, or 9th; he'd rather be with a winning team.
• If the opportunity and the fit is right, he'd say that the chances of coming to the Cubs are pretty good. There's still a lot of work to be done with Capps' agent and the Cubs; but Matt seems to like Chicago.
• There's just as good a chance as him being a Cub as him going anywhere else.
• He has had some talks with the Cubs.
• The injury he suffered at Wrigley Field did set him back a little bit, and by the end of the year he was over it.
• Pittsburgh is a phenomenal sports towns. When the Steelers and Penguins are playing, there's a great atmosphere. They've had night like that at PNC Park, but the Pirates hasn't had a whole lot of excitement the last few years.
• When the tides to turn and the Pirates get back to winning, that will be a great town to play in.
• Capps admitted that his wife loved the city of Chicago. Matt's wife is very good friends with the wife's of Tom Gorzelanny and John Grabow.

The the guys talked more Cubs:

• Bruce said that it might be between the Cubs and Washington right now for the services of Capps.
• $5.5 million will come to the Cubs this year, and $3.5 will come next year.
• Levine called the Cubs' bench "not very good" right now. Jeff Baker is a great backup, but right now Mike Fontenot is the starting second baseman.
• Hendry has a lot of work to do still, but it's December 19 and there's plenty of time next until the season starts.
• The people in Seattle are calling their GM a miracle worker. The M's fans are ecstatic that Silva is gone, and they are also happy with adding Bradley.
• Cub fans will tell them that there were 7 or 8 guys on the Cubs who had more RBIs than Milton Bradley, who was batting in the middle of the order all year long. Milton finished with just 40 RBIs.
• Seattle loves the idea that Bradley could be a productive player for them.
• Tyler Colvin is not projected as a staring center fielder for the 2010 Chicago Cubs.
• Signing a free agent center fielder is easier for the Cubs because they want to hold on to their good young players at this point.
• Jim Hendry is trying to win next year, and keep his good young players in the organization.
• One of the keys to this winter for the Cubs is how much the rest of the division does.
• Levine says that if the Cubs make a few good moves and have good health they could be right there with the Cardinals in 2010.
• The guys talked about how when someone is working hard in the offseason, it's really doesn't tell fans anything.

That's it for now, much more to come this weekend!

Talkin' Baseball & More

Updated at 9:15 with Jake Fox on Waddle and Silvy

Here's a recap of what Fox had to say on ESPN Radio in reaction to being traded:

• This is a very good move for Jake and his family.
• They are going to miss Chicago.
• Fox respects Jim Hendry a lot because he moved him to a place where he can play everyday. Hendry was thinking about Jake when he made the trade, not himself.
• The day after the season ended, Jim and Jake discussed his future.
• Hendry is always honest and open, but things have always not been smooth between he and Fox.
• He thinks it's disappointing that there's not a fit for him with the Cubs.
• Jim said that maybe someday the Cubs will have a chance to get him back to Chicago.
• The basis for Fox's disagreements with Jim was that he thought he should be higher than he was in the organization. Jake felt Jim underestimated him a little bit.
• He loves being out in the field, and he hopes that he gets a chance to play defense with the A's. The A's have told him that if he hits, he will play.
• He has gotten where he's at because of his bat.
• Milton Bradley was a great guy to him. He took Bradley under his wing and he was always under his wing.
• Jake was in the Dominican at his hotel room.

Talkin' Baseball was on ESPN 1000 today with Bruce Levine and Jonathan Hood

• Bruce Levine described Aaron Miles season as one of the worst seasons in baseball history.
• Levine likes the trade with the A's.
• Jeff Gray is going to compete in Spring Training. He's a power arm, but command is a key for him.
• The Cubs and White Sox could be looking at similar types of players at the Winter Meetings.
• Levine says the Cubs got a good young right hander and a solid minor league outfielder. He disagreed with a caller who said they got "nothing" for Fox.
• Jake Fox is nobody's starting position player in the National League.
• Jake's "a good solid backup in Major League Baseball". But he's nobody's "Derrek Lee".
• Lee could get an extension after next year from the Chicago Cubs.
• Mark DeRosa is not a fit on the Cubs team. He's not a second baseman any more range wise. He's being looked at as a first and third baseman. Mark is asking for 3 year around $25M. You can't have a utility guy making that kind of money.
• If Mike Fontenot is the everyday second basemen, it could be another long season for the Cubs according to Bruce and Jonathan.
• The Cubs are offering arbitration to all of their players including Fontenot.
• Jeff Baker is going to be the backup 3rd baseman and a part time 2nd baseman.
• Orlando Hudson is going to the Rockies according to one rumor, but he would be a good fit for the Cubs.
• Bruce says Starlin Castro has a 50% chance of making the Cubs opening day roster. He could use a few months at AA or AAA first, but he should be with the Cubs at some point during 2010.
• If the Cubs move Theriot to 2B, they could be interested in Orlando Cabrera.
• There are not too many exciting names out there as far as free agent middle infielders.
• Bruce thinks a 7 game division series will be bad for baseball.
• If the Cubs move to Florida, some of the rides will be about 2.5 hours to get to some of the other Spring sites.
• Either place (AZ or FL) is going to be a great place for the Cubs and their fans, but leaving Arizona will not go over well with folks who have winter homes in Arizona just to watch the Cubs.

Jim Hendry joined the guys to talk Cubs:

• The Cubs have done a few good things already.
• A lot of activity will go on around MLB well into January this year.
• The Cubs are prepared to try to add an outfielder somewhere along the line.
• They would also like to augment their bullpen.
• Hendry reiterated that this team only needs a few tweaks this winter.
• They need resurgence type years out of guys like "Sori, Soto, and Fontenot". Jim says that they need their own good players to come back and do better than last year.
• Carlos Zambrano needs to get back on track this year.
• Hendry doesn't think that you have to have a "prototypical lead-off man" to win.
• Anyone who gets on base a lot can lead off now a days.
• The Cubs struggled with men in scoring position with less than two outs.
• It's way too early to tell who the lead off man would be. "We could have two or three different guys here by then."
• When you're looking to trade or add someone, the Winter Meetings help to try to move things along.
• Deals never always go the way you script them up according to Hendry.
• The Cubs are going to Indy with a lot of things they want to talk to people about.

Cubs Needs

Carrie Muskat listed the Cubs needs as we get ready for the Winter Meetings:

• 1. Center Fielder
• 2. Right handed reliever
• 3. second basmean
• 4. Trade Bradley and maybe Hoffpauir
• Top Prospects: OF Tyler Colvin, SS Castro, RHP Andrew Cashner, RHP Casey Coleman, RHP Chris Carpenter, SS Darwin Barney, RHP Blake Parker, 3B Josh Vitters
• Arbitration-eligible: 2B Baker, LHP Neal Cotts, 2B Fontenot, LHP Tom Gorzelanny, RHP Angel Guzman, RHP Marmol, LHP Sean Marshall, C Koyie Hill, SS Theriot
• There will be a slight increase in payroll next season.

That's it for now, with the meetings starting Monday, I'll have lots of posts to come this weekend.

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!

Recap of Talking Baseball

First of all, thanks to Byron from http://www.cubsblogarmy.com/ for adding my blog to his site.
Secondly, the Cubs have agreed to terms with Reed Johnson on a 1 year deal with a $3 million base salary and incentives. The Cubs have now avoided arbitration with Johnson, Cotts, and Gaudin but still need to agree to terms with Kevin Gregg, Ronny Cedeno, and Michael Wuertz. Also Kerry Wood has passed his physical and will be in an Indians uniform next year.

Every Saturday morning on ESPN Radio is a show with Bruce Levine and Carmen DeFalco starting at 10 AM CT. They talk Cubs and Sox the whole show all year around. Here's the link to the web page. http://stations.espn.go.com/stations/espnradio1000/show?showId=talkinbaseball It's a great show but in case you don't have time to listen to it or don't what to sit through all the commercials and Sox talk, then I'll have a full recap of the Cubs talk on many Saturdays.

• Bruce says that the Peavy situation is not over.
• Crane Kenney had to answer questions on Wednesday to talk about the Cubs involvement with Governor Rod Blagojevich.
• Levine still believes that unless Peavy is traded or the Cubs start making other deals then this deal could still be made.
• Towers has to move this guy and has to do it soon.
• A caller asked if not being able to move Marquis effected the Cubs Peavy deal. Levine says that the main road block was that the Cubs would lose 7 or 8 players that a role that would need filled for 1 guy.
• Levine thinks Milton Bradley will be in a Cub uniform by the new year.
• Carmen says that the Peavy deal is not dead forever.
• Phillies Manager Charlie Manuel joined Bruce and Carmen to talk baseball;
• Carmen asked about the Phills bring in Raul Ibanez. Charlie says that he should do well in their ballpark and says he look forward to having Raul on the club.
• Manuel says the Mets did a great job inproving their bullpen and says that the Mets could create a lot of problems next year for the Phillies.
• He says the Atlanta's real close to being good and suffered lots of injuries last year and he thinks the Braves are going to be pretty good next year.
• Charlie says the off season is a lot more relaxing being the World Champion manager.
• Manuel said Gavin Floyd of the White Sox can be a real good pitcher someday. (Floyd came up with the Phillies and then was traded for Freddy Garcia)
• Charlie said Scott Eyre was good pick up and by the end of the year their bullpen was very strong.
• Carmen says it doesn't make any sense that nobody else is made any offers to CC Sabathia besides the Yankees.
• Bruce said he met with Jim Hendry in his nice suite each day throughout the week in Los Vegas at the Winter Meetings.
• Bruce says that 2008 was an even better year for the White Sox than it was for the Cubs because the Sox rebuilt, got younger, and won on the fly.
• A caller asked about Adam Dunn and wondered why the Cubs would be more interested in Milton Bradley than Adam Dunn (I was wondering the same thing). The guys said Bradley had the best OBP in the league last year, and is a switch hitter. Carmen says that having Dunn and Soriano would be "brutal" as your corner outfielders defensively.
• Bruce says Dunn would have no chance in right field and says he can't run the bases. Bruce just isn't a big Adam Dunn fan.
• The Cubs are going after 2 left handed bats and Levine says that Bradley is already going to be one of them.

I'd like to thank everyone who has read the blog so far. Please leave your comments and scroll down to the bottom of the page to vote on our poll. As always, I'll keep you posted.