Breaking News: Theriot & Lilly to LA

The Cubs have traded Ted Lilly and Ryan Theriot to the Dodgers for Blake DeWitt and minor league pitchers Brett Wallach and Kyle Smit.

The Cubs also send $2.5 million in the deal.

Here is some info on Blake DeWitt:

• 2010 stats with LAD: 82 games, .270 AVG, 1 HR, 30 RBIs
• Positions: 3B, 2B
• B/T: Left/Right
• Drafted: By the Dodgers in the first round of the 2004 draft.
• MLB Debut: March 31, 2008
• Born: August 20, 1985

Info on Brett Wallach:

• B/T: Right
• Born: December 2, 1988
• Drafted: By the Dodgers in the 3rd round of 2009
• Position: Pitcher
• 2010 Team: Pitching for Great Lakes of the Midwest League, which is low Class-A ball.
• Stats: 6-0, 3.72 ERA, 17 starts this year

Info on Kyle Smit:

• B/T: Right
• Born: Oct 14 1987
• Drafted: By the Dodgers in the 5th round of the 2006 draft.
• Position: Pitcher
• 3 IP, 0 R allowed in three games with Double-A Chattanooga this season
• 5-3, 2.49 ERA, 34 games (1 starts) with Inland Empire of the Class-A Advanced California League

It's the end of an error the Cubs, who lose two great guys in Lilly and Theriot.

I'll update when more info comes along.

Trade Deadline Countdown: Will the Cubs make a move?

The Major League Baseball trade deadline is coming up at 3:00pm CT. There are no shortage of rumors, but will any moves be made by Cubs GM Jim Hendry?

If will update this post throughout the day with more info as it comes out.

Updated at 11:30am CT- Scroll down for the latest.

Here is the latest from the mill:

• The Yankees are not going after Ted Lilly according to Buster Olney.
• Ken Rosethal writes that a deal with the Dodgers was fairly close last night. The Dodgers, Twins, Tigers, and Yankees all have interest in the Cubs southpaw.
• Rosenthal also reports that the Cubs have gotten "minor sniffs" on Xavier Nady and Mike Fontenot.
• Ryan Theriot is still a possibility for the Dodgers or Yankees. A Theriot for Kelly Johnson swap has been discussed.
• Carlos Zambrano said yesterday that he wants to stay a Cub, but he would accept a trade if the organization asked him to do so.
• Jon Heyman of SI tweets that the Mets offered the Cubs Oliver Perez and Luis Castillo for Zambrano, but the Cubbies said no.
• Bruce Levine reports that the Cubs could send Ryan Theriot and James Russell to Arizona for Kelly Johnson.
• The Dodgers are in the mix on Lilly, but Rosenthal tweets that the two sides are still apart on money and players.
• George Ofman of WGN Radio also says that a Lilly deal to LA is still alive but it's all about how much the Cubs will pay the Dodgers.

Updated at 11:30 CT- The latest on Lilly:

• Tim Brown of Yahoo tweets that the Dodgers are growing more optimistic that they can acquire Lilly.
• Ken Rosenthal says that the Cubs and Dodgers are still working the phones hard.
• Rosenthal adds that the trade is not done, but Theriot could be involved as well.

I will keep you posted, updating often with more rumors or whenever news breaks!

Series Preview: Cubs VS Rockies

Update 4:40 CT- Bobby Howry has been released by the Cubs. He was let go to make room for Carlos Zambrano on the roster, who if officially reinstated according a tweet from Carrie Muskat.

The Cubs are set to begin a three game series in Colorado tonight. The big story though is the fact that that the Major League Baseball trade deadline is less than 24 hours away. Will Hendry make a move our will the Cubs roster still be intact by the second game of this set tomorrow night?

The Cubbies still cannot figure out how to beat the terrible teams in the NL Central. They dropped two of three to the Astros earlier in the week, losing a series to the 'Stros for the second week in a row. They must win this series in order to salvage a decent road trip.

Lou's crew comes in with a 46-56 record, ten games under .500. They have dropped back to fourth place in the Central, 10.5 behind the first place Reds. They are looking to get back in the win column tonight after back-to-back losses Tuesday and Wednesday before Thursday's off day. The Cubs are 20-29 away from Wrigley.

The Rockies are not exactly riding high either. They have lost eight of their last nine to fall out of the NL West picture. As it stands going into action tonight, Colorado has a 52-50 overall mark, which puts them in fourth in the West. They are 9 games in back of the Padres.

Colorado topped Pittsburgh yesterday 9-3 to end and eight game losing streak. They are a cold team, but they're getting healthy as players are starting to return from injuries. The Rockies coaching staff includes several guys with Cubs connections like first base coach Glenallen Hill (Cubs outfielder '93-'94, '98-'99), hitting coach Don Baylor (Cubs manager 2000-'02), and
manager Jim Tracy (made his MLB debut as a player with the Cubs in 1980).

Other than the trade deadline, the big story this weekend is the return of Carlos Zambrano. Big Z has been on the restricted list with his anger issues since a dugout explosion in a mid-June game against the White Sox. The media will be all over Zambrano, who is expected to meet with his team and talk about the incident.

Here is Carlos' minor league rehab recap:
1 IP, 0 H, 0 R in only outing with Mesa Cubs
1 IP, 2 H, 0 R in July 22 outing with Iowa Cubs
2 IP, 1 H, 0 R in July 24 outing with Iowa Cubs
1 IP, 3 H, 1 BB, 3 ER in July 27 outing with Iowa Cubs

The Cubs will have to make a move in order to make room for Zambrano on the roster. There is a chance that Bobby Howry will be let go of, but most likely Brian Schlitter or Justin Berg will head back to Iowa.

The Cubs have had success against Colorado this season. They swept a brief two game set at Wrigley May 17-18. This is the only trip to Coors Field that the Cubs make all year, it is the final set between the two teams, and a win tonight could assure the Cubs a season series victory.

Game 1: Friday at 8:10 CT
Cubs Starting Pitcher: Ryan Dempster, RHP (8-7, 3.71 ERA)
Rockies Starting Pitcher: Jeff Francis, LHP (3-3, 4.56 ERA)
TV/Radio: WGN-TV/WGN Radio

Game 2: Saturday at 7:10 CT
Cubs Starting Pitcher: Tom Gorzelanny, LHP (6-5, 3.22 ERA)
Rockies Starting Pitcher: Jason Hammel, RHP (7-6, 4.34 ERA)
TV/Radio: WGN-TV/WGN Radio

Game 3: Sunday at 2:10 CT
Cubs Starting Pitcher: Carlos Silva, RHP (10-4, 3.76 ERA)
Rockies Starting Pitcher: Jorge De La Rosa, LHP (3-3, 5.15 ERA)
TV/Radio: CSN/WGN Radio

Ron Santo is not on this road trip, but his health if fine and he is resting at home. Keith Moreland did a great job of pinch hitting on the WGN Radio broadcast in Houston. Most likely either Davd Otto or Judd Sirott will join Pat Hughes for this series.

I will update this post if any news breaks.

Let's finish out the month strong!

Off Day Notes Two Days Before the Deadline

Saturday is the Major League Baseball Trade Deadline, and the futures of many of the Cubs are still in the air. Let's get all the latest updates as the Cubs take a day off before starting a series with the Rockies tomorrow night.

• Cubs first baseman Derrek Lee rejected a trade to the Angels yesterday. He used his 10 and 5 rights (10 years in MLB, 5 with the same team) to block the trade. Lee says this is a family decision and he plans to stay with the Cubs the rest of the season.
• Geovany Soto is expected to return to the lineup tomorrow night after missing Wednesday's game with a foot injury.
• Cubs No. 1 draft pick in 2007 Josh Vitters is out with a broken hand. He has been having a rough year at the plate with the Tennessee Smokies. Vitters could play in the Arizona Fall League in October.
• The Twins are unlikely to acquire Ted Lilly according a tweet from Jon Paul Morosi of FOX.
• The Mets are still in Lilly, but Ken Davidoff doesn't see it happening.
• The New York Post reports that you can "forget about the Mets dealing for Lilly".
• The Dodgers are one team that appear to still be in the mix for Teddy.
• Peoria Chiefs manager Casey Kopitzke will be at the helm for the Mesa Solar Sox of the AFL.
• Check out all of the minor league news in my Down on the Farm Report over on the CCO.
• Jon Heyman tweets that the Mets asked for Tom Gorzelanny, but the Cubs don't want to trade him.
• Ted Lilly says that it is evident that he would prefer to stay in Chicago for the future.
• Carlos Zambrano will rejoin the Cubs in Colorado tomorrow night. Brian Schlitter is expected to be sent down to make room on the roster, but Bobby Howry could be let go.

That's it for now, but I'll keep you posted as we approach the deadline.

Getting to Know the Cubs: Brian Schlitter

Brian Schlitter has rejoined the Cubs bullpen after a short stint on the disabled list. Let's get to know a little bit more about the young hurler.

Position: Pitcher

Bats/Throws: Right

Drafted: by the Phillies in the 16th round of the 2007 draft.

Major League Debut: June 28, 2010

Major League Stats: 0-1, 10.80 ERA, 4 Games, 5 IP

Born: December 21, 1985 in Oak Park, IL

Age: 24

2010 Minor League Stats: 1-1, 3.72 ERA, 30 games, and 12 saves

Came to the Organization: From the Phillies in August of 2008 in return for Scott Eyre

Hopefully Brian improves and has a positive impact on the Cubs bullpen!

Catching Up Quick Hits: Ramirez back in '11, Kosuke for Sale, D-Lee to Stay, and More

Sorry for the lack of posting yesterday, but today we're back with all the latest from the rumor mill and more. The trade deadline is coming up on Saturday!

• Cubs catcher Geovany Soto left last night's game with a foot injury. He is not in the starting lineup for tonight's game against the Astros, but the Cubs hope he can return by Wednesday, Friday at the latest.
• The team has narrowed the list of potential Spring Training sites in Mesa to three locations.
• Carlos Zambrano is expected to rejoin the Cubs in Colorado on Friday. He cannot wait to apologize to his teammates in person. Z told Carrie Muskat that he knows that he made a mistake.
• Aramis Ramirez was named the NL Player of the Week for last week. He was the first Cubs position player to win the award since May of '08.
• Speaking of Ramirez, Gordon Wittenmyer reports he wants to stay in Chicago and will most likely exercise his player option for 2011.
• ESPN.com's Jayson Stark writes that Ryan Theriot is one of the players that has been linked to the Padres in recent rumors.
• Stark also reports that he heard before that Lilly would definitely be traded before July 31, but many teams have cooled off on the Cubs lefty.
• Bob Nightengale tweets that the Rangers are taking a close look at Derrek Lee.
• The Cubs will pay part of the $4M-plus left on Kosuke's deal this year, and quite of a bit of $13.5M salary next year if they can trade him.
• Stark tweeted that it is highly doubtful that Derrek Lee will waive his no-trade clause.
• Jon Heyman thinks the Yankees could go for Ted Lilly, who they had before and like.
• Chris De Luca chimes in and says that Lilly is not the only Cubs southpaw drawing interest.
• The Angels and Rangers both have some interest in D-Lee.
• Ryan Theriot could be "the first Cub to be traded" according to David Kaplan. Kap, who's a buddy of Ryan, says that the interest in the Cubs second baseman has gone up.
• Bruce Miles shot down a report that the Cubs were interested in Chone Figgins of Seattle.
• Ted Lilly is scheduled to take on the 'Stros tonight. Will this be his last start in a Cubs uniform? Or is it possible that he will be traded between now and the first pitch?
• John Grabow threw in the bullpen yesterday but will probably not be activated before the end of this trip.

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

The Hawk's Day

2010 must be the year of the hawk. In Chicago alone, the Blackhawks took home the Stanley Cup and Andre "The Hawk" Dawson was finally voted into Cooperstown.

Today's the day that Dawson is officially inducted into the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame. Coverage from Cooperstown starts at 11:30 on the MLB Network. This is truly a day set aside for Dawson for several reasons.

1) He is the only player going into to the Hall this year.
2) The Cubs play the Sunday Night Game of the Week, so the fan base can focus on the induction this afternoon.
3) This honor is long overdue.

The rest of the 2010 Hall of Fame class is made up of umpire Doug Harvey, manager Whitey Herzog, broadcaster John Miller, and writer Bill Madden. Dawson will be entering the Hall of Fame wearing an Expos cap, even though he made clear that his first choice would have been to go in as a Cub.

Check out the Hawk4theHall blog where they count down the ten greatest moments of Andre's career. The site did a great job of showing support for Dawson before he was elected. Charley, the writer of Hawk4theHall, also points out that The Hawk could be the last guy ever to go into the Hall wearing an Expos cap.

Other articles to honor Dawson:

• Cubs.com remembers the 1990 season.
• The Sun Times reports that Dawson's speach has been ready for months.
• Phil Rogers counts down ten important things about Andre's road to Cooperstown.
• Barry Rozner of the Daily Herald talks about the bond between Tim Raines and The Hawk.

So once again, congratulations Andre Dawson!