A Look at Ramierz's Time With the Cubs

Aramis Ramirez's tenure in Chicago officially ended earlier this week as he signed a three year deal worth between $34-37 million with the division rival Brewers. The Cubs will fill the void at third base with Ian Stewart, but the hole that this departure leaves in the middle of the order still needs to be filled.

Let's take a look back at Aramis Ramirez's journey with the Chicago Cubs!

July 23, 2003: Traded to the Cubs
Aramis Ramirez was traded from the Pirates to the Cubs, along with outfielder Kenny Lofton. The deal for Ramirez turned out to be one of the best made by ex-GM Jim Hendry. Ramirez panned out for the Cubs during his time on the North Side.

2003 Playoffs
Ramirez hit three homers in a game two different times during the 2004 season, becoming just the 14th player in big league history to do so. Rami's range factor was among the lowest among third basemen. He had a solid year at the plate but was so-so with the glove.

2004- Powerful Season Lacks Defense

Ramirez hit three homers in a game two different times during the 2004 season, becoming just the 14th player in big league history to do so. Rami's range factor was among the lowest among third basemen. He had a solid year at the plate but was so-so with the glove.

2005- An All-Star Season Ends with Injury

The Cubs third baseman was elected to the MLB All-Star Game for the first time in his career. He missed the month of September, finishing the year on the DL.

2006- Inks an Extension

Ramirez signed the extension that kept him in blue through the 2011 season in September of '06. He had a decent year despite a last place finish by the club. He finished the year with a career high 38 home runs.

2007- Leading the Way to October

2007 was one of Aramis' most productive years, leading him to earn the nickname "An RBI Machine." He drove in 101 to lead the team to the postseason, where the Cubs were swept at the hands of the Diamondbacks.

2008- Hank Aaron Award
Prior to the 2008 World Series, Ramirez was honored with the Hank Aaron Award as the best offensive player in the game. He increased his RBI output to 111 and knocked a career best 44 doubles during the Cubs 97 win season. The team was once again swept out of the playoffs, this time at the hands of the Dodgers. Aramis played in the '08 All-Star game as a reserve.

2009- .317 Average
Ramirez hit for a career best .317 average during the 2009 season. He played in just 82 games that year, missing significant time with the dislocated shoulder.

2010- Decreased Production
A-Ram saw a large drop-off in his number in 2010, indicating that his prime may be passed him. He is still a solid middle of the order option for most clubs.

2011- Final Year in Blue
Ramirez hit .306 and launched 26 home runs as one of the few bright spots during a tough season for the Cubs. He declined his option to return to the team at season's end before signing his three year deal with the Brewers this week.

Some of my fondest memories of watching the Cubs involve Aramis Ramirez. He has been one of the Cubs best power hitters over the last decade and came through with some clutch hits that led the team to the postseason in '07 and '08. With the departure of Ramirez, only two players on the team remain from the 2003 season (Kerry Wood and Carlos Zambrano) and the number of players from '07 and '08 continues to dwindle.

On top of that, the Cubs will have a huge hole to fill in the middle of their lineup. It will be difficult to watch Aramis Ramirez play for the Milwaukee Brewers.

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

A Look at Hendry's Worst Moves with the Cubs

On Saturday we counted down the five best moves made by Jim Hendry during his tenure as the general manager of the Chicago Cubs. Click here to read that post. As you know, not all of the moves he made were good. Now it's time to take a look at the five worst moves!

5. Signing Kosuke Fukudome... November 2007
At the time, I'll admit that I was excited about the Japanese import coming to Chicago. However, his offense sputter throughout his four season stay in Chicago. Hendry overpaid for Kosuke, giving him four years and $48 million.

4. Waiving Casey McGehee... October 2008
This move does not get that much attention, but it was the only one on this list that I knew was completely terrible the second it happened. McGehee was a promising prospect who saw some time with the Cubs during the 2008 season. He could have been Ramirez's successor at third base and learned a new spot while waiting for Rami's contract to expire. However, the rival Brewers snatched him off waivers. He had been very productive in the middle of the Milwaukee lineup.

3. Trading Nolasco, Mitre & Pinto for Juan Pierre... December 2005
The Cubs shipped three young arms to Florida to try to add a lead-off man. Pierre was lousy in his only season on the North Side, while Nolasco went on to become a quality starter.

2. Giving Alfonso Soriano 8 years... November 2006
At the time I was very excited about the Cubs picking up one of the top free agent on the market. However, this contract was way too long for an already ageing player like Soriano. The $136 million spent on Alfonso just about single handily led to the miserable 2010 and 2011 seasons. However, Soriano was a key piece to the team during the playoff runs of 2007 and 2008. Had the Cubs won a World Series it would have been worth it, so I don't blame Jim for going "all in." Note: John McDonough was the one who actually closed this deal, not Hendry.

1. Signing Milton Bradley... January 2009
While the winter between '06 and '07 was probably Hendry's best despite the Soriano contract, the 2008-2009 offseason was by far his worst. The biggest and worst move of that stretch was inking Milton Bradley to a $30 million deal. Bradley did not produce and was a distraction with his off the field antics. Bradley was the one big money signing that the Cubs literally got no production out of. During that same winter the Cubs also picked up Aaron Miles, Joey Gathright and Kevin Gregg.

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

A Look at Kosuke's Time with the Cubs

Even though Kosuke Fukudome's time with the Cubs was, for the most part, a failure, there is still a part of me that is sad to see him go. Anytime a Cub who has been with the team for several years departs, most die-hard fans miss seeing them play every day.

Let us say goodbye to Kosuke by looking back at his time with the Cubs.

December 11, 2007
The Cubs signed outfielder Kosuke Fukudome to a four year, $48 million contract. The Cubs thought that that Japanes import would help put their team over the top after winning the division title that year.

March 31, 2008: Big League Debut
There is no doubt that the highlight of Fukudome's time in Cubbie blue came very early on, in his big league debut on Opening Day of 2008. The fans at Wrigley Field, many of whom were sporting Fukudome Japanese headbands, went wild when he doubled on the first pitch he saw in the big leagues. Kosuke stepped to the plate with two men on base in the bottom of the ninth inning with the Cubs trailing the Brewers 3-0. He delivered a dramatic home run to tie the game at three and finish his debut 3-for-3. Although the Cubs fell 4-3 in ten innings, Kosuke's game tying homer is a moment that Cubs fans will never forget.

2008 Season: Hot When It's Cold, Cold When It's Hot
Each year Kosuke got off to a solid start in April and May before falling victim to a June swoon when the weather heated up. His number continued to decline each year as the season moved into the fall. That was evident in his first season when he batted .327 in April, .293 in May, .264 in June, .236 in July, .193 in August, .178 in September and .100 in two postseason games.

July 7, 2008: An All-Star
Kosuke told Judd Sirott in an interview for WGN Radio a few weeks ago that the 2008 season was his favorite in a Cub uniform for several reasons. It was the only one in which the Cubs won the division title. His hot start in the big leagues was also fun for him. It led to his lone All-Star appearance as well. Kosuke started in center for the NL and went 0-for-2.

2009: Position Switch
At the start of his second season with the Cubs, Kosuke was moved to center field so that Milton Bradley could play right. In July, he switched to first in the batting order, replacing Alfonso Soriano. For the rest of his Cubs career, Fukudome bounced around the lineup after hitting fifth for most of '08. Kosuke moved back to right field for 2010. In 2009, he actually finished second on the team in OBP at .375.

2010 & 2011 : Platooning
The past two seasons, the story of Kosuke Fukudome not living up to his large contract has faded onto the back burner with all the other headlines surrounding the Cubs. Kosuke's struggles were well documented his first two seasons, but he is actually an asset to a team when he is put into the proper role. Kosuke brings strong defense and draws a lot of walks, plus is one of baseball's good guys. He is not, however, a middle of the order hitter or a $48 million player. In 2010, Kosuke split time with fellow left handed hitter Tyler Colvin in right field. Colvin had a great season, so Fukudome's player time decrease quit a bit but he finished with his best average since signing with the Cubs at .263. Colvin started off slow in 2011 so he was sent back to Triple-A, with Kosuke sitting in favor of Reed Johnson against left handed pitchers.

July 28, 2011: Traded to the Indians
Yesterday, Kosuke's tenure with the Cubs came to an end when he was shipped to Cleveland for two minor leaguers. Click here for more information on the trade.

That's it for now, but I'll keep you posted as we countdown to Sunday's 3pm CT trade deadline!

A Look at Lou Piniella's Cubs Career

Sweet Lou may have failed in his attempt at a World Series ring in Chicago, but he is a classy future Hall of Fame manager. Piniella's style and personality will never be forgotten by the Cubs' faithful.

"Look," let's take a look back at Lou's career with the Cubs.

October 16, 2006
Lou Piniella agreed to a three year $10 million contract with the Chicago Cubs. The deal included a $5 million option for a fourth year. In his press conference Lou said, "We'll dispel these curses in short order.

April 13, 2007
The new Cubs skipper had his first rant with the media after a disappointing 6-5 loss to the Reds. He was not happy with a question about what was going wrong for his team.

June 2, 2007
In perhaps the most famous moment in Piniella's career with the Cubs, he was ejected after throwing his hat and kicking dirt on third base umpire Mark Wegner. The umpire had called Angel Pagan out on a close play at third, but it did appear on the replay that Wegner had made the right call. Lou was suspended four games, but his team turned things around after his ejection.

September 28, 2007
The Chicago Cubs win the NL Central title in their first year under Piniella. The beat the Reds 6-0 while the Padres beat the Brewers to clinch the division on the final weekend of the season.

September 20, 2008
The team beat the Cardinals 5-4 to clinch their second straight Central crown under Lou. However, the team would go three and out in the playoffs.

September 30, 2008
The Cubs excercise the option for the fourth year of Piniella's contract.

November 12, 2008
Sweet Lou was named the NL Manager of the Year, the third time in his career he got the honor and his first award as the Cubs skipper.

June 26, 2009
Piniella pulls Milton Bradley out of a game against the White Sox and sends him home. He gets so mad that he calls his right fielder "A piece of (expletive)."

April 5, 2010
The Cubs fall 16-5 on Opening Day against the Atlanta Braves.

June 25, 2010
Lou sends Carlos Zambrano home after he gets in the face of teammate Derrek Lee during a rant on the South Side of Chicago.

July 20, 2010
Piniella announces that this season will be his last as a big league manager.

August 22, 2010
Lou announces that he will step down after that game in order to spend time with his mother who is ill. His career ends the same way the 2010 season started, a 16-5 loss to Atlanta.

Happy retirement!

A Look at Derrek Lee's Cubs Career

Derrek Lee is a Cub that we'll never forget. He will be missed badly by all of the fans and everyone in the organization. Always a class act, always willing to talk to the meeting, always signing autographs, always has a smile on his face, always a joy to watch play the game... let's take a look at Lee's time with the Cubs.

October 2003
Lee, a member of the Florida Marlins, played a series that he talked about in his meeting with the media after the trade. He'll never forget the intensity and the fun of that set, especially the games at Wrigley. Even though the first baseman only his .188 in that set, Jim Hendry and the Cubs saw something they liked.

November 25, 2003
D-Lee was traded to the Cubs in a deal that sent Hee-Seop Choi and Mike Nannini to Florida.

April 5, 2004
The Cubs new first baseman goes 0-for-3 but does walk and score a run on Opening Day in Cincinnati. The Cubs won the game 7-4.

April 7, 2004
Derrek's first hit as a Cub is his first home run as a Cub. However, his solo blast was the only Cubs run in a 3-1 loss to the Reds.

July 12, 2005
D-Lee, a first time All-Star, is the clean-up hitter and first baseman for the National League. He goes 1-for-3 with a double but the American League wins the game at Comerica Park 7-5.

October 2, 2005
Lee goes 0-for-4 on the final day of the regular season, but his batting average is still a robust .335, good enough for the NL batting title.

November 2005
His great season is honored as Lee finishes third in MVP voting, wins the NL Silver Slugger at first base, and wins the NL Gold Glove at first.

March 2006
Lee was named to team USA for the World Baseball Classic. He hit a home run in the inaugural event. He was the first player ever to go deep for team USA in the WBC.

April 10, 2006
After 2005 NL batting champ signed a five-year $65 million extension with the Cubs.

April 20, 2006
Lee broke his wrist on a collision with Dodgers base runner Rafael Furcal. He missed 59 games due to the injury, which continued to irk him over the next few years.

May 19, 2007
The Cubs first baseman continued his great year with a pinch hit grand slam in the eighth inning of a game against the White Sox. The slam put the Cubs ahead and they went on to win it 11-6.

June 16, 2007
The usually calm and professional Derrek Lee threw a punch at Padres pitcher Chris Young after being hit in the head. The blow started a bench clearing brawl and resulted in Lee's ejection for the game. Derrek and Chris both ended up suspended five games.

July 10, 2007
D-Lee was a reserve for the National League All-Star team, his second appearance in the Mid-Summer Classic. He went 1-for-2 with an RBI off the bench in a 5-4 AL victory.

October 2007
Derrek's bat is hot in his first postseason series as a Cub. He went 4-for-13 in the three game set with the D'backs, but it was not enough as the Cubs suffered a sweep.

July 2, 2009
Lee crushed a 3-run homer and a grand slam in the same game for a total of 7 RBIs as the Cubs pummel the Brew Crew 9-5.

June 9, 2010
Lee launched his 300th career home run in a game against the Brewers.

August 18, 2010
The Cubs two time All-Star approves a deal and waives his no trade clause to go to the Atlanta Braves. The Cubs get three minor league pitchers and save some cash in the deal, but they lose their seven year team leader, who is a free agent at the end of the season.

The Braves are at Wrigley to start a three game series tomorrow!

Good luck in Atlanta D-Lee.

A Look at Ryan Theriot's Time with the Cubs

Ryan Theriot had been with the Cubs his whole career until last week's trade to Los Angeles. Let's remember The Riot with a little look back at his tenure in the Windy City.

June 2001
Ryan Theriot was drafted by the Chicago Cubs in the third round of the MLB First Year Player Draft. He was a shorstop out of LSU.

September 13, 2005
Theriot made his major league debut as a pinch hitter against the Reds.

September 14, 2005
Ryan recorded his first big league hit against Brian Shakelford.

March 10, 2007
First year manager Lou Piniella wastes no time in telling Theriot that he has made the team. It was the first time in his career that the young utility infielder made his club coming out of Spring Training.

May 2007
Theriot, who had played all over the diamond in the first few months, started to get more and more starts at shortstop. He eventually got the everyday nod in favor of Cesar Izturis, who ended up traded in July.

July 14, 2008
Ryan and Johnnah gave birth to their second daughter and third child Georgia Grace. They also have kids named Houston and Macey.

Opening Day 2010
Theriot got the start at short with college teammate Mike Fontenot rounding out the Cubs middle infield as the starting second baseman.

May 1, 2009
Ryan launched his first career grand slam against the Florida Marlins to give him team the lead. The Cubs went on to win the game 8-6.

May 2009
The ex-LSU star went on a power surge, hitting five home runs in the month. He is normally not known for his power, but a little pop was certainly welcome. He doubled his career homer total in the span of a few weeks.

2009-2010 Offseason
Theriot allowed WGN Radio listeners to learn a little bit more about him off the field as he joined David Kaplan for a weekly segment on "Sports Central". He also co-hosted Kap's live broadcast from the Cubs convention in January.

February 19, 2010
Ryan became the first Cub to go to an arbitration hearing since 1993. The Cubs one the case, so he had to settle for a one year $2.6 million contract.

May 7, 2010
The longtime shorstop was moved to second base in order to make room for 20 year old rookie Starlin Castro to take over short.

July 31, 2010
Theriot's Cubs career came to an end as he was traded to the Dodgers along with pitcher Ted Lilly. The Cubs got Blake DeWitt and two minor league hurlers in return.

Good luck Ryan... We'll miss you at Wrigley!