Breaking News: Cubs Make Roster Decisions

Today Dale Sveum announced several spots that were available entering Spring Training. Although the roster is not yet finalized, many of his decisions were made clear today.

The 2012 Cubs starting rotation has been announced. Jeff Samardzija and Chris Volstad have won the final two spots, joining Ryan Dempster, Matt Garza and Paul Maholm in the starting five.

The Cubs also announced today that Steve Clevenger has made the team as the backup catcher. Sveum said that sending Welington Castillo to Iowa was the toughest decision he had to make, but he envisions Castillo as a starter at the big league level some day. Sveum feels that Castillo will benefit from more time at the minor league level.

Although the bullpen is not yet settled, we do not that Randy Wells will not be a part of it. The Cubs optioned Wells to Triple-A Iowa today. The Cubs feel that it will benefit the team to have a "sixth starter" stretched out so that when someone in the starting five struggles or goes down with an injury, Wells is ready to step in.

As expected, Blake DeWitt and Joe Mather have made the 25 man Opening Day roster. DeWitt will be used as a utility infielder, while Mather claimed the fifth outfield spot. Travis Wood, Dave Seppelt and Scott Maine were all optioned to Triple-A Iowa. Matt Tolbert, Blake Parker, Blake Lalli and Edgar Gonzalez were reassigned to minor league camp.

Casey Coleman was not officially sent back to minor league camp, but according to multiple reports he has been told that he will not make the team. Wood and Coleman will join Wells in the Iowa starting rotation.

With Wells and Coleman out of the mix, it looks as if Rodrigo Lopez may have a spot in the bullpen. Lopez is competing for the final three bullpen spots with Lendy Castillo, Shawn Camp, and Frankie De La Cruz and Manny Corpas. Three of those five will likely make the club along with young right hander Rafael Dolis, who has not officially made the team but is expected to snag the fourth bullpen spot behind Carlos Marmol, Kerry Wood and James Russell.

The compensation for Theo Epstein was completed as the Cubs received Jair Bogaerts, a 19 year old first base prospect, as a Player to be Named Later.

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

Breaking News: Cubs Trade Carlos Zambrano to Miami

Updated 9pm CT with all the details
Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports tweeted today that the Miami Marlins are close to acquiring Cubs pitcher Carlos Zambrano. Zambrano would probably be interested in waiving his no-trade clause to join his good friend Ozzie Guillen in Miami. Many media sources have confirmed that the Cubs have agreed in principal to send Zambrano to Miami for RHP Chris Volstad. The 25-year old had a down year in 2011, going 5-13 with a 4.89 ERA in 29 starts. Between $15 and $17 million are expected to be sent to the Marlins to help pay for the remainder of Z's contract.

Breaking News: Marshall Traded to Reds

It was the huge news day for the Chicago Cubs. Most notably, left handed reliever Sean Marshall has been traded to the Cincinnati Reds in return for starting pitcher Travis Wood and two minor leaguers. This deal is not yet official, but it is close and pending physicals.

Marshall has been one of the most valuable Cubs for the past few seasons. According to an interesting report from David Kaplan, this is the start of a major rebuilding phase for the Cubs. Although I am upset to see Marshall depart, the deal could make sense for the Cubs since Wood is a young, promising arm who would fill a rotation void. In addition, the deal cannot really be judged until we find out which minor leaguers are coming to Chicago's North Side.

The Cubs also re-signed Reed Johnson to a one year contract today. Johnson will join the outfield mix that already includes David DeJesus, Marlon Byrd and Alfonso Soriano.

The Cubs finalized their minor league coaching staff today as well. Bill Buckner will be a hitting coach for the Class-A Short Season Boise Hawks. Dave Keller returns to the Iowa staff after one year as an assistant to Mike Quade.

Prince Fielder rumors are still floating around. Kaplan tweeted today that the Cubs are not in on Fielder. He also said that they are open to trading everyone except Starlin Castro.

That's it for now, but I'll have much more during the holiday weekend.

Breaking News: Cubs Trade for Ian Stewart

The Cubs have acquired third baseman Ian Stewart and minor league pitcher Casey Weathers from the Colorado Rockies. In return, Tyler Colvin and DJ LeMahieu have been sent to Colorado. The first trade of the Theo Epstein era is in the books.

Stewart will enter spring training as the Cubs starting third baseman. The Cubs did not conclude the winter meetings without making any noise. Weathers will have a chance to compete for a bullpen spot next season.

The big news today was Albert Pujols's ten year contract with the Angels. Although the Cubs did not land Pujols, this is still good news at the slugging first baseman leaves the NL Central. The Cubs could still be in the mix for Prince Fielder, who is now the top free agent on the market. Peter Gammons believes that the Cubs are a real possibility for Prince.

Today in the Rule Five Draft the Cubs selected RHP Lendy Castillo from the Phillies. Two Cubs prospects were selected in the draft- Marwin Gonzalez (Red Sox) and Ryan Flaherty (Orioles). Gonzalez was then traded to the Houston Astros. The Cubs selected Ricky Alverez in the minor league portion of the Rule Five Draft, but then shipped him to a Mexican League team.

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

Breaking News: Sveum Named Cubs Manager

A busy offseason for the Chicago Cubs continued today with the announcement of a new manager. Dale Sveum has become the 52nd manager of the team, signing a three year contract with an option for 2015. Sveum (pronounced Swaim) will be introduced by Jed Hoyer and Theo Esptein at a press conference tomorrow morning at 9:00.

Sveum was a big league infielder for seven different teams from 1986 to 1999, spending the 1992 season in Chicago playing for the White Sox. He coached on the Boston Red Sox staff during 2004 and 2005 seasons before spending 2006 to 2011 with the Brewers. His only big league managerial experience was in September of 2008 when he was named the interim manager for the final two weeks of the season after the firing of Ned Yost. Sveum served as a third base coach, bench coach and hitting coach during his time as a coach.

That's it for now, but we'll have much more on the Cubs new skipper.

Breaking News: Mike Quade Out as Cubs Manager

Mike Quade will not return for the second year of his contract. Theo Esptein made his first big decision today by electing to go in a new direction with the team's managerial position. Epstein said that he wanted to start fresh. Quade took the high road with his comments today, complimenting Theo for the way he went about making the decision.

Ryne Sandberg also received bad news today. He will not be considered for the Cubs open managerial gig. One of Epstein's criteria is big league coaching experience. Sandberg also spoke highly of the way Epstein notified him of the decision that he would not be considered.

I think that Theo is making the right decision in letting Q go. Quade did not receive much of a chance, but he was never really big league managerial material. He was an assistant coach who took over for a brief one year stint as a manager. My guess is he'll remain in baseball as an assistant. He is a baseball lifer, a hard worker and a great guy, but he was not the right fit for a managerial position in Chicago.

Yesterday Jed Hoyer and Jason McCloud were introduced as the general manager and VP of Player Development respectively. When questions about decisions on players (Zambrano, Ramirez, ect) were directed at Hoyer, Theo jumped in and answered. All indications are that Aramis Ramirez will not return to the Cubs next season.

Today the big discussion is the removal of Mike Quade and the question of who will take his place is being tossed around. Lots of names were being tweeted and blogged today. We'll have a full breakdown of managerial candidates later in the week.

Things are never slow on the North Side of Chicago! Lots of news early on this winter. That's it for now, but I'll keep you posted!

Breaking News: Epstein to the Cubs

It's official, Theo Epstein is the President of Baseball Operations of the Chicago Cubs. Check back tomorrow for all the details.

Update Saturday 10:30am
Theo Epstein has joined the Chicago Cubs on the team's President of Baseball Operations. The compensation to the Red Sox has not yet been announced, but the two sides have reached an agreement as to the process that will be taken. The compensation issue will be worked out soon. If the compensation process does not work, Bug Selig will make the final decision.

With the World Series going on, the official announcement will be made on Tuesday, an travel day for the Cardinals and Rangers. Neither club will have further comment until that time.

A few days after Epstein's press conference, several more announcements are expected to be made. Padres general manager Jed Hoyer and assistant GM Jason McLeod are expected to join the Cubs organization as the GM and assistant GM respectively. Hoyer is set to sign a five year deal with a Cubs. The compensation to San Diego is expected to be a low level minor leaguer.

Crane Kenney will remain with the Cubs organization, but his title will change to President of Business Operations.

That's it for now, but we'll have much coverage of this story this weekend and early next week.

Breaking News: Hendry Out As Cubs GM

Tom Ricketts and the Chicago Cubs have announced today that Jim Hendry has been fired as the general manager of the team. Hendry started his career with the Cubs in 1995.

Hendry met with the team and coaching staff this morning and just finished a meeting with the media to make the annoucement. Randy Bush has been named the interim GM.

From Ricketts: It is time for a fresh approach for the organization and the search for a new GM will begin immidietly.

Hendry knew for about a month that his time on the North Side was coming to an end. Tom informed him of the bad news on July 22. He focused on making moves at the deadline and signing draft picks anyway. Jim said in his press conference that he has nothing against the Ricketts family. "We just didn't win enough games," he said. Jim told his two kids last night. He has been preparing them for awhile by telling him that most people in that bussiness end up losing their jobs.

He also said that he did not make more moves before the trading deadline because he had already lost his job. He wanted to leave those decisions up to Ricketts and the new GM. Bruce Miles tweeted that there was no mention of Crane Kenney in Hendry's fairewell. Jim talked at length about Randy Bush, Oneri Fleita and Tim Wilken, among others. The fact that he would lose his job in a week did not change the "Zambrano situation" for Jim.

My Take: While is probably was time for a change, I am still very sad to see Hendry go. I hold the players responsible for underperforming, not the general manager for signing the players. Hendry went for "it" in 2007 and 2008. He knew that guys like Soriano and Ramirez would not be as productive by the end of their contracts, but had the Cubs won a ring that would not have mattered. I met Jim in person several times and he was an extremely nice man. He was always very loyal, firing no manager and just one coach (Gerald Perry) in his 10 years as GM. I will miss Jim Hendry.

Breaking News: Zambrano Placed on the Disqualified List

In case you missed it last night, Carlos Zambrano exploded again. He was being hammered for home run after home run by the Atlanta Braves and was ejected from the game for throwing at Chipper Jones. He stormed into the locker room, where he claimed that he was retiring from baseball and cleaned out his locker. Today, the Cubs have placed Zambrano disqualified list, where he will not be allowed to have any contact with the team or collect pay for the next 30 day.

Click here for the official press release.

The Major League Baseball Players' Union will file grievance with the Cubs challenging this decision. The Union will probably not allow the Cubs to fine him $3 million, which is what he's owed during the 30 day ban.

There have been a lot of interesting quotes from many of the Cubs players and personnel on Z's latest antics. Here are some of them-

Jim Hendry
"We will respect his wishes and honor them and move forward."
Said he took the most stringent action he could short of releasing Zambrano.
Apologized to the Braves for ruining Bobby Cox's nights with Z's actions.

Mike Quade
"I don't know where he's at. He walked out on 24 guys that were battling their (bleeps) off for him I can't have a guy walking out on 24 guys, that's for (bleep) sure."
"I've spent enough time on this, time to get ready for the game."

Aramis Ramirez
"I've never seen somebody just pack up their stuff and leave."

Marlon Byrd
"I have now clue. If we don't see him tomorrow, we might not see him again."

Ryan Dempster
This "may be best for both sides."
"I think the guys in here are upbeat today. He's made his own bed and he's got to sleep in it."

Alfonso Soriano
"He's been doing a lot of things, not once or twice. Gotta think a little bit more. Big man, but mentally he's weak."

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

Breaking News: Kosuke Traded to the Indians

Update 1:10pm CT: This trade is official. Kosuke sent to Cleveland for minor leaguers P Abner Abreu and OF Carlton Smith. Tyler Colvin added to active roster, in Milwaukee for today's game.

Well, it looks as if the Cubs are about the make their first move prior to the trade deadline.

According to multiple reports, the Cubs and Indians have agreed to a deal that would sent Kosuke Fukudome to Cleveland. Buster Olney tweets that the Cubs will pay more than half of the $4.7 million owed to Kosuke, while Jon Heyman says it will be the vast majority.

Kosuke does have partial no-trade rights and the Tribe are one of the 15 teams that he can block a trade to. Right now, they are trying to figure out minor perks for him in exchange for waiving the no-trade clause. Paul Hoynes reports that the Cubs will receive one upper level and one lower level prospect in the deal.

This deal is not yet official, but it appears that it is going to happen before today's game. Tyler Colvin will likely replace Kosuke on the active roster. I will update soon with more information, stayed tuned!

Breaking News: Keith Moreland Joins WGN Radio Broadcast Team

The Cubs and WGN Radio announced today that Keith Moreland take over for the late Ron Santo as Pat Hughes' partner in the WGN Radio broadcast booth. Moreland played for the Cubs in the 1980s at a variety of positions, mostly third base and outfield. Keith filled in for Bob Brenly and Ron Santo several times past few years.

Pat and Keith's first game together is just over a week away. It will be Sunday Feb. 27 at 2:00 as the Cubs meet the Oakland A's in the Cactus League opener. Moreland was a broadcaster for the Texas Longhorns, but he says that he will be fully committed to the Cubs.

According to the poll on the right sidebar, 70% of you were hoping for Dave Otto. Moreland's contract is for three years.

I think Keith will do a fine job. It is going to be tough all season hearing someone else work with Pat. The Pat & Ron Show was something very, very special that will never be duplicated. I will continue to miss Ron Santo for every day the rest of my life.

Keith joined Pat, Dave Eanet and Mike McConnell on WGN Radio today:

• Moreland is very excited, but he hates to be sitting in this seat because he cannot replace Ron Santo.
• Pat congratulated his new partner.
• Keith says that this is a day that he will never forget. He is excited to come back to the Cubs.
• Hughes told Moreland that the new guy pays for lunch until the All Star Break.
• Moreland started his broadcasting career on WGN Radio doing a show with Bob Collins and doing some Bears talk.
• He explained how his nickname Zonk got started when he was in the minor leagues. He was called Zonk after Larry Zonka because nobody could tackle him when they played games at the hotel pool.
• Moreland feels like he is a Cub. Playing as a Cub was an incredible experience for him.
• The love affair with the Cubs started in 1984.
• Zonk will never forget the Ryne Sandberg game. That is one game that stands out from his career.
• He believes that the Cubs will win the World Series in his lifetime. "It's going to happen," he said.
• Hughes is looking forward to the start of the new season, which is just 11 days away.
• Pat thinks that the Reds, Cardinals and Brewers will be considered the favorites, but the Cubs could surprise a lot of people.
• Moreland is also optimistic about the team's chances.
• Leaving Texas and going to the Cubs makes it feel like Keith is going from one family to another.
• Keith wants to have fun in the booth and bring his Southern style to the booth.
• He called Pat a Hall of Fame broadcaster.
• Hughes expects Cubs radio broadcasts to continue to be fun. If Moreland spills his soap on his pants, Pat will have to report it.
• A couple years ago when Keith subbed for Bob Brenly it was his first night game at Wrigley.

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

Breaking News: Todd Wellemyer Signs with the Cubs

Another ex-Cub will return to the team in Spring Training. Add Todd Wellemyer to the list that already included Kerry Wood, Reed Johnson and Lou Montanez.

Wellemyer is getting a minor league deal with an invite to Spring Training, where he will try to earn a spot in the rotation or middle relief. The one year deal is worth $800,000 and he could earn another $400,000 with incentives.

Todd was selected by the Cubs in the fourth round of the 2000 draft. He made his big league debut in May of 2003 and stayed with the team until being traded to Florida in March 2006. He appeared in 57 games during his first stint with the team, all in relief. Since then Wellemyer has played with the Marlins, Royals, Cardinals and most recently the Giants.

The right hander has been used mostly as a starter since 2008. He went 3-5 with a 5.68 ERA in 13 games (11 starts) for the World Champs last season.

I will update this post if I get any more information.

Breaking News: Gorzelanny Traded to Washington

Cubs left handed pitcher Tom Gorezelanny has been traded to the Washington Nationals. The Cubs will receive two pitchers and an outfielder in the deal, which is pending a physical. According to one report the outfielder is Michael Burgess.

Update 6:10 CT: Bruce Miles reports that the two pitchers are right hander A.J. Morris and southpaw Graham Hicks. I will post details about the prospects at some point.

I will update this post with more information soon.

Breaking News: Cubs Sign Johnson, Avoid Arbitration with Hill

The Cubs have signed outfielder Reed Johnson to return to the organization on a minor league deal. The contract includes an invite to big league Spring Training.

Johnson previously played for the Cubs from 2008 to 2009 before spending last season with the Dodgers. He hit .262 in 102 games in 2010. Reed made a few spectacular catches during his previous stint with the team that will never be forgetten. He played five years with the Blue Jays before inking his first deal with the Cubs in late March of 2008.

Earlier, the Cubs avoided arbitration with backup catcher Koyie Hill. The two sides settled on a one year deal worth about $850,000.

Stayed tuned, I'll have more later.

Breaking News: Cubs Claim Max Ramirez

John Paul Morosi tweets that the Cubs have claimed catcher Max Ramirez off waivers from the Boston Red Sox. Ramirez was only in the Red Sox organization for a week after being claimed from Texas.

Max will be added to the 40-man roster, which now stands at 39. He is expected to compete with Koyie Hill and Welington Castillo in Spring Training for a spot on the team.

Here are some notes on Max Ramirez:

• Positions: First Base and Catcher
• B/T: Right
• Height/Weight: 5'11'', 175 lbs
• Age: 26
• Birthday: Oct. 11
• Signed: by the Braves as an undrafted free agent in 2002
• Organizations: Atlanta (2002-2006), Cleveland (2006-2007) and Texas (2007-2010).
• Traded: From the Braves to the Indians in July of '06 for Bob Wickman; again in July of '07 from the Indians to the Rangers for Kenny Lofton
• MLB Debut: June 22, 2008
• Career Big League Stats: 2 seasons, 45 games, .217 AVG, 4 HR, 17 RBIs and a .343 OBP
• 2010 Big League Stats: 28 games, 2 HR, 8 RBI, .217 AVG
• 2010 Minor League Stats: .286 AVG, 3 HR and 29 RBIs in 56 games for AAA-Oklahoma City.

The Cubs made another minor roster move that took place last week. Most of you have read this elsewhere by now because it slipped though the cracks and was never posted on this site. Brian Schlitter was claimed by the New York Yankees, leaving the Cubs organization. The right handed pitcher originally came to the Cubs in the Scott Eyre trade with the Phillies in 2008. He had a 12.38 ERA in 7 appearances for the big league team in 2010.

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

Breaking News: Cubs Acquire Matt Garza from Tampa Bay

Update 6:00 CT: The Cubs will also get a PTBNL in the deal.

According to Bruce Levine of ESPN Chicago, the Cubs and Rays have gotten together for an eight player trade! The Cubs received starting pitcher Matt Garza, who is expected to lead the rotation. They will send Chris Archer, Hak-Ju Lee, Brandon Guyer, Robinson Chirinos and Sam Fuld to Tampa Bay. The Cubs will also add two minor leaguers.

Bruce Miles reports that switching hitting outfielder Fernando Perez is in the deal. If this is true, Perez will be added to the 40-man roster.

This deal is not official yet and it is still pending physicals.

I will update this post with more information this afternoon!

Breaking News: Kerry Wood Returns to the Cubs

Update 4:55 PM CT It's official. Right hander Kerry Wood has agreed to a 1 year, $1.5 million deal to come back to the Cubs. Chris De Luca's tweet was the first to announce the official word. More on Woody's return later!

There were rumors going around the web last night that Kerry Wood was close to signing with the White Sox, but those turned out to be false. Now, it looks like Woody is going have an encore stint with the Cubs!

David Kaplan was the first to report this story and it has since been confirmed by Carrie Muskat and Ken Rosenthal. It look like it will be a one-year deal. I will update this post as soon as more information becomes available.

Breaking News: Cubs Sign Carlos Pena

The Cubs have signed first baseman Carlos Pena to a one-year, $10 million year.

To help the payroll in 2011, the team will not pay Pena the final $5 million until January of 2012. Pena was offered multi-year deals elsewhere, but he says Chicago was his preference. He loves the city and thinks the team has a shot to win.

Carlos was irked by plantar fasciitis last season but is supposedly fully recovered. Time shall tell.

Notes on Carlos Pena:

• Bats/Throws: Left
• Position: First Base
• Birthday: May 17
• Age: 32
• Last Season's Number: 23 (that will have to change since it is retired for Ryne Sandberg)
• Previous Teams: Rays ('08-'10), Red Sox ('06), Tigers ('02-'05), A's (2002) and Rangers (2001).
• Drafted: By the Rangers in the first round (10th overall) of the 1998 draft.
• MLB Debut: September 5, 2001
• 2010 Stats: 144 games, .196 AVG, .325 OBP, 28 HR, 84 RBIs
• Career Stats: .244 AVG, .351 OBP, 28 HR, 84 RBIs

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

Breaking News: Mark Riggins Named the Cubs Pitching Coach

Mark Riggins has been named the pitching coach of the Chicago Cubs. Riggins was previously the minor league pitching coordinator. More news and updates from the winter meetings later...

Breaking News: Ron Santo Dead at Age 70

Cubs legend Ron Santo died early this morning due to complications from bladder cancer. Ron was and is not only one of the greatest Cubs of all time, but he was a true hero. Santo was planning on returning the the WGN Radio broadcast booth in 2011.

My deepest condolences go out to the Santo family. This is a tough day for the Cubs organization. This is the tough day for me personally as Ronny was my favorite Cub of all time. I have more than enjoyed listening to him in the booth with Pat Hughes all these years.

I'll be covering this sad news all weekend on the blog, so stay tuned and check back for more.