Weekend Quick Hits: Quade Leads the Pack, Wedge to Seattle, Roster Moves, & More

• Bruce Levine wrote today that the Cubs are getting closer and closer to naming their new manager. He said that Mike Quade is the leading candidate. Levine says that the announcement could come as early as next week prior to the start of the World Series. Major League Baseball does not allow managerial announcements during the Fall Classic.
• Bruce added the Ryne Sandberg is a candidate for the Toronto Blue Jays managerial position.
• Bobby Scales and Blake Parker have been outrighted to Triple-A Iowa, reducing the Cubs 40-man roster to 38.
• Josh Vitters has started for the Mesa Solar Sox twice so far this fall, once at first base and once at third base.
• The Mesa Cubs finished up the Arizona Instructional League with a mark of 7-9-4.
• There was an Internet rumor going around that Mike Quade was set to be named the manager with Ryne Sandberg as his bench coach, but several Chicago media members were quick to shoot down the report.
• Eric Wedge has been named the new manager of the Seattle Mariners, reducing the list of possible Cubs skippers even further. The Sun Times reports that the Tom Ricketts will not lose any sleep over Wedge going elsewhere.
• Gordon Wittenmyer reports that Joe Girardi continues to have interest in the gig.

That's it for now, but if news breaks on the Cubs managerial search we'll let you know!

Coaching Staff Roundup: Rothschild Takes Option, Tram Expected to Move On, & More

Rothschild Exercises Option
Cubs pitching coach Larry Rothschild has picked up his option for the 2011 season. Bruce Levine reports that Larry informed team officials of his decision Monday, which was his last day to do so. This does not mean that Rothschild will definitely return to the club next season, because he could be fired if a new manager comes in and bring in "his guy". Paul Sullivan tweets that if Mike Quade becomes the skipper, Rothschild will return.

Jaramillo Expected to Stay
Rudy Jaramillo is the only Cubs coach in addition to Rothschild who is under contract for the 2011 season. Despite the Cubs offensive struggles in 2010 he is still well respected around baseball. This means that Rudy will most likely be back regardless of who the new manager is.

The Final Four
The Chicago Tribune reports that it appears that Mike Quade, Ryne Sandberg, Eric Wedge, and Bob Melvin are the final four for the Cubs managerial position. Carrie Muskat also lists these four as finalists. Tom Ricketts reportedly would like a guy with a Cubs background, which would indicate that Q and Ryno could have an edge, but Tom has met with Wedge. Levine expects the new skipper to be announced soon.

Bench Coach
Bruce Levine mentioned during his chat earlier in the week that the Cubs do not see Alan Trammell as a big league manager. He added that Alan will most likely be "moving on". If Ryne Sandberg is named the manager, Tram could be replaced by ex-Cub Larry Bowa.

Rest of the Staff
The Tribune points out that the rest of the Cubs coaching staff could easily stay intact if Mike Quade is named the manager. This would create less of a transition period. Bringing in a skipper that has already been around for three years and keeping the rest of the coaches could help the Cubs gel faster in 2011.

Random Quick Hits

• Cubs pitcher Angel Guzman started playing catch this week in Mesa according to a report from Carrie Muskat. Guzman missed the entire 2010 season.
• The Mesa Solar Sox posted an 8-3 win yesterday but no Cubs prospects saw action. They will have the home opener tonight with Jake Muyco, David Cales, Chris Carpenter, and Kyle Smit all scheduled to pitch. Josh Vitters, rehabbing his broken hand, may see the field tonight.
• Chris Archer fanned ten over six shutout inning yesterday in Team USA's 4-1 win over Cubs in the Pan American Games Qualifying Tournament.

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

Catching Up Quick Hits: Wedge Interviews, Silva Rehabs, Girardi Speaks, and More

First of all, I apologize for the hiatus the last few days. It's been a wild week and no posts have made it up onto the blog. We should be back to posting everyday, or every-other-day at the least!

Let's catch up on all the latest Cubbies news and notes:

• Carlos Silva made a rehab start for the Peoria Chiefs last night. He went 2.2 shutout innings and is expected to make one more rehab before returning to the Cubs rotation.
• Tyler Colvin is still taking ground balls at first base, but the Cubs are not going to rush him into game action at his new position.
• Carlos Zambrano flew home to Venezuela to be with his nephew during an illness. He will rejoin the team this weekend and is scheduled to start against the Pirates on Monday.
• Lefty Scott Maine was called up from AAA-Iowa on Tuesday night and made his big league debut on Friday against the Reds. He is the 10th Cubs rookie to break into the bigs this season.
• Justin Berg was optioned back to Triple-A but should be back in the 'pen when rosters expand this coming week.
• Jim Hendry has started the interviewing process to find the next Cubs manager. According to Paul Sullivan, Eric Wedge has received the first known interview for the Cubs job.
• Joe Girardi, who is in town for the White Sox/Yankees series, met with the Chicago media before the game last night. Girardi says that he is focused on the Yankees and winning this year. He is not worried about his contract situation or coming to the Cubs at this point.
• Happy 67th birthday to former Cubs manager Lou Piniella and a happy 28th to tonight's Cubs starter Randy Wells!
• Ken Rosenthal reports that the Dodgers placed Ted Lilly on waivers yesterday, but Jayson Starks says a trade is unlikely.
• Gordon Wittenmyer has sources that tell him that Girardi would be a candidate, possibly a leading candidate, to land the Cubs job if he is available.
• Jon Heyman gave his take on the opening. He says that many feel it will be Ryne Sandberg, Mike Quade is a long shot, and Girardi is listed as the second most likely guy. Tony LaRussa and Bobby Valentine could also be in the mix according to Heyman.

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