Weekend Quick Hits: Conflicting Reports on Castillo, A Plaque for Santo, Barney Pulling Away & More

• Bruce Miles reports that the Cubs will not go after Luis Castillo, who was recently released by the Mets.
• Miles is hoping that the Cubs throw Andrew Cashner into the rotation and cut Carlos Silva.
• Augie Ojeda has not been able to play due to back spasms. Darwin Barney has emerged as the favorite to take the final infield spot.
• According to Carrie Muskat, Todd Wellemyer has been out of the spring rotation because of a sore right hip.
• Casey Coleman has been sent over to Fitch Park to get some innings in.
• Here is a picture of the new Ron Santo plaque at HoHoKam Park.
• MLB Trade Rumors, citing ESPN Deportes as their source, says that the Cubs are interested in Castillo.
• Bruce Levine thinks that the decision on the final two spots in the rotation could be made as soon as Monday or Tuesday.
• The Sun Times reports that Reed Johnson is pulling away from Fernando Perez for the final outfield spot and Barney has the final infield spot all but wrapped up.

My final four picks: Florida, Duke, Ohio State and Kansas.

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

Spring Training Preview: Position Battles

Second Base
Second base is one position on the diamond where they Cubs have some flexibility. They are not locked down with a big contract, so if someone at the minor league level gets hot they could find themselves starting in the bigs. Last year, Blake DeWitt came over in the Ryan Theriot trade and took his spot in the middle infield. DeWitt hit .250 in 53 games with the Cubs and .261 for the season. Jeff Baker, a left handed hitter, will compete against DeWitt in Spring Training, but a platoon situation is the most likely. Baker hit .272 in 2010 but is not quite the all-around player that Blake is. Youngster Darwin Barney (.241 in 30 games) and non-roster man Augie Ojeda (.190 in 59 games) could also be in the mix, but will most likely battle for a spot on the roster, not in the starting lineup.

Lead-off Man
Some of the same candidates for the second base position are possibilities for the top spot in the lineup. Once Mike Quade took over in August, Blake DeWitt saw a lot of time there. Q has said that Kosuke Fukudome is probably the guy that makes the most sense there when he is in the lineup. There has been some speculation about Starlin Castro moving up a spot, but most likely he'll stay second. There have been reports out of Mesa that Marlon Byrd is also in the mix. Chances are, there will be no set lead-off man, giving Quade a chance to tweak the lineup and find out what works.

Right Field
Another battle where we may not see a winner declared at the end of camp. Kosuke has more experience, the bigger contract and the better glove. Tyler Colvin's numbers were far better than his Japanese teammate in 2010. Colvin has more power, puts the ball in play more and hits for a better average. Kosuke is known for his hot starts, so he may see the bulk of the time in right to start the season. If he experiences his usual June swoon, Kosuke will become the fourth outfielder and Colvin will start.

Fifth Outfielder
There are a lot of names in the mix, but it looks like it will come down to Reed Johnson and Fernando Perez. For the first time in years, the Cubs can carry five outfielders because they don't have a pinch hitting specialist like Daryle Ward or Micah Hoffpauir to take up a roster spot. Perez, who came over in the Matt Garza trade with Tampa Bay, has great speed but is trying to come back from an injury. Reed Johnson's number at the plate declined in 2010 with the Dodgers, but he is a clubhouse leader and a fan favorite. If Johnson does not beat out Perez, he will be released. Perez still has an option remaining so he could be sent to Iowa, which could be the deciding factor in this battle.

My Take: I would lead-off with DeWitt and Kosuke depending on who is in the lineup, platoon Barney, DeWitt and Baker at second base, start Colvin in right every day and give Reed the nod as the fifth outfielder.

Tomorrow I will preview the battles on the pitching staff.

Radio Recaps: Perez and Quade on Sports Central

Update: Robert Coello traded to the Cubs. More info at bottom of post.

Cubs outfielder Fernando Perez joined Judd Sirott and Glen Kozlowski on Sports Central this past weekend:

• Perez had to learn how to simulate baseball in some very odd environments playing baseball at Columbia.
• He got kicked out of the gym at one time in college for PE tennis. Fernando was trying to get some extra hitting in just before the draft.
• "Garza was the throw in," Perez said (referring to his trade to the Cubs).
• When Fernando called Matt to talk to him about the trade, Garza had no idea that he was included.
• He is excited to train in Arizona for the first time. He hears that it is a big upgrade over Florida.
• Perez was excited to meet Carlos Zambrano. He is a huge Zambrano fan and his entire family loves Alfonso Soriano. Perez wore 12 for Sori for a year in college.
• He met most of the guys at the convention very briefly.
• Fernando does not have a lot of autographs, but at some point he may ask for Alfonso's.
• Perez does not plan on singing during Cubs Idol.
• Carlos Pena is very kid friendly. He is a guy "you really, really root for."
• Having two teammates come with him will help ease the transition. He is looking forward to meeting a bunch of new teammates this spring.

Mike Quade joined Koz and Memolo on Sunday to preview Spring Training:

• Quade is hoping for more of what he got for his team the last two months of 2010.
• Mike's job is to continue to build respect for himself as a manager and make his expectations clear to his players.
• He does not care whether or not there is a huge following at the start of Spring Training. He is fine with things being more quiet around the team, but he is not sure if it helps or not.
• Q thinks that this team has a lot of improvement to make before the start of the season.
• Mike thinks that chemistry matters. The Cubs have added two good people in Pena and Garza.
• He called Perez "a sleeper" who he is excited to see play.
• Fernando is a bright kid, and Mike would like to think he is a hungry kid. Koz is pulling for this kid to make the team out of Spring Training.
• Guys who can have success in a division like the American League East should be able to handle the atmosphere of Wrigley Field.
• Quade has not idea where players will hit in the batting order at this point. Mike is not sure how many at-bats Tyler Colvin will get this season.
• He is expecting big things from Colvin this season. He would like to see improvement on his solid 2010 season.
• The Cubs are going to give Tyler some time at first base so that they have a backup when Pena needs a day off.
• If this team is going to have success, it will have to pitch well. Garza, Dempster and Z all need to have really good years. Those three guys are going to anchor the rotation.
• The Cubs need Aramis Ramirez to flat out hit.

Update 5:00 pm

Add another name to the competition for spots in the Cubs bullpen. The Boston Red Sox have traded right handed reliever Robert Coello to the Cubs. In return, minor league infielder Tony Thomas is sent the other way. Coello made his big league debut last season, pitching in only six games. He will be added to the 40-man roster, which will stand at 39.

January Cubs Updated Roster Predictions

Everyone winter, I predict who will make the Cubs Opening Day roster and update it about once a month as the offseason moves along. With the Cubs latest moves, here is the third update this winter. Changes from the last post, which was in mid-December, are in italics.

Starting Rotation
1. Ryan Dempster
2. Carlos Zambrano
3. Matt Garza
4. Andrew Cashner
5. Randy Wells

Others in the Rotation Mix in Spring Training
Casey Coleman
Jeff Samardzija
Andrew Cashner
Carlos Silva (moved out of rotation with recent moves)

Bullpen
Closer- Carlos Marmol
LH Setup Man- Sean Marshall
RH Setup Man- Kerry Wood (Move Cashner to rotation)
LH Middle Relief- John Grabow
RH Middle Relief- Jeff Samardzija
Long Relief- Casey Coleman
Long Relief-James Russell (with Gorzo being traded, he has a better shot)

Others in the Bullpen Mix in Spring Training
Justing Berg
Thomas Diamond
Scott Maine
John Gaub
Esmalin Caridad
Angel Guzman
Silva

Starting Position Players
Catcher- Geovany Soto
1B- Carlos Pena
2B- Blake DeWitt
SS- Starlin Castro
3B- Aramis Ramirez
LF- Alfonso Soriano
CF- Marlon Byrd
RF- Tyler Colvin

Bench
Koyie Hill
Jeff Baker
Darwin Barney
Reed Johnson (Replacing Sam Fuld, will have to compete with Perez)
Kosuke

Others in the Mix
Welington Castillo
Scott Moore
Bryan LaHair
Fernando Perez

Thoughts?

More on the Garza Trade

The Cubs and Rays have finalized their eight player swap centered around starting pitcher Matt Garza. In addition to Garza, the Cubs have acquired Fernando Perez and Zachary Rosscup. The third player was originally thought to be a PTBNL, but Rosscup's inclusion in the deal surfaced today.

The Cubs send away five talented young players in Robinson Chirinos, Chris Archer, Brandon Guyer, Sam Fuld and Hak-Ju Lee. Here is more information on each of the three players the Cubs received in the deal. I'll write more about what they gave up in the next day or two.

Matt Garza

• Position: Pitcher
• B/T: Right
• Height/Weight: 6'4'', 215 lbs
• Age: 27
• Birthday: Nov. 11
• Teams: Twins ('06-'07) and Rays ('08-'10)
• 2010 Stats: 15-10, 3.91 ERA, 32 starts, 1 save, 204.2 IP, 150 K
• Career Stats: 42-44, 3.97 ERA
• Awards: 2008 ALCS MVP
• MLB Debut: August 11, 2006
• Drafted: by the Twins in the first round (25th overall) in 2005
• Postseason: 2-1, 3.48 ERA, 5 games

Fernando Perez

• Position: Outfield
• B/T: Switch/Right
• Height/Weight: 6'1'', 195 lbs
• Age: 27
• Birthday: April 23
• Big League Career Stats: .234 AVG, 3 HR, 10 RBI in 41 games during the '08 and '09 seasons
• Injuries: Missed most of 2009 with a dislocated left wrist. Bothered by wrist during 2010, playing just 116 Triple-A games.
• 2010 stats at AAA-Durham: .223 AVG, .280 OBP, 4 HR, 32 RBIs in 116 games
• Drafted: by the Rays in the 7th round of the '04 draft
• MLB Debut: Sept. 5, 2008

Zachary Rosscup

• Position: Pitcher
• B/T: Right/Left
• Height/Weight: 6'2'', 205 lbs
• Age: 22
• Birthday: June 9
• Highest Level: Class-A
• 2010 Stats: 3-1 with a 2.64 ERA in 12 games (8 starts) at Rookie Ball and Class A.
• Career Stats: 6-5 with a 2.66 ERA in 22 games (17 starts)
• Drafted: By the Rays in the 28th round of the 2009 draft
• Carrie Muskat of Cubs.com says that Rosscup could pitch in the bullpen for the Peoria Chiefs in 2011.

That's it for now, expect a post with radio/TV reaction tomorrow and another one early next week with information on the player whom the Cubs gave up!

Rumor Roundup: Cubs Still Have a Lot of Work to Do

The Chicago Cubs have a lot of holes and needs right now. Jim Hendry, who has done nothing except dump Aaron Miles, Aaron Heilman, Jake Fox, and Milton Bradley this offseason, needs to get to work. Maybe Jim learned a lesson when he over-payed for guys early in the winter last year, but he cannot wait too long as he has already lost out on many of his targets. The Chicago Cubs need to have an active next month and a half, because right now there are still many areas that need improvement and added depth. Earlier I updated my projected Cub Opening Day roster. Tonight, let's go through some of the areas the Cubs need help, and take a look at the latest rumors...

Outfield
Right now, the 40-man roster consists of 5 outfielders: Alfonso Soriano, Sam Fuld, James Adducci, Tyler Colvin, and Kosuke. You can forget Adducci, Colvin showed some promise but will likely start the year at AAA, and Fuld is a 4th outfielder at best. Soriano and Fukudome have shown inconsistency and injuries over the past few seasons, so you cannot count on them to start each and everyday for you. Most likely, both of them will either suffer an injury or go through a slump at some point in 2010. So the point is, the Cubs need to add outfielders (note the plural). Phil Rodgers says that the "Cubs aren't blown away by any of the outfielders on the free agent market." He speculated that Fernando Perez, a speedy Rays outfielder who is recovering from shoulder surgery, "would be an interesting gamble". Perez would cost the Cubs a top prospects according to NBC Sports. Marlon Byrd, Rick Ankiel, and Scott Podsednik remain options according to Rodgers. Reed Johnson could still resign with the Cubs. Carrie Muskat has told us that the Cubs like the way he plays, but are concerned about his ability to stay healthy. Last week I had a numbers breakdown that compared Johnson with other Cub outfield candidates. The other new and interesting Cub outfield rumor comes from Bruce Levine. Mr. Chicago Baseball says the Cubs have had talks with the Rockies about a trade that would bring Ryan Spilborghs to Chicago to replace Reed as the 4th outfielder. Spilborghs has good defense and plays all 3 outfield positions. In an article separate from the one where he wrote about Perez, Phil Rodgers (who is sometimes accused of making up rumors himself) reports that the Cubs would "immediately make an effort to land Jacoby Ellsbury" to fill their center field/leadoff hole if the Red Sox end up with Holliday or Bay. Rodgers goes on to say that this scenario helps explain why the Cubs have been so patient in studying their outfield options. Ellsbury would cost the Cubs a major prospect package. Phil listed Josh Vitters, Hak-Ju Lee, Andrew Cashner, and Jay Jackson as guys that could be included. The Cubs are also rumored to have interest in Johnny Damon. Dave O'Brien reports that Melky Cabrera (who was acquired from the Yankees last week) could be used as a trade chip. Jon Heyman tweets that if the Braves consider trading him, they should contact the Cubs, who'd love him for center field. In addition, David DeJesus could be an option. The Cubs have spoken to the Royals about DeJesus. Levine reiterated that Byrd and Podsednik remain 1-2 on the outfield list.

Pitching Depth
Sure, the Cubs have Carlos Zambrano, Randy Wells, Ted Lilly, and Ryan Dempster all returning, but with Harden gone via free agency and Lilly starting the season on the DL, there are two spots open in the rotation to start the year going into Spring Training. I'd like to see more than one good year out of Wells before you can count on him, and Big Z is never a sure thing. Although overal the rotation is solid, the bullpen is not. Carlos Marmol is the closer, he had good stuff but his control is a question mark. John Grabow and Angel Guzman are the only other guys that you know will be in the pen right now, and after that there's four question marks. So for two rotation spots and four bullpen spots we have Carlos Silva, Mike Parisi, David Patton, Jeff Samardzija, Tom Gorzelanny, John Gaub, Esmalin Caridad, Mitch Atkins, Jeff Stevens, Sean Marshall, Justin Berg, and Arismendy Mota all in the mix in Spring Training. On problem: will hese guys pitch well? The big Cub rumor on the pitching side going around today was that the Cubs have had talks with Jose Contreras' agent about the possibility of the former White Sox hurler to pitch for the Cubbies in 2010. The veteran right hander would "bring a certain amount of protection for the team, considering the unknown status of rehabbing lefty Ted Lilly" according to ESPNChicago.com. Contreras could be in the rotation until Lilly returns and then would be moved to the bullpen. Kiko Calero is also still on the Cubs' radar for the bullpen. The Cubs had to move on to other options for the bullpen after they lost out on former Pirates closer Matt Capps who signed with the Washington Nationals just before Christmas. The other Cub pitching rumor is that Carlos Zambrano could be available. Jon Heyman tweeted tonight that the Yankees "definitely had talked to the Cubs about Zambrano, who appears eminently available." Big Z has a no-trade clause, and right now it doesn't seem like it would make sense for the Cubs to trade him unless they get an ace pitcher back. Some rehab guys like Ben Sheets are on the Cubs radar. The Cubs are talking with Ben Sheets. Carlos Silva could also be a major factor in the rotation.

Middle Infield
Not a lot of rumors related to the Cubs middle infield to report. Carrie Muskat told us a few days back that the Cubs are fine with going into the year with Andres Blanco, Jeff Baker, and Mike Fontenot as the second baseman. We've heard a lot about Starlin Castro this winter. Castro could be ready for the big leagues at some point in 2010. At the start of the year, Theriot is expected to be the short stop. Former Cub infielder Mark DeRosa is close to signing a 2 year $12 million deal with San Fransisco. Felipe Lopez, Orlando Hudson, and Kelly Johnson are among the free agent middle infielders that make sense for the Cubs. Orlando Cabrera could be an option if the Cubs are willing to move Theriot to second.

The Cubs are also in need of a solid pinch hitter.

Well that's it for tonight, lots of great stuff to come in the next few days!