Catching Up Quick Hits: Rotation Switch, Sori Resting, Injury Updates and More

• Casey Coleman will make his first big league start in on Wednesday. He will take Thomas Diamond spot in the rotation. Diamond will switch roles with Coleman and head to the bullpen.
• Alfonso Soriano was out of the lineup for two games this weekend, but he just go two days off because of the heat. He returned on Monday night.
• Darwin Barney got his first career hit on Monday, a double in his first at bat at Wrigley.
• Barney was starting at shortstop in place of Starlin Castro, who got a much needed day of race after playing three games in the heat in St. Louis.
• Ron Santo returned to the broadcast booth Monday night. He missed the last road trip to rest up, but says he plans on going on the next road trip. The Cubs visit Washington D.C. and Cincinnati next week.
• Derrek Lee is out with a bulging disc in his back. He left Sunday's finale against the Cardinals after he had already launched two home runs on the day. D-Lee was heating up with four bombs in the three game set. He is expected to return on Thursday.
• Geovany Soto is expected to take batting practice tomorrow. He could return from the DL as soon as next Sunday.
• Carlos Silva is expected to begin a minor league rehab program soon.
• Oneri Fleita joined WGN Radio's David Kaplan on Monday. He said that Chris Archer, Brett Jackson, and Josh Vitters will all be in the Arizona Fall League in Mesa this October. Vitters, who is rehabbing from a broken hand, will see time at first base and third base.
• Bruce Levine reports that Padres bench coach Ted Simmons is interested in the Cubs managerial opening. The search for a new manager could go all the way up to the team's organizational meetings in November.

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

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.

Cubs 2010 First Year Player Draft Preview

Coverage & Times
Tonight the 2010 Major League Baseball first year player draft will get underway at 7:00pm CT. The first round will take place tonight televised on the MLB Network. The draft will resume tomorrow at 11am and finish on Wednesday.

This year, the Cubs have the 16th overall pick, which is the highest they've picked in the first round since 2007. All week I will provide you with full reports and updates on the draft on www.twitter.com/cubsfarmupdates!

Recent Top Picks
Here is the list of the Cubs' first round selections from the last ten years and where they are now!

2000: Luis Montanez (SS, #3 overall pick)- finally broke into the big leagues with Baltimore in 2008. He never panned out in his seven seasons in the Cubs' organization. Left the Cubs as a minor league free agent after the 2006 season.

2001: Mark Prior (P, #2 overall pick)- I don't think I need to update you on him. Prior was a good pitcher before all the injuries. Mark hasn't pitched in a big league game since 2006 despite several tries to come back in the Padres organization.

2002: Bobby Brownlie (P, 21st overall pick)- Has a career ERA over four in seven pro seasons. Brownlie pitched in the Cubs' organization until 2007, when he signed a minor league contract with the Nationals. Last season he pitched in 14 games with the Braves' AAA team and 11 Independent League games for Newark.

2003: Ryan Harvey (CF, 6th overall)- Now Harvey's playing in the Rockies organization. He hit .246 for AA-Tulsa last year. The Cubs finally gave up on him after the 2008 season.

2004: The Cubs did not have a first round pick, so their first selection was Grant Johnson, a pitcher out of Notre Dame, who was the 66th overall pick.

2005: Mark Pawelek (LHP, 20th overall)- left the organization at the end of the 2008 season. Currently, he's pitching in the Reds' chain.

2006: Tyler Colvin (OF, 13th overall)- Colvin became the first Cubs' top draft choice since Mark Prior to play in the bigs with the Cubs when he made his debut last September. So far Tyler is having a great season as the Cubs' extra outfielder.

2007: Josh Vitters (3B, 3rd overall)- Vitters was recently promoted to Double-A Tennessee,where he is hitting just .219 in 23 games. Josh is still adjusting to the pitching after his call-up from the Florida State League.

2008- Andrew Cashner (RHP, 19th overall)- Just got called up from AAA to join the Chicago bullpen. He made his big league debut last Monday against the Pirates. So far Cashner has not allowed a run in 3 innings of work.

2009- Brett Jackson (OF, 31st overall)- Enjoying a great season at Class-A Daytona, where he's hitting .274 with a .394 OBP.

What Are They Looking For?
As you can see, the Cubs have started to do a lot better in the department of drafting and developing young players over the last four years. Tim Wilken is reportedly focused on drafting the best athletes that are available. The Cubs are expected to look for some pitching depth. They also will look at the high school crowd a lot this year.

Prediction Time
Most experts think the Cubs will use their first round draft choice on a pitcher. Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com predicts that the Cubs will take RHP Asher Wojciechowski from The Citadel. Wojciechowski, who most writers think will make a big league reliever, is also the guy that www.mymlbdraft.com expects the Cubs to take. Baseball America thinks the Cubs will pick Karsten Whiteson out of Chipley High School in Florida. Whiteson has a lively fastball to go along with his nasty slider and solid change-up.

Rounds 2-50 will have coverage only on MLB.com, starting Tuesday at 11 (Rounds 2-30) and continuing Wednesday (Rounds 31-50).

I'll will have full coverage of the draft all week right here on Everything Cubs Blog!

Down on the Farm: Who's Hot, Who's Not?

With the struggles of the Chicago Cubs, looking to the future is always fun. Today, let us see how the Cubs' prospects are fairing so far this season.

AAA-Iowa (18-18)

Who's Hot?

• Chad Tracy: Since being sent down, Tracy is hitting .586 in 7 games. The I-Cubs are 6-0 in games that Chad starts. He has 8 RBIs.
• Matt Camp: This utility man leads the team among guys with 100 or more ABs with a .322 average. He is a good contact hitter (33 of 39 hits are singles, the rest doubles).
• Brad Snyder: Brad's an outfielder with 5 homers and 26 RBIs. In addition to his power, Snyder has an OBP of .299 in 33 games.
• Blake Parker: 1-1 with an ERA of just 1.10 in 12 games out of the Iowa bullpen. He could see time in the Cubs' pen before the end of the year.
• Andrew Cashner: Went 6 innings and allowed just 1 run in his first AAA start after being called up from Tennessee.
• Mitch Atkins: 3-1 with a 2.16 ERA in 10 games (2 starts). He has joined the rotation and is pitching very well.

Who's Not?

• Micah Hoffpauir: Hitting just .195 in 34 games. Hoffpauir has been scuffling at AAA and has really gone steadily downhill in the past 12 months. He may never see the Wrigley Field diamond again.
• Welington Castillo: With an average of just .239, Castillo is starting to show some signs of improvement. His defense has remained consistent even with his struggles at the plate.
• J.R. Mathes: 3-4 with a 5.52 ERA in 8 starts. The lefty posted 12 wins for Iowa last season.

AA-Tennessee (22-14)

Who's Hot?

• Steve Clevenger: The catcher had a great week at the plate. He is now hitting .360 in 21 games, which ranks first among Smokies on the active roster. Clevenger is fighting to earn some playing time in an organization that is filled with young catchers.
• Josh Vitters: .333 average since being bumped up to AA. Three of his 7 hits are extra base knocks.
• Austin Bibens-Dirkx: Has been the ace of the Tennessee rotation so far this season. After a great season at Peoria last year, the adjustment period has gone swiftly. Bibens-Dirkx is 1-1 with a 2.19 ERA in 7 starts.
• Matt Spencer: Since coming off the DL, Spencer has hit .340 in 16 games. Matt, a product of the Jake Fox/Aaron Miles trade, already has 3 homers and 12 runs batted in.

Who's Not?

• Ryan Flaherty: Hit just .183 in 23 games before finally being sent down to Daytona.
• Marwin Gonzalez: Has gotten off to a slow start at the dish since being called up to take Castro's place a short. Gonzalez has a .167 average in 8 games.
• Jeff Muyco: Muyco, who made a few appearances as a call-up at HoHoKam Park this spring, has an ERA over seven. He has notched 5 saves in 15 games out of the Smokies bullpen, but he will be given less and less save chances because of his beefy ERA.
• Alex Maestri: The ex-World Baseball Classic player has a 6.20 ERA in 14 relief appearances. The Tennessee bullpen has not been that effective this season.

We'll have a "Who's Hot, Who's Not" for the Class A clubs (Daytona and Peoria) later in the week.

Starlin Castro Called up to the Big Leagues

Starlin Castro is now a Chicago Cub. The story was first reported via twitter this morning, and now it is official. Castro is the Cubs' top prospect in the organization. The 20-year hold short stop was hitting .376 with 20 RBIs at AA-Tennessee this year. He will make the jump from double-A to the big leagues without making a pit stop in Iowa.

Ryan Theriot will shift to second base so that Castro can take over everyday duties at short. Both middle infielders were working on the field in Cincinnati today at 2:00 with coaches Alan Trammell and Ivan DeJesus.

To make room for Castro on the roster, the Cubs sent Chad Tracy to AAA-Iowa. Chad had been struggling in his pinch hitting and backup role. Jeff Baker and Mike Fontenot are effected by this move as well, because both will see less playing time.

Starlin will become the youngest Cubs short stop ever and the youngest player to make his Cubs debut since Oscar Game (19 years, 250 days) in 1969. Castro is in the starting lineup for tonight's game. Here's the rest of the starting 9:

1. Ryan Theriot, 2B
2. Kosuke, RF
3. Derrek Lee, 1B
4. Marlon Byrd, CF
5. Aramis Ramirez, 3B
6. Alfonso Soriano, LF
7. Geovany Soto, C
8. Starlin Castro, SS
9. Carlos Silva, P

The Castro callup lead to a string of roster moves in the Cubs' organization:

• Andrew Cashner promoted to AAA-Iowa.
• Josh Vitters promoted to AA-Tennessee.
• Marwin Gonzalez promoted to AA-Tennessee.
• Mike Parisi optioned to AA-Tennessee.
• Ryan Flaherty optioned to Class-A Daytona.

Our new short stop will sport jersey number 13. The last Cub to wear that "unlucky" number was Andres Blanco last season. Before that, it was last seen on Nefi Perez's back in 2006.

If nothing else, this gives Cubs' fans a reason to tune in! I'll keep you posted.

4 Games in 2 Days for the Cubbies

It's a busy weekend for the Chicago Cubs with a total of 5 games, one each day that is on TV. Yesterday the Cubs took on the Brewers in Maryvale while the other half of the team played in Las Vegas against the White Sox. Today, the Cubs have two more game, which we'll preview later in the post.

Brewers 12, Cubs 3
Yesterday it was almost like a day-night double-header since the first game, which started at 2:00 CT, was available for listening on MLB.com and the second game, starting at 9, was on TV. It was a great day of baseball to see a lot of guys in the organization. In game 1, Jeff Samardzija took the hill against Milwaukee in Maryvale. He struggled through 2 innings, giving up 2 longs balls and a total of 4 ER on 5 hits and a walk. One of the homers the Shark allowed was to former Cub Jim Edmonds, who's with the Brewers on a NRI.

Marcos Mateo's wildness cost the Cubs in the 5th when he gave up 5 ER, 5 BB, and 2 H. Mateo, who's the brother of former Cub Juan Mateo, still has an outside chance of making the team as a reliever, but he'll have to bear down the rest of the way. Rafael Dolis got his first appearance of the spring and surrendered 2 ER in 1.1 IP.

Most of the Cubs also had bad days at the plate. Starlin Castro went 0-3, Alfonso Soriano 0-1, Bobby Scales 0-2, and Koyie Hill 1-2. The most concerning story of the day was that Derrek Lee was scratched from Lou Piniella's lineup just before the start of the game. Lee has a bruise on his foot after fouling a ball off it Thursday. He could be back in the lineup today. Brian LaHair, who took Lee's place, went 0-4.

There were some positives in the Cubs' blowout loss at the hands of their division rivals. Tyler Colvin went 2-3, which actually lowered his beastly average to .556. Colvin had a triple against Doug Davis. Aramis Ramirez ripped an RBI double. James Aducci also had a 2-bagger, one of two hits for the young outfielder on the day. John Grabow allowed 2 hits in his inning and an error lead to an unearned run. Grabow didn't look bad and was able to get out of it with minimal damage. James Russell, who's hoping to catch the eye of Lou and his staff, still has an ERA of 0.00 after working around 2 hits and a walk today in 1.2 innings.

Because of the Split Squads, there were a number of guys from the minor league camp that got the chance to dress for the major league games. Jeremy Papelbon faced 2 men, one singled but the other was retired. Second baseman Logan Watkins singled in his only AB. Blake Lalli, Junior Lake, Nelson Perez, Smaily Borgues (who?), and Brandon Guyer all also got into the game. All of them recorded outs in their only ABs.

Cubs 6, White Sox 5
Last night the rest of the Cubs team took the field against the White Sox in Las Vegas at Cashman Field, which is the home of the Pacific Coast League's LV 51s. Tom Gorzelanny, another guy competing for a spot in the rotation, took the mound. Despite one bad inning, Gorzo out-pitched Samardzija by far yesterday. He pitched 3 innings and did not allow a hit, but 3 second inning walks and a wild pitch accounted for a White Sox run against him. Allan Trammell (acting manager) and Lester Strode (acting pitching coach) couldn't have been happy watching 3 straight walks and a wild one, but overall Tom pitched well. Ryan Theriot reached base 3 times out of the leadoff spot with a single and pair of walks. Kosuke was 0-2 but walked twice. Kevin Millar, who was the cleanup hitter, also went 0-2 with 2 walks. He was gunned downed trying to score on a tag play to end the first inning. The Cubs did score 2 runs in the frame before it was ended on the play at the plate.

Geovany Soto and Mike Fontenot also had big games. Fontenot went 3-4 with 2 RBIs, while Geo was 2-3 with a walk. Thomas Diamond allowed only 1 baserunner in his two scoreless innings of work to keep his ERA at 0.00. Sam Fuld has not hit well in Spring Training yet. He dropped a couple of almost-nice plays in foul territory to go along with his 0-5 day at the plate. Fuld's average dipped to .143. Jeff Baker got his first hit of the Cactus League, going 1-4 with an RBI. Xavier Nady (0-3) struck out twice.

After Diamond, the ball was turned over to some minor league hurlers. The Cubs had a 4-0 lead after 5, but that evaporate quickly when Jay Jackson gave up 3 ER in 0.2 IP. Mitch Atkins would come in to get out of that inning, but not before he allowed a base hit that brought in 2 of the runs that were charged to Jackson. The Cubs' bats went back to work in the top of the 7th, scoring 3 more runs. Hung-Wen Chen put a zero on the board in inning number 7. Brian Schlitter, a righty whom the Cubs acquired in the Scott Eyre deal several years back, allowed a run in the 8th to make it 6-5. Blake Parker walked 2 in the 9th to make it interesting, but he was able to get out of it to notch the save.

The only extra base hit for the Cubs was a triple by Josh Vitters, part of the 7th inning rally, that plated 2. DJ LeMahieu, the second round pick from '09, singled in his only trip to the plate.

Today's Games
Today, the Cubs have another split squad. In Las Vegas, they will look for the 2 game sweep of the White Sox at 3:05 CT. Ryan Dempster will pitch against Lucas Harrell. Sean Marshall will make his first start of the spring when the Cubs face the Reds, who are the newest members of the Cactus League, in Mesa. Marshall has pitched better than any of the other 3 rotation options at this point, so we'll see if he can keep it up. Today's game in Mesa is at 2:05 CT, but after the time change here tonight all the rest of the Spring Training games will start at 3:05 central. The game in Vegas will be on CSN with White Sox announcers, while the game against the Reds is available on MLB.com's Gameday Audio package.

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

Spring Training Preview: Non Roster Infielders

Darwin Barney

• Short Stop
• B/T: Right
• Drafted by the Cubs in the 4th round of the June 2007 draft
• Ranked as "Best Baseball IQ" and "Best Competitiveness" (tie) in the organization by Vineline
• Hit .293 with 3 homers and 49 RBIs over 137 games split between AA Tennessee and AAA Iowa in 2009
• My Prediction: Will start the year at AAA

Starlin Castro

• Short Stop
• B/T: Right
• Not drafted
• Rated top prospect in the organization by Jim Callis of Baseball America
• Rated "Best Competitiveness" (tie) in the organizaton by Vineline
• Rated Best range and best arm strength in the organization by a short stop
• Good contact hitter, hits well in the clutch
• Best defensive infielder in the system according to Baseball America
• Is the first player born in the 1990s to be invited to Cubs Spring Training; could become the first Cub born in the '90s to play in a big league game
• Played for the "World" team in the 2009 futures game (part of MLB All Star Week)
• Hit .299 over 127 games between Class A Daytona and AA Tennessee in 2009
• Hit .376 in 26 Arizona Fall League games for the Mesa Solar Sox this offseason
• Hit just .182 in 8 VWL games this offseason
• My prediction: Will start the year at AAA

Blake Lalli

• First baseman
• B/T: L/R
• Not drafted
• Has been in the organization since 2006
• Hit .314 in 118 games for AA Tennessee in 2009
• Hit .292 in 7 VWL games this winter
• My prediction: Will start the year at AAA

Kevin Millar

• First baseman
• B/T: Right
• Signed to a minor league contract with the Cubs earlier this month
• More info on him in from my Feb. 1 post
• Great clubhouse guy
• Won a World Series ring in 2004 with Boston
• My Prediction: Will make the big league roster and serve a bench role on the Cubs

Chad Tracy

• 3B/1B/OF
• B/T: Left/Right
• Signed a minor league contract with the Cubs late last month
• Will look to earn a spot on the club in Spring Training
• Click here for more info from my Jan. 27 post
• My Prediction: Will be released by the Cubs before the start of the season

Josh Vitters

• Third baseman
• B/T: Right
• Drafted by the Cubs in the first round (3rd overall) of the 2007 June draft
• Rated #3 prospect in the organization by Jim Callis of Baseball America
• Puts the ball in play a lot
• Hit .284 over 120 games split between High A Daytona and Class A Peoria
• Hit .353 in 16 Arizona Fall League games this offseason
• My prediction: Will start the year at AA

Tomorrow I'll have a full roundup on all the latest on the Cubs!

Mid-Winter Down on the Farm Report

Lots of Cubs news this week, but let's take a day to check in with what the future holds. This will be our first "Down on the Farm" report of 2010! The Cubs have a strong minor league organization, so we start with some rankings.

Top 11 Cubs Prospects
Kevin Goldstein of Baseball Prospectus ranked the top 11 minor league players in the Chicago Cubs organization. Here is the link to his article, and here is the list, which includes Kevin's "four more", so really there is the top 15:
1. Josh Vitters, 3B: 5 stars
2. Starlin Castro, SS: 5 stars
3. Hak-Ju Lee, SS: 4 stars
4. Brett Jackson, CF: 4 stars
5. Andrew Cashner, RHP: 3 stars
6. Jay Jackson, RHP: 3 stars
7. Chris Carpenter, RHP: 3 stars
8. Chris Archer, RHP: 3 stars
9. Kyler Burke, OF: 3 stars
10. Ryan Flaherty, INF: 3 stars
11. John Gaub, LHP: 3 stars

4 More...
12. Chris Huseby, RHP
13. Logan Watkins, INF
14. Dae-Eun Rhee, LHP
15. Darwin Barney, SS

Vineline's Ranks
Each year, Vineline, the official monthly magazine of the Chicago Cubs, ranks the best Cubs prospects. The full list of "50 names from the farm" will be in the February issue, but we got a nice preview at last week's Cubs Convention.

Best Command: Casey Coleman
Best Poise/Make up: Hung-Wen Chen
Best Athleticism: Jay Jackson
Best Mechanics: Andrew Cashner
Best Durability: (tie) Mitch Atkins, Hung-Wen Chen, and Casey Coleman
Best Fastball: Rafael Dolis
Best Curveball: Aaron Shafer
Best Change-up: Jeff Antigua
Best Slider: Andrew Cashner
Best Other: Hung-Wen Chen
Best Contact Hitter (tie): Logan Watkins and Hak-Ju Lee
Best Power Hitter (tie): Rebel Ridling and Ryan Flaherty
Best Plate Discipline (tie): Kyler Burke and James Adduci
Best Clutch Hitter: Rebel Ridling
Best Situational Hitter: Rebel Ridling

Best Range by position:
C- Welington Castillo
1B- Rebel Ridling
2B- Logan Watkins
3B (tie)- Ryan Flaherty and Jonathan Mota
SS- Starlin Castro
OF- Jose Valdez

Best Arm Strength by position:
C- Welington Castillo
1B- Jovan Rosa
2B- Logan Watkins
3B- Junior Lake
SS- Starlin Castro
OF- Kyler Burke

Best Throwing Accuracy by position:
C (tie)- Robinson Chirinos and Steve Clevenger
1B- Rebel Ridling
2B- Marwin Gonzalez
3B- Marquez Smith
SS (tie)- Nate Sampson and Hak-Ju Lee
OF- Kyler Burke

Best Foot workby position:
C- Welington Castillo
1B- Rebel Ridling
2B- Logan Watkins
3B (tie)- Ryan Flaherty and Jonathan Mota
OF (tie)- Sam Fuld, Brett Jackson, and Jose Valdez

Best Raw Speed (tie): Jose Valdez, Hak-Ju Lee
Best Base-Stealing Ability (tie): Jose Valdez, Hak-Jue Lee
Best Home-to-First (tie): Jose Valdez, Hak-Ju Lee
Best Baserunning Instincts: James Adduci
Best Heart/Work Ethic: James Adduci and Matt Camp
Best Competitiveness: Brett Jackson, Darwin Barney, and Starlin Castro
Best Baseball IQ: Darwin Barney

Minor League Invites to Big League Spring Training
J.R Mathes, LHP
James Russell, LHP
Andrew Cashner, RHP
Casey Coleman, RHP
Thomas Diamond, RHP
Jeff Kennard, RHP
Vince Perkins, RHP
Robinson Chirinos, C
Steve Clevenger, C
Blake Lalli, C
Chris Robinson, C
Darwin Barney, SS
Matt Camp, INF/OF
Starlin Castro, SS
Bryan LaHair, 1B
Chad Tracy, 3B/1B
Bobby Scales, INF/OF
Josh Vitters, 3B
Brett Jackson, OF
Brad Snyder, OF

Minor League 2010 Schedules
Iowa Cubs
Tennessee Smokies
Daytona Cubs
Peoria Chiefs
Boise Hawks (short season)

Lots of interesting names to follow that are on their way up in the Cubs system!

Organizational Meetings Day 3-4 Tidbits

• The first two Cubs filed for free agency yesterday in Reed Johnson and Rich Harden.
• Harden, a type B free agent, could return to the Cubs if he will take a one year deal, but the Cubs are hesitant to give him a multi-year contract according to Carrie Muskat of Cubs.com.
• Reed Johnson's 2009 season was limited because of injuries. With Sam Fuld and Tyler Colvin on the way up, if the Cubs add 1 more outfielder to replace Bradley (assuming they trade Milton), Reed may not be a fit for the Cubs. The Cubs do love his heart and hard work.
• For the next 2 weeks, the Cubs have exclusive negotiating rights with Johnson, Harden, and the other 3 Cubs free agents who have yet to file.
• Expansion of the women's bathrooms on the first-base side of the ballpark and upgrading the lighting fixtures in the men's room will take place in 2010.
• They also plan to move the umpires locker room from the third-base side to the first-base side of the park next season according to Bruce Levine.
• "Upgrading the work environment for the players is also a major goal of the new owners."
• The Cubs hope to step up their fan-relationship department by hiring a chief hospitality officer, whose only job would be to check with fans on daily basis to make sure their experience at Wrigley Field is going well.
• The Cubs will also have a "well-known" marketing director named to that position by the end of the week.
• The Chicago Tribune speculates that Josh Vitters could be next in line for the Cubs third base job after Ramirez becomes a FA after the 2011 season. Vitters said, "Sounds good to me."
• Derrick Goold, a Cardinals beat writer, expects the Cubs to make an offer to Mark DeRosa.

The Cubs are going to need to add a power hitting outfielder that can play either center or right if they trade Bradley. Here is the full list of free agents outfielders (RF & CF):

• Rick Ankiel
• Rocco Baldellli
• Marlon Byrd
• Mike Cameron
• Endy Chavez
• Coco Crisp
• Darin Erstad
• Jeff Fiorentino
• Ryan Freel
• Jerry Hariston Jr.
• Reed Johnson
• Andruw Jones
• Corey Patterson
• Scott Podsednik
• DeWayne Wise
• Jermaine Dye
• Brian Giles
• Vladimir Guerrero
• Eric Hinske
• Geoff Jenkins
• Austin Kearns
• Jason Michaels
• Xavier Nady
• Randy Winn

See any names you like? (Corey Patterson or Jerry Hairston Jr.?)

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