Mid Week Notes: Dempster on Waddle & Silvy, Top 10 Cubs of the Decade, Marlon Byrd, and More

• Ryan Dempster will throw out the ceremonial first pitch on the ice on Saturday to celebrate the grand opening of an ice skating rink next to Wrigley Field.
• Now that Mike Cameron is signed, the Cubs are looking at Marlon Byrd to fill the center field void. Byrd is now their first choice.
• Bringing back Reed Johnson is still a possibility. Rick Ankiel and Scott Podsednik are also on the radar.
• The Cubs were one team on hand to watch Kelvim Escober throw today according to Efrain Zavarce.
• Joel Pineiro is looking for a 4-year deal. Buster Olney reports that the Cubs are one team with interest in Pineiro.
• Paul Sullivan thinks that Jim Hendry could sign an outfielder like Byrd before dealing Bradley.
• The Cubs are long shots for Aroldis Chapman.
• Bruce Miles points out that Byrd had two good years under new Cub hitting coach Rudy Jaramillo.
• Hee-Seop Choi has climbed a mountain and turned his career around.

Top 10 Cubs from the Decade from ESPN Chicago

• 10. Mark DeRosa
• 9. Mark Prior
• 8. Ryan Theriot
• 7. Moises Alou
• 6. Sammy Sosa
• 5. Ryan Dempster
• 4. Kerry Wood
• 3. Derrek Lee
• 2. Carlos Zambrano
• 1. Aramis Ramirez

Ryan Dempster joined Waddle & Silvy on ESPN 1000 yesterday:

• Dempster is excited with his event coming up to raise money for the illness that his daughter has.
• Ryan's daughter is doing well. The baby was born on April 1 last year and that made his season hard for him.
• Tom, Mark, and Ryan agree that the "Wii Fit" isn't real exercise. They think people should get outdoors.
• In 2009, the Cubs don't play the level of baseball that they were capable of.
• When asked about Milton Bradley, Dempster said it's hard to judge someone else's experiences. Ryan said that Bradley is a "really, really good guy who handled certain things poorly."
• Demp thinks it would be a little uncomfortable if Milton returns next season. However, he is a very forgiving guy, and if Bradley is back on this team, Ryan wants him to enjoy the rest of his experience with the Cubs.
• Move info about Dempster's upcoming event: http://www.mywrigleyville.com/
• He is focused on getting ready for the season, and Jim Hendry will handle making the team's offseason moves. The Cubs need the guys who were with the Cubs last year to play better.
• Ryan thinks that the Ricketts family are great people, and the truly want what's best for the Chicago Cubs. They plan to put money back into this team.
• Dempster can't wait until the opening of the new skating rink that he will be at on Saturday.
• It's fun to watch the current Blackhawks team. Dempster thinks that the Hawks have a solid young team.

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

Cubs Roundup: Capps, Cameron, Santo, and More

Breaking News: Mike Cameron has agreed to a deal with the Boston Red Sox. Scratch him off the Cubs shopping list.

Capps Wants to Close
We heard yesterday that the Cubs were interested in non-tendered reliever Matt Capps. Capps was a closer with the Pirates, and according to MASNsports.com "the opportunity to close" is going to be a major factor in Matt's decision as to who to sign with. Capps has 8 or 9 teams outside of the Cubs interested in his services.

Cameron Update
Do to focusing on the Milton Bradley situation, the Cubs may have lost out on another one of their outfielder targets. Mike Cameron, who the Cubs have been interested all winter, is in "serious talks" with the Boston Red Sox. Jerry Crasnik says that they have made "significant progress" towards a 2 year deal.

Santo Returns to Cubs Radio
Cubs legend and should-be Hall of Famer Ron Santo will be back in the Cubs radio booth for the next 3 years. Today he signed a new deal that lasts through 2012. Ronny and his partner Pat Hughes have been a fixture on Cubs radio since 1995. Pat is signed through 2010 and is expected to return after that. The contract allows for Ronny to take certain road trips off due to his health conditions. Santo is looking forward to the Cubs Convention in January.

Naples Update
Naples, Florida is still trying to sell it's pitch to get Cubs Spring Training. Their new effort is to get the Collier County community involved. Muskat has said that an announcement is expected next month. The Cubs may still be leaning towards Mesa, but Phil Rodgers seems to think that the Cubs are going to announce that they will spend future springs in Mesa.

Cubs Luncheon
The Chicago Cubs will host their third annual Cubs Caravan luncheon on January 13 at Harry Caray's restaurant in downtown Chicago. The luncheon gives fans to get a chance to get to know the Cubs. The space is limited to 120 guests. Lou Piniella will headline the event. The rest of the list of people that will be on the Caravan has not yet been released. There will be more stops on the week long Caravan, including several more events open to the public. I will let you know as soon as I hear anything more about the Caravan.

Fossum to Japan
Casey Fossum, a left handed pitcher who spent time in the Cubs' organization this season, has signed a one year $600,000 contract to play for the Hanshin Tigers in Japan next season. Fossum is 40-53 with a 5.45 ERA in his big league career. He had signed with the Cubs this season after opting out of a contract with the Yankees. Fossum went 6-3 with a 3.88 ERA for AAA Iowa in 12 games this year.

Notes from Carrie Muskat's Inbox

• The Cubs will head into Spring Training with 8 pitchers for 5 spots: Michael Parisi, Ted Lilly, Carlos Zambrano, Ryan Dempster, Randy Wells, Sean Marshall, Jeff Samardzija, and Tom Gorzelanny.
• Carrie thinks that drafting Parisi in the Rule 5 Draft helped give them more insurance for the rotation with Lilly injured.
• The Cubs new more about Harden's health than any other team, so they decided to let him go.
• Muskat listed Rick Ankiel, Marlon Byrd, Mike Cameron, and Scott Podsednik as possible additions to the Cub outfield.
• Ryan Theriot is the leading candidate for the lead-off job.
• The easier travel in AZ could be key factor in the Spring Training decision.
• Thomas Diamond will get an invite to Spring Training.
• Chris Robinson isn't quite ready for the big leagues, so the Cubs weren't worried about losing him in the Rule 5 Draft.

Pat Hughes on WGN Radio with David Kaplan

• It's season number 15 for Pat and Ron coming up next year.
• Pat's first interview on WGN was with Kap 15 years ago.
• Hughes can't believe it's been 14 years.
• Ronny and Cub fans everywhere always believe that next season will be a special year. Pat "doesn't think there's any other way to approach it".
• The Cubs have been a good team for the better part of the decade, so that gives the Cubs' fans reason to believe.
• 2009 was not a disaster, it was a winning season. It was disappointing because they did not win the division, but with all the things that went wrong it was really not that bad of a year.
• Pat hopes, thinks, and feels that this will be a solid team again.
• A lot can happen between now and Opening Day, but he doesn't think the Cardinals are going to be as strong next season.
• Hughes has a lot of fun with his Baseball Voices CDs. He was surprised that a lot of people enjoyed the CDs. They make a good holiday gift: www.baseballvoices.com is the website. There are 2 new ones: Milo Hamilton and Dave Niehaus.
• There is so much time to fill on the baseball broadcast, that you have a chance to have some fun. Pat says that separates broadcasting baseball from other sports.
• Hughes doesn't take for granted working with some great announcers over his career.

A few more notes from Sports Central:

When asked about Starlin Castro, Kaplan said that there are no untouchable prospects in the Cubs organization, end of story. David doesn't see any room in the budget to add a starting pitcher. The Cubs have not contacted Mark DeRosa this offseason. Castro could be there to play short stop in late 2010, early 2011.

Ron Santo on Chicago Tribune Live with Kaplan

• Santo's doing very well. Life is good, and it's always nice for him to go out and spend the winter in Arizona with his family after a tough season.
• Ron thinks that the whole Bradley thing never worked because "Bradley never made it work". He was very surprised in Milton's year.
• Ronny feels that if the Cubs win this coming year, Lou will stay on. Piniella loves Chicago, the Cubs, the fans, and he's a winner.
• If it wasn't for Lou, Ronny doesn't think the Cubs would have ended up in second place.
• Whoever plays for Piniella moves it up a notch.
• Santo hopes the Cubs stay in Arizona because the travel is so much easier. Players like to go where the cities are closer together.

Kaplan doesn't see any way the Cubs move to Florida. He would be stunned if they moved. David Schuster from 670 the Score says that he wouldn't be stunned, because "money makes the world go around, and if they feel they can make more money in Florida, that's where they'll go." If the Ricketts have a personal preference from Florida, that could sway it.

Pat Hughes joined the guys on CTL next:

• Hughes says "anything is possible" and the decision will come down to where the better deal is (on Cubs' Spring Training).
• Pat joked about Ron saying that his wife bought him a "sit-up chair". Pat asked, "Would you please explain to me what that is?"
• When asked about the Ricketts, he said, "I just hope he likes the radio broadcasts." Then added that Tom seems like a very nice man who has a great passion for the Cubs with his strong Chicago roots.
• Pat doesn't see Milton Bradley with the Cubs in 2010 in almost any scenario.
• Hughes talked more about his Baseball Voices series. He is offering free shipping on all orders, and there are a total of 8 CDs on www.baseballvoices.com.
• Mike Cameron seems like a leader, has some power, and is a very good defensive player.

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

Day 2 in Indy

• Gordon Wittenmyer says the Cubs are close to a "two-team" deal that would send Bradley packing!! Wittenmyer says via twitter that the deal could be done tonight.
• Joel Sherman reports that the Rangers are no longer interested in Bradley.
• Tim Brown from Yahoo thinks that Milton could be going to Seattle for Carlos Silva.
• The Tribune is now also reporting that the Cubs could have interest in Melky Cabrera, but Curtis Granderson to the Cubs is not likely, as he is close to signing with New York.
• Rosenthal gives us this breakdown: if the Cubs save a large amount on Bradley, the will be interested in Cameron, if they save a modest amount Marlon Byrd is a better fit, and if they save a small amount, Scott Podsednik makes sense. It all depends on the Bradley deal.
• The Cubs, Mariners Red Sox, and Yankees are interested in Mike Cameron.
• The North Siders like Kevin Millwood, but the Rangers are not interested in a Millwood for Bradley trade, according to Ken Rosenthal.
• Jon Paul Morosi reports that the Cubs are one of many teams with "varying levels of interest" in J.J. Putz. The White Sox, D'back, Rangers, Nationals, and Tigers are some of the other clubs listed.
• There was talk of adding a post season award specifically for relief pitcher today at the BBWAA meetings according to Bruce Miles. Miles says one possible name is the Holtzman Award, in honor of the write who invented the save.
• Write Bill Madden was elected to the Hall of Fame today.
• The Brewers are interested in bringing Kevin Gregg back to the NL Central. (Yes, as a Brewer).
• Bruce Levine says that Jim Hendry has talked with the Rockies about their outfield depth.
• The Padres are willing to trade Heath Bell, but the Cubs might not have the prospects that the Padres would want.
• Brown now tweets that "nothing imminent, but the Cubs and M's are talking Bradley and Silva."
• The Rangers and Rays are not close on Bradley, and Blue Jays officials have no comment.

I'll keep you posted on the Bradley front and more as the night moves on!

Updates from Day 1 in Indy

• Lou Piniella said today that he's going to do the best job he can, then at the end of the year we'll see what happens as far as his return in 2011.
• Bruce Miles points out that the nobody that the Cubs acquired last offseason will return in 2010, beside the prospects from the DeRosa trade.
• Tampa Bay still appears to be the destination of choice for Milton Bradley.
• According to Cubs.com, the Cubs have gotten good reports on players this offseason including Alfonso Soriano, Geovany Soto, Ted Lilly, and Carlos Zambrano.
• Lou Piniella says he "has the utmost respect" for Mike Cameron, who the Cubs are chasing.
• Jeff Baker will play some outfield this spring. He will also serve as a backup 3rd baseman.
• The Cubs are not looking for another front of the rotation pitcher.
• The Cubs are set with Carlos Marmol as the closer, but Lou thinks adding another veteran reliever will "help stabilize things".
• Starlin Castro is expected to start the 2010 season in the minors.
• Alfonso Soriano will bat 6th in the Cubs' lineup.
• Bruce Levine tells us that the Cubs are considering bringing Reed Johnson back.
• The Cubs are not close to signing a free agent outfielder.
• Trading Milton Bradley is still the top priority.
• The three teams talking to the Cubs about Bradley are the Mets, Rangers, and Rays according to Muskat.
• Cubs catcher Koyie Hill host a successful Make-A-Wish foundation event on Saturday. They raised more than $180,000. Ryan Dempster, Mike Fontenot, Randy Wells, and Rick Sutcliffe all participated in the event
• Tim Brown says that the market for Free Agent Kevin Gregg includes the Rays, Nationals, Tigers, and Rockies.
• Marc Topkin reports the Cubs are confident that they'll get Bradley traded, but if it's going to be to the Rays for Burrell it will take some "serious negotiating".
• The Rays are growing less hopeful of sending Burrell to the Cubs according to Joel Sherman's tweet.
• Sherman adds that the Cubs "may like Melky Cabrera", and the Yankees may want Mike Cameron.
• Joel is hearing that the Mets are not interested in Milton Bradley.
• We've heard that the Cubs could trade Bradley to the Rays for Burrell, then sent Pat to the Mets for Castillo, but David Lennon says that New York shows no interested in Burrell either.
• Jerry Crasnik expects the Cubs to offer Mike Fontenot a contract soon.
• Gordon Wittenmyer says that the Cubs have not met with Kansas City about Milton Bradley. Some sources say the Cubs have had talks about him with clubs outside of Texas and Tampa. Bruce Levine had reported a Bradley for Gil Meche swap being talked about.
• The option of keeping their short fused outfielder is not being discussed.
• Any Bradley trade will depend on the Cubs picking up a good part of his salary.

That's it for now, I'll keep updating throughout the night.

The Eve of the Winter Meetings

Tomorrow is the first day of Baseball's Winter Meetings!

New Poll
First thing- we have a new poll up on the blog! We are continuing to form "The All Decade Cubs". This week's voting is for the best Cubs' short stop from the 2000s. Please vote based on performance in the last decade on the Chicago Cubs only. If there's anyone I forget to make an option that is noteworthy, let me know via comment or email at cubsblogmailbag@aol.com.

Piniella back in 2011?
Next up, Lou Piniella made some pretty big news at Redsfest this weekend. When he was asked about retiring after the 2010 season, he left the door open for a return in 2011. Quotes from the Sun-Times:

-''I don't know [what it would take to want to return]. I like to talk about our baseball team, our organization. I don't like to talk about myself. We'll see what happens. I enjoy what I do, and as long as the organization is pleased -- but let's see. I'm 66 years old. I'm no spring chicken.''

-'We'll see,'' Piniella said. ''But I'm really looking forward to this season, working with our new owner and his family and getting this team back on top again. I met [Ricketts] in Phoenix [at the Cubs' organization meetings] about a month ago, and I came away very impressed. This is what the Cubs needed, a guy who's been a Cub fan his whole life and who is competitive and has built a successful business, and now he wants to win with the Cubs. I'm looking forward to that transition.''

-''I've been doing this a long time, and sooner or later it's time to [retire],'' Piniella said. ''Look, I've been managing for I don't how many years -- 22, 23 years? We have new ownership over there. Let's just wait and see how things go.''

Interesting. If you're the Cubs, do you want Lou back after next season? Right now, I think it depends on how the Cubs do this season and if Piniella is still in to it this season.

First some rumors and then some more Winter Meetings talk:

• Lou expected to meet with Mike Cameron's agent at the meetings.
• Texas and Tampa are still the front runners for Bradley according to Wittenmyers' report.
• Will Carroll of Baseball Prospectus tweeted that a signing of Cameron is waiting on the trade of Bradley. Milton being traded has been "imminent for 72 hours.
• Jon Heyman shot down Carroll's reports. Heyman says the Cubs are still not close to dealing Milton.
• He adds that the Giants and Padres have been mentioned as other possibile destinations for the Cubs' rightfielder with the Cubbies getting contracts such as Gary Matthews Jr., Aaron Roward, Jose Guillen, or Luis Castillo in return.
• Bruce Miles had a few interesting tidbit in his story previewing Indy. He says that the Cubs would like to trade Milton, move Kosuke to right, sign a center fielder like Cameron or Byrd, and add a right handed hitting outfielder who can play right field to platoon with Kosuke.
• Rick Ankiel is not high on the Cubs priority list according to Miles.
• Bruce says Hendry feels that the starting pitching is OK, even with Lilly out to start the season. However, Hendry would like to acquire a veteran right handed reliever to toss into the bullpen mix.
• Miles has arrived in Indianapolis, and the buzz is Milton Bradley.
• Signing Mike Cameron may be at the top of the Cubs wish list once Milton is gone, because the Granderson trade is unlikely right now.
• Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports.com said yesterday that "nothing is hot" right now on the Bradley front, but the Rays remain the front runner.
• Jim Hendry and Lou Piniella were a part of a large Cubs contingent that attended the Indianapolis Colts' game today.
• A Texas Source told Carrie Muskat that Bradley was a headache the first time around, and the Rangers may not want to deal with him again.
• No Jumbotron for Wrigley Field.
• Paul Sullivan sees Mike Cameron as a clubhouse leader "like Eric Karros in 2003 or Cliff Floyd in 2007".
• Sully says that what the Cubs need is a guy that lightens the mood inside the clubhouse.
• Cameron played for Piniella in Seattle.
• The Cubs are looking for a left handed hitting second baseman to platoon with Jeff Baker.
• Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com reports that the Cubs along with the Yankees, Mets, Orioles, Tigers, Red Sox, and Astros, are interested in relievers Rafael Soriano and/or Mike Gonzalez.
• Jim Hendry wouldn't mind keeping Lou in 2011, but he has not talked about a contract with Piniella yet.

What else is going on this week during the meetings?

• Monday, the Veterans Committee ballots will be unveiled. Ron Santo is not up for voting this year, but he will be back on the ballot in 2011. This year's announcement will be made at 9 AM CT tomorrow.
• On Tuesday, Cubscast is holding a #"Dawson4TheHall" event on Twitter at 1:20. Click for more.
• Bruce Levine will chat Cubs and White Sox Monday-Wednesday. He will have his normal chat at noon on Tuesday and special 45 minute chats on Monday and Wednesday nights.
• Speaking of Cubscast, they'll have a new episode Monday.
• The MLB Network will host Hot Stove live from the Winter Meetings Monday through Wednesday from 5-7 Pm CT.
• Baseball Tonight Hot Stove Special will be on ESPN2 Monday through Thursday from 4-5 PM CT this week.
• Thursday will be the Rule 5 Draft.

Everything Cubs Will Have Full Coverage

This very site will have full coverage of the meetings throughout the week. It's going to be a very busy week for me, so I'll do my best to post rumors as often as possible. I plan to update at least 3-4 times every day this week. There will be plenty of rumor and news posts, but there will be no usual posts such as Numbers Breakdowns, Cubs Fun & Games Tuesdays, Getting to Know the Cubs, and Winter Ball Reports. Wednesday night we'll have a Rule 5 Draft Preview, with a recap on Thursday night. Also, Thursday will be a very special day for this site, so stay tuned for that...

In Case You Missed It

There have been a lot of posts and news lately, so check these out to catch up:

• Bruce Miles Q&A
• Fox & Miles Traded to Oakland
• Friday Roundup
• Some Radio Recaps and More
• Cubs in Winter ball Updates

Past Years at the Meetings

How often are the Cubs active during Baseball's Winter Meetings?

• 2008- Lots of rumors surrounding Jake Peavy and more, but no action.
• 2007- trade Omar Infante and Will Ohman to the Braves for Jose Ascaino.
• 2006- Signed Ted Lilly, and traded Freddie Bynum
• 2005- Cubs acquired Juan Pierre for a package that included Ricky Nolasco and Renyel Pinto.

How will Hendry fair this year? Stay tuned...

Frick & Spink Awards

In past years, the J.G. Tayler Spink Award (baseball writer) and the Ford C. Frick award (baseball broadcaster) winners are announced during the Winter Meetings.

This year, that is not the case. The Frick and Spinck awards will be announced later in the offseason. The Ford C. Frick Award voting is going on on Facebook right now. The top 3 from the fan voting will be placed on the final ballot. Former/current Cub broadcasters up for the award include:

• Thom Brennaman
• Chip Caray
• Pat Hughes
• Andy Masur
• Ron Santo
• Steve Stone
• Dewayne Staats
• Lou Boudreau
• Pat Flanagan
• Vince Lloyd
• Hector Molina

Well I hope you enjoyed are Winter Meetings Warm Up. This is one of the best weeks in the baseball offseason, so let's enjoy. Check back here for updates often!

Who's On the Cubs Shopping List?

Since it's Black Friday, I thought it would be fitting to take a look at Jim Hendry's shopping list for this winter. Included with each name is my prediction of how likely it is that they will become a Cub.

• Curtis Granderson- Cubs have reportedly been pursuing the Tigers' outfielder most of the month. Could be one of the Cubs top choices, but they're not willing to give up Starlin Castro or any other top prospects, and the Tigers have a high asking price. 35%
• Roy Halladay- The Blue Jays have contacted the Cubs about Halladay, but the Cubs are most likely not going to add him unless Carlos Zambrano leaves. Also, the Cubs don't have the cash or prospects to get this deal done. 2%
• Pat Burrell- If the Cubs pull of a trade that sends Milton Bradley to the Rays, they most likely will end up taking Burrell. According to Bruce Levine, if the Cubs would then try to move Burrell. 45%
• Aroldis Chapman- Earlier in the offseason, the Cubs were included in the list of just about every MLB team that was interested in Cuban lefty Aroldis Chapman. Right now, he's most likely headed for either Boston or New York. 1%
• Mike Gonzalez- now that the Cubs have re-signed Grabow, they are unlikely to pursue a left handed reliever 4%
• Chone Figgins- The utility speedster would fit the Cubs needs, but they may not be able to afford him. The Mets, Phillies, and Angels are also in on him, but their is no front runner. Giggins will be 32 year old in Spring Training. 19%
• Mike Cameron- Has been listed as a backup plan for the Cubs if they are unable to land Granderson. The Padres, Braves, and Yankees also are in the mix. He will not return to Brewers. 60%
• Matt Holliday- Jon Heyman groups the Cubs as a possible fit for Holliday, but this is not very likely. 5%
• Luis Castillo- There were reports from FOX Sports that Castillo could end up with the Cubs in the 3-team trade that would send Bradley to the Rangers. Other media outlets shot down the report. Castillo is most likely not the answer for the Cubs middle infield. 10%
• Marlon Byrd- Byrd is anotheroption to replace Bradley in the Cubs outfield. T.R. Sullivan sees a 3-year deal worth 18-24MM for the former Rangers. Byrd wants to return to the Rangers, but they most likely will let him walk. 25%
• Mark DeRosa- According to most sources, DeRo is not coming back to the Chicago. They don't have the money for him, and feel that he is too old to make a long term commitment to.
• Orlando Hudson- Bruce Levine is a big fan of the O-Dog, and has mentioned that he would look good in blue. Hudson will seek a 2 year deal worth at least $15MM. Hudson could hit second and play second base, but the Cubs may not have the money. 40%

Let me know what you think in the comment or at cubsblogmailbag@aol.com

A few more Black Friday Cubs Notes:

• Bruce Miles doesn't see the Cubs as a player for Halladay.
• He adds that Starlin Castro is not going to be traded.
• Kosuke's Q&A with Carrie Muskat.
• Sammy Sosa has been sued for $203K in Domician court.
• Paul Sullivan says the Cubs aren't going to rush Starlin Castro. He will get an invite to Spring Training, and a chance to break camp with the Cubs if he has a great spring. However, it's a long shot.
• Ryan Theriot has been told that he may have to move to second base in the near future to make room for Castillo as short. He's fine with the idea. "Ryan feels like if he has to change positions and move to second base, he would have no problems," Hendry said. "He has made it no secret he loves the Cubs and wants to stay.
• Cubscast put together a great Thanksgiving All Music episode.
• The CCO Radio will return on Wednesday, December 2.
• Check out yesterday's post to find out what Cubs fans are thankful for.

It's been a fairly slow week on the Cubs front, but things are expected to heat up after the holiday weekend. We will continue with daily Cubs related posts!

Hot Stove Quick Hits: Free Agents, Granderson, Lilly, & More

• John Grabow and Chad Fox filed for free agency today. All Cubs eligible have now filed. Friday is the deadline for teams to keep exclusive negotiating rights with their players before they hit the open market.
• Andrew Baily won the AL Rookie of the Year, while Chris Coghlan took home the NL honors. Obviously, this means that Cubs ROY candidate Randy Wells did not take home the award.
• Jim Hendry is in favor of instant reply in MLB according to Bruce Levine.
• Jeff Samardzija will not be used in the bullpen next year. He will compete for a spot in the starting rotation for the Cubs next year, and if he doesn't win that he will most likely be in Iowa's rotation.
• The Rangers, Mets, and Rays, are the front runners to land Milton Bradley.
• Marlon Byrd and Mike Cameron have become back-up plans to Curtis Granderson for the Cubs.
• Aaron Miles had to deal with personal problems throughout the season this year. Levine expects Aaron to have a bounce back year in 2010.
• Curtis Granderson is turning into this offseason's Roberts or Peavy.
• Bruce Levine shoots down the report that says the Cubs would be willing to trade Carlos Marmol or Starlin Castro in a Granderson trade.
• Ted Lilly will most likely not be back until late April or the start of May.
• Geovany Soto will go into the season as the Cubs starting catcher with Koyie Hill as his back-up.
• According to Phil Rogers, (not the best source but...) the Cubs have enough to get Granderson. He says that Jim Callis rates "the Cubs 1, Yankees 2, Angels 3".
• Rogers goes back on his previous reports saying that the Cubs don't want to part with Castro.

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

The Latest as the GM Meetings Close

• The GM Meetings ended at noon today.
• Adrian Gonzalez won the NL Gold Glove for first base today. Derrek Lee did not get the award, so no Cubs received Gold Gloves.
• Tomorrow the Silver Sluggers will be announced.
• Rich Harden's agent, Arn Tellem, said today that he has not seem Jim Hendry at the GM Meetings, but they have talked. "I'm sure we'll be talking more in the next week or two," he told Bruce Miles.
• A report from Ken Rosenthal yesterday started the speculation that Marlon Byrd is on the Cubs radar. Byrd could be the Cubs new center fielder in 2010 once Bradley is traded, with Kosuke moving to right.
• Mike Cameron is another outfield option for the Cubs.
• Accoring to a Report from FoxSports.com the Cubs are nearing a deal with LHP John Grabow. The deal could be for 2 years.
• Jim Hendry would like to have a couple of deals done in the next few weeks before the winter meetings begin on December 7.
• The Cubs and Rangers continued talks yesterday on a deal that would send Milton Bradley back to his former team, according to the Chicago Tribune.
• The Giants are not willing to do a bad contract sway for Bradley.
• The Mets and Rays are also options for the Cubs to deal their right fielder.
• The Cubs are in no hurry to open up talks with Derrek Lee on a contract extension.
• The Cubs and White Sox will battle in Vegas again in Spring Training 2010. The Cubs will be returning to Cashman Field for the 6th straight year. The games will be March 12 and 13 this year, and they will be split-squads for both teams.
• The full White Sox Spring Training schedule is out. The Cubs and Sox have 3 other meetings: Saturday March 6 in Mesa, Sunday March 7 in Glendale, and Friday March 19 in Glendale.
• The Cleveland Indians also have their schedule out, so we know that the Cubs will play them on March 22 in Mesa.
• The South Siders start their Spring Training on March 5, so expect to the Cubs start around that date (a little later then last year). The full Cubs Spring Training Schedule has not yet been released.
• Bruce Miles notes that the Cubs have a lot of arbitration-eligible players this offseason.
• Carlos Marmol, Jeff Baker, Sean Marshall, Ryan Thriot, Koyie Hill, and Angel Guzman are all on the arb list.
• Jim Hendry is not looking for a short stop. He's very happy with Theriot and he expects Fontenot and Miles to have bounce back year. Also, Jim likes Andres Blanco's defense.
• There's been no talk with Carlos Zambrano about waiving his no trade clause.
• Mike Fontenot has earned "Super Two" status, which means he could get a big raise.

The latest from Bruce Levine's chat yesterday:

• Right now, the teams most interested in Milton Bradley are Tampa, the Mets, Texas, and possibly the Angels. Hendry talked with Tampa Bay a lot this week.
• The Cubs will most likely pick up a player that another team wants to get rid of in the Bradley trade like Lyle Overbay, Luis Castillo, or Pat Burrell.
• The Cubs are counting on Rudy Jaramillo to get the very best out of guys that slumped in 2009.
• Jim Hendry has no money to spend on Free Agents at this point. If the Cubs add someone, it will most likely be via trade.
• Mike Cameron is the Cubs "Plan D out of A, B, C, and D according to Levine.
• The Bradley for Castillo trade talks are not strong.
• The Cubs are looking to get a better player, whether he is right handed or left handed.
• Sam Fuld is a diabetic, so the Cubs are hesitant to make him a full-time player because of his disease.
• An Orlando Cabrera type signing would be "difficult to fit in the budget right now".
• The Cubs are trying to project their own guys like Caridad for roles in the bullpen next year.
• They do have some interest in Mike Gonzalez, but they should be able to finish negotiations with John Grabow in the next 10 days.
• Jake Fox is a 24th or 25th player on a good team in Bruce's opinion.
• He thinks Bradley will end up on an AL team.
• Dan Uggla is not a good fit for the Cubs because of his lack of defensive skill.
• Levine gives it a 5% chance that Milton will be on the Cubs roster on Opening Day.
• The only way the Cubs will add a guy like Roy Halladay is if they trade Zambrano, and at this point that doesn't appear to be happening.
• His guess is that the Cubs will eat about $5 million of Bradley's salary.
• Rich Hill is not a good alternative for the Cubs. (Um Duh..)
• Alfonso Soriano is working hard in the Dominican right now.
• If the Cubs get Kevin Millwood in a Bradley, they could turn around and try to trade him again, or they could keep even though he's injury prone.
• Levine shoots down the idea of Mark DeRosa returning to the Cubs.
• The Cubs don't want Pat Burrell, but they want Milton Bradley a lot less.
• Bruce like Marlo0n Byrd.
• The Cubs could be interested in Ramon Troncosa, a power arm from the Dodgers.

Bruce's chats have a lot of great info. He does one every Tuesday, so each week I will try to get a recap up with Cubs related highlights.

That's it for now, I'll keep you posted as the hot stove continues to burn...