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!

Weekend Roundup: Looking for an Arm, Honoring a Legend, Making Some Cash & More

Pat Hughes Delivers
For any Cubs fan that missed it, Ron Santo's funeral is a must see. Bud Selig and Tom Ricketts both did a great job, but Pat Hughes delivered a fantastic eulogy that will never be forgotten. The full eulogy is available on Cubs.com, WGNRadio.com and CSNChicago.com. Ronnie was the greatest Cubs fan and I will never forget the impact he has made on my life.

Rule V Draft
The Cubs made a selection in the Rule Five Draft on Thursday, but then they immediately traded their pick to Texas. The team selected Mason Toban, a right handed pitcher in the Angels organization. They received cash in the deal and ended up making $50,000. The Cubs did not lose any players in the Major League portion, but two young pitchers were snatched away in the minor leauge portion. Ronny Morla was selected by the Mets and the Orioles picked Casey Lambert.

Cubs Connected to Garza and Webb
The Cubs are in search of an addition to their pitching staff, but their primary target is being debated by local media. Paul Sullivan reports that Brandon Webb is on the radar, but Matt Garza is not. Other outlets, such as Ed Price of AOL, think that Garza will be on the move, possibly to Chicago.

Wood on the Market
Dave Van Dyck of the Chicago Tribune joined David Kaplan on CTL Friday night. He spoke with Kerry Wood and was told that Woody wants to go somewhere where he can win a World Series. When Van Dyck asked the fire-baller about the Cubs, Wood just repeated that he wanted to go to a team that has a shot to win. Dave thinks that the White Sox would be a better fit for Wood than the Cubs at this point, but a return to the Yankees is a good possibility.

Post Meetings Notes: Non Tenders, Mota, Bradley, and More

Yesterday, Baseball's Winter Meetings came to a close, and Milton Bradley is still on the Chicago Cubs roster. According to all sources, Bradley will be gone by Opening Day no matter what.

Tomorrow is the non-tender deadline for Major League Baseball. Teams must chose whether or not to offer contracts to arbitration eligible players. If they don't offer a contract, the player become a free agent. Here's some notes about the Non-Tender deadline and more:

• The White Sox beat the Cubs to J.J. Putz.
• Bruce Miles, Carrie Muskat and other sources expect the Cubs to offer contracts to all eligible players (Koyie Hill, Sean Marshall, Jeff Baker, Mike Fontenot, and Angel Guzman) with the exeption of Neal Cotts. Cotts is coming off Tommy John and could sign a minor league deal with the club.
• The Cubs have acquired minor league pitcher Arismendy Mota from the Washington Nationals for cash. More notes on Mota at the bottom of the post.
• White Sox writer Mark Gonzales speculates that the South Siders could have interest in bringing Neal Cotts back to their organization.
• Great You Tube video on the Cubs in the Dominican thanks to Muskat.
• Gordon Wittenmyer wrote about a brand new topic... Milton Bradley!
• Wittenmyer also notes that the Cubs the Cubs have their sights on 4 center fielders: Byrd, Cameron, Podsednik, and Ankiel.
• Michael Parisi, drafted in the Rule 5 Draft Thursday, has a chance to make the rotation.
• The Tampa Bay Rays are staying focused on next season, not a trade for Bradley.
• Check out "The Untouchables" thanks to TCR.
• BCB spent their Friday writing poetry.
• Hot Stove Cubbies says Alfredo Amezaga and Chris Young are on the Cubs' radar. The Young rumor has not been reported by a big league source.
• The Cubs and Dodgers are interested in Amezaga. The Marlins are trying to work a trade instead of Non-Tendering him tomorrow according to Juan C. Rodrigez.
• Jon Heyman says the Cubs are one team interested in Joel Piniero.
• Phil Rodgers' latest on the Cubs Spring Training home: Nothing's official, and Mesa, Ariz., did agree Wednesday to spend $750,000 to improve the existing facilities, but all signs point to the Cubs soon announcing they have turned down the proposed new complex there to jump to one in Naples, Fla.
• The CCO recapped Jim Hendry on XM Radio. He mentioned that Bradley was not the only Cubs to have a disappointing 2009.

Info on Arismendy Mota:

• Right Handed Pitcher
• Spent 2006-2009 with White Sox organization
• Drafted by Washington in the Rule 5 Draft Thursday, traded to the Cubs Friday
• Went 7-2 with a 1.81 ERA in the Dominican Rookie League this season over 16 games.
• 12-14 with 3.73 ERA in 61 career minor league games over 4 seasons.
• Will be 23 in February
• Baseball Reference Page

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

Parisi Selected by Cubs in Rule 5 Draft

Today was the Rule 5 Draft. The Cubs selected Mike Parisi from their division rival St. Louis Cardinals with their pick, which was 12th overall. The Cubs, who were worried about losing guys like Camp and Diamond, did not lose any major league players in the draft. In the AAA phase, the Cubs lost RHP Miguel Sierra to Tampa Bay.

Info on Mike Parisi:

• Right Handed Pitcher
• 27 years old in April
• Selected by the Cardinals in the 9th round of the 2004 Major League Baseball draft
• Made MLB Debut in 2008
• 0-4 with 8.22 ERA in 12 career big league games
• 40-39 with 4.27 ERA in 115 minor league games
• Had Tommy John Surgery in August of 2008, limiting his 2009 season to a few games at Class A
• Went 3-2 in Arizona Fall League this fall for Surprise with a 4.44 ERA in 7 games
• Parisi's MiLB.com bio

Sierra, who the Cubs lost in the minor league phase, went 2-2 with a 5.73 ERA in 2009 splitting time between the Arizona Rookie ball and Low A Boise.

Mike Parisi will compete for a spot on the Cubs pitching staff in Spring Training. He must remain on the Cubs roster for the entire 2010 season, or else he will be offered back the St. Louis. He has been added to the Cubs' 40-man roster, which now stands at 38.

Scroll down and read my draft preview for more on how the Rule 5 Draft works.

More Cubs rumors & news and a meetings wrap up coming up. Also, I'll have a very special post.... so stayed tuned, there's posts to come!

Rule 5 Draft Preview

Tomorrow is the 2009 Rule 5 Draft. Every year, players that meet certain Rule 5 requirements could be lost by each organization and drafted into a different organization. Let's start with an overview of some of the rules for the draft:

• The Rule 5 draft has been a staple of the Winter Meetings Since it started.
• Major league teams must protect player on their 40-man rosters within 3 or 4 years of their original signing.
• Those left unprotected are available for other teams to select.
• Players who were 18 or younger on June 5 before the signing of their first contract must be protected after 4 minor league seasons.
• Players 19 and older must be protected after 3 seasons.
• Each Rule 5 pick must be kept in the big leagues the entire following season, or they will be offered back to their former team for half of the $50,000 selecting price.
• Teams had to add player to their 40 man roster by November 20 to protect them from the draft.
• Teams select in reverse order of that season's finish.
• AA and AAA sections of the Rule 5 drafts cost teams $4,000 and 12,000 respectively to pick.
• Roberto Clemente is the only Rule 5 draft pick to go on to become a Hall of Famer.

Now let's take a look at what the Cubs have done in the draft in recent years:

• 2008- Lost Donald Veal to Pittsburgh
• 2008- Traded for David Patton after he was drafted by Cincinnati from Colorado. Patton would spend all of 2009 with the Cubs.
• 2007- Traded for Tim Lahey after he was drafted by Tampa Bay from Minnesota. Claimed off waivers by the Phillies on March 28, returned to Minnesota on April 12.
• 2007- Lost Randy Wells to Toronto, but he was returned on April 16.
• 2006- Drafted Josh Hamilton from the Tampa Bay Rays. He was later traded to Cincinnati for cash.
• 2006- Lost Edward Campusano to Milwaukee. Eventually was returned to the Cubs on October 10, 2007
• 2006- Lost Lincoln Holdzkom to Houston, but he was returned to the Cubs on March 11.
• 2006- Lost Jason Smith to Toronto
• 2005- Lost Juan Mateo to St. Louis
• 2004- Lost Andrew Sisco to Kansas City
• 2004- Lost Luke Hagerty to Baltimore
• 1980- In the best Cubs Rule 5 Pick up ever, they drafted Jody Davis from St. Louis. Davis would go on to win a gold glove and make two All Star teams.

So big names, like Davis and Hamilton, can be drafted in the Rule V. Who are the Cubs at risk of losing this year?

• Matt Camp, INF/OF: .282 AVG in 98 games at AAA this season
• Steve Clevenger, C: .265 AVG in 67 games at AAA, .364 AVG in 26 games at AA
• Alessandro Maestri, P: 4-2 with 3.69 ERA in 54 games at AA in 2009
• Thomas Diamond P: Picked up by the Cubs late in the season. Playing well in Mexican Winter League
• J.R. Mathes, P: 12-8 wti a 3.62 ERA in 26 games (21 starts) for AAA Iowa
• Greg Reinhard, P: 2-4 with a 5.38 ERA in 41 games (5 starts) at AAA Iowa

The Cubs left these guy out there when they protected John Gaub, Blake Parker, Rafael Dolis, Welington Castillo, and James Adduci on November 20. The Cubs will not feel heartbroken if they lose any of those guys, although there was some surprise that Camp and Diamond were left unprotected.

Draft Order

• 1. Nationals
• 2. Pirates
• 3. Orioles
• 4. Royals
• 5. Indians
• 6. D'backs
• 7. Mets
• 8. Astros
• 9. Padres
• 10. Athletics
• 11. Blue Jays
• 12. Reds
• 13. White Sox
• 14. Brewers
• 15. Cubs
• And so on...

Any team can take a pick in the draft, but no team is forced to.

I'll post a recap sometime after the draft...

Cubs Down On the Farm Report

Lot's of minor league news, notes, and stats to get to, so let's get started...

40 Man Roster Adds
Today the Cubs protected John Gaub, Blake Parker, Rafael Dolis, Welington Castillo, and James Adduci. Today was the deadline to add players to the 40-man and protect them. Matt Camp, Steve Clevenger, Alex Maestri, Thomas Diamond, J.R. Mathes, and Greg Rheinhard were not put on the roster, and they all are up for grabs in the Rule V Draft next month.

Top Prospect List
Baseball America came out with their new list of the Top 10 Cub Prospects for this year.
1. Starlin Castro
2. Brett Jackson
3. Josh Vitters
4. Andrew Cashner
5. Jay Jackson
6. Hak-Ju Lee
7. Logan Watkins
8. Chris Carpenter
9. Ryan Flaherty
10. DJ LeMeieu

Cubs Minor League FA
The Cubs minor league free agent list is now official:
P- Casey Fossum, Vince Perkins, and Jose Pina
C- Mark Johnson
IF- Matt Craig, Luis Rivas, Bobby Scales, and Nate Speares
OF- Doug Deeds, John-Ford Griffin, and Brad Snyder

AFL Ends
The Arizona Fall League is over for the Mesa Solar Sox. They finished 13-18, 5.5 GB of first place Phoenix in the AFL East. Phoenix will meet Peo Javelinas in the AFL championship game tomorrow on the MLB Network.
Let's take a look at the final stats of the Cubs playing in the AFL:

Michael Brenly: 8 games, .240 AVG, 1 HR, 3 RBI
Welington Castillo: 8 Games, .357 AVG, 2 HR, 4 RBI
Starlin Castro: 26 Games, .376 AVG, HR, 10 RBIs
Josh Vitters: 16 Games, .353 AVG, HR, 8 RBI
John Gaub: 1-1, 9.31 ERA, 10 Games
Scott Maine(Scottsdale): 16.20 ERA in 2 Games
Blake Parker: 2-1, 4.50 ERA in 11 Games
James Russell: 0-1, 1.26 ERA in 11 Games
Andrew Cashner: 2-3, 4.58 ERA, 6 Games (all starts)

Posted a little late this week, but in 2 weeks we'll be back with more winter ball reports!

Rule 5 Draft Recap

The MLB Rule 5 draft is complete and there were 2 things involving the Cubs.
1. Cubs LHP Donald Veal was selected by Pittsburg with the 4th pick. The Cubs could get him back if the Pirates don't keep him on their 25 man roster for all of 2009 but he would have to clear waviers.
2. The Cubs aquired David Patton who was the Reds in exchange for cash considerations. Patton is a right handed pitcher who spent the 2008 season in the Rockies organization. Here's a link to hist numbers. http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?n=David%20Patton&pos=P&sid=milb&t=p_pbp&pid=456029
The Cubs also lost 2 players in the Minor League portion; catcher Yusuf Carter and pitcher Mark Holliman.
Here's some notable past Rule 5 Draftees that went on to become all stars:
George Bell
Paul Blair
Bobby Bonilla
Jody Davis
Darrell Evans
Kelly Gruber
Josh Hamilton
Willie Hernandez
Dave Hollins
John Hudek (minor league portion.)
Dave May
Mike Morgan
Scott Podsednik (minor league portion.)
Bip Roberts
Johan Santana
Joakim Soria
Manny Trillo (minor league portion.)
Derrick Turnbow
Dan Uggla
and Roberto Clemente went on to become a Hall of Famer.

Update: Peavy Talk

A quick update on Peavy-
MLB.com's Corey Brock says that Padres GM Kevin Towers told him that we should know one way or the other on the Peavy trade by the end of the meetings. Towers thinks a deal will take a 4th team. DeRosa and Marquis could be hand ups, especially Jason's contract. Kevin Hart, Josh Vitters, and Felix Pie are some of the names Corey Brock mentioned.

Accourding to Cubs.com a possible 3 team deal has been proposed that would send the following players to the following teams.
Phillies Get: DeRosa
Padres Get: Marquis, Jason Donald, and either J.A. Happ or Carlos Carrasco, Pie, and Vitters
Cubs Get: Peavy

Also the Cubs could loose Donald Veal in the Rule 5 Draft Tomorrow. I'll keep you posted.