Pre-Christmas Cubs Roundup

Happy Holidays Cubs fans! The Cubs have been pretty active this week leading up to Christmas Day, so let's get you caught up!

Corpas Signs with the Cubs
The Cubs have signed 29-year old RHP Manny Corpas to a one year contract. Corpas did not pitch this past season after having Tommy John surgery in September 2010. He is expected to be used out of the Cubs bullpen. Corpas had a 4.62 ERA in 56 games and picked up ten saves with the Rockies two seasons ago. Many feel that with another right hander added to the bullpen, Jeff Samardzija could get a chance to move into the rotation.

Marshall Deal Official
As expected, the Cubs have officially sent left handed reliever Sean Marshall to the Reds for starting pitcher Travis Wood. The two other players acquired by the Cubs in the deal are outfielder Dave Sappelt and 19 year old Ronald Torreyes. Sappelt hit .243 in 38 games with the big league team last season. He will compete for a spot on the team in Spring Training as a fourth or fifth outfielder.

Holiday Cubs Coverage
If you need a wintery Cubs fix, you can get it the next few days if you're in the Chicagoland area. WGN Radio will airs its special "Christmas with the Cubs" show on Christmas Eve at 9pm and Christmas Day at 2:00. Comcast Sports Net Chicago will replay the Cubs game against the Dodgers from April 23, 2011 at 1:00 on Christmas Day. That will be followed by Inside Look: Tom Ricketts at 4:30. On Wednesday, January 4 WGN Radio will host Cubs Corner at Wildfire Chicago featuring Theo Epstein. You can buy tickets to the luncheon or tune in to the broadcast at noon.

Up Next on Everything Cubs Blog
Next week we'll review the top Cubs stories of 2011, have my updated Cubs Opening Day roster predictions and check in on the latest from the rumor mill. Tomorrow our annual "Naughty & Nice" list will be posted. And of course, we'll keep you posted on Everything Cubs as always.

Breaking News: Marshall Traded to Reds

It was the huge news day for the Chicago Cubs. Most notably, left handed reliever Sean Marshall has been traded to the Cincinnati Reds in return for starting pitcher Travis Wood and two minor leaguers. This deal is not yet official, but it is close and pending physicals.

Marshall has been one of the most valuable Cubs for the past few seasons. According to an interesting report from David Kaplan, this is the start of a major rebuilding phase for the Cubs. Although I am upset to see Marshall depart, the deal could make sense for the Cubs since Wood is a young, promising arm who would fill a rotation void. In addition, the deal cannot really be judged until we find out which minor leaguers are coming to Chicago's North Side.

The Cubs also re-signed Reed Johnson to a one year contract today. Johnson will join the outfield mix that already includes David DeJesus, Marlon Byrd and Alfonso Soriano.

The Cubs finalized their minor league coaching staff today as well. Bill Buckner will be a hitting coach for the Class-A Short Season Boise Hawks. Dave Keller returns to the Iowa staff after one year as an assistant to Mike Quade.

Prince Fielder rumors are still floating around. Kaplan tweeted today that the Cubs are not in on Fielder. He also said that they are open to trading everyone except Starlin Castro.

That's it for now, but I'll have much more during the holiday weekend.

Countdown to the Deadline: 5 Days

The Chicago Cubs have less than 5 days to dump players that are not going to be a part of the team in the future. The click is ticking on Jim Hendry, who has yet to make a move. With little activity, there is no shortage of rumors!

• Jim Hendry told Comcast Sports Net that he expects a turnaround by 2012.


• The Sun Times and Jon Heyman have contradicting reports on Carlos Pena. Heyman says that Pena is on his way out, but the Sun Times thinks they might hang on to him and could even bring him back next year.


• Heyman tells us that the Cubs are looking to deal John Grabow, but that will not be easy.


• The Red Sox and Indians have interest in Kosuke.


• Sean Marshall, Ryan Dempster, Aramiz Ramirez, Kerry Wood and Matt Garza are all staying with the Cubs the rest of the season.


• Jim Bowden tells us (via the CCO) that there are a great deal of teams interested in Marlon Byrd.


• Jayson Stark of ESPN reports that Kosuke Fukudome could be the one Cub dealt at the deadline.


• Stark believe that Carlos Pena would clear waivers for an August deal.


• A Pittsburgh newspaper lists Pena as one of three bats that the Buccos are interested in!

Click here for my full deadline update from Sunday.

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

Solving Carlos Marmol's Struggles

Carlos Marmol has failed to get the job done two straight days. Today, Mike Quade pulled his closer with two outs in the ninth to preserve a 2-1 win. Last night, Marmol blew the save allowing four walks and a double without retiring a man. This was Carlos' seventh blown save of the season.

So what should the Cubs do with him?

Option A) Trade Him
With his recent ineffectiveness, I don't think Marmol's value is very high. He will remain under the Cubs control for the next few years. I'd rather take a chance on keeping him than send him away while his stock is low.

Option B) Stick it Out
The Cubs season is pretty much lost anyways. They could just run him out there game after game and hope he eventually pulls it all together. I doubt Quade does this because he's trying to win enough to save his own job, but perhaps this would be the best way for Marmol to get through his problems.

Option C) Demote Him to Setup/Middle Relief
The Cubs could give up on Marmol as a close and put him back in a setup role for the rest of the year, naming either Kerry Wood or Sean Marshall the closer. I am not ready to give up on Marmol despite his struggles. If Marmol can get back on track, he can actually be a strong closer for a winning team. Whenever the Cubs get back on track (2013?) having Marmol around could come in handy. Woody has not been much better of late.

Option D) Break Time
Carlos clearly has something wrong either mentally or mechanically... or both. Giving him a week or two off to work on the side with Mark Riggins and clear his head could be the best idea. I believe he should be given a full week off from pitching at all and then return in middle relief for a week before moving back to the closer's role. However, the week off would put a major strain on the rest of the Cubs pen.

It looks as if the Cubs are sort of going with option D. Carrie Muskat reports that Q does not expect to use Marmol as the closer for the time being. Wood and Marshall will share ninth inning duties.

Thoughts???

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

Weekend Quick Hits: Santo Special, Kosuke's Health, The Rotation and More

Here's the latest in the world of Cubs baseball!

• WGN-TV will air a Cubs special tonight before the Cubs game against the Rockies. "Ron Santo: In His Own Words" starts at 6:30 CT.


• WGN Radio has announced a seven part series of one-hour interviews featuring Cubs players which will air on the network. The hosts of WGN Sports Night, David Kaplan and Brian Noonan, will also host the series, which is called Cubs Corner. The debut on Tuesday, April 26 at noon features Andrew Cashner and Kerry Wood.


• Patrick Mooney tweets that the Cubs have not yet decided who will start on Tuesday. James Russell and Jeff Samardzija are possibilities, or the Cubs could decide to call-up Ramon Ortiz or Roberto Coello.


• Carrie Muskat reports that Mike Quade is open to bringing a player up from Triple-A to start, but only if they are ready. He wants to talk to his coaches first.


• Kosuke Fukudome, who has been out with a right hamstring strain, did some light running and took batting practice last night. He is close to returning to the lineup.


• Andrew Cashner has no pain and full range of motion in his right shoulder. Muskat reports that the rehab is going well.


• Carlos Zambrano apologized to Mike Quade for leaving the mound too early when he was yanked from a game earlier this week.


• Paul Sullivan says that Sean Marshall is not an option for the rotation.


• The Tennessee Smokies have placed top pitching prospect Trey McNutt on the disabled list.

Sorry about the formating issues on some of the posts lately. We are trying to resolve that problem. That's it for now, but I'll keep you posted!

Levine's Latest Before the Snow

Here's the latest from Bruce Levine's popular weekly chat, which takes place every Tuesday over at ESPNChicago.com.

• Jay Jackson has a live arm and could make the club out of Spring Training.
• Bruce thinks the White Sox have a better chance at the playoff than the Cubs "at this point."
• The Cubs have no plans to switch Sean Marshall to the rotation. James Russell will be given a chance.
• Starlin Castro leading off for the Cubs is within the realm of possibility. Baker, Kosuke and DeWitt are other candidates.
• The Cubs will continue to be one of the slowest teams in the majors.
• The Cubs will not trade Geovany Soto, but if they are having another bad season Carlos Marmol could be dealt.
• Levine does not think Samardzija has been handled very well.
• Bruce does not expect a sophomore slump out of Starlin Castro. He should be much improved on defense.
• If Aramis Ramirez plays well, the Cubs will consider picking up his $15 million option. Otherwise, they'll have to pay a $1 million buyout.
• Mark Riggins is a new voice but he has lots of experience. Bruce expects him to be a good fit.
• The Cubs see Brett Jackson as their leadoff man and center fielder of the future.
• The consensus in the organization is that Trey McNutt has more upside than Chris Archer.

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

Cubs Convention Recap: Off the Field, Off the Cuff

This year, John Williams and Nick Digillio hosted the popular session that gets personal with Cubs players. The victims were former Cubs Mike Bielecki and Todd Walker as well as current relievers Sean Marshall and John Grabow.

• Bielecki missed the Convention a couple of years because he had booked cruises. The Cubs were mad that he missed the '89 reunion, but he is back in the good graces.
• Sean Marshall said that you try not to pay attention to stats during the season.
• Todd Walker remembers seeing his batting average at .180 on the huge Yankee Stadium scoreboard.
• It is hard to hide from your stats when they are posted at the stadium in large print.
• A lot of times guys trying to pitch through injuries lead to poor stats.
• Marshall said that it is frustrating for a pitcher when your arm is sore and you are trying to battle through it, but people watching the game do not know that you are hurt.
• Mike says that the bullpen is a lot harder for a lot less glory. He talked about how warming up on days when you do not end up pitching can be taxing for a pitcher's arm.
• John has a set routine that he sticks with when he is pitching well.
• Walker had some silly things that he would do before he went up to the plate when thing were going well. One of his superstitions was putting one sunflower seed in his mouth.
• All of the guys agree that stepping on the chalk lines on the way on/off the field is a no-no.
• Walker said that if someone was pitching a no-hitter, players really do not talk to them.
• Starting pitchers do not want to be messed with on the days they are pitching.
• Players like to go to different cities to see the stadiums and try the restaurants.
• The guys talked about the game played after dinner where everyone tosses their credit card in the hat and the one pulled out had to pay for the huge meal.
• Bielecki said that when he played rookies never paid for dinner.
• Guys with huge paychecks usually pick up the meal.
• The team gives each player envelopes with spending money for each trip.
• Walker loves New York, but he hated travelling there to play baseball. It was a "tough deal" for him.
• Todd loved coming to Chicago even when he was not a Cub. "Chicago is the greatest city in the world. The fans here, they love you as they could tell last night (during the opening ceremonies," he said.
• Mike's favorite place to pitch was LA because the weather was always great, the field was always great and the mound was always perfect.
• He did not like pitching in Colorado because he could not escape without giving up 5-6 runs.
• Marshall's favorite place is San Diego because he has family out there and because the wind usually blows in. In addition, it is a great city with good people. Sean's last favorite is Colorado as well.
• Last year, the Rockies got 13 hits in a row against Marshall, Cashner and Schlitter. The next day, he gave up the walk-off cycle-completing home run.
• Grabow does not like going to New York either.
• Players usually cab themselves over to the ballpark. Guys usually get to the park at about 2:00 for a night game on the road. They get some work in before batting practice at 5:00.
• For day games at Wrigley, the players have to get up early to get to the park.
• A lot of guys will bring their PS3s or X-boxs on the road. Marshall likes to play NHL '11.
• Sean is a "gamer", he likes to play video games.
• When Mike was playing, most of the guys arrived at the ballpark early. The better the team is doing, the earlier the guys get there. The only people on the 5 o'clock bus were the starting pitcher and guys that went out the night before.
• Marshall does not see anyone tweeting or texting during the game.
• When Todd played, he would take a mental break during October, November and December. He would run and hit the streets, but he was not in the cage and throwing everyday until January.
• Mike signed 14 one year contracts, so he spent the entire offseason working to try to stay in shape.
• Usually Grabow would take about eight weeks off from throwing and then start throwing and hitting the weights in December.
• Sean usually takes about a month to get away from baseball and relax. Mid-November or so, he starts running and throwing again. Right now, Marshall is getting back into shape at throwing again.
• A lot of the Cubs played catch at Northwestern University on Thursday.
• Walker does not think that the day baseball is a massive deal, but it does make a little bit of a difference.
• When you play 81 games like that, it starts to take its toll. You have to be extremely disciplined to be a Chicago Cub. You have to be able to go "cut yourself off" and get to bed early on the nights before day games.
• "The best thing they got going this year is that baseball is all about pitching," Todd said.
• The pay is great, but the lifestyle of a big leaguer (being away from the family) is not easy.
• Last year was a big adjustment for John, who had his first child. Grabow has a boy named Nolan.
• Marshall got married about a month ago and has a little boy on the way. He is due at the end of April, so they will figure out how to adjust this season.
• Sean thinks the Cubs have a great group of Latin players. There is no barrier between the Spanish speakers and English speakers.
• Marshall thinks that this team really came together when Quade took over last August.
• Grabow thinks that guys were a little more prepared when Mike took over. Guys knew when they were going to pitch and when they were going to play.
• When Lou Piniella stepped down, it came as a huge surprise for the entire team.
• The guys were "pretty stoked" when Quade was named the interim manager. Marshall described Lou as "tough and stern", but he thinks that Q is more approachable.
• Marshall thinks that Lou was pretty rough on Andrew Cashner because he had so much good stuff but he walked too many guys.
• Mike remembers older Twins players making him wear bright red Reebok that looked like clown shoes for two weeks.
• A few rookies in the bullpen have to carry the Barbie backpack to the pen that is filled with snacks.
• Alcohol in the clubhouse has been cut out on travel days, but there are still beers there on some days but everybody knows to "be cool about it."
• Marshall has his mind set on throwing the pitch that he wants to throw no matter what the catcher calls for. He will shake off Soto or Hill until he gets what he wants.
• Most of last season, the catchers were on the same page with Sean. He did not have to shake them off as often because they knew what he wanted to throw.
• It is tough for players to face guys who they are friends with, especially ex-teammates.
• Mike hated facing Mark Grace.
• Sean Marshall loves when fans are on their feet screaming.
• Grabow doesn't think you can take anything away from what the Cubs did in September. They were still playing against big league clubs and it is something to build on.
• The Cubs had a tough September and they were able to ruin the seasons of a couple of teams.
• John Williams wants the Cubs to play the Pirates tough this year.
• Nick D. thinks that the hot end of the season will carry over into 2011.

That's it for now!

The Cubs 2006 Rookies

A few weeks ago, we profiled all of the rookies that have seen playing time for the Cubs this season. Since that time, Darwin Barney has become the 15th rookie to play for the Cubbies this year. In 2006, Dusty Baker held a similar tryout with tons of rookies getting playing time. A year later, the Cubs were in the postseason. Did the rookies that debuted in '06 play a factor and go on to have solid big league careers?

Buck Coates
MLB Debut: August 22
Position: Outfield
Age: 24
2006 stats: 18 games, .167 AVG, 1 HR
Career Stats: 3 seasons, 46 games, .193 AVG
Where is he now?: Playing at Double-A in the White Sox organization, last appeared in MLB in '08 for the Blue Jays

Angel Guzman
MLB Debut: April 26
Position: Pitcher
Age: 24
2006 Stats: 15 games, 7.39 ERA
Career Stats: 88 games, 4.82 ERA
Where is he now?: still in the Cubs organization, suffered season ending injury in Spring Training, was expected to be a big part of the Cubs bullpen

Carlos Marmol
MLB Debut: June 4
Position: Pitcher
Age: 23
2006 Stats: 19 games, 13 starts, 5-7 record, 6.08 ERA
Career Stats: 239 games, 23 saves, 3.42 ERA
Where is he now?: The Cubs closer!

Sean Marshall
MLB Debut: April 9, 2006
Position: Pitcher
Age: 23
2006 Stats: 24 starts, 6-9, 5.59 ERA
Career Stats: 134 games, 4.55 ERA
Where is he now?: A key part of the Cubs bullpen, serving as a set-up man used in the late innings

Juan Mateo
MLB Debut: August 3, 2006
Position: Pitcher
Age: 23
2006 Stats: 11 games, 10 starts, 1-3, 5.52 ERA
Career Stats: 11 games, all in '06
Where is he now?: Signed a minor league deal with the LA Angels before the 2010 season but was let go in Spring Training

Scott Moore
MLB Debut: September 4
Position: Third base
Age: 22
2006 Stats: .263 AVG, 5 RBIs, 16 games
Career Stats: 80 games, .223 AVG
Where is he now?: Moore has been in the Orioles organization since 2007

Ryan O'Malley
MLB Debut: August 16, 2006
Position: Pitcher
Age: 26
2006 Stats: 2 games, 2 starts, 1-1, 2.13 ERA
Career Stats: 2 games
Where is he now?: Pitching coach for the AZL Rangers

Angel Pagan
MLB Debut: April 3, 2006
Position: Outfield
Age: 24
2006 Stats: 77 games, .247 AVG
Career Stats: .285 AVG
Where is he now?: Having a great year for the Mets

Jose Reyes
MLB Debut: September 13, 2006
Position: Catcher
Age: 23
2006 stats: 4 games, 1-for-5
Career Stats: 4 games
Where is he now?: Played in the Mets system in 2007, hasn't played since

Jae Kuk Ryu
MLB Debut: May 14
Position: Pitcher
Age: 22
2006 Stats: 10 games, 1 start, 0-1, 8.40 ERA
Where is he now?: Signed with the Rangers last January

Most likely, of the current load of rookies, a few will latch on as big time big leaguers. Even though their stats are not all good, just look at the number of Marmol and Marshall in '06. You never know who will develop into a great player and who will not!

First Half Cubbie Awards

All in all, it was not a good first half for the Cubs. In fact, it was a very bad first half for our fourth place Cubbies. However, there have been a few bright spots. Let's give out the Cubs First Half Awards!

MVP: Marlon Byrd, the Cubs only All-Star
Cy Young: Carlos Silva
Biggest Surprise: Carlos Silva
Most Underrated: Sean Marshall
Most fun to Watch: Carlos Marmol
Prospect of the First Half: Brett Jackson
Pitching Prospect of the First Half: Austin Bibens-Dirkx
Best Rookie: Tyler Colvin
Best Pitching Performance: Ted Lilly's no-hit bid into the 9th against the White Sox
Biggest Offensive Game: Starlin Castro's homer, triple, and six RBIs in big league debut
Biggest Hit: Walk-off homer in the 11th by Aramis Ramirez on May 17 VS Rockies
Team Player: Marlon Byrd
Effort Award: Koyie Hill/Ted Lilly

We'll continue to review the Cubs first half of the season throughout the All-Star break. Our break posts will also feature recaps of All-Star events and minor league All-Star games, former Cub updates, a look at the rumor mill, and look at the 2009-2010 offseason now.

Catching Up Quick Hits: Soriano, The 8th Inning, and More

Let's catch up on all the Cubs news and notes from this week!

• The Cubs lost today but won 2 of 3 against the Brewers in the first home series of the year.
• The 1-8 Astros will be in town starting tomorrow.
• Derrek Lee returned the the lineup today after missing some time with a thumb injury. He launched his 100th career home run at Wrigley Field before being thrown out of the game after a called third strike call in the 7th.
• Today was Jackie Robinson Day in Major League Baseball. All players, coaches, and umpires sported number 42.
• Yesterday the Cubs placed right handed pitcher Esmalin Caridad on the DL with a forearm strain. Jeff Gray was called up from AAA-Iowa and looked rocky in his Cubs debut.
• Ted Lilly's rehab starts in Iowa have gone well. He could return to the rotation sometime after April 23.
• The 8th inning has continued to haunt the Cubs. Carrie Muskat reports that Lou will continue to call on Marshall and Grabow for setup duty, and he may not use a right hander.
• Carlos Marmol says he's up for pitching 2 innings, but the Chicago Tribune reports that the most he will be called upon for is four outs.
• Bruce Miles reported that the Cubs have threatened to bench Soriano, but the Chicago Tribune says that Lou denied this. Today Soriano was on the bench and Tyler Colvin was in left field, but Piniella was just "rotating his outfielders".
• Phil Rogers likes what he's seen from Andrew Cashner.

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

Breaking News: The Pitching Staff is Set, Roster Cuts

Today, the Chicago Cubs announced the 12 man pitching staff and 5 man starting rotation that they will use to start the season.

Gordon Wittenmyer tweets that lefty James Russell will take the final spot in the bullpen unless the Cubs make a trade next week.

Gordon also tells us that Carlos Silva and Tom Gorzelanny have won the final two spots in the starting rotation. They will round out a starting five that already includes Carlos Zambrano, Ryan Dempster, and Randy Wells. Despite pitching great this spring, Sean Marshall will head to the bullpen where he will add depth. Jeff Samardzija, who lost out on the rotation because of some poor outings during Spring Training, will be used in middle to late relief to start the year. Russell, Marshall, and Samardzija are joined in the bullpen by Carlos Marmol, Esmalin Caridad, Justin Berg, and John Grabow.

The Cubs also made 7 roster cuts today. Pitchers Jeff Gray, Marcos Mateo, and John Gaub were optioned to AAA-Iowa, as was outfielder Jim Adduci. Jim made it tough on the Cubs with a three hit game yesterday to cap off a great spring, but it turns out there is no room for him on the roster. Gray was aquired from Oakland this offseason and was expected to be a big part of the bullpen. However, Jeff suffered a groin injury in an early February workout at Fitch Park which caused him to miss most of Spring Training. He could be a part of the pen at some point this year.

Darwin Barney, Bobby Scales, and Robinson Chirinos were also assigned to minor league camp. There are no major surprises among this group. Barney could help the Cubs as a utility infielder at some point this season.

Russell will have to be added to the 40-man roster since he came to camp as a Non-Roster Invite. Rule 5 Pick Mike Parisi is the "odd man out" and it appears that he will be offered back to the Cardinals.

With the seven cuts today, there are still 33 players left in camp, but that list includes two guys (Lilly and Guzman) who will start the season on the DL. That means the Cubs have five position players that will be cut. Kevin Millar, Andres Blanco, Micah Hoffpauir, and Chad Tracy are battling for a spot on the bench while Tyler Colvin and Sam Fuld are hoping to earn the fifth outfield job. The fifth cut will be catcher Chris Robinson, who will stay with the big league club until the end so that Koyie Hill and Geovany Soto are not overworked in the final week and a half behind the plate. It should be an interesting conclusion to Spring Training!

Be sure to check out yesterday's Cubs Roundup for more.

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

Cubs Roundup: The Pitching Staff, Minor Leauge Updates, Radio Recaps, & More

Rotation Decision
Lou Piniella has said that the starting rotation will be set by Friday (tomorrow). Tom Gorzelanny made his final bid for the rotation going six innings against Arizona today. Here is the stats of the four pitchers looking for spots in the starting five:

Tom Gorzelanny: 1-1, 3.07 ERA in 14.2 IP
Sean Marshall: 1-0, 1.64 ERA, 11 IP
Jeff Samardzija: 0-2, 6.75 ERA, 8 IP
Carlos Silva: 2-1, 5.73 ERA, 11 IP

Gorzo and Sean have the far better ERAs, so they're in, right? Wrong. The Cubs want to have one lefty and one right hander of this bunch stay in the rotation, and one of each go to the pen. So then Silva is in the rotation and Marshall is a no brainier, right? Wrong again. Sean Marshall's great pitching may have even hurt his chances at the rotation because he is so valuable to the Cubs as a swing man in the bullpen. With the bullpen really lacking depth, chances are he'll go out there. The two veterans, Silva and Gorzelanny, are the favorites to win rotation jobs. We'll found out tomorrow!

Roster Cuts on the Way
The Cubs are expected to cut the roster from 40 down to 29-30 tomorrow. Carrie Muskat reports that the Cubs will keep 12-13 pitchers and 16-17 position players. If Carrie's total number of pitchers is accurate, the Cubs will either have their pen set or just one cut left to make. Right now, James Russell, John Gaub, Marcos Mateo, and Mike Parisi are fighting for the last relief job. Here are the stats for those four this spring:

Parisi: 1-1, 7.45 ERA, 9.2 IP
Russell: 0.00 ERA, 9 IP
Gaub: 1-0, 7.04 ERA, 7.2 IP
Mateo: 8.22 ERA, 7.2 IP

My guess is that Mateo and Gaub will be among the cuts tomorrow. James Russell clearly should have this spot won, but I think the Cubs will keep Parisi in camp until the final weekend because of his Rule 5 status. If they try to send him to the minors, they will have to offer him back to the Cardinals. Personally, I think the Cubs should just give Mike back rather than go through the struggle to keep him on the roster like they did with Patton last year. Jeff Gray is also still in camp, but it appears he will start the year on the DL.

As far as the position players are concerned, there will be 5-6 cuts tomorrow. Two will be catchers Chris Robinson and Robinson Chirinos, who are ticketed for the minor leagues with Hill and Soto at the big league level. Bobby Scales and Darwin Barney will most likely be two more of the cuts. Micah Hoffpauir could also be sent to AAA, or James Adduci could be sent out. The Cubs will likely let the fight for the final bench spots (Fuld v Colvin, Millar v Tracy) go down to the wire. Andres Blanco is still in the mix as well. Lou has said that Colvin will be on the team if there is enough playing time for him, but they will not let him rot on the bench.

Lou & Lee Stay "Back"
Both the Cubs skipper and his first baseman are having some back pain, which caused them to skip the trip to Tuscon today. This was the final trip the Cubs will ever make to Tuscan as both teams that play (the Rockies & D'backs) are leaving next year. Piniella woke up with a sore back, so he didn't feel like taking the long bus ride. Instead, Alan Trammell managed the Cubs team today. Derrek Lee's injury is even weirder. He fell out of a chair while eating in Surprise yesterday. Surprise! D-Lee should be back in the Cub lineup when they host the A's tomorrow.

The Cubs that did make the trip topped Arizona 7-2. James Adduci and Tyler Colvin both had big days as they vie for the final spot in the Cubs' outfield. James had three hits while Colvin smacked two.

Notes from Fitch Park

• Arizona Phil from TCR posted a nice report from minor league camp on Wednesday.
• Randy Wells pitched for the Iowa Cubs in Wednesday's game to stay on schedule. He looked sharp going 6 shutout innings.
• Aramis Ramirez served as the DH to get some at bats in for the I-Cubs. He went 1-6 with a long home run, which helped Iowa to a 2-1 ten inning win over the Oakland A's farm club.
• Xavier Nady played right field in the AA game on Wednesday. He went 1-3 with a double before leaving in the 4th after being hit by a pitch. His left hand got nailed, but was OK.
• Starlin Castro is now playing for the AA squad. He made two errors for the Smokies.
• Brain LaHair went 2-3 for the AAA team.
• Scott Maine, who came over from Arizona in the Aaron Heilman trade, pitched a scoreless inning for Iowa.

Be sure to check out my Down on the Farm Report posted on Chicago Cubs Online today. This is Part 2 of my three part series on the Cubs' minor league coaches.

Bruce Levine's Report on Waddle & Silvy Today

• Even though Marshall has pitched well, it looks like he'll go to the bullpen.
• The Cubs like to use Sean's versatility.
• Bruce thinks that Gorzelanny and Silva are the 4 and 5 starters.
• It looks like Jeff Samardzija is heading to the bullpen as well.
• Jeff Gray is slotted to join the bullpen at some point.
• Levine reports that upper management wants Tyler Colvin to continue his progress at the minor league level, but Lou would like to have him on the bench. If the Cubs end up needing him, they can always call him up.
• Bruce thinks that money sometime dictates who plays, and that is the case with the Cubs' outfield.

Former Cub Todd Hollandsworth on the Danny Mac Show:

• The team's success will depend a great deal on Soriano's performance.
• There are 6-7 questions that surround this team going into the season.
• Todd thinks if you can answer 4-5 of those questions with a positive answer, this team has a chance.
• Soriano has to produce. This team isn't the deepest team, and they will depend on Alfonso.
• The Cubs are playing "team baseball" down in Arizona.
• Holly thinks that Soriano needs to get the "meaningful hits" against tough pitching.
• Geovany Soto is another big question. Geo has lost some weight and has a new hitting coach, but these questions will not be answered until the season starts.
• Todd calls Jeff Samardzija "a kid with all the potential in the world." The Shark needs a consistent role somewhere so that he can find himself some success.
• If Samardzija gets some relief innings under his belt, then his confidence will go up.
• The decision to sign Kevin Millar was affected by the situation with the clubhouse last year. Millar has a great track record, but there's no point in putting him on your roster if the at bats aren't going to be there for him.
• This team needs all the hitters they can get right now, so Chad Tracy might be the right decision.
• Hollandsworth loves Carlos Zambrano's passion and loves what he brings to the table. However, there is no defined number 1 in the Cubs rotation. Big Z needs to step up and be that guy.
• Z has to cut down on the melt downs.
• Todd is tired of overlooking the same mental problems with Zambrano. He wants to win, but he has to stop losing his focus at times.

New Poll

A big thanks to everyone who voted on our last poll on the right sidebar! Here are the results:

Q: Who would you most like to see on the Cubs bench?

1. Kevin Millar- 13 votes

2. Chad Tracy- 7 Votes

3. Micah Hoffpauir- 2 Votes

Now there is a new poll up on the right sidebar of the blog mainpage!

Q: What is the biggest area of concern for the 2010 Chicago Cubs?

A) Starting Pitching

B) Bullpen Depth

C) Defense

D) Power Bats

E) Speed

F) Scoring Runs

Please vote! Also, feel free to comment with your thoughts or email be at cubsblogmailbag@aol.com.

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

Position Battle Updates

Happy St. Patrick's Day Cubs fans! Today is the one Cub off day of Spring Training, so we'll use it to get you caught up on this spring's position battles!

Starting Rotation
The top three men in the starting five have been penciled in. Carlos Zambrano, Ryan Dempster, and Randy Wells have all already earned the right to start games this season. However, with Ted Lilly set to start the year on the DL and Rich Harden leaving via free agency, there are two spots open to start the year. This leaves Carlos Silva, Tom Gorzelanny, Jeff Samardzija, and Sean Marshall battling for rotation spots.

Carlos Silva: 2-1, 6.00 ERA, 9 IP
*Jeff Samardzija: 0-1, 9.00 ERA, 4 IP
Tom Gorzelanny: 5.40 ERA, 5 IP
Sean Marshall: 2.57 ERA, 7 IP

*Samardzija worked 3 innings during an intersquad minor league game at Fitch Park today. He did not allow a hit to the AA guys but alarmingly walked 3.

There's no doubt that Marshall's pitched the best of the four, but he is held back by his value to the bullpen. At this point, I would say the best bet is to use Marshall in the rotation. If Silva continues to pitch like he has in the last few starts, he very well could take the starts that Lilly misses.

Starting Second Baseman
Lou has hinted that Mike Fontenot has an edge over Jeff Baker at this point. Fontenot was terrific coming off the bench for the Cubs in 2008, which very well could have lead to the team dealing Mark DeRosa. Last year, when Mike was given a chance to take over the every day job, his production declined. Hopefully he can bounce back. Baker, who came over midseason last year from the Rockies, is also going to be a key even if he is only used as a backup infielder. Let's take a look at their stats:

Mike Fontenot: .409 AVG, .440 OBP, 22 ABs
Jeff Baker: .158 AVG, .238 OBP, 19 ABs

Sorting Out the Bullpen
Who knows who will be in the Cub bullpen come Opening Day. Esmalin Caridad, a young talented right handed pitcher, has been tossed into a setup role. Veteran lefty John Grabow will be the other setup guy, with Carlos Marmol handling the ninth inning duties. After that, there are four openings. Let's assume that the first two vacant spots will go to those that lose out on the rotation battle. After that, there's 2 more long relief roles up for grabs. Here are the spring stats of some young pitchers that are in camp vying for jobs.

Mike Parisi: 1-1, 4.05 ERA, 6.2 IP
Casey Coleman: 5.68 ERA, 6.1 IP
James Russell: 0.00 ERA, 5.2 IP
Andrew Cashner: 1-0, 1.80 ERA, 5 IP
J.R. Mathes: 10.80 ERA, 5 IP
John Gaub: 1-0, 3.86 ERA, 4.2 IP
Thomas Diamond: 0-0, 0.00 ERA, 4.1 IP
Justin Berg: 1-0, 2.25 ERA, 4 IP
Jeff Stevens: 0-0, 9.00 ERA, 4 IP
Blake Parker: 0-1, 10.60 ERA, 2.2 IP

Diamond is a very underrated guy who could see the diamond at Wrigley as at some point this season. I would say Diamond, Berg, Russell, and Gaub are the favorites for winning spots.

The Fifth Outfielder
Piniella always does a lot of hinting regarding the roster during Spring Training, especially during his pregame WGN Radio interviews with Ron Santo. Lou and Ron sometimes seem to forget that they are on the air because Lou sees Ronny as a friend and not as the media. Based on what we've heard, the Cubs will be keeping five outfielders: Byrd, Kosuke, Soriano, and Nady for sure plus a younger guy who can be used as a defensive sub. Here are the 4 guys competing for that open spot on the bench:

Tyler Colvin: .533 AVG, 6 RBIs, 30 ABs
Brad Snyder: .417 AVG, .533 OBP, 12 ABs
Sam Fuld: .150 AVG, .227 OBP, 20 ABs
Jim Aducci: .348 AVG, .400 OBP, 23 ABs

Jim is a good looking prospect, but he's a long shot to make the team this year. Without question Colvin has the edge, but I wouldn't be totally surprised if the Cubs went with Fuld based on past performance at the big league level. Either way I hope whoever wins this spot gets some playing time and a chance to be a young spark plug.

The Pinch Hitting Utility Man
The Cubs need some leadership off the bench. A guy who has pop, can come up to the plate late in the game and do damage, and who will also provide some leadership. Kevin Millar could fit the bill. Let's check out the stats of Millar and his competitors for the final spot on the bench:

Chad Tracy: 18 ABs, .222 AVG, .300 OBP
Kevin Millar: 15 ABs, .333 AVG, .545 OBP
Micah Hoffpauir: 25 ABs, .120 AVG, .185 OBP

However, when you've had full careers to see these guys play in the case of Tracy and Millar, it does not make sense to base the decision on just a few Cactus League at bats. I still believe Kevin will take this spot because the Cubs like his leadership and his bat. He also brings a better glove than Hoffpauir. Andres Blanco and Brian LaHair are also still in the mix.

My Debut at CCO
I'd like to encourage everyone to check out my first minor league Cubs post over at Chicago Cubs Online. I will be covering the farm system with posts on this site every Monday and Thursday throughout the season! Thanks to Neil for giving me this opportunity! As always, I'll still be posting here on Everything Cubs daily!

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

Weekend Quick Hits: Piniella's Future, Roster Cuts, Injury Updates, and More

• Today the Cubs made the first roster cuts of the spring, trimming 9 off the roster. David Patton (sent to AA) and Mitch Atkins, who was sent to AAA, are among the most notable guys cut from camp. Brett Jackson, Josh Vitters, Steve Clevenger, Blake Lalli, Matt Camp, Jeff Kennard, and Vince Perkins were sent to minor league camp.
• Aramis Ramirez was scratched from yesterday's lineup and sat out again today against the Angels. Rami has a sore right tricep, but he is expected to resume throwing in the next few days.
• Derrek Lee is also still day-to-day after fouling a ball off his foot last Thursday. Lee should be back in the lineup on Tuesday.
• Xavier Nady is expected to start playing outfield the last 10 days of Spring Training. He may not be able to throw at 100% until mid-season.
• It sounds like there are 2 spots left on the Cubs bench. Kevin Millar and Chad Tracy are competing for one of the spots, while Sam Fuld, Brad Snyder, Tyler Colvin, and Jim Adduci are in the mix for the other. Micah Hoffpauir's future is a mystery at this point.
• Kosuke Fukudome's hitting coach is now in Arizona. He is expected to work closely with Rudy Jaramillo in coaching Kosuke this season.
• Ted Lilly threw off the mound again today, and the Chicago Tribune reports that he is ahead of schedule.
• The Cubs fifth starters competition is "still open". Sean Marshall has pitched the best of the four candidates so far, but the lefty is was valuable to the Cubs' bullpen last season.
• Piniella expects the rotation to be decided by March 22 according to Carrie Muskat.
• Angel Guzman will meet with Dr. Andrews tomorrow to get a second opinion on his shoulder tear.
• Tyler Colvin is leading the majors with his .565 Spring Training batting average.
• The Cubs have been committing a lot of errors so far this spring. Many of the miscues were by guys who won't be on the big league roster, but you still don't want to see sloppy defense.
• Crane Kenney has talked openly about the future of Lou Piniella with the Cubs. Kenney hinted that if Lou wants to keep managing, then he'll stick around. However, as Bruce Miles points out, Jim Hendry is in charge of baseball operations not Crane.

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

Cubs Win! Cubs Win!

The Cubs are in the win column to start the 2010 exhibition season! Just the fact that they Boys in Blue were in action on WGN Radio made today a great day, but a 9-3 win against the Oakland A's made today even sweeter.

Although there's still snow on the ground here, the sound of Pat and Ron makes it feel like summer. Spring is officially on the way... let's check out some of the game highlights:

Randy Wells
After a great rookie season, Wells is expected to perform at a high level this year. Today, Randy was handed the ball to kick off the Cactus League schedule. Randy had great stuff today, going 2 shutout innings. He did not allow any men to reach base and sent two down on strikes. Two inning outings are typical of early spring games because manager want the avoid injury risk by building their pitchers' stamina up start by start. By the end of the spring, each guy will be going 5-6 innings.

Marlon Byrd
After signing as a free agent last winter, Marlon swooped into his first game in Cubbie Blue today. He wasted no time in making Cub fans happy by knocking a solo homer to lead off the fourth for his second hit of the game. Byrd went 2-2 with a pair of runs scored before departing.

Sean Marshall
Let the competition for the spots in the back end of the rotation begin! Sean got off to a great start today by throwing 2 scoreless frames in relief of Wells. Marshall did not allow a hit and walked one. Carlos Silva will start against the White Sox on Saturday, with Gorzelanny and Samardzija pitching in Sunday's split squad.

Other Pitchers
After Marshall and Wells each went two innings, three younger guys got a chance to take the hill against the A's. Mike Parisi, who was the Cubs' Rule V Draft pick in June, went two innings. He pitched pretty well but made one mistake, which resulted in an Adam Rosales solo homer. Parisi allowed just the one run on one hit and one walk. Lefty J.R. Mathes pitched the 7th and 8th, surrendering 2 runs on 2 hits and a walk. Esmalin Caridad worked a one, two, three 9th.

The Star
Top prospect Starlin Castro has received tons of sudden praise and attention from the media this offseason. We got our first look at him in a big league setting today. He showed impressive speed as he was able to leg out a triple, which was his only hit of the day (1-3).

Power Surge
After a 2009 season where runs were hard to come by, the Cubs brought the bats today. Perhaps new hitting coach Rudy Jaramillo has already made in impact on this club. As a team, they pounded out 9 runs on 16 hits, 5 of them home runs. In addition to Byrd; Derrek Lee, Sam Fuld, Tyler Colvin, and Brad Snyder all went deep. Lee got the scoring started with his first inning blast. Former first round draft pick Tyler Colvin homered in the 6th to cap off a 3 for 3 day. Colvin bulked up over the offseason, putting on 25 pounds of muscle. Snyder and Fuld both hit long balls in the 7th inning. Fuld's two run shot was the only multi-run bomb of the day. Brad Snyder is a long time minor leaguer who played good in Mexico over the winter. He hit a LONG ball according to the call of Pat Hughes. Little Sammy Fuld getting into one very well could have been the biggest surprise of the day.

Other Hitters
Kosuke batted second and put together a 2-3 day behind Ryan Theriot, who was 0-2. Alfonso Soriano was the only regular who did not start the game. Aramis Ramirez went 0-2, D-Lee was 2-3, Geo drove in a run, and Mike Fontenot hit a sac fly and walked. Today we got brief looks at a few guys competing for spots on the bench. Micah Hoffpauir played first base after Lee's departure and was retired in his only plate appearance. Non roster invitee Chad Tracy went 1-2 with a run scored. Brian LaHair, Bobby Scales and Kevin Millar each got pinch hit at bats. Millar singled while LaHair ground into a double play and Scales struck out. Outfielders Fuld and Snyder were impressive coming off the Cub bench. Andres Blanco went 1-2 when he took over at second base for Mike Fontenot. Farm guys James Adduci (OF) and Robinson Chirinos (C)both went hitless.

Former Cubs
Utility man Jake Fox was sent to Oakland this winter in a swap that brought pitcher Jeff Gray to the Northside. Gray has been sidelined with a groin injury, so he did not pitch against his former team today, but Fox started at third base for Oakland in his first pro game outside of the Cubs organization. He went 0-2. Eric Patterson, a former Cubs farm hand, was 1-2 off the A's bench. Patterson is the only player who is still with the A's or Cubs that was part of the five player deal between to two clubs at the 2008 trade deadline. The Cubs with play the Athletics in interleague play this season.

Sunny at HoHoKam
Everyone in attendance, with the possible exception of second base umpire Mike Winters, was please with the 66 degree and sunny day. There were 7,496 fans at the ballpark.

Upcoming Games
Tomorrow: VS Arizona 2:05 CT- no broadcast (Zambrano)
Saturday: VS Chicago White Sox 2:05 CT- WGN TV, WGN Radio (Silva)
Sunday: (ss) VS CWS 2:05 WGN
VS LAD 2:05- no broadcast (Gorzelanny/Samardzija)

Injury Updates
Angel Guzman and Ted Lilly were both spotted on the field today before the game according to Chicago Cubs Online. Xavier Nady is expected to make his spring debut on Saturday against the White Sox as the DH. Nady is recovering from Tommy John surgery.

Not Him Again
I guess it wouldn't be a Chicago Cubs blog post without Milton Bradley. The outspoken former Cub told ESPNChicago.com today that the city of Chicago was at fault for his 2009 struggles. "Two years ago, I played, and I was good. I go to Chicago, not good. I've been good my whole career. So obviously it was something with Chicago, not me." Oh, Milton. The Cubs travel to Seattle this summer for interleague action. To bad the M's don't visit Wrigley.

Baseball is back! I'll keep you posted.

Spring Training Preview: The Starting Rotation

Carlos Zambrano
Big Z worked out hard and dropped some weight this offseason. Nine wins is not going to cut it this year. Zambrano says he's finally calmed down, but we've heard that before. If there one guy on the Chicago Cubs that needs to step it up the most, it's Carlos. The Cubs lack the "ace" that most of the elite baseball teams have. When he's on he shows signs of being the horse, but inconsistency has riddled Zambrano's career.
My Prediction: Lock for Opening Day Roster and rotation

Ryan Dempster
After a great 2008 season in which he moved to the rotation and put up 17 wins, Dempster faltered in 2009, possibly in part because of off the field family distractions. Demp said at the Cubs Convention that his daughter is starting to do better. Hopefully this will lead to a return to 2008 form, and he's not the lone Cub in that category. Ryan's a great guy, and we wish him the best on and off the field.
My Prediction: Lock for Opening Day roster and rotation

Randy Wells
The Cubs' rotation could really hinge on Wells. Randy had a marvelous rookie campaign a year ago, but as Cubs fans experienced first hand with Soto a year ago, the dreaded sophomore slump is always a possibility. Can Wells really be counted on to be a consistent middle of the rotation starter after less than one season in the bigs? Lou has him penciled in to the rotation, but we'll have to wait and see how it turns out!
My Prediction: Lock for Opening Day Roster and rotation

Ted Lilly
The Bulldog was the only Cub on the NL All-Star team in 2009, and although he did suffer and injury and miss some time in the second half, he and Wells were the best Cub pitcher last year. Lilly had a shoulder surgery this offseason, so he will miss Spring Training and most likely not be ready to start until mid to late April. 2010, his 3rd season with the Cubs, will be a big year for Lilly because afterwards he will hit the free agent market. Right now, however, he will focus on getting healthy and returning to a rotation that cannot afford to lose guys for long periods of time.
My Prediction: Will start the year on the DL

Jeff Samardzija
The Shark pitched great out of the bullpen in the final few months of the 2008 season, but then struggled when he was given a chance to start in 2009. The former Notre Dame football standout has bounced back and forth between AAA and the big leagues and between the rotation and the bullpen over the last two years. He has worked on developing some new pitchers in Mexican Winter Ball this offseason. Samardzija has made it clear that he wants to be in the rotation rather than the pen.
My Prediction: Will start the year in the Cubs' rotation

Tom Gorzelanny
Gorzo was acquired from the Pirates just before the trade deadline last July, and went 7-3 in 22 games (7 starts) with the Cubs in the final two months. The Chicago native is a left handed hurler and is also fighting for the final spot in the Cubs' rotation. He has more experience in the big leagues than Samardzija does, but does he have better stuff?
My Prediction: Will start the year taking Lilly's spot in the rotation, before moving to the bullpen when Ted returns.

Sean Marshall
Marshall has done just about everything since making his big league debut with the Cubs in 2006. This lefty's Cub resume includes starting, relieving, being used as a swing man, long relief, left handed specialist, set-up man, and even playing left field for one batter last July in a Sunday night game at Wrigley against the Cardinals. Sean has paid his dues succeeding in just about every role the Cubs have tossed him in to. However, the Cubs could use him in a utility role once again.
My Prediction: Swing Man

Carlos Silva
The best thing about Silva- his name is not Milton Bradley. The Cubs acquired Silva in a swap of bad contracts with Seattle this offseason, and according a multiple reports out of Arizona, Lou Piniella is not pleased with the shape that Carlos has reported to camp in. Silva will get into some Spring Training games and try to win a spot in the rotation, but most likely will not be a major factor this season in any capacity.
My Prediction: Will start the season hidden on the DL

So, if Zambrano, Dempster, Wells, Samardzija, Gorzelanny, and Marshall all make 25-man roster, which most likely they will, there are just 6 spots left on the pitching staff even with Lilly and Silva starting the season on the DL. There are 14 pitchers in camp (plus Silva) competing for those six spots in the bullpen, and I'll have the pen preview for you sometime in the next couple of days!

Jim Hendry on Waddle & Silvy

Jim Hendry checked in to talk Cubs on ESPN 1000 today:

• Before Bradley, the Cubs always went after good chemistry guys. The didn't do something totally different this offseason by getting Millar and Byrd, it was more "back to the norm".
• Offensively Milton was the right guy. If he would have hit like he normally did the first couple of months, a lot of the problems would not have occur.
• Hendy said that Bradley got off to a bad start and then it got away from him.
• Jim thinks the Cubs are much better than they were last year. They need a lot of guys to get on track, and Rudy Jaramillo should help with that. The Cubs didn't need a lot of new bodies, they just need guys to come back and play like they did in '07 and '08.
• Having veterans on the bench and in the bullpen is important (hence the Millar and Tracy adds).
• The Cubs are still looking to make another move before or during camp. They need a veteran guy in the 'pen.
• The guys coming in on Non Roster Invites have a good chance to compete for spots.
• The Cubs did like Jermaine Dye. Hendy spoke to Dye and his agent. Jermaine and Nady were two of the Cubs options for 4th outfielder.
• The team is done adding position players. If they make any more moves, it will be to sign pitchers.
• The Ricketts family has given Jim a fair budget.
• More good, young players are coming, and it's time for guys like Marshall, Samardzija, and Marmol to get more of a chance to have bigger roles.
• Hendy thinks that the Ricketts will be great owners for the city of Chicago long after his tenure with the Cubs.
• Alfonso is a good guy, a good teammate, he wants to win, and he does care when he doesn't do well. Having Rudy with him should help him find out what he needs to do to get back on track. The Cubs will be happy if he hits .270-.275 and 30+ home runs.
• Sori's speed game will never return because of the injuries, but he should be able to avoid the long slumps this year.
• The Cubs do not do the promoting for their own prospects. The organization is not looking to over-hype Starlin Castro. He is a very talented guy who has a chance to play well on both sides of the ball. "He'll let us know when he's ready."
• The team has settled 36 arbitration cases in a row, but if it end up going to a trial, that's just part of the business. Neither side likes it, but it is what it is.
• Ted Lilly had a very minor procedure. The Cubs have never been worried about it. If he's 100% the first week of the season, he'll pitch then. If not, they won't rush him. The first few weeks you have some off days, therefore do not need five starters.

Paul Sullivan joined the Danny Mac Show on 670 the Score yesterday:

• The Cubs are going to open up the bottom of the bleachers in the area underneath the cat walk in right field. That will be opened up before the game for corporate events. During the game, it will be open to fans with flat screen TVs, beverage stands, ect.
• They have already begun constructing this at Wrigley.
• The Cubs are looking to get people to stay in the ballpark to spend money after the games, instead of going to the bars and restaurants to spend their money before and after games.
• Sullivan thinks it's worrisome that Wrigley is using many ideas that the Red Sox are using for Fenway Park.
• Sully doesn't like the idea of advertising in the left field bleachers.
• He would like to see the Cubs come up with their own ideas instead of copying everything off of Boston.
• Ricketts is into statistical thinking, but Jim Hendy is definitely old school and loves scouting first.

That's it for now!

Mid Week Roundup: Dawson's Cap, Cubs Spring Training, Adding to the Bench, and More

A lot has been going on this week around the word of the Chicago Cubs, so let's dive right into it!

Dawson to Enter Hall An Expo
As first reported early this morning by Fred Mitchell of the Tribune, Andre Dawson will enter the National Baseball Hall of fame as a Montreal Expo. The Hawk played 11 years in Montreal, but some of the most memorable years of his career were while sporting blue pinstripes. Andre said at the Cubs' Convention that he would prefer to enter as a Cub, but the Hall makes the final decision. While many Cub fans believe that Dawson should have been granted his wishes, Phil Rogers supports the Hall's decision. He will join Gary Carter as the only players to wear Expo hats on their plaques. Andre told Mitchell that he is disappointed by that decision.

Cubs To Stay In Mesa
It's official. The Chicago Cubs, as expected, made the announcement today that they will keep their Spring Training home in Mesa. Ricketts confirmed the deal to stay in the valley of the sun during an announcement at Arizona Capito today. Cub camp has been located in Arizona since 1952. A proposal that includes 100-plus acres called Wrigleyville West is possible. The Cubs decision is to stay, but this is dependent on a November referendum of voters in Mesa.

Nady Signs With Cubs (Pending Physical)
As posted yesterday, the Cubs are close to adding Xavier Nady to their outfield mix. Nady missed most of 2009 due to Tommy John surgery. The phsical that Xavier has to take could be more than a minor obstacle because of his recent health issues.

Cubs Ink Tracy to Minor League Deal
The Cubs have signed former Arizona D'backs' infielder Chad Tracy to the mix for bench spots in Spring Training. Chad has agreed to a minor league deal that includes an invite to big league camp. Here is some info on Tracy:

• Full Name: Chad Austin Tracy
• B/T: Left/Right
• Drafted: in the 7th round of the 2001 amateur draft
• MLB Debut: April 21, 2004
• Teams: Arizona (2004-'09)
• 2009 Stats: In 98 big league games, he hit .237 with a .306 OBP, 8 HR, and 39 RBIs.
• Career Batting Average: .280 over 6 big league seasons
• Age: 29
• Career Games by Position: 3B (654), 1B (260), RF (47), DH (8), LF (7)

Cubs Avoid Arbitration with Marshall

Cubs' left handed hurler Sean Marshall has agreed to a 2010 contract with the club. The two sides will avoid arbitration. However, the Cubs still have two arb elgible guys that need to be locked up or else they will go to a hearing: Ryan Theriot and Carlos Marmol. Gordon Wittenmer tweets that Marshall will get $950,000 this year. Sean will compete for a spot in the starting rotation this spring.

Sheets Signs With Oakland

The Oakland Athletics have signed Ben Sheets to an $8 million deal. Sheets had been on the Cubs' radar, and many fans think the rehabbing righty would have been a nice add to our rotation. Jon Garland has signed a $4.7 million deal with the Padres, so you can scratch him off the Cubs' list as well.

Notes from Bruce Levine's Chat

Here's the link to Bruce's full chat from Tuesday, and I'll fully recap all the Cub info we gained right here:

• Nady could overtake Kosuke as the starting right fielder, but unless the Cubs get another top of the order hitter it is unlikely that Fukudome will be benched.
• Levine guesses that Milton Bradley will ask to leave the state of Washington by fall.
• Prior management were the ones who dictated large, free agent signings to Hendry. Because of this, the Cubs do not have the money to add a starting pitcher.
• Levine shockingly stated that he'd put his money on Ryan Theriot to be the Opening Day second baseman, with a good shot for Castro to make the team out of Spring Training.
• Lou Piniella loves offense. If the Cubs' struggle to score runs early in the season, Nady will be given a chance in the starting lineup.
• Rick Ankiel did not sign with the Cubs because they couldn't promise him regular playing time after adding Marlon Byrd.
• The Cubs are out of money at this point, and any other deals will most likely be trades.
• Jim Hendry will now turn his attention to the bullpen. A deal with San Diego for Luke Gregerson seems like a possibility.
• Anything Carlos Silva does for the Cubs will be a bonus.
• Even if Castro makes the team, putting him at the top of the order would be too much pressure for a 20 year old rookie.
• Nady can play first base, so Hoffpauir could be on the bubble. Sam Fuld's status may also be affected by the signing.
• Chad Tracy could be a plus because he is a left handed bat, and it is only a minor league contract. He may steal Hoffpauir's spot on the roster.
• Jeff Gray and Esmalin Caridad will be in the mix as right handed set-up men, but Levine thinks Gregerson or Frasor would be better.
• Strikeouts remain a problem for Hak-Ju Lee, but he is certainly on the fast track to the big leagues right now.
• The Cubs do not have the money to sign Chan Ho Park.
• Brett Jackson should be playing in the majors at some point.
• The Padres have interest in getting Angel Guzman in return for Gregerson.
• Guzman has a great arm and good stuff, but injuries are an issue.
• Lou's future with the Cubs depends on the first couple months of this season.
• Levine likes Randy Wells and his attitude. Wells is still eager to prove he belongs as a starting pitcher in the big leagues.
• More announcements regarding improvements to Wrigley Field are expected to come in the near future.
• When/if Lilly, Ramirez, and Lee leave, the Cubs will have $60M to spend on other guys.
• Luke Gregerson could close if Marmol has a wild spell this season.
• Josh Vitters is at least a year away.
• The Ricketts family really love Derrek Lee. It is possible that he will sign an extension during the season.
• Ryan Dempster will not return to closing in any situation. The Cubs are paying him to be in the rotation.

And lastly, former Cub Rich Hill has signed minor league deal with the division rival St. Louis Cardinals. The deal includes an invite to Spring Training in Florida.

That's it for now, but we'll see if the business of this week continues! I'll keep you posted!

Weekend Update: The Latest on Bradley& More

Cubs Talk on CSN's Chicago Tribune Live yesterday:

• Phil Rodgers doesn't think there's a real landing place for Milton.
• Rodgers says that the Yankees got a great player in Granderson.
• White Sox writer Mark Gonzales feels that Curtis Granderson is the good player, but he has an astrick because he can't hit lefties.
• Gonzales says the Cubs have bigger problems than needing a center fielder.

Dave Van Dyck talked Cubs on the Mully and Hanley show on 670 the score yesterday:

• Van Dyck and the guys joked about the lack of a Bradley trade.
• Dave thinks that at some point the Cubs have to give him away.
• If the Cubs eat everything, the Rays will take him.
• Right now the Cubs are trying wait and see where other outfielder like Bay and Holliday end up, and then a team may be left out once the dominoes for outfielders have started to fall.
• The later you wait, the worse off it is, because if the Cubs can't dump Burrell after getting him from Tampa, the Cubs could end up $21 million.
• Dave said "yes and no" when he was asked if it's fair to rip the Ricketts family's tenure so far.
• There's teams out there that would take him. He will not be released or return to the team.

More Notes:

• Ryan Dempster is trying to sell his Lake View mansion according to the Tribune.
• Paul Sullivan says that the Cubs may have lost their best possible trade partner for Bradley, because the Rays have signed Rafael Soriano for $7.25 million.
• The Cubs may be forced to pay the "bulk" of Bradley's $13M salary in 2011.
• Right now, Sully says, the Ricketts Family is more focused on remodeling Wrigley Field. Ryan Dempster said that an improvement to the trophy room for a World Series trophy would be number 1 on his list in remodeling the ballpark.
• Thanks to Phil Rodgers for this quote: "You really don't have to follow him all that closely to know what a dominant upper-rotation starter he has the ability to be and has been in his career. Hopefully not just this year but a majority of his career is spent in Texas. ... We know what he's capable of. He can go in there and flat shut down an opposing lineup." -- Rangers GM Jon Daniels on Rich Harden, the former Cub who signed for one year and an option.
• Nick Gandy, a communications director for the Florida Sports Foundation, thinks that teams in the Midwest and Northeast should train in Florida.
• MLB.com's Q&A with Sean Marshall.
• How eager do fans want to see Bradley go? Someone on Twitter urged people to send $3 to "No More Milton Bradley" to pay for his salary to help move him, and listed an address. That address was for Wrigley Field. No, it wasn't Jim Hendry who posted the tweet.

That's it for now, more later with the non-tender deadline tonight...

Weekend Updates: The Halladay Season, Grabow on ESPN 1000, and More

• Carrie Muskat reports that the Cubs are one team that have been contacted by the Blue Jays about ace Roy Halladay. (Here we go again... it is the "Halladay" Season)
• Carlos Marmol is hoping that Pedro Martinez will join the Cubs, but the team shot his idea down. Paul Sullivan says the Cubs have "no plans" to pursue Pedro.
• 4-6 teams have expressed interest in acquiring Bradley.
• Both the Rangers and Cubs have denied a Chicago Tribune report that a 3-time trade that would send Bradley to the Rangers, Millwood to the Mets, and Castillo to the Cubs.
• Bruce Levine likes the John Grabow signing.
• Pat Burrell doesn't fit with the Chicago Cubs according to Levine.
• Jon Heyman listed the Cubs as possible suitors for Matt Holliday and Jason Bay on MLB Network.
• The Cubs think that Esmalin Caridad, Justin Berg, and Angel Guzman, gave them enough bullpen depth to trade Heilman.
• Hendry told Paul Sullivan that he may try to add more to the pen this winter.
• Other arbitration-eligible players may also be traded in the next couple months. This list includes Mike Fontenot, Carlos Marmol, Jeff Baker, Sean Marshall, Ryan Theriot, Koyie Hill, Angel Guzman, Tom Gorzelanny, and Neal Cotts. Out of this list, Marshall, Cotts, Gorzelanny, and Fontenot have the best chance of being moved in my opinion.
• Bruce Levine and Sean Marshall's agent are both unsure of what happens to Marshall next year. Maybe a trade would be the best thing for Sean at this point according to Bruce.

John Grabow joined Bruce Levine and Jonathan Hood today on ESPN Radio's Talkin' Baseball:

• Coming back to Chicago was the right place for John to go.
• The whole team, coaching staff, and training staff were great to him.
• "It's so much more fun pitching in a full house," he said of pitching at Wrigley instead of in Pittsburgh.
• Grabow think chemistry is huge. If your team gets along, that's probably going to put some good results on the field.
• He would like to cut his walks and wildness down next season.
• It's a tough situation for some of the smaller market teams like the Pirates.
• Repeating his delivery is the key for Marmol.
• Relievers have to stay consistent with their pregame work.

That's it for now...