A Look At Hendry's Best Moves with the Cubs

Yesterday Jim Hendry's time with the Cubs came to an end. Today, let's take a look back at five of the best moves that he made during his time as the general manager.

5. Signing Ted Lilly From Hospital Bed... December 2006
One of Jim's most famous signings occurred when he finished up a deal with Ted Lilly from his hospital bed during the winter meetings prior to the 2006 season. Not only did the fact that Hendry was in the hospital make this interesting, but it turned out to be a great move. Lilly was a Bulldog who was the most consistent Cubs starter during his four year, $40 million deal.

4. Scrap Heap Pick-ups
Hendry's ability to take a change on guys like Reed Johnson and Jim Edmonds helped propel the Cubs to back-to-back division titles. There were other solid signings that flew under the radar (not necessarily scrap heap pick-ups) such as Mark DeRosa, Marlon Byrd and Michael Barrett.

3. Trading Todd Hundley to Dodgers... December 2002
Many Cubs fans may not even remember this deal... but there is no doubt that it helped set up the Cubs success during the 2003 season. Hendry worked out a deal involving three big contracts that sent Todd Hundley to the Dodgers for Mark Grudzielanek and Eric Karros. Both Grudzie and Karros played key roles in '03.

2. Adding Derrek Lee in a Swap with Florida... November 2003
Mike Nannini and Hee-Seop Choi were sent to the Marlins for Derrek Lee, who became a fan favorite on the North Side of Chicago. D-Lee had a few great seasons and many good seasons in Cubbe Blue. Choi never panned out.

1. Acquiring Ramirez & Lofton from Pittsburgh... July 2003
There is not much debate about who won this trade. Hendry shipped Matt Bruback (who?), Jose Hernandez and a PTBNL (Bobby Hill) to the Pirates for Kenny Lofton and Aramis Ramirez. Lofton took over for the injured Corey Patterson in centerfield and in the lead-off spot. Rami helped the Cubs to the postseason in '03 and again in '07 and '08.

Up next, we'll have Hendry's 5 worst moves in his time as GM.

Weekend Quick Hits: Reaction on Quade

News and Notes after the Hiring of Quade

• Lester Strode, Larry Rothschild, and Rudy Jaramillo are expected to be apart of Mike Quade's staff next year.
• The futures of Alan Trammell, Ivan DeJesus, and Bobby Dernier are up in the air.
• Pat Listach could end up in Chicago if he does not get the gig as the Brewers manager.
• The Chicago Tribune reports that Ryne Sandberg is welcome to return as the manager of the Iowa Cubs if he chooses to.
• Ted Lilly inked with the Dodgers last week.

Jim Hendry joined Waddle & Silvy on Thursday:

• Hendry said he enjoyed the search for the manager.
• He had plenty of time to get really deep into a lot of things.
• The Ricketts family allowed him to do it the way he wanted to.
• Quade would still have been a candidate even if he didn't have to take over for Lou.
• There were some situations earlier in the year with Piniella's family and he almost left but wanted to stick it out as long as he could.
• The job Mike did down the stretch certainly strengthened his case.
• Ryne Sandberg is a terrific guy. He is probably a better person than he was player according to Jim. Ryno earned the right to be a finalist for the manager's job.
• Sandberg is disappointed he didn't get the job, but he is not angry at Hendry or Ricketts.
• Hendry feels strongly that the Cubs made the right decision.
• Ryno did nothing wrong in four years in the minor league system. He doesn't think more experience would have made a difference. Mike Quade just strictly earned this job.
• It is a given that Sandberg is welcome back to Iowa. Hendry would love to have him back in Iowa.
• Ryno has every right to do what he wants to do. There will be some private conversations between Hendry and Sandberg.
• Jim is encouraged by the fact that a lot of the team's young players got a lot better over the final six weeks.
• The team would like to think that they have a lot more guys coming from the system.
• Carlos Zambrano has a no trade clause so he will be back. The Cubs are hopeful that he has grown and learned from his mistakes. He is not the young flame-thrower that he used to be, but he had a very good last two months.

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

Catching Up Quick Hits: Wedge Interviews, Silva Rehabs, Girardi Speaks, and More

First of all, I apologize for the hiatus the last few days. It's been a wild week and no posts have made it up onto the blog. We should be back to posting everyday, or every-other-day at the least!

Let's catch up on all the latest Cubbies news and notes:

• Carlos Silva made a rehab start for the Peoria Chiefs last night. He went 2.2 shutout innings and is expected to make one more rehab before returning to the Cubs rotation.
• Tyler Colvin is still taking ground balls at first base, but the Cubs are not going to rush him into game action at his new position.
• Carlos Zambrano flew home to Venezuela to be with his nephew during an illness. He will rejoin the team this weekend and is scheduled to start against the Pirates on Monday.
• Lefty Scott Maine was called up from AAA-Iowa on Tuesday night and made his big league debut on Friday against the Reds. He is the 10th Cubs rookie to break into the bigs this season.
• Justin Berg was optioned back to Triple-A but should be back in the 'pen when rosters expand this coming week.
• Jim Hendry has started the interviewing process to find the next Cubs manager. According to Paul Sullivan, Eric Wedge has received the first known interview for the Cubs job.
• Joe Girardi, who is in town for the White Sox/Yankees series, met with the Chicago media before the game last night. Girardi says that he is focused on the Yankees and winning this year. He is not worried about his contract situation or coming to the Cubs at this point.
• Happy 67th birthday to former Cubs manager Lou Piniella and a happy 28th to tonight's Cubs starter Randy Wells!
• Ken Rosenthal reports that the Dodgers placed Ted Lilly on waivers yesterday, but Jayson Starks says a trade is unlikely.
• Gordon Wittenmyer has sources that tell him that Girardi would be a candidate, possibly a leading candidate, to land the Cubs job if he is available.
• Jon Heyman gave his take on the opening. He says that many feel it will be Ryne Sandberg, Mike Quade is a long shot, and Girardi is listed as the second most likely guy. Tony LaRussa and Bobby Valentine could also be in the mix according to Heyman.

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

A Look at Ted Lilly's Cubs Career

Don't close the book on Ted Lilly's Cubs career just yet. The idea of Teddy, who is a free agent at the end of the season, returning the the Cubs for 2011 has already been mentioned. Jim Hendry and Lilly are both "open to the possibility".

But for now, let's celebrate what was a terrific and underrated stint with the Cubbies for the left handed pitcher. Click for Ted Lilly's "Getting to Know the Cubs" that I posted a few weeks back.

Dubbed The Bulldog, Lilly brings a high level of intensity night in and night out. Here are some of his more memorable moments in a Cubs uniform.

December 15, 2006
Ted Lilly was signed by the Chicago Cubs. Cubs general manager Jim Hendry was in the hospital and completed the signing from his hospital bed.

April 5, 2007
The Bulldog makes his Cubs debut against the Reds, a 4-1 W in Cincinnati. He took a no hit bid into the fifth inning and gave up only one run over seven strong. Click for the game story from the Sun Times.

April 9, 2007
Lilly pitches the Cubs home opener in front of a sell out crowd at Wrigley. He went six inning and was charged with three runs, but did not get a decision.

June 10, 2007
Lilly defending his teammates by hitting Atlanta Brave Edgar Renteria. There was bad blood between the two teams all series long, but Ted was the one to get ejected from the game. The Cubbies dropped the contest 5-4.

October 4, 2007
The D'backs beat the Cubs and starter Ted Lilly 8-4 in game two of the NLDS. It was Lilly's only postseason start in his tenure in the Windy City. He took the loss.

September 11, 2008
Teddy pulled a move that nobody expects from a pitcher. He ran over St. Louis catcher Yadier Molina in a Cubs/Cards game trying to score a run at the plate. Every time he takes the field, Ted shows that kind of fire!

March of 2009
The lefty got the chance to represent the USA in the World Baseball Classic. He served up a home run to former batterymate Henry Blanco in one of his two appearances.

June 13, 2010
Lilly took a no-hitter into the 9th inning of a Sunday night game at Wrigley against the rivals from the South Side. On a night that the Stanley Cup was at the ballpark, Lilly almost made history of his own. However, ex-Cub Juan Pierre got the first White Sox hit to lead off the 9th. Carlos Marmol came in and got the save in a dramatic 1-0 Cubs win. The victory remains one of few highlights to the Cubs season.

July 27, 2010
Ted did not allow a run in 5.2 innings in his final start as a Cub, but he fell victim to lack of run support once again. The bullpen did not get the job done and the Astros won the game 6-1.

Stats with the Cubs
2007: 15-8, 3.83 ERA, 34 starts
2008: 17-9, 4.09 ERA, 34 starts
2009: 12-9, 3.10 ERA, 27 starts
2010: 3-8, 3.69 ERA, 18 starts

Lilly will make his Dodgers debut tomorrow night.

Breaking News: Theriot & Lilly to LA

The Cubs have traded Ted Lilly and Ryan Theriot to the Dodgers for Blake DeWitt and minor league pitchers Brett Wallach and Kyle Smit.

The Cubs also send $2.5 million in the deal.

Here is some info on Blake DeWitt:

• 2010 stats with LAD: 82 games, .270 AVG, 1 HR, 30 RBIs
• Positions: 3B, 2B
• B/T: Left/Right
• Drafted: By the Dodgers in the first round of the 2004 draft.
• MLB Debut: March 31, 2008
• Born: August 20, 1985

Info on Brett Wallach:

• B/T: Right
• Born: December 2, 1988
• Drafted: By the Dodgers in the 3rd round of 2009
• Position: Pitcher
• 2010 Team: Pitching for Great Lakes of the Midwest League, which is low Class-A ball.
• Stats: 6-0, 3.72 ERA, 17 starts this year

Info on Kyle Smit:

• B/T: Right
• Born: Oct 14 1987
• Drafted: By the Dodgers in the 5th round of the 2006 draft.
• Position: Pitcher
• 3 IP, 0 R allowed in three games with Double-A Chattanooga this season
• 5-3, 2.49 ERA, 34 games (1 starts) with Inland Empire of the Class-A Advanced California League

It's the end of an error the Cubs, who lose two great guys in Lilly and Theriot.

I'll update when more info comes along.

Trade Deadline Countdown: Will the Cubs make a move?

The Major League Baseball trade deadline is coming up at 3:00pm CT. There are no shortage of rumors, but will any moves be made by Cubs GM Jim Hendry?

If will update this post throughout the day with more info as it comes out.

Updated at 11:30am CT- Scroll down for the latest.

Here is the latest from the mill:

• The Yankees are not going after Ted Lilly according to Buster Olney.
• Ken Rosethal writes that a deal with the Dodgers was fairly close last night. The Dodgers, Twins, Tigers, and Yankees all have interest in the Cubs southpaw.
• Rosenthal also reports that the Cubs have gotten "minor sniffs" on Xavier Nady and Mike Fontenot.
• Ryan Theriot is still a possibility for the Dodgers or Yankees. A Theriot for Kelly Johnson swap has been discussed.
• Carlos Zambrano said yesterday that he wants to stay a Cub, but he would accept a trade if the organization asked him to do so.
• Jon Heyman of SI tweets that the Mets offered the Cubs Oliver Perez and Luis Castillo for Zambrano, but the Cubbies said no.
• Bruce Levine reports that the Cubs could send Ryan Theriot and James Russell to Arizona for Kelly Johnson.
• The Dodgers are in the mix on Lilly, but Rosenthal tweets that the two sides are still apart on money and players.
• George Ofman of WGN Radio also says that a Lilly deal to LA is still alive but it's all about how much the Cubs will pay the Dodgers.

Updated at 11:30 CT- The latest on Lilly:

• Tim Brown of Yahoo tweets that the Dodgers are growing more optimistic that they can acquire Lilly.
• Ken Rosenthal says that the Cubs and Dodgers are still working the phones hard.
• Rosenthal adds that the trade is not done, but Theriot could be involved as well.

I will keep you posted, updating often with more rumors or whenever news breaks!

Off Day Notes Two Days Before the Deadline

Saturday is the Major League Baseball Trade Deadline, and the futures of many of the Cubs are still in the air. Let's get all the latest updates as the Cubs take a day off before starting a series with the Rockies tomorrow night.

• Cubs first baseman Derrek Lee rejected a trade to the Angels yesterday. He used his 10 and 5 rights (10 years in MLB, 5 with the same team) to block the trade. Lee says this is a family decision and he plans to stay with the Cubs the rest of the season.
• Geovany Soto is expected to return to the lineup tomorrow night after missing Wednesday's game with a foot injury.
• Cubs No. 1 draft pick in 2007 Josh Vitters is out with a broken hand. He has been having a rough year at the plate with the Tennessee Smokies. Vitters could play in the Arizona Fall League in October.
• The Twins are unlikely to acquire Ted Lilly according a tweet from Jon Paul Morosi of FOX.
• The Mets are still in Lilly, but Ken Davidoff doesn't see it happening.
• The New York Post reports that you can "forget about the Mets dealing for Lilly".
• The Dodgers are one team that appear to still be in the mix for Teddy.
• Peoria Chiefs manager Casey Kopitzke will be at the helm for the Mesa Solar Sox of the AFL.
• Check out all of the minor league news in my Down on the Farm Report over on the CCO.
• Jon Heyman tweets that the Mets asked for Tom Gorzelanny, but the Cubs don't want to trade him.
• Ted Lilly says that it is evident that he would prefer to stay in Chicago for the future.
• Carlos Zambrano will rejoin the Cubs in Colorado tomorrow night. Brian Schlitter is expected to be sent down to make room on the roster, but Bobby Howry could be let go.

That's it for now, but I'll keep you posted as we approach the deadline.

Catching Up Quick Hits: Ramirez back in '11, Kosuke for Sale, D-Lee to Stay, and More

Sorry for the lack of posting yesterday, but today we're back with all the latest from the rumor mill and more. The trade deadline is coming up on Saturday!

• Cubs catcher Geovany Soto left last night's game with a foot injury. He is not in the starting lineup for tonight's game against the Astros, but the Cubs hope he can return by Wednesday, Friday at the latest.
• The team has narrowed the list of potential Spring Training sites in Mesa to three locations.
• Carlos Zambrano is expected to rejoin the Cubs in Colorado on Friday. He cannot wait to apologize to his teammates in person. Z told Carrie Muskat that he knows that he made a mistake.
• Aramis Ramirez was named the NL Player of the Week for last week. He was the first Cubs position player to win the award since May of '08.
• Speaking of Ramirez, Gordon Wittenmyer reports he wants to stay in Chicago and will most likely exercise his player option for 2011.
• ESPN.com's Jayson Stark writes that Ryan Theriot is one of the players that has been linked to the Padres in recent rumors.
• Stark also reports that he heard before that Lilly would definitely be traded before July 31, but many teams have cooled off on the Cubs lefty.
• Bob Nightengale tweets that the Rangers are taking a close look at Derrek Lee.
• The Cubs will pay part of the $4M-plus left on Kosuke's deal this year, and quite of a bit of $13.5M salary next year if they can trade him.
• Stark tweeted that it is highly doubtful that Derrek Lee will waive his no-trade clause.
• Jon Heyman thinks the Yankees could go for Ted Lilly, who they had before and like.
• Chris De Luca chimes in and says that Lilly is not the only Cubs southpaw drawing interest.
• The Angels and Rangers both have some interest in D-Lee.
• Ryan Theriot could be "the first Cub to be traded" according to David Kaplan. Kap, who's a buddy of Ryan, says that the interest in the Cubs second baseman has gone up.
• Bruce Miles shot down a report that the Cubs were interested in Chone Figgins of Seattle.
• Ted Lilly is scheduled to take on the 'Stros tonight. Will this be his last start in a Cubs uniform? Or is it possible that he will be traded between now and the first pitch?
• John Grabow threw in the bullpen yesterday but will probably not be activated before the end of this trip.

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

Weekend Radio Recaps: Trammell & Ted on ESPN 1000

Today Ted Lilly was on Talkin' Baseball to talk with Levine and Hood about the possibility of being traded:

• First the guys talked about the Chicago Cubs Cookbook, which is a great fundraiser for Di George syndrome.
• Carrie Muskat of Cubs.com put together a book of Cubs players' favorite recipes.
• Ryan Dempster is a guy who always goes out of his way for others, so it's great to help with him and his daughter.
• Lilly said that the Cubs are starting to play better, but it's been one of those seasons where everything hasn't come together on the same day.
• Teddy would like to stay in Chicago, win, and have the trade thing not be an issue. He feels like one of the things he is responsible for is to help his team win. There is a lot of unfinished business for him in the Windy City.
• "This has been a great place to play and the reason for that is the fans," Lilly said.

Alan Trammell joined Waddle & Silvy yesterday to talk about the open Cubs managers job:

• Alan doesn't have any secrets about the coaching staff to give the guys.
• The four years Trammell has been with Lou have been tremendous and he really appreciates the opportunity.
• He played in the AL all of his career, but he says that the folks in St. Louis are good fans and good baseball people.
• When asked if he expectes to be a prime candidate for the opening managerial position, Trammell said that that would be a better question for Jim Hendry.
• Alan is a coach here and wants to focus in the 2+ months left in the season. Regardless on what your record is, you're supposed to come out and try to win everyday.
• He said that it's nice to be considered for the Cubs manager's job, but right now he wants to focus on 2010. Nobody in the organization has told him that he will be considered yet.
• This has not been the type of season that the Cubs were expecting. "It's just been one thing after another. We've been consistently inconsistent," he said.
• Trammell thinks that he and Lou have totally different personalities.
• Dusty Baker and Piniella have both said that it is much more challenging to win with the Cubs than they thought coming into the gig. Alan says that it's been a long time since the Cubs won, and that topic comes up so much, that it makes it tougher.
• He is very pleased with Starlin Castro's progress. Alan can tell that this guy wants to be a good player and is only going to get better.

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

Series Preview: Cubs VS Cardinals

When it's the Cubs and the Cardinals, the two teams step it up a notch. Usually, no matter where the teams are in the standings, competitive baseball is played! Let's hope that is the case this weekend when the 43-53 Cubs meet the 54-42 Cards at Wrigley Field.

St. Louis has the lead in the NL Central by 1.5 games over the Reds. They are 11 games in front of the 4th place Cubs. The Cards lost to the Phillies yesterday, but they're 8-2 in their last ten games! That loss snapped an eight game winning streak and ruined a perfect homestand. Today is the start of a six game road swing that will continue on to New York after Sunday.

This stretch of ten straight games at Wrigley started on a positive not when the Cubbies took three of four from the Phillies. However, they lost two of three at the hands of the woeful Astros. A winning homestand hinges on this set against the NL Central's top dog.

The Cubs and Cards have only met in one other series so far this year. The Cubs dropped two of three at Wrigley May 28-30. St. Lou got wins in blowout fashion, 7-1 in game one and 9-1 in game three. A lot of rivalry games will be played in the final two months, as these two teams meet 3 times in August and 6 in September. They play the next two of those series at Busch Stadium and the September 24-26 set will be back at The Friendly Confines.

Even though Tony La Russa has said that he will probably never manage the Cubs, he will still have to field a lot of questions from the Chicago media about the job opening. Tony's future is uncertain as 2010 is the final year of his contract. He has said that there are too many conflicts for him to take the Cubs job because of his relationships and history with both the Cardinals and White Sox.

General Manager John Mozeliak is much more comfortable after inking a three year extension last week. Cubs GM Jim Hendry also has job security after it was announced that he will lead the search for a new skipper. Hendry's main focus right now is the trade deadline that is only 8 days away. So far the Cubs have been silent and there have not been too many big moves around baseball.

Jayson Stark of ESPN.com says that Ted Lilly will almost certainly be traded. Tom Gorzelanny is on the market as well. With Carlos Zambrano rehabbing at Triple-A Iowa, it is possible that he could fill any opening in the rotation at some point. Z is expected to return to the bullpen next weekend in Colorado. He tossed a shutout inning for the I-Cubs last night and will make two more appearances there.

Carlos Silva will not pitch in this series because he is going to work with Larry Rothschild on the side after two straight bad outings. The Cubs say the issue is not injury related, but Silva has had hamstring problems this season.

Even though the three big stories this weekend seem to be the search for Lou's replacement, the trade deadline, and the HOF induction, there are still some big games to be played between the Cubs and Cardinals.

Game 1: Friday at 1:20 CT
Cardinals Starting Pitcher: Jeff Suppan, RHP (0-3, 4.20 ERA)
Cubs Starting Pitcher: Randy Wells, RHP (4-7, 4.33 ERA)
TV/Radio: WGN/WGN Radio

Game 2: Saturday at 12:05 CT
Cardinals Starting Pitcher: Blake Hawksworth, RHP (4-5, 4.85 ERA)
Cubs Starting Pitcher: Tom Gorzelanny, LHP (5-5, 3.12 ERA)
TV/Radio: CSN/WGN Radio

Game 3: Sunday at 7:05 CT
Cardinals Starting Pitcher: Chris Carpenter, RHP (11-3, 3.05 ERA)
Cubs Starting Pitcher: Ryan Dempster, RHP (8-7, 3.70 ERA)
TV/Radio: ESPN/WGN Radio

The Cubs will travel to Houston after Sunday's game to start a trip that also will see a stop in Colorado. They will return to Wrigley on August 2.

Let's go get a series win!

Mid-Week Quick Hits: Piniella, Zambrano, Rumors, & More

• Former AAA-Iowa manager and current Nationals coach Pat Listach has interest in managing the Cubs next season according to Bill Ladson.
• Tom Ricketts announced during the press conference yesterday that Jim Hendry will be the Cubs GM going into the 2011 season.
• The USA Today tossed out a few new possible replacements in Ted Simmons and Bobby Valentine.
• Number 1 draft pick Hayden Simpson is not expected to play this summer. He's battling mononucleosis.
• Carlos Zambrano retired the side in order in a rehab inning with the Mesa Cubs. Jeff Gray, who is rehabbing from a groin injury, pitched the first inning of the game against the AZL Royals.
• Zambrano will pitch at AAA-Iowa tomorrow night and rejoin the team by the end of next week according to Carrie Muskat.
• Patrick Mooney of CSN Chicago reports that John Grabow, who is out with a knee injury, will begin throwing off the mound soon and will need a rehab assignment before being activated.
• Bruce Levine reports that Lou Piniella would like to stay in baseball as a consultant with either the Cubs or Yankees.
• Bruce's list of possible replacements includes the regulars plus Greg Maddux.
• Ryan Theriot wants to win, and he wants to do it in a Cubs uniform.
• ESPN says that the Tigers have some level of interest in Ted Lilly, who is available.
• Levine thinks that the Yankees could join the hunt for Lilly that already includes the Tigers, Twins, Mets, and Dodgers.

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

Getting to Know the Cubs: Ted Lilly

Will Wednesday's start be Ted Lilly's last in a Cubs uniform?

Lilly, who is in the last year of his contract, has been at the center of many trade rumors and reports this month. He could very well be sent packing from Chicago before the end of this month.

There have been a lot of great memories of Ted pitching for the Cubs... but we won't dive into those until he leaves the time, which hopefully will not be anytime soon.

For now, let's learn a little bit more about the background of the Cubs' durable lefty.

Full Name: Theodore Roosevelt Lilly III

Position: Pitcher

B/T: Left

Drafted: By the Dodgers in the 23rd round of the 1996 draft

MLB Debut: May 14, 1999 with the Expos

Teams: Expos (1999), NYY (2000-'02), A's ('02-'03), Blue Jays ('04-'06), and Cubs ('07-present)

All-Star Games: 2004 & 2009

Signed with the Cubs: December 15, 2006

Nickname: The Bulldog

Age: 34

Jersey Number: 30

Born: January 4, 1976

2010 Stats: 3-8, 4.07 ERA

Career Stats: 106-92, 4.24 ERA

Interesting Fact: Ted pitched in two games for team USA during the '09 World Baseball Classic.

Teddy is a good guy to have on your team. Hopefully it is in the Cubs plans to resign him at the end of this year! However, if he doesn't fit into the 2011 picture a trade now makes sense!

Weekend Quick Hits: Lilly Updates, Zambrano on Rehab, Rumors and More

The Cubs have looked good so far, winning the first two games against the Phillies to start the second half! Here's the latest news and notes with rumors and more!

• ESPN.com Chicago baseball insider Bruce Levine reports that the Phillies, Rockies, and Tigers have all had conversations about Ryan Theriot in the recent weeks.
• He adds that the Mets, Twins, Tigers, and Dodgers all have had talks with the Cubs about Lilly in recent days, and that the Rangers have some interest in Xaiver Nady.
• Lou Piniella tells Carrie Muskat that Lilly wants to stay in Chicago and the coaching staff would like for him to stay in Chicago.
• Cubs fans have a chance to support a good cause and ride their bike from Chicago to Miller Park for the Cubs/Brewers game on 9/11.
• Carlos Zambrano is out of therapy and has begun his rehab assignment at the team's Spring Training home in Mesa, Arizona according to Paul Sullivan. He tossed 25 pitches and could start a minor league rehab in the next week.
• Lou said that the Cubs plan to put Big Z in the bullpen but they "could do anything."
• Piniella spent the three-day All-Star Break enjoying the city of Chicago with his family.
• Sullivan reports that Jim Hendry talked with Teddy about his future before last night's game.

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

All Star Break Roundup: Rumors, TV Schedule, The Futures Game, and More

Before we get into all of the Cubs rumors going around today, let's start with the All-Star festivities!

Yesterday, the XM Radio All-Star Futures Game took place at Angel Stadium! The U.S. team beat the World 9-1 took even the all time series at 6-6. Two Cubs prospects took part in the game. Brett Jackson was on the winning U.S. team. Jackson struck out in his first at bat and walked in his only other trip to the plate. Right after drawing the base on balls, he was picked-off first base by the catcher. Jackson started in center field and then moved over to right in the second inning.

Hak-Ju Lee came off the bench to play the second half of the game at shortstop for the World team. Lee is a 19 year old who is playing for the Peoria Chiefs. He popped out to short in his first AB before drilling a sharp single to left in the 8th. Hak-Ju had a fun week playing at Wrigley Field on Wednesday and Angel Stadium on Saturday. However, he had a rough time in the field in Sunday's Futures Game, making two mistakes at short (1 ruled a hit, the other ruled an error).

For those of you that don't know, here's the full schedule of the MLB-All Star Break on TV. All times are CDT.

Tonight:
Now-7:00 MLB All-Star Batting Practice, MLB Network
6-7 Base Tonight All-Star Edition, ESPN
7-9 MLB Home Run Derby 2010 Live from Angel Stadium, ESPN
7-9 Classic MLB All-Star Games, MLB Network
Southern League All-Star Game 7:30 radio broadcast on MiLB.com
**Game includes Cubs farm hands Blake Lalli, Robinson Chirinos, Steve Clevenger, Tony Campana, Ryan Butcher, and Luke Sommer
9-10 Taco Bell Legends & Celebrity Softball Game (recorded Sunday), ESPN
9-10 MLB Tonight: All-Star Team, MLB Network

Tuesday:
Noon-3 1975 All-Star Game, MLB Network
3-4 MLB All-Star Red Carpet, MLB Network
4-6:30 MLB All-Star Batting Practice, MLBN
5-7 Sports Center at the All-Star Game, ESPN
7:00 MLB All-Star Game, FOX
10-12 Sports Center at the All-Star Game, ESPN

Wednesday:
12-3 1990 All-Star Game @Wrigley, MLBN
5-6 Plays of the First Half, MLBN
6-9 Triple-A All-Star Game PCL VS IL, MLBN
** Includes Iowa Cubs Darwin Barney and Thomas Diamond

Now for the Cubs rumors going around today:

• Tom Ricketts has given Jim Hendry to vote of confidence, but when asked about his GM's job security the Cubs owner said, "I support him, I think he does a great job, and after that we'll just take it one day at a time."
• Ricketts told Carrie Muskat that he's having a great time in his first year as the owner despite the team's struggles.
• MLB Trade Rumors reports that the Rays has some interest in Ted Lilly, who could fit the Tigers and Twins as well.
• Lou Piniella's agent Alan Nero says that Lou will definitely finish out this season but he isn't sure about Piniella's future behind this season.
• Derrek Lee will not ask to be traded to a contender. He plans to finish out the year with the Cubs.
• Josh Thole is one of the names that the Mets could send the other way in a Ted Lilly trade according to WGN Radio's Geoge Ofman.
• Fred Mitchell and David Kaplan write that we should count out the Reds in the Lilly sweepstakes. They add that a Giants scout was at Wrigley last week to see Tom Gorzelanny.
• Andrew Cashner gained some respect in the clubhouse by hitting Blake DeWitt with a pitch on his first throw of the 8th inning last night against the Dodgers.
• Lou was not happy about the umpiring crew this weekend according to Bruce Levine.
• Jeff Baker, Mike Fontenot, and Ryan Theriot are all being shopped. At least one of them is expected to be traded by the deadline.
• Xavier Nady is drawing interest from the Rangers according to Levine.
• Bruce also says that the Colorado Rockies now have interest in Theriot, but the Tigers interest has cooled.

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

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.

Rumor Mill Friday: Lilly on the Market?

With the Major League Baseball trade deadline looming three weeks from tomorrow, it's time for MLB general managers to get busy with attempts to either a) improve their club's chances of winning this year or b) improve their club's chances of winning in the future. Chips are starting to fall with the trade of Cliff Lee to Texas today. How active with Jim Hendry be at the deadline?

The Cubs are finally ready to start making some deals according to a report from the Tribune yesterday. The Ricketts family is ready to address the media soon to talk about what direction the team will go in. If the club continues to struggle before the deadline, their is no doubt that they will be sellers.

Since the New York Mets lost out on Cliff Lee, they will turn to another lefty in the Cubs Ted Lilly. Jon Heyman also says the Mets like Ted, but he tweets that the Cubs have yet to make Lilly available. Heyman adds that Lilly's velocity is down. Several reports have indicated that the Cubs could try to swing a deal now to ship Lilly out for prospects and then try and sign the lefty when he hits free agency this winter. Could The Bulldog's last start as a Cub be tonight in L.A.?

Ken Davidoff agrees with the folks at the Tribune that the Cubs are getting more serious about trades. He also tweets that the Mets like the idea of taking on Lilly's contract instead of giving up more prospects.

Here are some other interesting Cub-related bits:

• Andrew Baggardly wrote awhile back that the Giants have interest in Ryan Theriot, but now the organization has not had any talks about adding The Riot so far.
• Lou Piniella does not plan on leaving the Cubs before the end of the season, but told Paul Sullivan that the Cubs gig will be his last managing job.
• ESPN.com says that Joe Torre could be interested in taking over as the Cubs manager next season.
• Lou says that the Cubs will most likely be sellers at the deadline.
• The Yankees have signed Chad Tracy to a minor league deal. Chad was released by the Cubs in late June after being DFA'd a week prior.
• In another former Cub note, Sean Gallagher will return to the NL Central. He was traded to the Pirates from San Diego with cash going the other way today.
• There is still no timetable on Carlos Zambrano's return to the pitching staff.
• The Cubs made a roster move earlier in the week calling up Mitch Atkins for bullpen help and placing Brian Schlitter on the 15-day DL.

Here is the full list of Cubs that could be on the trade market:

• Ted Lilly
• Kosuke Fukudome
• Ryan Theriot
• Mike Fontenot
• Jeff Baker
• Xavier Nady
• Derrek Lee

It should be an interesting three weeks! I'll keep you posted.

Series Preview: Cubs VS D'backs

After a 2-5 homestand, the Cubs will try to bounce back in this three game series in Arizona. The two teams are meeting at Chase Field for the first time this season. The Cubs took three out of four at Wrigley Field from April 29-May 2, which was the first series between the two clubs in 2010. The Cubs and Diamondbacks will not meet again until next season after Wednesday's game.

The Cubs are embarking on a seven game road trip that leads up to the All-Star Break. After this series, they will play four at Dodger Stadium. The Cubs are in fourth place with a 35-47 mark. They are 11.5 back of first place Cincinnati but just two back of the third place Brewers. The Cubs dropped three of four against the Reds at Wrigley this weekend. Yesterday's game got ugly in the seventh inning when Ted Lilly and Jeff Stevens gave up a total of eight runs. Drew Stubbs hit three home runs on the Fourth of July in his team's 14-3 blowout win.

The Cubs are 15-24 on the road going into this West Coast trip, and 3-7 in their last ten games. However, things have also been a struggle for the D'backs. They fired manager A.J. Hinch and GM Josh Byrnes last week. Jerry Dipoto will take over GM duties for the rest of the year and bench coach Kirk Gibson has been named the interim manager. Gibson's club has a 32-50 record, which puts them in dead last in the NL West, 17 games behind the Padres.

The D'backs are in the middle of a ten game homestand that they started by losing two of three to the Dodgers. They dropped yesterday's game 3-1. After the Cubs leave town, the Marlins will come in for four before the break.

Both teams have only one All-Star. Chris Young and Marlon Byrd are both NL reserve outfielders, and both men will make their first trip to the Mid-Summer Classic. Young is hitting .264 with 15 homers and 57 RBIs. Byrd leads the Cubs with a .309 average to go along with his 9 homers, 35 RBIs, and .355 OBP.

Aramis Ramirez, who's hitting just .177 in 55 games, was scratched on Sunday with swelling in his thumb. He has already missed several weeks with a thumb injury this season. No timetable has been set for his return.

The homestand was not a favorable one for the Cubs. Lee hit .120, Theriot hit .222, Lilly gave up a career high 11 hits on Sunday, and they stranded 17 guys on base in Saturday's win. The Cubs are looking to snap a string of losing 11 straight series openers with a win this afternoon. In those 11 series, the Boys in Blue are 1-10. Tyler Colvin, who went deep twice yesterday for the first time in his career, is the only Cub swinging the bat well.

Game 1: Monday at 3:10 CT
Cubs Starting Pitcher: Tom Gorzelanny, LHP (2-5, 3.14 ERA)
D'backs Starting Pitcher: Ian Kennedy, RHP (3-6, 3.77 ERA)
TV/Radio: CSN/WGN 720

Game 2: Tuesday at 8:40 CT
Cubs Starting Pitcher: Carlos Silva, RHP (8-2, 2.96 ERA)
D'backs Starting Pitcher: Barry Enright, RHP (1-0, 1.80 ERA)
TV/Radio: CSN/WGN 720

Game 3: Wednesday at 8:40 CT
Cubs Starting Pitcher: Ryan Dempster, RHP (6-7, 3.54 ERA)
D'backs Starting Pitcher: Edwin Jackson, RHP (6-6, 4.74 ERA)
TV/Radio: WGN-TV/WGN 720

Can the Cubs lackluster offense pick it up? It will be a challenge, as the Cubs have always been known to have problems on the West Coast!

"I don't care who wins as long as it's the Cubs!"

Series Preview: Cubs VS Pirates

Two divisional foes in the Chicago Cubs and Pittsburgh Pirates will meet in a three game series that kicks off tonight and runs through Wednesday. The Cubs dominated the season series in both 2008 (14-4) and 2009 (10-4), but this year it's been a different story. The Bucs have take all three series that the clubs have played against one another and lead the season set 7 games to 2. The last time the Pirates and Cubs met, the Cubbies took a one game makeup on June 7 for their first victory at PNC Park this season.

After Wednesday, these Central division opponents will not play each other again until August 30. Both teams have had frustrating seasons to date. The Pirates are accustomed to finishing at or near the cellar in the NL Central, but the Cubs had high expectations for 2010. They are at risk of suffering their first losing season under skipper Lou Piniella.

Pittsburgh is in last in the division with a record of 25-50, which is 16.5 out of first. The Cubs are eight games ahead of the Pirates, but still nine under .500 and 8.5 behind the Reds, who lead St. Louis by a half of a game going into play today.

The North Siders just finished losing two of three at U.S. Cellular Field against their Crosstown rivals. The weekend included another Carlos Zambrano blow-up, and this one got him suspended indefinitely. After a team meeting on Saturday, the Cubs seemed like a different club on both Saturday and Sunday. They still lost Saturday night's contest in a 3-2 heart breaker, but then they managed to salvage something beating the Sox 8-6 on Sunday. The Cubs were clicking on all cylinders during the final game of the weekend. Tyler Colvin put the Cubs in front with a three run homer early, and then they settled in and got more comfortable at the plate. The final score was closer than it should have been because of a circus ninth inning against Carlos Marmol. The Cubs closer did not have the intensity that he usually has in a tight game, and ended up allowing the Sox to bring the winning run to the plate even though the Cubs had a five run lead going to the final frame.

The Cubbies have made a habit of losing the first two games of a series before finally waking up and winning the finale. They've dropped the opener in each of their last eight sets, a string they hope to end tonight. With a last place team in town, Lou's crew has a chance to end a miserable month on a high note. They hold a 9-14 record in June going into these final three games.

The Bucs are concluding a nine game road swing at Wrigley. They are 0-6 to start the trip after being swept by both Texas and Oakland in interleague games. The Pirates have had an even tougher month than the Cubs, 4-19 in June entering play tonight. The next time the Cubs see this squad, they will probably be revamped. Pittsburgh, once again, will be selling at the deadline.

Ron Santo will be honored by the organization prior to the game tonight. Santo celebrated the 50th anniversary of his big league debut on Saturday. The Cubs played the Pirates in Ronny's first career game on June 26, 1960. They swept a double header in Pittsburgh 7-6 and 7-5. He started at thirdbase and had three hits and five RBIs on the day. Santo went on to become a fixture in the Cubs lineup until 1974, when his final year of pro ball was spent with the White Sox. The 9-time All-Star is now in his 21st year of broadcasting on WGN Radio. Flags will fly at Wrigley in his honor starting tonight. In addition, Ron will toss out the first pitch tonight and sing "Take Me Out the Ball Game" on Thursday.

Game 1: Monday, 7:05 CT
Cubs Pitcher: Randy Wells, RHP (3-6, 5.21 ERA)
Pirates Pitcher: Paul Maholm, LHP (4-6, 4.24 ERA)
TV/Radio: CSN/WGN Radio 720

Game 2: Tuesday, 7:05 CT
Cubs Pitcher: Ted Lilly, LHP (2-6, 3.28 ERA)
Pirates Pitcher: Jeff Karstens, RHP (2-2, 4.60 ERA)
TV/Radio: WGN-TV/WGN Radio 720

Game 3: Wednesday at 1:20 CT
Cubs Pitcher: Tom Gorzelanny (2-5, 3.41 ERA)
Pirates Pitcher: Brad Lincoln (0-2, 6.00 ERA)
TV/Radio: WGN-TV/WGN Radio 720

One positive thing from the Zambrano incident is that Tom Gorzelanny is back in the rotation. Lou Piniella has said that if/when Z returns, he will head back to the bullpen and Gorzo will stay in the starting five. Tom pitched well during his stint of relief work. He earned his first career save in Seattle on Thursday and bailed Zambrano out to keep the Cubs in the game on Friday. Gorzelanny will work against his former team on Wednesday afternoon. Jose Ascaino, who went the other way in the Gorzo/Grabow trade, is on the 60 day DL. Kevin Hart, another produce of last July's swap, is in the minors, so the only former Cub we'll see in the series is shortstop Ronny Cedeno.

The Cubs are opening up their final homestand of the first half. The 7-gamer continues as the Reds come in for four starting on Thursday afternoon. The Cubs will spend the final week prior to the All-Star Break on the West Coast. The Pirates will come home for a four game series with the Phillies, but then they'll be right back on the road, where they've really struggled this season.

"I don't care who wins as long as it's the Cubs!"

Cubs in the All-Star Game?

The MLB All-Star Selection Show will be on TBS on July 4. At that time, at least one of our Cubbies will become an All-Star. The team is nine game under .500, but there are still several players on the club having great years.

If one of the top hitters in the league is not an All-Star, something is wrong. Marlon Byrd is hitting .326, which ranks second in the National League (only behind Atlanta's Martin Prado). Somehow (as of Tuesday) Byrd was not even in the top 15 NL outfielders in the fan voting. Even teammate Alfonso Soriano (.283 AVG, 10 HR) is in front of Byrd. Sori is 11th in the outfield voting with 725,614 tallies. Voting on Cubs.com is over next week, so if you haven't given Marlon your 25 votes (per email address) yet, do so! It is not likely that Byrd will finish in the top three outfielders to start in the game, but he needs to at least be pushed into the top 15.

Marlon still does have a chance at being selected as a reserve by either player voting or as a manager's pick.

There are two guys named Carlos on the Cubs who deserve to play in the game at Angel Stadium on July 13, but neither one has a last named that starts with the letter Z. Carlos Marmol has been fantastic as the closer, although his save chances have been limited because the Cubs are not winning. Marmol still has saved 13 games, notched two wins, has an ERA of 1.71, and has struck out 58 in just 31.2 innings. Marmol was an All-Star in the 2008 game at Yankee Stadium and deserves a return trip to the Mid-Summer Classic.

The other Cubs hurler who is among the game's elite is starter Carlos Silva. Silva is 8-2 on the year, and started the season by winning his first eight decisions. Carlos, who came to the Cubs in the Milton Bradley trade with Seattle, has posted a 3.01 ERA in his bounce back season so far.

Likely, the Cubs will have only one or two guys on the NL roster of the three mentioned. Last year their lone representative was Ted Lilly, but Ted did not get a chance to pitch in the game. Lilly most likely will not return, as he's 2-6 with a 3.42 ERA in 2010. Each National League team must have at least one All-Star on the squad.

With just over a week left until the selections are announced, Byrd, Silva, and Marmol must continue to perform in order to earn their spot in the 2010 Major League Baseball All Star Game.

Vote on the poll on our right sidebar to tell us which Cub you would most like to see in the Mid-Summer Classic!

Are the Cubs Selling?

With about a month and a half until the July 31 MLB Trade Deadline, the question that all teams are asking themselves is Do we have a chance to win this year or are we better off building for the future? For some teams, the answer to this question comes easily, if you're in first place or less than 5 games out of first, you're buying. If you are in 4th/5th place or more than ten games out of first, get out the For Sale sign. However, for the clubs like the Cubs that are stuck in the middle, it will be interesting to see what they decide to do.

The Cubs have a record of 28-35 but they are in third place and just 7.5 back of first in the NL Central. The Wild Card will not help the Cubs this year, as they are in 9th place and eight games back.

So, the North Siders have three options-

A) Try to add some pieces that will help turn this thing around.
B) Dump some salary, add some prospects, and build for a brighter future.
C) Don't make any major moves and just finish out the season with the team we have.

Mostly likely, Hendry will wait and see what transpires on the field over the next two weeks. Then he will have a full month before the deadline to make some moves. Hopefully, no matter what happens, Jim will choose "C" because that will not help the Cubs this year or in the future.

Here are some names that could be on the market:

• Xavier Nady: Today is June 15, the first day free agents signed last offseason are allowed to be traded. Nady could be one of the first guys to go since the Cubs have too many outfielders in need of playing time. The Angels were connected to Xavier a few weeks ago.
• Ted Lilly: The Bulldog is a free agent at the end of the year, and in my opinion he should be re-signed. However, if the Cubs do not think Teddy fits into the team's plans beyond this season, it makes sense to try to get something in return. The Cubs do not want to let another pitcher leave for nothing when they could have had some value in a trade a few months prior like they did with Harden a year ago.
• Bobby Howry/John Grabow: These guys are taking up spots in the pen that could be used to get some young arms adjusted to the big leagues. If the Cubs continue to lose, I'd expect one or both to be released or traded.
• Soriano, Lee, Ramirez: The Cubs would love to trade all three of these guys, but the fact of the matter is that they all have big contracts and no-trade clauses. There is no doubt that Sori is untradeable, but there are some teams interested in D-Lee.
• Ryan Theriot: With Starlin Castro taking over at short stop, it makes sense for the Cubs to try to move Theriot. He is one of only a handful of guys on this team that the Cubs can get a good package of prospects in return for.
• Mike Fontenot: If they don't trade Theriot, either 'lil Mike or Jeff Baker has to go when Ramirez comes off the DL. There are a few teams that could be interested in Fontenot as a utility infielder.
• Tom Gorzelanny: Gorzo has shown improvement this season, and needs to be in the starting rotation somewhere. He could be a solid back of the rotation start. Most likely, either Tom will take Wells' spot in the rotation or be traded. He does has value on the market.
• Kosuke: The Cubs probably cannot get much in return, but it might be worth getting some younger outfielders more playing time. However, first they have to persuade Kosuke to waive his no-trade clause.
• Carlos Silva: A lot of teams need starting pitching, and flopping this guy again could make sense if the Cubs are waiving the white flag. However, I think they'd be best hanging onto him since there is still another year left on his contract.
• Randy Wells: Randy has lost much of his trade value with his poor performance on the hill this year. Trading Wells now would be like panicing and selling your stocks when their value is at the lowest instead of waiting until the stock market improves!

Will Jim Hendry overhaul this team, or will he stick with the same crew for the rest of the year???

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