No New Rumors...Yet

There have been no new rumors or news for the past few weeks. We promise we'll update as soon as things start heating back up, which they should by this weekend hopefully.
Stay tuned!

Happy New Years! Hopefully its a better one for the Cubs!

Merry Christmas!

Hope everyone has a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Roberts Deal Pushed Back?

According to Rotoworld.com, Orioles president Andy MacPhail said a deal involiving Brian Roberts would be pushed back until after the New Year, or within the next 10 days. "Zero," MacPhail said when asked how much truth there was to the rumor. "You can put that one to rest. The likelihood of us doing anything between now and the new year is remote."

Despite being mentioned in the Mitchell report, it was reported Thursday that a deal was completed and Roberts would become a Chicago Cub. In return Cubs would send Sean Gallagher, Eric Patterson, and Matt Murton to the Orioles. A couple of weeks ago it seemed the Cubs were trying to put a package together for both, Brian Roberts and Erik Bedard, but that deal seemed to fall through.

I am more in favor of adding to the Roberts deal and trying to acquire Bedard, but if we have tried and we failed, I would be happy with just Roberts at second base next season.

Cubs Interested In So Taguchi?

According to a George Ofman report on 670 The Score out of Chicago, the Cubs are interested in So Taguchi. Taguchi batted .290 with 3 home runs and a .350 OBP. Taguchi was released after the Cardinals selected pitcher, Brian Barton, in the Rule 5 draft.

I wouldn't mind Taguchi as long as he is used s a situational starter and a backup. He wouldn't be that bad of a pick up, i'll just say i've seen worse moves than thi if we do pick him up.

Cubs Interested In Blanton?

According to MLB sources, the Cubs are one of four teams talking to the Athletics about Joe Blanton. The Cubs have been interested in adding an elite American League pitcher, which have led to the Cubs talking to the A's. The other teams interested are the Royals, Mets, and the Mariners. A paclage for Blanton would reportedly have to include Eric Patterson, Tyler Colvin, Sean Gallgher, Donald Veal, Jeff Samardzjia, and/or Matt Murton. This deal would seem unlikely because the Cubs are not budging on trading Colvin, Veal or Samardzjia, the main pieces of the trade.

I dont' really want to give that much up for one player when we can get Roberts and Bedard from the Orioles with virtually the same price.

Cubs Want Nathan?

According to MLBTradeRumors.com, the Cubs wouldn't mind exploring the possibilty of acquiring Joe Nathan of the Twins, if he is available. This is kind of odd considering we have Marmol, Howry, and Wood all lined up to be fighting for the closer position. According to George Ofman of WSCR radio 670 out of Chicago, the Twins would have an asking price of Marmol and another young prospect in return for the 33 year old righty.Nathan pitched in the World Baseball Classic in 2006 and pitched three innings with a 0.00 ERA .Nathan, a former all-star, went 4-2 with an ERA of 1.88 and 37 saves in 2007.
I have mixed feelings about this rumored deal. I don't like it because we are giving up a young stud in Marmol. On the other hand I wouldn't mind it if we can get him on an extension after the season is over, if we didn't resign him i think it would be a waste.

A Few Rumors...

• Since the Fukudome signing, the rumored trade for Brian Roberts is now a top priority. As you may, or may not already know, Roberts was in the Mitchell Report. Roberts trade value could possibly take a hit. According to Phil Rogers, the Cubs could put a package of Cedeno, Patterson, or Fontenot together for Roberts, and that if Gallagher was included in a package, the possibilty of having Bedard included in the deal would not be out of the question.


• The Mets have shown interest in Jason Marquis. A possible trade scenario could be Marquis for Endy Chavez. More of a roster dump than anything.


• Mark Prior is no longer a Chicago Cub. This is weird to say after all these years of hoping he would return to form. There is still a possibility he could resign with the team, if he doesn't get the offers he is wanting. I wouldn't be suprised to see him come crawling back.


• The Cubs have announced that Kosuke Fukudome will wear #1 next year for the Cubs and will have only the name, Kosuke, printed on the back of his jersey.

Fukudome Signs With Cubs

The long and nerve-wrecking wait is finally over! The Cubs have signed Kosuke Fukudome to a 4 year/$48 million contract, beating out the Padres and the White Sox. This is great news for the Cubs; the Cubs are finally putting together an outfield to contend. Fukudome will be in Chicago sometime next week to undergo a physical.

Its Official:Fukudome To MLB!

According to ESPN, Kosuke Fukudome has declined the contract offer from the Yomiuri Giants and will pursue a career in the MLB. The teams that are leading the pack for Fukudome are the Cubs, Padres, and the White Sox. I don't think it will take Fukudome too much time to decide which team he wants to play for. I expect his choice to come as early as tomarrow night. He is seeking a deal of 3 years and around $40 million, which is pretty managable for a player of his caliber.

Breaking News: Fukudome To MLB

UPDATE: Fukudomes agent, Joe Urbon, has said there isn't any truth to the rumor going around that Fukudome is coming to America, and that it was just an internet rumor. According to Urbon, "He's not going to decide until Tuesday, or Monday our time," Urbon said. "If he had made that decision, you would have seen it out of Japan by now." So this means no Fukudome in America or a Cubs uniform, yet.

According to FoxSports' Ken Rothensal, Kosuke Fukudome has made his decision to come to the MLB. Fukudome, 30, is set to announce that he is leaving Japan, the first step toward him signing a free-agent contract with a major-league club, hopefully the Cubs. The White Sox and the Padres seem to be the Cubs biggest competitors for Fukudome. A left-handed hitter, he had a .305 career batting average in Japan, averaging 29 homers between 2003 and '06. He appeared in only 81 games for the Chunichi Dragons last season due to a right-elbow injury that required surgery.

It was pretty obvious he was coming to America, but now it's official.
The Cubs and the White Sox seem to be the ones who will bid the highest. So it seems Fukudome will probably be coming to Chiacgo.

Cubs Acquire Tim Lahey In Rule 5 Draft

According to MLB.com the Cubs have acquired right-handed pitcher Tim Lahey in the Rule Five Draft. Lahey, a converted catcher, was drafted by the Tampa Bay Rays with number one overall pick in the 2007 Rule Five Draft. The Cubs sent cash consiederations for the strong right-hander. Lahey spent most of last season with the Minnesota Twins' Double-A New Britain team, posting an 8-4 record with 13 saves and a 3.45 ERA in 50 games. He struck out 56 and walked 33 over 78 1/3 innings. Lahey appeared in two games for Triple-A Rochester, totaling three innings. The Cubs lost players in the Draft too. They lost Randy Wells to the Blue Jays, and Adalberto Mendez to the Marlins.

Trading for Tim Lahey is a great move. I think we picked up a Carlos Marmol-esque pitcher for nearly nothing.

Another Winter Meetings Update

• According to Will Carroll of Baseball Prospectus, Kosuke Fukudome will make his decision today. An unspecified team has apparently made Fukudome an offer that Carroll is confident that he cant refuse. Let hope the Cubs are that team!
• According to the Baltimore Sun, the Cubs are going hard after Orioles 2nd baseman Brian Roberts. A 3 player deal is on the table as of now. It has been speculated that this deal includes either Rich Hill or Sean Gallagher and another player in exchange for Roberts. Roberts would be a welcome aquisition and would likely move DeRosa over to shortstop. Roberts batted .290 last year with the Orioles while sporting a nice .377 OBP. The Orioles are already looking at Tadahito Iguchi to replace a potentially departing Roberts. This deal could hopefully get done very soon!

Lets get 'em done, Jim! More rumors coming soon!

Fukudome Narrows His Choices

According to Rotoworld.com, Kosuke Fukudome has narrowed his list of potential suitors down to the Cubs, Royals, and possibly the Padres, who have offered him a 3 year deal on Tuesday. The Royals have said before that they weren't interested in Fukudome, so that hopefully just leaves the Cubs and the Padres, who seem to be falling out of the race for Fukudome. Hopefully we can get a deal done as soon as today.

Winter Meetings Update

The Seattle Times has reported that Kosuke Fukudome is a near "lock" to sign with the Cubs, expected in the next few days. The Cubs are expected to top any offer another team gives Fukudome, including the Padres reported offer of 4 years/$40 million.

The Boston Globe has reported that Andy MacPhail and Jim Hendry spent a nice lunch together discussing the possibility of Erik Bedard in a Cubs uniform and possible the same scenario with Brian Roberts. Nothing has come with these rumors as of now.

If the Cubs happen to miss out on Fukudome, the Cubs will set their sights towards players such as Josh Hamilton and Raul Ibanez. Some have speculated Jonny Damon could end up with the Cubs.

ESPN has reported that the Cubs are interested in Chone Figgins. The Angels may want Aramis Ramirez in return, which is something the Cubs probably won't even consider doing.

The Pirates and the Cubs are reportedly talking about a trade that would send Nate McLouth in exchange for either Carmen Pignatiello or Neal Cotts. McLouth would provide a lefty bat off the bench for the Cubs and in my opinion, would be a nice aquisition.

The Cubs are apparently still in the run for Hiroki Kuroda. Kuroda is reportedly seeking around a 5 year/$50 million contract. This will probably be way too much to pay "Mr. Complete Game". An unproven, 33 year old pitcher would probably never get this sort of contract. Expect more around a 4 year/$40 million contract.

• The Cubs will either sign or trade Mark Prior, and not non-tender him. While the trade talks with the Padres are cooling down a bit, talks with the Rangers are heating up.

More rumors coming soon!

Ohman and Infante Sent To Atlanta

The Cubs have traded Omar Infante and Will Ohman to the Atlanta Braves for right-handed pitcher Jose Ascanio.
Good move for the Cubs, I think. I think Hendry is freeing up space for something big. We'll have to wait and see!
Cubs have also been linked to Mark Teahen and Josh Hamilton in the past few hours.
More on this and more coming soon...

Winter Meetings Eve!

There is now official one calender day until the 2007 Winter Baseball Meetings will take place in Nashville. If you happen to be a Cubs fan, then you just might happen to be very excited about what these meetings could hold for the Cubs.

The Cubs are heading into the Winter Meetings ready for roster changes via trades. Lou Pinella told Bruce Levine of ESPN 1000, that the Cubs have laid the groundwork with several teams, and are looking at about 5 players they are interested in trading for. The Cubs may be looking at Brian Roberts and Nick Markakis of the Orioles, Carl Crawford, and possible a player such as Chone Figgins, if the Angels make a move for Miguel Cabrera. The Cubs have reportedly recieved a lot of interested in their young prospects, and while saying they will not ship them off for old veterans, will listen if the deal is in the Cubs best interest.

Hendry has also expressed his confidence in the Cubs in-house options in centerfield, saying that if the Cubs dont aquire a centerfielder during the winter meetings, the competition between Felix Pie and Sam Fuld will begin for a spot in the starting lineup on Opening Day. Angel Pagan is also in the mix, which I think is good news, and a better option than Sam Fuld is at the moment. Hendry has said he is extremely excited with Pie's progress this winter, and is the favorite for the job. I really hope Pie steps up and takes this job. He is really the best option right now.

And as for Mark Prior, the Padres seem to be very interest, probably more so than any other team in the league at this point, and are the front-runners for Prior. Prior has expressed interest in playing in San Diego and the Cubs have expressed interest in several of San Diego's prospects. I expect a deal to go down this week during the meetings, unfortunately. My stance on the subject is, why waste all of this time waiting on Prior, then trade him when he is finally going to be healthy enough to pitch? This makes no sense to me unless we get a guy like Khalil Greene, not a few low-A prospects who probably wont pan out.

Thats all for now. Much more to come from a hopefully busy Winter Meetings!