Very Sorry

I am very sorry I haven't been able update this past couple of weeks. My computer crashed and I just got it back from the repair shop last night so don't think I quit or anything like that. There has been a lot of rumors floating around the past couple of days, but since I am sure you guys have seen them all, there is no point in posting them. So, keep checking out the blog and I will have all the new Cubs news as soon as it happens!
Thanks for the cooperation
JC

Brewers 6 (9-4) Cubs 4 (5-8)

There was one good note today, as the Cubs fell to the division rivals Brewers, Mark DeRosa made his Spring Training debut after the successful surgery on his irregular heartbeat. Today we will start at the plate, not much going for us at the plate besides Aramis Ramirez, who had 2 doubles and 2 RBIs. After that the only other player who knocked in any runs was Josh Kroeger, who knocked in his third RBI of the Spring. Since there wasn't much at the plate we will shift our attention to the mound. Rich Hill started the game it that pretty much set the tone for the game. Hill lasted 2.2 innings and allowed 4 runs on 8 hits. After that ugly performance, Tim Lahey cam in as a reliever and pitched great, going 1.1 innings and not allowing a hit or a run. Kevin Hart closed out the game and even though he did not earn a save he pitched great not allowing a hit or a run either. Overall I am confused at how you can score 13 runs one game and then only score 4 the next. I hope this is not the way it goes in the regular season and especially opening day. The MVP for the day is close. It was between Aramis Ramirez and Tim Lahey, but I decided to give it to Aramis. Going 2-3 with 2 doubles and 2 RBIs, great job Aramis.

Cubs 13 (5-7) Royals 1 (5-6)

Wow what an explosion on offense the Cubs had. It all started in the 3rd inning when the Cubs scored 5 runs and after that there was only one inning in which the Cubs did not score. Since the offense did so great we will start out at the plate. Micah Hoffpauir went 3-3 and was a home run away from the cycle. Daryle Ward also had a great day at the plate going 4-4 with 3 RBIs. They weren't the only two who did awesome at the plate. Eric Patterson went 3-5 with a homer. Now to the mound, Ryan Dempster definitely locked up the third spot in the rotation today by going 4 innings and only allowing a single hit. After that the Cubs bullpen only allowed one hit and the Cubs easily beat the Royals. The player of the game was actually today the whole team. What a great game we played today, and hopefully it transfers over to the regular season.

Roberts Watch-Did not play

Report: Cubs Close To Trade For Coco Crisp

According to The Cub Reporter, there are reports surfacing that the Cubs will be trading Jason Marquis and Sam Fuld to the Boston for CF Coco Crisp. Last year Crisp batted .268 with 6 Hrs and an OBP of .330 thus completing one of his worst offensive seasons of his 6 year career. If this trade gets completed, lets hope he returns to the caliber of play he possessed with the Indians, when he had an avg. hovering around .300 during the 2004 and 2005 seasons. This report hasn't been confirmed by either team officials as of now. This trade works out well for both teams. Both would get rid of extra baggage and disgruntled players.

Cubs Cut Nine Players

The Cubs started setting their 4o-man roster today by cutting a few players by sending down a few players to the minors. The Cubs sent Billy Petrick and Tyler Colvin to the minors. The others were non-roster invitees, and they were assigned to the Minor League camp. The list includes right-handed pitchers Esmailin Caridad and Jose Ceda, left-hander Geoff Jones, outfielder Andres Torres, infielder Bobby Scales, and catchers Wellington Castillo and Josh Donaldson. Not really major news, but it is worth reporting.

Cubs Likely To Sell Naming Rights

I would never think the day would come where anyone would even think about talking about changing the name of Wrigley Field. Yet here we are, with a new owner, Sam Zell, and maybe a new name for the historic Wrigley Field. To me this is not right, you can't change the name. It has been that way for 92 years. I can live with renovations, which is what they plan on doing, but not changing the name. The Cubs plan on renovating the sky boxes, the restrooms, and the clubhouses. I just can't imagine another name other than Wrigley Field, I am not a big fan of Zell, never have liked him, now I never will, but just think of this, maybe a name like "Old Style Wrigley," or something that keeps Wrigley in the name. I just don't want to be like the Indians and the Mets who totally got a whole new name. Like "Progressive Field", the Indians have always had "Jacobs Field," that is historic, All I am saying is that there is no need to sell the name for an extra buck, I think it is ridiculous.

Cubs 6 (3-6) Mariners (4-4)

The Cubs finally get to hang the win flag today after a tough week of Spring Training games. Ted Lilly had a solid start today lasting 3 innings a single hit, a 2-run homer to Yuniesky Betancourt. After Lilly left the bullpen never really made any mistakes. The rest of the runs were surrendered by Kevin Hart. To the Plate, Daryle Ward hit his 1st homer of the Spring today off of Carlos Silva. Derrek Lee and Kosuke Fukudome both doubled off of Silva also. Ryan Theriot stole his third base of the Spring. Matt Murton probably had the best day today going 2-4 at the plate. Aramis Ramirez went 0-2 in his Spring Training debut.

Roberts Watch- 2-3

Cubs 4 (2-5) D-Backs(4-3)

Carlos Zambrano did about everything you could ask of your pitcher today, but still come away with a loss. Zambrano homered and pitched a perfect 3 innings of baseball, only allowing a single hit. Rich Hill came in and also pitched extremely well, going 3 innings and only allowing a single run to cross the plate. To the plate, Micah Hoffpauir also homered along with Luis Figueroa. Not much action in this one. The player of the game would have to be either Carlos Zambrano or Micah Hoffpauir, both did great.

Roberts Watch- Did not play

Cubs 6 (2-3) Mariners 5 (2-2)

The Cubs finally got their second win today. After a near comeback win yesterday the Cubs rebounded by beating the Mariners 6 to 5. The offense provided some pop today. Jake Fox provided most of it by going 2-5 with a double and a triple, and also knocked in a run. Ryan Theriot had the best day at the plate for the Cubs going 2-3, with a stolen base. Fukudome was hit by his second pitch of Spring Training today, the pitchers must not like him very much. Now to the mound. Jon Lieber made his 2008 Cubs Spring Training debut today. He showed signs of greatness, but by the end of his outing his ERA was 9.00, which is not very good. He pitched 2 innings and allowed 3 runs, all earned. After Lieber came Sean Marshall, and he pitched wonderfully. He lasted 2 innings as well, striking out 2 and allowing no hits and no runs. The bad on ly bad part of his performance was he walked two batters. Jeff Samardzija came and and got the win by pitching a perfect 2 innings, only allowing a single walk. The rest of the pitchers, Eyre, Lahey, and Howry combined to pitch the rest of the 3 innings, giving up a combined 6 runs, five of them allowed by Howry. Overall an impressive performance by both the Cubs pitchers and hitters.

Roberts Watch- Did not play
On the way to Chicago? Maybe!

Cubs And Orioles Talks Heating Up

Talks between the Cubs and the Orioles are finally picking up steam. SI.com is reporting that outfielder Jay Payton is now in the talks to go to Chicago with Roberts. The Orioles have been reportedly scouting the Cubs in recent Spring Training games. The Orioles have been eying pitchers Sean Marshall and Sean Gallagher, along with position players, Ronny Cedeno and Matt Murton. I say why give up even more prospects to Jay Payton? It does not make a lot of sense. Whatever it takes to get a deal done so we can stop getting new rumors everyday, I guess.

Giants 8 (2-3) Cubs 6 (1-3)

The Cubs are lucky this is only Spring Training. It was a pretty solid day for pitching, until Neal Cotts stepped on the mound in the 5th inning. Cotts had a terrible day. he pitched a third of an inning and somehow allowed 5 runs, all earned. Jose Ascanio then came in and pitched excellent. He pitched one inning and allowed no runs. Now to the plate, Felix Pie hit his second home run of Spring Training this one was off of Brad Hennessey. After Pie hit his, non-roster invite Andres Torres hit a homer off Jose Capellan. Both Eric Patterson and Alex Cintron had doubles today. Geovanny Soto had another solid day today, throwing out another base runner, he was also 1-2 at the plate. Fukudome made his Hohokam park debut today, but he had an off day going 0-3 with a base on balls. A late game comeback failed and the Giants prevailed. Today we will sadly raise the "L" flag.

Roberts Watch- 0-3

Marquis: Start Me Or Trade Me

Jason Marquis could not of made a bigger mistake today. After a terrible Spring Training start pitcher Jason Marquis has told management that he wants to be traded if he is not in the starting rotation. Here is what Marquis is thinking, "I love Chicago," Marquis said. "I definitely want to stay here. This is the place I want to be. I signed here for a reason. But I also signed as a starter, and I think that's where I help the team the most. Obviously we'll see what happens when it's time for [the Cubs] to make their decision." This is manager Lou Pinella's response, "Well, if that's the case, he can go somewhere else," Piniella said. "Win a spot in the rotation, you don't have to worry about it. ... I've got seven starters here for five spots, you know? It's a little bit too early to start talking about what he wants to do or not do...He can go somewhere else right now if he wants. How's that?" If i was Marquis I would not of said a single word. I would be happy to be a part of such a great ball club with so much history. I hope Marquis gets traded, because if he is going to start complaining he can say bye bye.

Pinella Wants Hendry Extended?

This is kind of old, but it is worthy of a post. Lou Pinella has spoken up and told management that he would like to have, GM, Jim Hendry's contract extended. With the sale likely to come next offseson, Pinella has said he would like to have all the management issues resolved before the offseason so they can focus on signing players, and improving the team. Here is what Pinella had to say,"He's on the last year of his contract," Piniella said. "He has done a heck of a job here. I've seen where other GMs have been extended. Why not ours?" I would love to have Hendry back, he has made some really bad moves before, but he has made more good trades than he has bad ones. For example, Jose Ceda for Todd Walker and Aramis Ramirez and Kenny Lofton for barely anything. Not to mention all the great free agent signings. I think he is worthy of an extension.

Angels 6 (2-0-1), Cubs 2 (1-2)

The Cubs had a really bad day at both the plate and the mound. Pitcher Jason Marquis did not start out the game very well. He allowed 3 hits, 2 runs, both earned runs, in 2 innings pitched. Like I said not very good. Kerry Wood came in, in the third inning and allowed 3 runs, all earned, all in 1 inning pitched. The rest of the pitchers that pitched for the Cubs only allowed 1 run and 4 hits over 5 innings. Now to plate. Jake Fox hit his first Spring Training homer today off of Jeff Kennard in the 6th inning, Fox also had 2 RBI's. Matt Murton impressed today going 3-3, and so did Soto, defensively. Soto threw out one of the fastest runners in the MLB, Chone Figgins, twice. Overall the Cubs could not stop Torii Hunter who went 2-2 with 1 homer and 4 RBI's.

Roberts Watch- Did Not Play

Angelos Gives MacPhail Green Light To Trade Roberts

Brian Roberts could very well soon become a Chicago Cubs. Orioles owner Peter Angelos has given GM Andy MacPhail the OK to trade Brian Roberts to another team, most likely the Cubs. Angelos is the person who has shot down about 5-10 trades scenarios that would of send Roberts here and about 5 prospects to the Orioles. This report has been verified by ESPN Radio's Bruce Levine. Hopefully now that Angelos has let MacPhail trade Roberts something will get done soon.

Giants 8 (1-1) Cubs 6 (1-1)

Not a very good day for Cubs pitching. Giants 3rd baseman Ryan Rohlinger hit a grand slam off of Les Walrond in the 8th inning, and outfielder Eddy Martinez-Esteve also homered off of non-roster invite Shingo Takatsu in the 7th inning. The Cubs bats had a spark in them today. Mike Fontenot, Luis Figueroa, and Casey McGehee all doubled. Fukudome was 0 for 1,and Soriano went 0 for 2 in his Spring Training debut. Non- roster invites Luis Figueroa and Casey McGehee had the most impressive days both going 2 for 2. Now to the pitching. Carlos Zambrano lasted 2 innings of shutout ball and had 2K's. Rich Hill took over after that and had a rocky day 2 innings and giving up 1 runs and 3 hits. Carlos Marmol closed out the game pitching a scoreless 9th inning.

Roberts Watch- 2-3, 1 double, 2 SB

Brian Roberts Trade Update

Some new developments in the Brian Roberts rumors. The Cubs sent scouts to the Orioles, Marlins Spring Training game on Thursday, and they could not of picked a better day to do it. Roberts smoked Marlin pitching by going 1 for 2 with a double. With DeRosa's recent heart condition, it points to an urgency in the Cubs to acquire Roberts. Most are thinking a deal could include Gallagher, Cedeno, and Jose Ceda or Donald Veal. A new name was thrown around today, Tony Thomas a speedy sceond baseman who we drafted 97 th overall in the 2007 draft.

Another note the Mets have expressed interest in Matt Murton, and it is unlikely that a deal will get done for Coco Crisp or Marlon Byrd because Murton alone would not get a deal done.

More hopefully to come!

Cubs 12 Giants 6

The Cubs kicked off the Spring Training games today, and boy was our offense eager to get to the plate. They exploded on the Giants with 12 runs. Pie and Fontenot both homered to give the Cubs 2 runs and the rest of the 10 were all RBIs. Ryan Dempster started the game, and was solid giving up only a homer to Randy Winn in the 1st inning. Dempster lasted 2 solid innings and then the bullpen took over. Gallagher pitched 2 solid innings also giving up only 1 earned run. Kevin Hart closed the game out, and the Cubs sealed the deal defeating the Giants 12 to 6.

DeRosa Update; Happy 33rd Mark

According to Mark DeRosa he is fine, but according to doctors DeRosa is not alright. DeRosa has been diagnosed with atrial arrhythmia. He is back in Chicago at the moment receiving treatment. For those of you who have no idea what atrial arrhythmia is the Chicago Tribune cleared it up a bit. They describe it as, "A type of irregular heartbeat doctors can correct with medication or a procedure with a heart catheter that involves burning off a pea-sized piece of heart tissue. The treatment has a 98 percent success rate and typically allows athletes to resume their normal routine within a couple of weeks." All that I know is that I want DeRosa, one of my favorite players on the Cubs, to be alright. For those of you who did not know this, Mark DeRosa is celebrating his birthday today, he will be turning 33.

Roberts Dealt Soon?

The Philadelphia Inquirer had an interesting tidbit today. They say that once the Orioles decide what pitchers they want that soon after the trade will be finalized. It had been reported before that the Orioles want to scout the Cubs in Spring Training to see who they want in return for Roberts. I am one of the fans who want Brian Roberts, but I want it done either now or very soon. I just want it done because I am sick of hearing about it.

DeRosa Taken To Hospital

Mark DeRosa was taken to a local Mesa hospital today, he was experiencing an irregular heart beat while taking ground balls in practice. DeRosa has had this happen to him before, and usually he does some breathing exercises and it goes away, but today it didn't. DeRosa, fortunately is alright, but it is always scary when something goes wrong with someones heart. Mark is easily a fan favorite and I am sure everyone, including me, want him to get better and out on the field as soon as possible.

Cubs Notes

It is official, Ryan Dempster will start the Cactus League opener next Thursday against the San Francisco Giants. "'Z' said he didn't want it any more," Dempster said, jokingly, about Zambrano.

Lou Pinella was recently on the Mike North show and confirmed he is considering hitting Kosuke Fukudome 3rd and moving Derrek Lee back to 4th and Ramirez to 5th. I am not opposed to this projected line-up, but if we get Roberts to we hit Soriano 6th? Or maybe Second?

Speaking of Roberts talks between the Cubs and the Orioles, about the all-star second baseman, have cooled in the past couple of days. The Orioles are asking for Gallagher, Ceda or Veal, and a couple more lesser players for Roberts. At this point the Orioles are just being unreasonable and I hope we never do buisness with them again.

It looks like the talks between the Cubs and the Rangers about Marlon Byrd are diminishing as we speak.

The poll for this week looks pretty unanimous, so who do you think we are going to get before the end of the offseason?

Roberts Update

With signing of Alex Cintron I am thinking, hmm... why would we sign an old back up shortstop when we have a young shortstop in Ronny Cedeno? The only thing I could come up with is, there has to be a new development in the negotiations with the Orioles about Brian Roberts. It may just be me, but to me it makes sense. My thinking is we should trade Gallagher, as much as I don't want to give him up, Colvin, Cedeno, Marshall, and Murton for Roberts and if we can get Jay Payton we get him, but if we can't we settle with Brian Roberts.

Cubs Sign Cintron

The Cubs made a minor move today by signing infielder Alex Cintron to a minor league deal. This move kind of makes sense. If we only got him to be able to trade Cedeno for Roberts, I like it, but if it was for any other reason I am not a fan of it.

Kyle Kendrick Gets Punked

Wow, this will be the best prank in baseball this year. Kendrick's face is priceless.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=0nKKqPOiJxI

Zambrano Declared Opening Day Starter

It is official. Carlos Zambrano, "Big Z", will get his fouth straight opening day start. Zambrano says he was just kidding when he said he did not mind not starting on opening day this season. It is great to start hearing news about opening day. Hopefully he can start the season out with a bang and hopefully he is not only pitching in the opening day, lets hope he is pitching in the final game for the Cubs in 2008, which would be what we hope is the World Series.

2008 Cubs Projections

Spring training is now among us, so here are our 2008 Cubs projections!
(As the roster stands now)

BATTING ORDER

LF Alfonso Soriano
.291 AVG, 34 HRs, 86 RBIs

SS Ryan Theriot
.273 AVG, 4 HRs, 36 RBIs

1B Derrek Lee
.321 AVG, 26 HRs, 102 RBIs

3B Aramis Ramirez
.303 AVG, 36 HRs, 121 RBIs

RF Kosuke Fukudome
.287 AVG, 13 HRs, 78 RBIs

2B Mark DeRosa
.297 AVG, 12 HRs, 62 RBIs

C Geovanny Soto
.282 AVG, 19 HRs, 69 RBIs

CF Felix Pie
.268 AVG, 9 HRs, 46 RBIs


PITCHING ROTATION

Carlos Zambrano
17-9, 3.42 ERA, 201 K

Ted Lilly
14-8, 3.83 ERA, 162 K

Rich Hill
12-9, 4.18 ERA, 186 K

Jason Marquis
10-11, 4.78 ERA, 102 K

Jon Lieber
9-8, 4.92 ERA, 84 K

Bedard To Mariners Finalized, Roberts To Cubs Next?

The Mariners and the Orioles have finally completed a deal that sends Erik Bedard to the Mariners in return for Adam Jones, George Sherrill, Chris Tillman, Tony Butler and Kam Mickolio. This most likely means the Orioles will now shift their focus to trading Brian Roberts. There is two offers i could see. One, Marshall, Murton, Cedeno, and probably Marquis, for Roberts. The second one would involve George Sherrill. I would think something like, Gallagher, Colvin, Cedeno, and Murton and Marshall would maybe get it worked out. Hopefully something can get done and will be able to report to spring training the same day as Lee, Ramirez, Soriano, etc. report.

Giants Are Super Bowl Champions

Congratulations to the New York Giants. They beat the New England Patriots 17-14 in Super Bowl XLII. Eli Manning was named Super Bowl MVP, with 255 yards 2 touchdowns and 1 interceptions. Again congrats, and thank god the Patriots finally lost!

Roberts Trade Update

Bruce Levine had an interesting update on the Brian Roberts deal, Saturday. Levine mentioned that a deal for Roberts could be done in the coming weeks. Levine also noted that Andy MacPhail has extended his deadline for a trade for Roberts to, Febuary 15th, when the Orioles report to camp. So a deal is imminent, and should be done soon, if it happens at all.
Updates hopefully soon.

Marquis To Be Traded?

Jason Marquis is on the block, according to an AL executive. The Cubs aere looking to trade Marquis for a reliever and a few prospects. A report is also saying that since the Orioles traded away Bedard, so we think, they would like to acquire another inning eater to replace him. Some think a deal would get done faster for Roberts if the Cubs included Marquis in a deal along with a young pitcher like Gallagher or Marshall, along with two other position players. The Cubs are not going to just give Marquis away for no one, we are looking to trade for someone that is actually good and would provide something to this team.
More Info Later

Cubs Made Last Minute Bid For Santana?

Jim Hendry did at least try to aquire Johan Santana. Dave Kaplan said that Hendry called the Twins about Santana earlier this week, but were informed that Santana only wanted to play for a team whose spring training facilities were located in Florida, and that an extension would be needed for Santana before the trade would be approved. With the impending sale of the Cubs, Bud Selig would likely not approve any signing of this caliber; at least until a new owner was appointed.

There is really nothing new on the Roberts deal as of now. It appears that Bedard will need to be traded before Roberts goes anywhere. Angelos is looking to destroy the farm of every team he does buisness with, and so far, he is succeeding.

Bedard To Mariners? Roberts Next?

The drama may end soon, Cubs fans. According to a report out of Seattle the Mariners have traded top prospect Adam Jones, George Sherill, and Chris Tillman for Orioles ace Erik Bedard. This is a good thing a for Cubs fans. The reason it is good, since the Mariners traded Jones to the Orioles that means Baltimore has acquired their outfielder, and would no longer ask for Pie in a trade for second baseman Brian Roberts. This now lets the Orioles focus on trading Roberts. The Orioles have reported they would like to trade Roberts by the end of the week. Now hopfully we can find a way to get Khalil Greene and Brian Roberts. Roberts would mean a 4 to 5 win increase in '08. Greene has insane numbers aaway from Petco, and in my opinion would excel in a hitter friendly park like Wrigley. Greene would also add a 25+ home run hitter in the 6 or 7th spot in the line-up. Hopefully we can work something out and at least get one of the two.

A Quick Update

• Jim Hendry has admitted to be actively shopping Left Fielder Matt Murton. The team who has shown the most interest is the Padres. Maybe we can pull Khalil Greene off their hands?


• The deal for Brian Roberts is rumored to be back on, again. Phil Rogers reports, through a very highly placed source, that the 7-2 rumor involving Bedard and Roberts is back on. Sources say that there could be a 3 team blockbuster in the works that would send Marlon Byrd, Erik Bedard and Brian Roberts all to the Cubs. The Baltimore Sun thinks the Cubs do not have the farm system to give the Orioles what they want. Reports indicate that it would have to match the caliber of players the Tigers gave up for Willis and Cabrera. The Cubs have said they would be willing to trade Rich Hill for Bedard and Roberts.


• Marlon Byrds name has popped up again. The Rangers have a ridiculously high price tag for Byrd. It is reported that they have asked for Sean Gallagher in return for Byrd. Which in my opinion is completely ridiculous.

Hopefully we get a deal done soon for someone

Weurtz Avoids Arbitration

Michael Wuertz avoided arbitration with the Cubs Monday. The deal is worth $860,ooo over one year. Wuertz went 2-3 last season with an ERA of 3.48, rather solid in my opinion. Wuertz was the only arbitration eligible player for the Cubs this year. Great deal, he is a quality reliever and we got him for a cheap amount, which is awesome these days.

Angelos Nixes Trade

According to Rotoworld, Peter Angelos nixed a 7-2 trade, that involved Brian Roberts and Erik Bedard coming to the Cubs for seven prospects. The rumored prospects in the deal are Sean Gallagher, Sean Marshall, and Felix Pie. The other four are not specified. I want Brian Roberts, but I don't think it is worth trading seven people for both. I would obviously want both, but I am not interested in trading our entire farm system for just two players.
-JC

Byrd Talks Pop Up Again

According to MLB.com's T.R Sullivan, the Cubs have contacted the Rangers about a possible swap for outfielder Marlon Byrd. The trade could cost a fan favorite, Matt Murton. Sullivan cautions that these talks are only in there first stages. Byrd,30, recently avoided arbitration with the Rangers. The deal was only worth $1.8MM, and Byrd would hit free agency in '09.
The thing I do not like is that we would have to give up Murton. I am a fan of him and would like to see him develop some more and become a star. He is only 26.

Cubs Sign Shingo Tukatsu

The Cubs made a rather minor move today by signing pitcher Shingo Tukatsu, to a minor league deal. Takatsu, 39, spent all of 2004 and part of 2005 in the south side of Chicago. In 99 games in the majors with the Sox and the New York Mets, Takatsu collected 27 saves over 98 2/3 innings, with an ERA of 3.38. Terms of this deal were not released. Like I said a rather minor move, but he could perform in Spring Training and earn a roster spot in 2008.

Cubs Sign Lieber

According to Fox Sports' Ken Rosenthal, the Cubs have signed pitcher Jon Lieber to a 1 yr/$3.5M deal. Lieber, who turns 38 on April 2,played four seasons with the Cubs, before signing with the Yankees in 2004, then with the Phillies in 2005. He spent the past three seasons with the Phillies, but missed the second half of last season after suffering a ruptured tendon in his right foot. Since Lieber missed half the season, last season, he managed to go 3-6, with a 4.73 ERA. When healthy, like he did with the Phillies in 2005, he is capable to win about 15 games and average an ERA of about 4.20. With the signing of Lieber could mean a trade for Marquis could be in the works. Or it could mean Dempster would just simply move back into the bullpen.

I really like do not like this signing unless we move Marquis. My reasoning is this. I think we need to give Gallagher the fifth starter role if he is ever going to get developed. I think

this is an ok signing.

Not So Fast...

...The talks with the Orioles are back on; or maybe they were never actually off. Anyway, Phil Rogers over at the the Chicago Tribune has reported that the Orioles will remain in talks with the Cubs and the Mariners for players Brian Roberts and Erik Bedard. Phil Rogers believes that the holdup in the Rogers deal may exist over Tyler Colvin and Felix Pie. Rogers thinks that if either player is involved in a trade, it will be for both Roberts AND Bedard. I say send over Colvin in a package for both of them and call it done. Easier said than done probably, but this would solve two pretty big needs and would help the club immensely. Hopefully this happens soon, to turn speculation into fact.

-NC

A Quick Update

According to Bruce Levine of ESPN1000,

• Trade talks between the Cubs and Orioles for Brian Roberts are OFF. This could very well be a false report because Levine has been wrong about a few things in the past.
• The Cubs are looking to trade for Rangers CF Marlon Byrd. Byrd batted .307 last year with the Rangers while playing in 109 games. He would likely platoon with Pie next season.
• The Cubs are apparently after Jon Lieber. I would rather take my chances with Marquis at this point. Hopefully Gallagher can take one of the remaining two spots open in the rotation.

Thats it for now. Its been a pretty slow past few weeks. We'll update again once something noteworthy happens!

Roberts Deal Done? Not So Fast...

According to Orioles Hangout, a deal was done for Brian Roberts to the Cubs in exchange for Sean Gallagher, Sean Marshall, and Ronny Cedeno. I am now learning that this rumor is inaccurate and false. Phil Rogers of the Chicago Tribune adds, that a trade for Roberts will "Almost certainly happen."
We will keep you posted as song as anything happens for Roberts. So cross your fingers and hope a deal gets done soon.

Cubs Targeting Lieber?

According to Bruce Levine, the Cubs could be looking to sign Jon Lieber. Lieber, a former 20 game winner for the Cubs, could be a capable 5th starter for the Cubs. I wouldn't really like this signing. Why not go after a guy like Bartolo Colon if you were interested in signing a guy coming off an injury? Colon would present more upside than Lieber would. I would rather have Gallagher to be the 5th starter than either of them anyway.

Pagan Traded To Mets

The Cubs have sent outfielder Angel Pagan to the Mets in exchange for minor leaguers Ryan Meyers and Corey Coles. Meyers, 22, went 1-4 with 13 saves and a 2.79 ERA in 41 relief appearances with New York's Class A Savannah and Port St. Lucie in 2007. The six-foot-five, 204-pound Meyers struck out 55 batters and walked only 16 in 51.2 innings while limiting opponents to a .229 batting average.
Coles, 25, batted .286 with 14 doubles, one home run and 31 RBI during three stops in the Mets minor league system last year. The lefty spent most of the 2007 season with Double-A Binghamton and batted .296 with a .352 on-base percentage in 66 games. Coles earned 2006 Florida State League All-Star honors when he batted .341 in 124 games with Port St. Lucie, the 11th-highest batting average in all of minor league baseball, and a .407 on-base percentage, second best in the league. He is a career .306 hitter in 397 games in the minors.

Cubs Interested In Another Japanese Player?

According to the East Windup Chronicle the Cubs are interested in acquiring Japanese superstar and, Nippon Ham Fighters pitcher Yu Darvish. This would not be for this season, but for the 2009 season. The Cubs are not in the lead to sign him, the Yankees are. Along with the Cubs, the Dodgers and the Mets have him on their radar as well. According to the report, Daisuke Matsuzaka's $8.6MM salary would be the floor with Darvish. And they are guessing his posting fee would easily exceed Dice-K's $51.1MM.
Two huge questions remain. Are the Fighters actually considering posting Darvish after the '08 season? The loss of such a popular player would be a huge hit for Japanese baseball. Also, does Darvish even want to play in the U.S.? Like I said two huge questions.

Darvish is 21 years old with loads of potential. He is listed at 6'5" and 185 pounds. In '07 with the Fighters, Darvish went 15-5, with 210 strikeouts 1.82 ERA. His total numbers for his 3 year career are 32-15 377 K's and a 2.53 ERA. Those numbers would be an instant upgrade to the Cubs pitching staff.

This would be an awesome move, and I would applaud the Cubs for making this move.