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Baseball - Blogs
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November 30, 2007
Since the midpoint of 2002 the Chicago Cubs organization has been defined by their two powerful young pitchers. In 2003 the organization and the fans were privy to a great one-two punch and began dreaming of the future years with a hunch. One came close to the Cy Young and the other was almost done. We were all slugging Cubbie Kool-Aid faster than you can say Dr. James Andrews. Unfortunately for these two men the...
November 29, 2007
For the second time this off-season, reports have surfaced stating Kaz Masui has agreed to a contract with the Houston Astros. Reports began surfacing out of Chicago late on Thursday night that Matsui and the Astros have agreed to a 3-year, $15 million dollar contract. Reports earlier in the week stated Matsui would make his decision this week between the Rockies, Astros and Cubs. According to a report in the Denver Post, the Rockies raised...
November 29, 2007
Jim Hendry and company are preparing for the Winter Meetings next week in Nashville. Hendry reiterated he is "looking to add a left-handed power-hitting outfielder that can play right field and a left-handed bench player with versatility." Hendry said the Cubs could acquire either via free agency or trade. A report on Cubs.com confirmed the Cubs interest in Kosuke Fukudome. The Japanese outfielder is scheduled to meet with his U.S. agents at Octagon today. Another...
November 28, 2007
A day after resigning Kerry Wood, rumors began to surface the Cubs are willing to trade Mark Prior. The two pitchers that are constantly linked to one another, continue to make headlines together over four seasons since they were both dominating pitchers for the Cubs. The Cubs reportedly would like to sign Prior to a 2-year contract with incentives instead of allowing him to possibly walk away after 2008 and sign with another team for...
November 27, 2007
After the long weekend it was back to business for baseball on Monday. Jim Hendry completed one of his off-season goals by resigning Kerry Wood to a 1-year contract. The Cubs still have several more questions to answer this winter. With the Winter Meetings six days away, Jim Hendry was on WGN Radio Monday night with Dave Kaplan and discussed several of his team's needs and what they are looking to add this off-season. Here...
November 26, 2007
According to reports out of Chicago and on XM Radio, Kerry Wood has agreed to a 1-year deal to remain with the Chicago Cubs. Ken Rosenthal is reporting the deal is worth $4.2 million. The deal appears to be without an option for a second year. Updated 5:39pm C.T. with Additional Information on Wood's contract...
November 26, 2007
As the Winter Meetings approach Jim Hendry has a few questions surrounding his team. The Cubs have been relatively quiet so far this off-season with the only major move being the trade of Jacque Jones. Several reports out of Chicago have mentioned what the Cubs could be up to, but what does Jim Hendry have up his sleeve? How can he make Lou Piniella's crew better than the team that last took the field almost...
November 25, 2007
Jim Hendry, Lou Piniella and company have been very quiet over the past week, especially over the long Thanksgiving weekend. Are they gearing up for a big final month of the year, or just being more precise in planning their next move? There is a full week left before Baseball's Winter Meetings kick off in Nashville on December 3rd. The next two weeks should see more activity from 1060 West Addison. The only 'real news'...
November 24, 2007
The Reds made the first big splash in the NL Central this off-season on Friday with the unprecedented signing of Francisco Cordero. Dusty Baker's new team reached a preliminary agreement on a 4-year, $46 million dollar deal with Cordero that includes a club option for the 5th year that could bring the contract's total value to $57 million dollars. It is the largest 4-year contract for a closer in the history of the game. With...
November 23, 2007
Major League Baseball is flush with cash; every team is making a profit regardless of what their P&L's might be showing. The unexpected signing of Torii Hunter to a 5-year, $90 million dollar contract by the Angels and Scott Linebrink agreeing to terms on a 4-year, $19 million dollar deal with the White Sox further proves the point that teams are making money hand over fist. But will either one of those deals push their...
November 22, 2007
Happy Thanksgiving from everyone here at the CCO.... What are you thankful for today? The Cubs are looking at Kaz Matsui, a report in the Sun-Times confirmed a meeting between Jim Hendry and Matsui actually took place, but have the Cubs made an offer? Some are speculating the Cubs will offer Matsui a 3-year deal to play on the North Side, however there has not been an official word from the Cubs stating an offer...
November 21, 2007
According to reports out of Milwaukee and on Cubs.com, Jason Kendall agreed to a 1-year deal on Wednesday with the Milwaukee Brewers. The contract has not been finalized and is pending Kendall passing a physical next week. Financial terms have not been disclosed but the deal does include a vesting option for 2009....
November 21, 2007
Updated - 7:38am C.T. with more Information on Kerry Wood, Kaz Matsui and the Cubs' Payroll With the resignation of John McDonough on Tuesday the Faithful have plenty of questions. How the team will move forward this off-season and most importantly, how will the team improve this winter? Crane Kenney, Senior Vice-President/General Counsel and Secretary of the Tribune Company, said the Cubs will not name an interim president "because of the ownership transition." Kenny will...
November 20, 2007
According to several reports out of Chicago and on Cubs.com, John McDonough will resign his post as President of the Cubs on Tuesday. McDonough has been with the Cubs since 1983 and took over as team President when Andy McPhail resigned on October 1, 2006. McDonough is expected to be announced team President of the Chicago Blackhawks....
November 20, 2007
Baseball America released their list of the Cubs' Top 10 Prospects on Monday. Only four names remain in the Top 10 from a year ago. Baseball America considers players prospects who have "not exceeded the Major League rookie standards of 130 at-bats or 50 innings pitched." Jim Callis does another fine job with his scouting of the Cubs' farm system and mentions Sean Gallagher and Kevin Hart will compete for jobs in the back end...
November 19, 2007
According to a report on Rotoworld.com late Monday night, citing reports from the Rocky Mountain News and the Houston Chronicle, the Astros are close to signing Kaz Matsui. The Cubs were rumored to be close to a deal last week with the free-agent infielder. Other than the Cubs announcing their 2008 Spring Training schedule on Monday, all seems pretty quiet on the North Side of Chicago. The biggest news out of the 'Second City' on...
November 19, 2007
The Cubs released their 32-game 2008 Cactus League schedule on Monday. For the first time since 2005 the Cubs will start on the road in Scottsdale against the Barry Bond-less San Francisco Giants on Thursday, February 28th. Lou Piniella's crew will play their home opener at HoHoKam Park on Friday, February 29th against the Giants....
November 19, 2007
One year ago today the Faithful were pleasantly surprised when Alfonso Soriano agreed to terms on an 8-year, $136 million dollar contract to play in Chicago. Soriano ended up having a solid season with the Cubs after a slow start.... .299/.337/.560 with 33 home runs, 70 RBI's and 42 doubles in 135 games. The Cubs have several pieces in place and according to several reports will look to add a couple of pieces this winter....
November 18, 2007
Much of the talk over the past week has been the Cubs closing in on a deal with Kaz Matsui. The Cubs have made it no secret they are looking to add speed and a left-handed bat. Ken Rosenthal mentioned in 'Around the Horn' the Cubs "are considering free-agent second basemen Luis Castillo and Kaz Matsui." According to Rosenthal, the Astros and Mets are interested in Castillo while the Rockies are looking to resign Matsui....
November 17, 2007
The last weekend before Thanksgiving.... Jim Hendry did "tweak" his roster this past week with trading Jacque Jones to the Tigers for Omar Infante, plus trading Craig Monroe to the Twins....for hopefully, a player to be named later. The Cubs freed up a couple of roster spots, cut a few dollars off the payroll for next season now the question must be.... Which hat will Jim Hendry put on? Will he wear his 'Trader Jim'...
November 16, 2007
Thursday should have been a great day for baseball. Bud Selig announced baseball's revenue reached $6.075 billion dollars this year and the commissioner "sees a bright financial future" for America's Pastime. The BBWAA announced Jake Peavy was the unanimous winner for the NL Cy Young Award, only the 12th time in the history of the game a NL pitcher was the unanimous choice for the award....Carlos Zambrano finished 5th in the voting. Then came the...
November 15, 2007
What does taking a 66-win team to a Central Division Title with an 85-77 record in a year's time get you? If your name is Lou Piniella, a 4th place finish in the NL Manager of the Year voting. Piniella received two first place votes, three second place and six third place votes....a total of 25 points well behind Bob Melvin of the Diamondbacks, who won the award, with 19 first place votes and a...
November 14, 2007
The 'big' news on Tuesday was the minor trade, as XM Radio classified it, between the Cubs and the Twins that sent Craig Monroe to Minnesota for the infamous PTBNL. According to several reports, the Cubs planned to non-tender a contract to Monroe, which would have made him a free agent. The other news, or rumor, on Tuesday was the report by Bruce Levine stating the Cubs 'are putting together a package of young players...
November 13, 2007
According to reports out of Chicago the Cubs traded Craig Monroe on Tuesday to the Minnesota Twins for a player to be named later. Monroe was acquired from the Tigers last season for Clay Rapada. Will update when more information becomes available.......
November 13, 2007
The off-season free agent frenzy officially began at 12:00am eastern this morning, so the 148 players that filed for free agency are free to negotiate and sign new contracts with other teams. Jim Hendry was unable to resign Kerry Wood before he lost exclusive negotiating rights with the club's former ace. According to a late report in the Chicago Tribune, Hendry still thinks "a deal can be done." The first of the post seasons BBWAA...
November 12, 2007
According to reports out of Chicago and on XM Radio, the Cubs have traded Jacque Jones and cash considerations to the Tigers for Omar Infante. Updated - 7:59pm C.T. with More Information on the Trade...
November 12, 2007
According to a report on JapanBall.com on Sunday, Kosuke Fukudome is expected to file for free agency on Monday. Fukudome is scheduled to make a formal announcement at a Monday morning press conference. The Cubs are rumored to be very interested in signing Fukudome but the outfielder could decide to sign with another team in Japan. Fukudome figures to get a lot of attention by Major League clubs, especially the Cubs, but it is rumored...
November 11, 2007
90 years ago today, November 11, 1917, the Cubs traded pitcher Mike Pendergast and catcher Pickles Dilhoefer, along with $60,000 to the Phillies for Grover Cleveland Alexander and catcher Bill Killefer. Alexander posted a 128-83 record for the Cubs between 1918 and 1926 before finishing his Hall of Fame career in Philadelphia in 1930. One year ago today Aramis Ramirez opted out of his contract and appeared to be heading west to play with the...
November 10, 2007
The GM 'roundtable' that took place during the meetings in Orlando has the baseball world talking collusion. Theo Epstein and Larry Beinfest had the idea of putting all of the GM's together in the same room to talk about each of their teams needs and wants this off-season. Donald Fehr said the meeting was 'improper' and that the union will look into the 'actions' of the meetings. Stay tuned.... Jim Hendry still has until Tuesday...
November 9, 2007
As Led Zeppelin simply put it....Ramble on. And that is what I am here to do today. The Hot Stove is boiling with excitement, A-Rod is buying Shaq's home in Miami and I talked to a girl yesterday. All in all things are looking up for everyone. So without further ado....here is my random and ridiculous stream of consciousness....
November 8, 2007
On the day after the Cubs announced Ryan Dempster would not be closing games for Lou Piniella, but would be starting them instead next season, the weekend passes for the 23rd Annual Cubs Convention in January sold out in 10 minutes. Other than the news concerning Dempster, most of the conversation surrounding the Cubs centered around the possibility of Jim Hendry signing one of the free-agents coming over from Japan this winter.... There was finally...
November 7, 2007
The big news from day two at the General Managers meetings was the proposal to use instant replay was approved by a vote of 25-5 to "help umpires on boundary calls" to determine if home runs are fair or foul. The next step is for Bud Selig to give the approval for Jimmie Lee Solomon to draft a detailed replay proposal that the general managers would have to vote on again at the upcoming Winter...
November 6, 2007
According to a report on ESPN 1000 in Chicago from Bruce Levine, Ryan Dempster will be in Lou Piniella's starting rotation in 2008. Back in May, Piniella promised to 'shake up' his pitching staff and Dempster reportedly was close to returning to the starting rotation. The move never happened, Dempster remained the closer and the effectiveness of Carlos Marmol helped solidify the bullpen. Levine stated Bobby Howry, Carlos Marmol and Kerry Wood, if the Cubs...
November 6, 2007
The General Manager Meetings are underway but day one in Orlando was rather quiet, other than the talk of instant replay. Most of the experts are predicting teams will look to improve their roster via trades with this year's free-agent class being described as weak by most. There are a couple of names that have begun to be tied to the Cubs, most notably two players from Japan....Kosuke Fukudome and Hiroki Kuroda. Jim Hendry appears...
November 5, 2007
Jim Hendry and company completed their organizational meetings last Friday and will be in Orlando this week for the General Manager meetings. The Cubs left Arizona with a few names rumored to be on their wish list this winter. The mainstream media has stated the Cubs have a couple of holes to fill this off-season....a starting pitcher and an everyday right fielder appear to be at the top of their list. Two names that have...
November 4, 2007
Ward to Return....Floyd and Trachsel Declined, A 40-Man Addition plus News and Rumors from Around the League Updated - 9:21am C.T. with Additions to the Rumor Mill The Cubs and Daryle Ward exercised their mutual option for $1.2 million dollars for the 2008 season. Ward proved to be a valuable weapon off of Lou Piniella's bench last season. The Cubs also declined the $5 million dollar option on Cliff Floyd and the $4.75 million dollar...
November 3, 2007
Kerry Wood's status with the Cubs for the 2008 season and beyond remains unknown but a report in the Chicago Sun-Times on Saturday morning indicated Wood could return to the North Side next year. A deal would likely need to get done in the next 9 days before Jim Hendry loses his exclusive negotiating rights with the club's former ace. According to Gordon Wittenmyer, Wood realizes his best chance for success at the Major Leagues...
November 2, 2007
If the first four days of the off-season are any indication this could be a very busy winter for Major League Baseball. The GM meetings start on Monday in Orlando and that little get together will generate talk between teams and more movement. But most importantly those meetings will set the stage for the Winter Meetings that begin a month from tomorrow in Nashville. Cliff Floyd and Steve Trachsel filed for free agency on Thursday....
November 1, 2007
The World Series is over (it was actually over before it started) and it is time to get on to one of my favorite parts of baseball....the Hot Stove. The GM meeting is approaching and the Winter meetings are right around the corner. It was about 50 weeks ago that Mark DeRosa was signed. About 48 weeks ago the 'Fonz was signed. You get the point. The rumors are swirling, the dreams are concocting, trades...
Gary J
on Talkin' Cubs Live - Cubs vs. Reds - 09/07/08
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