January 2008 Archives

The reports out of Baltimore concerning the future of Erik Bedard and Brian Roberts seemingly change by the minute. Several news sources stated on Wednesday morning the Orioles and Mariners were once again talking about sending Bedard to Seattle and the deal was close to being completed. Then reports began to surface that Andy MacPhail indicated other teams were back in the mix to land Bedard.

A third different story surfaced on Wednesday night when MLB.com reported the Orioles were attempting to sign Erik Bedard to a multiyear contract, the talks were described as a "last-minute attempt." Peter Angelos has not made it a secret he would like to keep Bedard and Roberts in Baltimore. Bedard's agent, Mark Pieper, recently suggested it would take a 7-year, $100 million dollar deal to sign Bedard long-term....will someone please make a decision and stick to it?

Here is the latest from around the league, notes from the North Side and a look at the best of the Cubs Farm System....

More than six weeks after many thought he would be dealt, the New York Mets and Minnesota Twins agreed to a deal on Tuesday that would send four prospects to the Twin Cities for Johan Santana. Buster Olney reported the deal is pending a contract extension for the 2-time Cy Young Award winner. The Mets have 72 hours, 5:00pm ET on Friday, to work out a deal with Santana, who is reportedly seeking an extension in the 6-year, $150 million dollar range. Santana posted a career high in wins back in 2004, 20-6, if he posts 25 wins in 2008, that is a million dollars per win.

With Santana off the market, the last two weeks before pitchers and catchers report should be very interesting.

In a rematch of the 1984 National League Championship Series, at least that was how XM Radio billed the event, the Cubs will face the Padres in the last Hall of Fame Game on June 16th in Cooperstown. The Cubs played in the first Hall of Fame Game at Doubleday Field in 1940 and beat the Boston Red Sox, 10-9. The Cubs last played in the exhibition game in 1995.

Here is the latest from around the league as well as news, notes and a few rumors from the North Side....

This off-season is like no other in recent memory. With just over two weeks until pitchers and catchers report, several teams, including the Cubs, are still looking to improve their roster. There are several big names left on the trading block, including Johan Santana, Erik Bedard and Brian Roberts. One of those names looked to have a new home for the upcoming season, but several reports on Monday denied there was a deal in place that would send Bedard to the Seattle Mariners for a package of players....including one of the top prospects in the game, Adam Jones. While the Cubs were rumored to be interested in Bedard, many felt Jim Hendry did not have enough to send Baltimore for both Bedard and Roberts.

The key to this deal being approved appears to be Orioles' owner Peter Angelos. According to a report by Ken Rosenthal on Monday night, the deal for Bedard is on hold and may be off "due to the involvement of O's owner Peter Angelos." This development does affect a possible deal that would send Brian Roberts to the North Side. Angelos has the reputation of being very difficult to deal with, and the latest developments have not done anything to change the public perception of the Orioles' owner. From all indications, the Cubs are still very interested in trading for Roberts, but as everyday passes it appears Angelos might not be willing to approve any deals.

Here is the latest from the Cubs and around the league, including notes and quotes from Crane Kenney on Waddle and Silvy....

Happy Monday, CCO Readers, and I hope this is the week Jim Hendry finally gets his final roster set for Spring Training, so we can all stop speculating on the "who" and start focusing on the "how". As in, how do the Cubs get to the World Series in 2008!

Today I ask that we all take a deep look within ourselves, and determine if we are truly the realistic, practical, and insightful baseball geniuses that we think we are, or if we are just hopelessly-biased-kool-aid-drinking Cubbie shills. If you go to sleep at night, telling yourself you are the former, yet you can't, for the life of you, figure out why the Yankees won't trade Derek Jeter (and cash) to the Cubs for Ronny Cedeno and Donnie Veal....well....you know better.

According to a report in the Seattle Times, Erik Bedard will be traded to the Seattle Mariners for several prospects, including the Mariners' top prospect Adam Jones. The report by Geoff Baker stated Jones was told by Bill Bavasi he could not play in the fourth game of the finals in the Venezuelan Winter League. Jones told a local reporter that he will be flying to Baltimore on Monday to take a physical.

Several reports have indicated Andy MacPhail was looking to trade Bedard before Brian Roberts....so this could be the first step.

Updated - 7:27pm C.T and 8:37pm C.T.. with Information from Ken Rosenthal
Updated - 8:53pm C.T. - Andy MacPhail Denies Trade with Mariners

When Matt Murton made his debut with the Chicago Cubs on July 8, 2005 he quickly became a fan favorite. Murton fit the profile of a gritty, hard-working, blue-collar ball player. He was not the prototypical power-hitter that most clubs insert in a corner outfield position but in only 51 games in 2005 he provided reason for hope that the future was once again bright for the Cubs. Murton showed patience at the plate, one factor of the game the Cubs could never harness and one the organization still has trouble with almost three years later. Murton's first cup of coffee at the big level sported a decent line of .321/.386/.521 with 7 home runs and a .907 OPS.

Murton was given the starting job in left field a year later, and he earned it. Murton played decent defense while putting up a .297/.365/.444 line in his first full season in the majors. The power numbers were once again very questionable and in 144 games he hit only 13 home runs with a .809 OPS. Unfortunately for Murton he was a part of one of the weakest hitting outfields in all of baseball and soon after the nightmare of 2006 ended he lost his starting job.

The last weekend in January....only 18 days until pitchers and catchers report. The next couple of weeks could be very interesting around baseball. There are still a lot of big name free agents on the market and trades that could still happen. This off-season has been centered around Johan Santana and some of the experts still feel once he is dealt and sets the market, other teams will be able to fill their holes on their roster.

Speculation continued on Friday about the future of Matt Murton. Is he headed to San Diego or Texas? Oneri Fleita discussed Jeff Samardzija, Tyler Colvin, Donnie Veal, Jose Ceda and Rocky Roquet among others....and there was a good prediction for Felix Pie's upcoming season.

Here is the latest from the mill, plus news and notes from around the league....

O.K. it's that time again here at the CCO. Grab your GM hat, make sure it still fits and get ready to make a few moves that will improve the Cubs chances at making it to the promise land this season. You know the drill by now, or do you? The CCO asked the very same question, not once but twice two years ago and again last year. We even discussed Lou Piniella's options before the season and again at the trading deadline. But with only 19 days left before pitchers and catchers report to Fitch Park, the question is.... What would you do if you were the general manager of the Chicago National League Ball Club, Inc.?

But like always, it is not as easy as it sounds....there is a twist.

With a little less than three weeks before pitchers and catchers report on February 13th, Jim Hendry told the Tribune he is not done with his roster. There are additions the Cubs would like to make before Spring Training according to statements made by Hendry over the last week. The same names continue to be mentioned on a daily basis without any movement. Could Hendry be on the verge of adding a couple of players to the mix or will the Cubs start Spring Training with their current 40-man roster?

Here is the latest from the mill, complete with more on a certain second baseman and pitcher, and notes from around the league....

Life can change; direction can change; responsibilities can change, and when those things happen, certain things get lost. My changes have taken me away from two of my favorite things over the past month, the Cubs and writing about them. However, there is nothing like a fan convention to snap one back into shape, even if only for 48 hours.

So without further ado, here are my thoughts from the 23rd Annual Cubs Convention....