January 2009 Archives

The last day of January and only 13 days before pitchers and catchers report to Fitch Park in Mesa.... The Cubs interest in Kevin Millar and Rich Aurilia was bantered around on Friday after the return of Paul Bako was officially announced. The Cubs "had shown early interest" in bringing back Nomar Garciaparra as well but according to Bruce Levine were told "he was looking for more of a full-time position."

Happy 78th Birthday to Ernie Banks....and according to one of the greatest of All-Time, "The Cubs will be divine in 2009!"

Here's the update....

According to reports from the Sun-Times and the official report from Cubs.com, the Cubs signed Paul Bako to a one-year contract on Friday. Terms of the contract were not disclosed but reports have suggested Bako will earn between $500,000 and $750,000 to serve as Geovany Soto's backup.

Paul Bako last played for the Cubs during the 2003 and 2004 seasons.

Updated - 2:49pm C.T. - According to a report from the AP, the one-year deal for Paul Bako is worth $725,000 and could earn an additional $300,000 in performance bonuses based on games started.

Disclaimer: This article is predicated on the supposition that Major League Baseball will approve the Ricketts family as the new owner of the Chicago Cubs.

You don't own the Cubs, but I am pretty sure you are aware of that. But one of us now owns the Cubs and that, my friends, is reason to celebrate.

According to a report from the Sun-Times, the Cubs have traded Rich Hill to the Orioles for a player to be named later. Once Baltimore clears a roster spot for Rich Hill, who is out of options, the trade will be made official.

The Baltimore Sun reported on Thursday night the two teams are discussing a trade involving Hill and that the Cubs have spoken to several other teams about Rich Hill, including the Seattle Mariners. The Orioles do not have an empty spot on their 40-man roster.

According to a report from Bruce Levine on ESPN 1000, the Cubs are expected to sign Paul Bako within the next day. The report was made during an update on Thursday night.

The rumored one-year deal for Bako would be worth $750,000.

Updated 10:07pm C.T. - Bruce Levine reported the Cubs interest in Kevin Millar and Rich Aurilia during an interview on XM Radio Thursday night.

The Cubs latest addition to the pitching staff made the rounds on the airwaves Wednesday after the trade between the Cubs and Mariners was made official. Bruce Levine broke the story of the trade that sent Ronny Cedeno and Garrett Olson to Seattle for Aaron Heilman....a possibility he first mentioned several weeks back.

The inclusion of Garrett Olson in the Heilman trade created more speculation from the media on a possible Jake Peavy trade. Are the Cubs finally out of the Peavy sweepstakes? Buster Olney said the Cubs could reengage talks with the Padres while Randy Bush told MLB.com the Cubs have not talked to the Padres about Peavy since the Winter Meetings.

Aaron Heilman is ecstatic about being traded to the Cubs....after all he grew up a Cubs fan, went to Notre Dame and lives in a suburb of Chicago. Heilman told Dave Kaplan he's "a Cubs' fan through and through."

Here are the highlights from Aaron Heilman's interviews on WGN Radio and XM Radio....and a few thoughts from Ryan Dempster on the addition of Heilman. Plus updates from the rumor mill.

It's Official....According to multiple reports the Cubs traded Ronny Cedeno and Garrett Olson to Seattle for Aaron Heilman. The Cubs acquired Garrett Olson from the Orioles, along with Henry Williamson, for Felix Pie on January 18th. The acquisition of Olson signaled the Cubs were back in the talks for Jake Peavy....

According to reports from ESPN 1000 in Chicago and XM Radio, the Cubs are close to finalizing a deal with the Mariners. The Cubs would send Ronny Cedeno and a minor league pitcher to Seattle for Aaron Heilman.

Updated 10:55am C.T. - According to Ken Rosenthal the trade will be announced on Wednesday. Aaron Heilman would compete for the fifth spot in the Cubs rotation or for a spot in the bullpen.

Updated 12:15pm C.T. - It's Official - The Cubs traded Ronny Cedeno and Garrett Olson to the Mariners for Aaron Heilman.

Pitchers and catchers report to Fitch Park in a little over two weeks and once some big football game on Sunday is completed, the baseball season will unofficially begin. This off-season has been like few others in the history of the game. There are several 'big name' free agents still without jobs which should result in a very busy two weeks leading up to when camps open.

Crane Kenney and Randy Bush made the rounds on the airwaves Tuesday with the latest on the Cubs. While rumors and speculation are rampant at this point, Jim Hendry and Randy Bush "are not done yet" according to Crane Kenney.

For new readers of the CCO that are unfamiliar with the year-round coverage of the Cubs we provide, the site will take a slight departure today. The CCO is more than just the latest rumors and transactions, it is A Site for the Cubs Faithful....the most dedicated fan base, in my opinion, in all of professional sports.

Several years ago I met Chris Proctor before a Reds game in Cincinnati. We both were carrying our cameras attempting to capture the Cubs in pre-game warm ups. We, of course talked Cubs, exchanged emails and have stayed in contact ever since.....longtime readers might remember several of Chris' photos appearing on the site.

Chris has since progressed into the professional ranks, shooting for the likes of MLB.com, MiLB.com, Yahoo Sports and Baseball America. A few weeks back he sent an email about a gentleman he met last summer while shooting Daytona Cubs' games. I found the story fascinating and felt the Faithful should meet Joe Rowe, or "Front Row Joe" as he is known at "The Jack"....