November 2009 Archives

It is the calm before the proverbial storm throughout baseball. The Winter Meetings begin in one week (December 7 - December 10) in Indianapolis and there are several other important dates on the horizon.

Tuesday (December 1) is the deadline for Major League clubs to offer arbitration to their existing free agents ... once those offers are made, teams will know exactly how much it will cost, outside of money, to sign players they have their eyes on. The Cubs have two players ranked as Type-A free agents, Rich Harden and Kevin Gregg, and Jim Hendry is not expected to offer salary arbitration to either pitcher.

The next date is December 7, that is the deadline for free agents to accept salary arbitration ... and it could be a high number throughout the league that accepts salary arbitration due to the lack of money available for teams to spend on free agents.

Coming off the holiday week, here is a quick rundown of all of the rumors that you might have missed, off the field Cubs news, Jake Fox in winter ball, an updated off-season calendar and a new installment of the CCO's Random Cub of the Day ...

According to a report from the NPB Tracker, courtesy of the Chicago Tribune, the Cubs are one of eight teams "pursuing former Dodgers closer Takashi Saito." The right-handed reliever will turn 40 on February 14 and had a solid year for the Red Sox in 2009. Takashi Saito was 3-3 in 56 games with two saves and two blown saves last season.

It is the last Sunday in November and Milton Bradley is still on the Cubs' roster. Several of the 'experts' and most of the talking heads figured Jim Hendry would have traded Bradley away by now ... but the process of dealing Bradley is not an easy one.

Expect the rumors to heat up across the league and especially surrounding the Chicago Cubs. There are only eight days remaining until the Winter Meetings and many think the Cubs will do more wheelin' and dealin' than opening up the checkbook this winter.

Here's the latest from the mill ...

It has not been a secret that the Cubs would like to add an outfielder this winter. First line of business is when, where and how much it will cost the Cubs to trade Milton Bradley. The Cubs would like to move Kosuke Fukudome back to right field, where he is an above average defender then add a centerfielder to the mix ... that can drive in runs.

A report from FoxSports.com on Friday mentioned a few of the names that have been bantered around for the last six weeks and drove home the fact the Cubs will not focus on that player hitting left-handed ... like they did a year ago.

On the day after Thanksgiving, will Jim Hendry make any progress on "Movin' Milton"? Reports before the holiday indicated the Cubs remain focused on unloading Milton Bradley, which could clear a little necessary room on the payroll. Rumors have suggested the Cubs' payroll for 2010 will be anywhere from $140 million to $150 million. With all of the high-priced contracts (that includes multiple no-trade clauses) and arbitration eligible players, if the rumors are correct that does not leave much wiggle room in the budget to make changes

Teams throughout the league have begun making "minor deals" that can sometimes pay huge dividends during the season. From Alex Gonzalez in Toronto to DeWayne Wise in Philadelphia to Andruw Jones and Omar Vizquel on the South Side deals are getting done ... will the Cubs find any bargains before the winter meetings get underway in ten days?

Here's a little catch-up on the mill ...

Thanksgiving is a time for family and friends but most importantly it is a time to give thanks for all of the blessings we receive on a daily basis. When you sit down with your family and friends today, take a minute to think about what in your life you are thankful for ... and just think it is only 130 days until Opening Day.

From everyone at the CCO ... Happy Thanksgiving

Monday it was the Starting Eight. Tuesday it was Lou Piniella's Pitching Staff and the third and final part on the CCO's look at the early projections for 2010 ... The Reserves and Rumored Additions.

The Cubs' off-season appears to be centered on where (and when) Jim Hendry will trade Milton Bradley ... as well as how much of the remaining two years and more than $21 million the Cubs will have to send to his new team.

Tampa remains the most likely destination for Pat Burrell. Reportedly Hendry will then try to trade Burrell for a player that fits the improvements the Cubs are looking to make this winter. Bruce Levine reiterated Tuesday that the Cubs have little to no money in the projected payroll for 2010 to make changes. Any deals would have to be dollar for dollar and 'Movin Milton' remains the Cubs first objective of the off-season.

Part Three: The Reserves and Rumored Additions

Monday it was the Starting Eight, next up on the CCO's look at the early projections for 2010 ... Lou Piniella's pitching staff. Not only will the starting rotation for the 2010 version of the Chicago Cubs have a couple of changes, the Cubs' pen appears to be headed for another off-season overhaul.

Part Two: The Pitching Staff

With two weeks to go before the winter meetings in Indianapolis there are more rumors surrounding the Chicago Cubs than actual news, which is to be expected. With the 2010 payroll reportedly set very close to the amount that was paid to field the disappointing 2009 squad (between $140 and $150 million), most of the changes Jim Hendry is expected to make will come from moving players and their contracts.

With a majority of the roster for next season set due to large contracts and no-trade clauses, the CCO will take a look at early projections of the Cubs' roster for 2010 over the next three days.

Part One: The Starting Eight

The Chicago Cubs made a little noise last week with the two-year, $7.5 million deal for John Grabow and send Aaron Heilman to Arizona for a pair of prospects. Then Friday afternoon, the Cubs added five players to their major league roster ... three expected and two, well a little surprising. John Gaub, Welington Castillo and Blake Parker along with Rafael Dolis and James Adduci were protected from the upcoming Rule 5 Draft with both Gaub and Parker expected to be a part of the Cubs pen at some point in 2010. The Cubs 40-man roster stands at 38 players.

But what else does Jim Hendry have up his sleeve? Luis Castillo? Roy Halladay? Here is the latest from the mill on the Sunday before Thanksgiving ...