The CCO predicted it could be a big week for the Cubs and while only one trade was made, it was a seven-day period most on the North Side will not soon forget. Geovany Soto and Lou Piniella received honors from the BBWAA and Carlos Zambrano earned his second Silver Slugger Award...but the biggest news was obviously the Cubs decision to cut ties with Kerry Wood.
Here are the latest rumors from the North Side as well as more thoughts on Kerry Wood. Plus, has Wood received an offer from a long-time rival? A new name, or two, added to the rumor mill. Could a pitcher that called 'Wrigley Field North' his home for many years pitch on the North Side next season?
Kerry Wood
Kerry Wood met with the Chicago media on Friday and called his departure from the North Side "bittersweet". Wood wanted to stay in Chicago according to multiple reports and would have signed a one-year deal to remain a Cub. Wood wants to stay in the National League according to a report in the Tribune.
Kerry wanted to finish his career with the Cubs but understands the Cubs have other needs they need to focus on this off-season.
"Did I want to leave? Of course not," he said. "I wanted to end my career here, and start taking my kids to the games. But in the end, having a little bit of knowledge about the organization, and what's going on with the team and who was up for free agency and the contracts, I had a pretty good idea. It didn't catch me off-guard. I was disappointed and obviously would've loved to have stayed here, but that's baseball."
The main topic on Talkin' Baseball Saturday morning with Bruce Levine and Carmen DeFalco was Kerry Wood. Levine was obviously very complimentary of Kerry and thinks he might have two to three good years left in him but reminded everyone that Wood has been pitching with a tear in his rotator cuff for the last two seasons. Levine said the decision to let Wood leave was nothing more than a business decision....a similar view expressed by most in the mainstream media since the news came out Wood would not return.
The Cubs needed to spend the money they would give to Kerry on the front end of the staff (starting rotation) and not on the backend. Some of the money that Kerry would have commanded could go to either resigning Ryan Dempster or affording Jake Peavy , if a deal with the Padres could be made. Kevin Gregg will make around $4 million in arbitration this season and the Cubs could not ask Wood to pitch for the same money.
Bruce Levine called the way Jim Hendry handled Kerry Wood "a class move".
Wood will demand $10 million a year for at least two years and according to Levine already has two year offers on the table from the Cardinals, Mets, Diamondbacks and Red Sox. Levine thinks Wood will sign a 3-year deal in the $30 million dollar range.
Kerry had a lot of respect from everyone in the Cubs' front office and especially in the dugout. Levine added that Wood's wife, Sarah, is not done 'cussing out' the Cubs' front office. The conversation turned to Wood's possible landing spots this off-season . DeFalco and Levine stated how startling it would be to see Wood walk from the visitor's bullpen area at Wrigley in possibly a Cardinals' uniform.
Bobby Abreu
Carmen DeFalco mentioned Bobby Abreu as a possibility to be the Cubs' right fielder next season. Abreu had a good year with the Yankees but made around $16 million dollars, Levine questioned how much less would he take to play for the Cubs.
Brian Giles
Bruce Levine brought up the rumors from last week that the Cubs could trade for Brian Giles to play right field. Levine reiterated what he said a week ago that Giles rejected a trade to the Cubs, and the Red Sox, last year at the deadline. Giles wants to stay in San Diego.
Brian Giles was on XM Radio earlier in the week and talked about turning down the trade to Boston last year. Giles was, and is, very concerned about himself and his stats and referred to himself in the third person throughout the interview. Giles is a good player but the attitude projected was that of a selfish player concerned with only one thing....Brian Giles.
Mark Teahen
Bruce Levine threw out a new name on Saturday morning....Mark Teahen. Levine stated his "name is one he keeps hearing" from the Cubs. Teahen is a left handed bat that can play four positions (14 games at first, 19 games at third, 31 games in left, 1 game at center and 92 games in right for the Royals last season).
Teahen finished last year with a .255/.313/.402/.715 line and hit 15 home runs and 31 doubles in 149 games. Most of his power came on the road (11 home runs) but hit 10 points lower against righties (.252/.314/.394/.708) than lefties (.262/.311/.419/.730) with 10 home runs coming off right handed pitching.
The Cubs' scouts have recommended Teahen and would give the Cubs a more athletic player with the flexibility they are looking to add this winter.
Henry Blanco
Bruce Levine casually said on Saturday morning that Henry Blanco would not be back with the Cubs next season. Several reports from the mainstream media have stated the exact opposite and Levine did not reveal who would be the backup to Geovany Soto.
Randy Johnson
Reports on Friday surfaced that the Cubs are very interested in signing Randy Johnson and reuniting him with Lou Piniella. Ken Rosenthal and Bruce Levine broke the news and Paul Sullivan from the Tribune reported the Cubs' interest late on Friday night. Gary Hughes was on XM Radio Saturday and confirmed the Cubs' interest in Johnson.
Randy Johnson is 'Plan B' for the Cubs according to Bruce Levine if they cannot resign Ryan Dempster or trade for Jake Peavy. Levine indicated 'Plan C' is Ben Sheets. The Tribune reported on Friday that Johnson's agent, Alan Nero, said Johnson "would seem to be a perfect fit for the Cubs."
If the Cubs were to sign Johnson it would be on a 1-year deal and XM Radio reported Johnson is looking for a $6 million dollar deal for one season.
Ben Sheets
As mentioned, the Cubs are looking at Ben Sheets according to Bruce Levine, a rumor that surfaced earlier in the week on ESPN from Jerry Crasnick. Levine did not elaborate on Sheets other than saying the Cubs have backup plans in place....just in case.
Ryan Dempster
According to Bruce Levine the Cubs have a 4-year, $52 million dollar deal on the table for Ryan Dempster. Dempster's agent is looking for a 5-year deal and the Cubs are not willing to go 5 years. Levine said the Cubs would not keep the offer on the table for Dempster "forever" and they are not going to wait. Levine indicated the offer to Dempster would "not be there much longer than another week."
Jake Peavy
According to multiple reports the Braves removed themselves from the Jake Peavy sweepstakes on Friday. Ken Rosenthal reported that the Padres have talked to the Yankees and Angels about Peavy and indicated the Yankees and Padres have had "multiple talks". Rosenthal stated it might be harder for Kevin Towers to trade Peavy to New York because of his no-trade clause.
Levine still thinks the Cubs are the frontrunner to land Peavy because of the fact Peavy is in total control of where he is traded. Peavy has veto power and gave the Padres a list, in order, of where he would approve a trade.
To land Peavy it will probably cost the Cubs five players....three strong prospects as well as Ronny Cedeno and Sean Marshall according to Levine. A deal of that many players would deplete the Cubs' farm system....Josh Vitters would be involved in the deal. A deal of that size would take away not only depth at the Major League level (Sean Marshall) but would take away flexibility to make deals down the road, especially during the season if there is an injury.
Gary Hughes told Holden Kushner (XM Radio) on Saturday that the Cubs have made offers and feel they are still in the running.
The Cubs are not concerned with Peavy's injury history and have looked at his medicals.
Jeremy Hermida
The Marlins' outfielder was discussed on Saturday morning as well and Levine confirmed the Cubs have looked at Jeremy Hermida and have done "their homework" on him. The Cubs are concerned he does not have "the makeup" they are looking for....he strikes out a lot but is a "good outfielder with good power". Levine thinks the Cubs will go in a different direction and brought up Mark Teahen once again and stressed the Cubs feel like Teahen has his best years ahead of him.
CC Sabathia
From the 'For What It's Worth Department', according to Bruce Levine CC Sabathia told a current member of the Cubs that he wants to either play for the Cubs or a West Coast team. The Cubs do not have room in their budget to sign Sabathia.
Kevin Gregg-Jose Ceda Trade
Two days after the fact, the Cubs trading Jose Ceda for Kevin Gregg still has many shaking their head and wondering why the Cubs gave up so much for Gregg. Ceda has a bright future ahead and was considered the top pitching prospect in the Cubs' system.
A blurb from the Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel revealed a 'little' fact that makes the trade even more confusing.
"The Marlins traded right-hander Kevin Gregg to the Chicago Cubs for Double-A right-hander Jose Ceda on Thursday. That the Marlins landed such a highly touted pitcher for a guy headed toward a non-tender was surprising. The Marlins got a near Major League-ready power arm in return."
With the emergence of Matt Lindstrom, Gregg's "departure was a foregone conclusion."
Keith Law from ESPN stated on his blog, "Getting Jose Ceda for one year of Kevin Gregg is a heist for Florida, and could really end up as a disaster for the Cubs, given how they intend to realign their pen." Law added that Gregg is "not quite Antonio Alfonseca redux, but is no replacement for Kerry Wood."
Raul Ibanez
According to Bruce Levine, Raul Ibanez will be looking for a contract worth in the neighborhood of $12 to $13 million a year. Ibanez will help offensively but he cannot play right field. The Seattle Post-Intelligencer thinks Ibanez will wait to sign with another team until he knows which direction the Mariners will go in this off-season.
Well, that's the latest....and I'm sticking to it!
Jim Hendry. You're a joke.
If Kerry wants to stay here, discounted contract - why not give it to him?
Did the New England Patriots tell Tom Brady to "go earn the money you deserve" when Tom decided he'd take less money to stay in Boston?
No. The Pats took him up on it. Gave him considerably less than he deserved..
This will go unnoticed in the frenzy for Big free agent pickups --
but Hank White, who could be had for chump change by today's standards, is a crucial pickup...
Does everyone remember the awful Barrett/Bako days?
Hank White is a great 5th day relief to Soto, and defensively is as good, if not better.
$3-4 million for the Cubs should be NUTHIN
this might be a bit of a stretch but lets say they get peavy, they should let demp walk, get sheets with demps money,then with the money they could have given wood, give that to johnson, then move harden to the bullpen. of course getting a taker for marquois would help with that, but what do you guys think?
Here's what I see will happen: Dempster goes elsewhere, Peavy does not come to Chicago, and the 2009 rotation will be Zambrano (sore arm and poor psyche), Harden (bad arm), Lilly, Johnson (110 years old), Marquis. ATTENTION ALL CUB FANS--2009 team will be way less talented then 2008 team because Hendry doesn't have green light to spend and he doesn't have too many desirable chips to trade for talent. I'm serious, please stop speculating on big name pick ups. If 2009 is going to be a better team then 2008, then we all have to pray that Hendry can trade for some good, yet cheap, players that fill our needs. Lastly, this team must have a power left handed bat who IS GOOD DEFENSIVELY (Ibanez cannot play right field at Wrigley), a solid lead off man (preferably left handed-not easy too find with no money to spend), Dempster or another not 45 year old #1 or #2 starter (again that doesn't costs too much) and two quality relievers (ONE MUST BE LEFT HANDED). Sorry, but as a life long fan, who was always optimistic before the 2008 postseason, NO WAY HENDRY CAN PULL THIS OFF.
Matt...usually agree with most of your thoughts...but not this one. Not sure how people bash Jim Hendry on here when he has been the the one to compile several teams that took us to the playoffs. It's not his fault they crapped on themselves these last two years. What other Cubs GM has overseen the number of playoffs Hendry has?
I don't think the Brady comparison is accurate either. Tom Brady was the nucleus of the team. He was the captain of the ship as QB. He is an elite QB who had remained healthy. OF COURSE you are going to take advantage of the fact he wants to stay.
Kerry was NOT the nucleus of the team. (Some may consider him the "face" of the team because of his tenure, but that doesnt mean he was the nucleus) Kerry was NOT the captain of the team. He was NOT an elite player by any means, and he has had an injury riddled career.
So, comparing the situation to Brady is not even close.
Moving on to Baron's thoughs on Hank White. I don't know. What worries me is that last years offensive numbers were a fluke. He hit .292 which for him is amazing when you consider he is a career .227 hitter!! he has hit under .236 in 7 of his 10 seasons. Screw That!
Yes, he was valuable to Geo Soto. But guess what JOB DONE. There are other veteran catchers who can hit that we might look into. That would allow Lou to give Geo more rest during the season without losing any offense.
Perhaps Johnny Estrada, who is a switch hitter...(another lefty bat on the team) has some pop...and is a .277 hitter. Hit .314 in 2004 for the Braves, and .302 in 2006 with the Diamondbacks.
Jabier Valentin? Another switch hitter. A bit of pop. Batting average below Estrada but above Blanco (actually not a good point because I think my Grandma has a higher average than Blanco).
Perhaps a veteran who can hit, in Paul LoDuca. Career .286 hitter.
I like the Johnny Estrada idea Joe - get another left handed into the lineup at least once a week that way. not a bad idea.
Here's a thought on the Johnson idea based on Scott's take of Hendry not having the green light to spend...
If that is indeed the case - if Hendry has been reigned in pending the sale of the team - then I hate to say it, but Johnson would be a perfect fit. $5 mil for a 1 year rental of a guy that might be 45 but is still fully capable of a 3.60 ERA and 13 wins. Bridges the gap to "the Mark Cuban Era" (I hope but that's another argument LOL) or whoever buys the team and allows us to focus on other areas of the team that are just as important (specifically lead off hitter - lefty OF bat) and THEN sign a big name next year when the ownership is in place... and hopefully has DEEP pockets :-)
Just a thought.
Scott's right that if we sign neither D or Peavy and add Randy J, that our staff becomes questionable. I don't think that scenario is going to happen.
Blanco likely will sign for $1.5 mil (which is the nasty side of the baseball business against Blanco, but Joe S. is right that there are good, inexpensive alternatives. As an aside, I admire the civility with which Joe S. brings his learned views to this site.
It is known, I'm sure, I have a bias an admiration for Little People who can and do contribute significantly to their teams. This year, again, I'm touting Seth Smith, the versatile lefty OF whom I think is capable of .285 + and 20 HR + if given a chance. I also feel that Hoffpauir has earned a considerable opportunity.
Now I offer for consideration a very inexpensive catcher who is on nobody's 40 man roster. As Agustin would teach us, his name is Hay RON i mo Heel. He was the best defensive C in the Texass League in 1997. He was second as a rookie to Bengie Molina in caught stealings for the Orioles in 2002 (33 of 99). He was a so-so hitter in the bigs, but he hits lefties and righties about the same. The Rockies lent him to the Mexican League in 2007. He's big, 6-3-235 and also has played 1B and the OF in the bigs. Last season he hit .298 with 11 HR's and 51 RBI's gathering 29 W's against 35 SO's in the Mexican League. At Hermosillo, now, he is hitting .349-4-10 with 10 W and 6 SO's and an OBP of .463. I'm saying that the 33 year-old Heel is worth a minor league contract, and that he could become a heel of a valuable Little Person for us next season.
I appreciate the compliment, JimK....Thanks I enjoy pulling up stats and writing my thoughts/arguments from those, but even in presenting doesnt mean other views don't have validity.
"Two days after the fact, the Cubs trading Jose Ceda for Kevin Gregg still has many shaking their head and wondering why the Cubs gave up so much for Gregg. Ceda has a bright future ahead and was considered the top pitching prospect in the Cubs' system.
A blurb from the Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel revealed a 'little' fact that makes the trade even more confusing.
"The Marlins traded right-hander Kevin Gregg to the Chicago Cubs for Double-A right-hander Jose Ceda on Thursday. That the Marlins landed such a highly touted pitcher for a guy headed toward a non-tender was surprising. The Marlins got a near Major League-ready power arm in return."
***a fireable offense, no?***
This is why Hendry is a joke. A non-tender candidate; trading your top pitching prospect that you could use in another trade if you had to; and even more so, trading for a suspect pitcher that blew 9 saves, has suspect career stats, and finally, just had knee surgery.
Hendry clearly has no idea what he's doing. I even remember the non-tender thing being brough up by the ESPN guys during the season, and specifically mentioning Lindstrom's rise.
Don't kid yourself, he is NOT a good GM.
IF you gave me, or my grandma a $130 million budget, that's near the top in the league, I'm pretty sure we could throw darts at a board of FA guys, and still land in the playoffs. The key is, if the role of a GM is to put together a winning team, you must discern between "good fits" and making a splash on the market.
Ceda for Gregg is most definitely a fireable offense. Another one? Mitre, Pinto, and Nolasco for one year of Pierre (and please, keep in mind, that was when we did NOT have pitching depth)
I haven't commented much on the Ceda trade because I was unfamiliar with him....however there was a blurb in the San Diego Union Tribune about him, and it opened my eyes as to why Aaron and others are high on him....
The Padres-Cubs trade of 2006 evolved further Thursday when the Cubs dealt Double-A pitcher Jose Ceda to the Marlins for closer-to-be Kevin Gregg. The Padres had dealt Ceda to Chicago for infielder Todd Walker during the '06 pennant race. Now 21, Ceda still struggles to throw strikes consistently, but the right-hander's average of 11.30 strikeouts per nine innings is spectacular, along with his allowance of merely 114 hits in 180.2 career innings. On the scouting scale, which tops out at 80, Ceda's fastball graded an 80 this year. His slider was rated above average.
So he struggles to throw strikes but has numbers like that???? And 21??? For Kevin Gregg???
What??
Hey guys, I've been reading most of the posts for the past few weeks but haven't had much to add to the opinions already offered. I do want to express frustration over the Kevin Gregg trade. I just do not understand it at all. Even if Gregg is servicable this year, there was no reason Ceda was the guy it would take to get him. I'm not going to jump on the "fire Jim Hendry" bandwagon, but I think he deserves some major heat for this foolish trade.