Report: Cubs Agree to Terms with Carlos Villanueva

December 20, 2012 By 24 Comments

According to a report from Jon Heyman, the Cubs are in agreement on a two-year, $10 million contract with Carlos Villanueva.

Updated 11:12am CST – According to Bruce Levine, the Cubs and Carlos Villanueva are in agreement on a deal. Once Villanueva passes his physical, the deal will be announced.


The Cubs were reportedly close on a contract with Carlos Villanueva on Wednesday night. This is the only report that the Cubs are in agreement with Villanueva and is not official.

On the Edwin Jackson front, the Cubs are considered the front runner to sign the 29-year old right hander. The Cubs offer is reportedly up to four years and $52 million.

Stay Tuned …

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  • Ray Ray

    Very good sign. 2 years at 10 mil is very good value for Villanueva. If he pitches well he can be flipped easier than either Feldman or Baker by the trade deadline this season. The question I have is why the huge offers to A Sanchez and E Jackson? If the goal was to lock up an under 30 starting pitcher for 4 or 5 years, look no further than your own dugout. IMO….Garza is better than either one of those 2.

    • http://www.facebook.com/people/Raymond-Robert-Koenig/1295439291 Raymond Robert Koenig

      Agreed. Garza is better than Sanchez and Jackson. Perhaps he and his agent are looking for a bigger contract than Sanchez received.

    • DWalker

      I think Garza will be extended either way, at least I hope so. Sanchez is looking like he is just entering his prime and could be a heck of a lot better then a #3 going forward according to reports. Shark, Sanchez, Garza is a solid core to build on. Jackson is something of an outlier, I am thinking the cubs interest in Jackson may be exagerated. Villanueva, Feldman and Baker all look like deadline flips/short term fillers. Like Daverj said above, buying prospects. For a club not in contention and without a strong farm system, its looking like a good strategy.

    • daverj

      I would guess that the Cubs have been trying to sign Garza but that he is holding out for more than Sanchez and Jackson. If I’m his agent, at this point I’m asking for $100 million over 6 years. I don’t think he’ll get that in the marketplace, but I expect that is what he is looking for.

  • daverj

    One possible take on these starting pitcher signings …

    Epstein is always looking for opportunities in the marketplace. After dealing Mahiolm and Dempster for quality prospects, perhaps Epstein thinks that there is high demand for starting pitching at the trade deadline. Maybe he is thinking that he will be able to deal Feldman, Baker and/or Villanueva for prospects in July … essentially “buying” prospects for the cost of the free agent signings. Since the draft and the new rules for international signings limit teams’ abilities to spend for prospects, this would represent an alternative way to buy prospects.

    • DWalker

      I think that is exaclty what he is thinking. Long on money, short on prospects and not looking to contend? Yep, looks like it to me. One thing about Theo and Jed, they aren’t afraid of the bargaining table or to look for an exploitable opening. From the looks of things, Theo also has a free hand to work with now, rather then a others above him second guessing and dictating moves they want to see, and it looks like they are confident in their scouts and the medicin ball concept.

    • http://theboardridersuite.wordpress.com/ Theboardrider

      This is most likely the plan. If these guys play well I would imagine they’ll all be dealt for prospects. He is rebuilding the farm system via this route and cutting our rebuild time way down in the process. I really like the plan and the way they stick to it.

    • Tom U

      While I understand the process, I’m not really sure how effective it is. Given the trades of Ryan Dempster, Paul Maholm, and Geovanny Soto, what have they exactly netted?

      Arodys Vizcaino is a very high risk prospect due to his injury, while it is uncertain where Christian Villanueva fits in an increasingly crowded infield picture. But that’s it.

      Can we honestly say that Jaye Chapman, Kyle Hendricks, and Barret Loux are markedly better than other players that are already in the system? The lack of success of other acquisitions such as Zach Cates, Hunter Cervenka, and Casey Weathers calls that into question.

      • Ray Ray

        Very good points Tom.

      • http://chicagocubsonline.com/ Neil

        Updated 11:12am CST – According to Bruce Levine, the Cubs and Carlos Villanueva are in agreement on a deal. Once Villanueva passes his physical, the deal will be announced.

      • Vivid_Reality

        Given the circumstances of the Soto and Dempster trades, I’d say we made out pretty well. Every player we received has upside to some extent. The Soto trade was pretty meh but I like Loux so it worked out for us in the end. He was only traded so we didn’t have to non tender him this year anyway. Barret Loux > Nothing. That is pretty much how you have to look at these trades, would you like some potential future players / trade chips or nothing? I’ll take the players.

        I have seen people complain about the Maholm trade and I can’t for the life of me figure out why. He has a career 4.26 ERA and at his best is only a number three. We traded him on a hot streak and received the best pitching prospect we’ve had since Prior, even with the tommy john. I’ll take six years of potential over one year of replaceable mediocrity any day of the week.

        • cubs1967

          Neither the Dempster or Soto trade did squat for the Cubs; let’s be realistic about it. Add in Maholm trade, and no players acquired helped in 2012 or will help in 2013. All 3 were major “what ifs’. Vizcaino may become a closer too. And Villenevua was horrid move as the Cubs needed a pitcher not another 2b or 3b. Theo at best got us a future closer in Vizcaino; other wise alot of suspects when both Maholm and Demp were having way above avg years. Flipping does not work unless you are trading a major star like David Price by the Rays after the 2013 season, but “rental” players do not get what they used to like when Larry Anderson netted Jeff Bagwell. I doubt Villaneuva or Loux ever start for the Cubs and really Baez-Lake-Devoss-Watkins are better than or equal to Villeneuva. Really only the Rizzo trade has been any good so far by this regime. “the genius” of team theo is not showing.(drafting almora was not hard considering the draft positionnor was throwing the most money at Soler or blowing 8M on Concepcion).

          • RynoTiger

            next time you look into your crystal ball to see how prospects will most definitely pan out, can you also get the winning lottery numbers for all lotteries for the next year?

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          • daverj

            With the ideas you advocate, the Cubs would be mediocre for the next 100 years with perhaps a couple division titles mixed therein. At least Epstein’s rebuilding plan gives us a chance at a World Series in the next 5 years.

          • http://theboardridersuite.wordpress.com/ Theboardrider

            LOL!

      • http://www.facebook.com/people/Jason-Penrod/700030874 Jason Penrod

        All it takes is ONE diamond in the rough out of dozens of failed prospects… Were they really gonna win it all with Dempster and Maholm? Think positive. Not every “ace” was a #1 prospect, some come out of nowhere. Be patient, and don’t get hooked on these mediocre players, focus on the ultimate goal. Everyone on this current Cubs team is expendable for the right price.

      • daverj

        Tom – We’ll know more about what the Cubs netted from the deals in the next few years. Perhaps it turns out to be nothing, but there is also a chance that Vizcaino becomes a fixture in the rotation. Vizcaino certainly has a better chance to make an impact than the guys you mentioned like Cates, Cervenka and Weathers (even at the time of their acquisition). The upside is worth it in exchange for guys like Dempster and Maholm who would not have been on the next Cubs contending team.

  • Ray Ray

    So I guess the question is if the Cubs sign E Jackson would they be better off with Jackson and the prospects you acquire from dealing Garza or just locking up Garza? I think with all these starters being signed…..once Garza proves to be healthy he is gone.

  • Ray Ray

    If Garza starts season with Cubs the team who trades for him does not get a draft pick if he goes to free agency. More reason to believe he will be moved in spring training.

    • paulcatanese

      Does anyone get the feeling that if one can “roll” the ball just a little further that 60’6″ that the Cubs will contact you?:)

  • jtrain23

    I think that if these two moves go through, there has to be a trade on the horizon involving Garza. Starting pitching is good, but right now they have seven or eight starting pitchers. I like the depth and possibility of competition, but you can’t believe that guys like Jackson, Baker, Feldman, and Villanueva are signing contracts intending on competing for a job in spring training.

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