The Cubs had an excellent week. Kris Bryant, Joe Maddon and Jake Arrieta all won major awards. And the weekend started with two additions to the 40-man roster and an incredibly busy Friday.
Three relievers were officially added to the roster and four of the organization’s top prospects moved a step closer to reaching their dreams.
With the Winter Meetings two weeks away, rumors continued to surface.
Starlin Castro and Jeff Samardzija were in the headlines while a very good young right-hander was added to the long list of possible trade options.
Chris Bosio would love to have Samardzija back with the Cubs as the team continues to be linked to the top free agent starters on the market.
Here are the links to all of the news and rumors from the last three days … and each one is chock full of news you can use.
Cubs 2015 Position Review – Right Field
Chris continued his series on looking back position-by-position at the 2015 Chicago Cubs. Right field is the latest installment. A position that started last year as Jorge Soler’s to lose but has a lot of questions moving forward.
From the Wire: Cubs Claim LHP Jack Leathersich Off Waivers from the Mets
The front office made a move that could payoff down the road. The Mets tried to sneak the very talented, but injured lefty through waivers and off their 40-man roster. The Cubs pounced on Jack Leathersich. He is recovering from Tommy John surgery in late-July which means he will spend a majority, if not all of next season, on the 60-day DL.
Excellent stuff before the arm injury delayed his career.
Anthony Rizzo Finishes Fourth in Voting for the National League MVP Award
Major awards week ended with the best possible outcome for the Chicago Cubs. After Kris Bryant, Joe Maddon and Jake Arrieta won BBWAA awards, Anthony Rizzo finished fourth in the voting for NL MVP. Bryce Harper was the unanimous selection of the writers but Rizzo ended up close enough to Joey Votto that he was almost a finalist.
Jake Arrieta finished sixth and Kris Bryant was 11th in the final voting for the MVP Award in the Senior Circuit.
Jeff Samardzija Met with Theo Epstein Reportedly about Possible Return to the Cubs
Jeff Samardzija would like to pitch for the Cubs again. And the Cubs are interested in a reunion. Theo Epstein and Jeff Samardzija had dinner and talked about what it would take for him to re-sign with the team on the right side of Chicago.
The Daily CCO: The BBWAA was Good to the Cubs, Bosio Signs and Extension and Other News and Rumors
National League Rookie of the Year … check, that is Kris Bryant. National League Manager of the Year … check, that is Joe Maddon. National League Cy Young Award … check, that is Jake Arrieta. And three players finished in the Top 11 for the NL MVP. The BBWAA recognized the tremendous season on the North Side of Chicago.
According to Bruce Levine, Chris Bosio signed an extension to stay with the Cubs. And it appears Joe Maddon’s coaching staff will stay in place for 2016.
Jake Arrieta admitted he dealt with fatigue and a dead arm in the playoffs. Former Farm Director, Oneri Fleita, finally ended up with the Tigers and the report includes all of the news, notes, rumors and links, plus This Day in Cubs History.
Report: Cubs Discussed Sending Starlin Castro to Yankees for Brett Gardner
Mark Feinsand started the rumor Friday morning before he changed his report. The Cubs and Yankees appear to have discussed trades but not one that would send Starlin Castro to the Bronx for Brett Gardner.
The Yankees might be interested in Castro, just not straight up for Gardner.
If the Cubs move Castro it will be for pitching. And Brian Cashman is looking for pitching in return for Gardner.
Cubs One of Six Teams to Check in with RHP John Lackey
The Cubs are interested in signing John Lackey, who has a lot of connections to the team that finally beat him in the National League Division Series.
Lackey fits a need for the Cubs, but is tied to draft pick compensation. There could be better options for the Cubs than the veteran right-hander.
Cubs Reportedly Talked to the Braves about Shelby Miller
Acquiring a pitcher from the Braves seldom works out for the other team. In the case of Shelby Miller, it makes sense why the Braves are looking to move him. It’s not going to be cheap. It took Jason Heyward in his walk-year for St. Louis to let Miller leave the organization.
Paying more for Miller would be a better move than sending anything to Atlanta for Julio Teheran.
From the Wire: Cubs Acquire RHP Spencer Patton from the Rangers for INF Frandy Delarosa
For the third time in as many days, the Cubs added a reliever to the 40-man roster. The Cubs sent minor league infielder Frandy Delarosa to Texas for right-hander Spencer Patton. His success in the minors has not translated to the majors in his brief stints with the Rangers.
As the case with Andury Acevedo, the stuff is there with Patton. It’s up to Chris Bosio and the pitching infrastructure to get the most out of his ability.
From the Wire: Cubs Add Contreras, Candelario, Johnson and Vogelbach to 40-Man Roster
Prior to Friday’s deadline for teams to file the reserve rosters at the Major and Minor League levels, the Cubs selected the contracts of four of the organization’s top prospects from Double-A Tennessee and added them to the roster.
C Willson Contreras, 3B Jeimer Candelario, RHP Pierce Johnson and 1B Dan Vogelbach are now on the 40-man roster, which currently stands at 37 players. The Cubs did not protect RHP Corey Black from the Rule 5 Draft and he will likely be taken by another team in a couple of weeks.
Starlin Castro Rumors Update
Mark Feinsand fueled the Hot Stove on Friday morning and by Friday afternoon he had already changed his initial report. The Cubs would like to keep Castro. He made quite the positive impression on the front office, Joe Maddon, coaching staff and his teammates over the last two months of the season.
If Castro is moved, it’s believed in will only be for pitching.
All of the latest Starlin Castro rumors are included in the report.
The Daily CCO: Topps Rookies, Cubs Win Esurance Awards and Other News and Rumors
Kris Bryant, Addison Russell and Kyle Schwarber were named to the 2015 Topps MLB All-Star Rookie Team, quite the honor for any player. And Jake Arrieta and Kris Bryant received more accolades.
Report includes more on the 40-man additions and why Corey Black’s days in the organization are numbered.
There was a lot of player movement around the league. Report includes all of the news, notes, rumors, links and, of course, This Day in Cubs History.
Long List of Pitching Options for the Cubs
The Cubs had pretty serious trade discussions with 12-15 teams during the GM Meetings. And Ken Rosenthal reported the Cubs are doing background work on about a dozen pitchers they could trade for this winter.
The list of options is rather long on the starting pitchers the Cubs have been linked to, both free agents and trade targets.
Chris Bosio Talks Jake Arrieta, Jeff Samardzija and Cubs Baseball on Inside the Clubhouse
The Cubs pitching coach joined Bruce Levine and Jordan Bernfield on Saturday morning. Bosio talked about the ascension of Jake Arrieta from the trade to Cy Young Award winner.
Chris Bosio did not hold back when asked about a possible return of Jeff Samardzija. Bosio would love for it to happen, he’s not sure if it’s possible.
This is a must read … click on the link.
The Daily CCO: Sunday Cubs Rumors
Speculation and rumors are dominating baseball right now. And the Cubs are in the middle of more than can be counted.
Report includes updates on Starlin Castro, Trevor Cahill, Ben Zobrist, Shelby Miller and Julio Teheran. Plus info on Spencer Patton and all of the news, notes, links and This Day in Cubs History.
Cubs Reportedly May Prefer Zack Greinke Over David Price
The Cubs are seen as the favorites to sign David Price to an enormous seven-year contract. Not so fast on those Price shirseys as Jon Paul Morosi reported. The Cubs may actually prefer Greinke over Price, at least according to the Sun-Times.