Prior to Peter Gammons’ report it had been two weeks since the Cubs were connected to Alex Gordon. Gammons said that after sifting “through five days of calls and there is a lot of John Lackey and Alex Gordon to the Cubs speculation.” Peter Gammons confirmed reports the Cubs were interested in Gordon almost a month ago. But the Gordon rumors had gone away while the mainstream media tried to figure out which way the front office would go to add starting pitchers to the roster. Theo Epstein … [Read more...]
The Daily CCO: Time to Turn the Page and Cubs News and Notes
The Cubs had a rough two games against a Tigers team that clicked on all cylinders offensively at Wrigley Field. And for as poor as the pitching staff performed, Joe Maddon’s team is 12-4 in August and owns a three-game lead for the final spot in the post-season tournament. The Cubs kick off a four-game series against the Braves on Thursday night and enter play 16 games over .500 (67-51), four games back of the Pirates for second in the NL Central and three games in front of the Giants, four … [Read more...]
Is Justin Masterson Still on the Cubs Radar?
Multiple reports Wednesday indicated the Cubs are still in the market to add starting pitching to the roster even with Jon Lester now in the fold. The Cubs could be exploring another short-term commitment, like the deal that brought Jason Hammel back to the North Side of Chicago. A top Cubs’ executive told Paul Sullivan after news of the Lester deal surfaced he would like to add one more starter. And Patrick Mooney mentioned Wednesday, the Cubs “could give a one-year platform to Justin … [Read more...]
Front Office is Not Done Shaping the Cubs Roster
The front office landed the Cubs top off-season target Tuesday when Jon Lester agreed to terms on a six-year, $155 million contract. And signing Jon Lester appears to be just the beginning of what could be a series of roster moves. Ken Rosenthal reported earlier in the week that if the Cubs were able to sign Jon Lester the next step would be to pursue a big bat because the Theo Epstein and Jed Hoyer would accelerate the process to make the Cubs more competitive in 2015 and beyond. And Buster … [Read more...]
Winter Meetings 2014: Cubs Have Work to Do in San Diego
Baseball’s Winter Meetings are underway in San Diego and run through Thursday (Dec. 7-11). It is expected to be a rather busy week at the annual gathering throughout the game. Theo Epstein and Jed Hoyer are expecting a lot of activity this week, but not necessarily with the Cubs. The front office has a list of areas they would like to address between now and Opening Night. Epstein and Hoyer would like to add veteran leadership to the bench, starting rotation and bullpen while trying to get … [Read more...]
Cubs Weekend Headlines: News, Notes and Rumors from the Thanksgiving Holiday
It was a long, and rather busy holiday weekend for the Chicago Cubs. The biggest news was the Cubs putting together contingency plans in case the bleachers are not ready for Opening Night against the Cardinals. And the best news came from the Dominican Republic in that Pedro Strop required only five stitches to close a cut on his left elbow after a multi-car crash. The Cubs reportedly asked for and received permission from the Rays to talk to Dave Martinez about a job on Joe Maddon’s … [Read more...]
The Daily CCO: Dave Martinez Inching Closer to a Job on Maddon’s Staff? And Other Cubs News and Rumors
Jed Hoyer said Wednesday he and Theo Epstein planned to talk to Joe Maddon about Dave Martinez joining the Cubs coaching staff. Martinez resigned his position with the Rays after being passed over for Tampa’s managerial opening. According to Marc Topkin, the Cubs asked for and received permission from the Rays to talk to Dave Martinez. Dave Martinez is still under contract through the 2015 season, despite the fact he resigned, and the Cubs or any team would have to receive permission from … [Read more...]
The Daily CCO: Cubs Have Areas the Front Office is Trying to Improve
The front office’s off-season plans appear to be on hold as the Cubs wait on a certain free-agent southpaw to decide where he wants to spend the next six or seven years. But that’s not the case. Jed Hoyer and Theo Epstein have certain free agents and trade targets in mind that are not dependent on whether or not the Cubs sign Jon Lester. “We have a list of guys that we like as free agents. A list of guys that we like in trade,” Jed Hoyer told David Kaplan and David Haugh during his spot … [Read more...]
The Daily CCO: A Full Plate of Updates on Jon Lester, Cole Hamels and Max Scherzer
Happy Thanksgiving Jon Lester is still going through the free agent process. Rob Bradford reported Wednesday night that a source does not see Lester signing with a team anytime soon. Lester has meetings scheduled with the Cardinals and Giants after the holiday. Nick Cafardo shot down internet reports the Red Sox increased their offer to Jon Lester. Cafardo reported Sox ownership met with Lester in Atlanta, not in Boston, and the Sox have not given Lester a deadline to either re-sign with … [Read more...]
The Daily CCO: The Jon Lester Watch Continues and Cubs News and Rumors
Jon Lester’s free agent tour continued Thursday with a stop in Atlanta and a meeting with the Braves. According to report from David O’Brien, Jon Lester had lunch met with the Braves’ brass. Atlanta looked into trading for Lester at the deadline last July and scouted him extensively according to Gordon Edes before he was shipped to Oakland. The Braves pitched him the team’s timeline for being “a consistent championship contender by the time they move into a new ballpark in 2017.” O’Brien … [Read more...]