The future was on display on Wednesday as the Peoria Chiefs were victorious in the third annual Road to Wrigley game! The I-Cubs and Smokies are gearing up for their upcoming All-Star breaks. Hak-Ju Lee and Brett Jackson are set for the XM Radio MLB Futures Game. The Cubs have signed their fifth round draft choice to an interesting contract. The Cubs affiliates in Boise, Iowa, Daytona, and Tennessee are playing well as of late. Two Smokies hurlers have been bumped up to Triple-A. All that … [Read more...]
Term Sheets, Southpaw Sluggers and Other Rumors
At least Jim Hendry now has a new member in the 'Furcaled Club'. Three years after being very close to signing with the Cubs, and some reports then suggested the Cubs had an agreement in place, Rafael Furcal and his agents did it again. The former Brave along with his agents Paul Kinzer and Arn Tellem reportedly received a term sheet from the Braves on Tuesday morning on a new 3-year contract.....and in the baseball world; a term sheet is viewed as a handshake agreement that a deal is done. To … [Read more...]
Back to Work after the Winter Meetings
There are only 15 days remaining in the year and Jim Hendry has quite a bit of work to do. The Cubs GM is still looking for a left-handed bat for the middle of the lineup, maybe a little speed at the top of the lineup....but a comment from Sandy Alderson late Monday could have spelled the end of the Cubs' quest for Jake Peavy. A report also surfaced on Monday night the Cubs were close to signing Joey Gathright, who was recently non-tendered by the Kansas City Royals. According to Cubs.com, … [Read more...]
Leading Off Is Hard To Do
Reportedly the Cubs would like to add a little speed and athleticism to their lineup this winter but of late has focused on adding a left-handed bat to the middle of the lineup....and some former Cy Young award winner that pitches on the Left Coast. Milton Bradley could be the newest Cub around the first of the year according to Bruce Levine but if that falls through while they are apparently shopping Jason Marquis and the one-year left on his contract, should the Cubs 'switch gears' and focus … [Read more...]
The Sale, The Payroll and Trader Jim
As the Cubs' brass made their way to Las Vegas on Saturday, the most important news for the Chicago Cubs of the off-season hit the wire late on Friday night. According to multiple reports the sale of the Chicago Cubs is expected to be completed by Spring Training. It has been business as usual for Jim Hendry and his staff for nearly two years but the pending ownership change has begun to affect what the Cubs can and cannot do....both on the field and behind the scenes. Crane Kenney was quoted … [Read more...]
How will the Cubs ‘Shuffle the Deck’?
As the Winter Meetings approach most of baseball, with the exception of Will Carroll, is following the latest from the rumor mill. Some of the experts think next week in Las Vegas will be full of trades and signings while others feel the meetings could be an extension of what the off-season has already been to this point....a lot of talk with very little action. The Cubs figure to be front and center with the ongoing discussions with the Padres and Orioles that could net them Jake Peavy. But … [Read more...]
Strange Days Indeed….A Most Peculiar Start to the Off-Season
For the Faithful that are young enough to remember John Lennon's work after the Beatles, the title might make a little more sense. The final month of 2008 began with the unexpected announcement on Monday night that the Cubs did not offer arbitration to Kerry Wood. Reportedly Bobby Howry and Daryle Ward's days as Cubs have been over and the same could be said about Jim Edmonds but 'Jimmy Ballgame' has not made an official announcement if he will play next season or not. But with Kerry Wood the … [Read more...]
Arbitration, Ownership and Rumors
Monday marks the beginning of what could be a very busy two-week stretch for the Chicago Cubs. First up are two important deadlines. Monday is the last day teams can offer salary arbitration to their own free agents in order to be eligible for draft pick compensation. The Cubs are expected to offer Kerry Wood, a Type-A free agent, arbitration. Bobby Howry, the Cubs other Type-A free agent, is not expected to receive an arbitration offer....teams have until midnight eastern (11:00pm C.T.) to make … [Read more...]
A Little Turkey and Peavy with a Side of Rumors
Happy Thanksgiving from the CCO.... The next twenty-four hours figure to be rather quiet throughout baseball but as the weekend comes to a close teams should start preparing for a busy start of the last month of the year. For the Cubs not only is Monday the deadline to offer arbitration to Kerry Wood and Bobby Howry but it is also the last day for prospective buyers to submit their bids to purchase the team. The Winter Meetings kick off a week from Monday on the same day Ron Santo will find out … [Read more...]
Have the Cubs Moved on from Peavy?
The on again, off again talks between the Padres and Cubs over a certain former Cy Young Award winner was given a new twist on Tuesday morning after a report in the Chicago Sun-Times by Gordon Wittenmyer. The Cubs' beat reporter talked with Lou Piniella this past weekend and one of the questions he posed to Piniella centered on the Cubs rumored interest in Jake Peavy and Randy Johnson. According to the report in the Sun-Times, Piniella was asked about the Cubs still pursuing starting pitching, … [Read more...]