It’s February 1, just 18 more days before pitchers and catchers report for Spring Training. And with the calendar flipping to February, arbitration hearings for players and teams that have not settled on a contract for the upcoming season have been scheduled. Arbitration hearings take place this year between Feb. 1 and Feb. 21. The Cubs avoided arbitration with eight of their nine arbitration eligible players. Jake Arrieta is the only arbitration eligible player on the Cubs’ 40-man roster … [Read more...]
Don’t Count the Cubs Out of the Masahiro Tanaka Sweepstakes
The Dodgers broke out their checkbook in a big way Wednesday and they may not be done. Clayton Kershaw agreed to a contract extension that will pay the 25-year old southpaw $215 million over the next seven years. And Kershaw can opt out of the contract after five years if he wants to pass on the last two years of the deal. According to Jon Heyman, Kershaw received an $18 million signing bonus and will be paid $22 million in 2014 ($18 million signing bonus, $4 million salary for the season), $30 … [Read more...]
Cubs Working on the Big League Roster, Focus on the Minors and Other News and Rumors
Weekend Update It could be a very busy 72 hours throughout the game leading up to Christmas, especially if the Rakuten Eagles finally make a decision, one way or the other, to post Masahiro Tanaka. Players prefer to know where they will be playing prior to the holidays and there are several free agents still unsigned for next season. The last high-dollar, long-contract, free-agent position player of the off-season came off the board on Saturday when Shin-Soo Choo agreed to a seven-year, $130 … [Read more...]
Winter Meetings Day One: Cubs Emphasizing Pitching In All Trade Discussions
2013 Winter Meetings - Day One Jeff Samardzija is reportedly the Cubs’ player that attracted the most attention on the first day of the Winter Meetings. The Cubs are listening to offers for Samardzija but are asking a steep price for him right now. Jed Hoyer maintained the Cubs would prefer to sign Samardzija to a contract extension. Nate Schierholtz is also drawing interest according to Gordon Wittenmyer. There was a little noise on Schierholtz earlier in the winter, but those rumors … [Read more...]
Catching Up on Cubs Rumors and Other News and Notes
The Cubs off-season is just eight days old and the rumor mill is already heating up. The front office’s focus has reportedly been on Joe Girardi while searching for other qualified managerial candidates if Girardi decides to stay in the Bronx. But once Theo Epstein and Jed Hoyer hire a new manager and the coaching staff is in place, the attention will turn to improving the big league roster. The Cubs are looking to add pitching this off-season and are expected to address bullpen that showed … [Read more...]
Will the Cubs Make a Change with Sveum? And Other News and Notes
The Cubs wrapped up the 2013 campaign on Sunday with a loss to the Cardinals and in the process the team locked down the fourth pick in the 2014 draft, which takes place on June 5. While the focus has been on the past two seasons at the big league level since Theo Epstein and Jed Hoyer started calling the shots, the Cubs have lost at least 90 games in each of the last three seasons and finished with a 75-87 record in 2010. Since the last year the Cubs finished above .500 in 2009 (83-78), the … [Read more...]
Cubs Spring Game Cut Short and Other News Bits
The Cubs made the trip from Mesa to Goodyear on Friday afternoon to take on a Reds split squad. After a 16-minute delay, the teams took the field as it started to rain again. Scott Hairston gave the Cubs a brief one-run lead in the top of the first with what would have been his second longball of the spring. Nick Struck pitched out of a bases loaded, one-out jam with allowing only one run. But the game was called after the Cubs went down in order in the top of the second inning. Friday’s Cactus … [Read more...]
Castro Day-to-Day, Garza to Begin Throwing and Other Cubs News Bits
Starlin Castro is listed as day-to-day after leaving Wednesday’s Cactus League game in the fourth inning with left hamstring tightness. Castro hurt his hamstring running to first base in the exhibition game, and left the game immediately. According to a report from Comcast SportsNet, Dale Sveum thought Castro hurt his knee when he first pulled up. Castro described what he felt as being "more of a charley horse" and Sveum is thankful the injury does not seem like a big deal. Castro was the … [Read more...]
A New Vibe on the First Full-Squad Day of Cubs Camp
Cubs' camp is in full swing after a long day Friday at Fitch Park. All of the players have reported and the Cubs' workout Friday went late into the afternoon. Tom Ricketts, Theo Epstein, Jed Hoyer and Dale Sveum addressed the team before the first full squad workout. Tom Ricketts feels a new energy and a new vibe this spring and thinks he has a good team and it is going to be a good year. Dale Sveum also met with each player Friday before leading his first full practice as manager of the … [Read more...]
Laying Down the Bunts … and Other Notes from Cubs Camp
It is position player reporting day in Cubs Camp ... A majority of the players have already reported to Fitch Park but after Thursday Dale Sveum will have his full Spring Training roster in camp. There are only four position players that have not reported ... Alfonso Soriano, Starlin Castro, Blake DeWitt and Jae-Hoon Ha. The first full squad workout is Friday and Tom Ricketts is expected to address the team prior to Friday's workout. The biggest "news" to come out of Mesa on day four of camp … [Read more...]