Aroldis Chapman revealed Friday in a conference call with the New York media that he did not agree with the way the Cubs and Joe Maddon used him in the postseason. The Yankees made the five-year deal with Aroldis Chapman official Thursday. Chapman took to Twitter after the announcement was made and thanked the Cubs for the “support and love” he received during his time with the team. Chapman said he was “very happy and honored” to be part of the Cubs World Championship team. Chapman held a … [Read more...]
The Daily CCO: David Ross’ Book, Cubs Make Koji Uehara Signing Official and Other News
David Ross has a book coming out in May, “Teammate: My Life in Baseball” that is being co-written with Don Yaeger. The book is scheduled to be available on May 9. David Ross had a storybook ending to his terrific Major League career. Ross was a leader in the Cubs clubhouse and is given a lot of credit for the team’s turnaround that resulted in 200 wins over two years. Ross was pivotal in the Cubs historic 103-win season, NL Pennant and World Series Championship. Ross is one of the most … [Read more...]
The Daily CCO: Cubs Love the Idea of Kyle Schwarber Leading Off and Other News
The Winter Meetings just ended and it’s not even the middle of December but questions were asked this past week about the Cubs lineup for next season. With Dexter Fowler no longer with the team, the Cubs have an opening to fill leading off games. Joe Maddon said during the Meetings that Kyle Schwarber, Ben Zobrist and Jon Jay were options to bat at the top of his order. As it turns out, Jed Hoyer and the front office really love the idea of Schwarber batting leadoff. During an interview … [Read more...]
The Daily CCO: Let the Meetings Begin and Other Cubs News and Rumors
Baseball’s Winter Meetings begin Sunday and officially get underway Monday in National Harbor, just outside of Washington DC. The Meetings run through Thursday and conclude with the Rule 5 Draft. The Cubs are looking for pitching, both starters and relievers. Theo Epstein and Jed Hoyer are focused on acquiring pitching and exploring all avenues from veterans to young controllable starters with options and minor league depth. On the closer front, the Cubs have been linked to Kenley Jansen, … [Read more...]
The Daily CCO: Cubs Exploring All Relief Options and Other News and Rumors
Friday was a busy day throughout the game as baseball prepared for the Winter Meetings that begin Sunday. The Cubs made five roster moves and tendered contracts, as expected, to all four of their arbitration eligible players for next season. The Cubs offered contracts to Jake Arrieta, Hector Rondon, Pedro Strop and Justin Grimm after signing LHP Brian Duensing to a one-year, $2 million contract earlier in the day. The Cubs non-tendered LHP Gerardo Concepcion, LHP Zac Rosscup, RHP Conor … [Read more...]
Cubs 2015 Position Review – Catcher
One big priority going into the off-season was upgrades at the catching position as the team felt that incumbent starter Welington Castillo didn't make a big enough leap forward. The front office didn't waste any time in that respect trading for Miguel Montero and signing David Ross to a two-year deal. The combination of them coupled with the call-up of phenom prospect Kyle Schwarber led to an overall line of .237/.323/.389 with 21 home runs and 74 RBI, a vast improvement over the 2014 season. … [Read more...]
The Daily CCO: No ‘Chicago Punks’ for Joe Maddon and Other Cubs News and Notes
There are no two ways about it, Wednesday was a bad day for the Chicago Cubs. Not only did the Cubs lose a game to the floundering Fish with Jon Lester on the hill. Junior Lake ended up in the headlines for the wrong reasons. The Cubs dropped to third place in the division. And all of that happened after Jorge Soler was placed on the DL and will be out at least two to three weeks. Joe Maddon was not happy with Junior Lake’s actions that led to the benches and bullpen emptying in the sixth … [Read more...]
Cubs Player Profile: Yoervis Medina
With the trade of Welington Castillo, the Cubs say goodbye to a player that has been a part of the organization since 2004 and welcome a new one with the acquisition of RHP Yoervis Medina. Let's take a look at the player that caused the front office to finally end their three catcher experiment. On the surface, the three catcher experiment seems like a failure and made a trade necessary. With three talented players and not enough at bats to go around, it has been suggested that production at … [Read more...]
From the Wire: Cubs Acquire RHP Yoervis Medina from the Mariners for Welington Castillo
The Cubs announced Tuesday morning the team traded C Welington Castillo to the Seattle Mariners for RHP Yoervis Medina. Yoervis Medina will report to Triple-A Iowa. Medina has a big arm with a rather concerning strikeout to walk rate for a reliever. Updated 11:05am CDT – According to Jeff Passan, the Cubs are sending Yoervis Medina to Triple-A Iowa “to smooth out his mechanics and try to find the missing 2 mph on his fastball, scouts believe he has closer potential.” Based on the release, … [Read more...]
Reports: Cubs Trade Welington Castillo to the Mariners
Updated 9:45am CDT – According to Mark Gonzales, the Cubs will receive a prospect for Castillo. Gonzales did not provide a name in his report. Welington Castillo is expected to be the back-up to Mariners' starting catcher Mike Zunino. According to multiple reports, the Cubs have traded catcher Welington Castillo to the Seattle Mariners. Jeff Passan reported the trade that has been confirmed by ESPN Chicago, Bruce Levine and David Kaplan. There has not been confirmation from the Cubs … [Read more...]
