Chicago Cubs Rumors

Royals Acquire Ryan Freel

The Royals acquired utilityman Ryan Freel and cash from the Cubs for a player to be named later, according to Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star. The Cubs designated Freel for assignment Thursday after a disappointing 14-game tenure with the club. They traded Joey Gathright for Freel two months ago.   Continue Reading

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Ricketts Family Agrees To Buy Cubs

Ameet Sachdev reports on ChicagoBreakingNews.com that Tribune Co. has reached a deal to sell the Cubs and Wrigley Field to the Ricketts family for about $900MM. The deal must now be court-approved and accepted by other MLB owners. Ben Klayman of Reuters hears that the price is slightly lower than the original bid of $900MM. This move could give the Cubs the financial flexibility to take on salary at the deadline.   Continue Reading

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Edes' Latest: Giants, Teahen, Relievers

Currently standing atop the National League wildcard standings, the Giants are looking for a lefthanded bat to add to their lineup according to Gordon Edes of Yahoo Sports. He cites a major league executive who says that San Francisco has focused their efforts on three first baseman: Nick Johnson, Aubrey Huff and Adam LaRoche. Edes also says that the Giants have spoken to the Padres about a potential Jonathan Sanchez-Scott Hairston swap. Let's round up the rest of Edes' rumors... Royals GM Dayton Moore has heard from multiple teams about Mark Teahen, including the Red Sox, Cubs, Angels and Giants....   Continue Reading

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Cubs Sign Casey Fossum

The Cubs signed Casey Fossum and assigned him to Triple A Iowa, according to MiLB.com. He became a free agent last week when he opted out of his contract with the Yankees. Fossum had been pitching in Triple A Scranton since the Yankees picked him up in May. The Cubs will be his his third organization of the year, as he pitched briefly with the Mets before they designated him for assignment.   Continue Reading

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Odds And Ends: Blue Jays, Cotts, Indians

Manny's back to help celebrate the Fourth of July weekend! Here are some links to start the day off... Joel Sherman of the New York Post reports that Blue Jays execs will decide what course of action to take this month once they see how the team performs on its ten-game road trip against divisional rivals. Jamey Newberg ranks this week's top 20 Rangers prospects for MLB.com. Texas just keeps churning out quality players; this week it's Julio Borbon. Cubs reliever Neal Cotts underwent Tommy John surgery, according to the Sports Network, via the Miami Herald. Geoff Baker of the...   Continue Reading

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Cubs Acquire Jeff Baker, DFA Ryan Freel

12:07pm: In a corresponding move, the Cubs designated Ryan Freel for assignment, according to a team press release. Freel, 33, put up an OPS of .369 in 14 games for the Cubs. 11:27am: ESPN.com's Bruce Levine reports that the Rockies receive right-hander Alberto Alburquerque, who was pitching in A ball for the Cubs. The 23-year-old has struck out 44 and allowed 40 baserunners in nearly 35 innings pitched this year. 8:41am: The Cubs acquired Jeff Baker from the Rockies, according to Yahoo Sports. It's unclear what the Rockies will receive in exchange for the infielder. Baker, 28, has played in...   Continue Reading

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July 2nd Update: Cubs, Nats, Giants

Some links to read as the international signing period kicks off... Baseball America's Ben Badler expects we'll hear of more signings when teams begin making official announcements this afternoon. ESPN.com's Jorge Arangure Jr. sees a parallel between this year's international signings and last winter's free agent market: the top players are getting top dollars, with big drop-offs afterwards. Arangure Jr. hears that the Cubs may have signed Venezuelan catcher Wilson Contreras for $850k. Chico Harlan of the Washington Post reports that the Nats will "hardly make a peep" in this year's market. They have Stephen Strasburg to worry about, after...   Continue Reading

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Odds & Ends: Zambrano, Royals, Hinske

A dosage of links to soothe and satisfy between innings: Paul Sullivan at the Chicago Tribune got Carlos Zambrano to respond to the poll that 57.2% of Cubs fans think he should be traded: "Fine, trade me to Boston," he joked. Joe Posnanski gives an in-depth look at the problems facing the Royals. "The Royals execs are smart people. But the more they do to this offense, the worse this offense gets," he says. Rinku Singh and Dinesh Patel, cricket players from India who won a reality T.V. show called "Million Dollar Arm" and had never picked up a baseball...   Continue Reading

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Odds & Ends: Nationals, Mets, Big Z

A roundup of links for a slow Monday evening in the baseball world... According to Chico Harlan of the Washington Post, the Nationals have agreed to terms with second-rounder Jeffrey Kobernus, a second baseman from the University of California. He was handed a $705K signing bonus. Brewers prospect Jeremy Jeffress was suspended 100 games Monday for a second violation of the minor league drug program, according to the Associated Press (via ESPN.com). Milwaukee assistant GM Gord Ash said the club is "concerned" about Jeffress, who is one positive test away from a lifetime ban. Presented without comment: In a poll...   Continue Reading

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Odds & Ends: Indians, Pirates, Zambrano

Some links to wrap up a relatively busy weekend, with more on the way: ESPN's Jorge Arangure says the Yankees, Red Sox, Reds and Padres in on 16-year-old Dominican RHP Cristopher Cabrera. John Perrotto at Pirates Report says if he were Neal Huntington, he'd go ahead with the rumored swap of Nyjer Morgan for Lastings Milledge with the Nationals. Phil Rogers at the Chicago Tribune is fed up with Carlos Zambrano and thinks the Cubs should waive him and take anything another club is willing to give. Not a great week for Cubs fans, eh? Bud Shaw at the Cleveland...   Continue Reading

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