Felix Pie Rumors

Perrotto's Latest: Dye, Jenks, Werth, Madson

Let's dig into the latest column from John Perrotto of Baseball Prospectus. Perrotto speaks of whispers of a possible White Sox-Mets blockbuster. The Mets would receive Jermaine Dye and Bobby Jenks and the White Sox would receive Fernando Martinez among others. Regarding the Orioles' possible involvement in a trade that would send Jake Peavy to the Cubs, Perrotto says Baltimore seeks Ronny Cedeno and Felix Pie from Chicago. Phillies GM Ruben Amaro Jr. has spoken to outfielder Jayson Werth and setup man Ryan Madson about contract extensions. Madson might be a tough one as he's represented by Scott Boras (who...   Continue Reading

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Rosenthal's Latest: Peavy, Wilson

Lots to cover in the latest from Ken Rosenthal: Jake Peavy to the Cubs is still being explored despite complications: The Cubs are being sold. Ryan Dempster was re-signed for 4 years, $52MM. The Padres are trying to include a third party to net the package GM Kevin Towers is seeking. If this happened then the Cubs would need to move Jason Marquis. Rosenthal suggests the Padres could take him if the Cubs ate around $3MM of his $9MM owed next season, or the Cubs could deal him and cash to another team (Rosenthal suggests the Rockies, Reds, or Giants)....   Continue Reading

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Third Team In Peavy Deal: Orioles?

According to Jeff Zrebiec and Peter Schmuck of the Baltimore Sun, the Orioles appear to be the third team in the Jake Peavy-Cubs trade talks. Kevin Towers told Tim Brown earlier this week he may have found the third team. According to the Sun, one scenario could have the Cubs sending Felix Pie to Baltimore for Garrett Olson, who would become part of the Cubs' package for Peavy. The Orioles once targeted Pie during the Brian Roberts talks, while the Padres wanted Olson for Khalil Greene. No deal is imminent. The authors add that acquiring Pie would not affect the...   Continue Reading

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Cubs Targeting Teahen

9:51pm: MLB.com's Dick Kaegel has a source saying Dayton Moore and Jim Hendry have not discussed a deal for Teahen or David DeJesus. Moore wouldn't comment publicly on the rumor, while Teahen and his agent are unaware of any trade talks. Still, check out Rany Jazayerli's thoughts on the rumor. 5:02pm: More fallout from the Ryan Dempster signing. The Kansas City Star's Bob Dutton is reporting the Cubs are once again targeting Mark Teahen to fill their right field vacancy. Dutton says discussions to acquire Teahen "stalled earlier this month, in part, because the Cubs’ wanted to hold onto several...   Continue Reading

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Jake Peavy Rumors: Friday

1:47pm: This Scott Miller column is from yesterday, but it has some good info. Miller's source believes the Braves are the frontrunners for Peavy and are willing to include Gorkys Hernandez. Additionally, the source said the Cubs are very aggressive and the Dodgers are making a strong pitch. 12:53pm: Bruce Miles of the Daily Herald says Samardzija is not on the table and has a full, not partial, no-trade. Additionally, the Cubs have not thrown Fontenot into the mix. Miles gives a 50-50 chance of the Cubs getting Peavy. 9:39am: GM Kevin Towers expects to trade Jake Peavy before the...   Continue Reading

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Jake Peavy Rumors: Tuesday

9:58pm: Peavy apparently rejected one trade, to an American League team with a small ballpark. 12:12pm: David O'Brien says Braves and Padres officials met Sunday and Monday to talk Peavy, discussing proposals not including Tommy Hanson. The Braves remain the favorite. 12:08pm: Brewers GM Doug Melvin says he is not engaged in talks for Peavy. 10:32am: Joel Sherman says the Yankees have shown no early movement toward Peavy. Free agents just make more sense. Still, Jay Paris snagged some good quotes from Axelrod and Towers about the Yankees possibility. 8:52am: Peavy's agent, Barry Axelrod, says they have not given approval...   Continue Reading

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More Peavy: Yankees, Angels, Cubs

10:37pm: Dave van Dyck of the Chicago Tribune comments on the Cubs' interest in Peavy. There's not much new here - if the Cubs can't re-sign Ryan Dempster, they could take a crack at Peavy. Van Dyck has an unconfirmed rumor of a Cubs offer of Felix Pie, Ronny Cedeno, and others. The others would be pretty important in such a scenario. Van Dyck makes a good point in that the Cubs might have to dive into the pool of second tier free agent starters if they can't get Dempster or Peavy. 8:42pm: Padres GM Kevin Towers recently spoke to...   Continue Reading

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Hendry Signs Four-Year Extension

7:35pm: Hendry commented on all kinds of topics to MLB.com's Carrie Muskat. He sounds a little more intent on re-signing Dempster than Wood. Hendry is not sure whether Jim Edmonds will retire, but he sees Felix Pie making the team out of spring training. Cubs chairman Crane Kenney doesn't expect any major moves that would require significant increases in payroll. Kenney said a few weeks ago that he anticipated a bump in payroll. 12:13pm: According to the Chicago Sun-Times, the Cubs have extended GM Jim Hendry's contract through the 2012 season. He can now focus on free agents Ryan Dempster...   Continue Reading

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Heyman's Latest: Pie, Cole, Snell

Here's the latest column from SI.com's Jon Heyman. Cubs prospect Felix Pie has seen his value slip this year. He didn't hit in 70 plate appearances with the big club. His Triple A OPS slipped from .973 in '07 to .780 this year. You have to wonder if the Cubs will remove the untouchable tag this winter. Heyman says there was never any negotiations between the Yankees and Scott Boras regarding Gerrit Cole. The Yanks would've offered $4MM+, but Cole preferred college (at his father's urging). Heyman confirms Ian Snell was available before the trade deadline. The Pirates wanted pitching...   Continue Reading

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Stark's Latest: Ibanez, Washburn, Redding, Rhodes

Some additional notes from ESPN's Jayson Stark: The Mariners still want Jon Niese and another prospect for Raul Ibanez; the Mets are not biting. Similar situation with the Ms asking the Cubs for Felix Pie and another player. The Mets aren't in on Jarrod Washburn or Tim Redding. The Marlins are making it clear that there is no done deal for Arthur Rhodes. Clark Spencer had written the Fish "could be closer" to a deal for Rhodes than a catcher. Stark says the Mariners are driving a hard bargain for Rhodes, with the Red Sox, Marlins, Phillies, Brewers, Tigers, Mets,...   Continue Reading

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Cubs Sign Edmonds

The Chicago Cubs have signed Jim Edmonds to a contract for the remainder of the '08 season. Edmonds, who was released by the Padres last Friday, will make about $284K, the prorated league minimum. To make room on the roster, the Cubs demoted Felix Pie to AAA. Pie was hitting .222/.286/.286. This is a move that costs the Cubs nothing and could end up with big rewards. Since Pie had minor league options, the Cubs did not have to give up a player in the hopes that Edmonds can turn his season around. Edmonds was hitting .178/.265/.233 at the time...   Continue Reading

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Pie-Greene Rumor Denied

MAY 7th: Bruce Miles of the Daily Herald discussed the Pie-Greene rumor with Cubs officials, and it was "emphatically shot down." APRIL 30th: Yesterday Tom Krasovic of the San Diego Union-Tribune wrote of Kevin Towers' pursuit of a long-term center field option. Jim Edmonds remains a question mark, and his contract is up after '08 anyway. Krasovic says the Cubs "have kept tabs" on shortstop Khalil Greene, while the Padres are still eyeing Felix Pie. The Cubs' win-now approach could lead to that move, as Reed Johnson is doing fine in center field so far. Greene is signed through the...   Continue Reading

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Rangers DFA Tejeda, Cruz

As expected the Rangers DFA'd outfielder Nelson Cruz and pitcher Robinson Tejeda over the weekend. Tejeda is a casualty of the Rangers' Friday deal for Dustin Nippert, and has been undergoing a thus far unsuccessful transition to the bullpen. He went 0-1 with a 6.23 ERA during the spring, but did manage to run a streak of four scoreless appearances prior to giving up a game-ending RBI triple to Felix Pie last week. Cruz's release was expected. There was some light talk of him possibly being moved to Tampa last week, but that evaporated when the Rays acquired former Angels...   Continue Reading

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Cubs Still Talking To Rangers About Byrd

MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan writes today that the Cubs' talks for Marlon Byrd still have some life. Not much has changed - the Cubs would give up Matt Murton, but the Rangers want young pitching. Since the potential Brian Roberts acquisition seems to be on the frontburner, perhaps talks for Byrd would move to the next level if that's completed. The Rangers may have to wait and see whether the Cubs bring Jay Payton in and which pitching prospects they give up. Ken Rosenthal quoted a scout today who suggested the Cubs will never fully commit to center fielder Felix Pie...   Continue Reading

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Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Crisp, Capuano, Lohse

Does anybody else think that Brian Roberts' agent fuels 90% of these rumors just so his client's name is kept in the news? Me neither...Now that we have gotten the obligatory Roberts reference out of the way, let's move on to some trades/signings that might actually happen in the near future. The biggest of course is the recent news that talks may be heating up with the Red Sox to move Coco Crisp. So far we know that the Sox are not interested in Jason Marquis or Sam Fuld and the Padres may only be having internal discussions at this...   Continue Reading

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Cubs Eyeing Coco

Last Sunday, I discussed how either Chicago ballclub were good suitors for Coco Crisp. Today, Gordon Wittenmeyer of the Chicago Sun Times is reporting the Cubs interest do indeed lie with the web gem specialist, Crisp. "With only one other lefty bat in the lineup (right fielder Kosuke Fukudome), the Cubs hoped to get a secondary lefty near the bottom of the order while assuring a good glove in center from their top two near-ready outfield prospects. While Hendry's attempt to trade for Rangers outfielder Marlon Byrd was meant to provide a right-handed complement to the center-field winner, the focus...   Continue Reading

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No Recent Brian Roberts Talks

SI.com's Jon Heyman wrote on Monday that the Cubs and Orioles had resumed talks for Brian Roberts. However, Cubs GM Jim Hendry came out on Wednesday and said he hadn't had any trade talks for five or six days. Tonight, the Baltimore Sun's Jeff Zrebiec chimes in, confirming Hendry's statement of inactivity. Zrebiec was able to confirm from two sources that the Cubs offered Ronny Cedeno, Sean Gallagher, Donald Veal, and another unknown player for Roberts. The teams can't agree on the fourth player, and the O's may want a fifth too. The Orioles are said to like top Cubs'...   Continue Reading

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Brian Roberts Rumors

MONDAY: SI.com's Jon Heyman says a Roberts to Chicago trade still has a little life, and the Orioles are scouting Cubs' players. Meanwhile Jason Churchill wrote a few days ago that the O's may require Felix Pie or Tyler Colvin instead of the Cubs' apparent offer of Ronny Cedeno, Sean Gallagher, and Kevin Hart. Churchill says the O's are also high on Eric Patterson. SUNDAY: Check out this piece by Jim Salisbury of the Philadelphia Inquirer. Here's the one-liner that has caught some readers' attention: Sources say that Orioles second baseman Brian Roberts will be traded to the Cubs as...   Continue Reading

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Brian Roberts Rumors

Here's the latest. Brian Roberts is not in Orioles' camp today; he's gone to a local hospital for a stomach ailment. Roch Kubatko does not believe he's secretly been traded. Roberts will make no trade demands. Ken Rosenthal says the chances of a Roberts trade "seem to diminish each day." Rosenthal cites Roberts' relationship with Peter Angelos, and wonders whether the Orioles could wait until July to get more teams involved. If a Cubs deal does occur, Ronny Cedeno is highly likely to be included. Three days ago, ESPN's Peter Gammons wrote that the Cubs refuse to part with Felix...   Continue Reading

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Roberts Deal Trailing Bedard Trade?

SI.com's Jon Heyman believes completion of an Erik Bedard trade to Seattle could be followed with a trade of Brian Roberts to the Cubs. He says that would be "possibly for Felix Pie and Sean Gallagher." Two seasons of Roberts for twelve of Pie and Gallagher doesn't seem wise for the Cubs. To me, Pie and Gallagher seem likely to at least become solid Major Leaguers   Continue Reading

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Brian Roberts Deal Dead?

A trusted emailer wrote in to tell me about a report today from Bruce Levine of ESPN Radio 1000. According to Levine, Brian Roberts is no longer available. The Orioles were apparently asking for Tyler Colvin or Felix Pie plus multiple pitchers, and the Cubs wouldn't do it. Levine says the Cubs may turn their attention to the Rangers' Marlon Byrd or free agent Jon Lieber   Continue Reading

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Brian Roberts Cubs Rumors

UPDATE, 1-9-08 at 6:06pm: WGN Radio's Dave Kaplan checked in on this situation on his blog. He has "great sources" saying the price for Roberts is much higher than was previously reported. The Orioles want Rich Hill, Felix Pie, or Tyler Colvin. Hill is known to be off-limits. UPDATE, 1-9-08 at 10:58am: Phil Rogers of the Chicago Tribune believes this deal "is almost certainly going to happen." He expects it to be for the same players Orioles Hangout mentioned. However, an Orioles official contacted Orioles Hangout to tell them their report was inaccurate. UPDATE, 1-9-08 at 9:22am: Roch Kubatko (via..   Continue Reading

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Cubs Aggressively Pursuing Brian Roberts

UPDATE, 12-5-07 at 10:58pm: The Baltimore Sun guys have more. The Cubs have a significant offer on the table, and it may include Gallagher and Matt Murton (but not Hill or Pie). The Cubs will have to do better than just Gallagher and Murton, I imagine. According to Jayson Stark, the Cubs would have to be blown away to trade Hill or Pie. UPDATE, 12-5-07 at 10:03pm: ESPN Radio 1000's Bruce Levine checks in to add that Ronny Cedeno would likely be involved in a Roberts deal. UPDATE, 12-5-07 at 9:39pm: ESPN's Amy Nelson says Hill is not part of..   Continue Reading

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Cubs Rumors: Fukudome, Ibanez, Dempster

The Chicago Sun-Times' Gordon Wittenmyer already has his Wednesday column up for review. Wittenmyer still thinks Kosuke Fukudome is going to be much more expensive than anyone originally thought. Could the bidding reach $40MM over three years? If the Cubs can't go Fukudome they will turn to Raul Ibanez. They might offer Sean Marshall for him. They'd only have to endure a year of Ibanez butchering right field. Jim Hendry debunked a Jeff Blair report that the Cubs want to move Ryan Dempster. The Cubs have no intention of trading Felix Pie or Sam Fuld, not that there had been..   Continue Reading

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Rangers Rumors: Bay, Gagne, Fukudome

T.R. Sullivan has the Rangers goods for us this evening. Wow, did MLB.com send 30+ reporters out to Nashville? The Rangers are still pursuing Eric Gagne to return as their closer (and then maybe they'd flip him again). The interest is mutual. The team is also considering LaTroy Hawkins, Shawn Chacon, Luis Vizcaino, Trever Miller, and Octavio Dotel. Basically, most of the relief market. Problem is, the Rangers don't want to give more than one year to any of these guys. The Rangers are moving toward filling center field internally after exploring options. Carlos Gomez, Felix Pie, and Carlos Gonzalez..   Continue Reading

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Padres Rumors: Crisp, Pie, Andruw, Eckstein

Tom Krasovic continues to set the standard for Padres inside information. Today's column is especially delicious for rumor junkies, with tons of new material to chew on. Kevin Towers expects to fill his center field vacancy via trade. He may first want to wait to see if Mike Cameron accepts the team's upcoming offer of arbitration. Cameron is a Type B free agent. Remember that he will be limited to 137 games in '07. As for trade candidates, Coco Crisp is on the radar but the Padres smartly won't part with Chase Headley. Krasovic notes that Bud Black's connection with..   Continue Reading

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Random Rumors

Some random rumors to help you get through your Thursday morning... As you might imagine, the Rangers are keenly watching and hoping Alex Rodriguez opts out of his contract. That would free up $7MM for them in each of the next three years. Rangers' manager Ron Washington's wish list includes a center fielder, corner outfielder, and first baseman. The Rangers have been connected to Torii Hunter quite a bit, but they'll have plenty of competition. Will the exchange rate free up a bunch of money for the Blue Jays? Perhaps even enough to make a pass at A-Rod? Hey, fans..   Continue Reading

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Felix Pie Not Available

UPDATE: A source of mine says that despite Hendry's claims to the contrary, Pie was dangled. Since no deal could be reached, it makes sense to say publicly that he was never available. The source adds that Hendry continues to search for a bat this morning. Multiple sources had been saying Felix Pie was available, so it's nice to see Cubs GM Jim Hendry debunk that talk today. He won't be traded, and hasn't been discussed. Cubs fans can exhale   Continue Reading

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Long Shot: Willis Back To Cubs?

Will Carroll of Baseball Prospectus has an interesting note in today's Rumor Mill: "The Cubs also still covet Dontrelle Willis as "the one that got away" and-despite his not being on the market-Willis is one player the Cubs could get if Larry Beinfest suddenly changes his mind about that. Adding Felix Pie to Jacque Jones and Donald Veal would get it done, while not adding to the Cubs payroll." Jim Hendry already tried to patch up one of the all-time classic Cub mistakes by signing Greg Maddux before the 2004 season. At least that departure didn't happen under Hendry's watch...   Continue Reading

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Murton Late Scratch; Payton Talks Itensify

UPDATE: While perhaps shopping Murton, the Cubs have had significant talks regarding Baltimore's Jay Payton. The Cubs would send over two mid-level prospects; does Murton fit that criteria? Payton will make $5MM next year to finish his contract. UPDATE 2: RotoWorld says Murton was scratched tonight to allow Cliff Floyd to play and then get Sunday off. Matt Murton was a late scratch for tonight's Cubs-Reds game. Does it mean anything? We should know soon enough. This time of year, every scratch or unexpected mid-game substitution is magnified. The Cubs have been talking to the Rangers about lefty reliever Ron..   Continue Reading

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Padres Failed Trade Talks: Dye, Pie

Tom Krasovic of the San Diego Union-Tribune has a couple of blurbs about inquires trade inquiries made by Padres GM Kevin Towers. The first says that Kenny Williams's asking price for Jermaine Dye a few weeks ago was Khalil Greene and Scott Linebrink. I'm surprised the White Sox would focus on Greene, as him game isn't terribly different from Juan Uribe's. But the Padres don't have anyone else to turn to at shortstop. Greene doesn't reach free agency until after the 2009 season. Anyway, the Padres chose to go with Milton Bradley instead of Dye. Additionally, the Padres asked the..   Continue Reading

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Felix Pie Debuts

Interesting development in Chicago, as Cubs top prospect Felix Pie has gotten the call and is leading off against the Padres today. Word is that Angel Guzman was sent down, so Alfonso Soriano will not need to hit the DL. Here's a quick look at Pie from a fantasy perspective. It seems like a brief taste, a chance to give Pie a week of starts in the bigs. Once Soriano is healthy, the Cubs will have a crowded outfield with Matt Murton, Cliff Floyd, and Jacque Jones, Daryle Ward, and Pie also in the picture. I doubt the Cubs want..   Continue Reading

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Kaplan: Cubs "Trying Hard" For Tejada

Late last night I talked to Dave Kaplan, co-host of WGN's Sports Central. Dave gave me a different take on the Miguel Tejada situation than what my source told me. He said his sources indicate the White Sox are out of the Tejada sweepstakes and that the Red Sox are also backing away now that Manny said he'll stay. According to Kaplan, the Cubs are "trying hard." He also mentioned that there's "still a long way to go to get a deal done, but if the Cubs will include Felix Pie they could get it done." FoxSports's Ken Rosenthal threw..   Continue Reading

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