Josh Vitters Rumors
By Ben Nicholson-Smith [January 28, 2009 at 6:23pm CST]
6:23pm: I just spoke to a source familiar with the Cubs' thinking. Hopefully I can further douse the flames of the Peavy-Cubs rumors - the Cubs aren't planning to restart the Peavy talks, and none of their recent trades for pitching were related to Peavy. Keep in mind that the team's ownership situation is far from resolved. - Tim Dierkes 5:58pm: MLB.com's Barry Bloom heard from Cubs assistant GM Randy Bush that the Cubs have had "no talks about Jake Peavy since they were well-documented during the Winter Meetings." However, this doesn't mean that talks won't restart. Bush said the...
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By Tim Dierkes [December 11, 2008 at 10:56pm CST]
10:56pm: Axelrod suggestion the Giants as a possible destination for Peavy in a talk with Tim Sullivan. He said, "I think they've got the money. But I don't know if they've got the prospects." 8:20pm: Jon Heyman says that Peavy is frustrated by the team's inability to trade him. His agent, Barry Axelrod, says that Peavy had begun to get used to the idea of being a Cub, and now that opportunity is apparently gone. Axelrod says if the Padres approach he and his client with a trade, they'll consider it, but there won't be any more lists of approved...
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By Tim Dierkes [December 10, 2008 at 8:36pm CST]
8:36pm: MLB.com's Corey Brock learned from Towers that he should know one way or another on a Peavy trade by the end of the Meetings. Towers now believes a fourth team will be required. Towers mentioned that Marquis and DeRosa may be hangups, especially Marquis' contract. Though he'd prefer not to, under certain circumstances the Padres might pay some of his salary. There was some goofy Carlos Carrasco/Jason Donald stuff we didn't link to today, and that was shot down. Brock suggests names like Josh Vitters, Felix Pie, and Kevin Hart could be involved on the Cubs' part. 8:31pm: Jayson...
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By Tim Dierkes [December 8, 2008 at 11:02pm CST]
11:02pm: Jim Salisbury backs up the idea that the Phils could receive DeRosa and the Padres could get Happ. It's worth noting that the Cubs could trim $5.5MM off the payroll by sending out DeRosa and using Fontenot at second base. 10:31pm: MLB.com's Lyle Spencer says the Angels have not taken themselves out of the Peavy sweepstakes. Also, Tom Krasovic of the San Diego Union-Tribune supplies more info. A third team would definitely be involved in a Cubs trade. DeRosa could wind up a Phillie, and Michael Wuertz is a new name of interest for the Padres. Peavy's agent Barry...
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By Tim Dierkes [December 4, 2008 at 10:20am CST]
ESPN's Buster Olney has a bunch of new info in today's blog. Olney continues to wonder if Manny Ramirez and Scott Boras will "wave the white flag" and accept the Dodgers' offer of arbitration. It could result in a huge one-year salary, and the current market for Manny is not robust. However, Peter Abraham said in July that a condition of Manny's trade was that he would decline arbitration. Did anyone else write this? Hopefully a journalist will ask Boras about it soon. Olney says the Cubs would love to have Adam Dunn in their lineup, but he's a stretch...
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By Tim Dierkes [November 11, 2008 at 12:14pm CST]
12:14pm: Dave O'Brien agrees that the Braves are growing frustrated waiting on Kevin Towers, with the free agent open season creeping up. 10:21am: ESPN's Buster Olney has the latest on the Jake Peavy trade talks. Olney says the Braves and Padres are making progress, despite Ken Rosenthal's report of Atlanta's frustration. Olney says the Braves would send Yunel Escobar and Gorkys Hernandez to the Padres, plus Charlie Morton or Jo-Jo Reyes. They're haggling over one last player, with the Padres eyeing southpaw Jeff Locke. The Cubs are still in the mix, and a third team would be included to flip...
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By Tim Dierkes [November 7, 2008 at 1:50pm CST]
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...
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