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Discussion: What’s Next For The Cubs?

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The Chicago Cubs haven't enjoyed the most inspiring offseason so far. Their efforts to deal Milton Bradley dragged on for weeks and ultimately resulted in the team taking on a contract even worse than Bradley's. They missed out to the Nationals on a potential bargain in Matt Capps, and signed John Grabow to a contract that Dave Cameron of Fangraphs called "a waste of cash." What exactly are the North Siders planning to do for an encore?

ESPN.com's latest Rumor Central update examines this question, naming the starting rotation, the bullpen, and center field as the three areas that the club will be looking to upgrade before the spring. The article speculates that the Cubs will choose either Marlon Byrd, Rick Ankiel, or Scott Podsednik for their outfield opening, and wonders if Joel Pineiro or Kelvim Escobar could be solutions for the rotation and bullpen, respectively.

One possibility for the Cubs, as Dave van Dyck of the Chicago Tribune points out, is filling out their bullpen with in-house candidates, such as Jeff Samardzija. This would allow the team a little more payroll flexibility, as they attempt to address their other needs.

With the rumor mill slowing down on Christmas Eve, we'll open this topic up for discussion. Will the Cubs salvage their offseason? Which of the team's needs would you like to see them make their top priority? And when the dust settles, which free agents do you expect to see wearing Cubs uniforms?

Odds & Ends: Cubs, Valverde, Phillies, Hanrahan

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Just because it's Christmas Eve doesn't mean the hot stove is taking a holiday. Let's check out some links….

Yankees Notes: Vazquez, Granderson, Reed Johnson

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Bryan Hoch of MLB.com provides an interesting bit of trivia in his latest article: Javier Vazquez became the first player the Yankees traded for twice since Jeff Nelson. Here are Hoch's other Yankees-related updates, via GM Brian Cashman:

  • Vazquez's second half in 2004, when he posted a 6.92 ERA after the All-Star break for the Yankees, was viewed as an aberration, rather than any sort of concern.
  • Joba Chamberlain and Phil Hughes, among others, will compete for the fifth rotation spot. The loser(s) of that competition will end up either in the bullpen or Triple-A to start the year.
  • The Yankees' budget was "once in a lifetime" last winter, so a surprise mega-deal like the Mark Teixeira signing a year ago is unlikely. Cashman's quote: "Any speculation about some high-end player who has big ability and dollars attached on a large scale would be inappropriate."
  • Hoch speculates that, while Johnny Damon is probably too expensive, Mark DeRosa and Jermaine Dye could still be left field possibilities. Last we heard on DeRosa, he was leaning toward accepting an offer from San Francisco.
  • Despite Curtis Granderson hitting 30 homers in 2009 and shifting to a smaller park, Cashman doesn't expect the center fielder to hit more than 20-30 long balls in 2010, pointing out that power is just one of Granderson's many strengths.

One more piece of Yankees news courtesy of Joel Sherman of the New York Post: Sherman hears that the Yankees are having regular discussions with Reed Johnson's representation. It's hard to imagine Johnson being the missing final piece for the Yanks' outfield, after all the names we've seen pop up, but he would fit in well with the team's current group of primarily left-handed bats. The 33-year-old has hit .313/.378/.463 in his career against lefties.

Mark DeRosa Leaning Toward Giants

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THURSDAY, 12:17pm: ESPN.com's Buster Olney tweets that DeRosa seems to be leaning toward accepting the Giants' offer, though no deal is in place yet.

WEDNESDAY, 1:30pm: The San Francisco Giants have offered Mark DeRosa a two-year deal worth $12MM, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (via Twitter).

Heyman wonders if DeRosa, a New Jersey product who has previously played in Atlanta, is hoping for the Yankees, Mets, and Braves to enter the mix more aggressively. We heard earlier this week that the Braves and Yankees are both interested in DeRosa, though Atlanta's agreement with Troy Glaus would create one less opening in their lineup for DeRosa.

As for the Yankees, there has been some speculation that they only have about $4MM to spend on a left fielder. Given the Giants' offer of $6MM per season, DeRosa may be a little out of the Yanks' price range, but certainly the club has a history of working around apparent payroll restrictions.

Giants Closing In On Juan Uribe

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Juan Uribe is close to returning to the San Francisco Giants, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. The potential deal would be for one year, with a team option for 2011.

Uribe enjoyed one of the better seasons of his career in 2009 with the Giants, before hitting the open market this offseason. The 30-year-old hit .289/.329/.495, belting 16 homers in 432 plate appearances.

We haven't heard an update connecting Uribe and the Giants for some time. A couple weeks back, Andrew Baggarly of the San Jose Mercury News reported that Uribe could revisit a one-year offer the Giants had made, but that the veteran infielder was looking for an everyday job elsewhere. Rosenthal notes that San Francisco is still hoping to add a regular corner infielder, which would likely relegate Uribe to the "super-utility" role he excelled in last year.

Odds & Ends: Rangers, Lackey, Yankees

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Another round of Wednesday links:

  • Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports tweets that Justin Duchscherer is leaning towards an NL team, although he is not sure which one.
  • Now that free agent Matt Capps appears to be leaning towards the Nationals, the Rockies are looking into other hurlers on the open market.  A major league source tells Thomas Harding of MLB.com that the club is negotiating with free agent Tim Redding.  The Rockies flirted with signing him last winter before he signed with the Mets, where he posted a 5.10 ERA in 30 games, including 17 starts.
  • The group selected to purchase the Rangers could be in financial trouble, says Craig Calcaterra of NBC Sports.
  • Alden Gonzalez of MLB.com thinks that Mark DeRosa could become more valuable to suitors after Matt Holliday and Jason Bay sign, with few other big bats available.
  • The Javier Vazquez trade can't be properly evaluated until the Braves spend all of the $8MM they saved in the deal, writes Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. Still, Rosenthal points out that the Braves should be concerned about the health histories of their free agent signings so far.
  • Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe relays some details of John Lackey's contract with Boston, including an interesting conditional option: If an old elbow injury forces Lackey to miss significant time over the course of his contract, he'd have to play for the league minimum in 2015.
  • Mark Carig of the Star-Ledger passes on this quote from Yankees GM Brian Cashman, regarding the team's outfield opening: "It won't be a big name situation. I can promise you that."
  • Seattle GM Jack Zduriencik says that the two recent trades involving the Mariners and Blue Jays were "complete, separate entities," according to Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times.

Phillies Agree To Terms With A Reliever?

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5:46pm: Todd Zolecki of MLB.com says that Baez is "a good bet" to be the mystery pitcher.

3:26pm: The Philadelphia Phillies have an agreement in place with a relief pitcher, according to Jim Salisbury of CSNPhilly.com — we just don't know yet who the pitcher is. Salisbury's source says that the agreement with the mystery player is pending a physical, which will occur in the first week of the new year.

With Fernando Rodney and the Angels having agreed to terms, the two likeliest candidates for the Phillies' bullpen appear to be Danys Baez and Mike MacDougal. ESPN.com's Jayson Stark linked Philadelphia to Baez earlier, and another of Salisbury's sources confirms that the team's focus has been on the right-hander lately. We also heard earlier today from Matt Gelb of the Philadelphia Inquirer, who said that the Phillies had been in touch with MacDougal. Scott Lauber of the News Journal mentions some other possibilities, but agrees that Baez and MacDougal look like the top two relief targets for Philadelphia.

Pirates Talking To Octavio Dotel

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5:42pm: The Pirates have not offered Dotel a contract in the vicinity of $3MM, a source involved in the talks tells Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.  While there have been talks between the parties, there has been nothing "to that extent."

1:46pm: The Pittsburgh Pirates have made Octavio Dotel an offer to be their closer, according to Craig Calcaterra of NBC Sports. Calcaterra writes that the offer is worth about $3MM, plus incentives for games finished.

Dotel has posted solid numbers over the past two seasons in a setup role for the White Sox, but has not been asked to close since 2007, when he saved 11 games for the Royals. Over his career, Dotel has recorded 83 saves in various stints as the closer in Houston, Oakland, and Kansas City.

If Dotel were to accept the Pirates' ninth-inning job, it would be another blow to a closing market that has an excess of free agents and not enough teams in need. While the Pirates were never expected to splurge on Jose Valverde or Fernando Rodney, a Dotel signing could close another door on fringe closing candidates such as Mike MacDougal and Kevin Gregg.

Twins Looking To Upgrade Infield, Rotation

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The Minnesota Twins are interested in bolstering their infield and their starting rotation, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. For now, they seem to be adopting a wait-and-see approach, in hopes that the asking prices for some free agents will drop. Here are the highlights from Morosi's update:

  • According to a source, Jarrod Washburn, Jon Garland, Doug Davis, and Brett Myers are among the Twins' pitching targets.
  • Garland, who is hoping to sign a multi-year deal, may be out of the Twins' price range.
  • The Twins are interested in Mark DeRosa and Adrian Beltre, but may not be able to afford them either. Their more realistic infield options include Miguel Tejada and Juan Uribe.
  • The Indians could move Jhonny Peralta, but the Twins "haven't actively pursued a trade" for him yet.

Odds & Ends: Gonzalez, Bradley, Hamels

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Let's have a look at some miscellaneous Sunday links….

  • The Tigers purchased the contract of catcher Andy Bouchie from the Long Beach Armada. Bouchie, 24, was a seventh round pick by the Brewers after his junior season at Oral Roberts University, but was released due to catching depth in the Milwaukee system. He hit .290 with 7 home runs and 45 RBI in 59 games in the Golden Baseball League this year.
  • Jon Paul Morosi explains why the Padres should wait until July 31 to trade Adrian Gonzalez.
  • Larry Stone offers some optimism for Seattle fans with concerns about newly-acquired Milton Bradley in a nice article, reminding us that Bradley has had non-problematic stops over the course of his career. Stone quotes Eddie Guardado, Bud Black, and Ken Macha, all of whom support Bradley.
  • Scott Lauber writes that amidst the Roy Halladay and Cliff Lee pandemonium, it's easy to forget about Cole Hamels, but the Phillies haven't. They still see Hamels as a top-of-the-rotation arm and are confident in his ability to rebound from a forgettable 2009.
  • ESPN.com's Buster Olney writes that Oakland's potential deal with Coco Crisp reflects the value the A's place on defense.
  • In his usual lengthy Sunday column, the Boston Globe's Nick Cafardo focuses primarily on the Red Sox' moves, past, present, and future. He provides at least one interesting hot stove note though: Mark DeRosa's asking price has come down, and Cafardo wonders if the Mets could sign the infielder and play him at first base.
  • Cafardo also mentions that, while plenty of teams are interested in Chien-Ming Wang, the Yankees hope to match any final offer the right-hander receives.
  • Newsday's Ken Davidoff can't see any other teams taking a chance on Mike Lowell unless he exhibits good health in Spring Training.
  • In a separate article, Davidoff examines the next move for Johnny Damon. Davidoff lists the Braves, Rays, Cubs, and Mets as possible destinations, but concedes there are roadblocks in each case.
  • Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports looks at the remaining names on the closing market, concluding that there are too many arms and not enough teams in need of a closer.
  • Peter Schmuck of the Baltimore Sun says there's nothing wrong with any of the Orioles' recent signings, but that they aren't the big splashes fans may have hoped to see.

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