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Cubs Rumors

MLBTR Podcast: Len Kasper on the Cubs, Ben Nicholson-Smith on the Blue Jays

By Cray Allred | March 31, 2016 at 6:17pm CDT

We talk more Cubs this week, bringing in Cubs play-by-play man Len Kasper to discuss the team’s outlook for the season. Then, MLBTR alum and current Sportsnet reporter Ben Nicholson-Smith hops on the line to talk Blue Jays and a curious extension market.

Click here to subscribe to the podcast on iTunes, and please leave a review! The podcast is also available via Stitcher at this link.

The MLB Trade Rumors Podcast runs weekly on Thursday afternoons.

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Cubs To Sign Jake Buchanan

By Mark Polishuk | March 31, 2016 at 2:29pm CDT

The Cubs have agreed to a minor league deal with right-hander Jake Buchanan, Evan Drellich of the Houston Chronicle reports (Twitter links).  The Astros released Buchanan today.

Buchanan, 26, has a 4.06 ERA, 5.1 K/9 and 1.56 K/9 over 44 1/3 career innings in the bigs, all with the Astros in 2014-15.  Just nine of those innings came last season, however, and Buchanan found himself designated for assignment in September.  His Major League numbers were roughly identical to the state line he posted over 696 2/3 innings in Houston’s minor league system, beginning as a starter but transitioning to a relief role over the last three seasons.

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Cubs Release, Re-Sign Victorino, Parra, Kawasaki

By Jeff Todd | March 29, 2016 at 1:55pm CDT

1:55pm: The team has indeed reached new contracts with all three players, ESPNChicago.com’s Jesse Rogers reports on Twitter.

10:43am: The Cubs have released Shane Victorino, Manny Parra, and Munenori Kawasaki, Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune reports (Twitter links). Chicago has interest in reaching new deals with all three, but obviously wasn’t willing to add them to the active roster or pay the $100K roster bonuses that each would have commanded as an Article XX(B) free agent.

Victorino had already been told he wouldn’t make the active roster, and is reportedly taking an opportunity to rehab his injured calf before moving onto the Triple-A roster. The other two players also seemed like longshots to crack a deep Cubs roster coming into the spring. Parra, 33, has had his moments as a southpaw pen piece, but was looking up at Travis Wood and Clayton Richard in the organization’s pecking order. Things were even tougher for the defensive-minded Kawasaki, who was buried behind multiple infielders.

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Chicago Cubs Transactions Manny Parra Munenori Kawasaki Shane Victorino

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NL Central Notes: Brewers, Shark, Luebke, Cards

By Mark Polishuk and Zachary Links | March 27, 2016 at 7:04pm CDT

It was on this day in 2002 that the Cubs traded swingman Julian Tavarez and three prospects to the Marlins for Matt Clement and Antonio Alfonseca.  While Clement and Alfonseca were useful players for Chicago, this is definitely a “what if?” deal for the Cubs and their fans since Dontrelle Willis was one of the prospects sent to the Fish.  The deal immediately led to some pain for the Cubs when Willis’ Marlins beat Chicago in the 2003 NLCS (featuring the infamous Steve Bartman incident) en route to a World Series title.

Here’s some news from around the NL Central…

  • The Brewers announced several roster moves today, including the news that Will Middlebrooks, Eric Young Jr., Josmil Pinto, Shane Peterson, Manny Pina and Jake Elmore were told they won’t be making the Major League roster (Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel has the rundown of all the transactions).  All six players will remain in the Brewers’ camp.  Five of the six were new arrivals this winter — Pina was part of the Francisco Rodriguez trade with the Tigers, Pinto was a waiver claim from the Padres, and Middlebrooks, Young and Elmore were all minor league signings.
  • Jeff Samardzija told ESPN Chicago’s Jesse Rogers that he met with Theo Epstein this winter to explore a possible return to the Cubs,  though not much came from the talks.  “From where we were at, it takes a lot more to get a deal done. I think Theo had an idea of what they wanted and what they were looking for this year,” Samardzija said.  The new Giants rotation member also discusses his previous stint with the Cubs and how the club’s rebuilding process has seemed to pay off.
  • The Pirates reinvested in their bullpen this winter, Travis Sawchik of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review writes, a strategy that makes an increasing amonut of financial and statistical sense, particularly for mid-market payroll clubs like the Bucs.
  • Now that Eric O’Flaherty has been traded to Atlanta, it looks like Cory Luebke is going to make the Pirates’ Opening Day roster, Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review tweets.  The 31-year-old has reportedly clocking in at 94mph with his fastball and 87mph with his curve this spring.  Luebke has an opt-out on Tuesday but it sounds like the Bucs won’t give opposing teams a chance to snatch him up.
  • Cardinals GM John Mozeliak says that the team’s decision on Rule 5 right-hander Matt Bowman “could come down to the final hour,” as Jenifer Langosch of MLB.com writes.  The Cardinals selected Bowman off of the Mets’ roster in December, making him their first Rule 5 selection in four years.  Roughly two weeks ago, ESPN.com’s Adam Rubin reported that Bowman was “more likely than not” to make the cut in St. Louis.
  • Cardinals third base coach Jose Oquendo will be taking a medical leave of absence to recover from offseason knee surgery, the club told reporters today (including Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch).  Manager Mike Matheny said the Cards are preparing as if Oquendo will miss the entire season, and several members of the St. Louis coaching staff have shuffled positions.
  • The Reds have some decisions to make before Opening Day, as C. Trent Rosecrans and Zach Buchanan of the Cincinnati Enquirer project the club’s 25-man roster.
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Chicago Cubs Cincinnati Reds Milwaukee Brewers Pittsburgh Pirates St. Louis Cardinals Cory Luebke Eric Young, Jr. Jeff Samardzija Josmil Pinto Will Middlebrooks

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NL Central Notes: Bailey, Smith, Jones, Braun, Victorino, Luebke

By Jeff Todd | March 25, 2016 at 6:01pm CDT

Reds righty Homer Bailey is progressing rapidly in his effort to return from Tommy John surgery, MLB.com’s Barry Bloom writes. The club is targeting a May 1 return, which would be less than a year from the date of his procedure. Manager Bryan Price actually suggested that Bailey could have been ready for the start of the season, but the organization chose not to “push him.” The right represents an important bounceback player to watch, given his huge contract. He says that recovery has been “smoother” than he anticipated and that he’s yet to experience discomfort throwing.

Here’s more from the NL Central:

  • There was plenty of news out of Brewers camp today, as Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel reports. Top reliever Will Smith is experiencing knee swelling and could miss the start of the season. That would leave Jeremy Jeffress as the obvious choice to handle the 9th while Smith works back to full speed.
  • Brewers Rule 5 pick Zack Jones has had shoulder issues all spring long and is going to start out on the DL. That could actually make it easier to keep him, as the team can bring him along slowly and give him some minor league time on a rehab assignment before exposing him to the majors.
  • The lower back soreness experienced recently by Brewers outfielder Ryan Braun appears to be an increasing concern. Manager Craig Counsell suggested that the team will exercise caution, but doesn’t expect the problem to disappear in the next few days. “We may have to manage this into the season,” said Counsell. “That’s becoming apparent now.”
  • Outfielder Shane Victorino discussed his status with the Cubs with Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. It appears he’s still deciding whether to remain in the organization, but doesn’t seem inclined to retire. “I just still want to play the game I love,” Victorino said. “We all want to do that forever, but this time I really felt like I had made a turn for the better this offseason, going back to switch-hitting.” He added that he wouldn’t hesitate to call it quits if he felt otherwise, saying: “I am my hardest critic, so if I feel like I am done, no one would need to make that decision for me.”
  • Pirates lefty Cory Luebke has an opt-out date of Tuesday the 29th, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports tweets. That’ll be an interesting situation to monitor, as Luebke has reportedly been fairly impressive in camp — as we covered last night.
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MLBTR Podcast: John Baker Joins From Cubs’ Camp

By Cray Allred | March 24, 2016 at 11:30pm CDT

Former big league catcher John Baker joins the show to discuss his new role with the Cubs organization. Among the topics covered are the special vibe in camp and the organization’s supremely talented young backstops. Having recently written a piece for MLBTR describing the sense of anticipation as camp approaches, John also discusses what it’s like to be a player battling for a roster spot as camp draws to a close.

Also, MLBTR’s Tim Dierkes hops on the line to dig into his first power rankings for the next class of free agents. Tim and host Jeff Todd exchange thoughts on players like Stephen Strasburg, Carlos Gomez, Yoenis Cespedes, and more as the 2016 campaign nears its start.

Click here to subscribe to the podcast on iTunes, and please leave a review! The podcast is also available via Stitcher at this link.

The MLB Trade Rumors Podcast runs weekly on Thursday afternoons.

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Shane Victorino Won’t Make Cubs’ Roster, Mulling Rehab Offer

By Jeff Todd | March 24, 2016 at 6:02pm CDT

Cubs manager Joe Maddon announced today that outfielder Shane Victorino will not be on the Opening Day roster, as ESPNChicago.com’s Jesse Rogers was among those to report on Twitter. As an Article XX(B) free agent, he’d have posed a $100K retention bonus question to the club in just a few days’ time.

It appears that Chicago has offered Victorino an alternative arrangement, as MLB.com’s Carrie Muskat tweets. He is still considering the new deal, pursuant to which he’d rehab his ailing calf before reporting to Triple-A in hopes of earning a major league opportunity.

It’s not entirely clear whether a new contract is being contemplated or whether the veteran would be given his retention bonus (and an automatic June 1st opt-out date). Implicitly, it seems, he could instead elect to look for another organization on the open market.

Victorino, 35, signed on with the Cubs on a minor league deal in late February. He’s managed only ten plate appearances this spring, and already seemed to face an uphill battle to crack a roster full of outfield options. Long a sturdy regular, Victorino posted a meager .230/.308/.292 batting line in just 204 plate appearances last season — by far his worst output since he established himself in the majors back in 2006.

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Orioles Acquire Edgar Olmos

By Jeff Todd | March 24, 2016 at 3:13pm CDT

The Orioles have acquired lefty Edgar Olmos from the Cubs, per a Baltimore announcement. Chicago will receive a player to be named later in the swap.

Olmos will join just-signed southpaw Zach Phillips in the mix to fill in for injured reliever Brian Matusz. Baltimore gave Phillips a 40-man spot, but will be able to hold onto Olmos without committing to him on the major league roster since he was previously outrighted by Chicago.

Baltimore has obviously been intrigued with Olmos before, as he was briefly a member of the organization before the Cubs claimed him off waivers. Soon to turn 26, the former third-round draft pick only has minimal major league experience but posted a 3.55 ERA with 9.3 K/9 against 3.5 BB/9 in 33 Triple-A innings last year.

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NL Central Notes: Lucroy, Bruce, Schwarber, Pirates

By Mark Polishuk | March 24, 2016 at 8:48am CDT

Here’s the latest from around the NL Central…

  • The Brewers were talking with the Astros and Braves about a three-team trade involving Jonathan Lucroy last month, USA Today’s Bob Nightengale reports.  Houston made an attempt at Lucroy earlier in the offseason, as previously reported by FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal, and the club has also been linked to Braves center fielder Ender Inciarte.  This isn’t to say that Inciarte was also necessarily part of this three-team proposal, of course, as Atlanta’s role in the trade could’ve taken any number of forms.
  • Lucroy has been the subject of many trade rumors this winter, to the point that he and his family don’t have living arrangements in Milwaukee settled yet since he presumed he was going to be dealt.  “It’s all out of your control. But communication is a big thing. I’d like to be kept up to date what’s going on. It’s not like I’m going to spread it all around, I just want to know when it’s coming, when to expect it,” the longtime Brewers catcher said.
  • Also from Nightengale’s piece, he notes that the Reds were willing to pay roughly $8MM of Jay Bruce’s $12.5MM salary as part of the abandoned three-team trade that would’ve sent Bruce to the Blue Jays, Michael Saunders to the Angels and prospects to Cincinnati.  It was expected that the Reds would have to eat some money in any Bruce deal, given that the outfielder is coming off two consecutive subpar seasons.  Saunders is making $2.9MM in 2016, so adding Bruce would’ve cost Toronto around $1.6MM in extra salary (not counting the $1MM buyout of Bruce’s $13MM club option for 2017).
  • Like Lucroy, Bruce is also rather surprised to still be with his original team given all of the trade speculation.  He reiterated that he would prefer to stay with the Reds, and blames his recent “pretty poor” play for threatening his long-term future in Cincinnati.  (Though it could be argued that if Bruce had been hitting more, the Reds would’ve been able to move him sooner.)  “In order for me to have a chance to stay here, I need to play better.  We’ll see what happens.  I never changed my sentiment, wanting to be part of this for the long haul….But obviously, I have to do my part to even have a chance,” Bruce said.
  • Kyle Schwarber could be a personal catcher for Jason Hammel this season, CSN Chicago’s Patrick Mooney writes, as the Cubs are looking for ways to get Schwarber’s bat into the lineup whenever possible.  Schwarber’s defensive future has been the subject of much debate, as he’s scheduled to see most of his playing time in left field this year even though his fielding prowess is still a question mark.  It’s also unclear if Schwarber can handle being a regular catcher, though with Miguel Montero and David Ross ahead of him on Chicago’s catching depth chart, he could be eased into the position for just Hammel’s starts.  Being removed from too much grind behind the plate could actually benefit Schwarber, Mooney notes, by helping him stay healthy.
  • The Pirates hired James Harris as a special assistant to baseball operations in February, and Travis Sawchik of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review examines how the hiring is an example of how the Bucs are willing to look outside of baseball for ways to build their organization.  Harris specializes in fitness and nutrition techniques and he has spent much of his career in football, including the last decade working with Chip Kelly both at the University of Oregon and with the NFL’s Eagles.  Harris’ lack of baseball experience wasn’t a big factor for Pirates GM Neal Huntington, as the goal for any athlete is about “maximizing performance.  How do we help this player get better every day and perform as consistently as possible?“
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NL Central Notes: Cubs, Pirates, Brewers, Reds

By Zachary Links | March 22, 2016 at 8:30pm CDT

No team will fret over having too much in the way of talent, but Phil Rogers of MLB.com wonders if the Cubs’ depth could stifle the growth of Javier Baez and Jorge Soler.  In the case of Baez, manager Joe Maddon believes that he can get enough work in as a utility player.  Overall, Maddon is grateful to have such strong insurance against injuries.

“It’s obvious just by making the daily lineups now,” he said on Sunday. “When you give guys a day off playing but the team that goes to play that day is pretty thick still. That’s what has hit home with me. … The depth is really intriguing. You need that to be successful during the course of a long season. You’re going to have things happen. No question.”

Here’s more out of the NL Central:

  • Stephen J. Nesbitt of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette took on the tough task of predicting the Pirates’ Opening Day roster.  His projections do not include outfielder Matt Joyce, who was brought in on a minor-league deal this offseason.  Nesbitt’s writes that his projections could be thrown off by a few factors, including the possibility that Michael Morse is moved in anticipation of Jung Ho Kang’s return.
  • Brewers left-hander Sean Nolin won’t be ready for Opening Day and that could have roster implications for Milwaukee, as Tom Haudricourt of the Journal-Sentinel writes.  As Nolin deals with his elbow issue, only two lefties – Chris Capuano and Franklin Morales – are left vying for spots and both were brought in on minor league deals.  Those two southpaws plus reliever Blaine Boyer have opt out clauses in their contracts that could spring them from their deals before Opening Day.
  • Nolin is out-of-options, but his elbow issue likely will buy the Brewers time in making a decision on him, Haudricourt tweets.  Nolin is likely destined for the DL.
  • J.J. Hoover is likely to be the Reds’ closer and manager Bryan Price says he would “definitely” be the choice if the season started now, Mark Sheldon of MLB.com writes.  Hoover, who won his arbitration case against the Reds this offseason, could help his arb case next offseason if he can rack up saves.
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