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The Latest On Marlon Byrd, John Lannan

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The Nationals did not speak to the Cubs about acquiring center fielder Marlon Byrd in exchange for left-hander John Lannan, a highly placed Nats source tells Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune. The Nats are apparently content to wait out prized prospect Bryce Harper's arrival to the Majors rather than make a trade.

Meanwhile, the Nats are not actively shopping the recently demoted Lannan, reports Sullivan, nor are the Cubs interested in acquiring him and his $5MM salary.

Byrd, for his part, says he would welcome the opportunity to rejoin the Nats — whether that be via in-season trade or offseason signing — according to Bill Ladson of MLB.com. Byrd, 34, played for the Nats in 2005-06. He's slated to hit free agency this offseason after signing a three-year pact with the Cubs prior to the 2010 campaign.

Lannan, 27, was optioned to Triple-A Syracuse toward the end of Spring Training and was not pleased about it, informing reporters via email that he'd requested to be traded.

Harper, the No. 1 overall draft pick in 2010, was under consideration to make the big league club out of Spring Training but was sent down to refine his hitting and work on his defense in center field. It'll be interesting to see whether the Nats, who are expected to be in the Wild Card(s) chase, are pleased enough with his progress to call him up, or if they eventually opt for outside help.

Outrighted To Triple-A: Luis Valbuena

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Let's keep track of the day's outright assignments right here…

  • The Cubs have outrighted Luis Valbuena to Triple-A, the team announced. Chicago claimed the 26-year-old infielder off waivers from the Blue Jays earlier this week. Valbuena hit .302/.372/.476 with 17 homers in 472 plate appearances for the Indians' Triple-A affiliate last year.

Cubs Interested In John Lannan

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The Cubs inquired about John Lannan this week, Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times reports. The Cubs had already talked to the Nationals about Lannan and another left-hander: former Cubs pitcher Tom Gorzelanny. Marlon Byrd came up in discussions between the two teams, Wittenmyer reports.

Lannan requested a trade after being optioned to the minor leagues earlier this week. GM Mike Rizzo said there's "mild" interest in the 27-year-old, but manager Davey Johnson said the Nationals are "not trading him."

Lannan posted a 3.70 ERA with 5.2 K/9 and 3.7 BB/9 in 184 2/3 innings last year. He’ll earn $5MM in 2012 and will remain under team control in 2013 (he currently projects as a non-tender candidate, however).

Outrighted: Neal, Hamren, Eveland, Rodriguez

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Teams are clearing 40-man roster space for non-roster invitees who’ve made Opening Day rosters, so we’ve had a flurry of outright assignments in recent days. Here are the details via MLB.com’s transactions page…

  • Indians outfielder Thomas Neal, who was designated for assignment yesterday, has cleared waivers, according to Jordan Bastian of MLB.com (Twitter link). The Indians outrighted him to Triple-A.
  • The Padres announced that right-hander Erik Hamren cleared outright waivers. The Padres have assigned him to Double-A and now have an open spot on their 40-man roster.
  • The Orioles announced that they outrighted left-hander Dana Eveland to Triple-A after he cleared waivers. They had designated him for assignment last week.
  • The Mets outrighted Armando Rodriguez to Binghamton after he cleared outright waivers. The right-hander pitched at Class A in 2011, posting a 3.96 ERA in 16 starts. 
  • The Cubs outrighted Frankie De La Cruz to Triple-A Iowa. They had claimed the 28-year-old right-hander off of waivers from the Brewers less than a month ago. De La Cruz spent most of last year as a starter at Triple-A, where he had a 3.88 ERA with 8.3 K/9 and 4.1 BB/9 in 137 innings.
  • The Indians outrighted Rick VandenHurk to Triple-A. They had designated him for assignment soon after claiming him on waivers.

Rays Claim John Gaub

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The Rays have claimed left-hander John Gaub off of waivers, the Cubs announced. The Cubs also announced that they placed right-hander Marcos Mateo on the 60-day disabled list to create 40-man roster space.

Gaub, 26, appeared in four games for the 2011 Cubs after spending most of the season in the minor leagues. He posted a 3.42 ERA with 12.2 K/9 and 6.5 BB/9 in 55 1/3 innings for the Cubs' Triple-A Iowa affiliate. Left-handed relievers J.P. Howell and Jake McGee made the Rays' Opening Day roster and Cesar Ramos and Alex Torres are minor league options.

Quick Hits: Lannan, Payrolls, Moyer, Eveland

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Here are some links from around the league as Wednesday turns into Thursday…

  • John Lannan requested a trade earlier tonight, but MLB.com's Bill Ladson hears the Nationals aren't close to making a deal. They've talked to at least 20 teams about the southpaw, but his $5MM salary is a sticking point. Washington wants prospects or bench players in return.
  • Unsurprisingly, the Yankees top baseball with a $197.9MM payroll according to Bob Nightengale of USA Today (Twitter links). It's their lowest payroll since 2007. The Padres bring up the rear at $53.9MM.
  • Nightengale reports (on Twitter) that Jamie Moyer will earn $1.1MM with the Rockies this season. The 49-year-old made the club after signing a minor league deal this winter.
  • Orioles GM Dan Duquette said there is no update on Dana Eveland, according to Steve Melewski of MASNSports.com (on Twitter). The left-hander was designated for assignment last week and they are still going through the process.
  • The Orioles are expected to acquire Chris Robinson, reports Melewski (on Twitter). The catcher hit .316/.345/.396 in 240 plate appearances while in the Cubs' farm system last year. He is now listed on the roster of Baltimore's Triple-A affilliate.

Cubs Claim Luis Valbuena

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2:18pm: The Cubs have claimed Valbuena, reports ESPN's Keith Law (on Twitter).

2:04pm: Luis Valbuena has been claimed off waivers from the Blue Jays by an unknown team, reports Richard Griffin of The Toronto Star (on Twitter). He is out of options.

Valbuena, 26, was traded from the Indians to the Blue Jays in November. He spent the majority of 2011 with Cleveland's Triple-A affiliate where he hit .302/.372/.476 with 17 homers in 472 plate appearances. The infielder played 194 games for the Indians' varsity squad in 2009 and 2010 and saw a good deal of time at second base.

Cubs Notes: Epstein, Jackson, Southpaws

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Here's the latest from Wrigleyville….

  • "We need more talent. We lack impact talent,” Theo Epstein told reporters (including MLB.com's Carrie Muskat) in regards to his team's minor league system.  "We have a number of interesting guys, especially at the lower levels. Every organization has interesting guys at the lower levels….We need some more impact talent and we need some guys who have the ability to break through. It'd be nice to get a breakthrough player or two this year and have someone move from that interesting prospect category to that potential impact category."
  • If the Cubs trade one of their current outfielders, there is no guarantee prospect Brett Jackson will be automatically called up to fill the spot, writes ESPN Chicago's Bruce Levine as part of an online chat with fans.  The Cubs want to make sure Jackson is "completely ready" to play in the majors, and Levine says the Cubs may also be thinking about service clock considerations.
  • The Cubs have spent the last few weeks looking to acquire a left-handed reliever, writes Levine.
  • Also from Levine, he predicts Matt Garza is looking for a five-year, $65MM contract extension akin to John Danks' new deal with the White Sox.  The Cubs said they wanted to discuss a multiyear deal with Garza during Spring Training, though there has been little news about the status of these negotiations.

Cafardo On Pelfrey, Thornton, Byrd, Gregg, Padres

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In today's column, Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe ranks every manager in the majors, one through 30.  Cafardo's top five skippers in the game for 2012 are Joe Maddon (Rays), Jim Leyland (Tigers), Mike Scioscia (Angels), Charlie Manuel (Phillies), and Joe Girardi (Yankees).  Here's more from Cafardo..

  • While the Mets were considering releasing right-hander Mike Pelfrey, they likely won’t do that because there should be a trade market for the veteran.  The 28-year-old makes $5.6MM on a non-guaranteed deal and the Mets may be able to get something from a club looking for a back-end starter.
  • White Sox left-hander Matt Thornton is a player who always draws interest, though other clubs wish he didn’t make $12MM over the next two years. With Hector Santiago and Will Ohman on the team, the closer could again be trade bait.
  • The Cubs may eat some money to move outfielder Marlon Byrd, who is scheduled to earn $6.5MM this season.  They may have suitors in the Braves, Phillies, and others.  A National League scout indicated that Byrd’s name is being mentioned more and more as the end of spring training approaches.
  • Orioles reliever Kevin Gregg is available as the O's try to rid themselves of extraneous players and save money.  Gregg makes $5.6MM this year, and the Orioles don’t want his 2013 contract to kick in at $6MM if he finishes 50 games in 2012.
  • Cafardo expects long-term extension talks between Cole Hamels and the Phillies to move slowly. 
  • One American League owner said of the Padres, "They’re probably a half-billion to $700MM purchase. And I don’t believe that many, or any, of the finalists for the Dodgers would be interested."

Cubs Looking For Bullpen Help

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The Cubs are looking for bullpen help now that right-hander Jeff Samardzija has won a spot in the rotation, reports ESPN's Buster Olney (on Twitter). Chicago recently set their rotation by optioning Travis Wood and Randy Wells to Triple-A.

Carlos Marmol and Kerry Wood make a fine end-game duo, but the rest of the Cubs' relief corps will feature guys like James Russell, Casey Coleman, and Rule 5 Draft pick Lendy Castillo. There are more clubs looking to buy bullpen depth this time of year than shop it, so it doesn't figure to be easy for the north-siders to shore up their middle relief situation.

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