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Cubs Rumors

Cubs, Garza Avoid Arbitration

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | February 3, 2012 at 8:52am CDT

The Cubs avoided this morning's scheduled arbitration hearing with Matt Garza, agreeing to a one-year, $9.5MM contract for 2012. Garza's agency, CAA, tweeted the news and noted that the deal includes performance bonuses.

The Cubs had offered $7.95MM and Garza had asked for $12.5MM for a midpoint of $10.225MM. As MLBTR's Arbitration Tracker shows, the Cubs have agreed to terms on 2012 contracts with all of their arbitration eligible players.

Garza, 28, posted a 3.32 ERA with 9.0 K/9 and 2.9 BB/9 in 198 innings for the Cubs last year. He's a super two player who will be arbitration eligible for a fourth and final time next offseason. I examined the possibility of an extension between Garza and the Cubs earlier this offseason.

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Chicago Cubs Transactions Matt Garza

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NL Central Notes: Garza, McGehee, Greinke, Cordero

By Mark Polishuk | February 2, 2012 at 6:17pm CDT

Cardinals legend Red Schoendienst was born on this day in 1923.  Schoendienst spent 15 seasons in St. Louis as a player and 14 more as a manager, winning a World Series in both positions (as well as another Series win as a member of the Milwaukee Braves in 1957).  Schoendienst's career was capped off when he was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1989.

Here's some news from both St. Louis and elsewhere in the NL Central…

  • The Cubs' arbitration hearing with Matt Garza is scheduled to take place tomorrow, reports Bruce Levine of ESPN Chicago.  There is a sizable gap between the two sides; Garza is asking for a salary of $12.5MM, while the Cubs are offering $7.95MM.  The result of this hearing could have an impact well beyond Chicago, as if the Cubs win the hearing, Garza's lower price tag could re-ignite trade interest in the right-hander.  
  • The Cubs unveiled plans today for a new baseball academy in the Dominican Republic.  MLB.com's Jesse Sanchez has the details.
  • The Pirates' arbitration hearing with Casey McGehee is set for February 16, reports Bill Brink of the PIttsburgh Post-Gazette.  Brink's source says the two sides are still negotiating to see if the hearing can be avoided.  MLBTR's Ben Nicholson-Smith recently looked at the arb cases for both McGehee and the other side of the Bucs' first base platoon, Garrett Jones.  
  • ESPN's Jerry Crasnick looks at Zack Greinke's decision to act as his own agent and the history of other players who have handled their own contract negotiations.  The Brewers right-hander is entering the last year of his four-year, $38MM contract but is open to the idea of signing an extension with Milwaukee.
  • The Reds "had an offer on the table" for Francisco Cordero since the end of the 2011 season, writes MLB.com's Mark Sheldon but the team wouldn't give Cordero more than a one-year contract with an option.  Cordero was holding out for a multiyear deal so the Reds signed Ryan Madson instead.  Cordero settled for a one-year, $4.5MM deal with the Blue Jays and Shelton opines that Cordero "can’t be thrilled with how his offseason turned out."
  • Beyond losing Albert Pujols, Tony La Russa and Dave Duncan, the Cardinals' quest to defend their World Series crown could be complicated by their reliance on several players with checkered injury histories, writes FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal.
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Chicago Cubs Cincinnati Reds Milwaukee Brewers Pittsburgh Pirates Casey McGehee Francisco Cordero Matt Garza Zack Greinke

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Minor Moves: Royals, Rowland-Smith, Hessman

By Mark Polishuk | February 2, 2012 at 6:10pm CDT

Some minor transactions from around the majors…

  • The Royals signed Cuban outfielder Roman Hernandez Jorrin, reports Jorge Ebro of El Nuevo Herald (Twitter link).  Hernandez Jorrin, 22, is a right-handed hitter who escaped from Cuba in November 2010.
  • The Cubs have signed Ryan Rowland-Smith to a minor league deal, tweets ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick.  The Australian southpaw compiled a 4.57 ERA and a 1.64 K/BB ratio in 362 2/3 innings with the Mariners from 2007-10.  Rowland-Smith spent last season in the Astros' minor league system, posting a 6.19 ERA in 22 games at Triple-A Oklahoma City.
  • The Astros signed Mike Hessman to a minor league contract, reports Zachary Levine of the Houston Chronicle.  The deal doesn't include an invite to the Astros' big league Spring Training camp.  Hessman has a .694 OPS in 250 career plate appearances with the Mets, Tigers and Braves on the Major League level and also has 335 career minor league homers.  The 33-year-old played for the Orix Buffaloes in Japan last season.
  • The Reds have signed right-hander Wirfin Obispo to a minor league contracts, reports Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (via Twitter).  Signed as an 18-year-old shortstop by the Red Sox in 2002, Obispo was converted to pitching by the Reds in 2004 and put up solid numbers for Cincinnati's Dominican summer league team over the next three seasons.  Obispo has since pitched in Japan, posting a 3.25 ERA, a 7.8 K/9 rate and a 3.22 K/BB ratio in 46 games (28 of them starts) with the Yomiuri Giants and the Nippon Ham Fighters.
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Chicago Cubs Cincinnati Reds Houston Astros Kansas City Royals Transactions Mike Hessman Ryan Rowland-Smith

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Cubs Sign Gerardo Concepcion

By Mark Polishuk | February 2, 2012 at 5:58pm CDT

The Cubs have signed Cuban left-hander Gerardo Concepcion to a contract, reports Jorge Ebro of El Nuevo Herald (via Twitter).  The deal is worth $7MM with incentives that could push the total to $8MM, reports Enrique Rojas of ESPN Deportes Los Angeles.  The contract will become official once Concepcion, a Jaime Torres client, passes a physical.

Concepcion, 18, established residency in Mexico in mid-January and was declared a free agent last week.  Several teams were interested in the young southpaw, including the Blue Jays, Giants, Phillies, Rangers, Red Sox, Royals, White Sox and Yankees.  Torres recently said Concepcion had received as many as 10 contract offers.

The signing is a nice win for Jed Hoyer and Theo Epstein in their quest to rebuild both the Cubs' minor league system and their Latin American scouting and development systems.  The Cubs have also been linked to two other major Cuban free agents this winter, Yoenis Cespedes and Jorge Soler.

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Chicago Cubs Transactions Gerardo Concepcion

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Quick Hits: Boras, Cespedes, Cubs

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | February 1, 2012 at 5:19pm CDT

Links for Wednesday, as we await news on the top free agent pitchers available: Edwin Jackson and Roy Oswalt…

  • Ben Lindbergh of Baseball Prospectus responded to Scott Boras' comments about the importance of a closer in MLB. Though Lindbergh confirmed Boras' assertions on a factual level, he interprets them differently than the agent and doesn’t buy the implication that good teams are good because they have good closers.
  • Though MLB was supposed to send the players' association a proposed schedule for the 2012 postseason by today, fitting two extra Wild Cards in has been more challenging than anticipated, and the deadline may not be met, ESPN.com's Jayson Stark reports. Stark explains the challenges facing commissioner Bud Selig, who hopes to add a second Wild Card team to each league in 2012.
  • Kevin Goldstein asked MLB executives about Yoenis Cespedes' ability in relation to other MLB center fielders such as Drew Stubbs and Adam Jones for a piece at Baseball Prospectus and ESPN.com.
  • Cubs president of baseball operations Theo Epstein said he's pleased to have added starting pitching depth in Chicago and explained how he's 'building' the Cubs into a contender at his recent Hot Stove Cool Music charity event, Evan Drellich of MLB.com writes. MLBTR’s Transaction Tracker offers a detailed look at Epstein’s offseason moves.
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Red Sox Notes: Compensation, Hearings, Epstein

By Tim Dierkes | February 1, 2012 at 10:48am CDT

The Red Sox haven't spent much on free agents this offseason, but new GM Ben Cherington did improve his bullpen via trade while also clearing salary by moving shortstop Marco Scutaro.  The latest on the team:

  • Commissioner Bud Selig still hasn't received written arguments in the Cubs-Red Sox Theo Epstein compensation case, tweets MLB Network's Peter Gammons.  Gammons moderated the Hot Stove Cool Music panel on Monday with both Epstein and Cherington.  Cherington said that he expects direction from the commissioner's office soon, writes Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe.  Explained Cherington, "There was an expectation when Theo left that the Red Sox would receive significant compensation for allowing the Cubs to hire him and we haven’t been able to agree on what 'significant compensation’ means.'"
  • The Red Sox have potential arbitration hearings for Alfredo Aceves and David Ortiz, and Cherington told MLB.com's Evan Drellich he'd prefer not to publicize the dates.  Ortiz's hearing is tentatively scheduled for mid-February, reported Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports yesterday.  Cherington doesn't think the potential impact of the hearings would be significant, but a $3.85MM spread on Ortiz does seem significant to me for a club that recently unloaded its starting shortstop in a trade that appeared financially motivated.
  • As part of a Sacred Heart University lecture series last night, Epstein said that in retrospect it wasn't necessary for him to leave the Red Sox for three months during the 2005-06 offseason as a means of determining what the organization stood for (WEEI's Ryan Hannable reporting).  Yankees GM Brian Cashman, now a potential trading partner for Epstein, also attended the event.  Tyler Kepner of the New York Times has quotes about the executives' observations of each other while competing in the AL East.
  • I've begun collecting lists of 40-man roster players with less than five years of service who are out of options.  For the Red Sox, I've confirmed it's Michael Bowden, Felix Doubront, Andrew Miller, Darnell McDonald, Franklin Morales, and Matt Albers.
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Boston Red Sox Chicago Cubs Theo Epstein

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Central Notes: Qualls, Luhnow, Indians

By Dan Mennella | January 31, 2012 at 11:17pm CDT

A few items to pass along from the Central divisions as Tuesday becomes Wednesday …

  • The Cubs were interested in Chad Qualls before the right-hander eventually signed with the Phillies, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports.com. As it stands now, the back end of the Cubs' bullpen features setup men Jeff Samardzija and Kerry Wood, and closer Carlos Marmol.
  • Astros GM Jeff Luhnow has begun the process of overhauling Houston's identity during a time of transition, writes Anthony Castrovince of MLB.com. Luhnow has already made several key hires toward the goal of shifting the organization's focus to a combination of better scouting and more advanced statistical analysis. A reputed ideas man, Luhnow pitched Astros ownership a 25-page plan for repairing the organization before getting the job, according to Castrovince.
  • With arbitration hearings scheduled with two players – Asdrubal Cabrera and Rafael Perez – the Indians' 20-year streak of avoiding arbitration could come to end, writes Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain-Dealer. However, Indians assistant GM Mike Chernoff told Hoynes that "both parties are clearly trying to get things done." Check out MLBTR's Arbitration Tracker to see where the Tribe stands with their arbitration eligibles. 
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Chicago Cubs Cleveland Guardians Chad Qualls

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AL East Notes: Jones, Red Sox, Yankees

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | January 31, 2012 at 8:33am CDT

On this date last year, the Rays signed Johnny Damon and Manny Ramirez to one-year deals. Damon put together a successful season in Tampa Bay, but MLB suspended Ramirez for violating its drug policy and he appeared in just five games for the Rays. Here are today's AL East links…

  • Though the Orioles have some interest in extending Adam Jones, they haven’t begun extension talks with the center fielder, the Baltimore Sun reports. Jones is one of Baltimore’s three unsigned arbitration eligible players, along with fellow CAA client Jeremy Guthrie and right-hander Brad Bergesen. MLBTR's Tim Dierkes previewed a possible Jones extension last summer.
  • Cubs president of baseball operations Theo Epstein said it seems like compensation for his departure to Chicago should be determined sometime soon, Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe reports. The commissioner’s office will determine what the Red Sox obtain from the Cubs as compensation.
  • Larry Koestler of River Ave. Blues says the Yankees should target Zack Greinke at least as much as they target Cole Hamels next offseason. Both pitchers are set to hit free agency within the year, assuming they don't sign extensions first.
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Baltimore Orioles Boston Red Sox Chicago Cubs Adam Jones

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The Latest On Yoenis Cespedes

By Mike Axisa | January 30, 2012 at 6:53pm CDT

Here's the latest on Yoenis Cespedes, who was officially declared a free agent last week…

  • "We are aware of the [Spring Training] dates," said agent Adam Katz to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (Twitter links). "We expect him to be in camp with one of the clubs." Katz also called the market for Cespedes "meaningful and aggressive."
  • The Marlins, Cubs, White Sox, Orioles, and Tigers are five of the six clubs that have been in serious talks with Cespedes, reports ESPN's Jim Bowden (Twitter links). He is expected to travel to the United States in the next 7-10 days for face-to-face meetings.
  • Baseball America's Jim Callis said he would rank Cespedes in the 7-15 range of their top 100 prospects list, and that he would take over as the top prospect of pretty much any team that signs him.
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Baltimore Orioles Chicago Cubs Chicago White Sox Detroit Tigers Miami Marlins Yoenis Cespedes

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Minor Moves: Delcarmen, Tolbert, Gonzalez

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | January 30, 2012 at 6:22pm CDT

The latest minor moves from around MLB…

  • The Yankees signed Manny Delcarmen to a minor league contract, Joel Sherman of the New York Post tweets. The right-hander, who last pitched in the Major Leagues in 2010, owns a 3.97 ERA with 7.7 K/9 and 4.2 BB/9 in 292 2/3 innings over the course of six MLB seasons. Delcarmen spent the 2011 season with the Triple-A clubs for the Rangers and Mariners.
  • The Cubs announced that they signed infielders Edgar Gonzalez and Matt Tolbert to minor league deals that include invitations to MLB Spring Training. Tolbert appeared at short, second and third for the 2011 Twins, posting a .518 OPS in 226 plate appearances. The Twins outrighted him off of their roster in October. Gonzalez, 33, picked up MLB experience with the Padres in 2008-09, but spent last year with San Francisco's top affiliate. He posted a .315/.378/.457 line in 564 Triple-A plate appearances last year.
  • The Cubs also confirmed their deals with Rodrigo Lopez, Manny Corpas, Trever Miller, Jason Jaramillo, Alfredo Amezaga, Bobby Scales and Joe Mather.
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Chicago Cubs New York Yankees Transactions Edgar Gonzalez Manny Delcarmen

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