Cubs To Retain GM Jim Hendry
The Cubs will hold onto general manager Jim Hendry, barring a change of thinking among the team's owners, the Ricketts family, according to Bob Nightengale of USA Today (via Twitter).
There has been plenty of speculation over the course of this season, another disappointing one for the North Siders, that this could be Hendry's last year at the helm, although it has been reported previously on several occasions that the Ricketts and Hendry have a strong relationship. Tom Ricketts, chairman and one of the owners of the Cubs, gave Hendry a vote of confidence last season.
This offseason and next will be big ones for the Cubs. Aramis Ramirez (club option), Carlos Pena, John Grabow and Kerry Wood will be free agents after this season. Carlos Zambrano, Ryan Dempster and Sean Marshall are slated to be free agents the following offseason. Alfonso Soriano, whose eight-year, $136MM deal has been a defining transaction of Hendry's tenure, is under contract through 2014.
Hendry became the GM of the Cubs in 2002, succeeding Andy MacPhail. The Cubs have reached the postseason three times under his guidance.
Cubs Place Carlos Zambrano On Disqualified List
2:56pm: The Cubs have placed Zambrano on the disqualified list, reports Sullivan (all Twitter links). Zambrano can not be with the team for 30 days and will not be paid during that time. MLB and the players' union will use the 30 days to discuss the next step, according to Gordon Wittenmyer of The Chicago Sun-Times (on Twitter).
Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reports (on Twitter) that the union will file a grievance on Zambrano's behalf, challenging the decision. Praver told Hendry that his client "is not in the retirement mode," and the GM also said he "[feels] badly about action towards Braves." He said saying that throwing at Chipper was "inappropriate."
12:52pm: Hendry and Praver have been discussing the situation and are trying to figure out "what Zambrano was actually thinking," according to Sullivan. If things are not resolved by this afternoon, Sullivan says the Cubs are likely to place the right-hander on the restricted list indefinitely. He has not filed retirement papers.
Zambrano still got paid during last year's stint on the restricted list, but the move will free up a roster spot for the Cubs.
8:34am: Carlos Zambrano gave up five home runs to the Braves in 4 1/3 innings last night, then was ejected after throwing two consecutive inside pitches to Chipper Jones. After the ejection, Zambrano cleared out his locker and told the team trainer that he was retiring, according to Paul Sullivan of The Chicago Tribune (Twitter links).
"We will respect his wishes and honor them and move forward," said GM Jim Hendry, though manager Mike Quade was understandably angry with his right-hander. "I'm really disappointed. His locker is empty. I don't know where he's at. He walked out on 24 guys that are battling their (butts) off for him. I don't know where he's gone or what he's doing. I heard he has retired, or talking about retiring … I can't have a guy walking out on 24 guys, that's for damn sure."
There are a number of reasons to be skeptical about Zambrano's retirement talk. For one, he's always been a behavioral wildcard, but more importantly, there is over $22MM left on his contract, which he'd forfeit by retiring. Zambrano is represented by Barry Praver of Praver Shapiro Sports Management, who will surely try to talk his client out of calling it quits.
The Cubs suspended Zambrano indefinitely following another tirade last June, keeping him on the shelf for a little more than a month. The team also suspended Milton Bradley for "conduct detrimental to the team" in September 2009, forcing him to sit out the rest of the year before trading him in the offseason. It seems unlikely that Zambrano will follow through on his retirement talk, but the Cubs could be so tired of his act that they'll trade him this winter no matter what the cost, similar to what they did with Bradley.
Zambrano, 30, owns a 4.82 ERA with career lows in strikeout (6.2 K/9) and ground ball (42.4%) rate this season. He is owed just over $4MM for the remainder of 2011 plus $18MM in 2012. A $19.25MM vesting option for 2014 based on Cy Young Award finishes is unlikely to kick in. Zambrano also has a full no-trade clause in his contract, but that didn't stop the Cubs from trying to unload him before the trade deadline.
Draft Notes: Meo, Braves, Blue Jays
The latest draft signings, with the deadline for deals just four days away…
- Lou Nero of Octagon Sports reports that second rounder Anthony Meo has signed with the D'Backs (Twitter link). Meo obtained an above-slot bonus of $625K, according to Callis, who notes that MLB's recommended bonus was 580K (Twitter link).
- The Marlins have signed second rounder Adam Conley, a left-handed pitcher out of Washington State, for $625K, according to Kendall Rogers of Perfect Game USA (via Twitter).
- The Athletics have signed third rounder B.A. Vollmuth, a third baseman out of Southern Miss, for $304.2K, according to Callis (via Twitter).
- The Royals have signed fifth rounder Patrick Leonard, a high school outfielder from Texas, for $600K, writes Callis. It's the highest bonus awarded to a player outside the first four rounds this year, according to Callis. The MLB commissioner's office slot recommendation for that selection, No. 156 overall, is $161K.
- The Cubs have signed seventh-rounder Trevor Gretzky, a high school first baseman out of California, for $375K, according to Callis (on Twitter). Trevor is the son of hockey great Wayne Gretzky and was a San Diego State recruit.
- The Yankees have officially signed 25th round pick Adam Smith for $157.5K, according to Callis (on Twitter). The third baseman will be converted into a right-handed pitcher.
- The Braves signed 14th round pick Navery Moore for $400K, according to Jim Callis of Baseball America (on Twitter). The Vanderbilt right-hander can throw 92-96 mph and has now obtained the second-highest known bonus after the second round so far this year.
- The Blue Jays signed 17th rounder Brady Dragmire, according to Kendall Rogers of Perfect Game USA (on Twitter).
Quick Hits: Tigers, Phillies, Soriano
Padres center fielder Cameron Maybin is starting to look like one of the top acquisitions of last offseason. He has a .279/.332/.408 line with seven homers and 29 stolen bases after today's game. Here are today's ilnks…
- Michael Rosenberg of the Detroit Free Press suggests the Tigers should be relying on younger players rather than the likes of Magglio Ordonez and Carlos Guillen.
- Yahoo's Jeff Passan says it's Justin Verlander's Cy Young Award to lose, though C.C. Sabathia and Jered Weaver can’t be ruled out yet.
- David Murphy of the Philadelphia Daily News explains that Phillies manager Charlie Manuel could use a second left-hander out of the bullpen, not that the need is that pressing.
- Mets third baseman David Wright isn't available, but the Rockies do like him, according to Troy Renck of the Denver Post (on Twitter).
- Alfonso Soriano told Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times that he thinks there's a 50-50 chance he returns to Chicago next year. The Cubs still owe him $54MM through 2014, so they'd have to eat a lot of money in any trade.
Dave Bush Elects Free Agency
Dave Bush has opted out of his minor league deal with the Cubs to become a free agent, according to Bruce Miles of the Daily Herald (on Twitter).
The Cubs signed Bush last month after Texas designated him for assignment and released him. The 31-year-old posted a 5.79 ERA with 5.5 K/9 and 2.2 BB/9 in 37 1/3 innings for the Rangers as a middle reliever and spot starter this year.
Though Bush pitched primarily out of the bullpen for the Rangers, he returned to the rotation for the Iowa Cubs. In 22 Triple-A innings, Bush posted a 6.14 ERA with 4.9 K/9 and 3.7 BB/9 before opting out of his contract.
Draft Notes: Cubs, Giants, Indians, Capps, Winkler, O’s
For the latest on which top picks have signed, check out this post on MLBTR's sidebar. Here's the latest on this year's draftees…
- The Cubs have signed fifth rounder Tayler Scott for just under $280K, tweets Callis. The high school right-hander from Arizona was committed to attend the University of Arizona, and is said to throw in the low-90's with a good breaking ball. MLB's slot recommendation was approximately $158K.
- Callis reports (on Twitter) that the Giants have signed fifth rounder Chris Marlowe for $145K, just above MLB's slot recommendation of $134K. He's a righty reliever from Oklahoma State with a big fastball.
- The Indians signed 43rd round pick Geoff Davenport for $100K, according to Jim Callis of Baseball America (on Twitter). The left-hander is recovering from Tommy John surgery.
- Mariners draft pick Carter Capps, who signed yesterday, obtained a $500K bonus, according to Jim Callis of Baseball America (on Twitter). The recommended bonus for the third rounder was $243K.
- The D'Backs have agreed to terms with tenth rounder Kyle Winkler, according to Kendall Rogers of Perfect Game USA (on Twitter).
- The Orioles agreed to terms with 42nd round right-hander Jason McCracken, according to Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun. The O's continue talking with their top picks, but nothing has changed regarding their status, according to scouting director Joe Jordan.
Zambrano, Farnsworth Placed On Waivers
The Cubs' Carlos Zambrano and the Rays' Kyle Farnsworth were among the players placed on waivers yesterday, according to MLB.com's Peter Gammons (via Twitter). Teams have 48 business hours to make a claim on either player, giving them until Tuesday. This news doesn't necessarily mean that the Cubs and Rays are looking to deal Zambrano and Farnsworth, respectively. Hundreds of players are expected to hit the waiver wire in the month of August.
Earlier this week, both players were identified as August trade candidates by MLBTR's Tim Dierkes.
2012 Vesting Options Update
Bobby Abreu's $9MM option for next season vested last weekend, so let's look around the league to see where some other players with vesting options stand…
- Rafael Furcal, Cardinals: $12MM option vests with 600 plate appearances. Injuries have limited Furcal to just 179 plate appearances this year, so this one won't be vesting.
- Jon Garland, Dodgers: $8MM option vests with 190 innings pitched. Garland is unlikely to pitch the rest of the season due to a shoulder issue, and he's only thrown 54 innings. The Dodgers won't have to worry about this one.
- Koji Uehara, Rangers: $4MM option vests with either 55 appearances or 25 games finished. Uehara has appeared in 46 games and finished 20, putting him on pace for 67 and 29, respectively.
- Arthur Rhodes, Rangers: $4MM option vests with 62 appearances and if he's not on the disabled list at the end of the season. Rhodes made 32 appearances with the Rangers before being designated for assignment earlier this week. Even if another team picks him up in short order, he's still unlikely to appear in enough games for the option to kick in.
- Joakim Soria, Royals: $6MM option vests with 55 appearances. With 47 appearances already to his credit, Soria is on pace to pitch in 68 games this year.
- Dan Wheeler, Red Sox: $3MM option vests with 65 games; increases to $3.25MM with 70 games. Wheeler has appeared in 34 games this year with a disabled list stint mixed in. He'd have to appear in 31 of the team's final 51 games for the option to vest, which seems unlikely.
Francisco Rodriguez agreed to waive his vesting option in exchange for additional compensation following the trade that sent him to the Brewers. He would have been guaranteed a $17.5MM salary for next season had he finished 55 games this year and been declared healthy by doctors.
Adam Wainwright's 2012 ($9MM) and 2013 ($12MM) options will not vest because he will finish the season on the disabled list after having Tommy John surgery. Aramis Ramirez's option depends on MVP Award finishes and whether or not he's traded, not plate appearances or another counting milestone.
Heyman On Hendry, Yankees, Astros
Jon Heyman of SI.com looks back at the Cubs' quiet weekend and reports that rival teams were surprised when the Cubs said they wouldn't move Carlos Pena, Marlon Byrd and Jeff Baker. Here are the rest of Heyman's notes from around MLB…
- GM Jim Hendry has a strong rapport with Cubs ownership, according to people connected to the Cubs.
- Yankees people don’t think Erik Bedard would last 20 minutes in New York. Red Sox GM Theo Epstein said Sunday that he’s happy to let Bedard’s arm respond to his critics.
- The Astros hired an independent scout to watch their minor league affiliates and the scout found fewer than five players who should play in the Major Leagues.
- MLB officials “seem determined” to convince the players’ association to agree to a slotting system for the amateur draft. The union doesn’t want capped bonuses, which would limit amateur players' earning power.
NL Central Notes: Garza, Astros, Brewers
The Cardinals beat the Brewers in extra innings last night, and Albert Pujols and Ryan Braun got hit by pitches in the process. Here are some NL Central links for Wednesday, before the division rivals take the field again…
- Cubs GM Jim Hendry told Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times that he's glad to have Matt Garza under team control for 2012.
- Matt Eddy of Baseball America looks back at the Astros' forays into free agency and their subsequent trades for prospects in a subscriber-only piece. It's clear, Eddy writes, that the Astros are well-positioned to land the top pick in next year's draft. Houston has an MLB-worst 36-74 record.
- The Brewers announced that they've already sold more tickets for 2011 than they did in 2010, when they drew 2,776,531 fans. More fans mean more revenue for the Brewers, who have already committed $59MM to next year's payroll.