Headlines

Go To Pro Hockey Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Cubs Rumors

Arbitration Eligibles: Chicago Cubs

By | at

The Cubs are next in our arbitration eligibles series…

Soto rebounded in a big way heading up to his first bout with arbitration.  He has an All-Star appearance and the Rookie of the Year award under his belt from 2008, and has a career .268 average with 54 home runs, 196 RBIs, and 153 runs in 378 games.  I think he'll fall short of Russell Martin's first-time reward of $3.9MM, but should easily top $2MM.

Marmol, working from a $2.125MM base, padded his resume with 38 saves, a 2.55 ERA, and a ridiculous 138 strikeouts.  He'll jump past $4MM.  Marshall's at $950K this year and pitched quite well in his first full season as a reliever.

Baker earned $975K this year as a utility infielder and did enough to be tendered a contract.  The Cubs will also want to keep Gorzelanny, working from an $800K salary, in the mix.

Guzman and Hill may be expendable.  Guzman had serious shoulder surgery in March, so the Cubs may not even want to pay him $825K again.  Hill continues to be a credible defensive backup catcher.  His lack of offense would keep his salary down, but the Cubs could look elsewhere.

Odds & Ends: Gross, Cubs, Dunn, Ellis, Pujols

By | at

Links for the final day of the 2010 regular season…

Cubs GM Says Zambrano Will Stay

By | at

Cubs GM Jim Hendry says that Carlos Zambrano will remain with the club next season, writes Carrie Muskat of MLB.com.  Even though the hurler said earlier this year that he would waive his no-trade clause, Hendry says that he never anticipated dealing him.

"I've never assumed that he really wanted to go," the GM said Sunday. "He earned the contract that he got. I've always assumed that he will be pitching for the Cubs. I'm glad he's righted the ship and had a really good end."

Even if Zambrano doesn't change zip codes in 2011, several Cubs could as the club may look to trim payroll.  Hendry has yet to meet with owner Tom Ricketts about 2011's budget but the GM says that he expects it to be lower than this year.  The Cubs owned the highest payroll in the National League this season.

Tightening the belt could mean that the Cubs won't be able to land a major free agent such as Adam Dunn, which Zambrano suggested that they do earlier today.  Hendry refused to comment on Big Z's suggestion, citing tampering rules.

Rosenthal’s Full Count Video: Cubs, Valentine, Dunn

By | at

Ken Rosenthal's weekly Full Count video is up over at FOX Sports; here are your highlights:

  • The Cubs would be taking a risk if they choose to wait for the Yankees' season to end to interview Joe Girardi for their managerial opening. Given that six to ten managerial openings may arise, other candidates such as Eric Wedge and Bob Melvin (who's interviewing today), as well as their internal candidates (Mike Quade and Ryne Sandberg) could find work elsewhere.
  • Boston pitching coach John Farrell's contractual clause that prevents him from interviewing for managerial openings expires this offseason. Rosenthal says he's likely to interview with at least one club. He turned down a chance to interview with the Mariners years ago, but may be a fit once again.
  • Seattle, meanwhile, is also looking at Ted Simmons, Joey Cora, and others. They ultimately may prefer someone with more experience than Farrell.
  • Unsurprisingly, the Mets will hire a new GM before a new manager. Bobby Valentine could indeed return, but everyone involved would need to determine exactly what his responsibilities would be. Wally Backman could also be a candidate to manage the Mets, but his managerial experience comes in A-ball. If hired, the team would need to put a strong coaching staff in place around him.
  • Valentine is still a candidate for the Marlins' managerial opening, as is interim manager Edwin Rodriguez, Jim Fregosi, Tim Wallach, Bo Porter, and Simmons. 
  • There's still a chance that the Nationals could sign Adam Dunn to an extension, and the two sides will speak at least once more before the slugger hits the open market. At this point Dunn would require a deal at market value to return, which Rosenthal suggests could be four years, $60MM. As bad as his defense is, several metrics rate him better than Ryan Howard and Miguel Cabrera with the glove.

Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Broxton, Zambrano, Pujols

By | at

On this date 15 years ago, the Yankees and Rockies became the first Wild Card teams in baseball history. Both were eliminated in the League Championship Series however, with the Mariners and Braves doing the honors. Nine Wild Card teams have reached the World Series since, with the Marlins (1997 & 2003), Angels (2002), and Red Sox (2004) taking home championships.

A few days before the 2010 postseason begins, let's look around the baseball blogosphere…

If you have a suggestion for this feature, Mike can be reached here

Chicago Notes: Konerko, Pierzynski, Zambrano

By | at

Both the Cubs and White Sox are playing out the string on 2010, but long-time stars from both clubs could be on the move this winter.  Here's an update on a few of them…

  • Paul Konerko talked to the media (including Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune) on Thursday about his pending free agency.  Konerko was non-committal about the idea of taking a hometown discount to remain in Chicago and said the White Sox have to make some organizational upgrades to match the division-winning Twins.  He was open to the idea of being a full-time DH, though he still wants to play first base.
  • Gonzales also notes that "there has been an assumption" that Konerko will go to the Angels to play for old colleague Mike Scioscia or to the Diamondbacks, as he lives in Arizona during the offseason.
  • Another pending White Sox free agent, A.J. Pierzynski, is more open to a return, writes Doug Padilla of ESPNChicago.com.  Padilla thinks Pierzynski could be brought back on a one-year, $4.5MM contract to give Chicago more time to polish Tyler Flowers in the minors, but you'd think Pierzynski could find a multi-year deal elsewhere.
  • Carlos Zambrano's red-hot second half (he's 7-0 with a 1.46 ERA in 10 post-All Star break starts) has been "the perfect showcase" to drum up a trade market for the right-hander, says CBSSports.com's Scott Miller.  As Miller points out, the Cubs' quest to deal Zambrano won't be easy given Zambrano's contract, but the team may be helped by the fact that the free agent starting market is short of ace-caliber pitchers aside from Cliff Lee.

Cubs Rumors: Ramirez, Dunn, Payroll

By | at

The Cubs are finishing up their first losing season since 2006; of course the focus is on next year.  The latest:

  • The Cubs "remain intent on taking a run at Joe Girardi," tweets ESPN's Buster Olney.
  • The Red Sox "have a lot of interest" in Cubs third baseman Aramis Ramirez, reported ESPN's Bruce Levine in a chat yesterday.  It is assumed Ramirez will exercise his $14.6MM player option for 2011, and the clubs would have to work around issues of a no-trade clause and an assignment bonus.  Plus, I imagine the Cubs would have to swing another trade to find someone to replace Ramirez at the hot corner.
  • Levine writes that "Adam Dunn is a top priority for the Cubs if they can afford him."  We learned last month that Dunn likes Wrigley Field and Jim Hendry, but the slugger made it clear yesterday he's tired of discussing his future.
  • Levine notes that Cubs ownership has indicated there will be a slight decrease in payroll for next year.  Hendry might have to move a current contract or two to create flexibility.
  • Cubs starter Ryan Dempster endorsed Mike Quade as manager, saying to CSNChicago's Patrick Mooney and others, "He’s done a great job and I hope that he’s here longer than just this year (and) managing for us next year because he deserves it."  Mooney also spoke to hitting coach Rudy Jaramillo, who's intent on honoring his three-year contract regardless of the team's manager changes.

Heyman On Cubs, Pettitte, V-Mart

By | at

SI's Jon Heyman leads his latest column with a look at the Cubs' managerial opening.  He feels that interim manager Mike Quade is now a real possibility, with Ryne Sandberg the other top contender.  Heyman's other info:

  • "Word around the team" is that Yankees lefty Andy Pettitte is 50-50 on whether he'll play next year.
  • Heyman passes along an unconfirmed report from a competing executive that Boston's offer to Victor Martinez was about $22MM over two years.  Martinez's former teammate C.C. Sabathia expects the catcher to sign elsewhere, as he's seeking a four-year contract.  Whatever the amount, Martinez rejected the two-year offer in August.  Martinez profiles as a highly-ranked Type A free agent, so the Red Sox might at least end up with a pair of draft picks.  Any first-rounder received will be the 19th overall pick at best.
  • Jose Reyes "expects the Mets to either pick up his $11 million option or offer him an extension," writes Heyman.  Reyes sports a .284/.322/.429 line this year and could be primed for a big 2011.

Odds & Ends: Brewers, Dodgers, Fielder, Konerko

By | at

Links for Sunday as Phil Hughes takes the mound against Boston..

Odds & Ends: Webb, Pirates, Ozzie, Pena, Mets, Lopez

By | at

Some links to check out after the Rangers clinched their first AL West title since 1999…

Show all

MLB Trade Rumors is not affiliated with Major League Baseball, MLB or MLB.com

Do not Sell or Share My Personal Information

hide arrows scroll to top