Cubs Rumors

Odds & Ends: Kouzmanoff, Taguchi, Draft

By Zachary Links | January 16, 2010 at 10:08pm CDT

Some links on this frosty Saturday night…

Nick Piecoro of The Arizona Republic spoke to Diamondbacks general manager Josh Byrnes, who took full responsibility for Eric Byrnes' three-year, $30MM contract. Arizona designated Byrnes for assignment on Friday.
The Rays have four remaining arbitration-eligible players in Jason Bartlett, Matt Garza, J.P. Howell, and B.J. Upton. The club will stick with their policy of cutting off negotiations after exchanging figures, which happens at noon on Tuesday, writes Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times. Tampa Bay does this to try to bring about a settlement and to avoid settling at an artificial midpoint between the two figures.
Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com isn't terribly upset that the O's weren't the club to land Kevin Kouzmanoff. Kubatko understands frustrations over the Orioles' lack of production at third, but notes that the 28-year-old's offensive production was nothing to write home about in 2009. Kouzmanoff hit .255/.302/.420 with 18 HRs for the Padres last season.
As we heard earlier today, a committee is being formed to work on changes to the amateur draft. The committee will look into making the draft worldwide and instituting a slotting system. Mike Axisa of River Ave. Blues doesn't see any changes being made until after 2011, when the collective bargaining agreement expires.
The Orix Buffaloes are close to signing So Taguchi, according to a report from Sponichi passed along by Patrick Newman of NPB Tracker (via Twitter). The 40-year-old emerged with the Cubs at the end of last season, making 12 plate appearances in six games.

Ben Sheets To Throw For Teams Tuesday

By Tim Dierkes | January 16, 2010 at 8:31pm CDT

SATURDAY, 8:31pm: The Mets will be in attendance when Sheets throws on Tuesday, according to Ed Price of Fanhouse.com (via Twitter).

Earlier today, Cardinals GM John Mozeliak confirmed to fans and reporters that the club will be in Monroe, Louisiana to watch Sheets as well.

FRIDAY, 4:36pm: Brewers GM Doug Melvin tells Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that the Brewers will watch Sheets next week. Haudricourt suggests the Brewers are just being dilligent.

1:33pm: The Dodgers will watch Sheets pitch, according to Dylan Hernandez of the LA Times (via Twitter).

11:42am: The Angels could use Sheets, but will they watch him throw? "Not at this time," GM Tony Reagins tells Bill Shaikin of the LA Times.

8:40am: Cardinals GM John Mozeliak tells Rob Rains of the St. Louis Globe-Democrat that the Cards will "likely" watch Sheets throw.

MLB.com's Jordan Bastian adds the Blue Jays to the list of interested teams.

THURSDAY, 1:52pm: The Rangers will be in attendance on Tuesday, writes MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan. Sheets and Rich Harden would be a high-upside, high-injury risk pair of rotation additions.

Five Teams Pursuing Jose Contreras

By Tim Dierkes | January 14, 2010 at 2:04pm CDT

At least five teams - the Cubs, Cardinals, Rockies, Phillies, and Padres - are named as suitors for free agent righty Jose Contreras in a tweet from Newsday's Ken Davidoff.

Perhaps Contreras' stuff will play up in the NL. The 38-year-old posted a 7.2 K/9, 3.6 BB/9, and 4.92 ERA in 131.6 innings for the White Sox and Rockies last year. He whiffed a batter per inning in his Rockies stint, though we shouldn't read into 17 innings. Contreras averaged 92 mph on his fastball last year, so it appears something is left in the tank. Swingman candidate D.J. Carrasco just got a $950K minor league deal with the Pirates; maybe Contreras will sign a similar deal.

Tigers In Lead For Jose Valverde

By Tim Dierkes | January 13, 2010 at 4:21pm CDT

4:21pm: In a chat today, Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch says he's been told the Cardinals are "not actively involved" on Valverde.

12:53pm: The Tigers are believed to have the biggest offer out to free agent reliever Jose Valverde, reports Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. The sides are not close to a deal, however. Morosi adds that the Cubs are not interested, but the Cardinals "could emerge as a suitor." Just depends on if they want to put most of their $6-7MM in one basket, I'd say. Yahoo's Tim Brown tweets that Valverde has offers from the Tigers, Cardinals, and one other team.

Last night on Twitter, Jim Bowden had this to say:

[Tigers GM] Dave Dombrowski told me tonight they are focusing on the back end of the bullpen and did not deny an offer to Valverde and a willingness to lose their #1 pick.

MLBTR's Ben Nicholson-Smith ran through the draft picks that would be at stake in a post Sunday. The Tigers would surrender the #19 overall pick to the Astros, while the Cardinals would have to part with #25. Ben noted that the Red Sox have not been connected to Valverde but they'd only have to give up the #107 overall pick.

Odds & Ends: Giants, Yost, Red Sox, Blue Jays

By Tim Dierkes | January 13, 2010 at 1:26pm CDT

Wednesday linkage…

It appears that the Yankees added pitcher Zack Segovia on a minor league deal, writes Chad Jennings of The Journal News.
Reed Johnson is still in the mix for the Cubs' fourth outfielder job, assistant GM Randy Bush told Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune.
Andrew Baggarly of the San Jose Mercury News passes along a comment from Giants GM Brian Sabean: someone will be designated for assignment to make room for Aubrey Huff. CSNBayArea.com's Mychael Urban says it won't be Fred Lewis, but Lewis is probably done with the Giants anyway.
The Royals named former Brewers manager Ned Yost special advisor to baseball operations, according to a team press release.
John Dewan of Baseball Info Solutions suggests the Red Sox could add eight or nine wins via their defensive improvements (hat tip to Alex Speier of WEEI). In an article for ESPN, Dave Cameron says the Red Sox "have traded on-base percentage for ultimate zone ratings."
Rany Jazayerli says the Royals' move for Scott Podsednik "wasn't a good signing, but it's not worth getting worked up over either."
Bernardo Fallas of the Houston Chronicle suggests Drayton McLane's $650MM asking price for the Astros "might make it difficult for him to find a buyer."
Joe Pawlikowski of River Ave. Blues assesses possible Yankees target Xavier Nady.
Jack Moore of FanGraphs likes the Ryan Church signing for the Pirates.
MLB.com's Jordan Bastian writes that the Blue Jays signed pitcher Willie Collazo, infielder Jesus Merchan, and outfielder Jorge Padilla to minor league deals.
Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports reiterates the Cubs' interest in Kiko Calero, but guesses the team's interest "is probably contingent" on the health of the reliever's shoulder.
Brett Myers intends to "stick it" to the Phillies, according to the AP. How dare they pay him over $30MM and stick by him through domestic abuse charges.

Cubs To Make Run At Sheets

By Howard Megdal | January 12, 2010 at 11:52am CDT

TUESDAY, 11:50am: MLB.com's Carrie Muskat tweets that Cubs officials say Sheets' current asking price does not fit their budget. Sheets' agent Casey Close could stand to do a better job controlling the information on his client, because the reports of a $10-12MM demand make him look bad. Muskat says the Cubs are still looking for right-handed relief.

MONDAY, 8:58pm: As Ken Rosenthal guessed last week, the Chicago Cubs are set to make a run at free agent pitcher Ben Sheets, the Chicago Tribune's Paul Sullivan reports.

According to Sullivan, Cubs GM Jim Hendry contacted Sheets' agent during the Winter Meetings. Sheets is reportedly asking for two years and a guaranteed $10-12MM per year, though the Cubs believe "they have a good shot at landing him with an incentive-laden deal." MetsBlog's Matthew Cerrone believes Sheets is aiming for a second-year player option.

Sullivan sees Sheets slotting in nicely in front of Carlos Zambrano, Ryan Dempster and Ted Lilly in the Chicago rotation, with Randy Wells and newly-acquired Carlos Silva also serving as starting options. With Lilly coming off of arthroscopic shoulder surgery, and little recent success from Silva, it is hard to imagine the Cubs want to roll the dice with Sheets. However, they did acquire Rich Harden in July 2008, so high-risk, high-reward pitchers may just be how the Cubs roll.

Tim Dierkes contributed to this post.

Odds & Ends: Maddux, Valverde, Davis, Felix

By Tim Dierkes | January 11, 2010 at 2:03pm CDT

Links for Monday…

Press release: Greg Maddux has joined the Cubs as an assistant to GM Jim Hendry. He'll work with the coaching staffs as well as baseball operations. Click here for the official story.
Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports says the Diamondbacks' interest in Jose Valverde has cooled. The Tigers made an offer, the magnitude of which is unknown.
Morosi says the Indians are not engaged in trade talks for Jhonny Peralta.
ESPN's Keith Law praises the Reds for adding a pitcher with huge upside in Aroldis Chapman. He also points out that MLB's current draft setup "screws American-born players."
David Coleman of The Crawfish Boxes says the Astros drew a line when they designated Julio Lugo for assignment in '03 following domestic violence charges, making their Brett Myers signing seem hypocritical.
Free agent lefty Doug Davis is interested in joining the Nationals, reports MLB.com's Bill Ladson, but Davis was told the Nats are more focused on adding a second baseman. Davis acknowledged, "Things are kind of going slow for me because I'm fifth or sixth down the line [when it comes to] starting pitching."
Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times talks about the Mariners' need to sign Felix Hernandez long-term before the season begins.
Grant Brisbee of McCovey Chronicles evaluates the Giants' Aubrey Huff signing.
MLB.com's Doug Miller discusses new defensive stats with experts and team officials.

Cubs Sign Bryan LaHair To A Minor League Deal

By Mike Axisa | January 9, 2010 at 10:42am CDT

The Cubs have signed first baseman Bryan LaHair to a minor league contract with an invite to Spring Training, reports Jon Paul Morosi of FoxSports.com.

LaHair, 27, received 150 plate appearances with the Mariners in 2008, hitting .250/.315/.346. The lefty swinger is a career .284/.352/.480 hitter in over 1,700 Triple-A plate appearances, so he'll get a chance to show he can contribute something off the bench.

Odds & Ends: Epstein, Cards, Contracts, Greene

By Tim Dierkes | January 7, 2010 at 10:25am CDT

Links for a snowy Thursday…

MLB.com's Lyle Spencer tweets of the Dodgers' interest in Robb Quinlan for a fourth outfielder role. The Rockies and Twins are other known suitors.
Red Sox GM Theo Epstein appeared on the Toucher and Rich show this morning. He spoke about the team's offense, Adrian Gonzalez, Mike Lowell, and the "bridge period" comment; MLB.com's Ian Browne provides the transcript.
MASN's Steve Melewski says the Red Sox rescinded the contract given to reliever Bob McCrory after he failed his physical.
Tommy Rancel of DRays Bay looks at the team-friendly deals signed by Paul Cohen clients.
Cardinals manager Tony La Russa told Cam Inman of The Contra Costa Times there's a non-zero chance the team adds Mark McGwire to the player roster on August 31st.
There is currently no timetable for the Cardinals to sit down with Albert Pujols' agents, GM John Mozeliak told Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. The Cards are ready to talk when Pujols is.
Maury Brown of The Biz of Baseball is beta-testing an MLB salary database. Also of note: Cot's Baseball Contracts has joined the Baseball Prospectus family.
ESPN's Buster Olney wrote yesterday that Khalil Greene is working hard and seeks a big league deal. Greene can play shortstop or third base, and Olney sees Oakland as a potential match.
The Pirates aren't far apart with Zach Duke on his 2010 salary, writes Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Kovacevic believes Duke's $2.2MM salary could double in his second arbitration year. A multiyear deal is not in the works.
Murray Chass chronicles the blank contract Andre Dawson gave to the Cubs in the spring of '87.
Joe Pawlikowski of River Ave. Blues looks at Nick Johnson's injury history in detail.
A December 30th tweet from SI's Melissa Segura notes that Dominican lefty Victor Payano signed with the Rangers. Payano had a deal with the Red Sox in July for $900K that was voided due to shoulder concerns. Here's a video of the 16-year-old courtesy of Kiley McDaniel.

GM Trade Histories: NL Central

By Tim Dierkes | January 7, 2010 at 8:56am CDT

Brendan Bianowicz continues to update the GM Trade History series, covering the NL Central today. Click below to download Excel spreadsheets chronicling trades, free agent signings, and top draft picks for each GM.

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