Headlines

Go To Pro Hockey Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Cubs Rumors

Odds & Ends: Aramis, Marte, Lowe

By | at

Links for Wednesday…

  • Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune talked to Aramis Ramirez about his $14.6MM player option for 2011, and the Cubs' third baseman was noncommittal.  Other third basemen who may become free agents after the 2010 season include Garrett Atkins, Jorge Cantu, Mike Lowell, Jhonny Peralta, and Scott Rolen.
  • Former top prospect Andy Marte spoke with Indians GM Mark Shapiro about the future, according to Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer.  Shapiro told Marte to play first and third base in winter ball and show up early to Spring Training.  It was a tough year for Marte, who turns 26 in November.  He was designated for assignment to make room for Juan Salas in February, cleared waivers, raked at Triple A, and then struggled in the bigs.
  • Braves GM Frank Wren told MLB.com's Mark Bowman that Derek Lowe "pitched really well for us."  Aside from his home run rate, Lowe's numbers declined across the board this year.
  • The Nationals will improve their minor league catching depth for next year, GM Mike Rizzo told MLB.com's Bill Ladson.
  • Miguel Angel Sano is on the backburner for the Orioles, Roch Kubatko of MASN learned from team president Andy MacPhail.  MLB's inconclusive age investigation is the problem.
  • David Waldstein of the New York Times says Ramon Pena, a special assistant to Mets GM Omar Minaya, will not be back next year.  Waldstein says a scouting/player development shakeup is in order.  Adam Rubin of the New York Daily News has info on possible changes aside from Pena.
  • White Sox closer Bobby Jenks is out for the season with a calf injury.  Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times wonders about the righty's future, given a possible $7MM arbitration reward for the 2010 season.
  • Andrew Baggarly of the San Jose Mercury News notes the impending raise for Giants closer Brian Wilson, who enters his first arbitration year.  Jenks' $5.6MM salary this year will serve as a comparable, so the Giants will add around $5MM to the payroll compared to Wilson's $480K this year.
  • Braves manager Bobby Cox was not happy with the way GM Frank Wren handled the John Smoltz situation last winter, according to Yahoo's Gordon Edes.

Olney On Bradley, Jays, Wood

By | at

ESPN.com's Buster Olney hears that the Rangers probably wouldn't welcome Milton Bradley back. Here's the latest on the now-suspended outfielder, along with the rest of Olney's rumors:

  • Olney says the Cubs will likely have to eat a huge portion of Bradley's contract to move him, perhaps as much as $18-19MM. The Cubs owe the 31-year-old $21MM over the next two years.
  • The Padres may be looking for a corner outfielder this offseason, so they could have interest in Bradley.
  • Olney says baseball people presume Jays GM J.P. Ricciardi will be fired. (What do you think?) If the Jays cut ties with their GM, Cubs scouting director Tim Wilken could be a candidate to replace him.
  • Clubs expect the Indians to consider moving Kerry Wood this offseason. Cleveland is rebuilding, so they'd presumably be happy to unload his $10.5MM salary.

Odds & Ends: Mets, Bradley, Free Agents

By | at

Some links for Tuesday morning…

  • Be here at 2pm CST for today's chat.
  • Newsday's Ken Davidoff thinks Randy Wolf and Orlando Hudson are among the free agents the Mets should avoid after the season.
  • Neil Hayes of the Chicago Sun-Times says Jim Hendry's decision to sign Milton Bradley was inexcusable. The signing didn't work out, but Bradley did lead the AL in OPS last year.
  • ESPN.com's Jayson Stark reports that the MLB Players Association may file a grievance in response to the Cubs' suspension of Bradley. The volatile outfielder doesn't know if the Cubs will pay him over the course of his suspension.
  • Be sure to check out our list of 2011 free agents. These players are on track to hit free agency after next season. Joe Mauer and Derek Jeter are among the bigger names to appear on the list.
  • And here's our list of players who will hit free agency after this season. You can find both lists at the right side of the site and we'll keep them updated at all times.

Thomas Diamond Designated For Assignment

By | at

According to an MLB.com press release, the Chicago Cubs have designated right-hander Thomas Diamond for assignment.

The Cubs claimed Diamond, a 2004 first round pick, off waivers from Texas earlier this month, after he compiled a 4.20 ERA in Double-A and Triple-A. He did not make an appearance for Chicago, who designated him for assignment to make room on the active roster for outfielder Tyler Colvin.

Odds & Ends: Webb, Griffey, Hoffman

By | at

Links for Monday…

Discussion: Milton Bradley For Oliver Perez

By | at

There is no indication the Cubs and Mets have discussed swapping disappointing free agent signings Milton Bradley and Oliver Perez.  It makes for interesting discussion, however.  Joel Sherman of the New York Post even wonders if an expanded deal could include Carlos Zambrano or Luis Castillo.

Bradley's power disappeared this year en route to a .257/.378/.397 line in 473 plate appearances.  He adapted poorly to Chicago, his season ending with a team-mandated suspension for his negative comments.  Would New York be any easier?  The switch-hitting Bradley turns 32 in April and has $21MM remaining on his contract.

Perez's already-lousy control worsened to a ridiculous 7.9 walks per nine innings in his 14 starts this year.  He still piled up strikeouts, but home runs and hits were a problem as well.  His 28.3% groundball rate was among the lowest in baseball.  Perez arrived at Spring Training from the WBC out of shape, and was booted to the bullpen in May.  He dealt with a knee problem thereafter and had season-ending surgery in August.  The 28-year-old Scott Boras client has $24MM remaining on his contract.

Perez for Bradley – who says no?

Odds & Ends: A’s, Villalona, Millwood, Bradley

By | at

A few links to peruse as the Cubs and Cardinals prepare to do battle on ESPN's Sunday Night Baseball…

  • A scout told the San Francisco Chronicle's Susan Slusser last week that the A's "got smoked" on July's Scott Hairston deal.  As you may remember, Oakland sent pitchers Ryan Webb, Sean Gallagher and Craig Italiano to the Padres this summer for the 29-year-old outfielder.  An AL scout used the same terminology when speaking with Tom Krasovic about the deal earlier this month.
  • According to the Associated Press, Giants first base prospect Angel Villalona is the main suspect in the killing of a 25-year-old man in the Dominican Republic.  As Tim noted on MLBTR's Twitter feed this afternoon, "a 20 year sentence would probably affect" his prospect status.  Villalona, 19, hit .267/.306/.397 in 74 games this season at Single-A San Jose.
  • As Stephen Hawkins of the Associated Press points out, Kevin Millwood's $12MM option for 2010 will vest if he reaches 4 1/3 innings in his Monday start against the A's.
  • Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune has reaction from several Cubs regarding the suspension of teammate Milton Bradley.  "Sometimes you've just got to look in the mirror," said right-hander Ryan Dempster, "and realize that maybe the biggest part of the problem is yourself and (not) wanting to be here and play every day, and wanting to have some fun."

Perrotto’s Latest: Cubs, White Sox, Chipper, Josh Johnson

By | at

The latest from John Perrotto of Baseball Prospectus:

  • The Cubs are trying to sign John Grabow and Reed Johnson before they reach free agency.
  • Perrotto says those that know Chipper Jones believe he would actually retire after next season if he can't perform up to his standards.
  • There's a possibility the Marlins will try to deal Josh Johnson this winter even though he won't be a free agent until after 2011. Johnson is not anticipated to take a hometown discount to stay in Florida.
  • Perrotto expects Russell Branyan will re-sign with the Mariners before he reaches free agency.
  • Seems like pure speculation, but a Jake Peavy for Carlos Zambrano deal this offseason would not surprise some in Chicago.

Rosenthal’s Full Count Video: Dodgers, DeRosa, Cubs, Managers, General Managers

By | at

Ken Rosenthal of FoxSports.com has a new Full Count video up, so let's dive right on in…

  • Southpaws Randy Wolf and Clayton Kershaw are likely to start the first two games of the playoffs for the Dodgers, but Kershaw must recover from his dislocated non-throwing shoulder first. The back-to-back lefties would be a big advantage if LA played the lefthanded hitter heavy Phillies. Rosenthal also mentions that the Cardinals, despite being so righty heavy, have the second lowest team OPS (.675) against lefthanded pitchers in the National League.
  • Hiroki Kuroda would likely start game three for the Dodgers, followed by either Vicente Padilla or Jon Garland. Chad Billinglsey will likely be left out of the rotation.
  • The Cards have put their contract extension talks with Mark DeRosa on hold until the offseason, making it more likely that he'll become a free agent. The deal St. Louis originally proposed was less than the three-year, $17.5MM contract Casey Blake received as a free agent last offseason. DeRosa is a year younger now than Blake was then, but the offseason wrist surgery he is scheduled to have makes the situation cloudy.
  • The Cubs will be open to "anything and everything" this offseason, including trading Milton Bradley and/or Carlos Zambrano. Anything to improve the club, basically. However, perhaps the only way the Cubs could unload Bradley would be to take on another underachieving, overpaid player in return.
  • Zambrano has a full no-trade clause and is owed $54MM over the next three years, but he's still only 28-years-old and still incredibly talented. The free agent market for starting pitching is thin, which may work in Chicago's favor. Big Z might be appealing at the right price.
  • Ken Macha will likely remain with the Brewers, but at least four other managers are in danger of being fired. The list starts with Cecil Cooper of the Astros, and also includes Jim Riggleman of the Nationals, Dave Trembley of the Orioles, and Eric Wedge of the Indians.
  • Among general managers, Ned Colletti of the Dodgers, Brian Sabean of the Giants, and Dan O'Dowd of the Rockies are all without contracts for next year, and two of them are going to the postseason. The only GM that appears to be in jeopardy of losing his job is J.P. Ricciardi of the Blue Jays.

DeRosa Open To Returning To Cubs

By | at

You can argue that trading Mark DeRosa last offseason set the tone for the Cubs' disappointing season, as they lost not only his .800+ OPS and versatility, but his leadership and influence in the clubhouse as well. The Cubbies might have a chance to rectify that move this winter though, because according to Gordon Wittenmyer of The Chicago Sun Times, DeRosa would be willing to return to Chicago's north side.

''I would definitely listen,'' said DeRosa, who was shocked and saddened by his trade to Cleveland on New Year's Eve, six months before the Indians traded him to St. Louis.

''Obviously, my allegiance lies here [in St. Louis], but once the season's over — I have no ill feelings towards anybody over there. I enjoyed my time there. I didn't agree with the move, but I didn't have any control over it.''

DeRosa is set to have offseason wrist surgery, but he told Paul Sullivan of The Chicago Tribune that he wants to be considered a healthy player in free agency. That shouldn't surprise anyone.

"I wanted to be treated as a healthy player, and not a guy who has to go get surgery. Rickie Weeks and all these guys that have had it say it's not a big deal and they come back from it."

The Cardinals have already talked to DeRosa about a contract extension, but Sullivan says the team has decided to hold off until he has the surgery this offseason. DeRosa projects to be a Type-B free agent at the moment, and pulled in a very reasonable $5.5MM this season. Unless the Cards are really concerned about his wrist, there's no reason for them not to offer DeRosa arbitration, ensuring they'll at least walk away with a supplemental first round pick if he heads elsewhere.

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