Cubs Rumors

Heyman On Holliday, Red Sox, Pedro, Bradley

By Tim Dierkes | September 4, 2009 at 1:43pm CDT

Heyman covers numerous examples of National League GMs mining the American League scrap heap.
Heyman agrees with Jayson Stark's note yesterday, that the Yankees will allow Derek Jeter to enter his walk year unsigned and worry about it after the 2010 season.
The Cardinals will try hard to retain Matt Holliday, but Heyman believes the Yankees, Mets, and Red Sox could be in the mix for the slugger.
Heyman discusses future shortstop possibilities for the Red Sox – they could retain Alex Gonzalez or go after Marco Scutaro. He says they "don't seem anxious" to bring Orlando Cabrera back.
Pedro Martinez is looking good, and Heyman says only the Phillies and Rangers had real interest. The Cubs and Brewers were on the fringes.
Heyman talked to two GMs about the Cubs and Milton Bradley. One thought the Cubs could unload him by eating half his remaining $21MM; another thought they'd need to assume almost all the money. I am not a Bradley apologist; he's certainly been a distraction. But how would subtracting a .394 OBP make the Cubs' middling offense better?

Cubs Acquire Thomas Diamond

By Tim Dierkes | September 4, 2009 at 1:32pm CDT

1:32pm: The Cubs confirmed the acquisition via a press release. Diamond was simply claimed off waivers from the Rangers. He'll head to Triple A Iowa.

12:23pm: The Cubs acquired righty Thomas Diamond from the Rangers, MLBTR has learned. Diamond, the 10th overall pick in the 2004 draft, was designated for assignment Tuesday by Texas. He had Tommy John surgery in '07, and has struggled with his control since. Diamond has worked as a reliever most of this year.

Cubs assistant GM Randy Bush coached Diamond at the University of New Orleans, by the way.

Odds & Ends: Johnson, Peavy, Nelson

By Tim Dierkes | September 3, 2009 at 4:52pm CDT

Links for Thursday…

Pitching prospect Steve Johnson, part of the trade that sent George Sherrill to the Dodgers, found out about the deal via MLB Trade Rumors. Very cool! Tom Sedlacek of the Bowie Baysox did the interview with Johnson.
MLB.com's Scott Merkin has comments from Jake Peavy about the failed Cubs trade and the two White Sox trades.
Rays reliever Joe Nelson cleared waivers and accepted a minor league assignment, according to Marc Lancaster of the Tampa Tribune.
The Phillies designated pitcher Steven Register and catcher Joel Naughton for assignment, according to David Murphy of the Philadelphia Daily News.

Odds And Ends: Grabow, Brewers, Blue Jays

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | September 3, 2009 at 10:54am CDT

Time for another round of links…

John Grabow tells Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times that he enjoys playing for the Cubs and likes the city of Chicago. Grabow, who becomes a free agent after the season, sounds open to re-signing with the Cubs.
Manager Ken Macha thinks the Brewers could use some power arms, according to Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Tyler Hissey of Around the Majors argues that the J.D. Drew contract- $70MM over five years- isn't quite as bad as people think.
Jays GM J.P. Ricciardi tells Mark Zwolinski of the Toronto Star that he takes full responsibility for the Blue Jays' disappointing play. The club has faded steadily since its 27-14 start.

Hendry Noncommittal On Harden’s Future

By Tim Dierkes | September 1, 2009 at 9:45am CDT

Cubs starter Rich Harden has piled up 152 strikeouts in 129 innings this year, and doesn't turn 28 until November 30th. With a strong, healthy September, the oft-injured righty could be a hot commodity on the free agent market after the season. Will the Cubs attempt to re-sign him? Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times couldn't get much out of GM Jim Hendry, who has to sort through Harden's health outlook and contract demands, as well as his team's ownership situation. Wittenmyer says Hendry "seems interested in the idea" of bringing Harden back, and the pitcher would like to stay.

At the least, it'd make sense for the Cubs to offer arbitration to Harden after the season. He currently projects as a Type A free agent, meaning the Cubs would snag two draft picks if he rejects an arb offer to sign elsewhere. Arb offers are not always obvious to predict, however – I was surprised last year when GMs chose not to make offers to players such as Bobby Abreu, Pat Burrell, Adam Dunn, Randy Wolf, and Kerry Wood (several of those decisions showed excellent foresight).

As for the Twins' recent waiver claim of Harden, Hendry called it a non-story. A dozen Cubs were claimed on waivers and pulled back, Aaron Heilman also among them. What's surprising to me is that no NL team thought Harden merited a claim.

Rich Harden Rumors: Sunday

By Nat Boyle | August 30, 2009 at 8:26pm CDT

8:26pm: Count Phil Rogers of the Chicago Tribune among those who believe a trade will get done by Monday's deadline: "The guess here," Rogers writes, "is that Twins GM Bill Smith is going to wake up on Monday, consider how catchable the Detroit Tigers remain, and pay the price." The Twinkies currently stand 65-65 — 4.5 games back of Detroit in the AL Central.

12:57pm: Joe Christensen says "doubts have emerged" about the Twins completing a trade with the Cubs for Rich Harden. Christensen quotes sources who say "the Cubs had yet to open a window for the Twins to negotiate a long-term deal with Harden." Twins officials have yet to confirm or deny that they were the team that claimed Harden.

Christensen notes the Twins would deal for Harden even without a long-term extension given Harden will be a Type A free agent.

Perrotto’s Latest: Twins, Damon, Franklin, Penny, Dye

By Nat Boyle | August 30, 2009 at 12:08pm CDT

John Perrotto of Baseball Prospectus brings us his latest from around the leagues:

When they come off the DL, Francisco Liriano and Glen Perkins will be used in relief. So, the Twins are hoping to add a starter who can pitch in the playoffs. This means they have until tomorrow at midnight to do so.
The Yankees would like to re-sign Johnny Damon to a one year deal and give Austin Jackson a second year to develop at Triple-A, while pursuing Matt Holliday and Jason Bay in the offseason.
The Marlins and Giants are frontrunners to land Brad Penny.
The Cardinals expect to exercise Ryan Franklin’s $2.75MM club option and then sign an extension with their closer for 2011.
The Royals want to extend G.M. Dayton Moore who is signed through 2010.
Perrotto says the Cubs are likely to deal Milton Bradley this winter, even if it means eating a large portion of the $21MM owed to him through 2011.
Jermaine Dye will more than likely not see his $12MM option exercised by the White Sox after a dip in production in tandem with the salary demands of Alex Rios and Jake Peavy.
For the postseason, the Dodgers are seeking “a left-handed bat with power” for their bench.
The Nats are auditioning Livan Hernandez as a veteran innings eater for 2010.
The Diamondbacks may non-tender Conor Jackson.
Brewers manager Ken Macha said G.M. Doug Melvin “scoured the area for pitching” before the deadline but was unable to add a starter because he refused to trade Mat Gamel or Alcides Escobar.
After making seven trades this year, the Pirates are the youngest team in the MLB.

Rosenthal’s Full Count Video: Penny, Harden, Lidge

By Mike Axisa | August 29, 2009 at 5:21pm CDT

Rumor machine Ken Rosenthal has a new Full Count Video up at FoxSports.com. Let's dive on in…

The outcome of this weekend's games could determine which team the recently released Brad Penny signs with. The Giants and Marlins are the two teams pursuing him the most, but the Giants are in a better position in the NL Wildcard standings.
The Yankees, Twins, and A's are also expressing interest in the righthander, but "what pitcher in his right mind would want to stay in the American League?"
The A's and Padres have even "floated the idea" of signing Penny beyond the rest of this season, but Penny's best bet might be to go to a team like the Giants and reestablish himself in a pennant race, then go back into the free agent pool this winter on a high note.
The Cubs are more open to dealing Rich Harden to the Twins than you might think. The Cubs could receive two high draft picks if they offer Harden arbitration after the season and he signs elsewhere, but that's a risky strategy. Given his injury history, the club might not want to take a $10MM or so hit if he accepts, even for only one year.
The bigger question with Harden may be how aggressive the Twins will be in trying to deal for him. Remember that stars Justin Morneau and Joe Nathan have said the team needs more to contend, with Morneau mentioning that the team needs to impress Joe Mauer since he's due to become a free agent after next season.
Yes, the Yankees were messing with the Red Sox when they claimed Chris Carter off waivers, but Boston's 40-man roster only has 38 players on it at the moment. Daisuke Matsuzaka will assume one of those spots when he comes off the 60-day DL, and the other is reserved for Paul Byrd.
People might need to relax when it comes to Brad Lidge's struggles. His recent blown save against the Pirates might be the result of overuse, as Lidge was pitching for the fourth straight day. He had done it twice before this season, but he entered game three of that stretch with a four-run lead. Manager Charlie Manuel may need to be more careful with how he uses his closer down the stretch.

Cubs Rumors: Harden, Heilman, Bradley

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | August 29, 2009 at 4:02pm CDT

SATURDAY, 4:02pm: Ken Rosenthal said during a segment on FOX Saturday Baseball that a deal between the Twins and Cubs for right-hander Rich Harden could indeed happen.

Rosenthal made a couple of valid points: First, Harden is an impending free agent and the Cubs could always re-sign him in the winter. Second, Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau have been pining for help and would be more inclined to sign long-term deals if Minnesota management shows a desire to win this season.

FRIDAY, 4:12pm: ESPNChicago.com's Bruce Levine reports that the Twins were in fact awarded the claim on Harden, and that the Giants were awarded the claim on Heilman.

9:03am: Rich Harden and Aaron Heilman were claimed on waivers yesterday, but that doesn't mean the Cubs are about to trade either pitcher away. Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times hears that the Cubs hadn't even been contacted by the claiming teams as of late last night. Even if those teams do contact the Cubs, there's no guarantee that GM Jim Hendry would decide to deal either player.

The Cubs might be more open to moving Milton Bradley, but who would have interest? Wittenmyer considers the possibilities and concludes that the Blue Jays and Royals may be fits if the Cubs are willing to take on some of the $21MM remaining on Bradley's deal. It's been a disappointing season for Bradley, but he has still managed a .387 OBP.

Odds & Ends: Twins, Astros, Magglio

By Eddie Schmid | August 29, 2009 at 11:37am CDT

Some links for the morning:

Richard Justice at the Houston Chronicle has a laundry list of ways to make the Astros a more interesting team, including making Jeff Bagwell the manager for the rest of the season.
Bob Dutton at the Kansas City Star says sources have confirmed discussions involving an extension for GM Dayton Moore, but they caution that nothing is imminent just yet.
Kelly Thesier at MLB.com gets Twins anchor Joe Nathan's take on the team's recent flurry of moves.
With the recent claims on Rich Harden and Aaron Heilman, Toni Ginnetti at the Chicago Sun-Times gives a rundown of the decisions ahead for Cubs GM Jim Hendry.
The Tigers have a decision to make on the future of Magglio Ordonez, whose 2010 option vests with just around 50 more plate appearances this year. Tom Gage at the Detroit News says that it appears the team will let the $18MM option exercise itself, and discusses the ramifications and reasoning.
George Steinbrenner is on the verge of being sued by one Bob Gutkowski, who claims he came up with the idea for the YES Network, reports Richard Sandomir at the New York Times.

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