Cubs Rumors

Some odds and ends from around the league:

• Aaron Harang had to have an emergency appendectomy and will miss the remainder of the season as a result, says Ed Price. Harang will make $10.5MM in 2010 and will pitch for a $12.75MM club option that increases to $13MM if he reaches 210 IP. It's worth noting, if the Reds trade Harang next season, the option increases to $14MM and becomes mutual. Earlier this month, John Fay suggested the Reds don't think their fans will embrace a rebuilding effort, but that the team is hamstrung by too many large contracts that have not worked out.
• Jon Paul Morosi asks whether or not Ichiro Suzuki is a Hall of Fame lock?
• Gordon Wittenmyer notes Cubs players feel Lou Piniella, who recently announced his intention to return in 2010, is the right man for the job.
• Joel Sherman doubts any decisions about bringing back Omar Minaya and Jerry Manuel have been finalized.
• The New York Times Dan Rosenheck suggests ending the draft, and perhaps an expansion and reform of revenue sharing. The article refers to the current system as a "bargain [that] has distorted the game's economics. Minor leaguers and players with less than three years of service time remain pseudoslaves." Rosenheck writes:

"A study by Erik Manning of Fangraphs.com found that the production of an average No. 1 draft pick during the 1990s was worth $51.5 million on the free-agent market, while the commissioner’s recommendation for their bonuses is $3.6 million. As a result, clubs jealously hoard their prospects, often refusing to trade them even for superstars. The massive profits extracted from these players are divided among overpaid veterans and the owners."

The piece also recommends players from the U.S. be granted the right to choose their employer, "a freedom enjoyed by their Latin American counterparts. This would not necessarily raise salaries over all but would distribute them more evenly, benefiting both the players… and the game."