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Ready for more Brian Roberts-to-the-Cubs rumors? Here’s a little speculation via Peter Schmuck of the Baltimore Sun:
Schmuck surmises that the Cubs might try to recover some of the offensive production that they lost in Mark DeRosa’s departure by once again going after Orioles second baseman Brian Roberts. The Cubs just signed Aaron Miles, who is a fine utility infielder and occasional pinch-hitter, but he’d be an offensive and defensive liability as an everyday starter.
By Tim Dierkes | at
12:44pm: Levine says the three minor league pitchers coming to Chicago for DeRosa are Jeff Stevens, Chris Archer, and John Gaub. The move feels like a salary dump – of a player whose production was worth $19.4MM this year.
A note from Bruce Miles: the Cubs’ ownership situation will have to be settled before the Cubs are able to complete a Peavy trade. Levine says the same in his post.
12:25pm: Levine and Buster Olney are saying it’s a done deal – DeRosa to the Tribe for three minor league pitchers. The Cubs have trimmed roughly $9MM from the 2009 payroll with their recent moves. Coming in: $3.5MM for Luis Vizcaino (plus another million sent in salary relief) and $2.2MM for Aaron Miles. Going out: $5.5MM for DeRosa and $9.875MM for Jason Marquis.
11:27am: According to Bruce Levine of ESPN Radio, the Indians are getting close to a deal for Mark DeRosa that would send two or three young pitchers to the Cubs. At least, that statement was attributed to him in the station’s recent SportsCenter update. Levine recently scooped the Cubs’ signing of Aaron Miles.
In his blog, Levine suggests a DeRosa match with Cleveland but does not say a deal is close. Levine considers the Cubs’ Milton Bradley signing "a done deal" and says they’ve back in the mix for Jake Peavy. Jon Heyman says Bradley seeks a three-year deal.
By Tim Dierkes | at
According to the Chicago Sun-Times, the Cubs signed infielder Aaron Miles to a two-year deal worth $4.9MM. The deal was first reported by ESPN Radio’s Bruce Levine. Speculation is that the move could allow the Cubs to trade Mark DeRosa.
Miles, 32, hit .317/.355/.398 in 408 plate appearances for the Cardinals this year while playing all around the diamond. Miles was one of the top free agent bargains of 2008 at $1.6MM.
By Tim Dierkes | at
7:28pm: Ken Rosenthal confirms what most people are saying–that this deal is close, but not yet official.
7:11pm: Bruce Miles of the Daily Herald calls the deal "possible, but not done yet." Additionally, says Miles, the deal is apparently "more in the Rockies’ hands than the Cubs’ right now."
Gordon Wittenmyer of the Sun-Times says a deal is "close," and suggests a Milton Bradley signing may be the next move for the Cubs.
6:20pm: This story has been confirmed by Troy Renck of the Denver Post.
While the deal likely won’t be official until next week, it looks like the Cubs will be paying $1MM of Marquis’ salary in 2009. That makes a net reduction of roughly $5MM in payroll for the Cubs.
4:44pm: According to ESPN’s Steve Phillips, the Cubs and Rockies are close to a swap of starter Jason Marquis for reliever Luis Vizcaino (saw it scroll across the screen on ESPN2). Marquis is set to earn $9.875MM in ’09, while Vizcaino will make $3.5MM plus a $4MM option for 2010 with a $500K buyout.
Marquis, 30, tossed 167 innings of 4.53 ball in 2008. He did roughly the same in ’07. Vizcaino, 34, posted a 5.28 ERA in 46 innings. He dealt with a strained shoulder and later expressed concerns that he didn’t pitch enough. His velocity was up from ’07 and he whiffed more than a batter per inning, but he was done in by walks and home runs. Vizcaino added a DUI to his resume in October.
By Tim Dierkes | at
4:28pm: A very Dodgers-centric day here at MLBTR. MLB.com’s Ken Gurnick reports that in addition to Dunn, the Dodgers will soon open up talks with Bobby Abreu. They’d like to move Andruw Jones or Juan Pierre if they sign an outfielder.
Gurnick adds that pitching is Ned Colletti’s priority – the Dodgers are eyeing Jon Garland, Randy Wolf, and relief help.
1:46pm: According to ESPN’s Jayson Stark, the Dodgers contacted Adam Dunn’s agent over the holidays to express interest. If the Dodgers sign Dunn, Manny Ramirez could be in a really bad place. Other teams showing interest in Dunn: the Cubs, Nationals, Mariners, and Orioles. All five teams have surfaced in prior reports, with the Brewers also getting a mention while they were mulling a Mike Cameron trade.
There was a report nine days ago stating that the Cubs are Dunn’s first choice. Today Stark puts it this way: "The Cubs had believed to be his top choice before the Dodgers entered the mix."
By Tim Dierkes | at
Troy E. Renck of the Denver Post has the latest on the Rockies’ pursuit for back-end starting pitching.
The Rox "remain firmly in the mix" for free agent Tim Redding, who also has the Mets and Orioles in pursuit. Renck suggests the Orioles’ signing of Mark Hendrickson could cause them to back off, though Jeff Zrebiec wrote today that the Orioles want to add at least two starters.
Jason Marquis is also on Colorado’s radar, but they "can’t absorb hardly any" of his $9.875MM salary. The Cubs are seemingly looking to save at least $3-4MM here. Renck adds that Josh Fogg is another possibility for the Rockies, on a minor league deal.
By Ben Jones | at
Former Cy Young Award winner Jake Peavy is likely to remain a San Diego Padre, this despite numerous trade rumors during the offseason, Tom Krasovic of the San Diego Union-Tribune reports.
Krasovic wrote that Padres general manager Kevin Towers will continue to listen to offers, though. A potential deal with the Chicago Cubs has fallen through, Krasovic added.
By Ben Nicholson-Smith | at
I’ll keep this updated as more comes in, but for now these are your Saturday links…
By Tim Dierkes | at
According to Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune, the Cubs are eyeing Japanese pitchers Ken Kadokura (righty) and Shigeki Noguchi (lefty) for bullpen roles. Sullivan says both were released by the Yomiuri Giants, and part of the Cubs’ motivation may be to make Kosuke Fukudome feel more comfortable.
By Ben Nicholson-Smith | at
Instead of "getting caught up in a bidding war" for Tim Redding with a few other teams, the Rockies could turn their focus to Jason Marquis of the Cubs according to Tracy Ringolsby of the Rocky Mountain News (via Bleed Cubbie Blue).
Ringolsby points to the durability that Marquis has shown and his ERA of 2.51 in five career Coors Field appearances to explain the Rockies’ interest. It’d also be fun to see Marquis at the plate in Denver, where he’s posted a .704 OPS in 29 PA’s as a hitter.
Marquis would likely be affordable for Colorado, since the Cubs "seem likely to eat roughly half" of the $9.9MM guaranteed to the righty in 2009.
The Mets have a similar strategy and would pursue Marquis if they can’t sign Redding.
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