Headlines

Go To Pro Hockey Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Cubs Rumors

Felix Pie Not Available

By | at

UPDATE: A source of mine says that despite Hendry’s claims to the contrary, Pie was dangled.  Since no deal could be reached, it makes sense to say publicly that he was never available.  The source adds that Hendry continues to search for a bat this morning.

Multiple sources had been saying Felix Pie was available, so it’s nice to see Cubs GM Jim Hendry debunk that talk today.  He won’t be traded, and hasn’t been discussed.  Cubs fans can exhale.

Pie For Laird and Mahay?

By | at

Phil Rogers has a rumor up on the Tribune blog today, where he indicated that the Cubs are thinking short-term and may be willing to give up Felix Pie in a deal.  According to Rogers, Pie for Gerald Laird and Ron Mahay is a possibility.

It seems that Mahay has since gone to Atlanta, so perhaps Rogers’ post went up before then.  Even if it was C.J. Wilson instead of Mahay I’d consider it a horrible deal for the Cubs.  Pie is a five-tool center fielder and he’s raking at Triple A.  Trading him for Laird would be absurd even if Laird threw out 100% of baserunners.   

Now if Torii Hunter is in play, the Cubs should at least listen.  Not sure if I’d make that move, but at least Hunter would net the Cubs a few extra wins this year.

Mets Hunting For Reliever, Second Baseman

By | at

Pretty much the same old story with the Mets, though Joel Sherman and Mark Hale of the New York Post do have some new tidbits.

  • The authors name Chad Cordero, Jon Rauch, Octavio Dotel, and Eric Gagne as relievers on the radar.  However it seems the asking price is too high for Gagne and the Indians have become the frontrunner for Dotel (they may have passed the Dodgers).  Shawn Chacon doesn’t catch the Mets’ eye, and they don’t want Chad Bradford’s three-year commitment.  They had that option with Bradford this winter.  I think that logic is silly – Bradford’s pitched well this year, and acquiring him now would be akin to a two-year contract.  Sometimes it seems GMs pass over certain players because they simply want to add a fresh name.
  • You can add Al Reyes to the mix for the Mets, according to the St. Petersburg Times.
  • The Mets think many of the available starting pitchers could be traded in August – Jose Contreras, Kyle Lohse, and Steve Trachsel for example.  I don’t agree on Lohse – he’ll be traded today or tomorrow.  But Contreras’s contract would probably get through waivers without a claim.
  • The Post reports no substantive talks to the Royals about Mark Grudzielanek.  An inquiry has been made on Mark Loretta. 
  • Meanwhile, Newsday says the Twins are open to trading Luis Castillo but don’t want any of the current Major League Mets.  Dan Graziano of the Newark Star-Ledger seems to disagree, citing a Twins scout at Shea yesterday.  Graziano does not believe Castillo would get through waivers unclaimed.  He believes the Twins want Double A starter Kevin Mulvey and then some (perhaps Ruben Gotay).
  • Graziano says a deal for Castillo could be expanded to include 28 year-old righty reliever Juan Rincon.  Rincon had been consistently solid for three years (perhaps aided by steroids) but has seen his strikeout rate and overall performance plummet in 2007.  Rincon is under control next year and will make at least $2MM again.
  • Graziano notes that the Mets have talked to the A’s about Joe Blanton, but Billy Beane wants Lastings Milledge.  The Mets can’t do that without damaging the current team.  The Mets could actually add an outfielder in Jay Payton; the Cubs’ interest has waned.  The Sammy Sosa rumor also has some legs, as the Mets could bring him in to platoon with Shawn Green if they decide they can tolerate the sideshow.

Long Shot: Willis Back To Cubs?

By | at

Will Carroll of Baseball Prospectus has an interesting note in today’s Rumor Mill:

"The Cubs also still covet Dontrelle Willis as "the one that got away" and–despite his not being on the market–Willis is one player the Cubs could get if Larry Beinfest suddenly changes his mind about that. Adding Felix Pie to Jacque Jones and Donald Veal would get it done, while not adding to the Cubs payroll."

Jim Hendry already tried to patch up one of the all-time classic Cub mistakes by signing Greg Maddux before the 2004 season.  At least that departure didn’t happen under Hendry’s watch. 

Back in March of 2002, Hendry traded Ryan Jorgensen, Jose Cueto, Julian Tavarez, and Willis to the Marlins for Matt Clement and Antonio Alfonseca.  Where are they now?

  • Jorgensen, a catcher, had a four-game cup of coffee for the Fish in ’05, and now toils for the Reds’ Triple A team.
  • Cueto, a pitcher, never made it past Double A and finished off his career back in the Cubs’ system in ’04.
  • Tavarez started 27 games for the 2002 Marlins, but his performance was worth only 0.4 wins.  He left via free agency after the season to sign with the Pirates.  Now he’s with Boston, of course.
  • Clement provided a ton of value to the Cubs during 2002-04; he was worth about 17 wins over those three years according to Baseball Prospectus.  He was worth 4.8 wins in 2003, but Willis was worth 5.8 in fewer innings.  Getting Clement made this a respectable deal for Hendry, though in hindsight he would’ve rather just kept Willis.  Clement signed a three-year deal with B Boston and succumbed to shoulder woes in Year 2 of the pact.  He hopes to help Boston as a reliever in September, which should be interesting.
  • Alfonseca was OK as the Cubs’ closer in ’02, saving 19 games.  He was not helpful in ’03, and the Cubs let him go.  Now he’s in the Phillies’ pen.

Back to the present day rumor.  Jones, while hitting better of late, probably would not be missed by the Cubs.  He’s still only slugging .382 in July.  Veal was the Cubs’ best pitching prospect heading into the season but has taken a step backward in Double A.  Veal has been control problems, though his arm has been described as "electric."  Lefty starters who can touch 95 can be hard to find.

Pie, though, would be the gem of the deal and the player with the best shot at stardom.  Literally – BP gives him a 30-40% chance at becoming a star player.  He struggled mightily in his first 139 ABs with the Cubs, but he now owns Triple A pitching.  He should be the Cubs’ starting center fielder for the next six years at least. Trading him for the declining Willis would create another "one that got away" situation, which seems perfectly Cub-like.  Most likely nothing happens in the next two days, but we might revisit this rumor this winter.

Murton, Payton Not Starting Today

By | at

The Cubs are again sitting Matt Murton today.  That’s two days in a row he was expected to start and didn’t.  Of course, it may just be that Lou Piniella doesn’t like him.  We’ll see.

Meanwhile, Jay Payton is out of the lineup for the Orioles-Yankees game today.  He typically starts in left field, but it’s Jay Gibbons today.  This could also just be Dave Trembley’s preference and nothing more.  He sat Payton in favor of Gibbons on Thursday as well.  Gibbons is 6 for 18 lifetime against Chien-Ming Wang while Payton is 1 for 6.

Discussions regarding a Payton-to-Chicago deal were getting pretty serious last night.

Murton Late Scratch; Payton Talks Itensify

By | at

UPDATE: While perhaps shopping Murton, the Cubs have had significant talks regarding Baltimore’s Jay Payton. The Cubs would send over two mid-level prospects; does Murton fit that criteria?  Payton will make $5MM next year to finish his contract.

UPDATE 2: RotoWorld says Murton was scratched tonight to allow Cliff Floyd to play and then get Sunday off.

Matt Murton was a late scratch for tonight’s Cubs-Reds game.  Does it mean anything?  We should know soon enough.  This time of year, every scratch or unexpected mid-game substitution is magnified.

The Cubs have been talking to the Rangers about lefty reliever Ron Mahay and catcher Gerald Laird, so maybe there’s a connection.  The Rangers could definitely find room for Murton in their outfield.

Take it with a grain of salt, but a Cubs source of mine confirms Felix Pie’s availability (huh?) and says the Cubs made an inquiry on Torii Hunter.  While intriguing, I wouldn’t expect either player to be traded.

Backwards Center Field Trade Bait

By | at

Most of Joel Sherman’s column today is filled with the Mark Teixeira stuff you’ve been reading about everywhere else.  (I, for one, am now absolutely sure of how to spell Tex’s name.  A couple of weeks ago?  Not so much.)

But, there are two tidbits buried in the column that are interesting both on their own and juxtaposed.

First, Sherman corroborates Buster Olney’s claim that the Yankees are hot after Dan Johnson.  But he gives us more: Billy Beane asked for Brett Gardner and was rejected.  Uh, Brett Gardner?  Useful player, perhaps, but the Yanks are interested in Johnson because he’s a useful player too, and one who is a lot more likely to help them this year (and next, too, in all likelihood).  Sherman interprets that as New York’s new protectiveness of their prospects.  Too bad there isn’t another ~$15M rental like Bobby Abreu out there this year … unless you count Richie Sexson, whom I don’t.

Second, he repeats the common Gerald Laird-to-the-Cubs refrain, but adds a twist:

The Cubs have interest in Laird and Rangers relievers, and might include center field prospect Felix Pie to get that.

I suppose Laird + Eric Gagne might merit Pie.  Maybe.  It would certainly make the Cubs more credible contenders immediately, but…Felix Pie? 

What an odd world it is, when Brett Gardner is off the block, and Felix Pie is on.

By Jeff Sackmann
Brew Crew Ball

Unconfirmed Rumor: Cubs Looking At Griffey, Dunn

By | at

UPDATE: Will Carroll chimed in on the idea of Dunn to the Cubs in a recent update.  He cited the intra-division and salary factors as reasons it won’t happen.

Didn’t hear the report myself, but a loyal reader dropped me an email.

Apparently a recent Bruce Levine report for ESPN Radio 1000 had some interesting Cubs rumors.  Levine says the Cubs might try to trade for Adam Dunn or Ken Griffey Jr.  Any deal would likely include Sean Gallagher, and the Cubs called up Matt Murton today to showcase him.

This rumor leaves more questions than answers:

  • Would the Cubs again move their superstar signing Alfonso Soriano to center or right field to create a spot for Dunn?
  • If not, how ugly would Dunn be in right field at Wrigley?  He hasn’t played the position regularly since 2001.
  • With the management situation in flux, could the Cubs really take on Griffey’s contract, which runs through 2008?  Or even the $3.8MM still owed to Dunn this year?
  • Are Arby’s new popcorn chicken shakers as tasty as they look on TV?
  • Would Gallagher and Murton be enough for either of those players?

Cubs Interested In Gerald Laird?

By | at

According to Will Carroll of Baseball Prospectus, the Cubs have asked for their scouts’ evaluation of Texas catcher Gerald Laird.  Laird, 27, has been a disappointment at the plate this year (.237/.296/.353).  On the other hand, he’s second in baseball with a 40.8% caught stealing rate (Dave Ross is first).

A Laird acquisition would indicate a lack of faith in Jason Kendall, so it seems unlikely.  The Cubs will probably give Kendall a fair shake.  Laird would probably only become available if the Rangers acquired Jarrod Saltalamacchia first, anyway.

Hey, Cubs!  Give Geovany Soto an extended look!  He’s not too bad.

Rosenthal’s Latest: Dunn, Wheeler, Izzy

By | at

Ken Rosenthal posted a new column last night, and has updated it very recently.  I’ve already spoken about the Teixeira stuff, but there’s other good material in there too.

  • Some of the wilder speculation out there has been that the Twins might trade Torii Hunter or Johan Santana if they decide they’re out of it.  Various Baseball Prospectus reports put the Twins’ playoff chances between 5-10%.  Rosenthal debunks the idea that Minnesota would shop Hunter without first making him an offer, and keeping Santana for at least 2008 makes sense.  Plus, Santana has a no-trade clause. 
  • Rosenthal does have some Twins for us who might be traded: Luis Castillo and Carlos Silva.  Castillo has already been connected to the Mets in rumors, though Silva is a new one.  One could definitely envision Silva’s style working in the National League (I know, I say that a lot).  There was a recent Silva to Atlanta rumor, though Silva’s agent seems to have debunked it.
  • Rosenthal says Dontrelle Willis is not available.  Perhaps he and Tim Brown will engage in fisticuffs over this disagreement. 
  • The Diamondbacks have kicked the tires on Adam Dunn.  He might make sense as a rental – the D’Backs playoff changes sit between 16-27%, worth fighting for.  No doubt they’ve got a stable of young players to offer.
  • Rosenthal says the Astros have yet to receive interest on the Lidge/Wheeler/Qualls troika, while Jayson Stark said yesterday that the Astros hadn’t opened shop on them.  Thunderdome match #2, Rosenthal vs. Stark.  Assuming Ken survives Tim Brown.  Anyway, word is that the Rockies have their eye on Wheeler. 
  • Parties interested in Zack Greinke: Diamondbacks, Dodgers, Braves, and Cubs.  This gels with Dan Graziano’s findings.  Of course, trading a player like Greinke requires an equally talented youngster in return.
  • The Royals may not be able to do better than Cleveland’s Ben Francisco as a bounty for Octavio Dotel.  More on him in a separate post.
  • Trades of Joe Blanton and Huston Street are "highly unlikely."  So you’re saying there’s a chance?
  • The chances of the Cardinals trading Jason Isringhausen are described as "remote."  The Cards would have a hard time replacing him next year; he’s got a reasonable $8MM option.  He also has no-trade protection, so he’d probably want a better extension if he was to accept a trade.
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