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Cubs Sign Edmonds

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The Chicago Cubs have signed Jim Edmonds to a contract for the remainder of the ’08 season. Edmonds, who was released by the Padres last Friday, will make about $284K, the prorated league minimum.

To make room on the roster, the Cubs demoted Felix Pie to AAA. Pie was hitting .222/.286/.286.

This is a move that costs the Cubs nothing and could end up with big rewards. Since Pie had minor league options, the Cubs did not have to give up a player in the hopes that Edmonds can turn his season around. Edmonds was hitting .178/.265/.233 at the time of his release, but posted .252/.325/.403 last season for the Cardinals. That marked his first season with an OBP below .350 since he was a member of the Angels in ’99.

Cork Gaines writes for Rays Index and can be reached here.

Pie-Greene Rumor Denied

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MAY 7th: Bruce Miles of the Daily Herald discussed the Pie-Greene rumor with Cubs officials, and it was "emphatically shot down."

APRIL 30th: Yesterday Tom Krasovic of the San Diego Union-Tribune wrote of Kevin Towers’ pursuit of a long-term center field option.  Jim Edmonds remains a question mark, and his contract is up after ’08 anyway.

Krasovic says the Cubs "have kept tabs" on shortstop Khalil Greene, while the Padres are still eyeing Felix Pie.  The Cubs’ win-now approach could lead to that move, as Reed Johnson is doing fine in center field so far.  Greene is signed through the ’09 season.  Trading Greene would leave a gaping hole at the position for the Padres though.  Another point is that the Cubs have gotten fine production at shortstop so far this year.

Krasovic notes past center field considerations for the Padres such as Jeremy Reed and Tony Gwynn Jr.  Reed doesn’t seem to have a future in Seattle.  As for Coco Crisp, Towers balked at Theo Epstein’s asking price of Chase Headley.

Rangers DFA Tejeda, Cruz

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As expected the Rangers DFA’d outfielder Nelson Cruz and pitcher Robinson Tejeda over the weekend. Tejeda is a casualty of the Rangers’ Friday deal for Dustin Nippert, and has been undergoing a thus far unsuccessful transition to the bullpen. He went 0-1 with a 6.23 ERA during the spring, but did manage to run a streak of four scoreless appearances prior to giving up a game-ending RBI triple to Felix Pie last week.

Cruz’s release was expected. There was some light talk of him possibly being moved to Tampa last week, but that evaporated when the Rays acquired former Angels prospect Nathan Haynes. Ironically, according to Lone Star Ball, Haynes was once offered to Texas along with Casey Kotchman in a proposed deal for Mark Teixeira. Sands through the hourglass…

Control problems have always plagued Tejeda (67/60 K/BB in 2007), but he’s got a live fastball that touches the upper 90s and a decent change to compliment it. Plus he owns Orlando Cabrera (1 for 10 lifetime). It seems likely someone might give the 6′ 3" Dominican another shot.

Aaron Shinsano writes for East Windup Chronicle.

Cubs Still Talking To Rangers About Byrd

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MLB.com’s T.R. Sullivan writes today that the Cubs’ talks for Marlon Byrd still have some life.  Not much has changed – the Cubs would give up Matt Murton, but the Rangers want young pitching.

Since the potential Brian Roberts acquisition seems to be on the frontburner, perhaps talks for Byrd would move to the next level if that’s completed.  The Rangers may have to wait and see whether the Cubs bring Jay Payton in and which pitching prospects they give up.

Ken Rosenthal quoted a scout today who suggested the Cubs will never fully commit to center fielder Felix Pie and let him work through his growing pains.  Rosenthal believes the Cubs would do well to give Pie a legitimate shot, as the Yankees and Red Sox are doing with their young center fielders.

Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Crisp, Capuano, Lohse

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Does anybody else think that Brian Roberts’ agent fuels 90% of these rumors just so his client’s name is kept in the news? Me neither…Now that we have gotten the obligatory Roberts reference out of the way, let’s move on to some trades/signings that might actually happen in the near future. The biggest of course is the recent news that talks may be heating up with the Red Sox to move Coco Crisp. So far we know that the Sox are not interested in Jason Marquis or Sam Fuld and the Padres may only be having internal discussions at this point (although one writer does not see the Padres as serious suitors). Let’s take a look at what is being written about Crisp and a few others in the Blogosphere…

If there is a topic you would like to see covered in "Baseball Blogs Weigh In" please let me know HERE.

  • Red Sox News doesn’t like the rumored offer of Jason Marquis and Sam Fuld for Crisp. More likely they believe a package of Josh Donaldson and either Bobby Howry or Carmen Pignatiello could be accepted by the Sox.
  • Boston Sports Buzz sees Crisp as a nice solution for the Padres, since they currently employ one utility player and two injuries-waiting-to-happen in the outfield while lacking a legitimate leadoff hitter.
  • El Guapo’s Ghost also sees the Padres as the logical destination for Crisp, noting that prospect Kyle Blanks may be expendable for the Pads and fill the vacancy of power-hitting prospects in the Red Sox organization.
  • Hire Jim Essian is not too keen on Crisp, so they are rooting hard for Felix Pie to play well and keep "punching the baseball in its stupid face."
  • Goat Riders is not crazy about Crisp playing center for the Cubbies, but prefer him to the alternatives.
  • Right Field Bleachers notes that the Brewers may trade Chris Capuano before Opening Day as he needs a change of scenery and he still has some value on the market. They do not see the Red Sox as a good match since the Brew Crew does not need a center fielder (i.e. Crisp).
  • Rockin’ the Red laments the loss of another starting pitcher and acknowledges that it is time to look outside the organization for help. They would rather the Cardinals sign Kyle Lohse as opposed to Jeff Weaver.
  • Viva El Birdos would also prefer Lohse to any other outside options, and would opt for in-house options if Lohse is not signed.

Cork Gaines writes for Rays Index and can be reached here.

Cubs Eyeing Coco

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Last Sunday, I discussed how either Chicago ballclub were good suitors for Coco Crisp.  Today, Gordon Wittenmeyer of the Chicago Sun Times is reporting the Cubs interest do indeed lie with the web gem specialist, Crisp.

"With only one other lefty bat in the lineup (right fielder Kosuke Fukudome), the Cubs hoped to get a secondary lefty near the bottom of the order while assuring a good glove in center from their top two near-ready outfield prospects. While Hendry’s attempt to trade for Rangers outfielder Marlon Byrd was meant to provide a right-handed complement to the center-field winner, the focus now appears to be on Red Sox outfielder Coco Crisp, a switch hitter who could start in center and bat near the top of the order."

Nothing substantial has come our way yet; however, Coco, who is slated to make only $4.75MM in ’08 and $5.75MM in ’09 with an $8MM club option for ’10, would be a very good fit for the Cubs and provide more time for Felix Pie to blossom under less stress.  Wittenmeyer confidently predicts,

"The Cubs will trade for a veteran outfielder to start in center, and one of [Pie or Sam Fuld] will open the season on the bench, the other in the minors."

However, Covelli Loyce Crisp still needs to bring his average back up to be the lead-off guy the Cubs are seeking – his inability to do so is a big reason the Red Sox will, by all accounts, part ways.

By Nat Boyle

No Recent Brian Roberts Talks

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SI.com’s Jon Heyman wrote on Monday that the Cubs and Orioles had resumed talks for Brian Roberts.  However, Cubs GM Jim Hendry came out on Wednesday and said he hadn’t had any trade talks for five or six days.  Tonight, the Baltimore Sun’s Jeff Zrebiec chimes in, confirming Hendry’s statement of inactivity.

Zrebiec was able to confirm from two sources that the Cubs offered Ronny Cedeno, Sean Gallagher, Donald Veal, and another unknown player for Roberts.  The teams can’t agree on the fourth player, and the O’s may want a fifth too.  The Orioles are said to like top Cubs’ prospects like Jose Ceda, Felix Pie, and Tyler Colvin.  Andy MacPhail is clearly demanding a high price for two years of his second baseman.  Zrebiec also confirms that the Cubs and Orioles have talked about a scenario where outspoken veterans Jason Marquis and Jay Payton are in the deal. 

For now, it appears that the Cubs will open the season without Roberts. I’m of the opinion the Cubs would be better off going with Mark DeRosa and Cedeno as their doubleplay combo over Roberts and Ryan Theriot.

Brian Roberts Rumors

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MONDAY: SI.com’s Jon Heyman says a Roberts to Chicago trade still has a little life, and the Orioles are scouting Cubs’ players.  Meanwhile Jason Churchill wrote a few days ago that the O’s may require Felix Pie or Tyler Colvin instead of the Cubs’ apparent offer of Ronny Cedeno, Sean Gallagher, and Kevin Hart.  Churchill says the O’s are also high on Eric Patterson.

SUNDAY: Check out this piece by Jim Salisbury of the Philadelphia Inquirer.  Here’s the one-liner that has caught some readers’ attention:

Sources say that Orioles second baseman Brian Roberts will be traded to the Cubs as soon as the Orioles decide which pitchers they want in return.

All sorts of Cubs pitchers have been rumored in these talks: Sean Marshall, Sean Gallagher, Jason Marquis, Jose Ceda, Donald Veal.  It’s been said that the Cubs won’t part with Ceda. My best guess is that this deal does get done before Opening Day.

Brian Roberts Rumors

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Here’s the latest.

  • Brian Roberts is not in Orioles’ camp today; he’s gone to a local hospital for a stomach ailment.  Roch Kubatko does not believe he’s secretly been traded.
  • Roberts will make no trade demands.
  • Ken Rosenthal says the chances of a Roberts trade "seem to diminish each day."  Rosenthal cites Roberts’ relationship with Peter Angelos, and wonders whether the Orioles could wait until July to get more teams involved.  If a Cubs deal does occur, Ronny Cedeno is highly likely to be included.
  • Three days ago, ESPN’s Peter Gammons wrote that the Cubs refuse to part with Felix Pie or Jose Ceda for Roberts.  Also, many MLBTR readers have speculated that the Orioles no longer have use for any of the Cubs’ outfielders.

Brian Roberts Rumors

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Here’s the latest.

  • Brian Roberts is not in Orioles’ camp today; he’s gone to a local hospital for a stomach ailment.  Roch Kubatko does not believe he’s secretly been traded.
  • Roberts will make no trade demands.
  • Ken Rosenthal says the chances of a Roberts trade "seem to diminish each day."  Rosenthal cites Roberts’ relationship with Peter Angelos, and wonders whether the Orioles could wait until July to get more teams involved.  If a Cubs deal does occur, Ronny Cedeno is highly likely to be included.
  • Three days ago, ESPN’s Peter Gammons wrote that the Cubs refuse to part with Felix Pie or Jose Ceda for Roberts.  Also, many MLBTR readers have speculated that the Orioles no longer have use for any of the Cubs’ outfielders.

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