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Ted Lilly

Odds & Ends: Angels, Brewers, Gordon, Romero

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Some links to check out while we wait to see if Jon Garland can help the Padres extend their lead in the NL West…

Rosenthal On Cubs, Pedro, Padres

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Let's check out the latest edition of Full Count from Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports..

  • It's hard to imagine the Cubs as sellers, but if they go that route, lefty Ted Lilly would be a logical piece to move.  He's a potential free agent with some no-trade protection but they already have two replacements in their bullpen in Tom Gorzelanny and Andrew Cashner.  Meanwhile, Derrek Lee has been adamant about not waiving his no-trade clause.  However, hooking on with a contender would enhance his value on the open market.
  • The Phillies have kept in touch with Pedro Martinez's agent but GM Ruben Amaro says that he will have to be "really motivated" to pitch this season.  Rosenthal says that translates to the righty wanting more money than he was paid last season, roughly $1MM for six weeks of work.  Money may not be everything for Martinez though as he will be 39-years-old in October and is said to be content.
  • The Padres are confident that Ryan Webb could fill a set-up role if they move one of their strong late inning relievers.  However, the team is reluctant to make such a move with Mike Adams' durability in question.  That said, the Padres would listen to offers for Heath Bell if a club was willing to give them a hitter they could control for several years.  Rosenthal instead suggests that they  consider Cleveland's Austin Kearns as he is a cheap, affordable outfielder.
  • Boston GM Theo Epstein hates trading for relievers, but chances are the club will be in the market for bullpen help come July.

Cubs Haven’t Begun Serious Trade Talks

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Whether or not the Angels want to acquire a Cubs bat may not matter just yet. Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times reports that there has been very little trade talk recently for the 24-29 Cubs. That could change, but GM Jim Hendry says he’s still waiting for his team to get hot.

''If we get it going and have a couple of good weeks, we can [get back in it],” Hendry said. “We've done that before. We need to do it now.''

It’s not clear whether the Angels are interested in Derrek Lee, but the first baseman obviously doesn’t want to talk about it. Lee declined to answer questions about his no-trade clause.

As Wittenmyer notes, Lee, Xavier Nady and Ted Lilly are free agents after the season and the resurgent Carlos Silva could appeal to teams looking at starters. For now, though, trade talks have yet to pick up.

Cubs Could Face Major Changes In 2010 Offseason

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The Chicago Tribune's Paul Sullivan suggests that unless the Cubs have success in 2010, the team's roster could face a dramatic overhaul next winter.  Another disappointing season like their 83-78 performance in 2009 could lead to a rebuild, which must just thrill fans of a team has gone over a century without a World Series title. 

Sullivan notes that the Cubs' core of stars are all in their 30's, so let's take a look at the ones perhaps most likely to leave Chicago should the team struggle next season.  Manager Lou Piniella is on the last year of his contract, and would almost certainly not stick around for a lengthy rebuild.  Ted Lilly and Derrek Lee are free agents, and Lee has already said he doesn't want to begin negotiations on an extension during the season.  Perhaps the most intriguing case is that of Aramis Ramirez, who has the option of voiding his contract after the season or remaining with Chicago and earning $14.6MM in 2011.  (MLBTR's Tim Dierkes broke down Ramirez's situation last month.)

On the surface, the Cubs losing three of their top players and their veteran manager doesn't look like good news.  But, if the worst happened and all four left, the Cubs would suddenly be left with a lot of open money with Lee, Lilly and Ramirez all off of the books.  The trio is set to earn a combined $40.75MM in 2010 according to Cot's Baseball Contracts, and if Ramirez opted out of his contract, that would free up the $14.6MM owed to him in 2011 and the possible $16MM that he could earn in 2012 should he reach his vesting options.  

The Cubs would still have a lot of money tied up in the likes of Alfonso Soriano, Ryan Dempster and Carlos Zambrano in the short-term.  But, with the Lee/Lilly/Ramirez millions to spend and a minor league system ranked seventh in baseball by ESPN's Keith Law, a rebuilding process under a new manager (and probably a new general manager) might not be too long or painful.  It could give Chicago a chance to invest in some younger talent rather than re-sign Lee or Lilly.

Odds & Ends: Cubs, Lowell, Mauer, Adrian

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Links for Wednesday…

Cubs To Make Run At Sheets

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TUESDAY, 11:50am: MLB.com's Carrie Muskat tweets that Cubs officials say Sheets' current asking price does not fit their budget.  Sheets' agent Casey Close could stand to do a better job controlling the information on his client, because the reports of a $10-12MM demand make him look bad.  Muskat says the Cubs are still looking for right-handed relief.

MONDAY, 8:58pm: As Ken Rosenthal guessed last week, the Chicago Cubs are set to make a run at free agent pitcher Ben Sheets, the Chicago Tribune's Paul Sullivan reports.

According to Sullivan, Cubs GM Jim Hendry contacted Sheets' agent during the Winter Meetings. Sheets is reportedly asking for two years and a guaranteed $10-12MM per year, though the Cubs believe "they have a good shot at landing him with an incentive-laden deal."  MetsBlog's Matthew Cerrone believes Sheets is aiming for a second-year player option.

Sullivan sees Sheets slotting in nicely in front of Carlos Zambrano, Ryan Dempster and Ted Lilly in the Chicago rotation, with Randy Wells and newly-acquired Carlos Silva also serving as starting options.  With Lilly coming off of arthroscopic shoulder surgery, and little recent success from Silva, it is hard to imagine the Cubs want to roll the dice with Sheets. However, they did acquire Rich Harden in July 2008, so high-risk, high-reward pitchers may just be how the Cubs roll.

Tim Dierkes contributed to this post.

Cubs Unlikely To Land Halladay

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Although the Cubs would "love" to pull off a deal for Blue Jays ace Roy Halladay, they are unlikely to do so as they lack the necessary room in payroll, according to Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports.

The Cubbies have a combined $42.375MM committed to pitchers Carlos Zambrano, Ted Lilly, and Ryan Dempster.  They would have a hard time finding a taker for Alfonso Soriano as he is owed $18MM per year for the next five years.  Same goes for Kosuke Fukudome, who is due to make $26.5MM over the next two seasons.  Aramis Ramirez is a hefty contract that could be moved, but as Rosenthal and Morosi point out, he's probably too valuable for the Cubs to trade.  

Derrek Lee will make $13MM in the final year of his contract and could be a match for the Braves, however Atlanta would likely need to find a taker for a big contract (i.e. Derek Lowe) first.

Therefore, it appears that GM Jim Hendry's winter plans will center around finding a new home for Milton Bradley and acquiring a new center fielder.  Interestingly, the post floats the possibility of a three-way deal involving Bradley to net Mets second baseman Luis Castillo.

It seems as though Hendry has quite a few obstacles in his way if he hopes to swing a deal for Doc.  Would you be willing to make all of the moves necessary to create the space needed for such a trade?  What would it take for the Cubs to pry Halladay from the Blue Jays? Let's hear your thoughts in the comments section.

Odds & Ends: Lilly, Iwamura, Beckett, Marlins, Dunn, Cubs

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Here's some links to check out while waiting for what might be the final start in the great careers of Andy Pettitte and Pedro Martinez…

  • Ted Lilly had arthroscopic surgery on his left shoulder today, and the Cubs expect to have him back in their rotation "within the month of April," according to MLB.com's Carrie Muskat. Might the Cubbies look for a little extra rotation insurance this offseason?
  • MLB.com's Jenifer Langosch mentions that the Pirates "began to show heavy interest" in Akinori Iwamura back in September. GM Neal Huntington confirmed that they had several scouts watch Aki after he came back from his knee injury.
  • WEEI.com's Rob Bradford mentions that Josh Beckett "isn’t likely to take a hometown discount" to stay with the Red Sox. Yesterday we learned that the two sides plan to meet in the coming weeks to discuss a contract extension.  
  • MLB.com's Joe Frisaro answers some hot stove related questions in his mailbag today. He thinks the Marlins will sign Josh Johnson to an extension this winter, and that they may explore trade possibilites for reliever Renyel Pinto.
  • In response to some weekend speculation that Adam Dunn could be a fit in St. Louis if Matt Holliday leaves as a free agent, ESPN's Keith Law says "just doesn't make a lot of sense for the Cardinals to consider it," noting that they'd be looking at a big drop-off by sticking Dunn in left field.
  • The Cub Reporter looks at what might happen on Chicago's north side in the coming weeks.

Cubs Not Looking To Retain Rich Harden?

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The Chicago Tribune's Paul Sullivan writes that the Cubs have no plans to bring back Rich Harden, as alluded to by manager Lou Piniella.  Prior to losing the final road game of the season to the San Francisco, Piniella ran down the 2010 rotation.

"You look at our starting pitching here for next year," Piniella said. "You've got (Carlos) Zambrano, you've got (Ryan) Dempster, you've got (Randy) Wells, you've got (Ted) Lilly, you've got (Tom) Gorzelanny, and you've got (Jeff) Samardzija…And if this kid keeps improving, he'll be right in the mix. So we've got six nice arms."

Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times reported that Piniella characterized the starting five as being "pretty settled."  Wittenmyer feels that Gorzelanny has a leg up on Samardzija and Sean Marshall for the fifth slot. 

Zambrano, despite his personal frustration, could once again be an elite pitcher.  The 28-year-old ace is discouraged by his depressed win total, but still managed to post a 3.69 ERA with 8.0 K/9 – a marked improvement over his 6.2 K/9 in 2008.  Lilly has had what you could call a career year at the age of 33, recording all-time bests with a 3.02 ERA and 4.21 K/BB ratio.  Dempster's HR, BB and SO rates are in the neighborhood of where they were last year, when he garnered national attention.  Wells put up a strong 3.18 ERA on the way to becoming the first Cubs rookie to notch 10 wins since Kerry Wood.

Are the Cubs in good enough shape to let Harden sign elsewhere without having to sift through the lackluster available starting pitchers?  Let's hear your thoughts in the comments section.

Cubs Looking For A Lefty Reliever

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With starter Ted Lilly on the shelf for approximately three weeks, ESPN Chicago's Bruce Levine says Cubs GM Jim Hendry may have been pushed in the direction of adding a starter before Friday's trade deadline. The team could opt to move Sean Marshall back into the rotation, but that would leave manager Lou Piniella without a reliable lefthanded option in the pen.

The Cubbies have spoken to the Pirates about reliever John Grabow, but Levine says a move for Zach Duke or Tom Gorzelanny "may be the right avenue to follow with the loss of Lilly." He lists Carl Pavano, Jon Garland and Doug Davis as other starters available right now.

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