Bruce Levine Notes and Others

On talking baseball on Saturday, Bruce Levine said:

Bruce said that Jim Hendry really wants Jake Peavy in his rotation and if he can't get Peavy you might hear the Brian Roberts rumors again (that makes no sense to me because Roberts only has 1 year on his contract yet and the Cubs just traded the Orioles Pie. The Cubs also pick up Miles to go with Fonty at second. I will be find with it, if they give up a discount). The only way I see them getting Roberts is if they trade Fonty, which I won't think will happen. He says you will start hearing the rumors again in March or April for a blockbuster deal ( when the ownership is pretty much resolve).

He also says that Cubs are either going to sign Aurillia or Millar for the 25th man roster (as a bench player).

Levine is hearing from good sources that Carlos Zambrano will not pitch in the WBC.
Levine mentioned 2009 needs to be a breakout year for Big Z.

The Cubs have scheduled 25 starts for Rich Harden.
Sean Marshall and Aaron Heilman are in the mix to take Harden's other eight starts.

The Rich Hill-to-the-Orioles trade has not been officially announced and according to Bruce Miles, Hill appears to be gone. Word of the trade leaked to the Baltimore press but the Orioles must make room on their 40-man roster before acquiring Hill from the Cubs.
Many think the trade will become official at some point in the coming week.

Jayson Stark began his Cubs discussion with the still possible acquisition of Jake Peavy, but revealed more concerning news regarding the sale of the Cubs.

"But does that mean this deal can get revived sometime soon? Not necessarily, because there are still major ownership issues. And no matter how much the folks at MLB might want to get the Cubs' sale approved by Opening Day, the timetable isn't solely in its hands.
"I don't think we're anywhere near as close to resolving the ownership situation as it looks," said one baseball man with knowledge of those machinations. "You have to remember [the seller, the Tribune Company] is in bankruptcy court. So if somebody comes along and says, 'We offered more money,' the court can say, 'You have to take the most money.' So there's no way of saying right now whether this gets resolved in two to three months or six to eight months."

So why does that matter? Because the Cubs can't add a $63 million contract without ownership approval. And there's still no assurance they'll have an owner before Opening Day. So how can they move forward on a deal?

Right now, they can't even get a tentative go-ahead from prospective owner Thomas Ricketts because he's still, technically, negotiating. And even after those negotiations are completed, the court still has to sign off."

Stark dropped his gem a couple of days ago, but as the saying goes....better late than never

On A side Note: It is Ernie Bank's 78th Birthday today.

I will always keep you posted on the latest Cub news.

Cubs Chat!

Chat

Tomorrow at Noon, we will have a chat on this very website, to talk anything and everything Cubs as well as some baseball related questions. So be here!

I will post the chat up 15-30 minutes before (I'll start it up and let the questions flow in so I have a very suggestive list to chose from,) so be ready around 11:30ish AM for some non-stop questioning.

If your new to Live It Live Chats, there kind of like a Q&A .

So just be here, alright?

Bruce Levine Notes

Bruce Levine has a couple rumors:

He says that the Cubs could start Peavy talks in March, when the ownership is resolved or close to being resolved.

The Cubs are looking at Kevin Millar and Rich Aurillia as backup infielders.

Nomar wants a full time job somewhere and not a backup (I guess we can't chant NOMAH WE WANT A HOMAH.)

I will keep you posted on more rumors.

Paul Bako

According to a press release, the Cubs have agreed to terms with C Paul Bako.
The contract details were disclosed.

Paul Bako will make 725K base salary with 300K in possible incentives.

Chat tomorrow (Saturday) @ 12:00pm (noon) on this very website.

Rich Hill traded to the O's for PTBNL.

According to Chicago Cubs Online, the Cubs have traded Rich Hill to the O's for the all but famous player to be named later.

Players who have gone into the major leagues as former PTBNL's are Jeremy Bonderman, Scott Podsednik, Coco Crisp, Moises Alou, Jason Schmidt, and David Ortiz.

I'm not so surprised about this trade, but I would've wanted more for his potential.

There are two rules to a PTBNL transaction. The deal must close within a six-month time frame following the conclusion of the rest of the trade, and the player must change leagues. -Wikipedia


When more info comes along I'll past in on.

This deal would create an open spot for the Cubs to finalize the deal for Paul Bako.

Chat on Saturday, January 31 @ 12:00pm (noon) at this very website.

Picking 7th in Fantasy Baseball.

Here's a recap of my mock draft today while picking 7Th in a 12 player game. I will have the players I picked as well as the round I selected them in. So here we go:

Jimmy Rollins SS (R1, P7)
Dustin Pedroia 2B (R2, P6)
C.C. Sabathia SP (R3, P7)
Carlos Pena 1B (R4, P6)
Adam Dunn OF (R5, P7)
Garrett Atkins 3B (R6, P6)
Cliff Lee SP (R7, P7)
Jose Valverde RP (R8, P6)
Milton Bradley OF (R9. P7)
Bengie Molina C (R10, P6)
Torii Hunter OF (R11, P7)
Ted Lilly SP (R12, P6)
Kyle Lohse SP (R13, p7)
Jim Thome DH (R14, P6)
Aaron Harang SP (R15, P7)
Casey Blake (Bench 3B, R16, P6)
Kosuke Fukudome (Bench OF, R17, P7)
Kevin Gregg RP (R18, P6)
Cameron Maybin (Bench OF, R19. P6)
Cristian Guzman (Bench SS, R20, P7)
Todd Helton (Bench 1B, R21, R6)

Some of the picks were necessary because the way other people picked and selected, so I felt it was in my best interest to pick that particular player (s.) Have any questions then comment and I'll explain why I picked that particular player.

Chat on Saturday, January 31 @ 12:00pm (noon) at this very website!

Rich Hill Status

Bruce Levine reported yesterday that there are teams interested in Rich Hill.

What teams might want him:

San Diego Padres- Could be a part of the Jake Peavy trade and the Padres need to cut budget and Hill is not making a lot of money.

Texas Rangers- Desperate of pitching and might want to take a chance on a guy who had stuff 2 years ago. Need pitching to compete with the Angels and Athletics's.

Oakland Athletics- The only thing they really need to compete with the Angels, is about 2 more starters. Last year they traded Dan Haren to the Diamondbacks before the season started and Rich Harden to the Cubs and Joe Blanton to the Phillies at the trade deadline last year.

Baltimore Orioles- They really don't have pitching and might need a couple more starters to finish around 5 hundred. They don't have a chance to compete with the Yankees, Red Sox, and the Rays but they can show a point that they could be a good team.

Seattle Mariners- They might need another pitcher to make spot starts if a pitcher gets injured, for instance like Eric Bedard, he had arm injuries last year and he might get them again. So they will need a cheap price player to step in.

Kansas City Royals- They have a lot of starting pitching but maybe to get his command back they will put him in the bullpen. They still need more pitchers in there bullpen.

Chicago White Sox- Don't like to spend money and like to take chances on Pitchers (Bartolo Colon, sign 1 year 1 million deal this year).

I put no teams up here on the National League because the Cubs don't want Rich Hill to come back and do really good and beat them for a win.

Those are some teams that I think will be interested in Rich Hill.

Buster Olney on the Jake Peavy Trade. NOW UPDATED

UPDATE: ESPN's Jayson Stark siad that the cubs won't even talk about Jake Peavy untill the ownership is resolve, which remains far apart. He said that you might be looking at a deal (If one), late March early April.

According to Buster Olney, the Cubs and Padres will start up the Jake Peavy talk because now the Cubs have starting pitching that the Padres will like. He also says the trade will be around third baseman Josk Vitters. Olney also says that they have more flexibilty with the acquisition of Aaron Heilman (Now the Cubs could trade Marshall and now use Heilman as there long relief guy).

UPDATE:
According to Tim Dierkes of MLBTR.com the Cubs-Padres deal that involves trading Jake Peavy to the Cubs isn't gonna happen. Things can certainly change at any second, but I'll keep you posted.

On Saturday, January 31 @ 12:00pm (noon) I will have a chat on this very website to talk Baseball, but more importantly to talk Cubs.

Predictions.... Notes....Buster Olney Video Talking About Jake Peavy.

Here are my 8 teams to make the playoffs:

NL

West: Diamondbacks- They have added Jon Garland, and they now have a solid starting three.

Central: Cubs-Weak division, monster lineup, and a good starting rotation.

East: Mets- Great bullpen, good lineup, OK starting pitcher (unless they sign another SP.)

Wild card: Phillies- They beat out Atlanta. Great bullpen, great lineup, solid starting rotation.

AL

West: Angels- Very good starting rotation, solid bullpen, good offense. (95-67)

Central: Indians: OK starting rotation, good bullpen, good offense. (88-74)

East: Redsox- Great starting rotation, great bullpen, good lineup. (102-60)

Wild card: Yankees- They beat out the Rays in a playoff game (Joba beats big game winner in Matt Garza) great lineup, Great starting rotation, OK bullpen. (97-65)

ALDS
Redsox beat Indians in 4 games.
Yankees beat Angels in 5 games.

ALCS
Yankees beat Redsox in 7 games.


All-star game: National League finally wins.

Carlos Marmol VS Kevin Gregg

Bold indicates "winner."

Career ERA:
Marmol-3.43
Gregg-4.00

Avg. K's per year:
Marmol-90
Gregg-61

Career Saves:
Marmol-8
Gregg-62 (only second year as full time closer.)

Postseason ERA:
Marmol-7.94 (5.2IP)
Gregg-0.00 (4IP)

Avg. BB per year:
Marmol-45
Gregg-27

With a limited sample, it looks like Kevin Gregg is victorious. But with that being said, I'd still prefer Carlos Marmol as the closer.

Here's a link with Buster Olney talking about the Cubs and a possible Jake Peavy deal (it's encouraging.)

On Thursday I will have a mock draft up, to show how to draft 7Th in fantasy baseball. It will show which players I picked with the rounds they were selected in.

On January, 31 @ 12:00pm (noon) I will have a chat on this very website to talk Baseball, but more importantly to talk Cubs.

Cubs rumors and notes

Here are some news on the Cubs Front:

The Chicago Cubs have traded IF Ronny Cedeno and P Garret Olsen to the Mariners for P Aaron Heilman. ESPN's Jerry Crasnick Confirms. (I'm surprised Olsen was in the deal because that was one player that San Diego wanted in return for Peavy. I also think that the Jake Peavy deal is in place and Olsen was not in the deal and that is why Hendry made that trade.)

Bruce Levine is reporting that the Cubs are about, to sign Paul Bako to a 1 year 750K.

Bruce Lenine is also reporting that the Cubs are still looking at Juan Uribe to come off there bench. Also he says that the Cubs are still interested in Randy Wolf and Branden Looper, if they can not trade for Jake Peavy.

I will keep you posted.

Your Chicago Cubs Suck

I thought that would grab your attention. Now let me explain. The Cubs are the back-to-back and defending Central Division Champions. They are also 183-149 over the past two seasons. Despite these very shiny statistics, the Cubs are 0-6 over that stretch in the games that matter. The reason for this? The Cubs just are not that good.

The Cubs have had World Series talent over the past two years, no doubt. Aramis Ramirez is as clutch as it gets and he grabs RBI's like Jason Kidd grabs rebounds. Alfonso Soriano, though streaky, has carried this team on his back numerous times every season. Ryan Theriot is a spark-plug and Derrek Lee is a leader – yadda, yadda, yadda. So why the October disappointments?

Reason number one: The National League Central. It's just really really bad. In 2007, the Cubs won 86 games on the way to their first division title, post-Bartman. That season the Central was 374-436. Against this really mediocre division the Cubs played to the tune of 45-34, which ain't that bad in theory. However, the weak division did more harm to the Cubs than good. Look at many of the teams in the World Series this past decade. Many of them were tested by quality opponents and a tough division. Last year? The Cubs won a well-publicized 97 games. And how about the rest of the division? Still under 500. 403-406. The reason for the improvement would be an improved Chicago and Milwaukee roster. The rich got richer and poor got poorer. Cincinatti and Pittsburgh just missed 100 losses. Considering the Cubs went 14-4 against Pittsburgh alone, the Cubs 97 wins just is not that impressive.

Over the course of the past two seasons, the Cubs are 83-79 against teams that have records over .500. Is it really a surprise that the Cubs can not win a single game in the playoffs against battle tested +.500 teams?

Reason number two? Management. I love Lou as much as you do. But there are times I feel like we're watching Dusty cater to his horses. Allowing Sori to chill in the leadoff spot while he has about five better options. Lackluster bullpen management. Keeping Derrek in the three-hole despite the gold-glover's decline. Lou apparently has been reading coaching novels in the offseason. Good for him. I hope some of it got through come April.

My final reason is the typical Cubs mentality that always rears its head in the most inopportune moments. After the Cubs defeat by the Dodgers in the NLCS, GM Jim Hendry said that the guys cared too much and they pressed themselves too hard. The Cubs rectified that this off-season by dropping the sentimental Kerry Wood and Mark DeRosa and bringing in Milton Bradley, Aaron Miles and persuing the hot-headed Jake Peavy - some attitude to the replace the lovable loser tag.

Some things have to change in 2009. Otherwise the Cubs are right back where they have found themselves by late October. Home.

Recap of Cubs off season so far...

Recap of Cubs off season so far:

Free agents:
The Chicago Cubs resign Ryan Dempster to a 4 year 52 million deal.
The Cubs did not offer a contract to P Kerry Wood and he then sign a 2 year 21 million deal with the Indians.
The Chicago cubs did not offer a contract to P Bob Howry and he then sign with a 1 year 2.75 million deal with the Giants.
The Cubs did not offer a contract to C Henry Blanco and he then sign a 1 year 750K with the Padres.
The Cubs resign P Chad Fox to a minor league deal.
The Cubs did not offer contracts to Daryle Ward, Jon Lieber, and Jim Edmonds. Those three players still don't have teams and are all leaning to retirement.

Arbitration Eligible:
IF Ronny Cedeno- resigned to a 1 year 822K deal.
P Michael Wuertz- resigned to a 1 year 1.1 million deal.
P Neal Cotts- resigned to a 1 year 1.1 million deal.
P Kevin Gregg- resigned to a 1 year 4.2 million deal.
P Chad Gaudin- resigned to a 1 year 2 million deal.
OF Reed Johnson- resigned to a 1 year 3 million.

Signed Free Agents:
OF Milton Bradley- sign to a 3 year 30 million deal.
OF Joey Gathright- sign to a 1 year 800K deal.
P Mark Johnson- sign to a minor league deal with spring training invite.
IF Aaron Miles- sign to a 2 year 4.2 million deal.
IF Luis Rivas- sign to a minor league deal with spring training invite.
P Mark J. Smith- sign to a minor league deal with spring training invite.
P Mike Stanton- sign to a minor league deal with spring training invite.
OF So Taguchi- sign to a minor league deal with spring training invite.
P Bill White- sign to a minor league deal with spring training invite.
C Paul Bako- sign to a 1 year deal.

Departed:
P Kerry Wood- signed 2 year 21 million deal with Indians.
P Bob Howry- signed 1 year 2.75 million deal with Giants.
C Henry Blanco- signed 1 year 750K deal with Padres.

Trades:
Traded Felix Pie to the Orioles for P Garret Olsen and P Henry Williamson
Traded Mark Derosa to the Indians for P Jeff Stevens, P Chris Archer, and P John Gaub.
Traded P Jose Ceda to the Marlins for P Kevin Gregg.
Traded Jason Marquise to the Rockies for P Luis Vizicaino.
Traded Ronny Cedeno and Garret Olsen to the Mariners for Aaron Heilman.
Traded Michael Wuertz to the Athletics for Richie Robnett and Justin Sellers.
Traded Rich Hill to the Orioles for a player to be named later.

Spring Training Invites:
Ed Campusano
J.R. Mathes
Matt Smith
Mike Stanton
Jason Waddell
Bill White
Esmalin Caridad
Andrew Cashner
Chad Fox
Ken Kadokura
Rocky Roquet
And position players;
Welington Castillo- C
Steve Clevenger- C
Mark Johnson- C
Darwin Barney- SS
Andres Blanco- SS
Luis Rivas- INF
Bobby Scales- 2B
Doug Deeds- OF
Jason Dubois- OF
So Taguchi- OF

About 5 days ago, the Chicago Tribune sold the Chicago Cubs, Wrigley Field, and 25% of a cable network to the Rickett Family worth about 900 million. The Rickett Family wrote a blog that he (Thomas Rickett) will take on the contract of Jake Peavy (63 million over 4 years).

The Chicago Cubs were talking about trading for Jake Peavy at the winter meetings, and then Jim Hendry pulled back from the deal because he did not want to give up that many players. Now that the Cubs traded Felix Pie to the Orioles for Garret Olsen, a lot of people suspect that the rumors will start up again.

So that is pretty much the recap of the Cubs off season so far

What to Expect this week.

• On Wednesday I'll have my playoff scenario such as; which 8 teams are in and my AL playoff roundup (I will not do the National League.) Bonus: Who's gonna be the Chicago Cubs 08' closer? With numbers and predictions for them. All of this Wednesday.

• I will have a post later in the week about how to play fantasy baseball while picking 7Th, with the players I selected with the rounds I selected them in.
  

• I will have a overview of talking baseball on Saturday Afternoon.
  

• There will be a post sometime this week by our new author Matt Weaver.

• On Saturday, January 31 @ 12:00pm (noon) we will have a Baseball chat at his very website.

In addition we will post up every Cubs rumor that pops up. So stay turned for any rumor updates, as well as a Jake Peavy (s) update.

Peavy Update.

According to Barry M. Bloom: The Cubs sale could rejuvenate the Peavy trade between the Chicago Cubs and the San Diego Padres.

For the Padres, the deal could fill in several holes for now and future spots.

According to his sources, the deal is already in place and is waiting for the ownership to sign off on it. He says that there is "no question in his mind" that the deal will get done, and doesn't see the need for a third team.

He doesn't think that the Cubs would have made the Pie for Olson swap if the Peavy deal wasn't on horizon.


Also don't forget about the chat on Saturday, January 31 @ 12:00pm (noon) here as this very site.

Chat update. New Chat dates up!

I'm proud to say that the chat went very good, and will return. My buddy at another Cubs blog will being doing a chat on Wednesday, January 28 2009 at 7:00pm. I will be doing a chat on Saturday, January 31 at 12:00pm (noon.) Me and my buddy will be each doing one (on are separate sites) each week. So come and chat with us both!

Wednesday, January 28 2009 at 7:00pm. Go to this link.


Saturday, January 31 at 12:00pm (noon.) Here at this very website.


In my Chat we talked mostly about the Cubs with other baseball related questions, with some other sport inquiries sneaking in.

CCB Live Chat for 1-25-09

Cubs Chat For Sunday, Jan 25 @ 4:00pm

Sunday (Tomorrow) , January 25 at 4:00pm CT there will be an all Cubs Chat similar to the one at MLBTR (here's a link to look at.) Be sure to be here at 4:00pm on Sunday for an hour of non-stop chatting (could be extended.)

If this works everybody, I'll make this a weekly event.

The chat is mostly a Chicago Cubs chat, but it can be about anything baseball as well! Or if you wanna ask questions about me.

Tell me what you guys think?


Tell everyone!


Update: I will answer 50-75% all Cubs related questions, and the rest I will answer baseball related questions.


New Cubs poll at Chicago Cubs Blog.

Juan Uribe, Aaron Heilman, Crane Kenny interview.

On Talking Baseball with Chet Coppock & Bruce Levine:

• Juan Uribe has been rumored to come to the Cubs as the 25Th man and backup 3B, 2B, & SS.
  
• Rich Aurilia and Kevin Millar are also rumored to come to the Cubs as a backup and as a bat off the bench.
• Seattle is still interested in Ronny Cedeno, as well as Cubs are still interested in Aaron Heilman.
  

Crane Kenny on Talking Baseball:

• Crane doesn't know the actual bid from the Ricketts group.
• Ricketts group hopes to make more revenue then past owners.
  
• Comcast Sports Net will be a Cubs channel.
• New video outlet online, for everything Cubs.
  

Please Welcome our New Author!

Matt Weaver is the newest addition to Chicago Cubs Rumors blog, so let me be the first to say "welcome to Chicago Cub Rumors Matt Weaver!" Matt is a new author, and will be posting Cubs rumors and news.

Matt can be reached at jmatthewweaver@aol.com.

New Cubs Rumors with Peavy Update.

• According to Multiple sources The Ricketts Family has been selected for exclusive negotiations to buy the Chicago Cubs.
• Under Armour getting sued by the Cubs, for backing out of a 10.8 million dollar ad deal with the Cubs.
• Quote from Tom Ricketts "We share the goal of Cubs fans everywhere to win a World Series and build the consistent championship tradition that the fans deserve."
• Cubs signed Ken Kadokura (got buried last week, forget to mention.)
• Cubs wont peruse Oliver Perez.
  
• Padres budget is over 40 million dollars, they really want and need to lower it.

Peavy Update: Olney says "there have been no recent conversations between the Padres and Cubs about Jake Peavy," but he believes talks could be restarted quickly given the Cubs selection yesterday of the Thomas Ricketts group as the potential new owner.

New Update for Website News. CUBS ARE SOLD!

News: I'm looking for two authors, one for Monday and Tuesday and then one author for Thursday and Friday. Here's what I'm looking for:

• Knowledge about the Chicago Cubs, and ability to take sources and sum them up into a post.
• To be available between 8:00am-3:00pm on your specific dates to post/blog about anything and everything Cubs.
• Ability to check multiple sources consistently for new Cub rumors (I give you sources web addresses.)
• Attention to all detail, absolutely no spelling errors, especially for player and journalist names.
• To write/blog in same style as CCB.
• Open to constructive criticism.
• Ability to make sentences flow.
  

If your interested, please send me an email at pwilson8290@gmail.com and explain your qualifications. If your chosen we will talk more exclusively through email. So please feel free to email me. I will take Emails for 1 week.ll


UPDATE: People have been sending me emails about the open positions, but the spelling and flow of there sentences were not precise for what I'm looking for. So if anyone else is interested for a position for weekdays, or other times please email me as soon as you can.

You may or may not know, that I will be moving to a bigger site of my own like MLBTR (that I personally think is one of the better sites out there,) at the end of the 09' season. When I transfer it will be all baseball rumors and news, so that's why I'm looking for more writers/authors for this site so i can take them with me to the new website. So if anyone is interested please email or even comment if you have to.

pwilson8290@gmail.com


UPDATE: The Cubs have been sold (not officially, and probably not for awhile.) Ricketts family has won the bidding to buy the Cubs, the bid is apparently for $900 million, but the family has not yet worked out details with the Tribune Company. More information throughout the weekend.

Cubs Player Prediction, Big News

Today I will have my Chicago Cubs player predictions for most of the position players.

Derrek Lee 1b- .293BA, 25HR, 92RBI
Mike Fontenot 2B- .279BA, 13HR, 69RBI, 350ABs
Aaron Miles 2B- .299BA, 5HR, 42RBI, 300ABs
Ryan Theriot SS- .306BA, 2HR, 42RBI, 21SBs
Aramis Ramirez 3B- .291BA, 36HR, 119RBI
Geovany Soto C- .282BA, 27HR, 90RBI
Alfonso Soriano LF- .288BA, 41HR, 97RBI, 38SB (if leading off)
kosuke Fukudome CF- .289BA, 18HR, 77RBI
Reed Johnson OF- .290BA, 9HR, 56RBI
Joey Gathright OF- .269BA, 1HR, 26RBI
Milton Bradley RF- .317BA, 30HR, 98RBI, 489ABs
Micah Hoffpauir- .300BA, 9HR, 42RBI

There were others that I didn't want to get into.

Next Wednesday I'll have my playoff scenario such as; which 8 teams are in and my AL playoff roundup (I will not do the National League.) Bonus: Who's gonna be the Chicago Cubs 08' closer? With numbers and predictions for them. All of this next Wednesday.

If you disagree about my predictions please comment.

Cubs Sign Ken Kadokura, Stanton

The Cubs Sign Japanese pitcher Ken Kadokura to a Minor League deal. He should get an invite to spring training and a chance to get a bullpen spot.


The Cubs signed Mike Stanton (RP) to a minor-league deal on Tuesday and will give the former All-Star a chance to make the big league club after missing the entire 2008 season.

Cubs bullpen mix looking crazy:
Jose Ascanio
Mitch Atkins
Justin Berg
Neal Cotts
Chad Gaudin
Kevin Gregg
Angel Guzman
Kevin Hart
Rich Hill
Carlos Marmol
Sean Marshall
Marcos Mateo
Garrett Olson
David Patton
Jeff Samardzija
Jeff Stevens
Luis Vizcaino
Randy Wells
Mike Wuertz
Chad Fox
Jason Waddell
Bill White
Rock Roquet
J.R. Mathes
and others

Cubs Avoid ARB with Michael Wuertz

According to the Sun-Times the Cubs and Michael Wuertz agree to avoid arbitration by signing a 1 year deal worth about 1.1 million dollars.

Cubs avoid ARB with Kevin Gregg.

According to Paul Sullivan: the Cubs avoided arbitration with reliever Kevin Gregg by signing him for $4.2MM for '09.

FELIX Pie Traded.

According to Ken Rosenthal the Orioles have traded Garrett Olson and Class-A right hander Henry Williamson to the Cubs in exchange for Felix Pie.

Cubs sign So Taguchi, Cedeno news

The Cubs signed So Taguchi to a minor league deal worth up to 900k, Taguchi, 39, hit .220/.283/.297 in 103 plate appearances for the Phillies in '08. Not a bad pick up for a minor league deal.

Cubs also avoided arbitration with Ronny Cedeno, he will make 822k.


Is it just me or is odd that the Cubs are loading up on former Cardinal players?

Future website Plans

As a few of you might know, me and some buddies will be starting up a website for everything Baseball for rumors, news, and tons of other cool things. Our goal is to get it up and running by the end of the 2009 Major League Baseball season. We will start to design the website shortly after the season starts.

Some of the things we're looking into having on the website (we're still thinking and deciding on what to have):

• Rumors and news that surrounds MLB.
• Minor League round-ups
• Interviews.
• Radio Recaps.
• Comments.
  
• Forum/Message board.
• And tons of other cool features.

This list is still growing because we're still brainstorming. So if any of you have ideas or suggestions about other things to add to the website, email me at pwilson8290@aim.com at anytime. But seriously, let us know. Please don't ask me in the comments, because I wont check these comments that are so far back.


Don't Forget, every Saturday @ Noon, I will have a Chat on this very website.

This story was approved by Chicago Cubs Blog-Phil Wilson

NL MVP, news

Last week I had my AL MVP prediction, now today I will have my NL MVP prediction (I know I said I'd it yesterday, but I wanted to wait until I posted up my new poll.)

My NL MVP prediction is David Wright (picking Albert Pujols is to easy.)

Next Wednesday I will have my Cubs player predictions such as; how many HRs, RBIs, BA, and SB for most of the position players.



New Poll is up!

Cubs' Interested in Rich Aurilia, Peavy Update

According to Paul Sullivan The Cubs have spoken to Rich Aurilia's agent and they may look into offering Aurilia a one-year deal to take Cedeno's spot and back up Aramis Ramirez and Derrek Lee.

"We're a long ways from camp," Hendry said. "Maybe there's a potential addition we don't know about who could serve a different role in the utility situation."
------------------------------------

The Peavy Update:

Jim Hendry will sit down with the new owner, when that situation is resolved to talk about adding a 63 million dollar contract in Jake Peavy. If not they will explore the market for a FA starting pitcher (I do think the 5Th started will be someone we bring in, because I think we are going to keep Marshall as the 6Th man, and he's the most feasible candidate on the Cubs roster.)


New Cubs poll up!

Kaplan says Cubs' sale is gonna happen within 48 hours.

David Kaplan, who is the host of Chicago Tribune Live has said that the sale of the Chicago Cubs could be done within 48 hours (from his sources.)



If anything breaks out, come catch it here.

Cubs close to signing Ken Takahashi?

Sports Hochi is reporting that the Cubs are close to a deal with left handed pitcher Ken Takahashi, According to Hochi it’s a one-year, major-league deal and the Cubs would look to him to start and pitch in middle relief with an occasional spot start. It also speculates that the Cubs are looking to bring in someone to support Kosuke Fukudome. Its very early to speculation, but something to watch.

Hall of Fame.

The Hall of Fame results will be announced tomorrow on the MLB network at 12:30 CT. Dawson, Grace, and Smith will await there faith in history.

To me Dawson has the best shot, and Lee Smith has a outside chance to get in (he's third all time in saves, but he was never a dominating pitcher, in my mind, I don't know how he isn't in, but there is always those naysayers.)

New Cubs Owner would want Peavy.

According to Barry Rozner who believes that the new Cubs owner would increase the Cubs payroll to make room for Jim Hendry to acquire the 2007 Cy Young winner in Jake Peavy.

Here's what Rozner said "Ricketts will want to win and win fast, so if it's him and it happens soon his first call might be to GM Jim Hendry with the news that he can up the payroll and get Peavy out of San Diego."

Ricketts who is a CEO of Chicago investment bank Incapital, is a local guy who loves the team and will have only its best interests at heart. He even "reportedly" met his wife in the bleachers at Wrigley. I think this guy is all about the Cubs, and that's what we need.

As we all wait impatiently for Sam Zell to pick a new Owner, Peavy is waiting anxiously to get the call that he's heading to Chicago (he likely waives FNTC, as reported that he will.)

Cubs Lock up Milton Bradley.

Today the Chicago Cubs finalized there deal with Milton Bradley by signing him to a 3 year deal worth 30 million dollars. Milton passed his physical in Chicago during the Morning Hours, then was introduced at 3:30 PM at Wrigley Field.

As a switch-hitter, Bradley batted .321 with 22 homers for Texas while leading the American League with a .436 on-base percentage last season. He made the All-Star team while playing primarily as a designated hitter.

His on-field production has often been overshadowed and dismissed by his outbursts and flashes of anger during the past. But you know what? He deserves for everybody to stop judging him as a bad guy and as a angry guy, because he had a primarily good behavior season (besides the announcer incident, which I think was overblown.) Milton Bradley is an extraordinary athlete with "monster" hitting abilities, and average defense, so please stop giving him negative feedback. So if we can all stop banishing him and let Milton Bradley do his job, we'll all be happy with his hitting abilities.

Cubs Links, CCB, Predictions, Peavy Rumors.

For the coming weeks until opening day, I will have my CY Young's, MVP's, ROTY, Cub player, playoff scenario, and Etc predictions. So stay turned!

But Here's my AL MVP: Mark Teixeira- He will lead the Yankees into the playoffs (i believe as a wild card) and will have 37HRs, .312BA, 129RBIs, and 107BBs. Next Wednesday I will have the NL MVP. But Please Comment and tell me what you think.

My blog (Chicago Cubs Blog=CCB) now lets visitors comment anonymously without creating an account.

Cubs Links:

Click here for an amazing Cubs Blog!

Click here for every MLB player contract figures, service time, and franchise values.

Click here for every teams top 20 prospects.

IF any Peavy rumors breaks out today or tomorrow it will be updated here.

UPDATE 3:45pm CST
Padres CEO Sandy Alderson is pessimistic about a Peavy deal. He says in all likelihood Peavy will be a Padre on opening day. He also says that the soon new owner shouldn't change there view on trading Peavy.

UPDATE 01/08/09
Kevin Towers has said "The Cubs proposal would fill several holes."

Peavy Talks to be Restarted?

According to the Chicago Sun-Times Gordon Wittenmyer "those close to (Jim) Hendry expect him to restart the Peavy talks with the San Diego Padres," because of the Marquis deal is now official with salary off the books. Also, Jim Hendry stated yesterday 'We're going to continue to look for pitching before we go to camp.'' Either that means he's gonna start he Peavy talks again or he'll look into free agency for a SP who can start 32ish games.

Jim Hendry would need to consult the new ownership before any such trade or signing would be made. Gordon Wittenmyer also stated the "Selection of a winning bid for the club is said to be close, perhaps by the end of next week, and that might be just in time for the Cubs' front office to make a deal before spring training."

I will have and update later today, and talk about my predictions.

Marquis-Vizcaino swap Official.

The Chicago Cubs have finalized the Marquis for Vizcaino swap. So its official now, the Rockies have the Cubs problem, while the Cubs have the Rockies problem. Only time will tell if Vizcaino will be traded or actually used in the bullpen.

Marquis, who was 11-9 with a 4.53 ERA last season. While Vizcaino was 1-2 with a 5.28 ERA in 43 games last season with the Rockies, with 49 strikeouts over 46 innings.

I'll update throughout the night if anything breaks out or if any rumors are leaked!

Peavy Rumors, Ken Rosenthal interview, and an Aaron Miles story.

Ken Rosenthal from Fox Sports was a guest on Sports Central with David Kaplan, and here's what he had to say:

• Ken says a Peavy deal to the Cubs are at 10%.

• He also thinks the Cubs will test the open market for a FA starter, but doesn't think they will pay big dollars. (so probably not Lowe.) But if ownership changes soon, then anything can happen.

• Ken loves the Milton Bradley deal, but wonders if he can stay healthy. He also says the Fans will love his Fire and his OPS.
  

• He also says the Brewers might get active soon, and the Cardinals might add some more pitching.

*********************************
The Cubs could make a trade (s) within the coming weeks, because of players on there roster who are out of options. (Not necessarily for a Peavy deal.) The rumors out there, that the Cubs are trying to move Soriano's contract, doesn't seem likely because of his overpaid contract, FNTC, and number of years left. Have comments about my thinking? Please comment and I'll respond!

********************************************************
In March 2000, during spring training with the Houston Astros Organization, Aaron Miles (now with the cubs) was held hostage at his motel for 30 minutes with a gun to his head for the majority of the time. His fellow teammates called the police, they came just in time. They were by the window and Miles seized the opportunity when the gunman momentarily moved the gun, when instantly Miles wrestled the gunman down to the ground and yelled for the police to get in. The police broke through the windows and shot the gunman 6 times to save Aaron Miles life.
here's a link for the full article.

Milton Bradley Signed with Cubs!

Bruce Levine has just announced that Milton Bradley has signed a 3yr 30 million dollar deal with the Chicago Cubs (with possible options included.) I'll update when more information has become available.

This is his first multiyear deal of his career.

UPDATE:
Here's a link from ESPN: Cubs agree to 3yr deal with Milton Bradley.
Deal is pending a physical which expected on Thursday.

UPDATE 10:00CST
Bruce Levine just reported on XM Radio with Joe Casellano that the third year on Bradley's contract is not guaranteed. The third year is a vesting option based on games played in the first two seasons.

This Weeks Schedule, Active Week Coming.

Its been a quite week but Brewers GM had this to say "I expect to be a little more active, and I think you're more likely to get calls returned at this time of the year. I think this week will see a lot of stuff going on. Players start to get a little nervous after [New Year's Day] if they don't have a place to play."

Monday: if anything comes up I'll update.
Tuesday: Update with new rumors and news.
Wednesday: Update, predictions
Thursday: Update, and CCB (Chicago Cubs Blog) news (today or over the weekend)
Friday: Weekly Review and an Update.
Saturday: I'll have a Bruce Levine interview, Update
Sunday: Update

Just letting you guys know, I'll update when ever there's new rumors. So BOOKMARK this site.

Peavy A 80% Chance of Getting Done?

Bruce Levine thinks that there is a 80% chance of trading for Jake Peavy. Some prospects he thinks that are involved are Josh Vitters, Wellington Castillo, Jeff Stevens, and Kevin Hart. But I still think it's gonna take 5 or 6 prospects to land him. I'd still trade a combo of Felix Pie and either Cedeno, Hill, or a low level prospect for Garrett Olson, then flip him into the Peavy deal. He also said the recent announcement that Jeff Moorad (resigned as Dbacks CEO) is near a deal to buy the Padres from John Moores (Current owner of Padres) will not affect them dealing Jake Peavy.
(All from the the radio, don't know how credible it is. But I do know Bruce is one of the Countries most respected baseball writers and sports broadcasters.)

I'll keep you Posted!

Rich Hill Status and Option Players.

Rich Hill is out of options (Options are transferring a player from the Major League Roster to the Minor Leagues without losing a club's control over that player. The system of options exists only for players that have less than 5 years of MLB Service Time. If a player is out of options then he must be placed on waivers; which means any of the other teams have a chance to claim him and put him on their roster.) Some other news are that he'll have a chance to compete for the 5th spot in the rotation next year if we don't get Peavy or another starter. But my prediction is he won't get it . Some of his Venezuelan Winter League stats: 1-2, 6.86 ERA, 21 IP, and at one point he had 19 Walks in 19 1/3 IP with a 7.45 ERA. So it looks like he'll be placed on waivers to be claimed by another team.

No Options Left

1. Ronny Cedeno
2. Neal Cotts
3. Chad Gaudin
4. Angle Guzman
5. Koyie Hill
6. Rich Hill
7. Felix Pie
8. Brad Snyder
9. Geovany Soto
10. Michael Wuertz

They'll only be placed on waivers if there on the team and then sent down to the minors. So don't worry GEO isn't going anywhere. Some of these players could be traded before there waived such as: Cedeno, Guzman, both Hills, Pie, and Snyder. The remaining 4 will likely make it onto the roster.

So if you wanna know who on the Cubs have a certain amount of options left (1,2,3, or 4) let me know, and I'll post up the list.

If anybody wants me to have a weekly report on a Winter League player from the Cubs, please just ask in the comments. Also i read the comments hourly, so talk it up.

Dempster would welcome Milton Bradley! and Peavy?

According to Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune Ryan Dempster would greet Milton Bradley with open arms. Here's what he had to say "Good player, man, and everything I hear from guys he played with is good," he said. "I know he has that reputation of being a hothead, but you hear from guys who played with him, and they all say he's a great teammate. Obviously, he'll bring a pretty powerful dynamic to our lineup." Ryan wasn't surprised that they traded Derosa , since they have been talking about him for 2 years know. But the Cubs have have let go/traded 2 of his good friends in Kerry Wood and Mark Derosa.

Dempster also said that the rotation should be fine with or without Peavy. But also said "You never know what can happen between now and spring training" he said. "We've got a lot of depth, especially with a guy like Marshall who has really gone unnoticed. He's done a good job stepping in to pitch long relief, short relief or whatever they need. Whoever it is will do a good job."

If anything breaks out, or if any rumors pop out i'll keep you posted.

Cubs have Milton Bradley locked up?

According to WashingtonPost Milton Bradley and the Chicago Cubs have a firm but not formalized deal, which should be announced within 7-10 days, according to Jim Hendry.

Should the Cubs (even though it looks about done) sign Milton Bradley or sign Adam Dunn? So feel free to leave your comments about what you think.

I'll have breaking news, new rumors, and news for the rest of the evening and this weekend, so stay tune.

MLB Network Launched into 50 Million Homes today.

Today at 5 pm CST, the MLB network launched it's new 24/7 program. Today i realized that I didn't have MLB Network in my package, so I quickly called up Comcast to get it. All i have is 1 word "Amazing," this program has all the latest hot stove plus classic games. So I would advise you all to get this new Network.

Top 20 Chicago Cubs prospects of 2008

All information below is from minorleagueball, they have every teams top 20 prospects.

Chicago Cubs Top 20 Prospects for 2009

All grades are EXTREMELY PRELIMINARY and subject to change. Don’t get too worried about exact rankings at this point, especially once you get out of the top 10. Grade C+/C guys are pretty interchangeable depending on what you are looking for.

1) Josh Vitters, 3B, Grade B+: Hopefully the home run power should start to come in 2009. Great contact hitting skills and still very young.

2) Jeff Samardzija, RHP, Grade B: I have no idea what to expect here. Could be great, could be horrible, track record very erratic.

3) Ryan Flaherty, SS, Grade B: Looks like a solid all-around player to me.

4) Andrew Cashner, RHP, Grade B-: High ceiling due to fastball and slider, command issues may slow progress.

5) Hak-Ju Lee, SS, Grade B-: Scouting reports look great, but want to see some numbers before ranking higher.

6) Jay Jackson, RHP, Grade B-: I LOVE this guy…good athlete, former philosophy major, throws hard, throws strikes, great pro debut. I think he is underrated by other sources.

7) Tyler Colvin, OF, Grade C+: Still worried about his plate discipline.

8) Welington Castillo, C, Grade C+: Good glove, hits well in flashes, maybe a Miguel Olivo type?

9) Dae-Eun Rhee, RHP, Grade C+: Would rank higher if not for Tommy John.

10) Aaron Shafer, RHP, Grade C+: Wichita State product with sharp command. Elbow injury cost him velocity.

11) Starlin Castro, SS, Grade C+: Intriguing toolsy infielder had strong AZL debut. A sleeper.

12) Junior Lake, SS, Grade C+: Intriguing toolsy infielder had strong AZL debut. A sleeper.

13) Dan McDaniel, RHP, Grade C+: Lots of strikeouts and grounders at Boise. Command an issue. Could rank as high as 10^th.

14) Micah Hoffpauir, 1B, Grade C: Too old to rank higher but he has a major league bat. Where does he play?

15) Esmailin Caridad, RHP, Grade C: Low strikeout rate a concern, but I think he can do well in relief.

16) Don Veal, LHP, Grade C: Stock has fallen massively due to command and mechanical issues. Not protected for Rule 5, which tells you a lot.

17) Josh Kroeger, OF, Grade C: He finally learned some plate discipline and has done well in Triple-A. Getting old for a prospect.

18) Tony Thomas, 2B, Grade C: Strike zone judgment collapsed in Florida State League.

19) Chris Carpenter, RHP, Grade C: Command problems and poor health record reduce stock, but he throws very hard and has upside if he can stay away from doctors.

20) Mitch Atkins, RHP, Grade C: Possibly a fifth starter type if he can sharpen command more.

Others include Darwin Barney, Justin Bristow, Matt Cerda, Hung-Wen Chen, Dumas Garcia, Brandon Guyer, Josh Harrison, Dylan Johnston, Casey Lambert, Alex Maestri, Jovan Rosa, Drew Rundle, Marquez Smith, Logan Watkins, and Ty Wright. Most of these guys could rank anywhere from 14-20 depending on what you are looking for.

If there is someone else that you really think should be included, make your case. I always miss someone. Space is limited and some of the players above will probably get cut if I have to add someone else.

I really like Jay Jackson and I think he is going to surprise a lot of people. Colvin is a weird case, he actually played worse when he was trying to work the count, and better when he went back to hacking, as Kevin Goldstein of Baseball Prospectus has pointed out. I have some more thoughts about that in the book.

SYSTEM IN BRIEF

The Cubs system has thinned out, and there is no one with impact hitting potential at the higher levels. Guys like Vitters, Flaherty, and the AZL tools guys give hope that that could change in the future. Samardzija is completely unpredictable, he could be the second coming of Bobby Jenks or he could totally flame out. It wouldn’t’ surprise me if Cashner ended up the same way, alternating good and bad runs and leaving everyone scratching their heads.

source: minorleagueball

Cubs trade for Jake Peavy unlikely?

Now the chance for the Cubs to trade for an elite pitcher in Jake Peavy is now unlikely. Tim Brown is saying that the recent trades were used towards the signing of Milton Bradley, i disagree because the Cubs had the payroll go up and they had about 20 million dollars going out. With 17 million used on Bradley, Miles, and Vizcaino, which leaves 3 millions left over plus about 8-10 million for payroll going up. That's about 11-13 millions dollars for the Cubs to use towards a Peavy trade or a leadoff hitter (probably via trade.) Paul Sullivan's article claims that the Cubs will re-visit the Peavy talks!

Jim Hendry was asked about if he would re-visit the Peavy talks and he said "We certainly wouldn't close the door to anything," he legally can't say anything more because of tampering.

Ownership would have to approve of this trade. Crane Kenny has said that the ownership is about winning and anything to win.

Hendry still won't be happy after a new lefty bat!

Jim Hendry was talking on XM radio and said if he can make/add one or two more significant additions to the roster he would consider this a good off season. So, by his recent interview, you can tell he wants another piece and a significant piece to his roster after the left fielder. Don't get me wrong, the chance of us aquiring him (peavy) is about 40-55%