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%