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The Cubs created a surplus of qualified starting pitchers when they acquired Matt Garza from the Tampa Bay Rays in an eight-player swap earlier this month. Tom Gorzelanny ended up being the odd man out of the Cubs' rotation and was traded to the Washington Nationals, a team that has been in search of pitching depth for much of the offseason. In return the Cubs acquired three prospects, two of whom are pitchers while the other is an outfielder.
The trade brings clarity to a Cubs rotation that will now feature Matt Garza, Carlos Zambrano, Ryan Dempster, Carlos Silva and Randy Wells. The ...
I would love for nothing more than to be able to tell you that the Cubs are going to win the NL Central this season, no ifs, ands, or buts about it. But that just isn't the case, of course. Forget about the way the team finished last season for none of that matters, nor does it carry over into this season. Still, there is something gnawing at me that tells me this division is very winnable, despite the miserable 2010 season. For one thing, Sweet Lou is no longer asleep at the wheel, and we have a manager who ...
I think it’s pretty clear trash talking is in the air these days. I mean, the New York Jets and New England Patriots gave the media enough material for a year in one week last week.
And let me comment on that game, if I may. As a Jets fan, that was the biggest win of my generation (25 years). That game could have been 42-14 if the Jets capitalized on some opportunities.
Now on to Pittsburgh and I feel pretty good about the game. My only fear is that the Jets put all of their eggs in the beating-the-Patriots basket. They ...
My big knock on the Washington Nationals’ offseason so far has been their failure to upgrade their starting rotation or bullpen. I just don’t understand the logic of adding a fringe star in Jayson Werth and an above average first baseman in Adam LaRoche, but not improving the weakest links of their team.
It took them awhile, but finally the Nationals have added some starting pitching.
The Nationals have acquired LHP Tom Gorzelanny from the Chicago Cubs for three minor league prospects. Those prospects are OF Michael Burgess, RHP A.J. Morris and there will be one more ...
The answer to the headline is yes...and no.
In my third article of this 30 in 30 series, we take a look at the Chicago Cubs, one of the hottest teams in all of baseball at the end of last season.
Posting an impressive 24-13 record under interim manager Mike Quade at the end of last season, the question now for Chicago is no longer "Just how bad are the Cubs?" It has been replaced with the much more optimistic "Just how GOOD are these Cubs?"
The same team that was near the bottom of the NL Central for the entire season appeared ...
Starlin Castro had a tremendous rookie season in 2010. While most 20-year-olds would be manhandled by big league pitching, Castro showed the poise of a season veteran. In just over 500 at-bats, he hit .300 with 53 R, 4 HR, 41 RBI and 10 SB. With a year of big league experience under his belt can we expect Castro to make the leap into the upper echelon of fantasy shortstops? I doubt it. While I’m usually one to target young players who have had some early success in hope that they reach ...
The Chicago Cubs made their biggest splash of the offseason when they landed Matt Garza from the Tampa Bay Rays, in exchange for a package that included high-upside prospects like pitcher Chris Archer and shortstop Hak-Ju Lee.
While the move saw general manager Jim Hendry acquire the starter he craved and was accepted as a quality move by Cubs nation, it created a logjam in the Chicago rotation that has left the question of who will actually start for this Chicago team come April.
As of right now, there are three pitchers firmly cemented in the rotation. Carlos Zambrano, Ryan Dempster and ...
With the Cubs placing their crosshairs on a 2012 run like Sarah Palin, it’s worth considering the chances that they could aim a little bit higher. The Cubs have now added a solid No. 2 starter in Matt Garza, a slugging first baseman—albeit with an OPS (.732) lower than Starlin Castro’s—in Carlos Pena and a suitable bridge to Carlos Marmol in Kerry Wood. These additions fill GM Jim Hendry’s top three offseason priorities—adding a frontline starter, a lefty power bat who can play first base and a power reliever—despite lacking payroll flexibility. Well done, Mr. Hendry… Unless you consider that ...
With the acquisition of Matt "oh no, we gave up way too much for him" Garza, the Cubs would appear to have the makings of a pretty good starting rotation for 2011, barring injuries and/or trades. But just who will bat leadoff in this lineup?
Let's take a look at the candidates and see if anyone exists on the current roster. Hey, it had better, because the Cubs seem set at every position.
Kosuke Fukudome
Well, at least early in the season, this could work, as the overpaid Japanese import should have his usual hot start before falling off the map. He has ...
Baseball America has been posting its top 100 prospects list since 1990, and they have become the leading authority on all things minor league baseball. Each season, fans pour over the most recent list, as they look on not only the future of their favorite team, but the future of baseball as a whole. So here is a look at the Chicago Cubs prospects on the list through the years. While some guys appeared just once then disappeared, other players made as many as five appearances on the list as they were the dreaded perennial prospect.Begin Slideshow
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