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With Prince Fielder leaving for the safety of Detroit (Am I kidding?), following in the footsteps of Albert Pujols and Tony LaRussa both abandoning the St. Louis Cardinals, there can no longer be any doubt that Chicago Cubs GM Theo Epstein has put the fear of God in the team's competitors.
Not only did Fielder and Pujols leave the NL Central Division — they left the league entirely so as not to be embarrassed by the Cubs' budding dynasty.
It was even worse for former Cardinals manager LaRussa. He figured it was better to quit then go up against Theo and the boys.
Without making any major deals for big-name ...
MLB.com's Jonathan Mayo released his top-10 prospect list by position. Making the cuts at their positions for the Chicago Cubs were Anthony Rizzo, Javier Baez, Dan Vogelbach and Brett Jackson.Rizzo was the highest ranked amongst the first basemen, with Mayo listing him as the No. 1 first-base prospect in baseball. Rizzo was acquired on Jan. 6, along with minor-league starter Zach Cates, in exchange for Andrew Cashner and minor-league outfielder Kyung Min-Na.Rizzo, 22, is in his third organization—all of which have seen Jed Hoyer in a major front-office role. Rizzo struggled in his call-up in 2010, but his potential is ...
Every day there is something new about Cuban "sensation" Yoenis Cespedes. According to ESPN, the Chicago Cubs have shown him the most interest so far, and I would like to know why. He has been compared to Marlon Byrd. I don't want the current Byrd, so I'm not terribly excited about getting a younger version of him. Byrd is an average hitter and baserunner, and a decent fielder with not much power. Cespedes supposedly has more power, and some say he's a better centerfielder than Byrd. Cubs Vice President of Scouting and Player Development Jason McLeod said on ESPN Chicago in Bruce Levine's column, "It's ...
The Chicago Cubs have been one of the most active teams this offseason under the new leadership of Jed Hoyer and Theo Epstein.But what do Theo’s moves mean for the club in 2012?They’ll be competitive and fun to watch…but don’t expect a division title just yet.Gone are the Carlos Zambrano blowups. Don’t expect the lackluster effort that was typically seen with Mike Quade’s squad. But besides that, what else is there to expect?The Cubs will be competitive this year. A large part is due to the NL Central losing its top three players in Albert Pujols (LAA), Prince Fielder (TBD) ...
Baseball and government agencies intertwine when players of this magnitude are forced to seek US citizenship. Cuban citizens are banned from traveling and working with the United States, forcing Cuban players to seek citizenship elsewhere in order to play in the United States.It is a loophole that allows baseball to sidestep a long-standing government policy and get some of the most talented baseball players in the world playing in the top league in the world.Yoenis Cespedes and Jorge Soler are two of the most intriguing Cuban prospects to come out in a while.The Cubs, among others, ...
On Thursday, Mexican baseball writer Fernando Ballestros tweeted that the Cubs had signed Rodrigo Lopez to a minor league deal with an invitation to spring training. My Spanish isn't great, so I don't know what exactly the reference to Luis Ayala and Denis Reyes is in there, though I wouldn't be opposed to the Cubs signing them to minor league deals as well.In 2011, the Cubs acquired Lopez from the Braves AAA affiliate for struggling minor league left handed pitcher Ryan Butcher, who had been previously acquired from the Nationals in a minor league swap for Matt Avery. Butcher seemed ...
Matt Garza asked for $12.5 million in arbitration from the Chicago Cubs this week, according to Jon Heyman of CBS Sports. The Cubs reportedly offered $7.95 million, making the gap between the two sides the largest of any pending arbitration case in MLB this season.That risk factor could pose problems for the Cubs in any effort to trade Garza, according to Buster Olney of ESPN.That's not true. Garza has overplayed his hand with this filing number, and his loss of leverage is the Cubs' gain. What is Garza worth?Matt Garza is arbitration-eligible in 2012, for the third of what will be ...
The Chicago Cubs will be going through a lot of tough decisions to build their team into a future contender, but one piece that both Theo Epstein and Jed Hoyer cannot get rid of is starting pitcher Matt Garza.With arbitration currently going on, the two parties seem to be at different ends of the table. The Cubs offered their leading pitcher $7.95 million, while Garza was looking for more of something in the $10.225 million range. While the team certainly set the bar low, there is no reason that they shouldn't find a way to get closer to what Garza is ...
Cole Hamels and the Philadelphia Phillies agreed to a one-year, $15 million contract Tuesday, a deal that moved Hamels one step closer to free agency at the end of the 2012 World Series.Though the Chicago Cubs signed six arbitration-eligible players to contracts Tuesday, for Theo Epstein, Jed Hoyer and Matt Garza, the Hamels deal may have been the biggest one of the day.The pact between Philadelphia and its youngest co-ace does not preclude further contract extension negotiations. Hamels is a top candidate for such a deal, having been a top-10 pitcher in MLB over the past two seasons. Since learning ...
Not much remains in the free agent class of 2012. Only a few big names are left, and none larger than Prince Fielder.The Cubs are believed to have significant payroll flexibility for next season. By some estimates, Chicago could have as much as $30 million remaining, assuming they match last year's spending totals. That's certainly enough to make a major move.While the Cubs aren't in any hurry to write big checks, Theo Epstein prizes unpredictability. And he wasn't hired to lose—he plans to win games.When asked about the team's chances in 2012, Epstein said the Cubs "might surprise some people." The first surprise, of course, ...
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