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Marlon Byrd's name has been mentioned throughout spring training and into the season as a possible trade piece for the Chicago Cubs. He is owed $6.5 million this season, the last year on his current three-year contract.The 34-year-old could net the Cubs a decent prospect and make room for Brett Jackson, the highly-touted outfielder playing at Triple-A Iowa to start 2012. There have been three teams that have reportedly had significant interest in Byrd, all coming from the NL East. The Washington Nationals have made the most progress, as it was rumored that a Marlon Byrd-for-John Lannan deal was in the ...
Who's hot?Who's not? Minor League Baseball is underway and it is time to get a look at who is making noise and who is causing a stink.It is going to be an exciting year for the Cubs and we will see many new faces both from outside the organization as well as in-house options.Let's explore some of those guys who are off to good starts out of the gate. Begin Slideshow
The Chicago Cubs ended their four-game losing streak by taking their frustration out on the Milwaukee Brewers and pounding them 8-0.Here are a few things learned from the four-game series.Ryan Dempster and Matt Garza will be carrying the team Both pitchers have been sensational to begin the season.And Jeff Samardzija looked equally flawless, but time will tell if he can deliver an entire season. The Cubs and their bullpen will depend heavily on Dempster and Garza for victories. When they are not starting, a big question mark is left for the Cubs.Chicago will struggle to score The Cubs are not going ...
I was watching MLB network the other night when I noticed Cubs fans on the edge of their seat, watching as their long suffering club won the World Series. Then I noticed it was an ad for "MLB 2012, The Show." I know the Cubs won't win it on the field this year, and if the game is realistic, they won't win there either, but seeing the commercial made me start to think what it would be like if they were to do it. Can you imagine the generations of Cubs fans watching together, waiting for the moment when they can finally ...
The Milwaukee Brewers (4-2) will look to finish off a four-game road sweep of the Chicago Cubs (1-5) inside Wrigley Field on Thursday afternoon, with the first pitch scheduled for 2:20 ET.Las Vegas oddsmakers have established the Brewers as minus-133 favorites, while the total has settled in at 7.5.Milwaukee will actually be searching for its first-ever four-game sweep of Chicago, as the team also looks to continue its streak of homering in each contest to open the 2012 campaign.The Brewers have received tremendous starting pitching over the last five games, with the staff posting a 4-1 record and 2.70 ERA ...
Cubs manager Dale Sveum is playing the long-ball game with Starlin Castro. Castro's raw power and ability to make contact at such a young age makes it easy for Sveum to challenge him in the three spot. Not only does he get more at-bats with runners on base, but he sees better pitches with the power hitters waiting behind him.Castro has been a top-of-the-order hitter for much of his career, seeing the majority of his at-bats in Chicago in the leadoff and No. 2 spot. He has had success there too, so much that the Cubs brass view him as something ...
Sitting at the bottom of the division at 1-4, few are surprised that the Chicago Cubs are off to a slow start. Since Theo Epstein's arrival in the Windy City, it has been well documented that this will be a rebuilding project, and good results are more likely to appear in the future.After watching these first five games, two things are evident: the team lacks solid arms in the bullpen and lacks power in its lineup.Five games in, the Cubs bullpen has an ERA of 6.19—good for 28th in the league and tied for 23rd in home runs with three.Although the ...
Up 1-0 with two outs in the seventh inning, Ryan Dempster gave up a two-run home run to put the Cubs down for good 2-1. The losing continues as the Cubs fall to 1-5 on the season. Here's what we learned from game No. 6 of 162: Manufacturing runs is going to a problem all season: The Cubs have zero offensive weapons. Outside of Starlin Castro, there's not much fear the Cubs will be instilling in the opposition's pitching staff. Through six games, the Cubs batting average is an ugly .226. Starlin Castro will steal a lot of bases, but will be a liability on the field: Castro ...
With Washington Nationals starting pitcher John Lannan currently sitting in the minor leagues and the Chicago Cubs in desperate need of a lefty starter, there is a very natural fit. At the same time, though, the Cubs have something that could really help the Nats out as well.According to Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun Times, the Cubs want Lannan in order to fill a void in their starting rotation and may be willing to deal outfielder Marlon Byrd in return. Such a deal may seem insignificant in the grand scheme of things, but it would help both teams fill ...
Money talks and, well, that other thing tends to walk. Right now, the Cubs are in year one of a rebuilding process that could be alleviated as early as 2013 and as extended as the kind-of-distant future. It's one thing to cut and run on the previous general manager's mistakes and begin the process in theory, but boy, has it been hard to watch this current Cubs roster when the rubber hits the road.Shoddy defense. A downgraded and terrible bullpen. A mediocre rotation with more unknown commodities than you can shake a cane at. When it comes to the offense, however, it may ...
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