It's a seller's market this trade season in MLB, and one of the top attractions among starting pitchers—in fact, likely THE top attraction—is the Cubs' Ryan Dempster. Here's why. For one thing, Dempster may end up being the best pitcher on the market, with extensions for the Phillies' Cole Hamels and the Brewers' Zack Greinke reportedly coming. And even if those extensions don't get done, there is no guarantee that either will be offered up for sale. But Dempster is certainly available, as the Cubs try and build for the future. As good as he is pitching right now, Theo Epstein and Jed Hoyer have little ...
According to Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune, the Cubs have signed Albert Almora, their first round selection and the sixth overall pick in the draft, to a $3.9 million bonus. MLB recommended a $3.25 million bonus for Almora. The club has now signed all of its top 20 draft picks.Almora batted .603 with 13 doubles, five triples, six home runs, 34 RBIs and 24 steals at Mater Academy in Hialeah Gardens, Fla. He also had a 1.164 slugging percentage and a .667 on-base percentage in 25 games.But stats aside, now that Almora is in the fold, what can Cubs fans expect of the 18 year-old center fielder?Almora ...
They say that timing is everything. For Theo Epstein, Jed Hoyer and the Cubs, this is the absolute worst possible time for Matt Garza to pitch poorly if they want to trade him.
Garza's season has not been nearly as good as it was in 2011, and he has been stinking up the yard of late. In fact, Garza has allowed seven runs and 14 hits over his last 9.1 innings. On Thursday evening, he allowed three homers to the Braves.
Meanwhile, Garza isn't using all of the rampant trade speculation as an excuse for his poor pitching performances. According to Doug ...
There are a lot of rumors swirling around the Chicago Cubs, and with good reason. They should be in pure sell-off mode, given their terrible record and the fact that they are in rebuilding mode. But that doesn't mean that you should believe everything you read or hear. In fact, some of the rumors qualify as speculation based on unfounded or ignorant gossip that is intended to sell magazines, improve radio or television ratings or to attract reads to a website. But never fear, Cubs fans. I am here to debunk that crap, and instead focus on what is more ...
For every young star who bursts his way onto the big league scene like Joey Votto, there are numerous rookies who struggle.Ryne Sandberg, if you recall, started out his major league career with the Cubs in an 0-for-40 funk. Uber-prospect Mike Trout, who is destroying American League pitching this season, had a .220/.281/.390 slash line in a small sample size last year. This cautionary tale of unrealistically high expectations applies to Cubs first-base prospect Anthony Rizzo, who CSN Chicago's David Kaplan suggests will be in the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Mets.A good looking prospect, he is. A savior, he is ...
I'll admit that I started writing this article before Carlos Marmol even took the mound to try to save the game on Tuesday night against the White Sox. But I was absolutely convinced that it would not end well for the Cubs. Look, if the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over while expecting different results, then reinstalling Marmol as the closer is insane my friends. Or so I thought. We have seen, far too often, that Marmol seemingly has lost whatever he once had. He simply should not be closing again. Yet there he was, trying to ...
Leadership can come in many different forms and from several different places. It can come from the manager, teammates or coaches. But when the only ones articulating their disapproval are the fans, you know you have a problem. And so it goes for the Cubs, who seemingly have nobody with the guts to walk up to Alfonso Soriano and tell him that he simply must hustle on every play. He owes it to his organization, to the fans—heck, he owes it to himself. If you didn't see the play in question, Soriano ripped a liner down the third-base line in Saturday's ...
With the signing of Cuban sensation Jorge Soler on Monday, Theo Epstein and Jed Hoyer have, in a small way, expedited the rebuilding process by acquiring a young player with huge upside without having to give up anything more than money.
Think of it this way: it is similar to how contending teams use free agency to add that final piece to the championship puzzle by going out and buying talent. That's essentially what the Cubs have done, although there is certainly no championship coming near-term for this team.
But if the Cubs are going to stick to the plan to build a consistent ...
Somebody needs to tap Chicago Cubs manager Dale Sveum on the shoulder and wake him up. It may only be early June, but the Cubs are not going to be contenders this season. So why does he keep sitting Bryan LaHair against left-handed pitchers?
With the Cubs floundering in last place and making a strong case for the possibility of a 100-loss season, now is the time to see what a guy like LaHair can do. Yes, I know he's 29, so he hardly qualifies as a prospect. But the Cubs need to find out if it will be worth moving ...
The Cubs are obviously going nowhere this season, and are in the midst of a rebuilding effort, so it makes sense that anyone is available for the right price. But some are more available than others. While some may argue that a good player is better to keep around in order to build around him, I am of the opinion that if you can turn one piece into two or three prospects, you are better off. For one, it would expedite the rebuild process. And second, you usually have to give something good up to get something good in return. ...
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