Absolutely nothing is certain for the Chicago Cubs of 2012. They might trade Matt Garza this spring—or as late the trade deadline—or they might give him a long-term contract extension. They might, in a perfect world, scratch and claw their way over .500 and contend for the championship in what looks like a bad division. They might lose 100 games.Starlin Castro is the one seeming anchor of the rebuilding plan that the Cubs engaged at the outset of the offseason. But given the legal entanglements he still faces in Chicago following a September incident and sexual assault allegation, even that ...
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 ...
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 ...
The Chicago Cubs have signed left-handed pitcher Paul Maholm, according to Maholm's Twitter feed.Maholm, 29, becomes the third substantial starting pitching acquisition of the new Jed Hoyer and Theo Epstein regime, and could open the door to another, as his arrival may make Matt Garza more available in trade.This is a brilliant move by the Cubs, a bargain-bin signing of a pitcher with elite ground-ball skills (he ranks among the top 10 percent of qualifying hurlers in ground-ball rate since 2008, just ahead of Roy Halladay).He is left-handed, a priority under Epstein and Hoyer as they look to slow down ...
Carlos Zambrano and the Chicago Cubs had it good for a while, you know? They burned bright and hot for a decade, during which time Zambrano made three All-Star teams, won three Silver Sluggers and got into a whole lot of trouble. He might get in trouble again in 2012, but if so, he will do so for the Miami Marlins.The trade sending Zambrano to South Beach will also involve Theo Epstein, Jed Hoyer and the Cubs paying the Marlins about $16 million of the $18 million owed to Zambrano. In return, Chicago gets Chris Volstad, 25, a right-handed pitcher ...
Matt Garza pitched for the Chicago Cubs in 2011, but he should be with the Detroit Tigers by the third or fourth week of 2012. Trade rumors still swirl around the right-handed quasi-ace with the National League's second-best fastball and the filthy, roiling breaking ball, and five (six?) teams remain in play for him, according to Jon Heyman of CBS Sports.Pitching is the priority for the Cubs. They have star shortstop Starlin Castro and 2012 rookie Brett Jackson as offensive anchors for the long haul, but need to address a pitching staff that walked more batters than any other in ...
Divisional trade stigma be damned.The Chicago Cubs and Cincinnati Reds agreed Wednesday to a trade that will send left-handed setup man extraordinaire Sean Marchall to the Reds, in return for left-handed starting pitcher Travis Wood. The Cubs will also receive two minor-league players in the deal.Too often, front offices get bogged down in a fully illusory aversion to intradivisional trades. Usually it applies chiefly to elite players who come on the block, but even in this case, there were those who questioned the wisdom of the Cubs' dealing Marshall to a divisional rival."You can argue the Cubs shouldn't be trading ...
Jed Hoyer and Theo Epstein filled one of the key holes on the Chicago Cubs' roster Thursday, closing the Winter Meetings by trading for Colorado Rockies third baseman Ian Stewart. Stewart now projects as the majority third baseman for the team next season.The Cubs gave up Tyler Colvin and D.J. LeMahieu in the deal, which also netted them minor-league hurler Casey Weathers. Giving up so little to get Stewart, despite the ugly numbers and problematic profile the erstwhile Rockies batter presents, has to count as a win.Stewart looked terrible in 2011. In 136 plate appearances, he batted .156/.243/.221, without a ...
Two days into the MLB Winter Meetings, the Chicago Cubs haven't done much to make waves or news. Thus is life at the annual baseball swap meet/job fair/drinking game.Manager Dale Sveum, however, managed to drop a juicy tidbit or two during his latest confab with the media.Sveum hinted at some elements of his Opening Day lineup, making special note of the cases of Starlin Castro and David DeJesus, per Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune. Those two men will be key cogs in the lineup in 2012, and given the state of the Cubs' pitching staff, there will be plenty ...
In the days since the initial announcement that Theo Epstein would take over the helm of the Chicago Cubs, Tom Ricketts has had his engine open to full throttle. Unfortunately, thanks to the stall tactics and unreasonable demands of the Boston Red Sox, Ricketts and the rest of the Cubs organization has been spinning its wheels in the deep muck of unproductive negotiations.Call this traction. Epstein's resignation from the Red Sox and assumption of power at Wrigley Field is official, according to a joint press release from the teams Friday.Compensation does not appear to be finalized, so we won't know ...
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