Arizona Phil's Archives
Cubs Sign Six Minor League FA
The Cubs have signed their first batch of minor league free-agents.
Minor League FAs signed prior to 11/20 are normally the ones most in demand, and so they often get the best deals, including more money and usually an NRI to Spring Training.
The six minor league free-agents signed recently by the Cubs are:
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The Big Freeze
Today is the deadline for MLB clubs to submit their major league and minor league reserve lists to the MLB office, the beginning of the so-called "frozen period" that runs between November 20th and the conclusion of the MLB Rule 5 Draft (which will be conducted on Thursday, December 6th, as the last order of business at the 2007 MLB Winter Meetings in Nashville).
During this period, a player on a minor league roster is essentially "frozen," meaning the player cannot be added to his club's 40-man roster or be traded.
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Baseball America Top Ten Cubs Prospects List
Baseball America released its annual Cubs Top Ten Prospects list today.
BA doesn't consider MLB service time when rating prospects, but it does hold to the 130 AB and 50 IP rookie limit, making Felix Pie, Ronny Cedeno, and Carlos Marmol ineligible for the list this time around.
BA did provide somewhat detailed scouting reports on each of the Cubs Top Ten prospects, but since it's available only by subscription, I will not provide that additional information here.
Clark Knows When to Fuld Him
Sam Fuld played only three innings and went 1-2 with a SB and a run score, as the Cubs outfielder completed his AFL season today.
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Rounding Up the Usual Suspects
In an interview with the Sun Times yesterday, Lou Piniella discussed some of his ideas about the upcoming season, including a desire for added bullpen depth.
Sun Times Cubs beat writer Gordon Wittenmyer speculated that in their quest to add depth, the Cubs would probably be looking at minor league free-agents.
Of course, teams do that every year.
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Cubs Trade Craig Monroe to Twins
As most of you now know by now, the Cubs traded OF Craig Monroe to the Minnesota Twins today for a PTBNL. The Cubs also reactivated RHPs Angel Guzman (TJ elbow surgery) and Mark Prior (shoulder surgery) from the 60-day DL (MLB clubs have until November 20th to reactivate players from the 15-day and 60-day DL), bringing the Cubs MLB Reserve List (AKA "40-man roster") up to 38 players, and leaving two slots open.
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Cubs Payroll Preview 2008-09
I know a lot can change (and very likely will change) over the next couple of seasons, but AS THINGS STAND RIGHT NOW, here is the payroll preview for the Cubs 2008-09:
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Daryle Ward Back with Cubs in 2008
The Cubs have declined their 2008 club options on RHP Steve Trachsel and OF Cliff Floyd, and the Cubs and 1B-OF Daryle Ward have agreed to exercise the 32-year old Ward's $1.2M mutual option for 2008, bringing the Cubs #1 LHPH and back-up
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Cubs 2007 Minor League Free-Agents Announced
The list of post-2007 minor league free-agents has been released by MLB, and ten of the 18 Cubs minor leaguers eligible to be free-agents after the 2007 season have filed:
Federico Baez, RHP
Cory Bailey, RHP
Gary Cates, INF
Jorge Cortes,
Center of Attention
The Cubs have seven left-handed hitting center-field prospects in their system, four at the upper levels, and three more at the lower levels. It's likely that one of them will eventually end up as the Cubs everyday CF.
But the big question is, which one?
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Let Freedom Ring-a-Bling!
With the 2007 World Series history, today marks the beginning of the 15-day MLB Free-Agency Filing Period, where MLB players with at least six years of MLB service time who are not signed to a contract for 2008 are eligible to file for free-agency under Article XX of the CBA.
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Orioles Claim Novoa off Waivers
The Baltimore Orioles have claimed RHP Roberto Novoa off waivers from the Cubs.
Acquired along with 3B Scott Moore and OF Bo Flowers from the Tigers in February 2005 in exchange for RHP Kyle Farnsworth, the 26-year old Novoa spent the entire 2007 on the DL after suffering a fractured shoulder in an of
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Cubs Minor League Free-Agents
The contracts of 18 Cubs minor league players expire on October 15th, and so each of the 18 is eligible to be a free-agent. The Cubs have until the day after the conclusion of the World Series to decide whether to add a potential minor league free-agent to their 40-man roster (which the player cannot refuse), offer the player a minor league contract for the following season (which the player can refuse), or just allow the player to walk away.
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Cubs Reportedly Interested in Japanese Pitcher
Paul Sullivan at the Chicago Tribune is reporting that the Cubs and the Seattle Mariners are the two MLB clubs who have expressed the most interest in Hiroshima Toyo Carp RHP Hiroki Kuroda.
Kuroda is 32-years old and an 11-year veteran of Japanese major league baseball.
Howard Street, Far as This Train Goes
Today was "getaway day" for the Cubs Arizona Instructional League team, and when I say "getaway" day," I don't mean an overnight trip to Tucson. I mean the end of the line, far as we go, everybody off the train.
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Recent comments
crunch (view)
bleh.
at least MIL has lost the past 2 nights, too.
crunch (view)
madrigal pinch hitting for matt mervis vs jansen?
okay.
crunch (view)
surprising amount of cubs fans at the park, too. HR really brought them out.
Cubster (view)
hmmmm...
4-4
beisbol can be fun
crunch (view)
4 singles and 0 walks (1 HBP) through 7 innings for cubs batters...amazing they even have 1 run.
crunch (view)
nico gets his 5th error on the year...damn.
Childersb3 (view)
Folks, I've known Richard Lovelady since he was an 18 yr old Freshman at East Ga State College in Swainsboro, Ga.
I was the WBB Coach at EGSC and Richard was their prize recruit from outside of Hinesville, Ga.
My roommate was the Pitching Coach there.
Richard showed up a skinny, loose lipped, 83mph Lefty. Pretty good basketball player actually.
My roommate became the head coach.
Richard came back from a minor injury for his Sophmore year a more serious man. He hit 90mph and started mowing GA JUCO hitters down. It was really fun to watch.
He was the first D1 signee for EGSC baseball (school had only had athletics for five yrs at that point). He went to Kennesaw St and became their closer. One yr later, he hit 100mph and KC drafted him in the 10th Rd.
He lost the high velo with a surgery a while back.
It's so cool to see him in MLB. And now he's a Cub!! It's crazy to realize I actually "know" a Cub.
He's a legit good guy.
Easy to root for!!!
Cubster (view)
Tim. Thanks for remembering Lee Elia Day. It will always be one of the most epic rants in all sports. It took about 3 seconds to recognize him from your picture but I did get it right.
Now that Les Grobstein is no longer with us, that might contribute to this grand piece of Cubbery fading.
Just like fine wine, it should be savored...unedited. 40 years, wow.
Dolorous Jon Lester (view)
Does he have any options left, Phil?
crunch (view)
morel in the lineup and playing 3rd.