Cubs rumors

Oh dear...things should be interesting this weekend.

- ESPN1000 is reporting that Peavy could be dealt by Monday with the Cubs and Braves being the most likely targets.

-  The hot rumor early Thursday was the Braves offering Yunel Escobar and two prospects, but if that is the case, it sounds like Peavy would veto that deal. 

“One of the things we will want to look at some point is,
'Who are you giving up? How much are you weakening your team to make
this deal?'” Axelrod said. “If Team X trades three starting pitchers
and a starting shortstop to get Jake Peavy, that lessens their chance
of being a successful team.”

That sure sounds good for the Cubs chances as the players that have been leaked so far are spare parts (Ceda, Marshall, Pie, Cedeno, Fontenot).

- That same article says the Cubs don't have much interest in Khalil Greene.

- USA Today says it's between Braves, Cubs and Dodgers and even gets confirmation from Jim Hendry that an offer has been made, which is rare for Hendry to confirm such things.

-  A supposed Levine report that I almost feel bad for passing it along, so I hope someone can back this up. The Cubs grand plan would be to trade for Peavy in case Dempster walks, but to try and still resign Dempster somewhere in the 4/50 range. Kerry Wood would still be on the radar at one or two year deal at most.

- Jeff Passan at Yahoo says it comes down to which team will cough up their top pitching prospect.The Padres want Jeff Samardzija from the Cubs or Tommy Hansen from the Braves. Other Cubs that could be included are Sean Marshall, Donald Veal, Felix Pie, Ronny Cedeno and Kevin Hart. Samardzija's no-trade clause is a limited no-trade clause according to Passan, which I did not know. 

UPDATE: Bruce MIles tells Jeff Passan to fuck off. Well not that harsh, but Samardzija does have a full no-trade clause. No wonder no one else knew it was a limited NTC.  Miles runs down some of the possible players that might go in a deal as well.

The czar of trade rumors says the Cubs have emerged as a front-runner for the services of one Jacob Peavy, possibly ahead of the Atlanta Braves. It's widely believed  the Dodgers are the third team still in play, although Tim Brown as you'll see below mentions the Cardinals. Rosenthal even goes on to suggest that the Cubs may be willing to go 4 years and around $50 million on Dempster to have them both in the rotation for 2009 and beyond.

What's interesting is that the first line of Rosenthal's article seems to neglect someone.

Imagine a Cubs rotation that featured Jake Peavy, Carlos Zambrano, Ryan Dempster and Ted Lilly.

That someone would of course be Rich Harden, and although the article doesn't suggest any names going back to the Padres, the omission of Harden is a curious one. Chances are it was just an oversight on Rosenthal's part, but myself and some readers have suggested that Rich Harden might be an option for the Padres in a Peavy deal. Yes, the Padres are trying to cut payroll and yes, the Padres are trying to get some players that they'll have control over for four, five or six years, Harden though comes at a cheap price for 2008 considering his talent ($7M). And even though he's set to be a free agent after this year, it would give the Padres quite a bit of leverage for 2008. They could either try and resign Harden to an extension which is the unlikeliest of scenarios. Or they could trade him half way through the season, get out of half his contract and collect even more prospects to reload. They could also just let him pitch all of 2008 and then let him walk and pick up the two draft picks he's likely to fetch for being a type "A" free agent if he doesn't break down.

Rosenthal does say that if the Cubs acquire Peavy and resign Dempster, that pretty much means the end of the Kerry Wood Cubs era.

Tim Brown at Yahoo still says the Braves are the best bet to land Peavy and says that they're already working out contingency plans for players they'd trade away in a deal, as our the Cubs and Cardinals. The Cardinals supposedly said a week or two ago that they weren't willing to give up the types of prospects the Padres were seeking, but things can change quickly.

All quiet on the Western front...

- The Braves have contacted Ryan Dempster's agent. Dave O'Brien guesses that Dempster will still sign with the Cubs and says the Cubs have offered a three year/$36 million deal which Dempster wants to make sure isn't too much of a hometown discount.

- Dave van Dyck of the Tribune throws out Bobby Abreu and Derek Lowe's name but it's all speculation on his part. He says the pitching market was already set by Kyle Lohse's 4/$41M deal and Dempster should expect more than that.

- An AP article in the Herald where it says Jake Peavy and his agent want the Padres to focus on three teams. Houston and St. Louis are likely out of the picture, so that means the Cubs, Dodgers and Braves in all likelihood. It claims Towers is looking for two major leaguers and prospects in return. Earlier, Towers said is was about the quality of players, not the quantity. It's been reported that the Padres would like to deal Peavy sooner, rather than later. Towers did say he's "down the road" with two of those three teams.

- Rosenthal thinks Rafael Furcal is a good bet to stay with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

- Here's a name that I hadn't thought of for the Cubs - Kelly Johnson of the Braves. 10 teams have called about him and although the Rosenthal article doesn't mention the Cubs specifically, he could be a good fit for the top of the order, lefty bat the Cubs are in search of. He struggled for the most part last year until a huge September saved his season numbers, but he was bothered by knee issues for much of the season.

UPDATE #2: A quick blurb that the Cubs might be a spot for Aaron Heilman. A name that has been linked to the Cubs in previous off-seasons. Mets might make a run at Dempster as well.

UPDATE: Looks like Kevin Towers jumped the gun on saying Peavy is willing to go to the Angels or Yankees, as Peavy's agent Barry Axelrod denies the report. Axelrod said Peavy may consider either team but it would require a healthy dose of extra compensation.

CBS's Scott Miller talks about the golf game between Hendry and Towers and throws Rich Hill's name into the mix.

- Bruce Levine reported on the radio talks between the Cubs and Padres centered around Sean Marshall, Felix Pie, Ronny Cedeno and Jose Ceda.

I'm going to go out on a limb and say that's not enough.

The Trib's Dave Van Dyck  quotes a scout saying the Cubs lack the talent the Padres want but has a source that also mentions Felix Pie, Ronny Cedeno and others. It goes on to say that it's definitley Peavy OR Dempster for the Cubs and not Peavy AND Dempster. He finishes it off by mentioning that he believes Wood would be the better bet to get signed before the Nov. 13th exclusive negotiating window ends.

- In a separate article, van Dyck says the Cubs have some interest in Raul Ibanez.

- To add to the fun, Peavy has added the Anaheim Angels and New York Yankees to his list of teams he'd consider waiving his no-trade clause. It does say that Peavy would still prefer one of the 5 N.L. teams he originally listed - Houston, St. Louis, Chicago, Atlanta or Los Angeles.

- Chris DeLuca at the Sun-Times throws the Cubs hat in the CC sweepstakes if he doesn't resign with the Brewers. Greg Maddux is currently leaning towards retirement as well.

Baseball's fourth season is about to warm up and I'll try and summarize all the gossip every couple of days.

- Ken Rosenthal says that Ryan Dempster won't sign with the Cubs before the Cubs exclusive negotiating window closes on November 13th. A rather wise move by him and his agent. There's no reason not to test the waters and see what is actually available for him as rival teams cannot discuss money over the next two weeks. He still may very well sign with the Cubs on a hometown discount, but that discount will be based on what the prevailing market is offering. Rosenthal speculates a four year deal for Dempster with the Cubs interested in three years. Rosenthal also speculates that if the Cubs cannot resign Dempster, they'll up their efforts on Jake Peavy, which sounds like a grand plan to me.

The Padres called, the Cubs said they're interested, and it's a possibility.

According to a West Coast source, the Cubs are the
Padres' best option for a trade partner if for no other reason than
they're not the Dodgers, who are Peavy's first choice, and they're not
the Braves, who at this point are saying they won't deal their best
prospects.

That's the latest from Barry Rozner of The Daily Herald and I'd probably put a lot more stock into it if it was from Bruce Miles, but it should make the offseason rather interesting. Rozner doesn't believe the Cubs have the pitching prospects that the Padres are looking for, and if you consider Jeff Samardzija and Carlos Marmol as untouchable, I'd have to agree. He then goes batshit crazy by suggesting Sean Marshall and Felix Pie to the Padres and then dumping Jason Marquis and another prospect or two to a third team that would land the Padres the elite pitching prospect that they so crave.

While I agree that dumping the bulk of Jason Marquis' contract for next year would be crucial in trying to acquire Peavy and resigning Ryan Dempster, there will be no good player being exchanged for Jason Marquis and the near $10M he's owed.

The entire TCR staff is still in mourning, what can we say, we take this shit personally. A relatively decent rumor though has gone through the wires as we start prepping for the most inconsequential regular season ever for the Cubs - the 2009 season. Because even if the Cubs are  fielding an All-Star at every position, win 120 games and outscore their opponents by five runs a game, none of that shit will matter to anyone until they win some playoff games and get to the World Series.

As for the rumor, the Padres are suffering some money problems as one of their owners is in the middle of divorce proceedings that may cause him to sell his 49% stake in the club.  The Padres debunked that rumor...sort of, but nonetheless San Diego is a pretty small market and are coming off a 99-loss season with not a whole lot of talent to build upon. They did have quite a few injuries last year, but not enough to warrant that bad a season.

(Yeah, that headline really happened)

The Sun-Times is reporting that Jim Hendry has been working the phones the last month with Billy Beane and the A's to try and pry Rich Harden from them. Of course, the A's are just four games back in the wild card and six back in the AL West and have one of the better run differentials in the league. So being a seller isn't necessarily a foregone conclusion, and don't be surprised if this rumor lasts until July 31st.

No names were mentioned, but you'd have to imagine that Beane would like somthing similar to the six for two swap he pulled for Dan Haren.

The article also states the Cubs are looking for a lefty for the bullpen with Eyre spending more time on the disabled list than the roster to this point and Neal Cotts being Neal Cotts.

The recently released Jim Edmonds should clear waivers on Wednesday and it looks like the Cubs are going to bite. The move would likely send Felix Pie to the minors and give Edmonds the majority of playing time in a center field platoon with Reed Johnson.

[UPDATE 4:00 PM]:Ruz has added his take, at the bottom of the article.

So it's understandable that the Cubs want to upgrade center field right now. It seems to be the only weak spot in the lineup and some of our guys are certainly going to regress substantially from their early season success. But could the Cubs actually find someone to upgrade with?

A tale of the 2008 tape after the jump...

Two quick notes from Gordon Wittenmeyer...

The Cubs are getting enough interest from other teams in outfielder
Matt Murton that a deal might get done by the end of the weekend to
keep the Cubs from having to send the .296 career hitter to the minors.

They're just making sure no injuries occur today and Murton will most likely be out of here.

The battle between lefties Sean Marshall and Carmen Pignatiello for Eyre's vacated spot is going down to the final day.

Manager Lou Piniella said before Friday's late game that each lefty
would get an inning of work during the two-game set against Seattle.

It seems Lou really want to give Marshall every chance to win that spot, even though Pignatiello has easily outperformed him this spring.

Rotoworld had a blurb today that Kevin Frandsen is taking a break from playing shortsop. This is on the heels of Omar Vizquel being sidelined with a knee injury. Rotoworld speculates the Giants will probably be looking for a shortstop by the time spring training is ending and it made me think the Cubs might be able to help them out.

The Detroit Free Press is reporting that the Cubs and Tigers have had "general discussions" about getting the Tigers some bullpen help. The Cubs are, of course, in the market for a right-handed hitting, three-spot outfielder.

The Cubs have considered adding a right-handed hitter who is capable of playing centerfield. Whether coincidental or not, Brandon Inge is expected to start in center for Detroit this afternoon against Philadelphia.

I should note that the Tigers played the Astros today and Inge does not show up in the box score and I see no mentions of a split-squad game, so it's entirely possible that the writer is whacked. 

The article also mention Marcus Thames, but Leyland seems to like him, and he's not really suited for centerfield supposedly. 

Of course, the same could be said of Brandon Inge, who came up as a catcher and has played third base most of his career. He has played some outfield, including 20 games at center (most of those in 2004). But is this what the Cubs had in mind? 

Somehow I doubt it, but I did hear one of the local Detroit press guys on XM radio a few weeks back saying that Inge could TRULY play all eight positions on the diamond and excel at most of them. Unfortunately, Inge has stated his unwillingness to be a platoon player or semi-regular. Not to mention he had a truly awful season offensively last year(236/312/376) and has a rather hefty contract (signed through 2010 with over $19 MM left on his deal). But if the numbers could work and if the game was based on theory, he wouldn't be a bad player to have around. In reality, it's doubtful this rumor will go anywhere...which would put it up there with most of the Cubs offseason hot stove talk.

By way of Gordon Wittenmyer in the Sun-Times, Lou Piniella talks about the importance of finding days off for Soriano, Ramirez, Lee, et al.

Hmmm, sounds like what you could use, Lou, is a “super sub.”

Meanwhile the 26th Cub, Brian Roberts, showed up for Orioles camp and got to choose between discussing his as yet unrealized trade to the Cubs and the presence of his name in the Mitchell Report.

Have the Chicago/Baltimore talks cooled to the point that the supposed principals aren’t even thinking about it any more? Andy MacPhail claims he spoke to Roberts Tuesday morning and the subject didn’t even come up.

...we have rumors. 

On Saturday Texas Rangers observer Jamey Newberg of The Newberg Report reacted to this story at mlb.com regarding the Cubs' interest in 30-year-old outfielder Marlon Byrd and the possibility that Matt Murton could be headed for the Rangers.

Newberg theorizes that Murton could join David Murphy in a platoon tandem that would man left field for the Rangers. But Newberg believes the Rangers would have to package at least one solid prospect along with Byrd before the Cubs would bite.

"...Murton is probably out of position anywhere other than left.

"That defensive limitation is the only reason I can conceive of that the Cubs would entertain the idea of moving Murton for Byrd, who is adequate in center field. While both players can probably help a contending team in 2008, the four-year age difference would be significant for a team looking not so much at what sort of noise it can make this season but more at a longer-term fit, like Texas.

"Whether you believe Byrd's breakout in 2007 (.307/.355/.459, 70 RBI in two-thirds of a big league season, but .269/.310/.417 after the All-Star Break) was a mirage, it's hard to argue that at age 30 he's a player to build with (especially now that his ability to play center field is no longer pivotal here). On the other hand, with Chicago believing it can win now and wanting a right-handed hitter capable of sharing center field duties with 22-year-old lefthander Felix Pie, Byrd makes some sense. I just can't imagine the Cubs would trade Murton for him without demanding a legitimate prospect tossed in."