Offseason

[TheRiot]

First one I've seen involves a swap of bad contracts. Bradley for Vernon Wells. UHHH, I say no. Soriano for Wells and then I'd say yes. Soriano amongst the very worst OF'ers defensively,he belongs in the AL where he can hide as a DH. Wells fills the CF starters job nicely for the immediate with Fukudome going back to RF where he belongs. All the Cubs need is to do is find an everday LF'er to pencil in. Pat Burrell not my choice but is a start for discussion purposes.

The money for Soriano/Wells can be worked out IMO.:bowdown:

[rockin500]

i think the bradley/wells rumor is DOA.

[Mild Sauce]

Yeah, the Cubs are denying the Wells trade. I wouldn't mind seeing him go. He's still got a good glove, and he seems, throughout his career to have kinda an on/off thing going for his career. I think he can still be a good player, but again, it doesn't look like it's going to happen.

[Zagi-CRO]

Dont trade Soriano! :cap:

[Lions/Tigers@Cubs.OhMy!]

I find Bradley to be a dispicable person and want him off the team under any circumstance. I think the way he turned on the clubhouse at the end and referred to the fans as being racist was abhorrent behavior and does not evoke the kind of Cubs team I want to ever see winning a pennant.

[Ubiquitous]

Cubs sign Grabow to a two year 7 million dollar deal. Just what the Cubs need to spend on with their limited budget.

[JOVE23]

Heilman to the D-Backs for 2 prospects.

"Heilman, 31, was dealt for left-handed reliever Scott Maine, a sixth-round pick in 2007 out of the University of Miami, and first baseman Ryne White, a St. Rita High School and Purdue product."

[Cowtipper]

Cubs purchased the contracts of LHP John Gaub, RHPs Blake Parker and Rafael Dolis, OF James Adduci and C Welington Castillo.
The five are now protected from December's Rule 5 draft. Armed with a fastball clocked as high as 100 mph, the 21-year-old Dolis surely would have been chosen had he been exposed. That said, he's still a bit of a project, posting a 3.79 ERA and 75/53 K/BB ratio in 99 2/3 innings with Class A Daytona in 2009.

http://www.rotoworld.com/content/playerpages/playerbreakingnews.asp?sport=MLB&id=5891&line=278894&spln=1

[Cowtipper]

Cubs sign Vince Perkins to a minor league deal.

http://www.baseballamerica.com/blog/prospects/?p=7288

[Ubiquitous]

Cubs trade Miles and Fox to the A's for minor leaguers and a reliever.

IF you are going to give up Fox I would have hoped they would have had to take Bradley as well. Oh well.

I'm pretty sure that Fox is going to top out as a 4th outfielder (and I know he is a 1B) But still this trade just stinks. Hendry sings Miles to a stupid and pointless multiyear contract and then they only way to get out from under it to create salary space is to package him with a lively bat. Stupid, stupid move on Hendry's part.

[Ace Venom]

I'm pretty sure that Fox is going to top out as a 4th outfielder (and I know he is a 1B) But still this trade just stinks. Hendry sings Miles to a stupid and pointless multiyear contract and then they only way to get out from under it to create salary space is to package him with a lively bat. Stupid, stupid move on Hendry's part.

It just goes to show you how a bad contract like the Aaron Miles contract is hard to dump. They weren't going to eat the money because they'll have to absorb some money from the Milton Bradley deal. You could argue that the deals that brought Aaron Miles and Milton Bradley here were the really stupid deals because they mean we have to make ourselves worse to get rid of them.

[Mild Sauce]

I really like Fox, but with Ramirez and Lee there for probably still a little while longer, it wasn't going to be worth it to keep him on the roster and have him playing off the bench. He's not a good enough outfielder to really play every day out there. For any Bulls fans out there, it's like the Thabo Sefolosha trade, he's a quality player, but he's only going to be able to be so good with his team, so you trade him somewhere where he can be a bigger help on a regular basis. I can see Oakland really being able to use him as a DH/1B there.

[Ubiquitous]

You don't trade a quality bat away for nothing. If the Cubs were not going to be a fit for Fox then Hendry should have traded him away last season before the deadline not as part of a 1.7 million dollar salary dump.

[Mild Sauce]

A power arm and a good prospect aren't exactly nothing, especially when you consider that it frees up money and room on the roster as well.

[Ubiquitous]

It frees up 1.7 million dollars and one roster spot and technically not even that roster spot since Fox had options.

The Cubs have a zillion power arms.

[Mild Sauce]

Like who? Guzman and Kevin Gregg? Guzman is a guy who I like, but as for quality power arms, Guzman and a wild Marmol is it as far as actual legitimate arms go. That comes far from a zillion.

[Ubiquitous]

I'll believe he is a consistent quality arm when he actually does it consistently.

[Bob Sacamento]

I'll believe he is a consistent quality arm when he actually does it consistently.Same can be said about Jake Fox, I'll believe he's a quality bat when he can actually be consistent.

[Cowtipper]

DES MOINES, Iowa -- The Chicago Cubs say Hall of Famer Ryne Sandberg will manage Triple-A Iowa next season.

Sandberg managed the Double-A Tennessee Smokies in 2009. The 50-year-old Sandberg spent the previous two seasons managing Class A Peoria.

Sandberg spent 15 season in the majors, most of those with the Cubs. Sandberg won nine Gold Gloves, was a 10-time National League All-Star and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2005.

At Iowa, Sandberg replaces Bobby Dickerson, who is now with the Baltimore Orioles organization.

http://sports.espn.go.com/chicago/mlb/news/story?id=4722880

[rockin500]

Same can be said about Jake Fox, I'll believe he's a quality bat when he can actually be consistent.

lets see what happens when the league adjusts to him. he still has exploitable holes in his swing.

[Ubiquitous]

Same can be said about Jake Fox, I'll believe he's a quality bat when he can actually be consistent.

The Cubs have arms in their system they don't have bats. If you are going to trade away something you don't have a lot of you don't trade it away for something you have a lot of.

[Cowtipper]

In today's Rule 5 draft, the Cubs surprised me by not only making a pick, but making an odd selection of a righty starting pitcher who was hurt all of last season.

Meet Mike Parisi, a 26 year old swingman from New York. Parisi was gone for most of last year recovering from Tommy John surgery, but returned late in the season and was at full strength for the Arizona Fall League.

I see the thinking here by Cubs brass, who apparently like the idea of a stealing a guy with "MLB experience" (a pretty lousy 23 innings) from a division rival and seeing what they can get from him.

If he shows up this spring and looks great, he could fit in as a fill-in starter/mop-up pitcher for the Cubs behind Zambrano, Lilly, Dempster, Wells, and Gorzelanny. I think those 5 and Sean Marshall are all better pitchers than him though so I don't see it, but the worst case here is that they send him back to the Cardinals with minimal loss.

Harry Pavlidis at CubsFX had an interesting interview up with Parisi in very timely fashion, and you can find that here. FutureRedbirds.net (a Cardinals minor league blog) also ran an article talking about his AFL PitchFX results just a couple days ago, so you can get an idea of what he throws there.

To summarize, Parisi throws a low-90's fastball and complements it with an average curveball and a fairly new cutter. He doesn't generate many swings and misses, but showed good control in Arizona and a penchant for groundballs, the result of keeping the ball down in the zone.

Statistically, he wasn't a world beater before his injury, posting ERA's of 4.60 and 4.91 in his first go-rounds of AA and AAA respectively. His control has been average to below-average through his career, but like I mentioned looked markedly better in the AFL. His career strikeout rates have been in the neighborhood of 6-7 K/9 IP, which is again average to below-average.

He also looked very hittable in 2005-2007, averaging about 10 H/9 IP, a pretty bad number. His most successful year, 2008 in AAA where he posted a 3.86 ERA, appears to be the result of getting lucky on some balls in play, as his H/9 dipped to about 8.6 that year. Parisi did earn a promotion based on his work that season though, and was pounded by MLB'ers to the tune of 24 runs in 23 innings.

Overall, I don't love this pickup at all, and I really have a hard time picturing him being a contributor to the Cubs at all, especially with some of the other options available. I would think Mitch Atkins and Esmailin Caridad could easily fill the same role this year, and have more flexibility with options remaining. And again, I think Sean Marshall is much better than Parisi.

But again, there's no downside here, and if nothing else it hurts the Cardinals, asI believe Parisi will become a free agent if the Cubs don't keep him based on the Cards having outrighted him from the roster in the past (not positive on this though).

http://www.chicagonow.com/blogs/chicago-cubs-wrigley-bound/2009/12/cubs-pick-stl-sp-mike-parisi-in-rule-5-draft.html

[Cowtipper]

MLB.com's Carrie Muskat says the Cubs acquired righty Arismendy Mota from the Nationals for cash considerations. Mota was taken by the Nats from the White Sox with the first pick of the Triple A phase of the Rule 5 draft yesterday.

http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/

[Mild Sauce]

I'd thought Mota had actually done rather well in the White Sox system last year.

[Cowtipper]

CHICAGO — Left-hander Neal Cotts became a free agent when the Chicago Cubs failed to offer a 2010 contract.

A left-hander who turns 30 in March, Cotts struggled with his consistency and ability to get lefty hitters out this year, going 0-2 with a 7.36 ERA in 19 appearances before he was demoted to Triple-A on May 27. He was 1-1 with a 2.84 ERA in 12 minor league appearances and had elbow ligament replacement surgery July 2.

Cotts, who made $1.1 million this year, spent the past three seasons with the Cubs. He spent the previous four seasons across town with the White Sox and helped them win the 2005 World Series, when he appeared in all four games. He has not allowed a run in eight career postseason appearances.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5g8NI9AjjbT9dilATazy8MEgHYE6wD9CI3O9G1

[Cowtipper]

SEATTLE — Mercurial outfielder Milton Bradley was traded to the Seattle Mariners from the Chicago Cubs on Friday for expensive and underperforming pitcher Carlos Silva.

The dual dumping, which came together in 48 hours, got rid of headaches for each team — yet has the potential of creating new ones in each city.

Chicago also received $9 million from the Mariners as part of the swap. Silva has $25 million remaining on his contract and Bradley has $22 million left on his deal.

Chicago has been wanting to trade Bradley since the Cubs suspended him for the final two weeks of last season, shortly after he criticized the atmosphere surrounding a team that hasn't won a World Series since 1908.

General manager Jim Hendry said Friday he regrets signing the fiery outfielder to a $30 million, three-year contract. Bradley hit just .257 with 40 RBIs last season.

"I bear the responsibility for that not working out," Hendry said during a conference call. "Obviously, in this case, it did not work out how we planned, which was also the reason I sent Milton home. (That's) not going to be tolerated, to treat our fans, teammates and members of the media the way he did.

"It's just time to put it behind us and move forward."

Seattle, which has never even appeared in a World Series, didn't expect to find a suitor for Silva. He has done little except lose and get hurt in the two seasons since he signed a $48 million, four-year contract.

Silva won five games in two years with the Mariners. They will now pay more to Chicago to shed the albatross of a contract second-year Mariners general manager Jack Zduriencik inherited from predecessor Bill Bavasi.

Zduriencik's third splashy move in three days was to add more offense following his acquisition of ace Cliff Lee in a trade with Philadelphia and the signing All-Star infielder Chone Figgins.

After years of run-ins, Bradley was suspended for one game last season after arguing with umpire Larry Vanover when he was called out on strikes with the bases loaded April 16. That, by the way, was his first at-bat at Wrigley Field as a Cub.

In June, he got sent home by manager Lou Piniella during a game against the White Sox after he threw his helmet and attacked a water cooler following a popout. The Cubs finally decided they had enough in September, after he criticized the team in a suburban newspaper.

Seattle believes clubhouse leader Ken Griffey Jr. and Figgins will be able to rein in Bradley's "passion" in a productive way. The Mariners repeatedly have proclaimed they want players of high character with good attitudes, citing Figgins as the latest example on Tuesday.

They also wanted another bat.

"We were in search of a middle-of-the-lineup guy for quite some time," Zduriencik said.

Seattle's GM characterized Bradley's fire as a passion to win. He said he got nothing but good reports on Bradley going back his minor-league career a decade ago. Zduriencik specifically relied upon the input from two former coaches of Bradley: current Mariners bench coach Ty Van Burkleo, who was with Bradley in Oakland in 2007, and performance coach Steve Hecht, who had the outfielder in Texas in 2008.

The 31-year-old Bradley was an All-Star that year as a designated hitter with the Rangers. He led the AL in on-base percentage while batting a career high-tying .321 during a relatively event-free year. That was followed by the tumultuous season with the Cubs.

"It's a new day, new way for this guy," Zduriencik said.

He said Bradley will likely play left field and perhaps share designated hitter with Griffey on a team that last season went 85-77 following a 101-loss year.

"What we know is that he is a good person, that he is a very intelligent guy, that he has a strong desire to win," Zduriencik said.

Zduriencik said Bradley told him Friday morning, "When I saw the Seattle thing I said, `OK, this would be fun.'"

"He realizes where we're headed here, and he wants to be a part of it," Zduriencik said. "We're going to welcome him with open arms."

The hefty, 30-year-old Silva appeared in eight games for Seattle this year while missing most of the season with a bad pitching shoulder, after he had devoted himself to yoga and a better diet. He went from 285 pounds to 250, yet was a 1-3 with an 8.60 ERA.

Silva was 5-18 with a 6.81 ERA in two seasons with Seattle after leaving Minnesota.

"I think this deal helps us in a lot of ways," Hendry said of his Cubs. "Hopefully, Mr. Silva will get back to where he was a few years ago. He was a quality free agent when he left the Twins."

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jf2hZHGP8p25Ko6GZUNMwcBkMHjAD9CLVPV02

[Ubiquitous]

If I was the Cubs my next move would be to cut Carlos Silva.

[Cowtipper]

Named Marty Pevey catching coordinator.

http://espn.go.com/mlb/transactions

[Cowtipper]

Acquired: RHP Arismendy Mota from Nationals for cash considerations
Rule 5 selection: RHP Miguel Sierra (Rays, AAA)

http://www.baseballamerica.com/blog/prospects/?p=7395

[Mild Sauce]

I love the Bradley trade, even though they're really not getting much, if anything in return for him. However, being in a smaller, more distant market should be good for Milton, so fewer people will be hearing him call everyone racist. That should be great for him, and he can also be a DH again, which should also help him. For the Cubs, I'm nowhere near counting on Silvia for anything, but hey, if he's healthy he might actually be able to be a decent 5th starter or possibly even a bullpen pitcher. Either way, he supposedly brings a good attitude and strong work ethic, which is much better than what Bradley brought off the field.

[Cowtipper]

Signed: 3B Derek Helenihi (NDFA—Louisiana State)
Released: RHP Erik Hamren, RHP Billy Muldowney, RHP George Pineda, LHP Jayson Ruhlman, LHP Melvin Vasquez

http://www.baseballamerica.com/blog/prospects/?p=7417

[Mild Sauce]

Cubs seem to really love going to that LSU well.

[Bob Sacamento]

Cubs seem to really love going to that LSU well.Hendry has had a close relationship with the LSU program along with Creighton, Kansas State, and Notre Dame for quite awhile due to his past in the scouting circle. Yet his close ties to Paul Mainieri (Notre Dame 1994-2006, LSU 2007-current) are obviously seen in today's game, Mainieri is one of Hendry's best scouts and he's not even being paid.

[JOVE23]

From SI.com:

The Chicago Cubs have reached an agreement with free agent outfielder Marlon Byrd on a three-year, $15 million contract, SI.com has confirmed. The signing allows the Cubs to move Kosuke Fukudome from centerfield to rightfield, which is his preferred position.

The Cubs had been eyeing other available outfielders such as Rick Ankiel, Scott Podsednik and Melky Cabrera, but settled on the 32-year-old Byrd, who hit .283 with 20 home runs and 89 RBIs for the Rangers in 2009. He has also played with the Phillies and Nationals in his eight major league seasons and is capable of playing all three outfield spots.

Read more: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/baseball/mlb/12/31/heyman.byrd.cubs/index.html?eref=sircrc#ixzz0bIRCXBOL

[Mild Sauce]

After Cabrera went, I think Byrd was clearly the next best choice. I'm not in any way sold on Ankiel, and I think Podsednik wants too much and brings too many weakness to the table.

Byrd isn't a great fielder, but he's at least reliable out there. He's been very good the past few seasons, hitting over .280 last season with 20 home runs and 43 doubles, which are very nice numbers. His contract isn't horrible in any way, and to be honest, this signing reminds me of the Mark DeRosa one when it was made as Byrd is the same age DeRosa was as well as the contract is the same length and for a similar amount of money. DeRosa had just started to show signs of being able to be a good every day player while Byrd has been a solid most days type for a few years now. Also, they're both versatile players. While DeRosa is the ultimate utility man in the league, being able to play at least 6 positions, Byrd can at least play all of the outfield spots.

Bottom line, the guy can hit the ball, he's still got the same hitting coach, and he brings a good attitude to the team. He's not too old in baseball years, and won't be at the end of his deal. Just him allowing Fukudome to move back to right will be a huge boost to the defense, and from what I've seen of him, he's better than Bradley (and smarter) in the field. I'm very happy with this signing.

[Mild Sauce]

Hendry has had a close relationship with the LSU program along with Creighton, Kansas State, and Notre Dame for quite awhile due to his past in the scouting circle. Yet his close ties to Paul Mainieri (Notre Dame 1994-2006, LSU 2007-current) are obviously seen in today's game, Mainieri is one of Hendry's best scouts and he's not even being paid.

I thought I'd heard something like that before, but I wasn't sure. That's pretty interesting that Mainieri does that stuff for free though.

[Ubiquitous]

I thought I'd heard something like that before, but I wasn't sure. That's pretty interesting that Mainieri does that stuff for free though.

It is beneficial to Mainieri. It makes recruiting talent easier if you have a pipeline to the majors.

[Mild Sauce]

Yeah, I can see that, but still, it's refreshing to see in a day and age where everyone seems to think they're entitled to so much that a guy does that for free with nothing more than some benefit to his program.

[Ubiquitous]

Yeah, I can see that, but still, it's refreshing to see in a day and age where everyone seems to think they're entitled to so much that a guy does that for free with nothing more than some benefit to his program.

A coach that has a pipeline to the majors is a coach that can get very good talent for his team. A coach that has very good talent on his team is going to have no trouble finding a job and will be well paid.

[Cowtipper]

CHICAGO -- The Cubs have signed first baseman Bryan LaHair to a Minor League contract and he'll be one of the non-roster invitees this spring.

http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20100109&content_id=7895636&vkey=news_mlb&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb

[Cowtipper]

I'd like to report that after this offseason, I am retiring from reporting the daily team by team transactions (and the Baseball Fever community breathes a collective sigh of relief). It takes far too long to do.

[Mild Sauce]

A coach that has a pipeline to the majors is a coach that can get very good talent for his team. A coach that has very good talent on his team is going to have no trouble finding a job and will be well paid.

I agree, but I just found it interesting still.

[Cowtipper]

LHP James Russell assigned to Chicago Cubs.
CF Matt Camp assigned to Chicago Cubs.
SS Darwin Barney assigned to Chicago Cubs.
C Chris Robinson assigned to Chicago Cubs.
1B Blake Lalli assigned to Chicago Cubs.
SS Starlin Castro assigned to Chicago Cubs.
3B Josh Vitters assigned to Chicago Cubs.
CF Brett Jackson assigned to Chicago Cubs.
RF Brad Snyder assigned to Chicago Cubs.
LHP J.R. Mathes assigned to Chicago Cubs.
RHP Andrew Cashner assigned to Chicago Cubs.
RHP Casey Coleman assigned to Chicago Cubs.
RHP Thomas Diamond assigned to Chicago Cubs.
C Robinson Chirinos assigned to Chicago Cubs.
C Steve Clevenger assigned to Chicago Cubs.
Chicago Cubs signed free agent RHP Jeff Kennard.
Chicago Cubs signed free agent RHP Vince Perkins.

http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/transactions/#month=1&year=2010

[Cowtipper]

The Cubs had eight players file for salary arbitration, and were able to sign Jeff Baker, Mike Fontenot, Koyie Hill, Angel Guzman and Tom Gorzelanny to one-year deals on Tuesday.

http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20100119&content_id=7936336&vkey=news_mlb&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb

[Cowtipper]

Third baseman Scott McClain is back, too, after spending last year with Hiroshima in Japan. McClain was a spring-training sensation a couple times earlier in the decade, and it seemed like he might damn near make the club one year out of camp. He did get into 13 games with the Cubs in 2005. He went to Japan last year after opening the season with the Giants' Class AAA club.

http://blogs.dailyherald.com/node/3296

[Cowtipper]

Signed: C Mark Johnson (re-signed)

http://www.baseballamerica.com/blog/prospects/?p=7444#more-7444

[Cowtipper]

OSAKA, Japan -- Former St. Louis Cardinals outfielder So Taguchi is returning to Japan to play with his original professional team.

The Orix Buffaloes announced Saturday they have reached an agreement with the 40-year-old Taguchi. Terms of the contract were not released.

http://www.tsn.ca/mlb/story/?id=307323

[Ubiquitous]

Cubs sign Xavier Nady to a one year contract.

I think it is a good signing even if he can't throw. At worst he is a nice platoon partner for Fukudome when a lefty is pitching and a good bat off the bench. Plus he can slide into left if and when Soriano gets hurt.

[Cowtipper]

The Chicago Cubs and Sean Marshall have agreed to terms on a one-year contract, avoiding arbitration by settling on a figure of $950,000, according to a major league source.

Marshall will vie for a rotation spot as the fifth starter or go back to the bullpen as a long man.

As first reported by ESPNChicago.com on Tuesday, Chad Tracy signed a one-year, minor league deal with the Cubs. He will have an opportunity to earn more if he makes the major league roster out of spring training.

http://sports.espn.go.com/chicago/mlb/news/story?id=4863186

[Cowtipper]

The Chicago Cubs are bringing former Oriole Kevin Millar to spring training on a minor league deal with no guaranteed money, team sources told the Chicago Tribune on Monday.

Millar, 38, will compete for a job as a backup first baseman and pinch-hitter.

http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/bal-sp.millar02feb02,0,2978995.story

[Cowtipper]

CHICAGO -- The Cubs signed Carlos Marmol to a one-year, $2.125 million contract Thursday, avoiding arbitration with their closer.

Marmol, 27, who made $575,000 last year, was asking for $2.5 million while the Cubs offered $1.75 million.

http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20100204&content_id=8020110&vkey=news_mlb&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb

[rockin500]

glad they were able to avoid arbitration with marmol. now if only they can do it with theriot...

[Mild Sauce]

With Theriot, I just wish they'd go ahead and pay him his money, he's good enough to deserve it, even if he winds up being a second baseman by the end of the year.

[Shawon-o-Meter]

Yeah I wanna keep Ryan Theriot happy...the money they're arguing over seems like nothing in the world of major league baseball. And I'm glad he's willing to move to 2nd, Starlin Castro is the real deal.

[Mild Sauce]

I agree, he did well as the second baseman a while ago, and I'd like to keep him there if it means that we get this stud prospect to come in and be our regular shortstop.

[Cowtipper]

The Cubs signed Jason DuBois.

http://www.baseballamerica.com/blog/prospects/?p=7527#more-7527

[Cowtipper]

Theriot lost his arbitration hearing.

http://tsn.ca/mlb/transactions/

[Mild Sauce]

I agree, he did well as the second baseman a while ago, and I'd like to keep him there if it means that we get this stud prospect to come in and be our regular shortstop.

Hadn't he been with the organization in the past? I don't remember him actually spending a whole lot of time on the big league club, but I could swear that he had actually made it to the Cubs at some point and was considered to be one of their better prospects for some time.

[Cowtipper]

They reinstated prospect Jordan Latham from the inactive list.

http://www.baseballamerica.com/blog/prospects/?p=7532#more-7532

[Bob Sacamento]

Are you referring to Starlin Castro? The furthest he's made it is AA last year (31 games) and played in the Arizona Fall League where he was one of the league's top hitters at 20 years old. He'll start the year likely in AA again and very well could see early MLB time based on his performance as well as Ryan Theriot and Mike Fontenot's offensive numbers.

[rockin500]

Are you referring to Starlin Castro? The furthest he's made it is AA last year (31 games) and played in the Arizona Fall League where he was one of the league's top hitters at 20 years old. He'll start the year likely in AA again and very well could see early MLB time based on his performance as well as Ryan Theriot and Mike Fontenot's offensive numbers.

i thought i saw that it was likely he was going to start the season in Iowa, not AA?

[Mild Sauce]

I'm excited for preseason ball to start tomorrow. Looks like Starlin Castro has looked great during early workouts and seems to actually have a good work ethic. Kevin Millar looks like he may have a solid shot at making the team, as he's at least gathering a lot of popularity. Hopefully all the injuries and such are gone by the start of the regular season, outside of the ones we know will be there.

[Bob Sacamento]

i thought i saw that it was likely he was going to start the season in Iowa, not AA?

Well Darwin Barney is at AAA right now and the Cubs want him to get starting time at SS as well; of his 303 games in the minors he's played 290 at SS. Barney isn't the elite prospect that Starlin is but Darwin does look like a strong middle infield reserve on the MLB level and can also play 2B. Starlin can play at AA against young talented players in the Southern League rather than AAA Iowa which is known as a offensive tilted league. Either way Castro is very well could be ready for the show by midseason.

[rockin500]

looks like angel guzman's career is now pretty much done, unless a miracle occurs as his shoulder is completely messed up (ligament tear in the shoulder). sad offseason for him.

[Shawon-o-Meter]

looks like angel guzman's career is now pretty much done, unless a miracle occurs as his shoulder is completely messed up (ligament tear in the shoulder). sad offseason for him.

Just heard about this...crappy news. Sounds like he's done for the enitre 2009 season AT BEST

[Shawon-o-Meter]

In the wake of setup man Angel Guzman's season-ending shoulder injury, ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick checks in to report that the Cubs have inquired about the availability of Toronto's Jason Frasor. As we told you last week, Frasor is in a three-headed competition for the closer role, so the Blue Jays do have a surplus from which to trade -- and Frasor makes sense, given that he's eligible for free agency after the season.
http://insider.espn.go.com/mlb/spring2010/insider/news/story?id=4975829&action=login&appRedirect=http%3a%2f%2finsider.espn.go.com%2fmlb %2fspring2010%2finsider%2fnews%2fstory%3fid%3d4975 829

[Bob Sacamento]

In the wake of setup man Angel Guzman's season-ending shoulder injury, ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick checks in to report that the Cubs have inquired about the availability of Toronto's Jason Frasor. As we told you last week, Frasor is in a three-headed competition for the closer role, so the Blue Jays do have a surplus from which to trade -- and Frasor makes sense, given that he's eligible for free agency after the season.
http://insider.espn.go.com/mlb/spring2010/insider/news/story?id=4975829&action=login&appRedirect=http%3a%2f%2finsider.espn.go.com%2fmlb %2fspring2010%2finsider%2fnews%2fstory%3fid%3d4975 829

Only issue is how much do we give up for Frasor. He's coming off a career year, has one year left, and he's a Type B free agent. It's no secret that the Blue Jays want a close to ready middle infield prospect as well as another midlevel prospect. I've got no problem with letting Barney, Flaherty, LeMahieu or Watkins go as the main piece but not with Hak Ju Lee; he has a honest chance of being the starting shortstop for a good ten year run due to his strong glove and arm and his plus bat. Everyone thinks that Starlin Castro is the long term answer at short but Lee fields the position much better and as Castro grows he looks more and more like a 2B or 3B withi his average arm 2B seems more likely.

[Mild Sauce]

I wouldn't say Guzman's career is over, but things clearly aren't looking good for him for the next couple of years. Let's just hope that the Cubs don't rush anything like they tend to do and he gets the proper rehabilitation.

[Mild Sauce]

Anyone else worried that Starlin Castro may not be any good? Yeah, he's only had limited at bats so far this spring, but really, he's only hitting .571 so far this spring (after 4 PAs today), I'm very worried.

[Iowanic]

The sad part about it is; based on past experiences, now the cubbies will just trade him.

[Mild Sauce]

Eh, those days have been gone for a while. The Cubs now at least let their prospects fail before they trade them.

[Cowtipper]

Top draft picks Josh Vitters and Brett Jackson were among nine players cut from the Chicago Cubs' spring training roster on Sunday.

Mitch Atkins was optioned to Triple-A Iowa and David Patton was optioned to Double-A Tennessee. Both are right-handed pitchers.

Jackson, Vitters, catchers Steve Clevenger and Blake Lalli, infielder Matt Camp, and pitchers Jeff Kennard and Vince Perkins were assigned to the minor league camp.

Jackson, an outfielder, was the Cubs' No. 1 draft pick in June. He appeared in five spring training games with a hit in three at-bats.

Vitters, the Cubs' top pick in 2007, hit .316 at Class A Peoria and .238 at Class A Daytona.

http://sports.espn.go.com/chicago/mlb/news/story?id=4994687

[Mild Sauce]

Hmmm, looks like Jackson's just going to need time before we can really see what to expect out of him. With Vitters, I'm hoping he winds up in AA or so, that way we can really get a better idea of how good he really is.

[Iowanic]

There certainly seems to be a number of cubbies making a play for the show this spring! I can't possibly see them including everyone on the roster, so who gets sent where is gonna be getting mighty interesting!

Less then 20 days now.......