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Analysis, News & Rumors
Archives
November 2005 Headlines
Furcal and Bradley - 11/29/05 7:22pm
More Rumors - 11/28/05 8:37pm
Cubs Looking for Lead Man - 11/27/05 9:35pm
Cubs Bolster Bullpen - 11/23/05 12:56pm
Walker being Traded? - 11/17/05 8:43pm
Mench a Cub? - 11/17/05 8:15pm
Cubs Making Offers to Build Bullpen - 11/17/05 4:35pm
Pierre Deal Almost Complete? - 11/16/05 9:41pm
Cubs Working on a Trade? - 11/10/05 11:00pm
Cubs Convention Tickets on Sale Monday - 11/06/05 1:00pm
11/29/05 7:22pm - Furcal and Bradley
The Cubs are not out of the bidding for Rafael Furcal. On Sunday, Cubs General Manager, Jim Hendry,
met with Furcal to make him an offer that is estimated to be a four-year deal worth almost $40 million.
The Cubs are not the only team interested in Furcal, as the Dodgers and Braves also have shown strong interest.
Now, it is up to Furcal to decide. His decision seems to be either to remain with the Braves or join the
Cubs, where he is good friends with Neifi Perez and Aramas Ramirez.
In other news, the Cubs have not given up on making a trade for Juan Pierre. The rumor is that the Marlins
may want more than the Cubs are willing to give, but have not ruled out a trade. If the Cubs land Furcal,
expect them to pull out of any Pierre deals.
More rumblings are going around about the possibility of the Cubs trading for Milton Bradley. ESPN 1000
reported that the Cubs are in talks with the Dodgers to trade Todd Walker for Bradley. This does not
sound like an impossible idea as the Cubs would get a highly talented player and the Dodgers would rid
themselves of Bradley, who has been a problem for them.
Trading Todd Walker seems like it has been
the plan for the Cubs ever since they picked up his option for 2006. For the Cubs, it made more sense to
pick up his option for a low price and trade him than to release him. Walker may not be happy with this
since he asked to be released if the Cubs did not have an interest in keeping him.
Making these moves would make perfect sense for the Cubs. By getting Furcal, the Cubs could move Ronny
Cedeno to second base like they wanted to do towards the end of 2005. They would have their lead-off hitter
in Furcal, which would open it up for Milton Bradley to bat second. The Cubs would then have two-thirds
of their outfield complete with Bradley in center field and rookie, Matt Murton in left field.
If the other rumors are true, the Cubs have already signed John Mabry, who may start fulltime in right field,
or become a much needed lefty utility player. If the Cubs couldn't find a solid right fielder, they may ask
Mabry to fill the void.
The only piece left to the puzzle would be to get another starting pitcher. The bullpen has been patched up,
the outfield would be stronger, and the infield would be complete. The Cubs would also finally get their much
needed lead-off man in Furcal.
- Bryan | Return
11/28/05 8:37pm - More Rumors
As usual, this time of year brings us hundreds of rumors about who will be joining the Cubs.
The usual rumors for 2006 have us getting Rafael Furcal or Juan Pierre to fill the much needed
lead-off hitter role. Numerous rumors have already reported that both players have signed with
the Cubs, but days and in some cases, weeks have passed without any deals. Some new rumors are now
floating around now about other players who may potentially join the Cubs
relatively soon. Are any
of these true? Maybe and maybe not. The rumors are just that: Rumors.
The latest rumor that is floating around on that the Cubs appear to be the likely candidates to
get Milton Bradley. Because of his problems with the Dodgers, it appears he would be available for
next to nothing. Bradley may be a better option than Furcal or Pierre because of his offensive talent.
The only problem is that he is a problem in the clubhouse. Can Dusty Baker control him when he couldn't
control a player like Sammy Sosa?
The other rumor which appears to be true is that the Cubs have signed 35 year-old utility man,
John Mabry. ESPN 1000 has reported that Mabry signed a one-year contract with the Cubs on Monday for $1M. Mabry would likely
replace Jose Macias on the roster. He is a .269 lifetime hitter who batted .240 last year in 246 at bats.
He would be a valuable addition as a left handed bat off the bench.
- Jim | Return
11/27/05 9:35pm - Cubs Looking for Lead Man
The hunt for the future lead-off hitter continues for the Chicago Cubs.
Some sources have reported that the Cubs are close to trading for Juan Pierre, while others have
the Cubs interested in Rafael Furcal or even Milton Bradley. It seems that the Cubs may be working
on all of them at the same time.
Several sources across the internet have reported that the deal to bring Juan Pierre to the Cubs is just
about done. The deal has the Cubs giving the Marlins several of their top pitching prospects for Pierre.
Most experts are disagreeing with this rumor as the Cubs would probably not give the Marlins what
they want for Pierre. Other sources are reporting that the Marlins may be trying to work out a
trade with the Rangers instead of the Cubs.
When it comes to acquiring Rafael Furcal, the Cubs may not be willing to pay the 5 year - $50 million
price tag that Furcal is demanding. The new rumor is that Furcal may end up staying in Atlanta
since Chipper Jones restructured his contract.
If the Cubs are unable to get Pierre or Furcal, they may be looking at bad-boy, Milton Bradley. The word
on the street is that the Cubs may be able to get Bradley for next to nothing since he is known as a problem
in the clubhouse. Bradley may actually be the best option for a lead-off guy if his off the field problems
can be controlled.
- Bryan | Return
11/23/05 12:56pm - Cubs Bolster Bullpen
ESPN 1000 has reported that the Cubs signed middle reliever, Bob Howry.
Howry, going into his 10th season, will be the second middle reliever signed by the Cubs after
they signed Scott Eyre last week. He had a 2.47 ERA last year, while striking out 48 and walking
16 in 73 innings.
The report has Howry making $12MM over three years.
- Bryan | Return
11/17/05 8:43pm - Walker being Traded?
There are new rumors coming out of New York this week. The rumors have second baseman, Todd Walker, being
traded to the New York Mets for reliever, Aaron Heilman, who had a breakout 2005 season.
This may be part of the master plan for the Cubs who may want to start Ronny Cedeno at second base.
Walker has always been criticized for his defense, but his offense places him in the top tier
of second basemen. Because of this, the Cubs had to pick up his option. He would have been too
valuable as a free agent and the Cubs probably wanted to capitalize on a trade if one became available.
The 27 year-old Heilman had a great year in 2005. After having a decent year as a starter, he
was moved to the bullpen where he did even better. He finished the year with a 5-3 ERA with a 3.17 ERA.
Though fans may be sad to see Walker go, the trade could actually pave the way for Rafael Furcal
to come to Chicago. If the Mets were to land Walker as their second baseman, they would probably
pull out of any future Furcal talks. The Mets had planned to ask Furcal to move to second base
since they have Jose Reyes at shortstop.
- Jim | Return
11/17/05 8:15pm - Mench a Cub?
Yesterday, the Cubs announced that they had traded pitcher Jon Lecister to the Rangers for a player to be named later.
This move may be setting the table for the Cubs to get outfielder, Kevin Mench. The Rangers are very interested in the
Cubs pitching staff and they also may be interested in an outfield arm like Corey Patterson.
Mench had 25 homers and batted .264 last year. He would fill the vacant right field position after the Cubs decided not
to keep Jeromy Burnitz.
- Bryan | Return
11/17/05 4:35pm - Cubs Making Offers to Build Bullpen
Several radio stations have reported that the Cubs will be making offers to several free agent pitchers.
The rumor is that the Cubs have already made an offer to Scott Eyre and will be making an offer to Bob Howry.
Both pitchers would fill the gaps in the Cubs bullpen if they were to join the Cubs. Howry was 7-4 last year
for the Indians with a 2.47 ERA. He only walked 16 batters and gave up 4 homers in 79 innings. Eyre is a lefty
who played for the Giants last year. He finished the season with a 2-2 record with a 2.63 ERA. In 68 innings
pitched, he only gave up 3 homers.
Its clear Jim Hendry and the Cubs are looking to keep the home runs down and looking to keep runners off
the bases.
- Jim | Return
11/16/05 9:41pm - Pierre Deal Almost Complete?
Reports across the internet have the Cubs and Marlins in the "final stages" of a trade involving
Juan Pierre and Corey Patterson.
The Marlins seem like they have not made up their minds, as they still may want to hold on to Pierre.
At the same time, they are also interested in possibly dumping his salary to make room for Chris Aguila
in Center for the Marlins. Pierre would be eligible for arbitration next year and could make up to
$5.5 million.
Several names have been dropped as possible candidates to go with Corey Patterson. They include Angel Guzman,
Renyel Pinto, Jae-kuk Ryu, and a few others. It is clear that the Marlins hope they can turn around
Patterson's fate and also acquire a good pitching prospect in return for Pierre.
- Bryan | Return
11/10/05 11:00pm - Cubs Working on a Trade?
The rumor around the league is that the Marlins and Cubs are working on a multi-team deal involving Corey
Patterson and Juan Pierre.
Its too early to tell if the Cubs would get Pierre, but if Jim Hendry is looking to dump Corey Patterson,
you can be sure he will want to get a player like Pierre in exchange.
With Juan Pierre, the Cubs may not need a player like Rafael Furcal at shortstop. Pierre would
become the leadoff hitter in the order. Since the Cubs already signed Neifi Perez to a two year deal,
does this mean they anticipate acquiring someone other than Rafael Furcal?
Putting Pierre in center field and starting Neifi Perez or Ronny Cedeno at shortstop may be the
solution for the Cubs.
Since it is too early to tell, Pierre may not be coming to the Cubs at all. In that case, expect the
Cubs to work something out to get something promising in return for Corey Patterson. At the same time,
his position in center field would be vacant. Do the Cubs have plans for Felix Pie or would they get
a different center fielder from a third team?
Though Juan Pierre had an off year in 2005, he would be a welcome addition to the Cubs. He would be
an upgrade over Patterson with his low strikeout rate and his high on base percentage. Last year,
Pierre hit .276 with an on base percentage of .326. His six year career on base percentage is .355.
He has also never struck out more than 52 times in a season. In 2005, he also stole 57 bases.
Pierre will be a major help to a team which struggles with strikeouts, low on base percentage, and
few steals.
- Bryan | Return
11/06/05 1:00pm - Cubs Convention Tickets on Sale Monday
Cubs fans eager for a fresh start in 2006 can get their chance by purchasing tickets for the 21st annual
Cubs convention on Monday at 10am.
Though recent years have seen a massive amount of fans, the 2006 convention will again give fans an opportunity
to meet Cubs staff, players, and coaches from both present and past.
Like the 2005 convention, fans will be given chances to win autograph opportunities from players like Kerry
Wood, Mark Prior, Carlos Zambrano, and Derrek Lee. Though only a few names have been released, fans can expect
to see Dusty Baker, Ryne Sandberg, Ernie Banks, Billy Williams, Derrek Lee, Mark Prior, and many others.
Weekend passes can be purchased for $50 through cubs.com or by calling 773-404-CUBS.
A complete list of players and activities will be added to our Cubs Convention section once it
is released in January.
- Bryan | Return
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