Cubs Blog

Scott Boras isn't generally in favor of pre-free agency extensions, but he ultimately lets his players decide for themselves, he tells Adam Rubin of ESPN New York. I don’t think there’s any question that the reason a club offers a player guarantees when they don’t have to is they deem it to be beneficial to them -- just by the nature that they offer them, says Boras. So if the club is doing something beneficial for the club, obviously most likely it’s not beneficial to the player. Regardless, Boras' general stance doesn't mean he's not open to pre-free agency deals... Charlie Wilmoth

The Cardinals will need another starter on Thursday to replace John Gast, and that could be Michael Wacha, Rick Hummel of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch suggests. Wacha, who would be making his big-league debut, was scratched from his start Sunday, which the Cardinals now say is due to his innings count so far this year. Wacha ranked No. 76 in both MLB.com's and Baseball America's preseason top prospects lists, and he has pitched well so far in 2013 at Triple-A Memphis (albeit with a low strikeout rate), posting a 2.05 ERA with 5.8 K/9 and 2.6 BB/9. Cards GM John... Charlie Wilmoth

The Cubs claimed righty reliever Alex Burnett off waivers from the Orioles, tweets MLB.com's Carrie Muskat. Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com first reported Burnett had been claimed. Burnett had been designated for assignment Thursday to open a roster spot for highly regarded young pitcher Kevin Gausman. For the Cubs, Burnett will replace Kyuji Fujikawa, who will be placed on the DL today with an elbow injury. Burnett was claimed off waivers by the Blue Jays from the Twins on March 29th and quickly designated for assignment, at which point the Orioles claimed him. The 25-year-old made two relief appearances for Baltimore,... Tim Dierkes

The city of Anaheim and the Angels have begun discussions about renovating Angel Stadium and keeping the Angels in Anaheim, Bill Shaikin of the L.A. Times reports. There were, of course, tensions between the two sides when, years ago, Angels owner Arte Moreno changed the name of the team to include Los Angeles, but Anaheim mayor Tom Tait sounds ready to let bygones be bygones. It makes sense to move along, to put the past in the past and work for the future, he says. The Angels can leave Anaheim after 2016, Shaikin notes, but it sounds like both sides... Charlie Wilmoth

Matt Garza made his second start since being activated from the disabled list, but it didn't go as well as his five shutout innings in his season debut last Tuesday versus the Pirates. Garza, number eight on MLBTR's 2014 Free Agent Power Rankings, needed 92 pitches (52 for strikes) to cover four innings against the Reds. The right-hander struck out seven but allowed four runs on four hits with four walks (one intentional), one HBP, and a wild pitch. Garza received a no-decision as the Cubs rallied for a 5-4 victory in 10 innings snapping their six-game losing streak. In... Edward Creech

While Alfonso Soriano shot down a trade that would have sent him to the Giants last year, he may be more open to a deal if it presents itself this season, writes Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times. Yeah, Soriano said when asked if he's more likely to consider waiving his no-trade rights than he thought he might be a few months ago. But it depends on them. It depends what the team wants. A chance to win, that's the most important thing. But it depends on the front office. It's not on me. Soriano is hitting just .262/.291/.399 this... Zach Links

Here are a few notes from around baseball's Central divisions: With the Reds welcoming the division-rival Cubs for a three-game set on the same day that Cincinnati reliever Sean Marshall made another DL trip, Hal McCoy of the Dayton Times looked back on the December 2011 deal between these clubs that put Marshall in the Reds' pen. Travis Wood, the primary piece going to Chicago in that trade, is off to a sparkling start to the year with a 2.24 ERA over 60 1/3 innings. While he has posted a pedestrian 5.8 K/9 to go with 2.8 BB/9, Wood has... Jeff Todd