Chicago Cubs Headlines for Wednesday
Will the Milton trade prove to be a trainwreck for the Cubs?The Cubs appear to be nearing the end of the Milton Bradley saga. And, in true Hendry fashion, he appears to be
dealing with a team that's not been mentioned. A super-surprise team, if you will.
It's known the Cubs expanded their list of possible
trading partners past the Tampa Bay Rays, Texas Rangers and New York
Mets. However, neither the Seattle Mariners nor Los Angeles Angels were
in the mix, according to people around those teams.
"We're pleased where we're going," said Cubs general
manager Jim Hendry. "Things aren't done until they're done. We feel
that the needs we want to look into are certainly alive, and a few new
things have obviously popped up that we've certainly had some interest
in exploring."
Is this about as straight an answer as we'll get from Jim? Let's let him talk some more:
"When you're this far into December and you're Day 3 or
4 of our routine here, hopefully, you're pinpointing areas where you
feel like you can keep moving toward a possible finish line," Hendry
said. "There's also some clubs we've met with the last couple days on
different matters that weren't as big as others.
"You feel by the time of the first meeting you're not
going anywhere, so you just kind of move backward on some and move
forward on others. Between now and Thursday, we've got a situation
where we're only going to be meeting with the people that we might be
able to have a conclusion on at some point."
So today's really the day I should be spying on Jim Hendry to see with whom he's meeting. Unfortunately, I'll be at work all day.
Gordo has some more
speculation on the possible trade, which lend credence to my trainwreck theory.
As for the identity of the mystery AL destination, sources from those
teams and the Cubs eliminated all but a few teams -- among the
intriguing possibilities: Detroit (for former Cubs prospect Dontrelle
Willis and the one-year, $12 million left on his contract?), Kansas
City (Jose Guillen and his one-year, $12 million contract?) and Toronto
(but definitely not for Vernon Wells' five years and gazillion dollars).
But he still gives us the faintest bit of hope:
One source said the two-team deal was ''three-quarters'' done by late
in the day Tuesday and involved the Cubs receiving another
heavy-contract player, who would then be flipped to a third team.
And
Crazy Uncle Phil is in scolding mode today, letting us know that the Cubs and anyone who questioned a Curtis Granderson trade are idiots.
The Cubs
let Curtis Granderson get away, and this time they did it right before
our eyes. It didn't seem to bother them too much, and it will not
bother their more mathematically inclined fans, but it should.
You
can scoff if you want. You can point out his troubles against
left-handed pitchers. You simply can hide behind the high asking price
if it makes you feel better.
Granderson isn't Willie Mays,
but the reality is he was the most intriguing card on the table for the
Cubs this winter -- one of the most intriguing in the last seven years
-- and, just like in the 2002 draft, the front office swung and missed.
The 2002 draft? I had to look this up, as Phil didn't add any explanation why the 2002 draft was such a debacle. The Cubs selected Bobby Brownlie that year with pick #21. They could've had Matt Cain but were so stupid they didn't. Really, Uncle Phil? This stands as the Cubs' greatest mistake of the last seven years? I think there are other instances of futility you could find.
53 Comments
Umbra said:
"It didn't seem to bother them too much, and it will not bother their more mathematically inclined fans, but it should."
Stupid people are upset by this development.
Umbra said:
Also, the list of the best Chicago broadcasters on ChicagoNow includes Ron Santo, Steve Stone, Len Kasper, and Harry.
It also includes Hawk. I never said it was a perfect list. But I wanted to share my favorite announcer moment from the past season:
Close game. Cubs up to bat. Theriot at Third, Aramis Ramirez at the plate. I want to say it was against the Cards so the catcher was Molina, but that could be wrong. Anyway, Theriot gets picked off by the catcher trying to get back to third, and Bob Brenly, normally the world's biggest Theriot apologist, goes off pretty well. He says that you should never EVER get thrown off any base by a catcher, not to mention with a big hitter like Aramis at the plate. He also said that he wished Theriot had gone back to third standing up instead of sliding so that the ball could have hit him hard in his back.
JulieDiCaro said:
Over the course of the 2009 season, I really grew to appreciate Bob. He has no filter and it makes me laugh.
MN Pat said:
He does have some amazingly honest moments, like when he revealed that after Arizona fired him he comforted himself by making (and eating) copious amounts of ice cream with his new ice cream maker. Now that's something I can relate to.
Some cynics I know insist that his increasingly blunt comments over the course of this past semester were merely his way of auditioning for Lou's job after next season. That may be true, but I also think they arose from true frustration.
Maim said:
Pat Hughes not being on that list totally negates the honor and trustworthiness of that list.
JulieDiCaro said:
Agree.
AndCounting said:
It wasn't exactly brimming with credibility when it began, "By Chet Coppock."
JulieDiCaro said:
Hee hee.
FrankS said:
BANGO!
AndCounting said:
I just love that the Cubs are talking to one team in particular and not a single reporter has been able to pinpoint (or even just vaguely point at) who it is. My theory: when information leaks, it's a matter of strategically deploying inaccuracies to sway the market, gauge fan reaction, and distract the eager little media puppies.
JulieDiCaro said:
couldn't they just, by process of elimation, figure out which other GM besides Hendry isn't around?
JulieDiCaro said:
just based on history, I'm looking at the Orioles.
Umbra said:
I think he's been talking to the Eau Claire Express of the Northwoods League.
AndCounting said:
They're gonna trade him to the Bears for Cutler.
Dmband said:
RE:Chets List
I thanked Chet for the list of his friends....No Hughes, No Foley= No list.
Am I a hypocrite for yelling "Its not fair!" like a 5 year old regarding the Yankees getting Granderson?
JulieDiCaro said:
Ha. I went over there and stuck up for Pat.
Chet just always seems to me like he hasn't been in Chicago for 15 years.
JulieDiCaro said:
Man, things are slow today. I haven't even seen any rumors tweeted yet this morning.
Dmband said:
Lets hope its the calm before the proverbial storm.
Im excited about the 'mystery date' that Hendry has...
JulieDiCaro said:
Uhhhhh. . . then you're not going to like this.
Carrie Muskat calls shenanigans on Sullivan's "mystery team:"
@CarrieMuskat: It appears there is no "mystery team" in bid for #cubs Milton Bradley, and Tampa Bay is most likely trade partner
AndCounting said:
Weird/disappointing thing: Muskat was the one who brought up the mystery team in a tweet yesterday, at least the idea that it was a mystery team not from Seattle or the upper northwest side of Anaheim and/or Los Angeles in California, USA.
Doc said:
I have been very critical of Carrie Muskat in the past...
But her work since the beginning of 2009 has been outstanding...and has continued to be outstanding this week at the winter meetings.
AndCounting said:
I agree, especially on Twitter, which suits her short-not-sweet style perfectly. But she got my hopes up with this one, and I should have known better. She obviously has good sources, but she's not a direct mouthpiece of the front office.
Dmband said:
Dammit. Got fooled by the always poplular "fake bidder to leverage your exisiting talks" move. Stupid business tactics...
JulieDiCaro said:
Brewers sign Randy Wolf: 3 yrs, just under $30 million.
So it should be fun facing him 5 times a year.
JulieDiCaro said:
Had to share this photo of Colin, which I think sums him up perfectly: http://twitpic.com/st8qo
Doc said:
My back hurts.
At my measure, we are about 14 inches of snow at my house as of now.
I need some better Cubs rumors to help my forget about my pain.
JulieDiCaro said:
How do you feel about Joel Piniero?
Doc said:
I feel that he would make my back hurt more due to all the money I'd have to carry over to the Cubs ticket office to pay for my tickets in order to pay a player $12 million a year for 4 years all based off of a career year last year.
no. thank. you.
JulieDiCaro said:
Sign him! Sign him!!!
@dat_cubfan_dave: Former #Cubs RHP Rich Harden willing to sign a one-year deal with a lot of incentives. No wonder the big spenders want him. (via @jonmorosi)
Rich C said:
Has anyone ever considered making Harden a closer? He gets TONS of swings & misses, and I think he could be absolutely dominant as long as his body adjusts to pitching 1 inning 3-4 times a week vs. 5-6 innings once a week.
JulieDiCaro said:
It worked for Kerry Wood, I don't know why it wouldn't work for Harden.
jtbwriter said:
Good morning from "it's freezing out" So Cal....
No "best announcer list" is complete without Pat or Bob....I take it they didn't kiss up enough to make it!
Yelling about left offs is acceptable-although screaming is more appropo if we're talking about the injustice of Ron Santo being snubbed for the zillionth time by the old morons committee. Sigh.
And please-don't even hint that the Angles are even sniffing around Milty-I'm still p.o's about the loss of Figgins and Lackey-talk about stupid!
jtbwriter said:
Ditto on Harden-pleeeeease!
Doc said:
I'm ok with it as long as his base salary is $5 million.
JulieDiCaro said:
All right, I'm going out into it. If I don't return, send out a search party and bring back my body in the spring.
AndCounting said:
Okay, so the Brewers are signing LaTroy Hawkins to a 2-yr, $7.5-million deal, which amounts to exactly the same contract the Cubs gave Grabow. Now who overpaid? [check all that apply]
AndCounting said:
Believe it or not, they have identical career WHIP: 1.437.
JulieDiCaro said:
So it turns out the one day I have to go downtown this week is tomorrow. It's going to be like 12. That's the high for the day. 12.
Can't WAIT to stand on a freezing-cold train platform at 7:30 in the morning. FML
JulieDiCaro said:
From MLBTR:
"ESPN's Buster Olney has heard that Rich Harden is on the verge of an agreement with an unknown team. Olney notes that Harden has been heavily involved in negotiations with the Mariners, so that's one possibility."
Cue what's his face to scream at me in ALL CAPS!!!!!
JulieDiCaro said:
BREAKING NEWS:
Complain all you want, Chicagoland. This weather is the reason I live here!
millertime said:
That's why I come up here.
Nature! Goulet!
Dmband said:
I believe 'whats his face' got banned due to comments on the Bulls blog. Im sure he can return in some form, but the dude over there said he banned him, which I didnt know was an option. He was babbling on about Iverson's return to the 76ers...which is hilarious...
JulieDiCaro said:
oh cool. i didn't want to have to be the one to ban him. i've never banned anyone--i don't really think it's worthwhile to ban anyone for their opinions or what they think of me. but he's just intentionally making this place miserable for everyone for no good reason.
millertime said:
But now where will I get my exciting Philadelphia sports news with inappropriate comments, poor grammar skills, and a complete lack of logic?
JulieDiCaro said:
Word is Harden signed a deal 1/$7.5 with a club option for a 2nd year at $11.5. No word yet on who the team is, most think Mariners.
JulieDiCaro said:
Harden to the RANGERS!!!!
(SOB!!!!!!!)
AndCounting said:
At least we have closure on one more player. I'm bummed the Cubs didn't keep him, but we'll live.
millertime said:
Shit.
thisyearcub said:
Not a good fit for Harden's ailments: A warm-weather place for his injuries to act up, and a very hitter-friendly park. At least it wasn't an NL team.
P.S. Did you get my email a while back?
millertime said:
where is the link? I just googled "Rich Harden goes to Rangers where he will be awesome instead of going back to the Cubs which will make some fans unahppy and other fans happy but oh well" and I came up with nothing. So maybe this deal hasn't happened?
I shall remain in denial as long as possible.
JulieDiCaro said:
Craig Calceterra tweeted it as a done deal, everyone else has tweeted it as "close to signing."
For what that's worth.
millertime said:
1 year 7.5 million, and we couldn't afford that for Harden? Really?!?
Doc said:
Really. I think $5 million is the limit for a starter for the Cubs right now.
Leave a Comment?
What your comment will look like:
said: