Posted by Lionel on August 12, 2009.Trying to keep up with the roster seems like an exercise in futility, but here we go...The Cubs selected the contract of Esmailin Caridad from Iowa on Monday. While that's not breaking news at this point, it brings the Cubs 40 man roster to 38. That becomes relevant when September 1 rolls around and the Cubs can expand their roster. You can only...

Posted by Lionel on August 6, 2009.I think I am going to get out of the roster guessing business, because I continue to suck. But at least I'm not alone in thinking this is a mess. Instead of Jeff ND, the Cubs demoted Jeff Stevens. No one seems to have an answer as to why the Cubs chose to keep Jeff ND and demote Stevens. The Cubs will have another move to make on Friday. The Cubs...

Posted by Lionel on August 4, 2009.The Cubs should probably just keep a plane on the tarmac at O'Hare for all the shuffling they'll be doing in the next 30 days or so. If everyone stays healthy, they also will be one over their limit by the end of the month...Today will start the festivities, when Tom Gorzelanny is called up from AAA. The Cubs are expected to send down Jeff Samardzija...

Posted by Lionel on August 3, 2009.The Cardinals have played 5 more games than the Cubs (which will drop to 4 after tonight) and both teams are almost even in home v. road games (again, the Cubs will be at 50/50 after tonight's game). So, who had the advantage going down the stretch?The Cubs have 7 games against the division leaders (3 v. PHI, 4 @ LA) while the Cards only have a...

Posted by Lionel on July 31, 2009.With things being all quiet on the North Side front (I haven't even heard a peep about another move involving the Cubs, except Bruce Miles saying if they did, they'd be looking for a bat off the bench), I thought I would give the Cubs trade another look now that I've slept on it.I know there are a lot of people out there who didn't like the trade...

Posted by Lionel on July 30, 2009.UPDATED: 5:21 PM CTThe Cubs have acquired Pittsburgh's John Grabow and Tom Gorzelanny. Grabow will be put in the Cubs 'pen immediately, while Gorzelanny will be sent to AAA.In return, the Pirates receive Kevin Hart, Jose Ascanio, and Josh Harrison. Hart is the centerpiece of this deal, being ranked as the Cubs 6th ranked prospect before the season...

Posted by Lionel on July 30, 2009.UPDATED (2:11 CT): According to John Heyman of SI.com, the Cubs and Pirates are in serious discussions about John Grabow, but the Cubs may be looking to add a second pitcher. With the growing depth in the 'pen (and Hart struggling a little bit in today's game), I'd assume the second pitcher is a starter. That probably means Tom Gorzelanny (as mentioned...

Posted by Lionel on July 29, 2009.New"ish" names on the list...Bruce Levine of ESPN1000 said last night that the Cubs were still poking around to see if Mark Teahen was available. There have been reports of the Cubs interest dating back to when ARam went on the D.L. Teahen has played primarily the 3-sack position for the Royals, but with the return of Alex Gordon, the Royals have...

Posted by Lionel on Jul 28, 2009.The Cubs have been very active in signing talent from Tawain and South Korea this year. East Windup Chronicle is reporting the Cubs have signed 3 players from Tawain and 1 from South Korea. The latest is Wang Tsu-an, a HS pitcher who stands 6-5 or 6-6. He is relatively raw, but reportedly throws in the low 90's. They had already signed Yao-Lin Wang...

Posted by Lionel on July 28, 2009.Do the Tigers want Bradley?Peter Gammons mentioned last night on Baseball Tonight that JH is usually very active at the trade deadline, but the unresolved ownership situation will prevent the Cubs from making any big moves. He mentioned they were still searching for a utility infielder and/or a left-handed reliever, but he's the only one I've heard...

Posted by Lionel on July 27, 2009.Nothing much to report on the trade rumor front so far...John Grabow remains the name most mentioned in terms of guys the Cubs are pursuing, and vice-versa (Grabow's name is most-often linked to Chicago). But, there are reports that the Pirates are also interested in retaining him and trying to sign him to an extension, because he's a good clubhouse...

Posted by Lionel on July 24, 2009. UPDATE (7/25/09, 10AM): Theodore Roosevelt Lilly, also known as Ted, will be placed on the D.L. today with shoulder tendonitis. He is expected to be out for about two weeks. What is being discussed internally is whether Tedders should undergo arthoscopic surgery on his knee to get it cleaned out. If he opts to have the surgery, he'll probably...

Posted by Lionel on July 16, 2009.The upper three division of baseball had their All Star games this week, so let's take a lookAA (Tennessee)Blake Lalli got the start at the 1-sack, going 0 for 4 in the game but getting an RBI on a sac fly. He also struck out twice. Jim Adduci entered the game in the 4th as a defensive replacement. He came up with an RBI single in the 5th and flew...

Posted by Lionel on July 10, 2009.The Cubs curse appears to be back, as just when the Cubs seem to be getting healthy, things start falling apart...It started with Ryan Dempster, who as most of you know by now, caught his back leg hopping over the small "fence" that separates the dugout from the playing field. He thought he'd just bent the nail back and was going to...

Posted by Lionel on July 8, 2009.Name the only top prospect (according to BA) in the last 7 years to be in a Cubs uniform today. Yes, it's an easy answer since Angel Guzman's name and photo are above, but it's also a pretty remarkable story and one I think often gets overlooked. Guzman originally signed with the Kansas City Royals in 1999 before having his contract voided and later...

Posted by Lionel on July 6, 2009.UPDATED 4:23 CT-The Cubs avoided making three moves by placing David Patton on the D.L., but I was 2 for 3 anyways. Sam Fuld and Kevin Hart are headed back to Iowa. With ReJo, ARam, and Guzman slated to return to Wrigley tonight, who is most likely headed out of Chicago? Let's take a look:Jeff Baker-That anyone even mentioned his name is ridiculous...

Posted by Lionel on June 29, 2009.I previously announced the Class A minor league All Stars via the weekly ATAtM, but I decided to profile the numerous Tennessee Smokies who made the Southern League All Star team separately. Here are the six:Jay Jackson-This was an obvious selection. While his 4-3, 3.15 ERA overall doesn't jump out, his 4-0 record and 1.55 ERA in the last 9 starts...

Posted by Lionel on June 23, 2009.A few news and notes regarding the players selected in last week's draft...1st Round pick Brett Jackson has signed with the Cubs, according to various reports. Obviously, it's good to hear the Cubs won't be sweating it out on the final days to sign him. He is expected to report to Boise.Speaking of Boise, the Cubs 8th round pick, pitcher Robert Whitenack...

Posted by Lionel on June 20, 2009.The Cubs have had some terrible drafts in their history. But with the news of a previous 6th rounder being released this week, I thought it was time to revisit the issue and see just what was the worst draft the Cubs have had since we stopped using 19 at the beginning of our year.The '02 draftTo say that the Cubs had the potential for a great draft...

Posted by Lionel on June 18, 2009.The man who will get the Cubs going is....Pedro Martinez? According to Pedro himself, the Cubs and the Rays have shown the most interest in Pedro and he is likely to sign a deal soon. There are so many angles to this story, but I'll try to cover them all.First, let's remember that it's a report from the player, not from any other source. The Tribune...

Posted by Lionel on June 10, 2009.I won't be going round-by-round, but giving highlights throughout the day...The Cubs 4th round pick is lefthanded pitcher Christopher Rusin from the University of Kentucky. He's a senior who ranked as the #192 prospect according to BA. He had a 4.20 ERA, but struck out 108 in 94 innings pitched and had a WHIP of 1.30. He was a 23rd round pick of...

Posted by Lionel on June 9, 2009.With the 31st pick in tonight's draft, the Cubs selected Brett Jackson, a left-hand hitting CF from Cal Berkeley. BA had Jackson ranked as the second best athlete among college position players (you may have to re-read that one to understand what it means) and the #34 prospect overall. The question becomes whether the 6-2, 210 lber will have enough...

Posted by Lionel on June 3, 2009.With last night's game fresh in our minds, let's take a quick gander at the Cubs offseason pitching moves:Aaron Heilman for Ronny Cedeno and Garrett Olson-Heilman took the loss last night, making him 2-3 on the season with a 5.09 ERA. The Cubs parted ways with Cedeno because they signed Aaron Miles. Makes sense...get rid of a guy who can play the...

Posted by Lionel on June 1, 2009.Say goodbye to May, and to boring articles about things like on-field performance, it's now time for every writer in America to start announcing trade rumors and coming up with their own potential trades. Luckily, thanks to a split with the Dodgers, things remain relatively quiet on the North Side front...As a lid-lifter, Fred Mitchell of the...

Posted by Lionel on May 29, 2009.Jake Fox comes off the ATAtM board, Josh Vitters is hot, and my bitching finally pays off... IowaSteve Clevenger-Welcome to Iowa. After weeks of my bitching about why the Cubs had their two best catching prospects on the same team, the Cubs finally promoted Clevenger. It was a well-deserved promotion, as he was hitting .364 with a .443 OBP and an...