http://www.sportsnipe.com Chicago Cubs, Team News, Updates, and Stats from all sports sources, updated continually. http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/1048981/lets-make-deal-chicago-cubsphiladelphia-phillies-bleacher-report.html Bleacher ReportLet's Make a Deal: Chicago Cubs-Philadelphia PhilliesBleacher ReportRemember when Hendry sold Chicago on Soriano being "that guy" in the Cubs' order? Yeah... about that... Werth could come in and replace Milton Bradley in ... Chicago Cubs - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/1048980/rumored-threeway-trade-cubs-rangers-mets-false-espn.html Chicago TribuneRumored three-way trade with Cubs, Rangers and Mets is falseESPNFor all of you who read baseball blogs religiously, there's no truth to the rumor about a three-way deal involving the Texas Rangers, Chicago Cubs and New ...Large contracts limiting Chicago Cubs strategyChicago TribuneChicago Spending Trend; Not a Midwest ThingBleacher ReportRay of Hope?: Cubs' Milton Bradley Could Be Tampa-BoundBleacher ReportBleacher Report -Bleacher Reportall 29 news articles » Chicago Cubs - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/1048979/grabow-happy-to-sign-twoyear-deal-cubs-espn.html CBC.caGrabow happy to sign two-year deal with CubsESPNAfter signing a two year, $7.5 million deal with the Chicago Cubs on Friday, a happy John Grabow admitted that the first and only team he wanted to pitch ...Grabow gets $7.5 million, 2-year deal from CubsThe Associated PressCubs sign Grabow to two-year dealReuters CanadaCubs, Grabow agree to two-year dealSeattle Post Intelligencerall 294 news articles » Chicago Cubs - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/1048978/40man-roster-moves-for-cubs.html The Chicago Cubs added five players to their 40-man roster on Friday afternoon: John Gaub, Blake Parker, Rafael Dolis, Welington Castillo and James Adduci. The Cubs had until 11:00pm C.S.T. on Friday night to add players in order to protect them from being exposed in the upcoming Rule 5 Draft on December 10. The Cubs 40-man roster now stands at 38 players. Chicago Cubs - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/1048977/cubs-sign-grabow-to-two-year-deal.html CHICAGO (Reuters) - Reliever John Grabow signed a two-year $7.5 million deal with the Chicago Cubs on Friday, adding an experienced arm to a young bullpen. Chicago Cubs - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/1048011/chicago-spending-trend-midwest-thing-bleacher-report.html Bleacher ReportChicago Spending Trend; Not a Midwest ThingBleacher ReportThe Chicago Cubs and the Chicago Bears are becoming much too similar in management affairs. The teams aren't winning, and have been massive disappointments ... Chicago Cubs - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/1048010/dont-go-o-trueslant.html Don't go, O!True/SlantCity to the cursed Chicago Cubs? True, sad at times, but true. But ?The Oprah Winfrey Show,? no matter the topic, no matter the guest, was always associated ...and more » Chicago Cubs - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/1048009/grabow-gets-75-million-2year-deal-from-cubs-associated-press.html CBC.caGrabow gets $7.5 million, 2-year deal from CubsThe Associated Press... Grabow became the first of the 171 free agents to reach agreement on a new deal, getting a $7.5 million, two-year contract Friday from the Chicago Cubs. ...Cubs, Grabow agree to 2-year dealESPNCubs, Grabow agree to two-year dealSeattle Post Intelligencerall 259 news articles » Chicago Cubs - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/1048008/guess-40man-roster-additions.html 10:59 pm CST tonight is the deadline for teams to fill out their 40-man rosters with players they want to protect from the Rule 5 draft next month. With the trade of Aaron Heilman yesterday, the Cubs' 40-man roster stands at 33 players -- so they've got plenty of room to add players they want to protect. This article from the Atlanta Braves website gives some details on how this process works and also about some other upcoming deadlines. The number of players added by tonight may also give us a clue as to upcoming trades or free-agent signings -- if the Cubs don't fill out the roster to the full 40-man limit, it may presage some acquisitions. Post your guesses as to who the Cubs might add to the 40-man roster (or who -- cough Neal Cotts cough -- might be removed). Once the Cubs post the full list, I'll update this post, either later today or tomorrow. Chicago Cubs - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/1047150/cubs-owner-ricketts-talks-about-his-first-mlb-owners-meetings-espn.html Cubs owner Ricketts talks about his first MLB owners meetingsESPNChicago Cubs owner Tom Ricketts and his siblings enjoyed their first get-together with the other 29 owners as they were toasted in festivities on Wednesday ...and more » Chicago Cubs - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/1047149/cubs-agree-grabow-sicom.html Chicago TribuneCubs agree with GrabowSI.comCHICAGO (AP) -The Chicago Cubs and left-handed reliever John Grabow have agreed to a two-year contract. The 31-year-old Grabow combined to go 3-0 with a ...Cubs, Grabow agree to 2-year dealESPNCubs, Grabow agree to two-year dealSeattle Post IntelligencerCubs trade Heilman, add 2 years to Grabow's deal :Chicago Sun-Timesall 77 news articles » Chicago Cubs - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/1047148/cubs-agree-grabow-ap.html The Chicago Cubs and left-handed reliever John Grabow have agreed to a two-year contract. The 31-year-old Grabow combined to go 3-0 with a 3.36 ERA last season in a career-high 75 relief appearances with the Pittsburgh Pirates and Cubs. He pitched 30 games for the Cubs after he was traded from the Pirates along with lefty Tom Gorzellany for pitchers Jose Ascanio and Kevin Hart, and minor league... Chicago Cubs - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/1047147/cubs-finalize-signing-grabow.html The Cubs announced the signing of lefty reliever John Grabow to a two-year contract that sources say is worth $7.5 million, a deal that has been imminent for weeks. Chicago Cubs - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/1047146/how-cubs-should-trade-for-curtis-granderson.html by Duane Burleson - AP In addition to a good bat, Curtis Granderson would give the Cubs plus defense in CF. View full size photo » I'm not sure I really have to convince anyone here of the premise of the headline of this article; numerous people have already posted here about how useful Curtis Granderson would be in the Cubs' outfield, and several traditional media articles in both Chicago and Detroit have discussed this possibility (and those are just three examples of dozens of such articles). Granderson himself is busy this winter pitching a reality TV series: The Detroit Tigers player has agreed to host a TV and online series titled "Stadium Secrets" where he takes sports fans on an exploration of stadiums. The concept is similar to Authentic?s "Cities of the Underworld" on History channel. "Authentic will be providing an exclusive, VIP experience for fans everywhere ? a behind-the-scenes journey that will be exciting for all of us. I am eager to begin working on this project and look forward to a successful partnership," Granderson said. Sounds interesting. I'm hoping Granderson gets to explore Wrigley Field in detail starting next summer. In the meantime, after the jump I'm going to examine Granderson's numbers in detail, explain why he's a perfect fit for Chicago and the Cubs, and look at who the Cubs might have to give the Tigers in exchange. We have to first start this discussion with a couple of assumptions. First, we assume that Milton Bradley has been, or will be, traded before any Granderson deal, thus opening up center field for the Cubs (with Kosuke Fukudome moving back to right field, a position he plays better; this would solidify Cubs defense in two positions). It is, of course, possible that Bradley could be part of a deal for Granderson, but I am going to operate here under the assumption that he's not, that Bradley will be dealt to some other team (the Rays?) and that any Granderson trade would be a separate transaction. Second, I think you have to assume that Granderson has to be, at this stage of his career -- he will be 29 on March 16, not old, but getting toward the end of his "best" year capability -- platooned, at least to some extent. His career splits: vs. RHP: .292/.367/.528, .894 OPS vs. LHP: .210/.270/.344, .614 OPS Last year it was even more extreme: vs. RHP: .275/.358/.539, .897 OPS vs. LHP: .183/.245/.239, .484 OPS Against RHP, Granderson hits almost as well as Aramis Ramirez -- All-Star level. Against LHP... well, he's basically Aaron Miles. So you'd probably want to re-sign Reed Johnson to give Granderson a break against LHP. Johnson doesn't hit righthanders, but against LHP his career line is .313/.378/.463, an OPS of .841, nearly as good as Granderson vs. RHP. These two together would produce outstanding offensive numbers from the CF position and good defense. The Tigers started Granderson in 155 games in 2009 because, well, they really didn't have any other choice. The other eight (remember, the Tigers played 163 games in 2009) games were started by Josh Anderson (1), Clete Thomas (2) and Ryan Raburn (5), and of those guys, only Raburn can hit (he hits LHP pretty well -- the Tigers could have gotten more offense out of CF if they had played Raburn there a bit more often vs. LHP). So a modified platoon of Granderson and Reed Johnson would be, in my opinion, the ticket to success for the Cubs outfield. I say "modified" because Johnson would also have to spell Fukudome in RF from time to time; on those days, Granderson would have to start in CF vs. LHP. Sam Fuld would stick with the team as the fifth outfielder, someone who could take over in the late innings for Alfonso Soriano. The Cubs' outfield would be very good defensively and close to outstanding offensively. Granderson's contract, though it has three full years to run (and a 2013 option) is not onerous. Like many Jim Hendry contracts in recent years, it's backloaded. In 2010, Granderson is due to make a somewhat-reasonable $5.5 million; that increases to $8.25 million in 2011 and $10 million in 2012, with a $2 million buyout in 2013 (all figures, as always, from the excellent Cot's Baseball Contracts), that would increase to $13 million (with some escalators to that based on performance) if the option is exercised. That would make the total financial commitment $25.25 million (presuming the buyout is done), spread over four years from 2010-2013. That's not unreasonable for a player of Granderson's ability. Now -- how do you get him? The Tigers seem to be in partial-sell mode; that is, they'd like to shed some of their big-dollar contracts, but not get into full rebuilding mode. Thus, you'd need to get them at least a couple of players who could step in right now and contribute at the major league level. I can't find the link right now, but in a recent Baseball America online chat, a question was asked to BA's Jim Callis about this type of deal: Q: Would Josh Vitters, Jake Fox, and Jay Jackson be enough for the Cubs to land Curtis Granderson if he really is available? Would you do that deal if you were the Cubs? Jim Callis: I would think so. The Tigers have to dump salary, so I might try to hold onto Vitters and see if Detroit would take Ryan Flaherty, or hold onto Jackson and offer a lesser pitcher. But the Cubs are in win-now mode, and I think they'd bite. I'd do this deal. Starlin Castro may be the flavor-of-the-month after his .376/.396/.491 performance in the Arizona Fall League, but I think he has higher upside than Vitters, who also hit well in the AFL (.353/.380/.455), and I would not trade Castro. It's entirely possible that Vitters will become a good major league player -- but you're getting a good major league player in return. Jake Fox is miscast in the National League; though he worked hard at playing 3B, C, LF and RF, his best position is DH. Throw in the fact that he played college ball at the University of Michigan, and he's a natural for Detroit. Jay Jackson has been up and down in the Cubs organization and while he has talent, I'm not quite sure what role the Cubs have in mind for him. He was exclusively a starter in 2009 after starting and relieving in 2008. Callis thinks this would get a deal done and I'd do it -- but I suspect the Tigers might ask for Andrew Cashner instead of Jackson. That's a high price to pay -- Cashner has a shot at the major league bullpen for the Cubs in 2010 and he could even be viewed as a closer candidate by the Tigers, who are likely to let Fernando Rodney walk. (Rodney had a decent year in his first full season as closer, but will be 33 in March.) I'd still do Vitters, Cashner and Fox for Granderson. For those of you who say, "No way! Keep those prospects! We can't give up both Vitters and Cashner!", I say that one of the things you can do with your prospects is turn them into productive major league players. The Cubs did this in acquiring Derrek Lee and Aramis Ramirez; when D-Lee was acquired he was just about the same age Granderson is now. I might even do Vitters, Fox, Cashner AND Jackson for Granderson. To illustrate why, let me tell you a little story I just read about from Cubs history. Take it for what it's worth, because it came from the new edition of Leo Durocher's (ghostwritten by Ed Linn) autobiography, "Nice Guys Finish Last" (mini-book-review: recommended, for its interesting take on Durocher's era in baseball history). In it, he describes having discussions along with GM John Holland, with the Baltimore Orioles in the winter of 1971 about trading for Frank Robinson. According to the book, the Orioles asked for five young players -- pitchers Earl Stephenson, Jim Colborn, Bill Bonham, Joe Decker and outfielder Brock Davis. Durocher's book says they hedged, asking to make it four-for-one, not wanting to give up both Decker and Bonham. You know what? They should have offered Baltimore GM Frank Cashen a handshake and done the deal right then and there. The next day, Robinson was traded to the Dodgers -- for four minor leaguers, only one of whom (Doyle Alexander) had a significant major league career. The day after that, the Cubs traded Stephenson, Colborn and Davis to the Brewers for Jose Cardenal. Stephenson and Davis never had any significant impact in the major leagues. Colborn did have a few decent major league seasons, winning 20 games for the Brewers in 1973. Bill Bonham never became the big winner the Cubs thought he would; eventually he was traded to the Reds for Woodie Fryman and Bill Caudill. Joe Decker was traded to the Twins (with Bill Hands) a year later for Dave LaRoche. None of those deals would have had the impact that getting Frank Robinson to play right field for the 1972 Cubs would have had. At 35, Robinson was past his best years, but would have been a far better hitter in Wrigley Field than he was in Dodger Stadium that year. (Robinson also got hurt in 1972 and missed almost 60 games; whether that would have happened to him as a Cub is unknown, obviously.) The 1972 Cubs finished fourth in the league in runs scored and would have been a better offensive team with Frank Robinson than they were with Jose Cardenal; neither Bonham nor Decker had any significant impact on the '72 team. The point is, that sometimes you have to take team "prospects" -- who may never pan out to what you hope they will -- to win now. Trading Vitters and Jay Jackson -- or even Vitters, Jackson and Cashner -- may provide dividends to the Detroit Tigers two or three years down the road. But acquiring Curtis Granderson, who, in addition to his talent on the field, is also, from all reports, a good clubhouse guy who spends a lot of time giving back to the community (and is a native Chicagoan), would go a long way to helping the 2010 Cubs return to the playoffs and give them a chance to win it all. And isn't that what we all want? As we often say here... GETITDON EJIM. Chicago Cubs - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/1045064/state-system-rf.html Morning Roundup Rob G over at the Cub Reporter has some good info on the prospects that the Heilman trade yielded yesterday in LHP Scott Maine and 1B Ryne White. It’s a good read and worth checking out. Ultimately, it’s good to get something for Heilman, considering that he was... To read the rest of the post, be sure to visit us at www.viewfromthebleachers.com Chicago Cubs - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/1044011/two-faces-lame-excuses-sammy-sosa-detroit-free-press.html Contactlenses.co.ukThe two faces and lame excuses of Sammy SosaDetroit Free PressLast time we saw you, you were a brown man from the Dominican Republic, star slugger for the Chicago Cubs. Now you are white, facing the camera with a ...The shades of SammyMorris Daily HeraldCream blamed for Sosa's lighter complexionSan Antonio ExpressFormer baseball player dons coloured contact lensesContactlenses.co.ukall 10 news articles » Chicago Cubs - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/1044010/baseball-notes-giants-lincecum-wins-2d-straight-cy-young-philadelphia-inquirer.html Globe and MailBaseball Notes: Giants' Lincecum wins 2d straight Cy YoungPhiladelphia InquirerD'backs-Cubs trade. The Diamondbacks acquired reliever Aaron Heilman from the Chicago Cubs for two minor-leaguers, lefthander Scott Maine, 24, and infielder ...Giants' Tim Lincecum wins his second straight Cy Young AwardLos Angeles TimesTim Lincecum goes back-to-back with tight winMLB.comSports Briefs: Lincecum wins NL Cy Young in a close voteWinston-Salem JournalUSA Todayall 850 news articles » Chicago Cubs - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/1043813/giants-tim-lincecum-wins-his-second-straight-cy-young-award-los-angeles-times.html CBC.caGiants' Tim Lincecum wins his second straight Cy Young AwardLos Angeles TimesReliever Aaron Heilman was acquired by the Arizona Diamondbacks from the Chicago Cubs for two minor league prospects. The 31-year-old right-hander was 4-4 ...Tim Lincecum goes back-to-back with tight winMLB.comSports Briefs: Lincecum wins NL Cy Young in a close voteWinston-Salem JournalNL Cy Young winner: Tim Lincecum, San FranciscoUSA TodayUSA Online Gambling Newsall 766 news articles » Chicago Cubs - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/1043812/chicago-cubs-carlos-marmol-recruiting-pedro-bleacher-report.html Bleacher ReportChicago Cubs: Is Carlos Marmol Recruiting Pedro?Bleacher ReportA Cubs' official told Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune that the team wasn't interested in Martinez, who threw only 44.2 innings in a 2009 season cut ... Chicago Cubs - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/1043811/no-frenzy-just-trades-for-cubs.html Tim Lincecum picked up his second consecutive NL Cy Young award on Thursday. The BBWAA awards will take a break on Friday and pickup next week with the announcements of the NL and AL MVPs. One note on the NL Cy Young award, Keith Law and Will Carroll might steer clear of St. Louis for a few months. Let the free agent frenzy begin ... just not on the North Side of Chicago. The majority of changes the Cubs are looking to make this winter will reportedly come via the trade route and not opening up the checkbook of the Ricketts family. Jim Hendry made the first trade of the off-season for the Cubs on Thursday when he dealt Aaron Heilman to the Diamondbacks for two prospects. Rumors had suggested Heilman could be non-tendered. Many thought Hendry would not let a pitcher he coveted for many years walk away and he would tender a contact to Heilman for 2010. Hendry traded Heilman for Arizona's 18th best prospect according to Baseball America and a lefty reliever that could help the Cubs in 2010 ... and beyond. So on the third anniversary of Alfonso Soriano's mega deal being made official, here's the latest on the Chicago Cubs ... Chicago Cubs - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/1043810/diamondbacks-acquire-rhp-aaron-heilman-from-cubs-pa-sportsticker.html Reliever Aaron Heilman was acquired Thursday by the Arizona Diamondbacks from the Chicago Cubs for two minor league prospects. Chicago Cubs - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/1043809/cubs-trade-heilman-add-2-years-to-grabows-deal.html The Cubs took two key steps in shaping their 2010 bullpen Thursday, even as they continue to work and wait on their bigger offseason tasks of trading Milton Bradley and acquiring another outfielder. Chicago Cubs - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/1043808/real-work-starts-now.html They gave the Cubs' new owners a standing ovation when they were formally introduced to the other major-league owners at a dinner Wednesday night at the O'Hare Hilton. Chicago Cubs - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/1042807/rays-hope-cubs-bradley-could-be-tampabound-bleacher-report.html Chicago TribuneRays Of Hope? Cubs' Bradley Could Be Tampa-BoundBleacher ReportThe Chicago Cubs took the first concrete steps toward crystallizing their team in 2010 today, trading right-handed pitcher Aaron Heilman and re-signing ...Large contracts limiting Chicago Cubs strategyChicago TribuneDealing, not shopping, on Cubs' agendaPittsburgh Pirates NewsThe Final Chapter: 2008 and 2009 Chicago CubsBleacher Reportall 13 news articles » Chicago Cubs - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/1042521/arizona-acquires-reliever-new-york-times.html Arizona Acquires RelieverNew York TimesBy AP The Arizona Diamondbacks traded two minor leaguers to the Chicago Cubs in exchange for reliever Aaron Heilman, a former Met. The Diamondbacks gave up ... Chicago Cubs - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/1042068/large-contracts-limiting-chicago-cubs-strategy-tribune.html Large contracts limiting Chicago Cubs strategyChicago TribuneWhat have the Cubs gotten out of the deal so far? A pair of division titles, but no postseason victories or RBIs by Soriano. In his three seasons in Chicago ...The Final Chapter: 2008 and 2009 Chicago CubsBleacher Reportall 12 news articles » Chicago Cubs - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/1041211/diamondbacks-acquire-rhp-aaron-heilman-from-cubs-associated-press.html SILive.comDiamondbacks acquire RHP Aaron Heilman from CubsThe Associated PressPHOENIX ? Reliever Aaron Heilman was acquired Friday by the Arizona Diamondbacks from the Chicago Cubs for two minor league prospects. ...Cubs trade RHP Heilman for prospectsESPNArizona gets Heilman from CubsSeattle Post IntelligencerTalent For Nothing: Chicago Cubs Get Legitimate Prospect In Heilman DealBleacher ReportKTAR.com -OurSports Central (press release) -Bleed Cubbie Blue (blog)all 190 news articles » Chicago Cubs - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/1040570/ricketts-attends-first-owners-meeting-mlbcom.html Ricketts attends first owners meetingMLB.comCHICAGO -- Cubs chairman Tom Ricketts is the new kid on the block as far as Major League Baseball owners go, and he spent his ...Cubs owner Ricketts talks about his first Major League Baseball owners meetingsESPNUphill climb for Cubs host 2014 All-Star GameChicago Tribuneall 6 news articles » Chicago Cubs - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/1040569/cubs-trade-rhp-heilman-for-prospects-espn.html Cubs trade RHP Heilman for prospectsESPNThe Chicago Cubs traded right-handed relief pitcher Aaron Heilman to the Arizona Diamondbacks for left-handed pitching prospect Scott Maine and first base ...Arizona gets Heilman from CubsSeattle Post IntelligencerD-backs acquire pitcher from CubsKTAR.comHope for Cubs Fans: Aaron Heilman Dealt to Arizona!Bleacher ReportBleed Cubbie Blue (blog) -USA Today -AZ Central.comall 52 news articles » Chicago Cubs - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/1040566/hendryamp8217s-drunk-again.html We had heard rumors for a couple of weeks that the Cubs were “close” to re-signing lefty reliever John Grabow to a two year contract, and today, they did, and we found out how much 70 innings of sub 3.50 ERA will get if you’re lefthanded.  Apparently it’s $7.5 million. Provided that Jim Hendry is the guy chasing you with a pen and a contract. I actually think Grabow is kind of good.  He’s a nice piece to have in a bullpen.  But at a price.  And that price is not $3.75 million a year.  Especially when your new owners have told you that the payroll doesn’t get to go up too much this year. Especially when you have a history of overpaying…well, everybody, and your job might not be there for you next year if you keep that kind of thing up. So the only thing I can surmise is that either: a) Jim Hendry has no clue what players are actually worth on the open market, or b) He wants to get fired. I can pull out stats that show that Grabow isn’t a Mike Remlinger-esque reliever who though being left handed isn’t effective against left handed hitters.  Because in his career it is true that lefties have a slightly higher batting average than righties do against him (.263 to .254), he’s far more likely to strike out a left handed batter than a right handed batter (3.24K/BB v. lefties — 1.45 K/BB v. righties — 194 K’s in 518 at bats v. lefties — 196 K’s in 957 at bats v. righties) and most importantly his on base average and slugging averages allowed are lower against lefties than they are righties.  (OBA .329 v. LHB, .345 v. RHB — SLG .378 v. LHB, .395 v. RHB). So that’s the good news.  The dopes who will yell, “He’s WORSE against lefthanders than righthanders!” will be wrong. The bad news is that he’s not that great against either.  He’s a solid, average, big league reliever.  The kid of guy you can win with in the middle of your bullpen. But there’s no way in hell that he’s worth $3.75 million a year on the open market.  There will be relievers hanging out at Home Depots in Arizona and Florida hoping that a pitching coach will pull up in a pickup truck during the first few weeks of spring training.  And the guy who is assembling the Cubs, with a severely limited ability to add payroll is doing shit like this? This is when people who advocated the Cubs hire a vice president with actual baseball experience to be the guy in between the Beaver and Hendry have a point.  They said that Hendry needs a boss who can tell him, “I don’t think that’s a good idea.” Here’s a better point.  If your general manager needs somebody else to tell him when he’s about to piss $7 million up a rope, you need a new general manager. The thing that people in baseball, writers and fans will tell you they like about Hendry is that he’s aggressive.  He figures out what he wants and he charges after it.  After years of the ubercautious Andy MacPhail it was a nice change of pace.  One of MacPhail’s mantras was to never work out a contract until you had to. It was prudent when nitwits were screaming that he should sign Kerry Wood to a big contract after his rookie year, just because.  I still remember Rob Goldman throwing a tantrum on WGN one night because MacPhail had said he was “years away” from having Ed Lynch (guh) work out a long-term deal for Wood.  Now, I’m sure Goldman was preoccupied, what with his pants around his ankles and his AOL Messenger lighting up with the love thoughts of a 13 year old girl (who turned out to be a 42 year old sheriff’s deputy), but that was the mood of some Cubs fans at that time. WE ALWAYS LOSE GOOD PLAYERS!  PAY HIM!  PAY HIM! Of course, Wood wouldn’t throw a pitch that next season because he blew out his elbow in spring training. So MacPhail was right.  Often times, waiting is the best thing to do. As long as you don’t just wait, but you eventually do something.  And that something isn’t take 37 days to finalize a trade for Fred McGriff. Hendry has none of his old boss’ passivity in him.  He figures out what he thinks the Cubs lacked the season before and he storms after it. “We were too damned slow last year.  I’ll send three of my best pitching prospects to Florida for Juan Pierre!  Then I’ll get a big bag of cash and throw it at Rafael Furcal.  Then we’ll be fixed!” “We were too damned right handed last year.  I’ll get Milton Bradley and Aaron Miles and let little Fonty play second.  Shit, this is going to work!” If there ever had been a time to sit back and wait for the market to sort itself out it was last year.  There were three huge free agents and then a bunch of “meh”, and there were a lot of teams with no ability to add any payroll whatsoever. The smart teams sat back and waited for the bargains to start dropping in their laps. The Angels got a pretty good lefthanded bat for almost nothing when Bobby Abreu couldn’t find a job. The A’s got a good shortstop for less than that when Orlando Cabrera couldn’t find one. The Dodgers signed Orlando Hudson for a song.  You get the idea.  The Cubs could have signed those three guys for about what they gave Milton Bradley on average for three years. That contract is one of the worst in baseball history.  You think I’m exaggerating. Milton Bradley had never had more than a one year contract in his life.  No team was willing to give him three years last offseason and he only had one offer from a team of two years (the Rays offered him two years and $13 million).  Hendry gave him two years, with an easy option for a third at a total of $30 million.  Who the fuck was he bidding against? He gave him an extra year and $17 million extra. As bad as the Alfonso Soriano and Barry Zito contracts are, other teams were making long-term, big money offers when the Cubs and Giants upped theirs and “won” the player.  Both contracts have turned out worse than most feared, but at least there was something resembling a shred of a reason for their terms.  (They weren’t good reasons, but they were at least reasons.) Not Milton.  Nobody was offering him that deal, or anything close to that.  You can argue that Hendry should be fired for offering him more than two years and $15 million.  And that’s without the hindsight of the disaster that Milton’s 2009 season turned into. It’s like going to a car lot and seeing a car with a $25,000 sticker on it and having the salesman tell you, “A guy just left who is willing to pay that for it.”  So you counter by offering to pay $87,000 for the car. This offseason figures to be more of the same.  Teams are cash-strapped.  Players saw what happened last offseason and are scared shitless about being teamless when spring training starts. And Jimbo is off to a great start. But it’s not like we haven’t seen it before. In the winter of 2005 he gave Jock Jones a three year contract when no other team offered him more than two, and that team was the Royals and Jock told them he didn’t want to play there. In the winter of 2006 he gave Jason Marquis a three year contract when no other team offered Marquis a second year.  None.  Nobody. The best thing to do this offseason is to wait.  At least on free agents.  A trade might pop up that you’d be nuts to pass up, but this offseason, with the lack of any top notch free agents that fit the Cubs need or payroll, you have to wait, and you have to maximize the money you have to spend.  This is not a good start.  This is a horrible start. This is the kind of start to an offseason that says, “I don’t know what I’m doing.” UPDATE: I hadn’t hit “post” yet and I found out that the Cubs had sent the bobbleheaded Aaron Heilman to Arizona for two prospects.  Now that’s good.  That will clear a little money on the payroll. Aaron Heilman sucks, and all that stuff. It still doesn’t mean that John Grabow’s worth is $3.75 million per year. But yeah, I’m glad (and I’ll bet Lou is ecstatic) that Heilman is gone. Share on Facebook Chicago Cubs - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/1040564/cubs-trade-aaron-heilman.html From the Cubs Media Dept: CHICAGO ? The Chicago Cubs today acquired left-handed pitcher Scott Maine and first baseman Ryne White from the Arizona Diamondbacks for right-handed pitcher Aaron Heilman. White is a native of Chicago and is a 2005 graduate of St. Rita of Cascia High School. Maine, 24,... To read the rest of the post, be sure to visit us at www.viewfromthebleachers.com Chicago Cubs - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/1040563/from-wire-aaron-heilman-traded-to-arizona.html According to a report from Jon Heyman, the Cubs traded Aaron Heilman to the Arizona Diamondbacks on Thursday afternoon. The Cubs acquired two minor leaguers in the deal ... left handed relief pitcher Scott Maine and first baseman Ryne White. Chicago Cubs - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/1040562/diamondbacks-acquire-rhp-aaron-heilman-from-cubs-ap.html Reliever Aaron Heilman was acquired Friday by the Arizona Diamondbacks from the Chicago Cubs for two minor league prospects. The 31-year-old right-hander was 4-4 with a 4.11 ERA in 70 appearances last season, striking out 65 and walking 34. He spent six seasons with the New York Mets before he was traded to Seattle last December, then was dealt to the Cubs a month later. Chicago Cubs - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/1040561/cubs-trade-aaron-heilman-to-diamondbacks.html More photos » by Al Behrman - AP No scenes like this will be seen in 2010. Aaron Heilman is headed to Arizona. Browse more photos » With all apologies due to BCB reader brian custer, a close friend of Aaron Heilman, he'll have to head to Phoenix to see his buddy pitch in 2010 -- the Cubs sent Heilman to the Diamondbacks today for two minor leaguers. Personally, I'm happy about this -- Heilman did pitch a little better in September, which probably increased his trade value. This means it was a good thing that Jim Hendry didn't let him go for just the waiver price in August; at least a couple of minor leaguers will return. This also gives Esmailin Caridad and Justin Berg a better shot at making the 2010 bullpen; I like both those guys. Details from the press release, after the jump. The Chicago Cubs today acquired left-handed pitcher Scott Maine and first baseman Ryne White from the Arizona Diamondbacks for right-handed pitcher Aaron Heilman. White is a native of Chicago and is a 2005 graduate of St. Rita of Cascia High School. Maine, 24, combined to go 4-5 with seven saves and a 2.90 ERA (20 ER/62.0 IP) in 48 relief appearances between Double-A Mobile and Triple-A Reno in 2009, reaching Triple-A in only his third professional season. The southpaw struck out 61 batters and issued 22 walks in 62.0 innings pitched between the stops, an average of nearly one strikeout per inning and 3.2 walks per nine innings. He allowed only two home runs in 62.0 innings pitched. Maine last month also made a pair of appearances for the Scottsdale Scorpions in the Arizona Fall League, allowing three runs in 1.2 innings. Drafted by the Diamondbacks in the sixth round of the 2007 Draft, Maine is 8-7 with 13 saves and a 3.29 ERA (44 ER/120.1 IP) in 88 relief appearances covering three professional seasons. The six-foot-three, 195-pounder pitched for three seasons at the University of Miami before joining the Diamondbacks organization. White, 23, batted .266 (111-for-418) with 18 doubles, six home runs, 52 RBI, 65 walks and a .371 on-base percentage in 116 games for Single-A Visalia last season. He was especially strong against right-handed pitching, batting .298 (78-for-262) with a .405 on-base percentage compared to a .212 (33-for-156) mark and a .313 on-base percentage vs. left-handed pitching. He is a career .275 hitter (194-for-705) with 13 home runs, 103 RBI and a .366 on-base percentage in 186 professional games the last two seasons. After graduating from St. Rita of Cascia, White attended Purdue University and was a 2007 Big Ten Conference All-Star after batting .452 (90-for-199) with a .521 on-base percentage in 53 games for the Boilermakers. The five-foot-11, 205-pounder was selected by the Diamondbacks in the fourth round of the 2008 Draft. Chicago Cubs - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/1040560/cubs-trade-aaron-heilman-to-diamondbacks.html More photos » by Al Behrman - AP No scenes like this will be seen in 2010. Aaron Heilman is headed to Arizona. Browse more photos » With all apologies due to BCB reader brian custer, a close friend of Aaron Heilman, he'll have to head to Phoenix to see his buddy pitch in 2010 -- the Cubs sent Heilman to the Diamondbacks today for two minor leaguers. Personally, I'm happy about this -- Heilman did pitch a little better in September, which probably increased his trade value. This means it was a good thing that Jim Hendry didn't let him go for just the waiver price in August; at least a couple of minor leaguers will return. This also gives Esmailin Caridad and Justin Berg a better shot at making the 2010 bullpen; I like both those guys. Details from the press release, after the jump. The Chicago Cubs today acquired left-handed pitcher Scott Maine and first baseman Ryne White from the Arizona Diamondbacks for right-handed pitcher Aaron Heilman. White is a native of Chicago and is a 2005 graduate of St. Rita of Cascia High School. Maine, 24, combined to go 4-5 with seven saves and a 2.90 ERA (20 ER/62.0 IP) in 48 relief appearances between Double-A Mobile and Triple-A Reno in 2009, reaching Triple-A in only his third professional season. The southpaw struck out 61 batters and issued 22 walks in 62.0 innings pitched between the stops, an average of nearly one strikeout per inning and 3.2 walks per nine innings. He allowed only two home runs in 62.0 innings pitched. Maine last month also made a pair of appearances for the Scottsdale Scorpions in the Arizona Fall League, allowing three runs in 1.2 innings. Drafted by the Diamondbacks in the sixth round of the 2007 Draft, Maine is 8-7 with 13 saves and a 3.29 ERA (44 ER/120.1 IP) in 88 relief appearances covering three professional seasons. The six-foot-three, 195-pounder pitched for three seasons at the University of Miami before joining the Diamondbacks organization. White, 23, batted .266 (111-for-418) with 18 doubles, six home runs, 52 RBI, 65 walks and a .371 on-base percentage in 116 games for Single-A Visalia last season. He was especially strong against right-handed pitching, batting .298 (78-for-262) with a .405 on-base percentage compared to a .212 (33-for-156) mark and a .313 on-base percentage vs. left-handed pitching. He is a career .275 hitter (194-for-705) with 13 home runs, 103 RBI and a .366 on-base percentage in 186 professional games the last two seasons. After graduating from St. Rita of Cascia, White attended Purdue University and was a 2007 Big Ten Conference All-Star after batting .452 (90-for-199) with a .521 on-base percentage in 53 games for the Boilermakers. The five-foot-11, 205-pounder was selected by the Diamondbacks in the fourth round of the 2008 Draft. Chicago Cubs - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/1039634/cubs-grabow-agree-to-2year-deal-espn.html Chicago TribuneCubs, Grabow agree to 2-year dealESPNThe Chicago Cubs and John Grabow have agreed to terms of a two-year contract that will pay the left-handed set-up man close to $7.5 million, ...Cubs, Grabow agree to two-year dealSeattle Post IntelligencerCubs, Grabow near two-year dealMLB.comCubs, lefty reliever Grabow agree to 2-year dealChicago TribuneBleacher Report -Rotoworld.comall 45 news articles » Chicago Cubs - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/1039033/selig-some-clubs-lost-money-associated-press.html Selig: Some clubs lost moneyThe Associated PressThe owners also welcomed new Chicago Cubs owner Tom Ricketts. "It was very interesting. Once again, just learning," Ricketts said after emerging from the ...and more » Chicago Cubs - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/1039032/cubs-player-visits-coralville-elementary-school-kcrg.html Cubs Player Visits Coralville Elementary SchoolKCRGWednesday afternoon, Chicago Cubs shortstop Ryan Theriot stopped at Kate Wickham Elementary School. The school won this visit, and hundreds came out to meet ...Student hits home run with major leaguer's visitIowa City Press Citizenall 2 news articles » Chicago Cubs - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/1039031/cubs-owner-president-expected-to-visit-naples-newspress.html Cubs owner, president expected to visit NaplesThe News-Press11:06 AM ? Although a team official and the head of an effort to lure the Chicago Cubs to ...Report: Cubs owner coming to Naples again to check out spring training ...Naples Daily Newsall 3 news articles » Chicago Cubs - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/1039030/from-wire-grabow-agrees-to-terms-on-twoyear-deal.html According to multiple reports on Thursday morning, the Cubs agreed to terms with lefty John Grabow on a two year contract ... financial terms were not disclosed. The new contract is rumored to be worth between $7 and $7.5 million over two seasons. John Grabow is expected to be the primary setup man for Carlos Marmol in 2010. Chicago Cubs - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/1038258/cubs-owner-president-expected-to-vist-naples-newspress.html Cubs owner, president expected to vist NaplesThe News-Press11:06 AM ? Although a team official and the head of an effort to lure the Chicago Cubs to ... Chicago Cubs - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/1038257/cubs-charities-donates-20000-to-dominican-republic-community-efforts-chicago-press-release-services.html Cubs Charities Donates $20000 to Dominican Republic Community EffortsChicago Press Release Services (press release)Chicago Cubs Charities today announced a $20000 contribution to community projects in the Dominican Republic through the Major League Baseball Dominican ...and more » Chicago Cubs - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/1038256/cubs-grabow-agree-to-twoyear-deal-seattle-post-intelligencer.html Cubs, Grabow agree to two-year dealSeattle Post IntelligencerChicago, IL (Sports Network) - The Chicago Cubs have agreed to a two-year deal with left-handed reliever John Grabow. Although financial terms of the deal ...By: Bruce LevineESPNCubs close to deal with GrabowMLB.comCubs, Grabow agree to 2-year dealChicago TribuneRotoworld.comall 22 news articles » Chicago Cubs - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/1038255/cubs-announce-2010-spring-training-schedule.html The Chicago Cubs announced their 35-game Spring Training schedule for the 2010 season. The club will play 15 home games at HoHoKam Park, 18 road games in Arizona (including a pair of games at Chase Field to close the exhibition schedule) and two games in Las Vegas against the Chicago White Sox. Spring training report dates will be announced at a later time. Chicago Cubs - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/1038254/cubs-reach-contract-agreement-pitcher-john-grabow.html The Cubs and relief pitcher John Grabow have reached an agreement on a two-year contract extension that has been anticipated for weeks. Chicago Cubs - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/1037429/yes-they-really-did-close-upper-deck-at-wrigley-in-1970s-photo-essay.html This remarkable photo, part of a photoset of Chicago pictures I acquired from eBay member "nicepictures" (who graciously gave permission to post it here), clearly shows something which a number of us who lived through that era knew -- that on many weekdays during the 1960's and 1970's, the Cubs often closed the upper deck entirely, since crowds were small enough to all fit downstairs. Lower grandstand seats (what we now know as terrace boxes and terrace reserved) were unreserved, so you could sit wherever you wanted, first come first served, and the Cubs didn't have to assign ushers (they weren't called "security" in those days) to the upper deck. Click on the photo and examine it carefully; then go after the jump to find out when it was taken. If you want to guess yourself, don't click on the jump to find out the answer before you make your best guess! Click on image to open a larger version in a new browser window. Depending on the size of your display and browser, it may require some scrolling. If you find it to be too large, click here for a smaller version. The two identifiable Cubs in this photo are Rick Monday, playing center field and Jose Cardenal, playing left. That narrows it down to 1972-76, although I was given a clue by the photo itself; it was dated 1975. That narrowed it down to six possible games, because if you look at the third-base coach, he's obviously wearing a Dodger uniform, and in those days, the West division teams visited Wrigley only six times a year. The first Dodger series was a weekend, May 30, May 31 and June 1 -- the crowds for that series were 21,197, 21,344 and 31,325, all too large to have the upper deck closed, plus, the Cubs didn't close the upper deck on weekends (at that time, there were no season tickets in the upper deck; in fact, there were likely fewer than 3,000 season tickets in all). So it had to be the series of August 18, 19 and 21 (August 20, 1975 was a rainout, rescheduled for the next day). But which game? Your next clue is the little mini-scoreboard visible on the facade of the upper deck. All it showed was the batter number, balls, strikes and outs. If you are wondering why there were two digits allowed for "strikes", it's because that board was also used for Bears games -- it showed, left to right, the Bears score, the quarter, down, the yard line, and the visitors score. You can also see the football press box underneath that scoreboard; it was rarely used during the baseball season. The Dodgers' #34 in 1975 was worn by Lee Lacy, an outfielder of middling talent who had a couple of decent years with the Pirates in the early '80s. I checked to see if he had flied to center field in that series. Sure enough, he did so twice in the first game of the series, on Monday, August 18, 1975. But which flyout was it? One was in the fifth inning, the other the eighth. Both were the third out of the inning, as the board shows. Your last clue is the fact that a Cub reliever is warming up. In the 1970's, virtually no manager would have had a relief pitcher warming up in the fifth inning of a 3-1 game (Steve Stone, who was the Cub starter that day, had given up a pair of homers in the fifth inning to produce that 3-1 deficit). But in the eighth? Sure, a reliever likely would have been getting loose, and in fact, Tom Dettore (whose biggest infamy came the next season, on April 14, 1976, when he gave up a homer to Dave Kingman, then playing for the Mets, which is believed to be the longest HR ever hit at Wrigley) was brought into the game in the ninth inning after Gene Hiser pinch-hit for Stone. It's not clear, but it probably is Dettore warming up in the pen. The Cubs wound up losing the game 3-1, despite getting the first two runners on base in the bottom of the ninth (sound familiar?). This image, frozen in time, was the last out of the top of the eighth inning at Wrigley Field on Monday, August 18, 1975. Attendance on that cloudy day was 14,383. The 1975 Cubs actually had a pretty decent offense -- they tied for third in the NL with 712 runs. But their pitching staff doomed them to a 75-87 record; they allowed 827 runs, 88 more than anyone else in the National League. Chicago Cubs - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/1037225/playing-good-ideabad-idea-cubs-offseason-baseball-reflections.html Playing Good Idea/Bad Idea with the Cubs OffseasonBaseball ReflectionsWhat a disappointment 2009 was for the Chicago Cubs. So much anticipation, so few results. I posted my thoughts on Derek Lee and his contributions to the ...and more » Chicago Cubs - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/1036047/final-chapter-2008-2009-chicago-cubs-bleacher-report.html Bleacher ReportThe Final Chapter: 2008 and 2009 Chicago CubsBleacher ReportSadly, we're in THIS universe, and in this universe the Chicago Cubs have watched their bats turn into wet noodles against the Arizona Diamonbacks. ... Chicago Cubs - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/1035873/cubs-set-dates-for-spring-training-games-chicago-daily-herald.html Cubs set dates for spring training gamesChicago Daily HeraldThe Chicago Cubs announced their 35-game spring training schedule for the 2010 season. The club will play 15 home games at HoHoKam Park, 18 road games in ...2010 Cubs Spring Training ScheduleBleed Cubbie Blue (blog)all 4 news articles » Chicago Cubs - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/1035872/cubs-spring-schedule-set-moves-on-horizon.html The NL and AL Manager of the Year honors were handed out on Wednesday ... with Mike Scioscia and former Chicago Cub, Jim Tracy winning the awards. The NL Cy Young will be announced on Thursday with one of two Redbirds expected finish in the top spots in the voting. The Cubs announced their 2010 Spring Training schedule on Wednesday ... so start up the countdown clock. Cactus League action begins for the Cubs on March 4 at HoHoKam Park against the Oakland A's. The Cubs will face the White Sox during the first weekend of games. Single-game tickets go on sale January 5 for the Cubs' 35-game spring schedule. Is this the calm before the Hot Stove kicks into gear on Friday? Here's the latest on the eve of the free-agent frenzy and the deadline all clubs must file their reserve lists ... Chicago Cubs - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates