Results tagged ‘ Chicago Cubs Trade Rumors ’
Deadline Day: Early Morning Rumors [UPDATE 9:20 AM]
Here’s to a busy, and productive day.
As the craziness died down last night so did the chatter between the Cubs and the Dodgers. One minute it seems like something will get done, the next, crickets. Per Jon Heyman nothing was “close” between the Dodgers and Dempster late last night. Ken Rosenthal reports that Dempster remains adamant that he will only accept a deal to the Dodgers. Even I can put two and two together, if Dempster will only go to the Dodgers and the Cubs and Dodgers aren’t close then that means the Cubs haven’t blinked yet. I wonder if they will because they have lost almost all the leverage in this deal.
Rosenthal also mentions that Soriano has been apart of the Dempster to the Dodgers talks for a little while now. Soriano would have to approve any deal, just like Dempster. Per Bob Nightengale on twitter, Soriano has provided the Cubs with a list of “acceptable” teams to be traded to, but there is no offer as of yet.
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Last night there was a surge in Matt Garza chatter but it has cooled as morning has arrived, per Joel Sherman, Cubs’ execs are not overly optimistic a deal will get done. The Cubs sent out Garza’s clean medical reports yesterday and that is what sparked the interest of a number of teams. Ken Rosenthal says that the Rangers interest seems to be waning while the interest level of the Reds and Blue Jays is increasing. I give it 50/50 odds that Garza gets traded today.
[UPDATE 9:20 AM] Per Jayson Stark on the Mike and Mike show Matt Garza is “likely” to be traded today, news coming in fast.
Thanks for reading,
- George
Trade Deadline Day! Good Morning
We are basically live blogging the trade deadline, so there will be a bevy of posts between now and the deadline at 3:00 PM CST. We will keep you up to date on all the rumors and trades that go down today. I don’t know if anything can get as crazy as last night, but I’m sure the Cubs will try.
Thanks for reading,
- George
Some More on the Trade Front
- The Cubs will reportedly not comment on any trades tonight and will wait until tomorrow morning. Obviously as we find more out we let you know.
- After the injury to Matt Garza it appeared it was going to be a long shot to move him, but it seems there are a few teams who are still interested. The Cubs let teams look at his medical reports and some teams might be satisfied.
- The teams that have shown interest in Garza are the Texas Rangers, Toronto Blue Jays, and the Cincinnati Reds and according to some sources there is good chance he gets moved.
- Nothing new on Dempster yet, but with Maholm going to the Braves, I am guessing he won’t end up there, but you never know.
- Who will come up after the deals are completed, I am guessing Welington Castillo will be up in Soto’s place and there have been rumors that Brett Jakcson, who was taken out of the Iowa could be on his way or it could be someone like Dave Sappelt.
We will keep you updated throughout the night and tomorrow.
- Mark
Paul Maholm and Reed Johnson Traded
Paul Maholm and Reed Johnson have been traded to the Atlanta Braves. No word yet on who the Cubs are getting back in return. Check back for updates.
Update: Wow, the Cubs were able to get back two pitchers, Arodys Vizcaino plus Jaye Chapman from the Atlanta Braves. Vizcaino is really nice piece with a lot of upside. He missed the year due to Tommy-John Surgery, but was the Braves #3 pitching prospect coming into the year.
Thanks for Reading,
-Mark
Soto Traded
Update: According to many sources Geovany Soto has been Traded to the Texas Rangers.
After the bottom of the sixth inning Geovany Soto was seen in the dugout shaking hands and hugging teammates and in the bottom half was pinch hit for. It is possible Soto has been traded as well or the Cubs are just having fun with trade deadline. Nothing is official,, so we will keep you updated as word comes in.
Thanks for Reading,
-Mark
Countdown to the Deadline: Talks Picking Up, Sort Of
Just two weeks ago it seemed that the Cubs would have made a few deals by July 30th, well here we sit, on July 30th and nothing has been done. I attribute this to the whole Dempster saga, if he accepts the Braves deal then I think the Cubs would have made a few more moves by now. But because he declined, at least for now, the Cubs sit in a holding pattern. Here are some of the latest trade rumors involving the Cubs.
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Andy Martino is reporting that the Mets have had discussions with the Cubs about Geovany Soto. Odds are a deal doesn’t get done here, but it is nice to see 
somebody asking about Soto. If the Cubs could move him for anything more than a Manny Alexander life-size cardboard cutout we should all be grateful.
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Ken Rosenthal weighed in with some thoughts about the increase in demand for starting pitching, and how it relates to Garza. Even with the news of Garza not starting again until after the deadline team keep calling on him. What teams are looking for her obviously is a discounted rate for Garza, the Cubs aren’t budging. For that reason Rosenthal and a number of sources believe that a Garza deal during the 2012 season before the deadline is “doubtful” but not out of the question. Because the Cubs and Garza have not talked contract extension since the Spring it is believed that the Cubs will move him in the Winter.
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Danny Knobler is reporting that the Dodgers and Cubs are at an impasse on Dempster. If I had to guess I thing each team is waiting for the other to cave and accept a deal to just make a deal. Because of the this the Braves have been keeping an eye on the situation and might be ready to start-up talks again with the Cubs for Dempster. Per Knobler, people in the game expect Atlanta to get involved with Dempster again.
Yesterday afternoon Peter Gammons was on MLB Network and was very candid about what the Dodgers need to do, and the #1 thing he said the Dodgers needed to do was trade for Dempster. He said that they should do whatever it takes to land Dempster because he could be the difference for them. Let’s hope he’s right.
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An interesting rumor popped up over the weekend, Ken Rosenthal suggests that Alfonso Soriano’s name has come up in the Dempster to the Dodgers talks. The Cubs were rumored to add Soriano to a potential deal to the Dodgers to get a better prospect in return, but nothing has come out of those talks, yet. Rosenthal adds that if the Cubs can’t find a deal before the deadline they would look to deal Soriano in the off-season where they might get a better return.
Things are going to get pretty crazy here as the deadline is only 31 hours away, keep checking back for the latest updates, and maybe a couple trades to announce as well.
Thanks for reading,
- George
Greinke Traded to Angels; Braves Back on Dempster?
One of the big arms at the deadline has been dealt, Zack Greinke is on his way to Anaheim. The Angels have acquired Greinke for infield prospect Jean Segura, and two Double-A pitchers, Ariel Pena, and John Hellweg. What does this mean for the Cubs and specifically Dempster? It could mean that the Braves, who are still in the market for a big arm, re-engage talks with the Cubs. Everyone was waiting for the first pitching domino to fall, this would be it, I wouldn’t be surprised if things really start to pick up now.
Thanks for reading,
- George
Countdown to the Deadline: Latest Rumors NOT About Dempster
Lost is all the Dempster hoopla is the fact that the Cubs are still in a building process and have a number of assets that other teams can use. Here is the latest chatter about some of those assets, this post will be a Dempster free zone starting… now.
It’s about time that Alfonso Soriano’s name starts getting mentioned in some of these trade rumors. Soriano’s is in the midst of a resurgent 
season and surely a team in the AL could use a slugging DH. Jon Paul Morosi of Fox Sports reports that at least one team has inquired about Soriano.
Morosi on Soriano-
With Soriano, the issue is – and has been – money. He has roughly $6 million left on this year’s contract, followed by $18 million in each of the next two seasons. The Cubs likely would need to include a substantial amount of money to facilitate a trade. On top of that, Soriano has a full no-trade clause.
The Dodgers, Giants, Indians and Pirates are among the teams that could benefit from Soriano’s power
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Morosi also chimes in about Matt Garza, yes he is still on the Cubs, we just haven’t heard much about him since he left injured last Friday and he won’t pitch again until Monday July 30th (maybe). The Cubs are talking with multiple potential suitors for Garza. Morosi also reports that the Dodgers appear to be serious in their attempts to get Garza as a Zach Lee for Matt Garza deal may have been discussed, at this point I don’t think that is a reality.
ESPN’s Jayson Stark temper’s that interest as he reports that clubs have not been assured that Garza will make another start before the deadline, and is more likely to be dealt in the offseason than at the deadline, if at all.
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Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun reported back on 7/23 that the Orioles have been making calls with the hopes of addressing their corner infield issues. One of those guys they have kicked the tires on is Bryan LaHair. These talks have been preliminary, there is nothing serious as of yet, but if another team is interested in LaHair the Cubs would jump at the chance to get anything for him.
Thanks for reading,
- George
Buster Olney: “As of Now, Cubs Plan to Keep Dempster”
In a day that just won’t slow down, Buster Olney is now reporting that the Cubs are planning to keep Dempster and make a qualifying offer at the end of the year so they will get a draft pick, unless offers improve. Olney also reports that the Cubs and Dodgers are not close to a deal, and as we all know that is the only place Dempster will go based on what has happened in the last couple days. This trade deadline has basically turned into a disaster for the Cubs as they went from having two really solid pieces to deal in Dempster and Garza to one injured starter (Garza) and one starter that wants what’s best for him despite his recent comments and that has cost the Cubs a tremendous return in Randall Delgado (Dempster).
Things change fast so stay tuned, still plenty of time left until the July 31st deadline, anything can happen, except of course Ryan Dempster for Randall Delgado.
Thanks for reading,
- George
