Expect Theo and Jed to be on the phone a lot (approximation of their real phones).
With all the trade chatter we’ve been hearing surrounding the Cubs, the question doesn’t seem to be if the Cubs will be trading players for prospects, but when. Paul Maholm showed his stuff on Friday, Ryan Dempster Saturday and Matt Garza yesterday. How does Garza feel about all the trade buzz surrounding the Cubs?
“We can’t control that,” said Garza. “All that we can control is what we do between the lines and how we prepare. I have a wife that is due in 22 days, so the rumor mill can wait. That is the last thing on my mind, I got a wife who is ready to pop, so I really don’t care about where I am going to be because when she calls, I will be right there next to her.”
Uh oh, 22 days is after the trade deadline. One rumor involving Garza has the Tigers interested in him and Darwin Barney. What would it do to Darwin if he were traded?
“Being a Cub since I was drafted, you don’t want to hear those things,” Barney said. “It is nice to know people are interested, but I want to be here. Whatever happens, happens. It is a business and that is the way it works. You don’t look too deep into it until something happens and then you go from there.”
Darwin’s apparently not a “grass is greener” type. Looks like he wants to stick around and be the best Cub he can be.
With the team riding high on a 12-4 streak, you can’t help but notice that the main difference before this streak and after is Anthony Rizzo. What is the team saying about it?
“We brought up a kid who is really exciting,” pitcher Matt Garza said about Rizzo on Sunday. “Just putting his presence in the lineup you can see what has happened. It puts pressure on the other team and the pitchers have to come up and make good pitches. Just his energy and youth kick people in gear and it’s awesome. It’s fun to see stuff like that and we’re just going to keep riding it out.”
Anyone else?
“Rizzo, you’re not going to find a makeup like that in a young player,” Dempster said. “He’s just incredible his ability to stay grounded and work hard.”
Darwin Barney, do you have anything to add?
“I think it was a matter of time,” Barney said of the resurgence. “I think obviously Rizzo coming in, it helped deepen our lineup a little bit and helped solidify our defense. And guys started swinging the bats.”
So they all think Rizzo is the chosen one, too.
They can’t trade Barney. He’s the most attractive guy on the team.
False.
Julie, Chris Bosio is coaching staff and doesn’t count.
Gross.
Actually, I don’t even know what Chris Bosio looks like.
If you have a pirate fettish, there are alot of attractive guys on this team!! Arrrrgh, are ye after me Cubbie booty??
What would Julie know…she thinks Matt Holliday, AJ Pierzynski and Ryan Braun are hot.
not true.
Your actions speak otherwise.
Actually it’s Yadier Molina she pines after…
One positive note…..
Castro and Barney are emerging as one of the best defensive middle infield pairs in the game right now.
They are looking GOOD!
Another reason to praise the work Dale and company have done in fundamentals and position players correctly.
I call it luck.
I call it karma.
How so?
Jon Heyman was on the Score this morning. Seriously, I could have given that interview. He didn’t say anything that hasn’t already been widely reported by 10,000 other news outlets. He had about as much inside info as Mark does.
Heyman has become a lost soul in the modern media world. I never thought he was all that great in the first place, but he would occasionally have some interesting info that he would stumble upon.
Honestly, SI and ESPN aren’t all that far apart right now.
I’m not too sad I missed that interview. My boycott of sports radio during baseball season has once again proven to be a smart move.
Heyman actually moved on to CBS Sports, but you are right about SI and ESPN
Damn…that’s right…I forgot about that. That was kind of a big deal on twitter when that happened.
What did he say? Something like ” A Lot of teams will not make trades now due to the changes in the wildcard decision.” Or was it,”All teams need the same thing, pitching,so the Cubs are in a strong trading position.” That’s the twaddle coming out of LA…
We should enjoy this little streak the Cubs have going on before they trade off 3/5 of the starting rotation and we have to endure another 10+ losing streak.
It would not surprise me greatly that if due to the new rules the Cubs do NOT trade away a starting pitcher because the return is so low.
?
I would think just the opposite. The new rules in place have done two things…
1. They have made it so a lot more teams are still in the chase for the wild card this year, increasing demand and reducing supply of teams giving away available pitching. The price for the Cubs pitchers has gone up because of it.
2. Because the new collective bargaining agreement limits the compensation teams get for losing a free agent, trading a player may be more beneficial instead of possibly waiting for an extra draft pick. Of course this only applies to Dempster, not Garza.
In the end, Dempster will go. It’s just a matter of time. Because the demand is there, Garza might go too, but it’s hard to say which way the Cubs are leaning here. Personally, I’d trade him, but Jed and Theo might believe the Cubs are closer to competing than I do, so they might just give him a longer term contract and buy his first couple of FA years. And it might just be the case that Garza isn’t attracting the players that Jed and Theo are looking for.
It’s possible that the lack of experience with how the new rules will work may make a discrepancy between perceived value on both seller and buyers side.
So I leave for a week and we go on a tear, figures…I’m going to book a trip to Jamaica now and hopefully by the time I get back we will be in the playoffs….
See ya in November!
Or you could join us in Jamaica!
Or maybe not I read the reports about your jet ski mishap, prolly not worth the risk you don’t want to become a repeat offender….
Pfft. I get a face-full of waves every year on the jet ski. At least this year I didn’t hit my head on the way down.
I like to go fast.
She couldn’t tear herself away from AJ and Halliday…:)
When did Halladay become part of this?
Latest Google news headlines for “Ryan Dempster” are that the Red Sox are very interested.
I wonder how that would work; clearly Theo knows what hidden gems their system contains.
How could Cherrington (sp?) win a trade against Theo? Theo knows the Sox system better than him, I’d guarantee.
Pull the trigger, Theo!
(I mean Jed! You’re in charge, Jed! Everyone knows YOU’RE the general manager of the Cubs! Not Theo! Ahem.)
My guess is that this is part of the hold up, if the Red Sox really are as interested as reported. It’s not like they can fleece Theo.
Dempster reportedly told someone that, even if traded, he’d like to come back and sign with the Cubs in the off-season. UGH.
He’ll never have another season like this one. Let’s just cut him loose while the cuttin’ is good.
I’ll bet if he goes to a team that contends , he will change his mind about going back…
I really wish to know what you lady’s drink at night (or during the day if that’s your cup o’ tea)This Jameson just ain’t cuttin’ it…..
He’s going to want to come back no matter what because this is where his daughter’s
doctor is. My understanding is that she needs to stay with/near her doctor.
I’m perfectly fine if he wants to re-sign with the Cubs…for, you know, like $1.5 million.
6:30 train in. Ugggghhh. I’m even up before Carl. Boo.
Slacker.
A women has been arrested for stalking Theo….
Where’s Julie?
Her alibi is that she was on the morning train…