Not since the days of Corey Patterson have the Cubs had a clear cut center fielder. This search is finally over, with the Cubs singing 32-year-old Marlon Byrd to a 3-year, $15 million deal.
Byrd was arguably the top center field option on the free agent market this year, and at a cost of only $15 million over three years, could wind up being a great bargain. Yes, he's coming off a career year, however, he'll be working with the same hitting coach, as the Cubs signed Rudy Jaramillio earlier this winter. Byrd finished eighth in the AL in doubles in 2009, with ...
Over the past year or so, Cubs GM Jim Hendry has been doing a lot of trading. And with the exception of recent deals for Aaron Heilman and Carlos Silva, they've all been major leaguers being swapped for prospects or young major leaguers. Here's a quick recap of these trades:
•Mark DeRosa traded to the Cleveland Indians for Jeff Stevens and minor leaguers John Gaub and Chris Archer.
•Aaron Miles and Jake Fox traded to the Oakland Athletics for Jeff Gray and minor leaguers Matt Spencer and Ronny Morla.
•Aaron Heilman traded to the Arizona Diamondbacks for minor leaguers Scott Maine and Ryne ...
Now that the trade of Milton Bradley is said and done, Cubs GM Jim Hendry can focus on making the Cubs look like a team that has had winning records in six of their last seven seasons, and an organizational resurgence.
Unlike most years, however, Hendry does not have the ability to spend his way out of his mistakes. Instead, he will have to get creative to make the team competitive again. Keep in mind, this is the guy who managed to pry Eric Karros and Mark Grudzielanek from the Dodgers for Todd Hundley and Chad Hermansen, Derrek Lee from the ...
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