On December 6, 2006, Cubs General Manager Jim Hendry made one of his best signings. Despite taking heat for passing on Barry Zito, Hendry signed Ted Lilly to a four-year, $40 million deal.
Lilly has been outstanding since putting on a Cubs uniform. The 33-year-old has won 41 games while managing to keep his ERA below 4.00.
So why would you even think about moving Lilly? The truth is, Lilly is a free agent at the end of the 2010 season and is slated to make $12 million in 2010.
Moving Lilly wouldn’t be a salary dump. The Cubs would likely get a decent amount back in return for the all ...
On December 6, 2006, Cubs General Manager Jim Hendry made one of his best signings. Despite taking heat for passing on Barry Zito, Hendry signed Ted Lilly to a four-year, $40 million deal.
Lilly has been outstanding since putting on a Cubs uniform. The 33-year-old has won 41 games while managing to keep his ERA below 4.00.
So why would you even think about moving Lilly? The truth is, Lilly is a free agent at the end of the 2010 season and is slated to make $12 million in 2010.
Moving Lilly wouldn’t be a salary dump. The Cubs would likely get a decent amount back in return for the all ...
If you didn't see this coming, you have not been paying attention. For the third straight day, the Chicago Cubs bullpen has imploded. Closer Kevin Gregg came into the Florida series with three blown saves and he leaves Florida with a total of five blown saves.
Unfortunately, these things happen when you overuse your bullpen. It's something that I have been saying for a long time and it likely will only get worse.
One might be asking themselves, how can the Cubs bullpen be overused when the starters have the third most quality starts in the National League. Only the great Lou Piniella can answer that.
Let's take a closer ...
The trade deadline has come on and gone, but that doesn't mean the Chicago Cubs can't make a move. The process is much more difficult, but plenty of quality players have been acquired after the July 31 trade deadline.
In August of 1998, the Cubs signed Gary Gaetti after he was released by the Cardinals. Gaetti would hit .320 down the stretch with 8 home runs.
In August of 2003, the Chicago Cubs once again made what turned out to be a great post trade deadline move. The Cubs acquired Randall Simon who went on to hit .282 with 6 home runs.
In August of 2004, the St ...
It wasn’t too long ago that five teams were separated by just four games in the NL Central. How quickly things change.
Heading into August the St Louis Cardinals lead the Chicago Cubs by just a half game, but the Cubs have two less losses.
Losers of nine of 10 games, the Reds have fallen completely out of contention and are currently 10 games out. The Brewers and Astros still have a pulse, but both have fallen 4.5 games behind the pace.
With just two months of baseball left to be played, I thought this would be a good time to take a closer look at both the Cardinals and Cubs.
The ...
On Friday, the St. Louis Cardinals acquired Matt Holliday from the Oakland Athletics. In my opinion, the move makes the Cardinals the favorites in the very tight NL Central.
The additions of both Mark DeRosa and Matt Holliday make the Cardinals lineup one of the more potent lineups in the league.
Does Cubs GM Jim Hendry have the needed resources to respond to the Cardinals trade? It's just a matter of looking outside the box. A phone call to Mariners GM Jack Zduriencik could go a long way in filling two glaring wholes.
The Cubs are in desperate need of a left handed bat. Enter Russell Branyan—not ...
The second half of the baseball season couldn't have started any better for the Chicago Cubs. On Sunday, the Cubs completed a four game sweep against the woeful Washington National in the nation’s capital.
Despite being just two games behind St Louis, it is unlikely the Cubs will make any significant moves before the July 31 trade deadline.
Next week appears to be a critical one for the Cubs. First, they visit the World Champion Phillies for three before returning home to host the Reds for three. Regardless of what happens, the Cubs don't appear to have the payroll flexibility to make any substantial ...
Before I go any further, let me say that Lou Piniella is not the main reason why the Cubs are 41-42.
That said, at some point a manager must be held accountable for his teams struggles.
Coming into the season the Cubs were once again heavy favorites to win the National League Central, and many saw them as the favorite to represent the National League in the World Series. While the Cubs have endured plenty of injuries, they still find themselves in almost every game.
Despite leading the National League in quality starts, the Cubs are fading quickly in the National League Central. ...
