December 2009
12/31 Cubs sign Byrd
The Cubs appear to have found their center fielder in Marlon Byrd.
According to a high placed team official, the Cubs have signed Byrd to a three-year contract. A formal announcement was expected later Thursday.
The Cubs wanted to move Kosuke Fukudome to right, which left a hole in center.
Byrd, 32, batted .283 last season with the Texas Rangers and will be reunited with hitting coach Rudy Jaramillo. The center fielder drove in a personal high 89 runs last season and in three years in Texas has batted .295. He had wanted a long-term deal.
– Carrie Muskat
12/31 Big Z rumors
The Cubs won’t comment on trade rumors, which includes the latest talk regarding Carlos Zambrano. According to a story out of New York, two American League officials claim the Cubs are dangling Big Z but also say the pitcher won’t waive his no-trade clause. GM Jim Hendry told the Chicago Tribune: “He’s got full no-trade rights, which he negotiated into his contract. I fully expect him to come back in 2010 and pitch like the old Big Z.” Zambrano’s agent Barry Praver also has said the pitcher will not waive his no-trade rights. Zambrano is coming off a disappointing season in which he won nine games. The Cubs have been encouraged by reports about his offseason workouts.
– Carrie Muskat
12/30 Florida rally ppd.
A rally to garner support for relocating the Cubs’ Spring Training facility to Collier County in Florida has been postponed because it was scheduled to run the same time as the Cubs Convention.
The rally was to have been held Jan. 16. The Cubs Convention runs Jan. 15-17 in Chicago.
Florida organizers will set a new date “more conducive for fans in southwest Florida as well from the Midwest states to attend,” according to Floridacubs.com.
“We didn’t want to have it at the same time (because we heard) people were going up for the convention,” Gary Price, a partner in Fifth Avenue Advisors, told the Naples Daily News. “It’s a huge event and we didn’t want this to be something where people had to choose.”
The Cubs are looking at sites near Naples, Fla., in Collier County as well as in Mesa, Ariz. The team was expected to make an announcement in mid January.
– Carrie Muskat
12/23 The Hawk waits for HOF call
Andre Dawson’s wife Vanessa was determined to get their son, Darius, a pair of the latest Nike Air Jordan shoes for Christmas, which meant they had to be at the store by 5 a.m. Wednesday. Andre went with her.
“I told her, ‘Michael [Jordan] is sleeping, dreaming, and counting his millions and we’re out buying sneakers,’” Dawson said Wednesday from his Florida home.
They came away empty handed because the store didn’t have their son’s size. Dawson is hoping he gets better news on Jan. 6 when the Hall of Fame announces the induction class for 2010.
This will be Dawson’s ninth year on the ballot and it’s his best chance to get into Cooperstown. The former Cubs outfielder, who won the NL MVP in 1987, has heard from plenty of other players and Hall of Famers surprised the Hawk isn’t already enshrined.
“They say, ‘You should have been in already,’” Dawson said. “I hear that a lot. A lot of them say, ‘It’s going to happen.’ … A lot of people ask, ‘Why are they waiting?’ I obviously don’t have an answer for that. With no one ahead of me to hurdle, there’s a reason to be a little more optimistic.”
He’ll spend the day the same way as any other day, going to the gym in the morning. He’ll be home in time for the announcement.
“You want to be there when it is announced, just to get some of the feedback from the analysts on who got in and the reasons why the other players didn’t,” Dawson said. “That’s what I’ve had interest in the last few years is if the vote percentage is going up and how much.”
All the Baseball Writers Association of America voting members need to do is check with Dawson’s teammates, like Shawon Dunston. He worships the Hawk.
“When he was hurt, he just played and played and I was very impressed,” Dunston told me in September. “People always talk about intangibles. He had bad knees and never complained, not once. He never asked to come out of a game, if we were winning 10-0 or down 10-0. … He’s a true gentleman and a true professional.”
Dunston bonded with Dawson immediately. The shortstop was stationed between Ryne Sandberg and Dawson in the home clubhouse at Wrigley Field.
“They were two of the quietest people in the world,” Dunston said. “They didn’t say more than 10 words a day. … I learned from Andre and Ryno how to go about your business and never complain.”
– Carrie Muskat
12/22 Grabow tries to sell Capps on Cubs
If Matt Capps does sign with the Cubs, credit pitcher John Grabow with an assist.
Grabow, who was Capps’ teammate in Pittsburgh before he was traded to the Cubs in July, has talked to the free agent right-hander, who has apparently narrowed his choices to Washington and Chicago. The two pitchers have the same agent, Paul Kinzer.
MLB.com’s Bill Ladson reported that Capps, who was not tendered arbitration by the Pirates, planned on making a decision by Wednesday. Grabow signed a two-year contract on Nov. 20 with the Cubs and gave Capps a little inside information.
“I basically told him about the organization and how the guys are in the clubhouse,” Grabow said Tuesday from his Arizona home. “If he comes to the Cubs, he’s coming to a contender.”
The Cubs starting pitchers do go deep in games, which, Grabow said, could mean a lot of meaningful innings for Capps. The difference could come down to what Capps wants to do. The Nationals are looking for a closer, while the Cubs already have named Carlos Marmol as their closer. Marmol took over in mid August for Kevin Gregg, and went 11-for-11 in save situations. Marmol also walked a lot of batters.
Grabow said Capps is exactly what a manager wants — he’s durable and throws strikes.
“I told him, if you come to the Cubs, you might not close right away but things happen,” Grabow said. “[Capps] is a great guy. He’ll take the ball every single day. He’s a bulldog. He’s the sort of guy you want in your bullpen.”
Grabow wasn’t too concerned about Capps’ 5.80 ERA this season with the Pirates.
“I think he’s going to bounce back this year,” the lefty said.
– Carrie Muskat
12/22 Matt Capps
According to MLB.com’s Bill Ladson, free agent Matt Capps has narrowed his list of teams to the Nationals and the Cubs, and will make a decision by Wednesday night. Capps was not offered arbitration by the Pirates after saving 27 games. If he signs with the Nationals, Capps will be their closer. If he signs with the Cubs, he’d be a set-up pitcher for Carlos Marmol. He’d also give the Cubs some insurance in case Marmol has problems with walks.
– Carrie Muskat
12/22 Winter ball update
Cubs prospect Robinson Chirinos has been on fire in Venezuela. On Friday, he went 4-for-4, hitting a home run and driving in two runs, to help Magallanes beat Caribes, 7-4, in the Venezuelan Winter League. The catcher followed that with a 1-for-3 game on Sunday. He’s batting .359 in 46 games with 10 doubles, nine homers and 32 RBIs.
Andres Blanco played 37 games with Magallanes, and hit .291 with 11 doubles, two triples, two homers and 27 RBIs. He played primarily at second base and hit second in the order.
Sam Fuld played in six games for Aragua in Venezuela, and batted .241 with two doubles, two triples and five RBIs.
In the Mexican League, Jeff Stevens struck out one in one inning of relief Sunday for Mexicali. Stevens has appeared in 16 games for the Mexican League team, and has a 0-4 record, two saves and a 4.15 ERA. He’s walked nine over 17 1/3 innings and struck out 12. The right-hander is holding batters to a .212 average.
Infielder Junior Lake, who batted .248 for Class A Peoria this season, was 7-for-16 in four games with Estrellas in the Dominican League.
Outfielder Jim Adduci appears to have finished his Winter League assignment. He played in 20 games for Hermosillo and batted .224 with two homers and seven RBIs. Infielder Matt Camp batted .333 in 56 games for Mexicali. He hit 18 doubles, two triples, and two homers.
– Carrie Muskat
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