Results tagged ‘ Tigers ’
12/13 Cubs and Sanchez – UPDATED
Anibal Sanchez apparently has decided to stay with the Tigers. The Cubs were one of the teams to make an offer to the free agent pitcher, but he agreed to a five-year, $80 million contract with Detroit. According to Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports and MLB Network, the Cubs did discuss a five-year, $75 million deal, and apparently raised the salary figure to $77.5 million early Friday. Sanchez, 28, would have given the Cubs a more competitive rotation next season. However, he had to decide whether to join a team still in rebuilding mode or stay with the defending American League champions.
– Carrie Muskat
10/16 Cubs complete Baker deal
The Cubs acquired right-handed pitcher Marcelo Carreno from the Tigers to complete the Aug. 5 trade for infielder Jeff Baker. Carreno, 21, went 9-8 with a 3.23 ERA in 27 starts for Class A West Michigan, striking out 119 batters and walking 28 over 139 1/3 innings. He was ranked No. 11 prospect in the Tigers’ system by MLB.com The trade is now complete, with the Cubs receiving Carreno and a cash consideration for Baker. Baker, 31, batted .269 in 54 games with the Cubs before he was dealt to the Tigers, and batted .200 in 15 games with them before he was designated for assignment on Aug. 31, then traded to the Braves. He was 2-for-19 in 14 games with Atlanta.
– Carrie Muskat
8/5 Baker to Tigers
The Cubs continued to deal veteran players, sending utility man Jeff Baker to the Tigers on Sunday for two players to be named. The ability to move Baker helped the Cubs decide to promote top prospect Josh Vitters. Cubs GM Jed Hoyer said they had some talks with the Tigers at the Trade Deadline about Baker, and Detroit claimed the versatile right-handed hitter off waivers. The two teams then worked out a deal.
“I’m happy for Jeff,” Hoyer said. “They wanted him a lot and he gets to go into a pennant race and we get to bring up Josh and give him a chance he’s earned.”
Baker wasn’t surprised at the news. The Cubs now have dealt Paul Maholm, Ryan Dempster, Reed Johnson, Geovany Soto and Baker this week.
“When you see the direction they’re going here now, you knew it was a possibility,” Baker said. “When they made the moves with Maholm, Reed, and Demp, to be honest, I don’t blame them. They’ve got to go young and see what they’ve got and see what they’ve got for the future. I just made up 21 games in the standings, so I’m definitely excited about that.”
– Carrie Muskat
7/20 Cubs consider Dodgers offer
Ryan Dempster is still scheduled to start tonight for the Cubs, who are considering the latest offer from the Dodgers for the right-hander. According to MLB.com’s Ken Gurnick, the Dodgers have made an offer but won’t get into a bidding war because they also need to add offense, preferably a corner infielder, even more than they need Dempster.
The Dodgers farm system also is a little thin in the kind of prospects needed to land All-Star caliber players like Dempster, the Padres’ Chase Headley, or the Phillies’ Shane Victorino. Theo Epstein, Cubs president of baseball operations, has said they’re looking to improve on pitching in the organization. That said, Dempster, 35, would be a pure rental for the Dodgers, which most likely is affecting the negotiations. He is in the last year of his four-year contract with the Cubs, which is paying him $14 million this season. Players must be with a team for an entire season in order to qualify for draft-pick compensation, according to the new CBA.
Dempster has played 10 years in the Major Leagues and five with the Cubs, so he has the right to veto any deal. However, the right-hander was expected to approve of a trade to the Dodgers, where he would be reunited with his friend, Ted Lilly.
Epstein has kept Dempster up to date.
“It’s just kind of like, ‘Hey, there’s teams interested,’ and that’s great,” Dempster said Thursday. “Nothing imminent, not that I know of. I’m sure if they have something, they’ll come to me. But right now, I’m just trying to get ready for [Friday's] game.”
The Tigers and Braves also were believed to be pursuing Dempster as well. FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal reported Friday that talks regarding Dempster could “drag on a few more days.”
This season has been the right-hander’s best, despite two stints on the disabled list, and he currently leads the Major Leagues with a 1.86 ERA. He missed time April 21-May 3 because of a right quad strain, and was sidelined June 18-July 8 because of right lat tightness. His record would be better if he had gotten any run support early in the season. Dempster went 18 starts, dating back to August 2011, without a win until June 5 when he beat the Brewers. He has 10 quality starts out of his 14 this season. Dempster has won his last five starts without giving up a run, and his 33-inning scoreless streak is the longest by a Cubs pitcher since Ken Holtzman’s 33-inning streak in 1969.
The Cubs will have an extra pitcher on hand in St. Louis. Casey Coleman was scratched from his start Thursday for Triple-A Iowa but a team official said that was done in case newly acquired pitcher Justin Germano could not get there in time for Friday’s game. The Cubs acquired Germano from the Red Sox late Thursday for cash considerations.
– Carrie Muskat
7/18 Dempster, Garza rumors
The New York Post reports the Dodgers as the favorite to land Ryan Dempster before the Trade Deadline with the Tigers seen as “strong pursuers” and the Red Sox as long shots. FOX Sports reports the Cubs are exchanging names with teams interested in Dempster. The Red Sox are also interested in Matt Garza.
The Chicago Tribune noted Stephen Fife, who made his ML debut, is a former Red Sox prospect who could be included in a Dempster-to-Dodgers deal. Fife, 25, filled in for injured Chad Billingsley, and gave up one run over six innings Tuesday night. The Dodgers acquired him from the Red Sox last summer in the Trayvon Robinson deal. A sinkerball pitcher, he’d be a good fit at Wrigley. Dempster has a 1.86 ERA, tops in the Majors.
CBSSports.com reported the Royals have inquired about Garza. They have had a scout at this week’s Cubs games. Dempster is in the last year of his $14 million contract, and, essentially a rental player for the final months of this year. Garza is under team control for 2013.
– Carrie Muskat
6/13 Cubs lineup
The Cubs face Rick Porcello Wednesday night in Game 2 of the three-game Interleague series against the Tigers. Here’s the lineup:
Campana CF
Castro SS
DeJesus RF
Soriano LF
LaHair 1B
Clevenger C
Barney 2B
Stewart 3B
Garza P
– Carrie Muskat
1/24 Prince Fielder to Tigers
Prince Fielder has agreed to terms with the Tigers on a nine-year, $214 million deal, which means he’s out of the NL Central. But, he’ll be back at Wrigley Field on June 12-14 for Interleague games against the Cubs. Wrigley is one of his favorite places to hit. In 49 games there, Fielder batted .298 with 11 home runs and 15 doubles.
– Carrie Muskat
1/3 Garza & the Yankees
The Cubs are not going to deal Matt Garza unless they get significant players in return, and the asking price apparently is too high for the Yankees. ESPNNew York’s Wallace Matthews reported Tuesday the Cubs’ asking price is “out of the question” for the Yankees. The Cubs reportedly want at least two and possibly three of the Yankees’ top prospects Jesus Montero, Manny Banuelos and Dellin Betances. The Red Sox, Tigers, Marlins and Blue Jays also have been linked to Garza, but the Blue Jays also have reportedly balked at the Cubs’ requests.
– Carrie Muskat
1/1 New year, more rumors
It’s a new year, which means more rumors regarding the Cubs and teams interested in acquiring Matt Garza. The Tigers are apparently the latest to show interest in the right-hander, and are willing to deal Jacob Turner, according to ESPN.com’s Buster Olney. Turner, 20, made 17 starts at Double-A Erie last season, posting a 3.48 ERA with 7.1 strikeouts per nine innings and 2.5 walks per nine innings. The Cubs are listening to a number of teams but Olney says no deal is imminent. The Marlins, Yankees, Red Sox and Blue Jays also have reportedly been in touch with the Cubs about Garza, but Theo & Co would have to be overwhelmed with a package of top prospects to part with the right-hander.
The Marlins failed in their bid to acquire Gio Gonzalez from the Athletics and reportedly wanted Class A outfielder Christian Yelich in return. Among the other players teams are looking at in the Marlins’ system include third baseman Matt Dominguez, Gaby Sanchez, Chris Coghlan and Jose Ceda. Dominguez, a first-round pick in 2007, batted .258 in 87 games with Triple-A New Orleans with 12 homers and 18 doubles. Sanchez, a right-handed hitting first baseman, batted .266 with 19 homers, 25 doubles, 78 RBIs and a .779 OPS in 159 games with the Marlins last season. Coghlan, an outfielder, was a first-round pick in 2006. The Cubs know Ceda, who was in their system and traded to Florida in November 2008 for Kevin Gregg. Ceda appeared in 17 games last season with the Marlins.
– Carrie Muskat
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