Cubs fans will still be seeing quite a bit of Aramis Ramirez as he will be signed a three year deal with the Milwaukee Brewers pending he passes a physical. It will be weird seeing A-Ram in a Brewers uniform and I have to wonder how Cubs fans will react the first time he is announced as a Brewer at Wrigley Field. I hope he gets a standing ovation for his first at bat and after that it’s time to see him strike out

Ramirez played the last eight-plus seasons with the Cubs. He hit .306 with 26 home runs and 93 RBIs and won the Silver Slugger award as the top offensive third baseman in 2011.

Wouldn’t it be interesting if Prince Fielder chooses to come to Northside? It would be a Ramirez for Fielder trade. Except for the many millions more Fielder would cost the club.

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The trade deadline has come and gone and even though the Cubs are attempting to dump contracts and rebuild the team, only two guys were traded before the deadline. Ted Lilly and Ryan Theriot were both shipped to the Los Angeles Dodgers for Blake DeWitt and two minor league pitchers.

I like that both players will be on a team that is in contention no doubt. I’m not mad that either player is gone, but something just feels weird about the move. Lilly I can see being moved even though I would have loved to possibly get a “sandwhich” pick out of him in next year draft. Theriot, well he can go wherever and take his average arm and terrible range with him. I will say that Theriot gave it his all when he had the Cub uniform on but on most teams he is not a everyday starting infielder. Utility man at best.

The main guy coming over to the Cubs should be the everyday starter at second base. Blake DeWitt’s OPS this year is almost 100 points higher than Theriot’s and he is also two years younger than Ryan. He won’t hit for power but also shouldn’t get picked off every week like Theriot seemed to do.

The next two months you are going to see a lot of younger players on the major league roster. General manager Jim Hendry has been quoted as saying “Cubs will have a “wave” of players come up soon from Iowa and then again in September.” That means plenty of veteran players will be put on the waver wire and more than likely a few will get picked up.

Pack your bags Xavier Nady because you are about to get shipped out. Maybe they are already packed and ready to go. Especially the way the team played in Denver just now as they were just swept by the Rockies. I hope you packed longer than for this current road trip!

Let’s all take the last few months and see how these younger players do. It won’t be your normal Cubs team but give the kids a chance because they could be on the big league roster next year without question. The season sure hasn’t went the way we all thought it would but then again, “There is always next year”

Starlin Castro has received that call that every minor league ball player hopes for letting them know that they have been called up to the Major Leagues. The question I have to ask is this; Are the Cubs rushing Castro to the big leagues due to the slumps they have been going through? My answer is yes, they are in a win now mentality and will do pretty much anything to get back into contention.

Chad Tracy was optioned to Triple-A Iowa to make room for Starlin on the big league roster.

Castro has been lighting it up at the double-a level where has hit .376 with one home run and 20 RBI. Look for Ryan Theriot to move over to the 2nd base positon while Mike Fontenot and Jeff Baker will keep the bench warm.

Many of us Cubs fans expected Castro to get the call this year but this is a lot earlier than most of us though. I just hope he isn’t being rushed by the management just like they did with Felix Pie and Corey Patterson. Those couldn’t miss prospects didn’t turn out good for the Cubs. Let’s all hope Castro doesn’t fall into that mold.

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Milton Bradley’s time in Chicago if officialy over as he was traded to the Seattle Mariners for pitcher Carlos Silva. Silva has a terrible contract just like Bradley, but hopefully the change of scenery for both players will be good. However, I don’t like this trade one bit.

Trading Bradley for Silva is not a win for the Cubs. Your team is worse off then it was in my opinion. You open up another position in the outfield and lose some of that pop especially from the left hand side of the plate. I agree that Bradley should have been traded, but not for Silva.

“We knew we had to move the player,” Hendry said Friday of Bradley. “In hindsight, obviously, it was an acquisition that I’m responsible for that obviously didn’t work out.”

Gee you really think so Jim? Maybe you should have worked a little harder at the Winter Meetings and got a decent deal done then. Silva has won five games in two seasons in Seattle. Wow what a winner we got coming to the Northside!

The best thing from this trade is probably the $9 million dollars that the Mariners are sending along with Silva. This will allow the Cubs to go after a centerfielder and move Kosuke Fukudome back to right field. I’d like to see the Cubs go after Jacoby Ellsbury who doesn’t have a position with the Red Sox now. Will it happen? I doubt it…