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.

@ChicagoCubsBlog

Cubs Blog

Aramis Ramirez Signs With the Brewers

I don’t mind spending the extra 15%-20% to get tickets early. A lot of times it’s your only chance at getting some tickets in certain sections of the stadium so I feel the mark up is ok to pay. I came away with the Yankees and White Sox tickets that I wanted pretty easily through the virtual waiting room. It took me exactly seven minutes to get selected and once I was in, I could continue placing orders one after another.

So how did everyone else do? Get the tickets you want? Waiting until the on-sale on Friday and hope you get lucky? If you  happen to strike out, head on over to Ticket City and get the tickets that you need. They are a sponsor of the blog, and we do enjoy working with them.

Cubs Blog

Cubs Tickets Going Fast

At the beginning of the offseason,  Hendry set forth three goals: sign a left-handed hitting first baseman, a right-handed reliever and acquire a front line starting pitcher. MLB analysts, Cubs fans and sports betting enthusiasts have seen them pick up Carlos Pena, Kerry Wood and Matt Garza, so Hendry does get three check marks on his to-do list.But there’s still a lot of skepticism regarding the Cubs and whether that’s enough help for a team that finished with just 75 wins and 16 games out of first place in the National League Central.

For starters, Pena needs to have a strong rebound season. He was the 2009 American League home run champ as he cranked 39. Last season, he had just 28 and that’s with more games played and more at-bats than 2009. The bigger concern might be his batting average, which was .196 last season and just .227 in 2009.

Beyond that, the Cubs are still looking for a traditional lead off hitter and they need to stay healthy, which was a problem for them in 2009. Aramis Ramirez, Alfonso Soriano and Tyler Colvin all must return to form. The Cubs did finish 24-13 down the stretch of the season but looking up and down their roster, they simply don’t look like they are good enough. They have been lapped by the Cincinnati Reds in the Central and the St. Louis Cardinals are always steady. The Milwaukee Brewers acquired an ace in Zack Greinke, which trumps anything the Cubs have done this off season. They accomplished their goals but overall, the Cubs are still considered to be a few bricks short of load.

Cubs Blog

Hendry Accomplished Goals, But Are Cubs Good Enough?

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”

Cubs Blog

Ted Lilly and Ryan Theriot traded to the Dodgers

So where did things go wrong in the first half? It was the terrible hitting by Derrek Lee and Aramis Ramirez. Both of these “veteran” players should be able to work out of a slump and not have it take three months. I know that players go through slumps during the season, but they don’t last an entire half of a season. Sure Aramis has been battling an injury but that doesn’t mean he can’t at least make contact on the ball. Lee, I don’t know what is going on but swing the bat with some authority and hustle down the line just a little bit more. Both of you guys can learn something by watching the way Marlon Byrd plays the game!

As the Cubs are on the outside looking in, there is a lot of talk about who is going to be traded. It’s hard to tell right now due to the fact that the Cubs have signed some of these “veteran” players to pretty lucrative contracts. What team wants to eat the contracts of Carlos Zambrano, Derrek Lee and Kosuke Fukudome etc. Any deal involving those three players will have the Cubs not getting much in return and also eating a lot of that money in the contract. Don’t expect to see Alfonso Soriano mentioned in any trades as he is due way to much money for 97% of the teams to take on.

So who could the Cubs look at trading? My thoughts are Xavier Nady (needs regular playing time), Marlon Byrd (nice contract and I don’t want to see him go), Ryan Theriot (nice knowing ya), and Ted Lilly. I full expect Lilly to get moved as a team in contention would love to add a left-hander of his pitching caliber. I wouldn’t mind seeing Theriot move on and the same for Nady.

My hopes for the second half of the season is that the team just relaxes and has some fun. Oh yeah, and HIT THE BALL. Right now I can’t stand watching a full game the way the offense has been going. Who knows though, a quick five game winning streak to start the second half just might get the fans back into it and more people inside of Wrigley Field. You win seven out of ten games and you just never know what might come of this “lackluster” team we call the 2010 Chicago Cubs…

Cubs Blog

Cubs hope to have a better second half

Manager: Lou Piniella needs to go. 2007 and 08 were fun years but Lou’s constant awful lineup and in-game decisions are a recipe for disaster when combined with this already struggling team. Whether or not this mess is Lou’s fault, sometimes you just need to fire the manager, and this is one of those times.

C: Geovany Soto is the franchise catcher – and he needs to be treated as such. After an awful sophomore season following his 2008 ROY campaign, Soto’s .264/8 HR/18 RBI season has been more than a satisfactory rebound, yet Piniella continues to almost platoon backup Koyie Hill, who hasn’t had a good stretch with the bat since early 2008, and whose supposed “superior defense” hasn’t been there either.

1B: Derrek Lee has openly made it known that he’d prefer to stay in Chicago, but it may be time for the Cubs to explore other options. Not only have Lee’s power numbers dipped this season (a trend we’ve seen in the past), but his average is down and that has to be a big time warning flag. I’d be for moving Alfonso Soriano to 1B eventually, but now may be too soon, and with little organizational depth at the position (Micah Hoffpauir), hopefully the Cubs will explore the market.

2B: Ryan Theriot has little to no value as far as I’m concerned. He’s virtually a singles hitter with no power, no patience, and bad baserunning abilities. That little power surge in 2008 upped his worth a bit, but he hasn’t gone deep since June of last year. Oh, and his range in the field is awful too. Mike Fontenot and Jeff Baker should be platooning right now, and probably should in 2011.

SS: Starlin Castro. It amazes me how Lou can trot out Koyie Hill every other day and not give the rookie ONE day off from his call-up in mid-May until June 24th. Hopefully Starlin can shore up his glove and develop a little more power and he should be the Cubs shortstop for years to come.

3B: I’m not going to lie, Aramis Ramirez is my favorite Cub. I wish there was some explanation to his struggles here in 2010. Even after that hideous shoulder injury last year, he hit very well in the last bit of 2009. This year has been a disaster for Rammy, but I hope he sticks around – I think he’s got a lot left in him. Down on the farm, top 3B prospect Josh Vitters is nowhere near ready.

LF: Alfonso Soriano is having a fairly solid season much to my surprise and delight. It’s a shame that it will not mean anything in the end. LF is set.

CF: Marlon Byrd has been Hendry’s best signing since Mark DeRosa. He’s everything Milton Bradley isn’t for the most part. I hope Marlon gets to partake in a winning team with the Cubs next year.

RF: Kosuke Fukudome has done it for 3 seasons now: have a blazing hot April and tail off slowly as the season goes on. Combine this with the emergence of Tyler Colvin and you’ve got trade bait. Kosuke should be the #1 guy (just ahead of Theriot) that the Cubs should be looking to unload at the upcoming deadline. Platoon Colvin and Nady the rest of the way and by 2011 I think we see Mr. Colvin as the starting right fielder for this team.

SP:

Zambrano: After yesterday’s tirade, Big Z has to go. Unfortunately, there probably won’t be many takers for him. If he HAS to stay, suspend him until he learns, and just leave him in the rotation and let everything sort itself out – guy’s got talent. He just doesn’t know how to use it.

Dempster: If you as me, Demp is the team’s true #1. He’s been so consistent since the Cubs moved him into the rotation and most importantly he takes the team deep into games.

Lilly: With Ted’s contract coming to an end, I hope he’s shopped around at the deadline. He’ll give you a chance to win 9 times out of 10, and that will help a contender in the stretch run. Thanks for the memories, Ted.

Silva: Talk about a trade that worked out. Carlos Silva for Milton Bradley is looking like the infamous Lou Brock swap so far this year. Silva’s been the ace – so keep him around until he proves otherwise.

Wells: I guess the league has figured out Randy Wells. Lou’s “he knows how to pitch” just doesn’t fly anymore as Randy’s been lit up like a Christmas tree in 2010. Luckily he’s still young and has been successfully in the past, so he’ll probably be here for 2011 – I’d try him in the pen sooner rather than later.

Gorzelanny: Much like the once wronged Sean Marshall, Gorz deserves a spot in the rotation that he’s just not getting right now. There’s been talk of dealing him this season, but I think he’s a guy that the Cubs could really use in next season’s rotation. He should be in it right now, for Z or Wells.

Bullpen:

Carlos Marmol is the man, Sean Marshall’s solid, Bob Howry shouldn’t have been signed, John Grabow was overpaid, Andrew Casher shouldn’t have been brought up.

Sorry to anyone I forgot. The pen’s not as bad as it’s been in the past, and we’ll probably see a lot of young guys like Jeff Stevens and James Russell in the near future. Hopefully Casher gets some starts.

So there you have it, things need to change on the north side. 2008 was this core’s “shot” and the shot was well wide as it’s been for the past 102 years. So fire Lou, trade Fukudome, Theriot, and Lillly, let DLee walk, and see if can avoid year #103, please?

Cubs Blog

2008 was two years ago? Time for a total rehaul.

This team might as well put a fork in the 2010 season in my opinion. There are rumors that Aramis Ramirez is breaking up the clubhouse and not even wanting to suit up as he sits on the disabled list. (A move that should have happened a month ago). You have the pitchers wondering when in the hell the offense is going to start hitting the ball instead of a bunch of single A players. Sorry pitchers, but these bats are cold and they are going to remain cold. Enjoy trying to win games when you only have one or two runs on the scoreboard.

Before to long, you are going to have players wondering if they are going to get traded as the team slides down in the standings. Yes I’m talking about Derrek Lee (please waive that no-trade clause), Kosuke Fukudome, Tom Gorzelanny and Ryan Theriot. This could be the year that the Cubs and new management change the team and start building for the future once again. Because 2010 is not the Cubs year.

How much blame can you put on Lou Piniella? If you ask me a lot. If it is true that Aramis Ramirez and some of the other Latin players are in one group int he locker room and all the other guys in another group you have lose your clubhouse. If the club house is not one team, then you can not expect to win games. That all falls back on the manger and I have a feeling that Lou is just playing through the season before he leaves the city and says “Keep on Waiting Cubs Fans”.

So Cubs fans, is the season over before the All-Star break? I’ve already gave in for the most part. Who’s with me?

Cubs Blog

The Chicago Cubs are Laughable Losers

Hell, the Cubs can’t even beat the Pittsburgh Pirates on the road. Zero hitting, bad bullpen at times, and some questionable managerial moves by Piniella have everyone thinking if the Cubs can actually turn things around or if there will be a fire sale with the likes of Derrek Lee or Xavier Nady being traded.

There were reports coming out of LA that the Angels might be looking at Lee or Nady to fill in at first base have Morales went down with his broken leg. Lee does have a no trade clause and I’m not sure if he would accept a trade to LA but then again a change of scenery just might help him at the plate.

So what has happened with the Cubs offense? Aramis Ramirez is down right TERRIBLE. The guy should have been put on the disabled list and played some rehab games down in Triple-A. Of course A-Ram would never do that because he thinks he can discover his swing with 10 at bats in spring training. Yeah that sure helped ya Aramis!

You aren’t going to win very many ball games when you only score one or two runs like the Cubs are currently doing. They need Ramirez, Ryan Theriot, Geovony Soto, and Lee to step up and get their swings back. Work with the hitting coach some, I don’t care how well you know your swing, it’s been two months and you are still not hitting the damn ball!

So I predict that Lou erupts down in Houston this weekend as the team continues to struggle and only win one out of three games against the Astros and fall further behind in the Central division. This just isn’t the cubs year I’m afraid.

Cubs Blog

Are the Cubs really this bad?

Struggling Aramis Ramirez was out of the Cubs’ lineup for the third time in four games because of a sore left thumb. Jeff Baker started in his place. Ramirez needs to stay out of the lineup until he is 100% healthy and can actually swing a bat and make some contact. Some extra time in the batting cage wouldn’t hurt either.

The Cubs are now 22-24 and 12-10 at home. They were able to pick up a game in the standings and are now four games out of first place. The Reds and Cardinals lead the division right now with 26-20 records. Being four games out at this point isn’t too bad considering how poorly the offense has hit the ball. With warmer weather coming, look for the bats to heat up and the Cubs to move up in the standings and really challenge the Cardinals and Reds. The first chance will be a weekend series with the Cardinals in Chicago.

Can the Cubs get it done and start battling for first place? If the bats come around, I don’t see why not.

Cubs Blog

Dempster finally gets a win as Cubs beat the Dodgers

Who would have thought Carlos Silva would be 5-0 to start the season? Definitely not me as I wasn’t even counting on Silva being a contributor to this team after coming over from the Mariners. I will give Silva credit though as he does have a 3.35 ERA go go along with that 5-0 record.

Tyler Colvin needs to get more playing time. I don’t care if it is in left field or in right field this kid can hit the ball and needs to be in the lineup.

Starlin Castro had some growing pains the first week in the big leagues especially on defense but since then those quick five errors the kid as really settled down and is playing great. Castro currently leads the team with a .350 batting average (only 40 at bats) and has five walks compared to three strikeouts. The kid simply puts the ball in play and makes something happen.

Carlos Zambrano is headed back into the rotation. Big Z pitched the ninth inning on Tuesday night against the Rockies but look for him to be back in the rotation as soon as he can get his arm stretched out and prepared to be a starter once again. The setup man role did not fit Zambrano well but I give him credit for going to the pen and giving it a try.

Aramis Ramirez still isn’t hitting the ball on a constant basis.

The Cubs remain 5.5 games out of first place heading into the Wednesday night game in Philadelphia. They do have a huge upcoming series against the Cardinals at home and that series could be the make or break point in the first half in my opinion. Win that series and pick up a few games on the Cardinals and the Cubs will be right there in the thick of things.

Follow us over on Twitter @chicagocubsblog where we tweet during games and through out the day!

Cubs Blog

Cubs News and Notes May 18th

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.

@chicagocubsblog on Twitter

Cubs Blog

Cubs make the call to Starlin Castro

What is it with this team? They will play three or four games and just hit the ball like crazy. (See Alfonso Soriano) and then they will play a couple of down right terrible games and not even make contact. Is it the early season games? Shouldn’t everyone be locked in and seeing the ball well? I don’t know but this next week of games could tell us a lot about this team.

The guys will head to Pittsburgh starting Tuesday night and then will take on the Reds in a weekend series. All six of those games should be wins for the club. Look for the team to get off on the right foot against the Pirates as Ryan Dempster will take the mound. I expect Dempster to have a quality outing and hopefully the offense stays hot and smacks around the Pirates pitching staff.

One guy that still needs to start hitting the ball is Aramis Ramirez. A-Ram is currently batting just 1.55 and will have two full days off before the game on Tuesday night. I don’t care what people say, Aramis needed more at bats during Spring Training. If you are going to the plate trying to hit 4-run home runs with no one on base your head isn’t in the game and you should probably just be on the bench.

The Cubs need to go on a nice run this week and move within a few games of the Cardinals. They can’t get down by 7-8 games as it will be hard to battle back against the Red Birds who look to be very strong this year.

It all starts Tuesday night with Dempster on the mound…

Check us out on Twitter @chicagocubsblog

Cubs Blog

Cubs offense heats up and goes 7-3 in last ten games

“I talked to Carlos [Zambrano] today and told him we really needed him in the bullpen, and that we felt he could do a nice job for us,” Piniella said. “He said he’d do what’s best for the team. I’m very appreciative. He talked about maturing [this year]. This proves it to me.”

“Lou called me into the office today and asked me if I wanted to go to the bullpen and help this team in the seventh and eighth innings,” Zambrano said. “I said, ‘Whatever you want me to do, I’m here for this team and I’m here to help this team. If you want me to go to the bullpen, I’ll go. If you want to keep me in the rotation, I will.’”

They say the move is temporary but who knows how long that means. It could be for a few games or it could be for six weeks. It all depends on how well Z can throw the ball as the setup man and if the starters can continue to throw the ball good and go deep in games. Carlos Silva did just that Wednesday night and the Cubs offense came out of no where to beat the Mets 9-3.

So right now the Cubs has a setup man that has not pitched in the bullpen since 2002 and is also earning $18 million dollars this year. I just hope this move doesn’t mess with Zambrano’s head any more. Can this guy stay calm and enter the game with a couple of runners on base and one or two outs and get out of the jam? For some reason I don’t know if he can get his control issues under control that quick. It could turn out ugly…

Cubs Blog

Zambrano headed to the bullpen

After the game Lou said that he would once again tinker with the line up and try to get a little spark in the offense. One guy that needs to start swinging the bat better is Aramis Ramirez. If you remember back in spring training, Ramirez said he only needed ten at bats to get ready for the season and it wasn’t a big deal with him missing time due to the sore arm. Well it looks like A-Ram could have used some more at bats down in Arizona as he is swinging the bat like a girl right now.

Alfonso Soriano is another guy that needs to get on base more often. Only expect Soriano to play seven innings during close games and Lou has been pulling him late in games and inserting Tyler Colvin in for defensive purposes. I find it funny that now Soriano says he will stop the hop before catching a ball. Hmm, why did you even start that Sori?

Now the Cubs will go on a week long road trip with stops in New York City and Milwaukee. These are all in win-able games for the Cubs so hopefully we can see a 5-2 road trip or similar.

Cubs Blog

Astros spoil the Cubs homestand

Carlos Zambrano once again struggled as he lasted just five innings. Big Z did strike out seven Brewers but also gave up three walks and allowed four runs to score. The wind was a factor in the game as it was blowing out at 18 MPH but Zambrano knows that he needs to keep the ball down and he simply did not get the job done.

The bullpen wasn’t any better as Sean Marshall, Jeff Samardzija and John Grabrow all gave up runs in relief. I don’t think Samardzija will be getting very many more opportunities in close games as Lou has to be running out of patience with the right hander.

The one nice thing in the game and series was how well the Cubs hit the ball. The warm weather helped get the bats going which is something Cubs fans are not used to seeing in April during home games. Derrek Lee, Aramis Ramirez and Marlon Byrd all hit home runs but despite the three dingers, it was still not enough to get the victory.

All in all, I’m happy with the first series at home. You take two out of three every series and you will be right where you want to be at the end of the season. The teams record now sits at 4-5 on the year as they start up a weekend series with the Astros who finally picked up their first win of the season against the Cardinals.

Catch us on twitter @chicagocubsblog

Cubs Blog

Cubs unable to complete the sweep over the Brew Crew