2012 Chicago Cubs Thread

[little bear]

Chicago Cubs sign former Los Angeles Dodgers reliever Mike MacDougal - ESPN Chicago

Cubs sign Mike MacDougal

The Chicago Cubs signed right-handed reliever Mike MacDougal to a minor league deal Tuesday and assigned him to Triple-A Iowa.
The former Kansas City Royals closer was released by the Los Angeles Dodgers May 11 after posting a 7.94 ERA in seven outings (5 2/3 innings).
MacDougal also has pitched for the Chicago White Sox, Washington Nationals and St. Louis Cardinals.
He has a 4.00 ERA in 12 major league seasons and saved a career-best 27 games with the Royals in 2003. He saved 20 games with the Nationals in 2009, and has 71 saves in his career.
The 35-year-old, who went to high school in Mesa, Ariz., site of the Cubs' spring training home, made a career-best 69 appearances with the Dodgers last season, posting a 2.05 ERA.

[vmx12]

Sounds like Kerry Wood is calling it a career.

[The Benjamin]

That he did. Godspeed Woody!

[little bear]

Chicago Cubs look like they're in for a long season after sweep by Chicago White Sox - ESPN Chicago

Cubs' future seems so far away

CHICAGO -- It was another typical 2012 Wrigley Field crowd Sunday and a typical Chicago Cubs effort -- decent but with conspicuous bare patches.
While the Chicago White Sox headed south with some momentum following their three-game sweep in the first of two crosstown series, the Cubs had simply notched their sixth straight loss, their fans left with the same gnawing emptiness they are expected to tolerate for the unforeseeable future.
There are no real surprises here that in late-ish May, the Cubs are scraping the bottom of the National League Central with one of the worst records in baseball. We knew it was going to be this way, didn't we? But after being handled as easily as the White Sox made it look this weekend, you get the feeling that Cubs fans, still showing up in respectable if not sellout numbers, did not necessarily think it would feel quite this bad quite this soon.
You have to hope Anthony Rizzo is prepared to shoulder some mighty big expectations whenever he makes the trip from Des Moines, which could come as soon as the next few weeks.
It isn't fair, of course. As talented as he is, Rizzo should be allowed some ups and downs as he continues in his development. Based on his previous experience, when he hit .141 in his first 128 major league at-bats for the San Diego Padres last summer, there is no guarantee he won't struggle again, even after tearing up Triple-A.
But at least Rizzo should feel at home when he gets here as the Cubs continue to trot out Triple-A lineups like the one that fell 6-0 to the Sox on Sunday, a batting order that starting pitcher Jake Peavy had to look over with spittle on his chin.

Indeed, Peavy, coming off a particularly rough outing Wednesday, zipped through 6 1/3 scoreless innings, allowing just three hits while striking out seven. Sox hitters, meanwhile, excited Sunday morning to walk out of the visitors dugout and see the center-field flags whipping about in an outgoing direction, touched Cubs starting pitcher Paul Maholm for five earned runs on nine hits over the same 6 1/3.
"You know Peavy is going to be tough," said Cubs manager Dale Sveum, "he's one the best pitchers in the league. But with the wind the way it was blowing, you thought [we'd] have some contact … get a solo home run or something."
Instead, it was the Sox with three solo home runs: Gordon Beckham and Adam Dunn going back-to-back in the fourth (after Dayan Viciedo and A.J. Pierzynski did it Saturday night) and Tyler Flowers, starting in place of Pierzynski, going deep in the fifth.
The Cubs loaded the bases twice, once in the fourth and again in the eighth, when Sox reliever Jesse Crain struck out Ian Stewart on a half-swing as Cubs fans headed half-heartedly for the exits.
You had to feel for them. Watching Rizzo should be entertaining and it is clearly time for him to take over first, at which time he'll likely bump Bryan LaHair to right, David DeJesus to center and Tony Campana to the bench.
"He's got to play every day," Sveum said of Rizzo before Sunday's game.
But after the game and after his team failed to score a single run off Sox starters in three games, Sveum said he plans to shake things up at the top three spots in the lineup. "Just to change something," he said.
The upcoming draft will be big for Epstein & Co. And as much as Cubs fans would like to see LaHair and Rizzo together in the lineup, you have to think LaHair's rising value makes him a reasonable candidate to be traded.
Beyond that?
Brett Jackson hovering in the .230s in Iowa makes you think he needs more time and shouldn't be rushed. But though Cubs management doesn't appear to care much about appeasing fans right now, they also must remember they are a major-market team charging major-market prices, and asking fans to trust them through a rebuilding process is a two-way street.
"We're at about a week stretch of no wins and obviously getting swept by the White Sox at home is about as low as you're going to get through a seven-day stretch," Sveum said. "You hope the fans understand and stay patient the rest of the year."
The rest of the year?
Ugh.

That 2013 Draft Pick is going to be good. D'oh!

[little bear]

http://espn.go.com/chicago/mlb/story...pick-mlb-draft

Cubs pick Albert Almora in 1st round

CHICAGO -- Despite the need for a quick influx of talent, the Chicago Cubs went with high-school outfielder Albert Almora with their first-round selection in Monday's draft.
In the compensation round, the Cubs began their focus on pitching. They selected right-hander Pierce Johnson out of Missouri State (43rd overall) and grabbed right-hander Paul Blackburn out of Heritage High School in California (56th overall). The 43rd selection was compensation for losing Aramis Ramirez and the 56th pick was for losing Carlos Pena.
Almora, from Mater Academy in Hialeah Gardens, Fla., batted .603 with 13 doubles, five triples, six home runs, 34 RBIs and 24 steals. He also had a 1.164 slugging percentage and a .667 on-base percentage in 25 games.
His experience and success while playing for Team USA Baseball convinced the Cubs that he will proceed smoothly in his development without the need to repeat minor-league levels.

"If you look at the total package of Albert, he has the ability to no doubt play in the major leagues, but it's also the makeup and work ethic, how he carries himself and the leadership he's shown," said Jason McLeod, vice president of scouting and player development. "It's what we're looking to do here with the Cubs -- to bring in somebody that will be an impact player and to impact those around him."
The No. 6 overall selection, Almora becomes the first draft pick in the Cubs' Theo Epstein era. Epstein, who became the club's president of baseball operations this winter, has targeted the draft as an important piece of the organization's rebuilding process.
McLeod is aware that Almora and the club's new management of Epstein, McLeod and general manager Jed Hoyer will be forever linked.
"It goes back to the evaluation of him as a player on the ability, but even more on the makeup side," McLeod said. "He's driven to succeed and be the best. We feel that in this market there is something to the whole 'Theo Epstein first draft' and our first draft. But that will subside quickly and it will be about him and what he does for this franchise moving forward. We feel he will handle it well because of who he is and what it means to him to be great."
The right-handed thrower and hitter has committed to attend the University of Miami.
The draft continues Tuesday with Rounds 2-15 and concludes Wednesday with Rounds 16-40.

[soulman]

So what's up with MLB's equivalent of the Indianapolis Colts. Is Theo doing anything at all to improve the team or are they just gonna flounder all year long?

[The Benjamin]

glad you asked Soul....

Now that the draft is over, expect the Cubs to trade some of their more attractable players like Dempster and Garza.

Plus, they just won the bidding rights for Jorge Soler who is supposed to be the next big thing out of Cuba. He is just 20 years old.

[Henry Burris]

I wanted Billy Beane over theo from the getgo. Why would you NOT hire someone who usually has competitive ballclubs with a significantly smaller payroll than someone who can just outbuy the other guys? On that note, i dgaf about the 20 cuban, just as sox fans dgaf about dice k....

[Blue Horse-shoe]

glad you asked Soul....

Now that the draft is over, expect the Cubs to trade some of their more attractable players like Dempster and Garza.

Plus, they just won the bidding rights for Jorge Soler who is supposed to be the next big thing out of Cuba. He is just 20 years old.

The trades are gonna be important so the scouts better be on their game. If they aren't at least competetive by 2015 then the patience will start to run out, but it's gonna take at least that long to get rid of some of the dead weight on this team ( players like Soriano etc ) before they'll have it sorted out enough to get some of the better FA's and their talent in the minors ( and on the team ) is truly up to speed.

[da beers]

Man was really happy with the Cubs today.