uh, i dont think he makes the 40-man. i bet chicago tries to get him through waivers like Tex and Bos did.

Cubs avoided arbitration with Koyie Hill and have signed Reed Johnson to a minor league deal.

http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2011/01/cubs-sign-reed-johnson.html?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter#

Reed Johnson. Solid guy coming off the bench.

Note of the day:

In 2010, Kosuke made 14 million dollars on the Cubs. Albert Pujols made 14.5 on the Cardinals.

Marlon Byrd made 3 million.
Tyler Colvin made 400k and put up the exact same numbers.

That is all.

Asian baseball players do not translate well into MLB. There has been ONE exception.

i read a headline that Soriano signed iwth the Yanks and then read the article, Rafael.

I knew he wasn't a FA, but just hoped i was wrong.

If it makes you feel any better, I clicked on that link too after scratching my head.

Gorzelanny has been traded to the Nationals for 3 minor leaguers. 2 pitchers and 1 outfielder. Haven't seen any names yet.

Whyyyyyyy

Two words: Jim Hendry

i'd rather give Cashner, Coleman, and those other guys a shot in place of an average Gorzelanny season

Not really thrilled with an all righty rotation.

For whatever reason Gorz was never given a shot. I thought he always looked pretty solid and would be a great option as the 4/5 closing out the rotation. But what do I know. Championships are won in AA apparently.

Good bull from Big Z. Adopting an 18 month old Guatemalan from an orphanage down there. Z really sounds like a solid guy when you set aside his dugout tirades.
http://chicago.cubs.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20110119&content_id=16459048&vkey=news_chc&c_id=chc

That is good bull. He'd better watch out. Some parts of Guatemala are pretty dangerous.

You ever see Zambrano go ape chit? Guatemala better watch out!

I just noticed Lou is laughing in the background

Santo will be honored with a statue at Wrigley on Aug 10 joining Ernie Banks, Billy Williams and Harry Caray. The team will also be wearing a 10 patch for the 2011 season.

any surprise the ceremony is on a weekday afternoon game against the Nationals?

in other news... Todd Wellemeyer to the rescue.

quote:

---

CHICAGO – The Chicago Cubs have invited 21 non-roster players to major league spring training, which begins Sunday, February 13 when pitchers and catchers are invited to report in Mesa, Ariz. Their first workout will take place on Monday, February 14. Position players report to camp Friday, February 18 with the team’s first full workout Saturday, February 19.

Today, the Cubs announced they have agreed to terms with right-handed pitcher Braden Looper and infielder Augie Ojeda on minor league contracts with invites to major league spring training.

Seven pitchers – righthanders Chris Carpenter, Angel Guzman, Jay Jackson, Braden Looper, Trey McNutt and Todd Wellemeyer and lefthander Scott Rice – have been invited to major league camp, as well as catchers Steve Clevenger and Chris Robinson.

Seven infielders – Matt Camp, Bryan LaHair, Scott Moore, Augie Ojeda, Bobby Scales, Marquez Smith and Josh Vitters – have also been invited, along with five outfielders – Jim Adduci, Brett Jackson, Reed Johnson, Luis Montanez and Brad Snyder.

Jim Adduci, 25, returns to major league spring training for his second year in a row. Last season, the left-handed batter and thrower hit .248 (91-for-367) with nine doubles, one triple, three home runs, 33 RBI and 23 stolen bases in 114 games at Triple-A Iowa. Adduci enters his fifth season in the Cubs organization after being acquired by the Cubs following the 2006 minor league season to complete the Todd Wellemeyer trade.

Matt Camp, 26, batted .264 (115-for-436) with 16 doubles, two triples, two home runs, 40 RBI and 13 stolen bases in 130 games for Triple-A Iowa in 2010. It was his second season at Triple-A, as he batted .282 (98-for-348) with 13 doubles, one triple, two homers and 44 RBI in 99 contests in 2009. The 2011 season is the left-handed hitter’s sixth season in the Cubs organization after being selected by Chicago in the 13th round of 2006 Draft.

Chris Carpenter, 25, combined to go 8-6 with a 3.41 ERA (51 ER/134.2 IP) in 26 starts between Double-A Tennessee and Triple-A Iowa last season. Carpenter pitched exclusively as a reliever during the Arizona Fall League, where he was named an AFL Rising Star. The 6-foot-4, 220-pound Carpenter was originally selected by the Cubs in the third round of the 2008 Draft.

Steve Clevenger, 24, batted .317 (86-for-271) in 88 games for Double-A Tennessee last season, recording 24 doubles, five home runs and 47 RBI. The left-handed batter has hit .286 or better in each of his first five pro campaigns since he was selected by the Cubs in the seventh round of the 2006 Draft.

Angel Guzman, 29, returns for his 12th year in the Cubs organization after missing the 2010 campaign following season-ending arthroscopic right shoulder surgery last spring training. He is 3-10 with a 4.82 ERA (84 ER/157.0 IP) in 88 major league appearances (14 starts) covering parts of four campaigns with the Cubs (2006-09). Guzman went 3-3 with a 2.95 ERA (20 ER/61.0 IP) in 55 relief outings with the Cubs in 2009.

Brett Jackson, 22, compiled a .297 batting average (146-for-491) with 32 doubles, 14 triples, 12 homers, 66 RBI and 30 stolen bases in 128 games between Single-A Daytona and Double-A Tennessee in 2010. This season marks his second as a non-roster invitee to big league spring training. Jackson was originally selected by the Cubs in the first round (31st overall) of the 2009 First-Year Player Draft out of the University of California Berkeley.

Jay Jackson, 23, went 11-8 with a 4.63 ERA (81 ER/157.1 IP) in 32 appearances (25 starts) with Triple-A Iowa last season, his third in the Cubs organization. This season marks his first invitation to Cubs major league spring training. The 6-foot-1, 195-pound Jackson was originally selected by the Cubs in the ninth round of the 2008 Draft.

Reed Johnson, 34, returns to the Cubs organization after spending the 2010 campaign with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Johnson played two seasons with the Cubs from 2008-09, combining to bat .287 (143-for-498) with 31 doubles, 10 home runs, 72 RBI, 75 runs scored and a .348 on-base percentage in 174 games with Chicago. Last season, Johnson batted .262 (53-for-202) with 11 doubles, two home runs and 15 RBI in 102 games with the Dodgers. Johnson is a career .281 hitter (781-for-2,783) with 156 doubles, 18 triples, 54 home runs and 321 RBI in 886 major league games with Toronto (2003-07), the Cubs (2008-09) and the Dodgers (2010).

Bryan LaHair, 28, last season spent his first year in the Cubs system after previously spending his entire career in Seattle’s organization. LaHair batted .308 (130-for-422) with 30 doubles, 25 home runs and 81 RBI in 125 games for Triple-A Iowa last year. He made his big league debut in 2008, and the left-handed hitter is 34-for-136 (.250) with four doubles, three home runs and 10 RBI in 45 major league games.

Braden Looper, 36, is 72-65 with 103 saves and a 4.15 ERA (542 ER/1,176.0 IP) in all or part of 12 major league seasons with St. Louis (1998, 2006-08), Florida (1999-2003), the New York Mets (2004-05) and Milwaukee (2009), making 670 appearances, 97 as a starter. The 6-foot-3, 234-pounder last pitched in the big leagues in 2009, going 14-7 with a 5.22 ERA (113 ER/194.2 IP) in 34 starts. Looper saved 28 or more games in three-straight seasons from 2003-05 and won 12 or more games in 30 or more starts in three-straight seasons from 2007-09. He did not pitch in 2010 (non-injury related).

Trey McNutt, 21, combined to go 10-1 with a 2.48 ERA (32 ER/116.1 IP) in 25 starts between Single-A Peoria, Single-A Daytona and Double-A Tennessee last season, his first full year of professional baseball. He spent most of the season at Peoria, where he earned Midwest League All-Star honors after going 6-0 with a 1.51 ERA (10 ER/59.2 IP) in 13 starts. The 6-foot-4, 220-pounder was selected by the Cubs in the 32nd round of the 2009 Draft.

Luis Montanez, 29, returns to the Cubs organization after being originally selected by the club in the first round (third overall) of the 2000 Draft. The right-handed batter and thrower remained in the Cubs chain through the 2006 campaign before joining the Orioles organization as a minor league free agent, where he has split the last three seasons between the majors and the minors. In 2010, Montanez batted .289 (28-for-97) in 24 games with Triple-A Norfolk and hit .140 (8-for-57) in 26 games with Baltimore.

Scott Moore, 27, returns to the Cubs organization after spending three years in the system from 2005-07. The left-handed batter and right-handed thrower split the 2010 season between the Baltimore Orioles and their Triple-A Norfolk affiliate. Moore batted .209 (18-for-86) with three home runs and 10 RBI in 41 major league games and hit .280 (63-for-225) with 11 home runs and 45 RBI in 61 Triple-A games last season.

Augie Ojeda, 36, is a career .234 hitter (249-for-1,062) with 44 doubles, nine triples, seven home runs and 81 RBI in 502 major league games with the Cubs (2000-03), Minnesota Twins (2004) and Arizona Diamondbacks (2007-10). In his major league career, Ojeda has seen action at second base (169 games), third base (120 games) and shortstop (163 games). The switch-hitter batted .190 (15-for-79) in 59 games with Arizona last season.

Scott Rice, 29, combined to go 2-1 with seven saves and a 2.86 ERA (22 ER/69.1 IP) in 58 relief outings last year between Colorado’s Double-A Tulsa and Triple-A Colorado Springs affiliates. The 6-foot-6, 220-pound southpaw is 28-45 with a 3.97 ERA (290 ER/657.0 IP) in 361 career minor league outings, 54 starts, covering 12 pro seasons.

Chris Robinson, 26, batted .248 (57-for-230) with 10 doubles, one triple, two homers and 26 RBI in 67 games for Triple-A Iowa last season. The 2011 campaign marks his fifth full season in the Cubs organization since being acquired from the Detroit Tigers August 20, 2006 for infielder Neifi Perez. Robinson attended the University of Illinois and played for Team Canada in the inaugural World Baseball Classic in 2006.

Bobby Scales, 33, split the 2010 campaign between the Cubs and Triple-A Iowa, batting .308 (4-for-13) in 10 games with the Cubs and hitting .268 (100-for-373) with 33 doubles, three triples and 10 home runs in 119 games at Triple-A. Scales made his major league debut with Chicago in 2009 following 11 seasons and more than 1,000 career minor league contests. A switch-hitter and right-handed fielder, he begins his 13th pro season after he was originally selected by San Diego in the 14th round of the 1999 Draft.

Marquez Smith, 25, enters his fifth season in the Cubs organization after being selected in the eighth round of the 2007 Draft. The right-handed batter and thrower reached Triple-A last season for the first time and batted .314 (95-for-303) with 26 doubles, one triple, 17 home runs, 53 RBI and 60 runs scored in 91 games with Iowa.

Brad Snyder, 28, made his major league debut last season with the Cubs after spending most of the year with Triple-A Iowa. With Iowa, Snyder batted .308 (147-for-477) with 37 doubles, six triples, 25 homers and 106 RBI in 132 games in his second season in the Cubs organization. He batted .185 (5-for-27) in 12 major league games. The left-handed hitter and fielder began his career with Cleveland after he was selected in the first round (18th overall) of the 2003 Draft out of Ball State University.

Josh Vitters, 21, begins his fifth pro season after combining to hit .247 (78-for-316) with 20 doubles, 10 homers and 39 RBI in 91 games between Single-A Daytona and Double-A Tennessee in 2010 before a broken left hand prematurely ended his season in July. Vitters came back to participate in the Arizona Fall League. He was selected by Chicago in the first round (third overall) of the 2007 Draft.

Todd Wellemeyer, 32, is 32-34 with three saves and a 4.83 ERA (330 ER/614.2 IP) in 208 major league appearances (75 starts) covering all or part of eight major league seasons with the Cubs (2003-05), Florida (2006), Kansas City (2006-07), St. Louis (2007-09) and San Francisco (2010). The righthander returns to the Cubs organization after being selected by Chicago in the fourth round of the 2000 Draft. He made his big league debut with the club in 2003 and spent three seasons with the Cubs before his trade to Florida just prior to the 2006 campaign. He went 3-5 with a 5.68 ERA (37 ER/58.2 IP) in 13 appearances (11 starts) with the Giants last year.

---

i still hate Augie for the 2007 NLDS.

For cubsin11. Someone else wondering about the Gorzelanny trade.

http://espn.go.com/blog/statsinfo/post/_/id/15965/one-step-forward-one-step-back-for-cubs

Thanks.

At the end of the day I understand, but I guess I personally saw Gorzellany as someone who could be a legit guy in our rotation. Probably nothing more than a 3 guy - but a lefty to break up all of those righties would be nice.

And my prediction for Silva this year is nothing but fail.

I agree with 11 on this one. I thought Gorzellany was a solid lefty for our rotation. Perhaps not a 3-guy, but maybe a 4. I would like to see how this season plays out for him in comparison to Garza. I think Garza pitched in the toughest division in the majors while Gorzelanny probably pitched in the easiest division last season.

You guys didn't mention anything about Milton Bradley getting arrested earlier this month in CA. I don't know the details, but I heard it was some form of violence or assault against a woman.

i am disappointed in the offseason...

Shaun, don't worry Milton's not on our team anymore.

i had to post something so i can save it on my watch list. best i came up with

wish we woulda signed prior this offseason to bring back the bash brothers, i mean, glass brothers

In all honesty, I think the woody signing does a lot for us. We got a solid bullpen arm for less than market value. A guy, that will compete w Marshall who was solid for the setup role. Garza, IMO will improve his numbers in the NL and solidify our rotation.

Hopefully Geo gets some more time behind the plate. As much as I like Hill, his only purpose should be to give Geo a breather. Colvin I don't necessarily expect great things of bu I don't think him or Dome will be bad. Byrd's a gamer and Fonzi is probably the weakest link IMO. ARam should have a better year (contract year, right?). Castro, I expect him to get better. I think the new 2B whose name escapes me should at least be equal to Theriot and Font. Pena is the one I don't know. I think him and Fonzi will prove to be offensive black holes

I don't know much about the bench. I'm assuming that the spring will clear that up.

We'll see if Quade can carry it through this season

I was kidding about Wood - I was ecstatic when I heard the Cubs were bringing him back. He bleeds Cubbie blue and you're right - good bullpen arm for very cheap by today's standards.

I'm pretty hopeful about the team at this point. Good starting staff and the bullpen should be improved from last year. Offense definitely has some questions marks. If ARam and Pena can be close to 100 RBI guys I think we give the Central a run.

I have pretty high hopes for Colvin and think he will be a decent player this year and in the future.

Pitcher & catchers report next Monday!

Blake DeWitt is the second baseman.

And I don't expect a lot out of Colvin. I don't believe he is an everyday player in the majors.

-3 yr/20 mil deal with Marmol signed today

-Samardzija is out of minor league options. He'd be exposed to waivers from now on. I've never seen why they're so big on a guy that has never had control, meaning he'll be picked up by another team and become a solid starter

-Olney mentioned again that the Cubs ownership is "gearing up" to be the top bidder for Pujols

I think I'd like for them to stay away from Pujols if the price is going to be anything close to 10 yrs @ 300 Mil

I'm not a fan of any contract going over 5 years. And it seems like Pujols has been vastly under-paid for what he has been doing - no reason any other team should have to pay him a premium for his PAST performance.