Blake DeWitt has accepted his assignment to Triple-A.
DeWitt had the option of electing free agency but will instead remain with the Cubs organization on a non-roster spring training invite. The 28-year-old infielder batted .265/.305/.413 last season for the Northsiders.
Source: twitter.com
Tagged as: Blake DeWitt, Cubs, news
Cubs manager Dale Sveum and pitching coach Chris Bosio watched Carlos Marmol’s first side session of the spring intently on Sunday, giving him pointers in an attempt to get the closer back to his pre-2011 dominance.
On the docket, particularly, was Marmol’s cutter, which he admitted messed up his mechanics last year. “He is what he is ? he’s an impressive closer but he’s a slider guy with one of the best, unhittable sliders that we?ve seen in a long time,” Sveum said. “That’s what he is and unfortunately sometimes he can get into a lot of pitches in innings because of it, but it’s so devastating he gets out of it, too. You don’t want him doing anything that Carlos Marmol isn’t used to. I think he’ll be back to that this year.” Marmol lost 15 pounds over the winter. The 29-year-old righty posted an underwhelming 4.01 ERA and 1.38 WHIP this past year for Chicago.
Source: mlblogs.com
Tagged as: Carlos Marmol, Cubs, news
The Cubs announced that Jeff Samardzija will be stretched out this spring.
“He might wow us — you never know,” Cubs manager Dale Sveum said. “That’s a power arm, power body, obviously built to start.” Samardzija emerged as a legit bullpen weapon last year, posting a 2.97 ERA over 88 relief appearances. If he’s converted into a starter, Samardzija will be an interesting name in NL-only drafts.
Source: twitter.com
Tagged as: Cubs, Jeff Samardzija, news
Cubs general manager Jed Hoyer said the team plans to talk to Matt Garza’s representatives about an extension sometime during spring training.
??We focused really hard on getting the one-year number done a few weeks ago,?? Hoyer said. ??We didn?t have any kind of long-term discussions before that, but certainly there was some dialogue about possibly having some long-term discussions at some point maybe this spring… I think we probably will sit down and talk.?? The Cubs considered trading Garza earlier this offseason, and he could still by on the trade block at the deadline if a long-term deal isn’t worked out before then. The 28-year-old isn’t eligible for free agency until after the 2013 season.
Source: suntimes.com
Tagged as: Cubs, Matt Garza, news
Starlin Castro, who was accused of sexual assaulting a woman in Chicago on Sept. 28, is expected to report to Cubs camp on time next week.
“We expect Starlin in camp to get ready for the season,” president of baseball operations Theo Epstein said. “We do not expect it to be a distraction.” Castro has not been charged in the wake of the investigation. His representatives have denied the allegations against him.
Source: go.com
Tagged as: Cubs, news, Starlin Castro
Cubs sent INF-OF Blake DeWitt outright to Triple-A Iowa.
DeWitt was designated for assignment last week but has cleared waivers and will remain in the organization. The 28-year-old batted .265/.305/.413 with five home runs, 26 RBI and a .718 OPS last season and has a good chance to still see a significant amount of playing time for the Cubs this season.
Tagged as: Blake DeWitt, Cubs, news
Cubs released RHP Robinson Lopez.
Robinson, who turns 21 in March, was acquired from the Braves as part of the Derrek Lee deal in August of 2010. He pitched mostly as a reliever last season, posting a disappointing 5.35 ERA and 35/30 K/BB ratio over 69 innings with Class-A Peoria.
Source: twitter.com
Tagged as: Cubs, news, Robinson Lopez
The Cubs and Red Sox have submitted written arguments to commissioner Bud Selig in regard to compensation for Theo Epstein.
Epstein stepped down as Red Sox general manager in October in order to become the Cubs’ new president of baseball operations, but Boston was promised “valuable compensation” down the line. The two sides have failed to make progress in negotiations, so the decision is now in the hands of Selig. It would be surprising if the Red Sox get a significant prospect in return.
Source: msnbc.com
Tagged as: Cubs, news, Starlin Castro
Bruce Levine of ESPNChicago.com reports that the Cubs are interested in signing right-hander Ramon Ortiz to a minor league contract.
Ortiz, who turns 39 in March, posted a 4.86 ERA and 25/11 K/BB ratio over 33 1/3 innings with the Cubs last season. The veteran right-hander would be a long shot to make the Opening Day roster, but he could be useful insurance in the minors.
Source: go.com
Tagged as: Cubs, news, Ramon Ortiz
Cubs general manager Jed Hoyer told ESPN Chicago he would be open to signing Matt Garza to a long-term deal.
The Cubs and Garza avoided arbitration by agreeing to a one-year, $9.5 million contract. “It was a long process,” Hoyer said. ”We talked to Matt a number of times since and we’re happy we didn’t have to go into a hearing room with him. He’s a great pitcher and a guy we’re going to talk to about being part of our future. We need more guys like Matt, not less, and if we can work something out we’ll certainly have those discussions.”
Source: go.com
Tagged as: Cubs, Matt Garza, news