Chicago Cubs Rumors & News

Pittsburgh Tribune Review "Travis Snider's run-scoring triple in the second inning Thursday was clutch, but it was the finishing touch the right fielder put on the head-first slide into third base that made it even more memorable. Snider was still face down when he lifted his arms toward the Pirates' dugout and flashed..." May 24

Chicago Tribune "Cubs reliever Shawn Camp had been suffering from a toe injury for about a month when he served up the game-winning grand slam to the Pirates on Tuesday. On Wednesday, the Cubs sent Camp to the 15-day disabled list with a sprained right big toe, replacing him with Triple-A Iowa call-up Rafael..." May 23

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette "Francisco Liriano said he worked hard this offseason to perfect a tweak in his delivery. Manager Clint Hurdle said he has watched a lot of tape and still can't see a difference. The difference in the results, however, is undeniable. Liriano has been dominant this season and continued that..." May 23

Chicago Tribune "Is Josh Vitters still the Chicago Cubs’ third baseman of the future? “He’s a priority, let’s put it that way,” manager Dale Sveum said Tuesday at PNC Park. “Who knows about (him being the) third baseman of the future, but he’s a priority to develop as that guy.” That was the original plan..." May 22

Chicago Sun-Times "So what’s wrong with Shawn Camp? The right-handed reliever manager Dale Sveum considered one of his team MVPs last year – a guy whose 80 appearances was tied for the Major League lead – has lost velocity since then and has struggled more than anyone still toiling in the Cubs’ beleaguered..." May 22

Chicago Tribune "Chicago Cubs reliever Shawn Camp was sent to the 15-day disabled list Wednesday with a sprained right big toe. Camp was treated for the injury on Sunday, and told the Cubs he could pitch through it. The Cubs decided to designate reliever Michael Bowden for assignment instead of putting Camp on..." May 22

Chicago Tribune "Red Sox center fielder Jacoby Ellsbury is off to a poor start but remains one of the more interesting potential free agents. Cubs President Theo Epstein and general manager Jed Hoyer know Ellsbury well from their days in Boston and are aware of what he brings to the clubhouse. If Ellsbury can..." May 22

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette "Travis Snider already had put his helmet back in the dugout when he felt a tug from behind. The crowd was beckoning him back on the field, and teammate Neil Walker was pushing him onto the dugout steps for his first career curtain call. "I actually grabbed the wrong helmet because I was kind..." May 22

Chicago Tribune "Minor league reliever Eduardo Sanchez, a Cardinals prospect, was claimed off waivers by the Cubs on Tuesday and sent to Triple-A Iowa. The 24-year-old Sanchez had a 3.72 earned-run average in nine appearances at Triple-A Memphis. He made 43 appearances for the Cardinals in 2011 and '12,..." May 21

Chicago Tribune "The Cubs may be restless, but they are not young. At least that is how manager Dale Sveum views his ballclub. "We're not a young team," he said Sunday. "We've got a couple of young players, but there's no excuses. We've had plenty of guys who have played 300-400 major league baseball games..." May 20

Daily Herald "Last week the Cubs signed first baseman Anthony Rizzo for the next seven seasons and maybe a couple beyond that as the team continues to peg and secure its long-term core. This deal came as no surprise for several reasons. Rizzo has long been connected to Theo Epstein, Jed Hoyer and Jason..." May 20

Chicago Tribune "Manager Dale Sveum says he is happy with the way the back end of his pitching staff is shaping up because of improved performances from middle relievers and the closer. And with the anticipated return of veteran right-handed starter Matt Garza to the rotation soon, the entire staff figures to..." May 18

ESPN.com "The Chicago Cubs are still trying to solve reliever Shawn Camp's issues as he's struggled through most of the first month of the season. Manager Dale Sveum hopes the Camp of last season shows up. "You just keeping sending a guy out there and hopefully the slider comes back and the command..." May 17

Chicago Tribune "Matt Garza worked six shutout innings Thursday night for Triple-A Des Moines, allowing two hits, walking none and striking out six in a 1-0 win over Tucson. Barring the unexpected, he should make his 2013 Cubs debut next week. “I don’t need another start down here,” Garza said, according to the..." May 17

CSN Chicago "Carlos Marmol found himself in the middle of another perfect Internet storm, denying a report that he wants out of Chicago. The Cubs had their version of Spygate on Wednesday, when Marmol met with his agent, Paul Kinzer, in the lobby of his apartment building. A fan eavesdropped on the..." May 16

Chicago Tribune "Not many people expected the Cubs to compete this year, so their 17-23 record 40 games into the season is no surprise. Even fewer thought they would go into the middle of May with only two combined victories from Jeff Samardzija and Edwin Jackson, the Nos. 1-2 pitchers in the rotation. The..." May 16

Chicago Tribune "Matt Garza makes his next rehab start on Thursday at Triple-A Iowa and could return to the Cubs next week if all goes well. “After Thursday I’ll make a decision,” Garza said. “They want me to get stretched out a little deeper into games, and I guess that’s what I’ll have to do now.” Garza..." May 15

Denver Post "Like evidence at a crime scene, the footprints in the warning track told the story. The Rockies had the Chicago Cubs outfielders running sprints to the wall Tuesday, the streaks and skids in the dirt eloquently explaining the damage inflicted by the suddenly resuscitated lineup. Outfielder..." May 15

Chicago Tribune "The Cubs may be lacking in overall talent, but they aren't lacking in confidence. The stabilization of the closer's role since Kevin Gregg took over, the continued dominance of the starters and the recent improvement of the offense has the players believing they're not as far away as most..." May 14

Chicago Tribune "Alfonso Soriano sat out two games on the Cubs' last homestand and wasn't all that happy about it. Manager Dale Sveum said he wanted Soriano to get more rest on day games after night games, pointing to his age and knees. Soriano, 37, understands Sveum is trying to keep him rested, but he..." May 14

CSN Chicago "It looks like Travis Wood should be raising the Stanley Cup with that awesome playoff beard. The low-key lefty doesn’t have the same Q rating as Jeff Samardzija or Matt Garza, but the Cubs have to be thinking about the next moves if they’re going to build a championship-caliber rotation. Hours..." May 14

CSN Chicago "Almost 11 months ago, the cameras focused on what the Cubs hoped would be a new face of the franchise. No one knew for certain when Anthony Rizzo arrived at Wrigley Field and answered the question this way: “I’m here to stay.” Inside the same cramped interview room/dungeon, the Cubs held..." May 14

Chicago Tribune "It's no secret Anthony Rizzo is one of the cornerstones of the Cubs' rebuilding project. From his first spring training in 2012 to the nonstop "Rizzo Watch" last April and May when he played at Triple-A Iowa, the Cubs have been hyping Rizzo as the next big thing. On Monday they put their..." May 14

Chicago Tribune "The shoe was on the other foot for once, and this time the Cubs weren't the ones shooting themselves in it. An attempted throw to third by Nationals catcher Kurt Suzuki on a double steal deflected off the bat of batter Welington Castillo in the ninth inning of Sunday's game, swerving left of..." May 13

Chicago Tribune "Dale Sveum called last year's sweep by the Nationals in Washington the "worst butt-whipping" he had experienced as a player, coach or manager. But after losing Friday's opener of the three-game series, the Cubs came back to win games started by Stephen Strasburg and Gio Gonzalez, two of the..." May 13

ESPN.com "Similar to the contract Chicago Cubs shortstop Starlin Castro signed late last season, what makes first baseman Anthony Rizzo's new seven-year, $41 million deal interesting is his age and service time. >!--poll1-->Without a full season in the majors, Rizzo is getting the security many players..." May 13

CSN Chicago "With the Cubs not having many large, long-term contracts left on their books, and with Alfonso Soriano entering the final year of his eight-year, $136 million dollar deal in 2014, next winter might be the time for Theo Epstein and Jed Hoyer to add more impact players in free agency as they enter..." May 13

Chicago Tribune "Asked about his homecoming before Saturday's 8-2 win over the Nationals, Cubs starter Edwin Jackson joked to broadcaster Jim Deshaies: "I've had a lot of homecomings." The well-traveled veteran made this one count, doubling home a pair of runs off Stephen Strasburg in a four-run fifth inning..." May 12

SportingNews.com "First baseman Anthony Rizzo and the Chicago Cubs have reached an agreement on a seven-year, $41 million contract through 2019, according to Fox Sports.com. The deal also includes two club options and escalators that could extend the contract to 2021 and bring the total value of the deal up to..." May 12

Chicago Tribune "Ian Stewart went from starting third baseman for the Cubs at the start of spring training to back-up third baseman at Triple-A Iowa in less than three months. He’s no longer on the 40-man roster, having cleared waivers and been out-righted to Iowa, and is struggling in the playing time he’s..." May 11

New York Daily News "The Yankees acquired minor league shortstop Alberto Gonzelez from the Cubs late Thursday night in exchange for a player to be named later or cash considerations. Gonzalez, a non-roster player, will report to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. Because Gonzalez is not being placed on the 40-man..." May 10

CSN Chicago "The Cubs were in win-now mode when they traded for Kevin Gregg in November 2008, trying to build off two straight division titles while Sam Zell’s Tribune Co. froze the payroll and had the franchise up for sale. The uniform looks the same, and a 6,000-square-foot Jumbotron doesn’t dominate..." May 09

St. Louis Post-Dispatch "A bullpen that began the road trip in flux ends it having bought the Cardinals enough time to take a lead and holding it tight once they did. The Cardinals received 3 2/3 innings of scoreless relief on their way to a 5-4 victory Wednesday afternoon at Wrigley Field. The Cardinals trailed by..." May 09

ESPN.com "Stuck in an 0-for-20 slump over the past seven games, Chicago Cubs second baseman Darwin Barney was given the day off on Wednesday as his average has dipped to .147. "It's just confidence as much as anything," manager Dale Sveum said before Wednesday's game with the St. Louis Cardinals. "It's..." May 08

Chicago Tribune "The 121-year-old Cubs-Cardinals rivalry probably peaked 10 years ago, when Dusty Baker and Tony La Russa shouted obscenities at one another from their dugouts. That was back when there was some real hatred between the teams, with beanball wars in vogue and Carlos Zambrano and Jim Edmonds..." May 08

Chicago Tribune "Scott Feldman's performance was worthy of a standing ovation Monday night. But when the right-hander came to the plate in the fifth inning of the Cubs' 9-2 victory over the Rangers, the roar from the Wrigley Field crowd was in response to the Bulls' upset win over the Heat in Game 1 of the NBA..." May 07

Chicago Tribune "The Chicago Cubs moved to get more production from the outfielder positions Monday by promoting Ryan Sweeney from Triple-A Iowa and demoting outfielder Dave Sappelt. They also recalled right-hander Rafael Dolis from Iowa and designated right-hander Kameron Loe for assignment. “Obviously,..." May 07

CSN Chicago "If Yu Darvish wore a Cubs uniform, just think of the television ratings and how many Japanese companies would buy up the advertising space all around a renovated Wrigley Field. The unanswered question is how fast the Cubs can transfer their Jumbotron and all those other potential..." May 07

CSN Chicago "Forget the talk about the Cubs being one pitch away, how if you added some big hits and subtracted a few bullpen meltdowns they might be several games over .500 instead of buried in last place. Jed Hoyer grew up in New Hampshire, graduated from the same school as Bill Belichick (Wesleyan..." May 07

Dallas Morning News "Former Ranger Julio Borbon didn’t start in the completion of the Rangers’ three-game season series with the Cubs. Borbon, whom the Rangers lost on outright waivers in April, has settled into a bench position with the Cubs. He has made only two starts, both in left field. Borbon began play..." May 07

Chicago Tribune "Cubs general manager Jed Hoyer sounded disappointed but not discouraged about the team's poor start to the season. "Part of our job is not overreacting to individual games. Looking at every individual baseball game is like checking your stock portfolio every day," Hoyer said Monday. "It's going..." May 07

USA Today "Let's jump right into it this week, starting with Puerto Rican native shortstop Javier Baez, who was selected by the Chicago Cubs in first round (ninth overall) of the 2011 draft. Just 20 years old, Baez began the season at High-A Daytona, hitting with good power the first month going..." May 06

CSN Chicago "Julio Borbon has had an interesting first couple of weeks with the Cubs. But Thursday may take the cake. He got his first taste of some serious Chicago wind, as he misplayed a ball into a base hit in the game-changing eighth inning. Then, in the bottom of the inning, a pitch sailed in toward..." May 03