Cubs to trade P Sean Marshall to Reds

The Cubs and Reds have agreed in principle to a trade
that will send lefty reliever Sean Marshall to Cinci for
starter Travis Wood and 2 minor leaguers, according to
Bruce Levine of ESPNChicago.com. Ken Rosenthal and
Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports 1st reported that the sides
were discussing a deal last night. The move is pending
physicals, Levine reports.

Marshall, 29, has established himself as one of the game's
top lefty relievers. He posted a 2.26 ERA with 9.4 K/9, 2.0
BB/9 and a 57.5% ground ball rate in 2011. He'll earn $3.1MM
during the 2012 season, after which he's eligible for free agency.
The Reds have been looking for a closer, but it's not clear how
they'll use Marshall and how his presence will affect Cinci's
interest in relievers such as Francisco Cordero.

Wood's a 24-year-old lefty who's under team control through
2016. He posted a 4.84 ERA with 6.5 K/9 and 3.4 BB/9 with
a 32.1% ground ball rate in 106 innings for the Reds this
past season. Though he added value in '11, he didn't match
his 2010 numbers: a 3.51 ERA with 7.5 K/9 and 2.3 BB/9 in
102 2/3 innings.

_________________
Sailin' on a BW midnight boat, their were no questions asked.
Waters so green and the air was so clean Matt stuck right to
his task.

Oh I'm just dreamin'... my life Away

Nationals to acquire P Gio Gonzalez from A's

The Athletics will trade P Gio Gonzalez to the Nats
in a deal that further depletes Oakland's pitching
staff and adds to Washington's potentially dominant
rotation. The deal sends Gonzalez and minor league
righty Robert Gilliam to Washington in exchange for
4 highly-regarded young players, including 3 of the
Nats' top 10 prospects: RHP A.J. Cole and Brad Peacock,
LHP Tom Milone and C Derek Norris.
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Twins agree to sign P Jason Marquis

The Twins announced that they have agreed to sign
righty starter Jason Marquis to a 1 yr, $3MM contract.
Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reported last night that
the Twins were nearing a deal with the 33 yr old.

Marquis made 23 starts for the Nats and D-backs this
past season, finishing the year with a 4.43 ERA in 132
innings. His rate stats (5.2 K/9, 2.9 BB/9, 55.1% ground
ball rate) were right in line with his career averages (5.2
K/9, 3.5 BB/9, 50.4% ground ball rate) and his average
fastball checked in at 89.3 mph.
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Cubs to sign P Manny Corpas

The Cubbies have come to terms on a 1 yr contract with
relief P Manny Corpas, according to a major league source.

The source said the deal will officially be announced Friday.
Corpas took a physical in Chicago on Thursday. The finances
of the deal are not yet known.

Corpas was an integral part of the Rockies team that went to
the WS in 2007. That season, Corpas had a 2.08 ERA and 19
saves in 78 appearances for the Rox.

Corpas has a 12-16 record and 3.93 ERA in 280 career appearances.

_________________
Sailin' on a BW midnight boat, their were no questions asked.
Waters so green and the air was so clean Matt stuck right to
his task.

Oh I'm just dreamin'... my life Away

I didn't even realize Jason Marquis was still around. Dude can hit... or at least he could when he was a Cardinal

_________________
Follow me on Twitter! @joshdmartin

Of course, when the best thing you can say about a pitcher is how well he can hit, well... that says a lot about the pitcher, I think.

_________________
http://www.goredforwomen.org/

A positive attitude may not solve all your problems, but it will annoy enough people to make it worth the effort. - Herm Albright

The trouble with quotes from the internet is that you never know if they're real or not. - Gandhi

Cubs to go 'Complete & Total Rebuild'

The Cubs are attempting to deal "most of their valuable
assets" before Spring Training begins and "a complete
overhaul of the team will definitely happen," 2 Major
League sources tell David Kaplan of CSN Chicago. The
impending Sean Marshall-for-Travis Wood trade is the
1st step in this process, as the Cubs are acquiring a
young, controllable, 24-year-old southpaw starter for a
29-year-old reliever who was set to earn $3.1MM in 2012.

It was said last month that the Cubs were shopping their
entire roster, a team drawing 3 mil fans a year doesn't
often embark on a full-on offseason rebuilding effort.
The Marshall-Wood trade, for instance, still gives Chicago
a player who can contribute in 2012.


About time, let it happen

_________________
Sailin' on a BW midnight boat, their were no questions asked.
Waters so green and the air was so clean Matt stuck right to
his task.

Oh I'm just dreamin'... my life Away

'Bout time! They've needed to do that for a few decades now!

_________________
http://www.goredforwomen.org/

A positive attitude may not solve all your problems, but it will annoy enough people to make it worth the effort. - Herm Albright

The trouble with quotes from the internet is that you never know if they're real or not. - Gandhi

Yankees & Red Sox goin' after P Hiroki Kuroda

Only 2 teams had to pay luxury tax this year, and now
they're both after the same pitcher. Jon Paul Morosi of
FOX Sports reports (on Twitter) that both the Yanks and
Red Sox are pursuing Hiroki Kuroda now that he's willing
to leave California.

Kuroda, 37 in February, is one of the few remaining free
agent innings eaters. The Yankees are said to like the
veteran righty more than other available pitchers, and the
Sox were reportedly trying to decide between signing Kuroda
and trading for Gio Gonzalez as of a few days ago. With
Gonzalez now in Washington, the decision has been made
for them. Kuroda is looking for a $12-13MM annual salary.

_________________
Sailin' on a BW midnight boat, their were no questions asked.
Waters so green and the air was so clean Matt stuck right to
his task.

Oh I'm just dreamin'... my life Away

Yankees sign P Hideki Okajima

The Yanks agreed to a minor league deal with
reliever Hideki Okajima, tweets David Waldstein of
the NY Times. Earlier, Sports Hochi in Japan reported
talks between the 2 parties were in the final stages and
a deal could be reached shortly after the new year
(as translated by NPB Tracker's Patrick Newman).

Okajima, 36, has a 3.11 ERA across 246 1/3 big league
innings, all with the Red Sox from 2007-11. He spent
most of 2011 at Triple-A, posting a 2.29 ERA, 8.5 K/9,
1.6 BB/9, and 0.53 HR/9 in 51 innings. As you'd expect,
Okajima has been better against lefties in the majors,
with a 8.2 K/9, 2.7 BB/9, 0.67 HR/9, and 3.87 xFIP across
107 1/3 innings.

_________________
Sailin' on a BW midnight boat, their were no questions asked.
Waters so green and the air was so clean Matt stuck right to
his task.

Oh I'm just dreamin'... my life Away

Padres acquire OF Carlos Quentin from White Sox

The Padres have acquired OF Carlos Quentin from the
White Sox for pitching prospects Simon Castro and Pedro
Hernandez, the teams announced. It's the 2nd time Padres
GM Josh Byrnes and White Sox GM Kenny Williams have
gotten together for a trade involving Quentin; Byrnes was
the D-backs GM when the OF was traded from Arizona to
the ChiSox in 2007 for then minor leage 1B Chris Carter.

Quentin, 29, grew up in San Diego and will instantly add
some power to the offensively challenged Padres' lineup.
The righty hitter produced a .254/.340/.499 batting line
with 24 homers in 2011, and he's hit .257/.352/.505 with
at least 21 homers per year from '08-'11.

During his time in Chicago, the OF has battled shoulder,
foot, hamstring, and wrist problems, requiring four separate
stints on the DL. We project him to earn $7.5MM his 3rd time
through arbitration in 2012 before becoming a free agent after
the season. On the surface, the deal appears to be a cost
cutting measure for the White Sox.

.

_________________
Sailin' on a BW midnight boat, their were no questions asked.
Waters so green and the air was so clean Matt stuck right to
his task.

Oh I'm just dreamin'... my life Away

Marlins agree to acquire P Carlos Zambrano from Cubs

The Marlins have agreed to send P Chris Volstad to the
Cubs for Big Z, reports Bruce Levine of ESPN Chicago.
The deal is pending physicals, agreement from
commissioner Bud Selig, and Zambrano waiving
his no-trade clause.

BYE BYE Z !

_________________
Sailin' on a BW midnight boat, their were no questions asked.
Waters so green and the air was so clean Matt stuck right to
his task.

Oh I'm just dreamin'... my life Away

Smartest move the Cubs have made since getting rid of Milton Bradley. Of course, that begs the question, why did they ever sign Milton Bradley? Says something about the Cubs, I think, when their best moves are getting rid of players rather than acquiring them. Although, with their new front office, things could change; I'll believe it when I see it.

_________________
http://www.goredforwomen.org/

A positive attitude may not solve all your problems, but it will annoy enough people to make it worth the effort. - Herm Albright

The trouble with quotes from the internet is that you never know if they're real or not. - Gandhi

Cubs & Orioles discuss Soriano trade

The O's and Cubs have discussed a trade involving
Alfonso Soriano, according to Roch Kubatko of
MASNsports.com. Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reported
yesterday that a couple of teams have inquired about
Soriano and at this point there's no indication that
Baltimore GM Dan Duquette is close to adding Soriano to
the LF/DH mix.

Soriano posted a .244/.289/.469 line with 26 home runs
last season and is under contract through 2014. There’s
$54MM remaining on the 35-year-old left fielder's contract
and his no-trade clause allows him to block trades. The
Cubs would presumably have to absorb upwards of $40MM
to facilitate a deal. Earlier in the week, they sent Carlos
Zambrano to the Marlins, absorbing $15.5MM of his $18MM
salary in the process.

Break out the $$$ and rid of this albatross too ! C'mon Theo

_________________
Sailin' on a BW midnight boat, their were no questions asked.
Waters so green and the air was so clean Matt stuck right to
his task.

Oh I'm just dreamin'... my life Away

Yankees acquire P Pineda from Mariners, also gonna sign P Hiroki Kuroda

The Mariners needed hitting, the Yanks needed pitching.
The 2 teams addressed each other's needs in a blockbuster
trade of young stars, as right-handers Michael Pineda and
Jose Campos will go to the Bronx in exchange for C/DH
Jesus Montero and righty Hector Noesi.

The Yankees also will sign free agent P Hiroki Kuroda
to a 1 yr deal, that is pending a physical.

_________________
Sailin' on a BW midnight boat, their were no questions asked.
Waters so green and the air was so clean Matt stuck right to
his task.

Oh I'm just dreamin'... my life Away

Rangers sign Japanese P Yu Darvish

The Texas Rangers beat the deadline to sign Japanese
pitcher Yu Darvish, as both parties agreed to a 6 yr, $ 60
mil deal. Darvish comes to MLB from the Nippon Ham Fighters
in Japan.

_________________
Sailin' on a BW midnight boat, their were no questions asked.
Waters so green and the air was so clean Matt stuck right to
his task.

Oh I'm just dreamin'... my life Away

I've often wondered about that name. Are they the "Fighter"s from Nippon Ham? Or are they the "Ham Fighters" from Nippon? And if they're the "Ham Fighters," does that mean Japan has some sort of war on pigs?

_________________
http://www.goredforwomen.org/

A positive attitude may not solve all your problems, but it will annoy enough people to make it worth the effort. - Herm Albright

The trouble with quotes from the internet is that you never know if they're real or not. - Gandhi