It stinks watching everyone else making deals while the Cubs sit on the sidelines.  The White Sox continued their off season shopping by trading a couple of prospects to the Dodgers for Juan Pierre.  The Dodgers were even good enough to throw in $10 million of the $18 million owed to Pierre over the next two years.

St. Louis made a five-year offer to Matt Holliday at a reported $16 – $18 million per year.  I think that’s crazy money, and in a way I hope Holliday accepts the offer because I think it will cripple the Cardinals financially for years to come, but it’s frustrating to see the Cubs division rival chasing one of the biggest free agents while the Cubs sit back and wait for something to happen.

For the Cubs, the story is the same as it was last week, and the week before that: they need to trade Milton Bradley before they can do anything else.  Actually, that’s not quite acurrate.  They have chosen to wait until Bradley is traded to make any moves. 

Quite honestly, I’m starting to blame Tom Ricketts for the Cubs hesitancy to do anything.  When Ricketts decided to hold the line on payroll (actually, I believe he allowed for a “slight” increase), he tied Jim Hendry’s hands from doing anything to improve the ball club. 

First, very few contracts came off the books at the end of 2009.  The only players to leave the Cubs because their contracts were up were Rich Harden, Kevin Gregg, and Reed Johnson.  After losing those players, and then accounting for increases via arbitration, the Cubs payroll is in the neighborhood of $135 million (It’s hard to know exactly where it is because it’s unclear right now what the arbitration-eligible players will receive, as well as those that will be tendered contracts).  That doesn’t leave much money to make any moves if the magic payroll number is $140-$145 million.

Then there’s Milton Bradley.  It’s unclear how much the Cubs are going to have to spend to get rid of Bradley.  The Dodgers spent $10 million to move Pierre and the Red Sox are rumored to be willing to eat $9 million (of a $12 million contract) to move Mike Lowell (the trade with Texas is currently on hold).  Both of those guys are decent players who are considered good clubhouse guys.  So if their respective teams are/will pay so much money to trade them, how much will it cost the Cubs to move a malcontent like Bradley coming of a sub-par year?

Assuming it’s going to cost the Cubs $10 million just to move Bradley (and that may be conservative), wouldn’t the Cubs be better off exchanging another team’s bad contract for Bradley?  It may cost them more dollars in the long run, but they may actually get a valuable piece back in return.

In a previous post, I argued the case for a Bradley-for-Derek-Lowe trade with Atlanta.  The Braves are looking for a corner outfielder and they need to trim payroll.  Lowe is their biggest contract and most expendable player.  Over the next three years, he’s going to cost $45 million.  It would cost the Cubs $24 million more to trade for Lowe than they are scheduled to pay Bradley, and Lowe will be around a year longer (two more years for Bradley vs. three years for Lowe), but isn’t that better than handing someone $10 million or more just to take Bradley off the Cubs’ hands?  It seems like a win-win to me.

Granted, whoever takes Bradley (assuming someone actually does) is going to have to find a way to integrate him into their team and control (or at least contain) his behavior.  But in exchange for that, if the deal is with Atlanta, they’ll save $24 million dollars and clear the other $21 million owed to Bradley off their books a year sooner than they would with Derek Lowe.  I know Milton Bradley is a pain in the butt, but couldn’t the Braves learn to live with him for $24 million?

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With Curtis Granderson now a Yankee and Mike Cameron signed by Boston, the Cubs now turn their attention to Marlon Byrd, Rick Ankiel, Coco Crisp, and Reed Johnson.  Carrie Muskat of MLB.com says that Byrd is the Cubs’ first choice, but honestly, is he the best answer for center field? 

Granderson would have been a terrific “get” for the Cubs.  He’s a power hitting, middle-of-the-order bat that they need, and his clubhouse presence would be a breath of fresh air after a year of Milton Bradley.  Of course, that’s a moot point now.

Of the free agent center fielders, Mike Cameron was the class of the field.  He’s not the offensive presence that Granderson is, but he’s sufficient and he plays a good center field.  But again, he’s gone, so no use crying over spilled milk.

Unfortunately, the quality falls off quite a bit from Cameron to the trio of Byrd/Ankiel/Crisp.  But here’s the thing: while any of that group will cost several million dollars, the Cubs can probably get the same or better production from any combination of Sam Fuld, Reed Johnson and recently released Ryan Church (can he still play center?).  Johnny Gomes is another interesting name hanging out there.  He’d probably have to play right field, but Fukudome could move back over to center as part of a platoon/position swap.

At this point, I can’t tell you what the answer is, at least as far as putting a name(s) to the problem, but I can tell you what the answer isn’t, and that’s signing Byrd, Ankiel, or Crisp.  They’re all different types of players, but none of them are the answer the Cubs are looking for.  They are either too expensive, a 4th outfielder, too weak offensively, or a combination of these things.

Jim Hendry waited too long to make a move, but now that he’s waited this long, he might as well wait longer to see if there are any free agent deals or trades available later in the off season.  The current options just don’t get the job done.

First, Carlos Zambrano was added to the DL with back spasm.  Next, Aramis Ramirez “tweaked” the shoulder that landed him on the DL earlier in the year and was sent back to Chicago for an MRI.  Then in last night’s game, newly acquired lefty Tom Gorzellany took a grounder off of his right foot that forced him out of the game. 

The news about Gorzellany is probably the best for the Cubs.  He had x-rays following the game and nothing was broken.  Dr. Lou Piniella pronounced him fit to get in his regular throwing in a couple of days and said he expects Gorzellany to make his next start.  We’ll see…

Zambrano had an MRI and it indicated that the bulging disc in the pitcher’s back is no worse now than it was in 2006.  He is expected to return around August 21.

That leaves Ramirez.  Without him earlier in the year, the Cubs went into a swoon and barely maintained a .500 winning pct.  When he came back, the team seemed to get a second win.  If he’s not able to continue to play, or if he plays at a reduced level – both very real possibilities – the Cubs are in big trouble.  He is the glue that holds the team together, and he is the only guy that can be counted on to hit when everyone else is in a slump.

A lot is made of the Mets injury woes, but the Cubs are not too far behind in that category.  Their ace has been on the shelf twice this year, Ramirez, their best hitter, has had a long stint on the DL and may be visiting it again, Geovany Soto spent several weeks rehabbing his shoulder, Ted Lilly had knee surgery while on the DL for shoulder soreness, plus a ton of other injuries both big and small.  Injuries have been a constant problem for the team this year and it doesn’t look like things are going to be getting better any time soon.

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The Cubs have not been good on the road this year.  They are 33-19 at home, but just 25-33 on the road.  So the silver lining of the recent 4-6 road trip is that it’s over and the Cubs get to come home for six games against the State of Pennsylvania (three games with the Phillies followed by three games with the Pirates).

Rookie of the Year candidate J.A. Happ (8-2) gets the start in game one for Philadelphia against the Cubs Rich Harden (7-7).  Wednesday should be interesting.  Newly acquired veteran righthander Pedro Martinez (0-0) gets the nod for Philly.  He’ll face Cubs rookie Jeff Samardzjia (1-1).  On Thursday, Philadelphia’s other new pitcher will take the mound as Cliff Lee (9-9 for Cleveland) will take on Ryan Dempster (6-5).

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We learned yesterday that the White Sox were indeed the team that made the waiver claim on Alex Rios.  According to Ken Fidlin of the Toronto Star, Blue Jays GM JP Ricciardi tried to get something in return for Rios, but was quickly told that there would not be any players coming back in return for the outfielder.  Ricciardi did the right thing and just let the White Sox have Rios and his nearly $60 million contract.

I have to admit that I underestimated Ricciardi.  I fully expected him to insist on getting something for Rios, but he didn’t.  Considering the way he overplayed his hand in the pre-trade deadline Roy Halladay negotiations, I’m a little surprised that he relented on Rios.

Now the White Sox are stuck with one of the worst contracts in baseball.  It’s not that Rios is bad, he’s just significantly overpaid.  Plus, the White Sox already have a full outfield, so who is going to play where and when.  That’s the same question that White Sox outfielder Jermaine Dye would like answered.  Dye has a mutual option in his contract for 2010 and the addition of Rios makes it less likely that the White Sox will exercise that option.

Even though the White Sox could jetison Dye, DH Jim Thome, and pitcher Jose Contreras when their contracts expire at the end of the year.  they are still going to be on the hook for a lot of money in 2010.  I’m afraid GM Kenny Williams has overreached on this one.  Adding Jake Peavy’s contract to the payroll in July was a good move, but adding Rios is going to come back to haunt the Southsiders.

Some of the most noteworthy trades include Cliff Lee going to Philadelphia, Victor Martinez going to Boston, and Jerrod Washburn moving to Detroit.  But there were some trades that caught my eye that don’t make complete sense to me.  Tops on that list is the Reds picking up Scott Rolen.

A few years back, I considered Rolen a superstar and sure-fire Hall of Famer.  But several injuries later, the luster is gone and Rolen is a good, but not great third baseman.  He’s also a rather expensive third baseman.  He’s signed through 2010 at $11 million per year, plus a $4 million bonus scheduled to be paid in 2010.  That means that the Reds will be on the hook for $15 million for Rolen in 2010, more than they pay any other player on the team.

Truthfully, Rolen is a nice fit on the Reds.  His resurgent hitting will help a club that doesn’t have a lot of offense, and his glove, while no longer top notch, is an upgrade over what they had.  Even so, he is an extremely expensive addition for a team that has a very limited budget and a lot of needs.

According to Jay Fay at the Cincinnati Enquirer, to obtain Rolen, the Reds gave up Edwin Encarnacion, Josh Roenicke, and Zach Stewart.  Stewart in particular is a highly regarded prospect.  As one commenter on Fay’s story said, if the Reds win the World Series in 2010, this is a good deal.  Otherwise, it doesn’t make sense.

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The White Sox picked up Jake Peavy today from the Padres.  Or maybe I should say that Peavy finally agreed to be traded to the White Sox.  As you may recall, the White Sox made a deal to acquire Peavy earlier in the year, but Peavy nixed the deal.

At the moment, Peavy is on the DL and there’s some thought that he may not pitch again this year.  Of course, Peavy is signed through 2012 with a club option for 2013.  He’s a hell of a pitcher, but the White Sox will be paying plenty for him.  In 2009 he is owed $8 million, $15 million in 2010, $16 million in 2011, and $17 million in 2012.  If the team picks up Peavy’s 2013 option, they’ll be on the hook for $22 million.  That’s a lot of money for a team that has cried poor on more than one occassion recently.

Even so, I think this trade makes sense for the White Sox.  It’s very likely that they will be losing ace Mark Buerhle to free agency at the end of the year.  So rather than wait to replace Buerhle, GM Kenny Williams replaced him now.  Not a bad strategy.

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Toronto didn’t trade Roy Halladay, and Blue Jay’s GM JP Ricciardi is saying that he hopes teams will come with better offers if they want Halladay in the off season.  I’m not an MLB GM, but it seems to me that Halladay’s trade value was as high as it’s ever going to be during this past week.  If teams weren’t willing to pay Ricciardi’s price now, why would they pay more after the season?

It seems to me that Ricciardi is a bit deluded.  True, Halladay is arguably the best pitcher in baseball, but teams showed that they are not willing to trade away their best prospects to acquire him.  They were willing to trade some of their prospects, but not all of them.  Ricciardi wanted all of them.

Fair enough.  Ricciardi had his price and he wasn’t going to budge.  But the fact that all of the other GMs in baseball refused to meet his price should make Ricciardi realize he’s asking for too much.  Instead, it seems like he’s digging in his heels, which will only reduce the chance of him getting some value for Halladay.

Let me put it this way: Would Toronto be better off with Halladay as their ace in 2010 when they again don’t contend, or would they be better off with a boatload of prospects that can help them win sometime after 2010?  The answer should be obvious.  I assume it is obvious to everyone but Ricciardi.

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The Brewers didn’t make a deal, unless you want to consider the acqusition of Claudio Vargas worthy of the term “deal.”  They wanted a starter to help solidify their rotation.  When Jeff Suppan went down with an injury, they needed a starter to keep their heads above water.  The trade deadline has come and gone, but they didn’t get a starter.

Part of the problem may have been the self-imposed constraints GM Doug Melvin was working under.  In an article by Tom Hardicourt in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel,  Melvin said: 

“You look at most of these deals for pitchers and there were young pitchers in return,” said Melvin. “We’re thin in pitching in the system, so we didn’t have pitching to give back. Our strength is in other players.”

“Because the Brewers had no pitching prospects to trade, Melvin said he was continually asked for either third baseman Mat Gamel or shortstop Alcides Escobar. He decided the price was too high to trade either player, especially for pitchers who could walk away after the season.”

In other words, Melvin wanted to land a big name pitcher, but he didn’t have the pitching prospects to trade and was unwilling to trade his position prospects.  Doesn’t seem like he was very commited to making a deal.

Grabow is more than just a LOOGY.  In the past, he has worked as both a set-up man and as a closer (not in the same game).  He will likely serve as a middle relief guy for the Cubs.  The 30-year old Grabow will become a free agent at the end of the year.  He signed for $2.3 million in 2009.  He projects to be a Type-A free agent.

Initially, there was some thought that the Cubs were looking for a left-handed reliever who could be used to shut down left handed hitters.  If that’s what they were looking for, that’s not what they got.  This year, right handed batters are hitting .234 against Grabow while lefties are hitting .275.

Twenty-seven-year old Gorzelanny was a terrific pitcher in 2007 for the Pirates, but kind of fell apart in 2008.  Some people have blamed overuse in 2007 for Gorzellany’s poor performance in 2008.  Whatever happened, he has seen very little action for the Pirates this year and was pitching for Triple-A Indianapolis when the Cubs acquired him.  For Indy, Gorzellany was 4-3 this year with a 2.48 ERA.  He’ll report to Iowa for the Cubs and will try to work his way up to Chicago.

The Cubs gave up Kevin Hart, who not only was having a good year, but was having a good game at the time the deal was made.  Hart got the win today against the Astros going 6.0 inning, giving up six hits, three earned runs, striking out four and walking two.  He found out after the game he had been traded to Pittsburgh.  That was a better fate than what happened to the pitcher he faced.  Houston pitcher Russ Ortiz gave up nine earned runs in 2.1 innings and was released immediately after the game.

Hendry sold high on Hart, who was 3-1 with the Cubs and was sporting a 2.60 ERA.  He has had a good year so far in 2009.  In fact, he’s done better than just about anyone expected.  That’s why it was smart to trade him now.  He’s worth more now than he has ever been and it’s likely he won’t  be worth as much as he is now any time in the future. 

Jose Ascanio, in my opinion, is a run of the mill right handed reliever.  He’s not terrible, but he’s easily replacable.   

Josh Harrison is a man without a position at the moment.  The Single-A infielder doesn’t have the power to be a third baseman, and he doesn’t have the footwork to be a good middle infielder.  Unless things change drastically, Harrison will likely never be more than a utility infielder, a position the Cubs have in spades. 

Overall, I really like this trade.  Hendry did a good job of getting one piece that the Cubs need now (Grabow) and another piece that, if he returns to form, could help in the future.  In exchange, he didn’t give up much that will hurt the team either this year or into the future. 

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If you want to see a great defensive play, take a look at the video at this link.  Delwyn Young is the player that makes the great barehanded catch.  The ump made the wrong call on the play, but the Pirates got their man any way.

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In other trades of note yesterday and today, the Phillies acquired Cliff Lee and OF Ben Franciso from Cleveland, the Dodgers acquired LHP George Sherrill from Baltimore, and the Giates acquired 2nd basemenFreddy Sanchez from Pittsburgh.

Friday at 4:00 PM ET is the deadline to make trades.  Other rumor out there are the Rangers and Dodgers still working on a Roy Halladay trade (Is anyone else besides me surprised that the Rangers are in this conversation?), the Red Sox are trying to find a way to land Adrian Gonzalez,  the Yankees are looking at the Royals Brian Bannister, and the Giants are kicking the tires on Mark Teahan.

Carlos Zambrano got the start for the Cubs and pitched well, going 7.0 innings and giving up just three hits and an earned run.  He struckout four and walked four.  Wandy Rodriguez was every bit as good for the Astros, going 7.0 innings, giving up six hits and one earned run.  He struckout seven and walked two. 

Both bullpens battled it out for the next six innings.  But in the bottom of the 13th inning, Houston’s Chris Sampson faced Alfonso Soriano with the bases loaded and Soriano delivered a blast to deep center field to end the game.

Aramis Ramirez was the hitting star, going 3-for-6, including a sharply hit single that led to the Cubs eventual victory.  Ramirez is hitting .338 and has looked great since his return from the DL.  I guess his shoulder is doing okay (*knocks on wood*).

Derrek Lee was 2-for-3 with a homerun and three walks.  Milton Bradley went one-for four with two walks.  Bradley hasn’t completely turned the corner on his hitting  (he’s still hitting just .248), but he is looking better up at the plate and he is finding a way to get on base.  It’s still not enough, but it’s a start.

The series with the Astros continues tonight with Roy Oswalt (6-4) going for Houston against the fresh-off-the-DL Ryan Dempster (5-5).

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The Cardinals beat the Dodgers to keep pace with the Cubs, while the Astros lost to the Cubs and the Brewers lost to Washington.  Houston is in third place in the division, three games behind the Cubs.  The Brewers are now one game under .500 and 4.0 games back in fourth place in the division. 

With Milwaukee falling under .500 so close to the trade deadline, does that mean they may tun from being buyers into sellers?  Baseball is a game of faith, but you also need to know when to cut your losses and set your sights on next year.  If the Cubs were in the same position, I would say they should keep fighting.  But the Brewers don’t have nearly the pitching that the Cubs have and adding Jerrod Washburn (as has been rumored) won’t improve them enough.

I don’t want to write off the Brewers.  They have a tremendous offensive team, but their pitching staff needs work.  If I were either GM Doug Melvin or owner Mark Attanasio, not only would I be driving a nicer car, but I would play out the string this year and focus on making my pitching staff better in the off-season.  Or maybe a better way to say it is that I wouldn’t make any moves this year unless those moves help to make the team better in the future.  A one year rental won’t make things better in the future.

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Ted Lilly had his knee scoped yesterday and everything went well, at least that’s what Paul Sullivan with the Chicago Tribune say.  According to noted physician Lou Piniella, Lilly’s shoulder should be healed by the middle of August and his knee should be ready to go by then as well.

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Add Washington’s Joe Beimel and Pittsburgh’s John Grabow to the list of relievers the Cubs are looking at.  This, according to Bruce Miles at the Daily Herald.  George Sherrill of Baltimore seemed to be the Cubs first choice for lefty reliever, but Orioles GM Andy McPhail has placed a rather high price on his left-hander. 

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JP Ricciardi will not budge off of his price for Roy Halladay, so teams are beginning to turn their attention to Cleveland’s Cliff Lee.  I’m sure Cleveland is not going to just give Lee away, but they are in a dealing mood.  According to MLB Trade Rumors, yesterday the Indians sent outfielder Ryan Garko to San Francisco for LHP prospect Scott Barmes.  The Indians reportedly still have interest in moving Lee as well as catcher Victor Martinez.

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According to MLB Trade Rumors, East Windup Chronicle is reporting that the Cubs have signed Taiwanese pitcher Wang Tsu-an.  Tsu-an (or is it just Wang) reportedly received a $300,000 signing bonus.

Rich Harden earned the victory on Sunday by pitching 6.0 innings of one hit baseball.  The only hit he gave up was a first inning solo homerun to Joey Votto.  In his 6.0 inning stint, Harden struck out eight and didn’t allow any walks.

Ryan Theriot, Aramis Ramirez, Milton Bradley, Alfonso Soriano and Koyie Hill all had two hits on the afternoon.  In fact, Milton Bradley was 2-for-2 with two singles and two walks.  I know it was just two hits and two walks, but the fact that he was on-base each of his plate appearances makes Sunday’s performasnce perhaps his best as a Cub. (Game video and interviews here)

The Astros visit Wrigley starting today for a four game set.  Carlos Zambrano (7-4) takes on Cubs killer Wandy Rodriguez (10-6) in the first match-up of the series.

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There are only five days left (including today) before we run up against the trade deadline.  It’s looking more and more like Roy Halladay will remain with Toronto.  Philadelphia made a push over the weekend, but they were rebuffed by the Blue Jays.  Toronto wants Kyle Drabek and JA Happ – Philadelphia’s two top pitching prospects – but Philly doesn’t want to part with them, at least not both.  It looks like Philly may be turning their attention to the less expensive Cliff Lee.

Both the Rangers and Angels remain interested in Halladay.  However, the Angels likely don’t have the prospects Toronto wants.  The Rangers have the prospects and the willingness to trade them, but it looks like they don’t have the payroll flexibility to take on Halladay’s contract.

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The Cardinals obtained Matt Holliday from the A’s in exchange for top prospect Brett Wallace and two other minor league prospects.  They previously obtained Mark DeRosa from Cleveland for pitching prospect Chris Perez and a PTBNL.  The PTBNL was named yesterday and it was Jess Todd.  According to MLB Trade Rumors, Todd was highly thought of in the Cardinals organization and Baseball America had him listed as the Cardinals #4 prospect.

The Cardinals are obviously going all in to win the NL Central this year.  They’re mortgaging their future and draining their farm system for a shot at the brass ring right now.  However, I’m not sure that they have the horses to get it done this year, and trading away so many of their top prospects is going to make it more difficult to win in years to come.

Milwaukee has been involved in the Roy Halladay sweepstakes, but they are on the outside looking in.  Instead, they have turned their attention to Jerrod Washburn of the Seattle Mariners.  According to Tom Hardicourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Seattle is looking for a shortstop and the Brewers have two good ones in JJ Hardy and Alcides Escobar.  Trading away either one for a few months of Washburn would be a high price to pay, but the Brewers may think they have a leg up on re-signing him when he becomes a free agent at the end of the year since Washburn is a Wisconsin native.

Washburn could probably help the Brewers, but he’s no CC Sabathia.  If they are looking to catch that lightning in a bottle again, they’re probably in for disappointment.  Sabathia put the Brewers on his back last year after he was acquired from Cleveland, and he led them into the playoffs.  It’s doubtful that Washburn can do the same.

Houston, who is just 2.0 games behind the Cubs in third place, is unlikely to make any moves at the trade deadline.  In an interview with Brian McTaggart of MLB.com (and reported by MLB Trade Rumors), Houston GM Ed Wade said:

“We’re having conversations with clubs, but I don’t expect us to be doing much of anything,” Wade said. “The key components aren’t going to change, and that’s the economics and the talent in the system. Those things aren’t going to change overnight. If something makes sense we’ll pursue it, but there’s nothing going on now.”

That leaves the Cubs.  What are they going to do at the deadline?  Considering the ownership situation, don’t expect any blockbuster trades.  However, acquiring something less that Roy Halladay may be a possibility.

Jim Hendry is looking for a left-handed bullpen arm and George Sherrill of Baltimore is the most likely target.  He is a closer for the Orioles right now, but would probably be used as a LOOGY by the Cubs.  That would allow the Cubs to move Sean Marshall back into the rotation to sub for Ted Lilly while he’s on the DL.

Hendry may also be looking for a starting pitcher, especially since Lilly jumped on the DL.  Possibilities include Zach Duke and Tom Gorzelanny of the Pirates.

Speaking of the Pirates, might Freddie Sanchez be Chicago bound?  It’s a longshot, but the Mike Fontenot experiement at second base hasn’t gone so well and I’m sure Lou Piniella would feel more comfortable trotting Sanchez out to second every day instead of Fontenot (or Aaron Miles or Andres Blanco).

Is there any possibility of moving Bradley at the deadline?  I suppose anything is possible, but it’s unlikely.  I wouldn’t mind swapping bad contracts with the Angels for Gary Matthews, Jr. or Toronto for Vernon Wells.  I spoke about this previously here.

I understand that both Matthews and Wells are overpaid.  I also understand that they would cost the Cubs more than the Cubs are currently paying Bradley.  However, I see Bradley as a clubhouse cancer that is going to eat away at the team for the remainder of his contract.  Paying  to get rid of the cancer is a good idea and it just might bring back something useful.  For instance, either Matthews or Wells are better CF options than the Cubs currently have.  Putting either one in CF would allow Piniella to move Kosuke Fukudome back to his natural position in RF.

Having said all of this, it’s probably not going to happen.  Even if the Angels or Blue Jays were interested, the Cubs probably can’t take on the additional payroll at the moment.  But that doesn’t mean we can’t dream.

Ryan Theriot went 3-5 and scored two runs, while Aramis Ramizez was 2-4 with a double, two runs scored and two driven in.

After an off day Thursday, the Cubs come home to take on the Cincinnati Reds in a weekend series at Wrigley.  Aaron Harang (5-10) takes on Randy Wells (5-4) on Friday.  Cubs.com says Ted Lilly will go on Saturday.  It will be interesting to see if his knee is ready for another start.

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According to Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times, the Cubs are not in on Roy Halladay, but they may be in the market for a reliever.  Wittenmyer mentions George Sherrill of the Orioles and Chad Qualls of the D-Backs as two possible targets.

The Cubs may also be in the market for a catcher, depending on how Geovany Soto’s rehab is going.  They should know more by the end of this week.  Soto is swinging a bat now and the Cubs hope to have Soto back in the big leagues during the first week of August.  If he has a set back this week, the Cubs may take a look at Toronto’s Rod Barajas.  He’ll be a free agent at the end of the year, so he’s really nothing more than a short term rental, but that’s exactly what the Cubs need.

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The Cardinals traded Chris Duncan and a player to be named later (or cash) in exchange for SS Julio Lugo.  Bernie Miklasz of the St. Louis Post Dispatch says Lugo is expected to play multiple infield positions, but will likely not start.  Boston will be picking up the remainder of Lugo’s $13.5 million contract.

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Tom Hardicourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports that Milwaukee is looking for starting pitching and last night they watched Cliff Lee pitch a seven hit complete game against Toronto.  Doug Melvin insists the Brewers are not in on Roy Halladay, but Cliff Lee may fit their needs.  His contract is just $5.75 million in 2009 with an $8 million option for 2010.  Plus, they wouldn’t have to give up as much to the Indians to get Lee as it would to get Halladay from Toronto.

What was so impressive about the win against the Indians was that the Cubs spotted the Indians a 7-0 lead, but kept fighting to come back.  Rich Harden looked bad, giving up all seven runs in the first four innings.  However, the Cubs bullpen looked unusually good, giving up just one hit and no runs over the final five innings of the game.

Derrick Lee was the hitting star for the Cubs.  He smacked a solo shot in the 6th off Cliff Lee, and then tied the game with a homerun in the bottom of the ninth off former Cub Kerry Wood.  Lee’s ninth inning heroics gave way to Theriot’s in the 10th.

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Milton Bradley continues to struggle.  It’s clear to see that he is pressing at the plate, trying to hit a five run  homerun every at-bat.  It’s not for lack of effort that Bradley’s hitting line stands at .242/.345/.386.  He’s trying hard, but just not getting the results.

I found this article profiling Bradley in 2003 while he was playing for Cleveland.  It details the tough childhood Bradley had and explains why he has such a “me against the world” mentality.  Even though we look at Bradley sometimes as fiery, angry, and maybe even a head case, I was struck reading the six-year old article with how much Bradley has mellowed.  That’s not to say he is mellow.  Just more mellow than he used to be.

After reading the article, I find myself looking at Bradley more as an underdog and cheering for him to turn his season around.  I was cheering for him before, but I’m cheering even more now.

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The sale of the Cubs continues at a snails pace.  The Ricketts family had exclusive negotiating rights to purchase the team up until this past week.  Now that the exclusive period has passed, Cubs owner Sam Zell and the Tribune Company have re-open negotiations with a group led by Marc Utah and Leo Hindery.  The Utay/Hindery group had the second highest bid behind the Rickett’s $900 million offer.

The sticking point at the moment for the Ricketts is the value of the Cubs television contract with WGN.  The Ricketts feel that WGN is paying too little for the broadcast rights and is looking to decrease their offer; some say by as much as $50 million.  It appears that Sam Zell is not budging.

An earlier report indicated that the sale was not moving forward because the Ricketts could not borrow the money they needed due to the current economic conditions.  However, a spokeman for the Ricketts family indicated that this was not true and that they had already secured the financing they would need to purchase the club, Wrigley Field, and 25% of Chicago Sports Net.

The sale of the Cubs would be nothing more than an interesting story if it didn’t also impact the team’s ability to add payroll at the trade deadline.  Crane Kenney has indicated that the Cubs could take on some “small” contracts, but it appears that Jim Hendry’s hand will be at least somewhat tied in doing anything more than tweaking the team.