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.

**********

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).

**********

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.

Carlos Zambrano started the game for the Cubs, but only pitched 3.0 innings when he left the game with a stiff back.  According to Z, he wasn’t injured, but noticed that his arm slot had dropped because of the stiff back.  Rather than risk injury, Lou Piniella opted to pull him from the game.

After Lee hit his homerun in the top of the 10th, Nunez hit Aramis Ramirez on the left bicep with a pitch.  Ramirez, who was 2-for-5 with a double, three RBI and a run scored, appeared to be fine.  He moved to second on a sacrifice bunt, but then came out of the game complaining of dizziness and nausea.  After the game, Pinella said Ramirez was fine.

The annoying thing for me was that the Cubs got out to a 6-0 lead, but the Cubs pitching couldn’t hold the lead.  Zambrano gave up two earned runs before leaving the game, and then Jeff Samardzija and Kevin Gregg gave up three earned runs each to allow Florida to tie the game.  Thankfully, the offense was able to bail out the pitching.  Of course, considering how the first half of the year went, that’s probably a nice change.

The final game of the series will be today against the Marlins.  Ryan Dempster (5-5), who didn’t look good in his last outing, will take on former Cub farmhand Ricky Nolasco (7-7) in a late afternoon affair at Land Shark Stadium (I can never get used to that name).

**********

In my wrap up of the trade deadline, I criticized JP Ricciardi for not being more realistic about the trade value of Roy Halladay.  In particular, I said that Ricciardi was “deluded” for thinking that Halladay would bring more in the off season than teams were willing to pay at the trade deadline.  A couple of friends challenged my thinking on this, saying that teams would have more payroll flexibility in the off season than they have now, so they’ll be able to afford to pay more for Halladay then than they can now.

Although there may be a team or two that will have the financial flexibilty to add Halladay after the season that couldn’t afford him in July (the Cubs may be one of them), I think the bigger issue is what teams were willing to give up in prospects for Halladay.  If a team had traded for Halladay in July, they could have used him in 2009 as well as 2010.  If they trade for him in the off season, they’ll only be able to use him in 2010.  So which is worth more, a pennant drive and a full season of Roy Halladay, or just a full season?  To me, the answer is obvious. 

Think of it this way.  I’m really thirsty right now and you have a case of water you want to sell.  Is the water more valuable to me now when I am super thirsty or is it more valuable next year when I might be thirsty?  Okay, it’s not a perfect analogy, but I think you get the point.  Teams needed Halladay this year to make the final push to the playoffs.  He would still be nice to acquire in the off season, but the urgency won’t be nearly as strong as it is now.

**********

Rob McQuown at Baseball Prospectus has some thoughts on the Scott Rolen trade to Cincinnati.  McQuown really likes Rolen and lays out a good case why Rolen is an affordable (at $10 million) and talented option at third for the Reds.  If the trade had been Edwin Encarnacion for Rolen, the Reds would have gotten the better end of that deal.  But by including highly regarded prospects Josh Roenieke and Zach Stewart, McQuown thinks that Walt Jocketty made the worst trade of any GM at the trade deadline.

While I agree with McQuown’s perspective, I think the bigger issue is how Rolen’s contract will hamstring the Reds from improving their team next year.  Let’s face it, the Reds aren’t going to compete this year.  They had a decent first half, but they’ve been fading ever since.  So improving the team this year wasn’t really much of an issue.  The more important issue is improving the team in the future.  And to do that, Jocketty is going to need some payroll flexibility.  Adding Scott Rolen to the roster makes the Reds a better team, but severely ties Jocketty’s hands to address the many other issues the team has.

John Fay at the Cincinnati Enquirer makes this exact point on his blog.  Fay believes that the acquisition of Rolen has forced Jocketty’s hand and the Reds will  now have to move the contracts of Aaron Harang, Francisco Cordereo, and/or Bronson Arroyo.  Without moving one or more of these contracts, the Reds will be unable to address their other needs. 

What Fay doesn’t say is that other teams are going to be loathe to give up much for any of these pitchers.  So the Reds are in the position of having to move these players, but because they have to move them, the Reds don’t have any leverage to insist on getting quality back in return.

By the way, for what it’s worth, Toronto will be paying the remaining $4 million owed to Rolen this year.  The Cardinals will be paying the $4 million bonus that is owed to Rolen in 2010. 

**********

Here are two good articles regarding the Jake Peavy trade.  David Cameron from Fangraphs posted a column on Cory Brock’s blog detailing why he liked the trade for the Padres.  Scott Miller from CBSSports.com gives his opinion on why the White Sox made a good trade.  While I agree with both writers, I think this trade will be remembered for the White Sox getting Jake Peavy.  The guys going from the Sox to the Padres may turn out to be valuable pieces, but it will be Peavy going to the White Sox that will be remembered.

Also, in Miller’s piece, Peavy says that he will be back this year to pitch.  There was some concern about Peavy not being ready untilm next year.  If Peavy can still pitch this year, Kenny Williams made an even better trade.

**********

The San Diego Padres are expected to release Mark Prior today.  Prior signed a minor league deal with the club in the off season and could have earned $1 million had he made it to the big team.  MLB Trade Rumors has the details.  It’s just another sad chapter in a career that has had many more ups than downs.

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.

**********

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.

**********

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.

**********

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.