Kuzul

**Follow-up**  The deal is dead. Haren is a free agent, Marmol is back on the team. Cubs fans, put our heads back in the sand, nothing to see here.   In the grand scheme of things trading a reliever, even an elite one, for a quality starting pitcher would strike most as a move worth making.Starters are so infinitely more valuable than relievers, even more so in the payroll department.Yet Carlos Marmol is no elite reliever, and hasn't been for a handful of seasons now. While Dan Haren was far from stellar last season, the 32-year-old is a near-Ace caliber pitcher when he's on. Now, he's headed back to the National League and to the north side.The Angels made this move for salary-relief, and without that in mind the deal is quite lop-sided. The Cubs were far from comfortable with Marmol as the full-time closer, yet they have now solved their top ...

While it tends to be quite difficult to root against the long shot, the underdog and the Cinderella story, sometimes the plug gets pulled on the dream and there's nothing left to be said.Twenty-nine-year-old rookie Bryan LaHair's tale did not end like he had planned, but it follows the tale of virtually all players in his position. Cubs fans know this version of it all too well, having already played through non-factors like Micah Hoffpauir, Jake Fox and a host of other heavy-hitting corner infielders who just can't make it when the at-bats pile up.These other guys along with LaHair have the burden of a very late start on a Major League career. Some may try to pinpoint the late career start on being "blocked" at the higher levels by better talent, but LaHair never really had that concern.While no one will doubt Bryan LaHair's ability to absolutely annihilate AAA-pitching, ...

In a move that was predicted by many, the Chicago Cubs have let go of their hitting coach Rudy Jaramillo. While they remain arguably the worst offense and worst team in baseball, moves like these will tend to happen. Stepping into the interim role will be 35-year-old James Rowson, the Cubs minor league hitting coordinator, according to Doug Padilla of ESPN.com.The tenure of Jaramillo shed a bit of light onto the whole concept of a "high profile" hitting coach. When it comes down to it, there was absolutely zero evidence of any impact over his time on the north side. It's not a personal problem with Rudy; it's more so a statement about the place of hitting coaches in the Major Leagues. These "gurus" offer advice and corrections to swinging mechanics, but to the majority of those in the pros, there is little effect to be had. Showing hard evidence of ...

The Cubs offseason mentality is coming together with rumors like this: According to The Denver Post, it appears the front office is in talks with the Rockies to trade for third baseman Ian Stewart, and the proposed package would be quite a steal.What exactly is this "package" that Colorado is asking for to acquire the 26-year-old infielder? It starts and ends with Blake DeWitt, someone Cubs fans wouldn't bat an eye at releasing outright.If the Rockies only ask for DeWitt in a trade that would send Stewart to Chicago, Theo Epstein has made another savvy, buy-low move in acquiring him.To make a long, poor story of a season short, Stewart was bad last year, albeit in extremely limited time that was filled with injuries and trips back and forth from the Minors to the Majors.But as recently as 2010 he had just under 400 at-bats, hit 18 home runs and posed a ...

After he struggled to produce at the plate all spring, while unable to play acceptable defense at second base, Blake DeWitt has officially lost his role as the starter.He was never starting full-time to begin with, as Jeff Baker was the plan when lefties were on the mound. Now though, DeWitt has played at such a lackluster level that it forced manager Quade's hand in the removal process.The 25-year-old wound up hitting .186 in 48 at-bats and, paired with his lackluster Major League career thus far, has receded him to the bench role of backing up third and second base.DeWitt was a first-round pick for LA, yet in close to 1,000 Major League at-bats has shown virtually none of that upside.Darwin Barney looks to have gained the majority of starts at second base, predominantly because of his strong spring training numbers. Barney is also 25-years-old and has spent most of ...

It makes me a little uneasy to not be penciling in Derrek Lee at first base for the Cubs next season.Since I was 14 years old, I've only known him manning first. Lee was ever the defensive specialist, and I grew jaded in simply expecting him to make every play, every single difficult pick.Lee got it all done with ease, and I would mention his Gold Gloves if I felt the award had any merit (which it doesn't). Yet his defensive prowess is actually very deserved. That's not all with the big man. To top things off, he had two MVP-quality offensive seasons, with multiple above-average years interspersed.Outside of missing the majority of 2006 due to injury, and a lackluster final season with his team, he was a symbol of of how baseball should be played. He was the headliner on this team, through and through. With his departure, the ...

I can safely say that I am a gigantic fan of Adam Dunn. Consistency is one of the main benchmarks for picking my favorite players, and he very simply gets the job done. He is a freak of patience and power, but the consistent production is what draws me to him.   For instance, his production from 2007 to 2009 looks a little something like this: 2007   .264 AVG/.386 OBP (101 walks)/40 home runs 2008   .236 AVG/.386 OBP (122 walks)/40 home runs 2009   .267 AVG/.398 OBP (116 walks)/38 home runs The common thought is imagining what those numbers would look like if he played 81 games in the quite power-friendly confines of Wrigley Field. It's a thought that "Ballhawks" on Waveland Avenue can't help but smile about. The likelihood of Dunn wearing the blue pinstripes next season seems to be multiplying everyday. He made a very vocal campaign for the Cubs ...

      ( Originally posted on IvyReport.com ) There really is no way to sugar-coat it. Randy Wells has pitched like absolute garbage over his last eight starts and is on his way to a plainly pathetic sophomore season in the majors. The guy is the not-so-proud owner of a 5.15 ERA on the year. As some fans know, Wells came from out of the blue to have a startling rookie campaign, which saw him post a 3.10 ERA and a 1.28 WHIP. Many were skeptical that he could repeat his success, because he was a 27-year-old who had been a sub-par minor league pitcher virtually his entire career Looks like the doubters had him pegged. In these last eight starts, Wells has posted an ugly 6.56 ERA and took the loss in five of the appearances. As has been mentioned ad nauseum, his greatest struggles are at the beginning of games. In his first 15 pitches of his starts, ...

( Originally posted on IvyReport.com ) I hate when my friend says "things could be worse" when it comes to the Cubs. As the Cubs sit at 27-35 on the season; third place feels a long way away from first, and it is. As much as this 2010 Cubs team is in the hole right now, their future is not insanely bleak. With the tradable contracts of Ted Lilly, Derrek Lee, Xavier Nady, Ryan Dempster, and Carlos Silva, the Cubs can get a gigantic amount of back-loaded cash and older players off the team this deadline. Players like Fukudome, Zambrano, and Soriano could always find suitors, but the Cubs would have to eat a sizable amount of their contracts. Although that is a hassle, they still free up positions are another pretty large chuck of change. I say things could be worse because the Cubs could have made a few rumored signings this past off-season ...