Kuzul

Last week, two of my three “Buy Low” picks, Carlos Gomez (10-for-18, HR, 3B in last week) and Homer Bailey (8 IP, 0 R, 2 H, 0 BB, 10 K in last start), came through while the third, Ike Davis, finally broke out on Friday with a two-homer game. One of my “Sell High” picks, Barry Zito (2.2 IP, 9 ER, 8 H), also made me look pretty smart in my first week of this feature.   Just in case last week wasn’t a fluke, here’s some advice for next week  …   Sell High J.P. Arencibia, C, Toronto Blue Jays  His six homers and 11 runs batted in this month shouldn’t be much of a surprise. He had eight homers and 19 runs batted in last May and also hit six more long balls in July.  The other months when he’s not red-hot, however, are when you need to ...

It's pretty clear that the Chicago Cubs have bullpen issues. For the third-straight outing, closer Carlos Marmol struggled in relief and the Cubbies lost a heartbreaker, 6-5, to the Atlanta Braves at Turner Field.Despite leading 5-1 heading into the last two innings, the Cubs bullpen imploded to give this one away. The collapse culminated in home runs off the bats of B.J. and Justin Upton in the bottom of the ninth.Facing Marmol to lead off the inning, B.J. launched a solo shot to tie the game before Justin's long ball gave the Braves the walk-off victory two batters later. The game-winner was Justin's second home run of the night and capped a three-hit, three-RBI performance for the younger Upton brother. It was the first time this season the brothers have gone deep in the same game, but considering both of their power, it's likely that this will happen more than a ...

Carlos Marmol’s 2011 campaign was a disaster. His 2012 season was equally awful. Why would the Cubs stick with Marmol as their closer? Marmol has one year left on his three-year contract ($9.8 million) with the Cubs. While fans may want him gone now, his trade value is virtually nonexistent. According to the Chicago Sun-Times, Marmol thought he was already traded to the Angels last year. He would have worked in the bullpen rather than as the closer with the Angels, however. If the Cubs want Marmol to have trade value as a closer, they need him to perform in 2013. If it seemed he wouldn’t produce, then they wouldn’t trot him out there again. All signs point to a better season though. Manager Dale Sveum said Marmol is “throwing the ball way better than last spring training.” He also suggested that Marmol has developed better control with his fastball ...

Ken Rosenthal tweeted earlier that the Chicago Cubs have agreed to terms with Kyuji Fujikawa.It was previously thought that the Angels were the front-runners for acquiring the Japanese closer.Fujikawa should fill in nicely as the Cubs' closer for the 2013 season. In six seasons spent across the Pacific, Fujikawa has accumulated a total of 202 saves and pitched to the tune of a minuscule 1.36 ERA. How that translates in the big leagues is yet to be seen, but it is very promising.Theo Epstein has stated that if there were sound investments available, the Cubs would be not be afraid to spend money this offseason. To that end, he seems to be keeping his word. He has already made moves to improve the starting rotation, and now he has taken strides to improve the bullpen.So, does the signing of Fujikawa mark the end of Carlos Marmol in a Cubs uniform?Marmol has served as ...

**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 ...

Update: Friday, Nov. 3 at 12:15 a.m. ETThe Angels-Cubs trade saga took a dramatic turn into the morning, as the Angels decided not to deal Haren and make him a free agent. MLB beat writer Alden Gonzalez tweets: #Angels have declined the option on Dan Haren.— Alden Gonzalez (@Alden_Gonzalez) November 3, 2012 It seems the L.A. brass couldn't find a deal of equal or lesser value for Haren's services than Marmol. They decided to cut their losses and make Haren somebody else's problem.Boy, it's going to be awkward for Marmol in Chicago.---End of Update--- Update: Friday, Nov. 2 at 10:30 p.m. ETAll of a sudden, it appears the Chicago Cubs have nixed the trade that would have sent Carlos Marmol to the Los Angeles Angels and Dan Haren to Chicago, according to Ken Rosenthal of FoxSports.com.Rosenthal tweeted on Friday: Source: Marmol would have OK'ed trade to #Angels, but #Cubs pulled deal off table and ...

With pitchers and catcher reporting to camp, spring training is finally underway. Although some fans might not be excited until the regular season starts, the players are certainly ready to get back on the field and prepare for the upcoming season.Spring training is often a time for hitters to find their swing, base stealers to condition their legs, and pitchers to find their touch. In addition, often pitchers will try out new pitches during spring training to see if they can add another weapon in their arsenal of pitches.Here are four pitchers everyone expects big things from this season and who are also trying out new pitches this spring.Begin Slideshow

Jim Hendry has already gotten the pink slip, so a lot of the venom Cubs fans may have felt is gone. Now, it is time to pick up the pieces and move on. Unfortunately, there are a lot of pieces to pick up. The Cubs have a top-five payroll and stand in fifth place in their division. That alone tells you the kind of analysis that has been done. Furthermore, they haven’t been a factor in the division for several years.Interestingly enough, this team is not devoid of good players. Quite the contrary, when you look of the number of good players they have, you wonder how they stand in fifth place. This is one of those organizations that consistently makes you scratch your head. Some teams (say the Angels or Rays) make you wonder how they win. With the Cubs, you wonder how they lose. It takes some creativity. Key ...

No, not the team—that sale has already taken place and unfortunately we're stuck with the Ricketts. We're talking players here. The Cubs have played 69 baseball games this season and, despite taking three out of four against the first place Milwaukee Brewers, have proven once again that this simply ain't the year for the Northsiders.  It is time to sell. Sure, the division is immanently winnable, but not for the Cubs. It's too obvious when you see the lack of fundamental play, the injuries and the lack of clutch hitting to continue buying what the Cubs are selling. Oh, and speaking of selling, the time is now for GM Jim Hendry to start whispering in the ears of his general manager counterparts throughout MLB in an effort to lay the groundwork for a move by the All-Star break. Look, it won't be an easy task, to be sure. Expensive, long-term contracts and nonperforming ballplayers ...

Last week I wrote about my hope for the 2011 Cubs. For the first time in a long time, I look at the Cubs organization and see reasons to be optimistic about their short and long-term future. Almost immediately after posting that story to Facebook, I got a message from one of my college buddies—and fellow long-suffering Cubs fan—that was, uh, not so optimistic. He stopped short of calling me a total idiot, but did suggest rather strongly that I needed to immediately go outside, turn around three times and spit. It’s not that he thought I was an idiot for being hopeful, just for saying it publicly. This is how most Cubs fans are wired. They are like that girl in high school who had her heart broken one too many times and overreacts at even the smallest male indiscretion. Everyone understands, but no one wants to be the ...