Kuzul

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 ...

On the heels of an utterly humiliating loss at home to the New York Yankees, the Boston Red Sox find themselves in the middle of a trade with the Chicago Cubs.So, while Theo Epstein may not have been involved in the 100 year anniversary of Fenway Park, his name is linked to the team on this historic weekend.The Boston Red Sox have sent Michael Bowden and a player to be named later to the Chicago Cubs for center fielder Marlon Byrd and cash (via ESPN).Numerous questions come to mind; however, the two most pressing are:"Is this a desperation move?""Will Jacoby Ellsbury be out longer than expected?"Addressing the first one, it seems hard to say no considering how absolutely terribly the team has played this weekend.The loss at home on Friday followed by an insanely unpredictable finish to Saturday's game leads one to think that general manager Ben Cherington and Co. ...

It seems as though Theo Epstein has finally found a suitor for struggling veteran outfielder, Marlon Byrd. Reported by ESPN Chicago, Byrd is apparently shipping up to Boston. The trade is reported as "imminent" and may be officially announced at any time now. This deal would mark the first major in-season trade for Theo Epstein and Jed Hoyer's administration in Chicago as well as Ben Cherington's first in Boston.Byrd, a 35-year-old center fielder, has struggled this season, much as he did at the end of his 2011 campaign, after a hit-by-pitch sidelined him with a face injury midseason.He only has three hits in 43 at bats thus far, all of them singles. Ben Cherington will hope a new environment will help Byrd turn around.With Jacoby Ellsbury and Carl Crawford on the disabled list, as well as Jason Repko injuring himself on Friday, Boston is in dire need of outfield depth. As ...

With a few teams looking for outfield help before opening day, Chicago Cubs general manager Jed Hoyer is reportedly calling around to see if any of his peers might be interested in Marlon Byrd.One major league source told the Chicago Sun-Times' Gordon Wittenmyer that the Cubs offered Byrd to the Washington Nationals in exchange for some pitching. Yet, a different source said that the team is more interested in listening to offers than shopping him around.Dealing Byrd would open up a spot for top prospect Brett Jackson, whom Cubs manager Dale Sveum thinks is ready for the majors but wouldn't get everyday playing time as the roster currently stands.Byrd to the Nationals would make sense, as they've been looking for a center fielder for at least the past couple of years. But their more immediate need could be in left field. Michael Morse has been nursing a strained lat on ...

Heading in to the 2012 campaign, Chicago Cub fans should be excited about the talent they have at the minor league level.  They have a couple of top prospects who are already making a major impact in spring training, and Cub fans should not forget these names once the regular season hits.  On Opening Day, the Chicago Cubs have Marlon Byrd penciled in as their starting center fielder, and Bryan LaHair is your starting first baseman.  Both of these players deserve to be starters heading into the season; however, if they should struggle out of the gate, the Cubs have two prospects ready to take their positions.  Begin Slideshow

Yesterday afternoon, Lou Piniella managed his final game with the Chicago Cubs. And in typical Cubs fashion, they lost, bad, 16-5.Its hard to believe that, save for a few players, this is the same Cubs team that posted the best record in the National League in 2008. Now the Cubs are in 5th place, with only the bargain basement Pirates keeping them from last in the NL Central (but only by 9.5 games mind you).In the past month, we've seen half of our infield and a starting pitcher traded away, as well as  Piniella's recent retirement.The Cubs aren't in a position to win for at least two years, but at least there's hope, right? Well, there's some, but there are things that must be done for them to win the World Series before Wrigley's Centennial in 2014.Begin Slideshow

With Lou Pinella announcing he will retire at the end of the Chicago Cubs season, all I hear is conjecture regarding who people think will be the Cubs' next manager. There are multiple candidates, but for now, it's all speculation, and that's all it's going to be until it actually happens.Begin Slideshow

The Cubs may be known as the lovable losers, but Joey Votto doesn’t care. Votto refused to congratulate Chicago Cubs outfielder Marlon Byrd when he made a big play in right field in the ninth inning of the 2010 MLB All-Star game, throwing out David Ortiz at second base for the second out of the inning.  This play paved the way for the National League’s first victory since 1996. “I don’t like the Cubs,” Votto told ESPN, "And I’m not going to pat anybody with a Cubs uniform on the back. But because he made that really cool play, it turned out to be a really cool experience. I’m really glad we got the win today,” Votto said. He went on to explain why he harbored such cold feelings towards the Cubs. “We are Cincinnati Reds," Votto said. "We’re taught to hate everything in the Central Division. That’s just how it is.” ...

I am now officially in love with Joey Votto...well, if he were a she.  The main headline on the Yahoo splash page runs Votto through the ringer for not hugging and slapping the rear end of Marlon Byrd.  It wasn't the feature story for very long—enough time to send me into a legitimate laugh out loud. Says Votto, "I don't like the Cubs. And I'm not going to pat anybody with a Cubs uniform on the back. But because he made that really cool play, it turned out to be a really cool experience. I'm really glad we got the win today." Yeah baby, that's the spirit!  The Cubs outfielder made a great play...possibly a game saver. Votto acknowledged it as being a "really cool play"—so what's the big deal? I ask, what in the world is wrong with not liking a rival team?  It wasn't anything personal against Byrd.  It's just the fact that the Cubs outfielder ...

If you are a true Chicago Cubs fan, then by now you know that this team is quickly heading nowhere. Although they are still within 10 games in the division, the chances of them making up any ground is highly unlikely. So what are the next steps this franchise needs to take? It is simply to try and move veterans with the high salaries, and to build from the minor league system. Honestly, if you look at the guys on the Cubs' 25-man roster, most of them were acquired from other teams, rather than brought up through the system. Maybe the Cubs should take a page from the Tampa Bay Rays' playbook on building a winner. So, who exactly should the Cubs get rid of? Well, I would start by a hobbled Aramis Ramirez, but then who wants a beaten up third baseman that can't hit anymore? Derrek Lee is also a candidate for being ...