Hot Stove Rumblings: White Sox and Cubs Dealings

The White Sox and Cubs have both been busy during the annual Winter Meetings as they try to field a winning team for next season.  Though small, the trades that both teams have made could be significant.  See below for your favorite team’s deals:

 

Chicago White Sox

Sign Felipe Paulino
On the first day of winter meetings, the White Sox signed RHP Felipe Paulino.  With a wealth of left-handed pitching (I’ll get into that more in a bit), the Sox needed to balance out their starting rotation.  Paulino does that.  With the Royals most recently in 2012, Paulino was 3-1 in seven starts with a 1.67 ERA.  However, it was the first time he had posted an ERA under 4.11.  He seems to be a bit of a wild card, but as a #4 starter, if he can post an ERA under 4, his $1.75 million deal will be a steal for the Sox.

Trade Hector Santiago for Adam Eaton in three-team deal
Like I wrote, heading into these winter meetings, the White Sox had a wealth of left-handed pitching.  Along with Sale, Quintana, and John Danks, Santiago was the most tradeable of the four.  Chris Sale is one of baseball’s best pitchers, Quintana apparently has an asking price that is way too large, and Danks has a giant contract.  For those reasons, Santiago was expendable.  In exchange, the White Sox received a good prospect in Adam Eaton, who projects to start at center field.  Eaton has great speed and is only 25, which figures into the Sox’s plans to get younger.  Though he has only hit .254 in 88 major league games and missed a majority of last season with a right knee injury, Eaton had 38 SBs and an OBP of .456 in the minor leagues in 2012.  He has garnered comparisons to Aaron Rowand and if that’s true, he’ll become a fan favorite almost immediately.  The White Sox finally have a true leadoff hitter again and they are likely attempting to shop Alejandro DeAza now.  If they are unable to deal him, DeAza will be the 4th outfielder on the south side.

 

Chicago Cubs

Trade Brian Bogusevic for Justin Ruggiano
The Cubs and Marlins exchanged outfielders and I like the deal for the Cubs.  They were able to trade a 30-year-old outfielder that they recently re-signed to a minor league deal for the 31-year-old Ruggiano who hit a career-high 18 HRs last season. Over the past five years, Ruggiano’s games played and HR numbers have risen every year.  He keeps getting better and better, albeit 31-years-old is certainly a question mark as to whether he can keep improving each season.  However, the price the Cubs paid was low and I think the potential rewards in this deal certainly outweigh the risks.

 

Both teams were slightly affected by the Rule 5 Draft.  The Cubs lost pitchers Marcos Mateo and A.J. Morris, 1B Justin Bour, and outfielder Julio Borbon.  They picked up catcher Charles Cutler from the Pirates.  The White Sox, meanwhile, stole catcher Adrian Nieto from the Washington Nationals, but lost no one from their roster.  I doubt that any of these minor moves will have a huge effect on either team. Nevertheless, it’s been an exciting hot stove for both Chicago teams and I’m excited to see their ever-changing starting lineups in 2014.

 

Your daily Chicago sports schedule (one game to watch)

No games

Hump Day Hits- 12/04/13

Let’s get to a quick edition of Hump Day Hits focusing on some big news last weekend and some big news from this afternoon.

 

Northern Illinois Huskies Football: The best case scenario for the NIU Huskies happened this past weekend as the Fresno State Bulldogs lost a close game to San Diego State 62-52.  That loss dropped Fresno State to #23 in the BCS and out of the running for the non-AQ BCS bid.  The lead between NIU and presumed-AAC champion UCF is now just .0964, but that should be enough to maintain the superior ranking if both teams win this weekend.  However, with the BCS, nothing is ever guaranteed.  Northern Illinois will play 9-3 Bowling Green on Friday night well aware that with a victory, they are likely to play in a BCS bowl game for the 2nd year in a row.  UCF plays at 5-6 Southern Methodist on Saturday afternoon, so they’ll know their BCS chances by gametime.  It should be an exciting final two days to the college football regular season for NIU Huskies fans.  Secondly, and not surprisingly, Jordan Lynch was named NIU MVP, being awarded the Vern Smith Leadership Award for the 2nd consecutive season.  First year head coach Rod Carey was named MAC Coach of the Year, just the third time that an NIU coach has been awarded that honor, the last time being in 2002 (Joe Novak).  There is only good news to report in Huskie Nation and hopefully that continues through this weekend and beyond.

 

Chicago White Sox: I was prepared to write about NIU tomorrow and was in the process of posting a season review of the Northwestern Wildcats this afternoon (that will publish tomorrow instead) when news broke of the re-signing of White Sox fan favorite Paul Konerko.  I knew then that I would need to write an abbreviated Hump Day Hits for NIU and the White Sox.  This is a huge re-signing for the Sox.  I know there has been a lot of controversy over why they chose to spend money on an aging slugger who can’t run that hit only .244 with 12 HR last season, but I completely approve of it.  Sports can be a cold business and I, for one, am thrilled to see both an organization and a player exhibit such loyalty to one another.  Konerko is coming back on a huge discount.  He signed a one-year, $2.5 million deal, with $1.5 million being paid this season, and $1 million being deferred all the way to 2021.  Keep in mind that prior to 2013, Konerko had three straight seasons of hitting at least .298 with 26 HR.  If he is able to split the difference and hit around .280 with 20 HR this season, $2.5 million is a flat-out steal!  For comparison, last season, Phillies’ 2B Chase Utley hit .284 with 18 HR.  This past August, Utley signed a two year extension for $27 million, or $13.5 million a year.  THAT’S $9 MILLION MORE A SEASON THAN KONERKO’S DEAL!  If Sox fans don’t like this deal, they have no sense of salary cap efficiency nor of team history.  Chicago fans often bemoan their teams for not being loyal to their stars (see Urlacher, Brian) and this new contract with Paul Konerko is refreshing in that regard.  Now, if they can only find a way to trade Adam Dunn…

 

Your daily (*and yesterday’s) Chicago sports schedule (game to watch)

*Blackhawks vs. Stars – Tuesday, 7:00 pm     LOSS 3-4

No games – Wednesday

Cubs and White Sox Waiver Deals

Now that we’ve caught up a bit on pro football, let’s get back to baseball and the miserable seasons in which both Chicago teams find themselves.  At least the last couple of weeks, due to the waiver wire, have been newsworthy.  Let’s get to those deals:

 

White Sox trade Alex Rios to Rangers for cash and IF prospect Leury Garcia

I’m not too angry about this trade.  I realize the Sox didn’t get much back in return, but in my opinion, it’s addition by subtraction.  By dealing Rios, they freed up space to call up Avisail Garcia, who in his short time with the major league squad has hit .297 and slugged. 432.  He’s still looking for his first HR, but that hitting is exactly what the Sox were hoping for when they dealt Jake Peavy, and I doubt he sees the minor leagues again for quite some time, or maybe ever.  In addition, the deal frees up salary space, as the Rangers will pick up most of what is left on Rios’ contract.  The prospect they received probably won’t be much, but there’s always hope when a team trades for a young player.  Leury Garcia is a 22-year-old IF who played in 25 games for the Rangers this season.  He only hit .192 with just one extra-base hit, but fielding-wise, he’s sharp, making only a single error, at 2B.  Time will tell if Garcia pans out.

 

Cubs trade David DeJesus to Nationals for cash and player to be named later

Not surprisingly, David DeJesus was traded.  As another small contract that overperformed, Epstein wanted to get as much value as possible.  The Nationals are reportedly considering dealing him immediately.  DeJesus has a $6.5 million option for next season, or the Nats could buy him out for $1.5 million.  The Cubs have said they’d be interested in bringing him back at a discount, and I’m sure DeJesus would share that interest.  This will be an interesting story to continue monitoring.

 

The waiver deadline is August 31st and on September 1st, rosters increase to 40 players, so we should get a good look at both the White Sox’ and Cubs’ prospects.  And who said September baseball isn’t fun when your team is out of it??

 

Your daily Chicago sports schedule (one game to watch)

Sky @ Mystics – 6:00 pm

Cubs vs. Nationals – 7:05 pm

White Sox @ Royals – 7:10 pm

Hump Day Hits- 08/07/13

It’s that day again!

Hump Day Hits is where I catch you up on what is going on around the sports world, what you may have missed, and what you’ll need to know moving forward.

 

Chicago Cubs: The Cubs continue to plod along attempting to get through this season as quickly as possible.  With a loss to the Phillies last night, their record dropped to 49-63, good for 5th worst in the MLB, and at this point, it becomes about positioning yourself for the best possible draft pick in next year’s 1st year player draft.  The Cubs will be active on the waiver wire, evident in their claiming of OF Thomas Neal from the New York Yankees.  Neal has had minimal success in the major leagues, but has posted good stats in the minors, and as a 25-year-old, he is well worth the risk, but Cubs fans probably shouldn’t hold their breath to see if he makes an immediate impact.  It’s possible they’re able to deal Kevin Gregg through waivers this month, but that remains to be seen.  Nevertheless, I’m sure Theo Epstein and Jed Hoyer are working around the clock to work out some deals that make sense.

 

Chicago Fire: The Fire are still attempting to make a furious comeback to the playoffs.  This past Saturday, they defeated Philadelphia 2-1 to improve their record to 8-9-4.  The Fire now stand in 7th place.  However, two weeks ago, twelve points separated the Fire from the 3rd place team in their conference, the Montreal Impact.  Today, that number is down to seven points and all of a sudden, the Fire are very much in this thing.  With their next three matches against Montreal (3rd place), New England (6th place), and Kansas City (2nd place), they need to come away from each game with at least a draw, and if that happens, I may come back in a couple of weeks explaining how the Fire are preparing for the MLS Playoffs.

 

Chicago Sky: As the Fire climb in the standings, the Sky are starting to fall.  With two straight losses, the Sky are barely holding on to 1st place and are still waiting for their star, Elena Delle Donne, to return to 100 percent after suffering a concussion before the all-star break.  She returned to the court last night and did play 32 minutes, but only put up 12 points and 2 rebounds.  If she can get back to full health immediately, this team should be fine and the two-game losing streak, both coming against the Indiana Fever, will be seen as a bump in the road.  I’m not too concerned as the Sky are definitely talented, but I’ll be monitoring Delle Donne to make sure she comes back strong, because if she can’t get back to her pre-all star game playing level, this team could be in trouble.

 

Chicago White Sox: Like the Cubs, the White Sox are positioning themselves for a good draft pick (currently the 2nd worst team in the MLB) and monitoring the waiver wire to see what they can find.  GM Rick Hahn said before Monday night’s game, “I am spending more time now on waivers than I did before the deadline.  It is a busy period of time right now.  Essentially during this month every player around baseball goes on waivers.  The bulk of the activity is in the early part of the month.”  The White Sox are usually among the most active teams during the waiver season, claiming players like Alex Rios and Manny Ramirez in recent years.  I don’t expect the White Sox to do anything major like that, but I wouldn’t be surprised if a minor deal, similar to the Cubs getting Thomas Neal, goes through.

 

Your daily Chicago sports schedule (one game to watch)

Cubs @ Phillies – 6:05 pm

White Sox vs. Yankees – 7:10 pm

Day After Hump Day Hits- 08/01/13

As promised, I’m getting to Hump Day Hits on Thursday, but in case you’re just coming to this blog for the first time, Hump Day Hits is where I catch you up on what is going on around the sports world, what you may have missed, and what you’ll need to know moving forward.

 

Starting in the world of football- pros, then arena:

Chicago Bears: The Bears have been experiencing many injuries in training camp.  A list of those injuries:

LT Jermon Bushrod has been seen with a walking boot after suffering a calf injury two days ago.
DE Turk McBride was injured Monday with a ruptured Achilles tendon, and he will be out for the entire season.
RT Jonathan Scott suffered a minor knee injury yesterday, but was practicing later in the afternoon with his knee taped.
MLB DJ Williams was carted off of the practice field yesterday with a calf injury.  He is seen as week-to-week.

At the very least, these injuries open up opportunities for younger players to steal starting positions, most notably rookie MLB from Florida, Jonathan Bostic.  Bostic had already started camp at a high level.  Look for him to take the position and not look back.  Normally, rookies aren’t thrust into an important position like MLB so early, but desperate times calls for desperate measures, and Williams’ injury paired with Brian Urlacher’s retirement definitely qualifies as one of those desperate times.

 

Chicago Rush: There isn’t much more to report on the Chicago Rush than what I wrote last week.  However, as expected, the Rush will take on the Spokane Shock in the 1st round of the Arena Football League playoffs.  One correction: I had written before that the Rush would host the playoff game.  However, home field advantage actually goes by record, so the Rush will be on the road in this 1st round.  That makes this a much more difficult matchup as the Shock are 11-2 all-time in the AFL playoffs and have never lost a postseason game at their home stadium, Spokane Arena.  It seems near impossible that the Rush will escape from the first round with a victory, but anything can happen in the postseason, and the AFL is no different.  That game will be tonight at 9:00 pm and can be seen on the CBS Sports Network.

 

Moving on to the world of baseball:

Chicago Cubs: The trade deadline came and went without any more deals by the Cubs.  I’ve written in the past couple of weeks that the trades the Cubs made were really good for the franchise, and while they stood pat at the deadline, that’s more a fault of the players and not of Theo Epstein and Jed Hoyer.  Because of Kevin Gregg’s struggles, he became unmovable unless the Cubs would only expect a lower-level prospect in return.  In the cases of David DeJesus and Nate Schierholtz, the Cubs tried to move them, but the return just wasn’t there.  There is still an opportunity that they could move Gregg before the waiver-wire deadline (some time in August), but for now, let’s look back at who the Cubs gave up and received in exchange.  I think it has started to put this franchise back on the right track.

TRADED:
1) Carlos Marmol and international cash
2) Scott Feldman and Steve Clevenger
3) Scott Hairston
4) Matt Garza
5) Alfonso Soriano and cash considerations

RECEIVED:
1) Matt Guerrier
2) Jake Arrieta, Pedro Strop, and international cash
3) Ivan Pineyro
4) Justin Grimm, Mike Olt, C.J. Edwards, and a player to be named later (from Rangers)
5) Corey Black

The Cubs were able to dump a lot of salary and pick up a number of prospects.  If any of those prospects pan out, fans can look back at this trade deadline as the turning point for their franchise.

 

Chicago White Sox: The trade deadline was just as quiet for the White Sox and I have to say that I’m pretty happy with the way things went down.  If the team struggles next year, they can still deal Alex Rios and Alexei Ramirez then, but in all honesty, Peavy was the only one you HAD to deal.  Coming into the 2013 season, Baseball American ranked the White Sox 29th (out of 30 teams) in organization talent, and given Peavy’s injury history, there was no guarantee that he would be healthy next season.  This was the time to make the deal, and the GM Rick Hahn was able to pull off what I think has the potential to go down as one of the great trades in franchise history.  But time will tell…  Here are the players the White Sox traded before the deadline and the prospects they received in return.

TRADED:
1) Matt Thornton
2) Jesse Crain
3) Jake Peavy

RECEIVED:
1) Brandon Jacobs and cash considerations
2) Players to be named later or cash considerations (from Rays)
3) Avisail Garcia, Cleuluis Rondon, Francellis Montas, and JB Wendelken

That seems like a successful deadline in my opinion.

 

Your daily Chicago sports schedule (one game to watch)

White Sox @ Indians – 11:05 am

Cubs vs. Dodgers – 7:05 pm

Rush @ Spokane – 9:00 pm     CBS Sports Network

Reviewing the Jake Peavy Trade

Wednesday is normally when I run a weekly Hump Day Hits feature, but we’ll postpone that until tomorrow and take a look at the long awaited Jake Peavy trade that finally went through late last night.

It was a three-team deal with the following players being acquired:

Boston Red Sox–
RHP Jake Peavy
RHP Brayan Villarreal

Detroit Tigers–
3B/SS Jose Iglesias

Chicago White Sox–
OF Avisail Garcia
RHP Francelis Montas
RHP J.B. Wendelken
SS Cleuluis Rondon

 

This is a great deal for the White Sox!  I couldn’t be more thrilled.  So far, I haven’t heard any talk about the White Sox helping with Peavy’s contract so I think they were able to dump his entire contract ($23.5 million through 2014, and a club option $15 million for 2015) and pick up a premiere prospect in Avisail Garcia (rated the #2 prospect in the Tigers’ organization).  It remains to be seen what Montas (a class-A 100 MPH flamethrower), Wendelken, and Rondon can bring to the table, but for the Sox of the White variety to acquire a future starter in Garcia AND lose Peavy’s contract, this has to be seen as a great success for GM Rick Hahn.

 

Here is what a couple of American League scouts had to say about Garcia, courtesy of ESPN’s Bruce Levine:

“This young man has a tremendous tool set.  He can really run and his defense is outstanding.  The only thing that you might worry about is him gaining weight.”

“Garcia has five-tool ability.  The only thing I am not sure of is his power potential.  He runs great and throws with the best of them.  Chicago is getting a player who can be a perennial All-Star.  He reminds me of Magglio Ordonez, but a much better runner.”

 

A bit more on Garcia:

His nickname is “mini-Miggy” as he resembles Miguel Cabrera and is also from Venezuela

In his debut last season, he hit .319 in 23 games

In the Tigers’ four-game sweep over the Yankees in last year’s ALCS, Garcia hit .455

This season, he hit .241 with 2 HR in 30 games for the Tigers (in AAA, he has hit .382, with 5 HR, an OBP of .414, and a SLP of .549 in 32 games)

He has played all three OF positions, including 18 games in RF in 2012, and 23 games in CF in 2013

He will start with the White Sox in AAA Charlotte, but look for him to be called up soon, especially if Alex Rios is dealt before Wednesday’s trade deadline

 

I think this was a good trade for the Red Sox as well.  They’ve acquired a great SP and have Will Middlebrooks, Brandon Snyder, or Brook Holt to replace Jose Iglesias, who has struggled as of late.  Peavy will do great in Boston!  He brings a passion and fire to the mound that is rarely seen these days and Red Sox fans will feed off of that.  Peavy tweeted this out after the trade was final:

THANK YOU Chicago! It's been an honor & a privilege to pitch for u! You are 1st class & I will never forget you! So many emotions right now!

— Jake Peavy (@JakePeavy_22) July 31, 2013

 

Looking at the Tigers’ acquisitions in this trade shows another reason that this is a great trade for the White Sox.  Yes, the Tigers acquired a young SS in Jose Iglesias, who happens to be hitting .330 this season, but looking deeper at the numbers shows that his average is somewhat superficial.  He is a player known for his infield singles (24 on the season), showing that he is much more of a soft-hitter than his average implies (a la Omar Vizquel).  He is a great fielder, one of the best in the MLB, and no one disputes that, but in July, he is hitting .205 with only one extra-base hit.  There is not enough defensive production to overcome those offensive struggles.  So why did the Detroit Tigers trade for him?  How is Iglesias worth giving up their #2 prospect?  This is where it all comes full circle.  The Tigers’ current SS, Jhonny Peralta, is preparing for a 50-game suspension to come any day for his part in the Biogenesis scandal.  Because Peralta will be suspended, the Tigers had to make a move for a starting SS- hence, the trade for Iglesias.  This is another reason the White Sox won this trade.  The acquisition of Iglesias makes the Tigers stronger short-term, when the White Sox have no chance of competing, but in the longer-term, they’ve dealt a really strong prospect in Avisail Garcia to a divisional rival, making the White Sox stronger and their own team weaker.  If the Tigers go on to win the World Series this season, no one will care that they dealt away Garcia.  But if Garcia becomes a great player for the White Sox, certainly a strong possibility at this point, and helps the team to overcome the Tigers in terms of roster-strength, fans can point to this deal as the tipping point.

Well done, White Sox.  Now, on to Alex Rios…

 

Your daily Chicago sports schedule (game to watch)

White Sox @ Indians – 6:05 pm

Cubs v. Brewers – 7:05 pm

White Sox Trade Deadline- The First Domino Falls

Stop the presses!! The White Sox have made another deal, this time trading away none other than…

 

Jesse Crain…

 

Okay… I was expecting Peavy or Rios, but still, Crain was an all-star set-up man.  We probably got a huge haul for him!  Wait, what’s that?? We only got a lower-level prospect or money for his contract depending on his performance?  Umm… okay.  Well, I mean he’s not Jake Peavy or Alex Rios, so when THEY get traded, wait, what??  Reports are now that the White Sox might hold on to them instead of dealing them away?  Okay, I’m done.  I’m absolutely done with this team!

Two years ago, I hit a point in July/August/September where I had grown tired of Ozzie Guillen and after being one of his biggest fans for several years, I was ready for him to be fired.

After thirteen years of Kenny Williams in upper management, I have similar feelings brewing.  But in his defense, I’m not entirely sure how much decision-making he is doing.  Now that Rick Hahn is general manager, I’d like to throw some blame towards him as well, but I can’t help but think that Williams is the reason that the White Sox price is so high for Peavy, Rios, and Ramirez.

Two weeks ago, I wrote that the Sox and Cubs would be setting their future course in the last two weeks of July.  Since that time, the Cubs have done very well.  They received some really nice prospects in return for Scott Feldman and Matt Garza, and even if they weren’t able to acquire prospects, they were able to dump salary (see Soriano to New York).  The White Sox, on the other hand, have played this horribly.  As I feared, instead of jumping on the market, they waited and waited and waited, and now the desire for Peavy and Rios has cooled so much that the Sox would prefer to keep both players and head into next season without changing direction.  That is mind-boggling, considering that one of the many truths in baseball is the following:

Grinder Rule #281: If you are twenty-three games under. 500 at 40-63 and competing with the likes of the Miami Marlins and the Houston Astros for the worst team in the MLB, YOU DO NOT STAY THE COURSE.

If the White Sox do not deal Peavy in the next two days ($23.5 million remains on his contract) with a little over 24 hours remaining until the 4:00pm EST deadline on Wednesday, this trade deadline will have been an utter failure and fans should expect to deal with a .388 win percentage for several years to come.

 

Your daily Chicago sports schedule (game to watch)

Cubs vs. Brewers DH – 1:20 pm

White Sox @ Indians – 6:05 pm     Peavy is scheduled to pitch– watch to see if he gets pushed back or makes his start as scheduled

Cubs v. Brewers DH – 7:05 pm

Cubs and White Sox Trade Rumors

The great thing about the MLB Trade Deadline is you never know where players will go until deals are finalized.  Hopefully, this collection of tweets from writers and fans will demonstrate:

 

Cubs Rumors

Kevin Gregg-

Cubs rumors: Could Kevin Gregg go next?: Following the much-anticipated trade of the market's top starter… http://t.co/5hRoYjONdA #MLB

— MLB Injury News (@MLBInjuryNews) July 23, 2013

Kevin Gregg- The implosion is just beginning. Cubs waited too long to trade him. Value decreases by the day. Sell hot!!

— James Mermigis (@jamesmermigis) July 25, 2013

Kevin Gregg might not be going anywhere, but Alfonso Soriano probably is. http://t.co/idgYxCrtnH #Cubs #TradeDeadline

— Jeff Agrest #🟦 (@JeffAgrest) July 25, 2013

 

Alfonso Soriano-

Alfonso Soriano gives Theo Epstein list of teams for which he would waive no-trade clause. It includes @Yankees: http://t.co/epkxx9WFKF

— MLB (@MLB) July 25, 2013

Soriano's good with #Yankees trade as Theo sees "natural time to move on to clear opportunities for younger players." http://t.co/IMdLX6Lfd2

— Patrick Mooney (@PJ_Mooney) July 25, 2013

 

Nate Schierholtz-

Pirates Scouts Have Been Watching Nate Schierholtz For Over A Month http://t.co/yL4gI4uzSR

— X Angry Fan (@theangryfan) July 25, 2013

Maybe the Giants should trade for Nate Schierholtz.

— Damin Esper (@DaminEsper) July 25, 2013

 

 

White Sox Rumors

Jesse Crain-

Red Sox Trade Rumors: Jake Peavy, Jesse Crain Heading To Fenway? – International Business Times: http://t.co/Ub5Ua0Jx4T #redsox #sox

— Red Sox Stream (@soxstream) July 24, 2013

https://twitter.com/ATLforDotMe/status/360224573284810753

https://twitter.com/JCapp1538/status/355343224052781056

 

Alejandro De Aza-

White Sox trade rumors: Alejandro De Aza plays his way into the rumor mill, briefly http://t.co/4B7PTVBcFG

— South Side Sox (@SouthSideSox) July 25, 2013

The Rangers need to trade for Alejandro De Aza. They can thank me later.

— 𝕸𝖈𝖋𝖗𝖔𝖌 (@mcfrog) July 24, 2013

 

Jake Peavy-

#Redsox, #STLCards emerging as among potential players for #Chisox star Jake Peavy. http://t.co/L6YyBoAS4v

— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) July 23, 2013

Oakland Athletics: “Dark Horse” Should Deal For Chicago White Sox’ Jake Peavy http://t.co/WD28iK33z8 #RantMLB #MLB

— Rant Sports 24/7 (@RantSports247) July 25, 2013

Report: A's interested in trading for Peavy (Comcast SportsNet Bay Area) http://t.co/uhZDmptEWs

— Athletics Blogs (@AthleticsBlogs) July 25, 2013

The White Sox and Red Sox have discussed a trade that would send Will Middlebrooks to Chicago for Jake Peavy. http://t.co/rtRsv5N0q6

— MLB Daily Dish (@mlbdailydish) July 25, 2013

 

Alexei Ramirez-

I thought the Cardinals were after Peavy, not Alexei Ramírezhttp://t.co/3ccCtfpYDR#WhiteSox #Cardinals

— The Decadent Moose (@DecadentMoose) July 24, 2013

ChiSox Reject Cardinals' Offer For Alexei Ramirez http://t.co/dCSg4tu3rX #mlb

— MLB Trade Rumors (@mlbtraderumors) July 24, 2013

Why would the White Sox not trade Alexei for Carlos Martinez? #WhiteSox #Cardinals

— Joseph Peters (@ShoelessJoe12) July 25, 2013

 

Alex Rios-

#pirates eying alex rios & possibly alexei ramirez. #chisox http://t.co/293fcDJk2U

— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) July 19, 2013

Yankees Trade Rumors: Why Alex Rios Should Be New York's Top Deadline Target http://t.co/WpjDFCQ4sR

— nonso (@Nvnso_) July 25, 2013

#Royals looking at Alex Rios http://t.co/8q7HleSmON

— Royals Review (@royalsreview) July 25, 2013

White Sox, Rangers Discussing Alex Rios http://t.co/cPB3Im7eq5 #mlb

— MLB Trade Rumors (@mlbtraderumors) July 24, 2013

 

Hopefully, that demonstrates that the only thing you can predict at the MLB trade deadline is for something unpredictable to happen.  If I were to guess, I’d say Soriano gets dealt to the Yankees today.  Everyone else?  Heck if I know…

 

Your daily Chicago sports schedule (games to watch)

White Sox v. Tigers – 1:10 pm

Cubs @ Diamondbacks – 8:40 pm

Hump Day Hits- 07/24/13

Hump Day Hits is where I catch you up on what is going on around the sports world, what you may have missed, and what you’ll need to know moving forward.

 

Chicago Cubs: The wheeling and dealing continues with the Chicago Cubs, contrary to their south side counterparts.  Matt Garza is gone.  He was dealt to the Texas Rangers on Monday for 3B prospect Mike Olt, RHP prospect C.J. Edwards, RHP starter Justin Grimm, and a player or two to be named later.  I think the Cubs came out very well in this deal.  Grimm, the least notable player in this deal, has been hit or miss this season posting a 7-7 record with the Rangers, along with a 6.37 ERA in 89 IP.  Through the first two months of the season, he was 5-3 with an ERA of 3.93.  However, since June, he has posted a record of 2-4 with an ERA of 9.91.  He’s only 24 years-old though, so there’s plenty of time to mature and progress.  Olt, meanwhile, is also 24, but was ranked by ESPN’s Keith Law as the 71st-best prospect in the MLB and 2nd in the Rangers’ system.  He hasn’t produced much this season, hitting .213 with 11 HR and 32 RBI in 65 games but it gives the Cubs another good corner infielder prospect.  Edwards, who might be the jewel of this deal, is 8-2 with a 1.83 ERA and 122 K in 93.1 innings in Class-A.  If any of these players pan out, the Cubs made a great deal.  It’s hard to find anything to dislike about what Theo Epstein and the Cubs are doing right now.

 

Chicago Fire: Let’s catch up on the Chicago Fire.  After two consecutive losses to Kansas City and Vancouver, they got a much-needed win against the lowly DC United.  Behind two goals from Chris Rolfe, the Fire were able to straighten the team out with a 4-1 victory and continue their upward climb to an unlikely playoff berth.  Their next three matches will be crucial for them.  On the next three Saturdays, they play Houston, Philadelphia, and Montreal, teams that are currently 5th, 4th, and 3rd, respectively, in their conference.  With only 12 points separating the Fire and 3rd place, victories in these three games would put them well on their way towards climbing up in the standings.  Three losses?  That would pretty much quelch any hope they have left.

 

Chicago White Sox: The Sox aren’t trading anyone yet and I can’t figure out why.  I’m worried that they’re waiting for the perfect deal and by the time the trade deadline rolls around, they’ll have waited too long and will have to take less of a prospect haul than they deserve.  But I may just be pessimistic.  With Garza traded, Jake Peavy becomes the next hot SP commodity on the market and he’s garnering interest from the Red Sox and the Cardinals.  Francisco Rodriguez was dealt yesterday which makes Jesse Crain next on the market.  Additionally, Alex Rios and Alexei Ramirez continue to get interest from the Pirates as a package deal, so it may just be a matter of the White Sox waiting their turn.  This next week is going to be very interesting and its importance for turning the White Sox toward the right franchise-path can’t be overstated.

 

Normally, I present these in alphabetical order, but I wanted to end this week’s Hump Day Hits with the Chicago Bears: Players report to training camp today!  Football season is here!!

So bear down, sports fans.  The wait is finally over.

 

Your daily Chicago and national sports schedule (one game to watch)

Sky @ Mystics – 10:30 am

US Men’s Soccer @ Honduras – 6:00 pm

White Sox v. Tigers – 7:10 pm

Cubs @ Diamondbacks – 8:40 pm

Cubs/White Sox Midseason Team Grades

As we reach the all-star break in baseball (imo, the best all-star game of any sport), it seems right to grade the efforts to this point by the Cubs and the White Sox.  I present my mid-season team grades:

 

Chicago Cubs- C-

No one expected the Cubs to compete this season.  It was seen as a rebuilding year.  Therefore, the team passes.  They are in 4th place in the NL Central, a small victory since they aren’t in last, with a record of 42-51.  I assume that if you’d asked Theo Epstein and Jed Hoyer before the season if they would feel successful being nine games under .500 at the all-star break, I think, if their answer was off the record, it would have been a resounding yes.  Going into this year, there were going to be three absolutely awful teams- the Miami Marlins, the Houston Astros, and the Cubs.  The Marlins are 35-58.  The Astros are 33-61.  The fact that the Cubs are better than them, plus four other teams, is a big success, even if it is hard to see it that way.

Negatives- Certainly the Cubs would like to see more production out of Starlin Castro.  He’s hitting .243 this season and as a franchise-player, he needs to produce better.  Hopefully for the Cubs, this is just a blip in the radar and in the next few seasons, when they actually hope to compete, his numbers will be what they were in 2010-2012, when he hit a combined .296 with 27 HRs and 57 SBs.  He’s a star talent and needs to play like it.

Positives- Jeff Samardzija has been fantastic this season!  Additionally, Alfonso Soriano is hitting, making him a potential asset to trade.  The team has already started dealing off assets that they had acquired cheaply.  That is how you build a good franchise!  Theo Epstein knows that.  He signed Scott Feldman (traded to the Orioles), and Matt Garza and Kevin Gregg for relatively cheap.  By trading those players for high-quality prospects, the Cubs are changing their culture to one of winning.  Okay, okay… I may be getting ahead of myself, but still, the Cubs seem to be on the right track franchise-wise, COMPLETELY different from the other team in town…

 

Chicago White Sox- F

Contrary to the Cubs, the 2013 White Sox were supposed to compete for a playoff spot.  They were in 1st place in early September in 2012 before falling off and eventually getting passed by the Detroit Tigers, who went on to represent the American League in the World Series.  As a young-ish team with a 1st-year manager, that was supposed to be a growing experience for the Sox and they were supposed to be even better this year.  They have been anything but!  At 37-55, the Sox are in last place in the AL Central by 2 games and are the 3rd worst team in the MLB.  Everything has gone wrong this season.  Whereas they were fundamentally sound last season and ran the basepaths well, it’s hard to watch a game this season without seeing the White Sox make a costly fielding error or baserunning blunder.  This team has been hard to watch, and for a team with postseason aspirations, this season has been nothing but disappointing.

Negatives- Everything- fielding, timely hitting, any hitting for that matter, baserunning, pitching, you name it.  This team has been downright bad.  But if you were to pick one thing, it has to be the performance of Paul Konerko.  The last remaining member of the 2005 World Series team, Konerko is hitting just .249 with only 7 HRs.  Currently on the DL, Konerko has played in only 2/3 of the Sox’ games.  For the team and for Konerko, this has been a first half to forget.

Positives- Chris Sale continues to be one of the best pitchers in baseball.  Poor run support has left him with a 6-8 record, but his 2.85 ERA and 131 Ks were enough to get him his 2nd all-star appearance (he pitched one scoreless inning in last year’s Midseason Classic).  Jesse Crain has been fantastic as well!  With a 0.74 ERA and 46 Ks in 36.2 innings, he also was selected for the all-star game, his first selection.  Crain will be a great asset to trade.  Speaking of dealing, the Sox team grade could be different by October.  If they’re able to swing some good prospects for their assets (Peavy, Crain, Rios, Ramirez), then this season turns into a success (they’ve already dealt Matt Thornton- to the Red Sox for prospect outfielder Brandon Jacobs).  With some good trades, this team can still compete for the postseason in 2014 and 2015.  With some bad trades, the Sox could be in the midst of a multiple-season funk.  The next month should clarify on which path the White Sox are headed.

 

Your Chicago daily sports schedule (one game to watch)

2013 Home Run Derby – 7:00 pm   ***No Chicago players are competing, but nevertheless, it will be fun to watch***