Morning Marquee: Zobrist, Escobar dealt to Oakland for Jaso and two minor leaguers

It seemed to be just a matter of when and not if for the Tampa Bay Rays Ben Zobrist. The 33-year-old veteran was dealt along with shortstop Yunel Escobar to Oakland for catcher John Jaso, top shortstop prospect Daniel Robertson, outfielder Boog Powell and cash considerations. The Cubs had been mentioned with Zobrist’s name, as well as a dozen other teams. This checks one more off the list that fans were hopeful the Cubs could acquire before the off-season came to an end.

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While the bigger names are coming and going, the Cubs continue to work below the radar. After adding Andres Santiago yesterday morning, they later added Taylor Teagarden and Jorge de Leon. Teagarden, a catcher, spent last season with the Mets organization. The Cubs will look to rebuild depth behind the plate, as currently they have only one catcher at the Triple-A level. De Leon comes out of the Astros organization, and after initially playing shortstop was converted to a pitcher. He will likely begin the season with Triple-A Iowa.

The Dan Haren saga for the Marlins continues, as his desire to play on the west coast has them wondering if he’ll report to training camp. Haren has hinted that he could retire if not traded, but it seems that possible destinations for him aren’t interested in his services, putting him on the spot in Miami.

The stories from around the league:

‘Ben Zobrist, Yunel Escobar headed to Oakland’ – Swingin’ A’s

‘Cubs add Teagarden, De Leon, Santiago’ – Cubbies Crib

‘Dan Haren to report to Spring Training’ – Marlin Maniac

‘Tigers’ Cabrera to have CT scan on ankle in February’ – CBSSports.com