Dec 3, 2012; Nashville, TN, USA; MLB hall of fame president Jeff Idelson addresses the media during the Major League Baseball winter meetings at the Gaylord Opryland Hotel. Mandatory credit: Don McPeak-USA Today Sports

New comer Biggio led the 2013 edition with 68.2% of the votes, while Morris, Raines, and Bagwell crept closer to the 75% selection marker. Among the names taking a slight step back on their vote totals were Edgar Martinez, Larry Walker, and former Cubs coach Alan Trammell.

Unfortunately for Lee Smith and Cubs fans, the former closer was also among those who took a step back in votes received. Smith registered 47.8% in the 2013 go around, this after cracking the 50% mark in voting at this time last year. With fellow closers Goose Gossage and Bruce Sutter leading the way in the years prior, another year of progress in terms of vote total would have made more sense than the decrease that actually came about, considering the former Cub is third all time with 478 career saves. Smith’s resume also includes seven All Star game selections, back to back NL Rolaids Relief man of the Year awards in 1991 and 1992, as well as a third honor in 1994.

Fans drawn to controversy will want to know how Sammy Sosa fared in his ballot debut. Slammin’ Sammy registered a meager 12.5% of the vote. On the stat sheet, Sosa’s prolific career home run numbers certainly warrant consideration, but there will always be the cloud of performance enhancing drugs hovering over Sosa. To compare with his fellow Steroid Era sluggers, Sosa’s vote total also falls short. Barry Bonds registered 36.2% and Mark McGwire came in at 16.9%, which the former Oakland and St. Louis power hitter seeing a decrease from 2012.

Sosa’s chances of getting in one day does not appear bright based on the initial returns. How the voters and the public eventually judge players like Roger Clemens and Barry Bonds from the Steroids Era will further impact the former Cub right fielders hopes. Until then, closer Smith figures to have the best chance to be the next former Cub to be enshrined in the Hall of Fame.

• Casey Coleman has been DFA’d in order to make room for recent singing Scott Feldman. While this move isn’t surprising considering Coleman really didn’t belong on the 40 man roster anyway, Coleman is still an extremely good pitcher who could theoretically make a splash for another team in free agency. Will he chose to do so? Unlikely considering his season ended early with a shoulder injury in 2012. He’ll probably accept a designation to AAA Iowa. This also brings the Cubs’ 40 man roster to an even 40.
  

  June 7, 2012; Milwaukee, WI, USA; Chicago Cubs third baseman Stewart (2) during the game against the Milwaukee Brewers at Miller Park. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-US PRESSWIRE

• Japanese reliever Jyuji Fujikawa has expressed interest in coming to Chicago to play for the north siders. The Cubs have been courting him for some time now (as well as the Diamondbacks and Angels) and could be rivaled to current closer Carlos Marmol. Fujikawa throws a nice heater in the mid 90′s and hasn’t had an ERA over 2.01 since 2004 in the NPB. The 32 year old has experience, a quality pitch mix and a solid K/9 ratio of ~12. This could be a premium pickup for the Cubs as most international players are undervalued for their skill –  something the Cubs have been working hard towards maximizing on this season. Keep an eye out for this one.
• Ian Stewart has yet to be tendered as the November 30th deadline looms closer. The Cubs have a few options in this case: They can either grant him free agency outright, grant him free agency then attempt to resign him for a bargain considering his injury or go to arbitration and tender him a deal. There’s a significant void at third base and his retention on the 40 man roster leads me to believe the Cubs are interested in keeping him for 2013 pending his recovery. All in all, its messy, but we’ll have a verdict by tomorrow.
• Sammy Sosa is on the 2013 HOF ballet and reactions are mixed considering his steroid use. I have yet to formulate a proper opinion on this myself but two arguments are present: 1 – Steroid use makes your HOF candidacy null and void and 2 – he was one of the best and deserves to be in the HOF. A friend of mine brought up an interesting point (you can follow him on twitter here – his profile picture alone is worth the follow) that the HOF represent all of baseball, through good and bad regardless of substance abuse. Interesting point.

Should be a busy weekend with the Rule 5 draft coming up quickly. Stay tuned as we bring you the latest.

The glory years of Sosa’s time in Chicago was spent as a Cub. He came from across town in 1992 in a trade that sent George Bell to the White Sox. Slammin’ Sammy’s first full year as a Cub in 1993 was a sign of things to come, as he cracked the 30 home run mark for the first time in his young career with 93 RBI. Sosa would go on to average nearly 54 home runs a season through 2004. The slugger from the Dominican Republic is best remembered nationally for his home run duel with Mark McGwire in 1998. While Sosa’s season total of 66 fell short of McGwire’s 70 that year, the Cubs outfielder did win the NL MVP and help get the Cubs into the playoffs for the first time since 1989 as a Wild Card team.

Sosa had three 60 plus home run seasons with the Cubs and consistently tallied over 100 RBI from 1995 to 2003. On the flip side, like almost all home run hitters, Sosa also had a tendency to strike out. The swinging outs from Sammy chasing a breaking ball low and away are just as ingrained in Cubs fans memories as his majestic bombs into or over the bleachers at Wrigley. He led the league in strikeouts three seasons in a row with totals over 170 each year.

But more than his strikeouts, the issue that will bring doubt and even resent from Hall of Fame voters will surround Sosa’s alleged involvement during the dark Steroid Era of baseball. While never officially confirmed by the MLB or the Players Association, there was a published report by The New York Times a few years ago that included Sosa’s name in a fairly long list of players who had tested positive for PEDs in 2003.

As this is Sosa’s first year of consideration, it remains to be see how he will be viewed by voters. With McGwire having been on the ballot since 2006, keeping an eye on his progress (or lack thereof) towards the golden 75% figures to provide a marker for how Sosa will fair on ballots in years to come. For what it is worth, McGwire earned 19.5% of the votes last year. Sosa is also joined by home run king Barry Bonds as a first timer, providing another avenue of comparison once the votes are totaled.

Sosa certainly will not be a first ballot Hall of Famer, as that honor has been bestowed upon very few of the best of the best. But is Sosa a Hall of Famer in your eyes Cubs fans and Cubbies Crib readers? Drop a comment and let us know!