Chicago Cubs Not Done Making Moves

For the most part, the Chicago Cubs are done making any major moves for the rest of the off-season. But, Bruce Levine pointed out yesterday in his Chat on ESPN.com that the Cubs could sign a veteran free agent that fell through the cracks, and Levine also said he feels the Cubs could add one or two more players.

The player that Levine mentioned by name is Orlando Cabrera. One thing to point out about Cabrera is that whatever team he is on, they usually make a postseason run. He was a member of the 2004 Boston Red Sox, who won World Series that year. He was on the American League West Champions, the Los Angeles Angels, in 2005 and 2007.  In 2008 and 2009 he was a member of American League Central Champions, the White Sox in ’08, and the Twins in ’09. Last season he was with the Cincinnatti Reds, who as most of you know won the National League Central.

Despite his run with winning teams, Cabrera has a reputation around baseball for being a bad teammate. It is not so much that he is not liked by his former teammates, but more so misunderstood. When Cabrera was a member of the White Sox in 2008, Ozzie Guillen told the Chicago Tribune that Cabrera does not really communicate with his teammates. Which in hindsight could be what led to some of his teammates considering him to be selfish, and have a “me first” type of attitude. Cabrera’s has not had any issues with his two former teams in the Reds or Twins, in fact many of the Twins players admired Cabrera’s leadership during their 2009 postseason run.

Last season  with Reds, Cabrera hit .263/.303/.354 with 33 doubles and 11 stolen bases. Cabrera is a career .274/.320/.395 hitter.

Cabrera may not be a bad option for the Chicago Cubs as he can play shortstop as well as second base. But, the addition of Cabrera would not really alter the Cubs’ season outlook in any direction. There might be a chance that Cabrera could take over as the primary second baseman for the Cubs if he can hit around .280, like he did for 4 straight seasons prior to joining the Reds.

This late in the off-season, Cabrera probably will not cost the Cubs too much. In fact, there may be a chance that the Cubs could get Cabrera to agree to a minor league deal, and then go from there. That would be the taking the same route that they did with Reed Johnson.

Other players that the Cubs may consider are Andy LaRoche, Willy Aybar, Ronnie Belliard, Felipe Lopez, or Cristian Guzman.

Notes

• Also in his Chat, Bruce Levine reported that pitching coach Mark Riggins has already ticketed Jeff Samardzija to the bullpen, and Andrew Cashner to the rotation. Which would leave Randy Wells, Casey Coleman, James Russell, and Carlos Silva fighting for the last spot in the rotation. If that is the case, I would expect Randy Wells to get the spot.
• Cubs starting outfielder Alfonso Soriano was stricken with some heartbreaking news last night, as his mother, Andrea Soriano, passed away from a heart attack.
• I’m sure Luke will have more on the move, but the Cubs signed Matt Szczur to a $1.4 million contract. Szczur had been considering entering the NFL draft, but instead will pursue a baseball career with the Chicago Cubs. It is believed that Szczur will start the year with the Peoria Chiefs.
• Former Cub Milton Bradley was arrested last night in the Los Angeles area on felony charges. According to reports, Bradley allegedly made criminal threats towards an unidentified female.