Morning Marquee: Winter Meetings open in San Diego

With the GM meetings in the books, and preliminary conversation started, the Winter Meetings in San Diego begin and big-deals are poised to be made. The Chicago Cubs hoped to be involved in a few of those, most notably Jon Lester. Once Lester, Max Scherzer or James Shields sign, it will set off a chain reaction of moves as teams who lose out on one go after the others. Early reports are the Cubs may already have come to terms with Jason Hammel, pending a physical. Keep following Cubbies Crib for more on that story later today. Moves will be made in bunches over the coming days, but who and to where will keep baseball fans on the edge of their seats.

The San Francisco Giants Madison Bumgarner continues to garner postseason praise, this time as Sports Illustrated’s “Sportsman of the Year”. The award is not simply about individual accolades, as it is awarded to an individual or team that personifies the spirit of sportsmanship and achievement. He is the first Giant to earn the distinction since the awards inception in 1954.

The Cubs and the surrounding rooftop club owners have been less than civil over the past year as the Wrigley Field renovations were sorted, but now the bad blood is spilling into the eye of the public. Following the revised plans approved by the Landmarks Commission, lawyers for several of the clubs have reported the Cubs using intimidation to force the sale of their properties at below market value. The renovation of Wrigley will of course continue, the relationship of the Cubs with its neighbors is an entirely different story.

It’s been reported that there are several teams in the running for the services of Chase Headley. Is it possible the Cubs are the “mystery team” in pursuit? While the team is looking for an established offensive player, the asking price of Headley is entirely too high, as even the more legitimate suitors are balking at the asking price. With Kris Bryant not far off, the Cubs are much more likely a rumor than a darkhorse.

Here are the stories you may have missed:

‘Meetings poised to produce substantial deals’ – MLB.com

‘Sports Illustrated names MadBum Sportsman of the Year’ – MLB.com

‘Cubs, rooftop club owner’s feud turning nasty’ – Cubbies Crib

‘Could the Chicago Cubs be in on free agent Chase Headley?’ – Cubbies Crib

‘Chicago Cubs tell teams Starlin Castro is not available’ – Call to the Pen