Morning Marquee: Cubs, others interested in Stephen Drew

On a relatively quiet day throughout the Major League Baseball world, the Chicago Cubs were mentioned multiple times as being among the teams interested in veteran infielder Stephen Drew – potentially as a second base option.

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Other interested suitors include the Oakland Athletics, Toronto Blue Jays, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim and Chicago White Sox – although several of these options – including the Cubs – are less than enthusiastic about paying Drew the $9 to $10 million he is reportedly seeking. Last season, Drew spent the year with the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees, batting a horrendous .162/.237/.299 across 85 games. Darwin Barney seems like a pretty good option now, doesn’t he?

In other news, the Kansas City Royals wrapped up a two-year deal with right-hander Edinson Volquez, shoring up a rotation that will lose its ace, James Shields, to free agency this winter. Volquez went 13-7 with a 3.04 ERA for the Pittsburgh Pirates last season – his first and only campaign in the Steel City. The San Diego Padres are reportedly open to trading recently-acquired Wil Myers to the Philadelphia Phillies in a Cole Hamels deal, although whether or not the two sides have even talked a deal remains to be seen.

Here’s the latest from around the league:

“Cubs appear to be interested in Stephen Drew” – Cubbies Crib

“Padres acquire Shawn Kelley from New York Yankees” – Call to the Pen

“How Royals’ magical roster almost got July shakeup” – NY Post

“Royals, Edinson Volquez agree to two-year deal” – Kings of Kaufmann

“A look at the projected 2015 Chicago Cubs’ rotation” – Cubbies Crib

Next: Kyle Hendricks looks to build on 2014 success