July 2005 - Chicago Cubs Wiretap

The Boston Red Sox' loss of Johnny Damon to the New York Yankees could be the Cubs' gain. The Red Sox are among the teams talking to Cubs general manager Jim Hendry about a possible trade for center fielder Corey Patterson. Patterson has been on the trade block since the end of last season. While Hendry remains a strong supporter of Patterson's, he knows the time has come to give him a chance to turn around his career in another uniform. Sending him to the American League would be the best of all worlds. Then Patterson couldn't come back to haunt the Cubs in the National League. The Boston Globe included Patterson among possible trade targets for the Red Sox to replace Damon, as well as Tampa Bay's Joey Gathright, Philadelphia's Jason Michaels, San Diego's Dave Roberts, Seattle's Jeremy Reed, Minnesota's Torii Hunter and Texas' Brad Wilkerson.

The Cubs, aggressively pursuing a blockbuster trade for Orioles shortstop Miguel Tejada, are willing to part with a top starting pitcher, most likely right-hander Mark Prior, sources tell FOXsports.com. The talks are stalled, a source says, over the Cubs' insistence that the Orioles give up left-hander Erik Bedard along with Tejada if they want Prior ? and the Cubs' refusal to include top outfield prospect Felix Pie or a top pitching prospect in return. The Cubs and Orioles also have engaged in three-way discussions with the Red Sox in which Tejada would go to the Cubs and Ramirez to the Orioles, according to another source. The package the Sox would receive is unclear, but conceivably could include Prior, shortstop Ronny Cedeno and center fielder Corey Patterson. Whatever the details, a three-way deal would appear to be a longshot, and no other deal appears close. The Red Sox would need to give the Orioles pitching along with Ramirez if they wanted Tejada in a straight, two-team trade. The Angels' offers for Tejada have been insufficient, sources say. The Orioles are concerned that they would be losing too much offense if Prior was their principal acquisition in a Tejada deal. The Red Sox share the same reservation about trading Ramirez for anything other than a hitter of Tejada's caliber. The Orioles and Cubs have been talking for at least a week. While the teams completed a trade involving outfielder Sammy Sosa last off-season, that deal was essentially a salary dump by the Cubs. A Tejada deal would be more difficult to accomplish.

Now that it's clear Corey Patterson won't be the Cubs' starting right fielder, the next question is whether he still has a chance to be on their Opening Day roster. General manager Jim Hendry came as close as he could Tuesday to signaling that a trade is in Patterson's future. "I have a lot of fondness in my heart for Corey,'' Hendry said. "I feel badly at what happened last year. I certainly will try to do what's best for the Cubs first and what's best for Corey second.'' The Cubs did tender Patterson a contract Tuesday before the deadline for arbitration-eligible players. "I'm sure once people see he is being tendered a contract -- after a lot of people thought he wasn't going to be tendered -- we'll see an increase of interest for Corey,'' Hendry said. The Cubs would seem to need a right-handed-hitting reserve outfielder and perhaps a more versatile infielder than Todd Walker, who is third on the depth chart at second base behind Neifi Perez and Jerry Hairston. Patterson and Walker have long been rumored to be on the trade block and remain Hendry's top bargaining chips. The Cubs, meanwhile, denied Internet rumors making the rounds that they are interested in Washington Nationals second baseman Jose Vidro, who is coming off an injury. One report insisted that Kerry Wood was involved in the deal, but the Cubs re-emphasized that Wood has a complete no-trade clause in his contract for 2006. Hendry also has said repeatedly that he has no intention of trading Mark Prior or Carlos Zambrano.

Minnesota Twins right fielder Jacque Jones declined arbitration with the club, then agreed to a deal to play for the Chicago Cubs on Tuesday. Jones' agent, Dan Lozano, said the Twins were only offering a one-year deal and that his client has several multi-year offers on the table. Jones accepted a deal with the Cubs for three years, but financial terms were not disclosed. The Twins offered arbitration so they would be assured a 2006 first-round draft pick when the 30-year-old outfielder signed with another team. Jones made $5 million last season, but almost assuredly would have received a raise had he accepted the offer. Jones was drafted by the Twins in 1996 and broke into the majors in 1999. He led the team with 23 home runs last season and hit .249 with 73 RBI.

The Cubs hope to have a right fielder before Christmas, but even they aren't sure who it will be. According to major-league sources, general manager Jim Hendry has made a contract offer in the last couple of days to free-agent outfielder Jacque Jones, but the Cubs also remain in a trade scenario for an outfielder. Hendry declined to comment on the matter Monday. The offer to Jones is believed to be no more than a two-year proposal and not as lucrative as the three-year, $15 million deal the Kansas City Royals reportedly have offered. The St. Louis Cardinals also might be in the bidding. Whether it's Jones or the trade target, the Cubs are hopeful they will have completed their starting outfield within the next several days. Matt Murton is expected to start in left field alongside new center fielder Juan Pierre. The Cubs also will offer a contract today to Corey Patterson for 2006, but that doesn't mean he will be in their lineup next season. Hendry continues to have trade talks about Patterson, and something could develop on that front in the next couple of weeks. The Cubs' front office is well aware that Patterson needs a change of scenery to try to reignite his career, but they want fair value for a player who was highly regarded in the first half of 2003 and could return to that form. Hendry has been seeking a left-handed-hitting right fielder. When he wasn't able to find a trade partner in the last few weeks, Jones became more of a priority. Discussions began to heat up last week. Jones, 30, isn't coming off a stellar season with the Minnesota Twins. He batted .249 with 23 home runs and 73 RBI. Just two years ago, though, Jones batted .304 with 16 homers and 69 RBI.

Catcher A.J. Pierzynski, a major cog in the Chicago White Sox' World Championship run, has agreed to terms on a three-year contract extension with the club. The deal is worth a guaranteed $15 million, plus incentives. The White Sox are expected to announce the deal later Monday. "A.J. has really found a home in Chicago," Steve Hilliard, Pierzynski's agent, said. "He loves the city and his teammates, and the organization has been terrific through this whole process. It's nice that he's going to be there as part of a core group of guys going forward." Pierzynski, 28, hit .257 with 18 home runs and 56 RBI last season for the White Sox. He had played previously in Minnesota and San Francisco.

The Cubs are very interested in signing Twins outfielder Jacque Jones, but they are offering only a two-year contract to the free agent. The San Diego native is also getting attention from the Cardinals, amongst other clubs.

Juan Pierre was acquired to take Corey Patterson's job in center field, but it doesn't necessarily mean the Cubs will trade their enigmatic outfielder. After Pierre's introductory news conference Wednesday at Wrigley Field, general manager Jim Hendry disclosed he would offer Patterson arbitration next week and might give him the right-field job in 2006. Hendry continues to search for a left-handed-hitting outfielder to replace Jeromy Burnitz, but nothing appears imminent. He has spoken to the agent for Minnesota free agent Jacque Jones, who is seeking a three-year deal and reportedly has a three-year, $15 million offer from Kansas City. Jones probably would have to settle for a one- or two-year deal with the Cubs. "I've given [the agent] our level of interest and told him we have some trade possibilities," Hendry said. Jones is a career .279 hitter and averages a strikeout every 4.7 at-bats. Patterson is a .252 hitter and averages a strikeout every 3.9 at-bats. But Patterson's potential, despite a .215 season and a demotion to Triple A, gives Hendry pause when considering a trade. A handful of teams, including Texas and Arizona, briefly showed interest in Patterson, but the Cubs would rather give him another chance than deal him for low-level prospects. As Exhibit A they can point to Derrek Lee, who hit .233 and .206 for Florida in 1998 and '99, when he was about Patterson's age, before blossoming in his late 20s.

Now Nomar Garciaparra has heard Joe Torre's recruiting pitch over the phone. "I made a couple of calls to [Garciaparra]," Torre said yesterday morning at the Pierre Hotel, where he was on hand for a HELP USA fund-raiser to fight domestic violence. Torre doesn't phone every free agent the Yankees engage. His firm but soothing voice is saved for the players the Yankees want and who might require prodding. In the 32-year-old Garciaparra's case, Torre's voice could be the difference between Garciaparra landing in The Bronx or going to Cleveland or Houston to play the outfield. A friend of Garciaparra's said he could make a decision before the weekend. While the Yankees and agent Arn Tellem refuse to discuss specifics, it's believed they are talking about a one-year deal in the $4 million range for Garciaparra, who earned $8.25 million last year with the Cubs when he was limited to 62 games because of a groin injury. While the Yankees are looking at Garciaparra to play first, Torre deflected questions about first base, currently manned by Jason Giambi. However, Torre is convinced Garciaparra can help the Yankees. "It was more of a general call," Torre said when asked if first base was discussed. "He would be a benefit to us, he could be very important for us."

The Cubs losing out on shortstop Rafael Furcal could turn out to be the biggest blessing in disguise for general manager Jim Hendry. That?s because there might be another, better, shortstop on the market. His name is Miguel Tejada. If the reports out of the Dominican Republic and Baltimore are to be believed, Tejada is fed up with the seemingly directionless Baltimore Orioles and wants out after only two years there. Knowing that Tejada is a winning ballplayer with impeccable character, it?s not hard to believe that he is fed up. If Tejada indeed does demand a trade, look for the Cubs to be first in line and look for them to have a very good shot at landing Tejada. Hendry was willing to go as high as $57.5 million and up to six years for Furcal. Tejada left the Oakland Athletics after 2003 to sign a six-year, $72 million contract with the Orioles. So the money isn?t a problem, and the betting here is that the Cubs could get the O?s to pony up some of the dough. From the Orioles? standpoint, they?re going to want nothing to do with dealing Tejada to their friends in the American League East: the Yankees or the Red Sox. They?ll probably want to get him out of the AL altogether. Furcal left the Atlanta Braves to go to the Los Angeles Dodgers, and the Braves wasted no time replacing him, getting Edgar Renteria from the Red Sox at the just-concluded winter meetings.