July 2007 - Chicago Cubs Wiretap

The Rays have signed veteran left-handed hitting outfielder Cliff Floyd to a one-year major league contract through 2008 with a club option for 2009. Floyd, 35, hit .284 (80-for-282) for the Chicago Cubs last season with 9 homers, 45 RBI and a .373 on-base percentage in 108 games. He is a career .279 hitter with 222 home runs, 826 RBI, 327 doubles and 147 stolen bases in 15 major league seasons with the Montreal Expos (1993-96, 2002), Florida Marlins (1997-2002), Boston Red Sox (2002), New York Mets (2003-06) and Cubs (2007). A veteran of three postseasons, Floyd was a member of the Marlins 1997 World Championship club, and reached the playoffs with the 2006 Mets and 2007 Cubs.

The Cubs avoided salary arbitration with Neal Cotts, agreeing to terms with the lefthander on a new one-year deal Thursday. Financial terms were not disclosed.

City and state officials have had discussions with Cubs' executives about possibly selling historic Wrigley Field to a state government entity that currently owns and operates the White Sox's home, U.S. Cellular Field, sources close to the Cubs told the Tribune. The talks with state and city officials centered on selling the 93-year-old facility to the Illinois Sports Facilities Authority, the government unit the Illinois General Assembly created in 1987 for the purpose of building new Comiskey Park, now U.S. Cellular Field. There is no deal yet, and there's no guarantee a deal will be struck.

Mark Prior's days in the Windy City appear to be over. The Cubs on Wednesday declined to tender a 2008 contract to the talented but injury prone righthander, making him a free agent. Once a promising prospect that showed flashes of brilliance, Prior has become an after thought.

Japanese outfielder Kosuke Fukudome and the Cubs reached a preliminary agreement Tuesday on a $48 million, four-year contract. The deal is subject to a physical, according to a person familiar with the negotiations who spoke on condition of anonymity because no announcement had been made. The agreement could be finalized as early as Wednesday.

Baltimore's talks with the Cubs about a trade for Brian Roberts have been back-burnered while the Orioles prioritize talks about Erik Bedard and Miguel Tejada. But what was found on that back burner is that there is mutual interest in a deal that would send Roberts to the Cubs for pitcher Sean Gallagher, plus a second player that still needs to be determined. Despite speculation Felix Pie could wind up in that trade, teams that have talked to the Cubs about Pie say he would only be movable in a much bigger deal.

The Cubs freed up by payroll on Tuesday when they reached an agreement to trade utility infielder Omar Infante and lefthander Will Ohman to the Braves for righthander Jose Ascanio. The deal was expected to be announced later Tuesday and will save the Cubs about $3 million in salary.

Mavericks' Owner Mark Cuban is a frequent visitor to Wrigley Field and has made it clear he's interested in purchasing the Cubs. There's been little movement on that front, though. "Nothing's changed. Right now we're waiting for the (economic) reports to come out in January," Cuban said before Monday's game between the Mavericks and Bulls.

The Padres have intensified its pursuit of Japanese outfielder Kosuke Fukudome, 30, who will sign with an American club if he turns down Japan's Yomiuri Giants. An NL executive said the Padres and the Cubs are ?in the hunt? for Fukudome, and Alderson said Fukudome ?might be an option.? Fukudome is more suited to right field, but the Padres also view him as a capable center fielder. A left-handed hitter, Fukudome has a career on-base percentage of .397 and has hit 28-34 home runs in three seasons.

The most intriguing name that has come up in trade talk with the Cubs is veteran pitcher Mark Prior, who missed all of 2007 because of shoulder surgery. Prior is a San Diego native, and the Padres seem to have interest. The Cubs have until Dec. 12 to offer Prior a contract. If they don't, he will become a free agent. If the Cubs do tender Prior a contract, they can't cut his salary any more than 20 percent of the $3.575 million he made this year. Ideally, the Cubs would like to sign Prior to a one-year deal with a club option because he can become a free agent next fall. "I'll treat Mark just like I would everyone else," Hendry said. "I'll always do what I think is in the best interest of the ballclub. We certainly haven't made any final decisions of what we think is best for the club. It's just one of those spots that you're in." "We had a nice chat. We brought him in for the playoffs in Arizona. There's no negative issues with Mark."