AGRI Biz

One of Cubs GM Jim Hendry's first priorities this offseason is to try and move Milton Bradley, and he just may find a willing trade partner in friend and fellow GM Kevin Towers, according to an ESPN.com report by Jerry Crasnick. On Friday, the San Diego Padres GM said he wouldn't mind having Bradley return to the city he once played in. Left unsaid was "if the price is right." "I haven't ...

This just ain't right. Normally, whenever the Yankees and Red Sox get together you can expect a hard fought, emotionally charged series fraught with intensity and perhaps even some bloodshed. Accordingly, there will be a winner and there will be a loser. But this weekend in New York may be different in that the two 90-win teams are merely gearing up for the playoffs. The Yankees have already clinched a playoff spot, while ...

Oh, pity poor little Milton Bradley. The millionaire baseball player's life is so hard that his mommy needs to come to his defense. What is this, elementary school or the big leagues? Look, we all know that signing Bradley to a three-year contract was foolish. Cubs GM Jim Hendry ought to be taken out to the woodshed and spanked by new owner Tom Ricketts for this ridiculous display of poor judgement. But ...

Cuban defector Aroldis Chapman has officially applied for free agent status in major league baseball, ESPN.com reports. Chapman is considered to be one of the best young pitching prospects in the world. But which team will assume the risk? Despite a fastball that was clocked at 102 mph in the World Baseball Classic, the 21-year-old has not pitched at any American baseball level, including minor leagues. There will be some risk in ...

Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune first reported that the Cubs will explore a deal for Carlos Zambrano, though Bleacher Report readers on the Cubs site know that I floated the concept more than a month ago.   It just makes sense. For one thing, the Cubs are seriously weighed down with expensive, long-term contracts that limit their ability to improve a team that was very disappointing this season.   Second, Zambrano, for all ...

As the Cubs get ready for the first round of organizational talks, I thought I would take a look at some of the Cubs players currently on the roster and project their futures with the team.   Jim Hendry and his merry band of baseball cronies can chew on this as they look forward to 2010.     Aaron Miles. Status: Signed through 2010   If he can’t dump his salary (Hendry should not ask for anything ...

“When you believe in things that you don’t understand, then you suffer, Superstition ain’t the way.” - Stevie Wonder   Sorry, Stevie, but superstition is very much the way in major league baseball. Ballplayers certainly can be described as creatures of habit.   If you’re old like me, you may recall an episode of the television series M*A*S*H , where “Hawkeye” once said to “Klinger”, “warning – dressing like a nun may be habit forming.”   However, ...

In 2008, as the Chicago Cubs were well on their way to winning 97 games and being declared the best team in the National League, something suddenly happened. The team started struggling and completely laid an egg in the playoffs. We now know that something was pressure. The weight and burden of expectations from media, fans, and management for a team that hadn't been to the World Series since 1945 was just ...