Michael Bowden could be designated for assignment tomorrow in order to make room on the active roster for Matt Garza to be activated from the disabled list. (Image Credit: David Banks-USA TODAY Sports)

With Matt Garza set to come off the disabled list and make his 2013 season debut on Tuesday, the Chicago Cubs will need to make room on the active roster and it appears that Michael Bowden could be the player moved. According to Bruce Miles of the Daily Herald, the team is expected to designate Bowden for assignment sometime Monday.

Bowden’s made 14 appearances for the Cubs this season, posting a 3.78 ERA and 1.140 WHIP. While he hasn’t necessarily pitched poorly on the year, Bowden’s done little to separate himself from the rest of the bullpen options and has essentially made himself expendable. He’s bounced back and forth between the Major Leagues and Minors for much of the past six seasons, throwing 112.2 IP with a 4.47 ERA and 1.411 WHIP working mostly in relief. Originally a starter in the minor leagues, Bowden’s never been able to put up the peripheral numbers (3.5 BB/9, 6.7 K/9) to get him through a lineup more than once to justify keeping him as a rotation option.

There is no guarantee that Bowden will clear waivers once the Cubs DFA him and if he does, there’s a chance that he rejects an assignment to the minor leagues. The 26 year old could still prove to be a serviceable option somewhere and might be willing to start fresh with another organization if given the opportunity to test the open market.

Matt Garza will finally make his 2013 debut for the Cubs on Tuesday. (Image Credit: Rick Scuteri-USA TODAY Sports)

When the Chicago Cubs acquired Matt Garza from the Tampa Bay Rays prior to the 2011 season, the general feeling was that the team had finally landing the ace-caliber pitcher they’d long been seeking to lead their starting rotation. Garza had a solid, though not spectacular, season that year going 10-10 with a 3.32 ERA over 198.0 IP, adding a career best 9.0 K/9. Injuries would limit him to just 103.2 IP in 18 starts last year and a strained lat muscle that he suffered during Spring Training has kept him off the field for all of 2013 thus far.

Garza appears set to return to the Cubs’ active roster, however, as Bruce Miles of the Daily Herald is reporting that he’ll start for the team on Tuesday against the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Having been out of action since mid-July, the Cubs have progressed cautiously with Garza’s rehab thus far. He’s made four starts in the team’s minor league system (two at Double-A and two at Triple-A) with some solid results (1.17 ERA, 0.913 WHIP) and all indications seem to suggest that he’s back to full strength if the Cubs are bringing him back onto the active roster. There’s a fair amount of pressure on Garza to remain healthy for the remainder of the season as his contract only runs through the end of the year. How he performs on the mound will have a significant and immediate impact on what the clubs chooses to do with him going forward – be it making him a July trade candidate, signing him to a contract extension, or letting him leave via free agency this winter.

Carlos Villanueva will be pushed to the bullpen, adds Miles, in order to open room for Garza. Villanueva got off to a strong start to the 2013 season, posting a 1.53 ERA and holding opposing hitters to a .167/.223/.302 line through his first four starts on the year (29.1 IP). Since he’s been a different pitcher, seeing his ERA balloon to 6.94 while allowing hitters a .333/.386/.533 line in the four since (23.1 IP).

Prior to the 2011 season the Cubs sent five players – Chris Archer, Hak-Ju Lee, Sam Fuld, Robinson Chirinos, and Brandon Guyer – to the Rays for Garza (along with Zach Rosscup and Fernando Perez). None of the players involved in the team have gone on to have a significant impact for their respective teams since the deal was completed, though Archer and Lee have been considered among the Rays’ top prospects for a good amount of time. Unless Garza is able to quickly produce for the Cubs upon his return and bring them something significant back in a July trade then it would look as though the Rays ended up with the better end of this deal.

Chicago Cubs starting pitcher Jeff Samardzija was the man of the hour Wednesday as mowed down Colorado Rockies hitters and smacked a two-run homer at Wrigley Field. Credit: Reid Compton-USA TODAY Sports

CHICAGO–Was able to squeeze in my first visit to Wrigley Field in about four years on a trip to the Windy City and it was both comforting and a little discomforting to see that everything remains the same at the old ballyard.

Comforting because that’s what we expect from Wrigley Field, that it is the same place that it has been for a century, like a visit to the old neighborhood where you grew up. Discomforting because I looked the old structure over with a more critical eye in the midst of the latest ongoing Cubs management vs. rooftop owners feud over expansion and modernization.

And I definitely landed in the middle of the debate. The most humorous aspect of it being that the Wednesday morning Chicago Tribune ran the results of a poll taken with fans about which side they are on. The answer? A lot of people didn’t care which side prevailed and otherwise the vote was split. It was just like a real election where the voters don’t really want anybody to win.

To recap, the Ricketts family (Tom Ricketts chairman) that owns the team is telling the world it can’t compete without new streams of revenue, but they, like everyone else, wish to maintain the character of Wrigley Field. The big beef with the owners of the buildings across the street, who have been feasting upon the product by selling roof seats for years, is that the introduction of a large videoboard might block their customers’ views.

Beyond that the Ricketts have grand plans for the immediate neighborhood surrounding the park. They want to put up a major, modern hotel and sell a bit of advertising signage. Different Chicago zoning committees and the like will all have their say on this. But from the standpoint of a fan at a game Wednesday night as the Cubs bested the Colorado Rockies, 6-3, I was reminded that Wrigley is the toughest park to be in that I know of to find information about not only the game you are watching, but from around the majors.

That’s where the idea of a new videoboard comes in. That would provide much of the info–as well as another place for advertising. If the character of the ballpark is to remain the same that means preserving the ivy on the outfield walls. So you can’t cover the ivy with a videoboard. That means you’ve got to build the board higher than the grandstands–and that’s where the rooftop owner complaints come in.

I was accompanied to this game by my cousin David, who has only moved to Chicago within the last year. This was his first visit inside the park and during the game he actually took a two-inning walkabout to explore every bit of it he could see. He reported back that he felt there wasn’t a bad seat in the house and he really liked the flavor. As everyone does. That’s why it’s the near-impossible task of the Ricketts to keep everyone happy, make prudent and necessary changes, and bring in more money.

Back at the game…the Cubs are not going anywhere this year, but it seems that at least they are a notch better than the Houston Astros and the Miami Marlins. They did make two major base-running blunders that could have been more costly than they were. Starter Jeff Samardzija fixed things. Samardzjia not only pitched very well and got the win, but he blasted a two-run homer that carried nearly 400 feet. Given that he was hitting .071 that was a gift.

With one stroke Samardzjia saved himself. Tom Ricketts wishes he could solve the Wrigley issues with the same ease.

Things don’t always work out this well for Chicago Cubs left fielder Alfonso Soriano in the field, but here he makes a diving stop of a hit by Washington Nationals second baseman Danny Espinosa.Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports

They may like him as a person, but the owners of the Chicago Cubs wish that they never met Alfonso Soriano. They wish he would just go away and that they could make his expensive contract vanish.

But Soriano is still a presence on Chicago’s north side, an everyday player who comes to Wrigley Field every day and still turns in the best job he can do. Soriano may not even be the best Soriano in the majors these days (probable nod to Rafael out of the pen in Washington), but he is still a solid member of the batting order. Soriano may no longer be a star, but he is a starter.

Depending upon how good fans’ memories are, the righty swinging Soriano is a seven-time all-star. Though those days are receding in the rearview mirror like the passing of so many telephone poles for the one-time Dominican infielder, the 37-year-old nearing the end of his career still regularly shows he has pop in his bat.

It is so long ago that not everyone owned a cell phone, but Soriano was a star second baseman with the New York Yankees and the Texas Rangers, and did fine work for the Nationals in a single season before joining the Cubs in 2007. He was an all-star for Chicago, too, lest that also be forgotten.

As they have been for 105 years, the Cubs were trying to build something and they signed Soriano to an eight-year, $136 million contract. It is a deal that in Chicago is known as the albatross contract and it not only made Soriano a very rich man it gave him tremendous job security.

Soriano was an all-star again in 2008, but not since. The Cubs seemed to be on the brink of National League contention for a few years around then, but not since. The team was sold from the Tribune Company to the Ricketts Family, new management wanted to start fresh, new team president Theo Epstein wanted to built from the bottom, and Soriano did not fit into those plans.

Making things worse, Soriano became a liability in left-field (his most recent position), where fly balls periodically did strange things as they approached him–like sail over his head or ricochet off his glove. The Cubs were ready to part ways. The Cubs really wanted to part ways. However, Soriano’s ironclad contract for huge dollars, linked to declining production, makes him untradeable. Of course, Soriano would have been, and would be better off, with an American League team where he could be a designated hitter.

In some respects Soriano is like the owner of a little old house that stands right in the middle of an area where the government wants to build a freeway, but is unwilling to sell. So construction goes on all around him.

From Soriano’s standpoint, he must realize that he is not as good as he was in his prime, but he does still produce on a reduced scale. He is not batting .133 like Adam Dunn. He gets his cuts in, can still make good contact, and is overall a plus in the batting order.

Soriano has only hit .300 once in his career, so the fact that he has hit more in the .250-.260 range the last couple of seasons isn’t a surprise (.279 at the moment in 2013). But in 2011 he smacked 26 home runs and collected 88 RBIs and last year he belted 32 homers with 108 RBIs. That will justify your place in the order. However, he does strike out too much–153 times last year–but he always did.

The fact is that Soriano is not worth a superstar’s wages, and he is not ever going to play like a superstar again, but he is still more valuable on the field than on the bench. It may be a strange marriage, and a strained marriage, but Soriano and the Cubs are still lawfully wed.

Carlos Zambrano has garnered plenty of attention over the years, both on and off the field, but was unable to land a job with an MLB organization. (Image Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports)

Enigmatic right-hander Carlos Zambrano has finally resurfaced, signing a contract to join the Long Island Ducks of the independent Atlantic League. Zambrano will join a number of former Major Leaguers on the Ducks’ roster, including Dontrelle Willis and Vladimir Guerrero.

The 31 year old Zambrano spent 12 seasons in the Majors, 11 of them with the Chicago Cubs. In 1,959.0 career innings he posted a 3.66 ERA and 1.331 WHIP, going 132-91 in that span. He spent the 2012 season with the Miami Marlins following an early January trade from the Cubs. He’d make 35 appearances for the team, including 20 starts, putting up a 7-10 record and 4.49 ERA in 132.1 IP.

Zambrano’s career was filled with a number of on and off field incidents that left more of an impact on his legacy than his work on the mound. MLBTR’s Tim Dierkes summed them up fairly succinctly:

From the ‘07 fight with teammate Michael Barrett; the five year, $91.5 Million contract signed that year; all kinds of odd ailments; the no-hitter in ‘08 against the Astros at Miller Park; the ‘09 on-field tantrum that led to a six game suspension; problems with Cubs management; the move to the bullpen and back; the issue with Derrek Lee in ‘10 that led to a team mandated suspension; his placement on the disqualified list in ‘11; to the salary dump trade to Miami; Z’s final years as a Cub were tumultuous to say the least.

Over the winter Zambrano was believed to have interest in a Major League job, though he preferred to start rather than work out of the bullpen. Little interest emerged and ultimately he was left without an offer. He’ll need to both pitch extraordinarily well and demonstrate some maturity in the clubhouse before any team will likely be willing to take another flyer on him.

Chicago Cubs chairman Tom Ricketts threatened the other day to move the team out of Wrigley Field if his family’s $500 million renovation plan is not approved so it can raise additional revenue. Credit: Tommy Giglio-USA TODAY Sports

Forget the threat. The Chicago Cubs are not going to abandon Wrigley Field on the cusp of the ballpark’s 100th anniversary. Owner Tom Ricketts’ comment that if he didn’t get his way he might yank the team out of Wrigley is just him showing irritation about everyone and his cousin wanting to weigh in on his building renovation plans.

Now Wrigley Field is a civic treasure and everyone in Chicago feels as if he owns a piece of it, but the reality is that every Chicagoan does not technically own a piece of the rock. However, the city council, city planners, and anyone that owns an apartment building across the street that has been selling views of Wrigley Field to the public for decades feels as if they have a right determine what is done to the park.

The Cubs are owned by the Ricketts family, and Tom Ricketts is the chairman. He is the front man to the community and the Cubs have announced they are going to pour $500 million into renovating, preserving and updating Wrigley Field, which opened in 1914, and is the second oldest park in the majors to Fenway Park in Boston.

For those who did not follow the years-long soap opera concerning the future of Fenway, let’s just say that a deal was cut to build a new ballpark and for the Red Sox to play elsewhere, but new ownership put the kibosh on that and kept Fenway alive in the 2000s. To do so the leadership pumped in millions of bucks to modernize the grand old dame.

If Fenway could do it, Wrigley can do it. Spending $500 million on an old park would be considered lunacy in some cities and there are National Football League cities that have ditched plans for renovation to probe the idea of a news stadium–one that might not cost $500 mil.

Bet Ricketts could find a friendly location in the Chicago suburbs and build a new park for that amount of money and the parking access would be about 10,000 times improved. Wrigley has like no parking. Crazy people who don’t want to ride the El actually pay $40 to park near Wrigley and then they can’t even get out after the game.

We live in an an age where baseball teams must have payrolls in the $100 million range to have a chance to compete for a World Series crown. When you are based in an old ballpark and can’t expand the seating capacity you have to find creative ways to raise revenue,.

One way that teams have modernized stadiums–and this has been especially true of college football programs, is installing massive video boards. Not only have they proven popular for instant replay, but they open a new revenue stream.

Ricketts wants to erect a 6,000-square-foot video screen in left field. On the surface that sounds humongous, but there are many sports arenas with larger ones. The rooftop owners are complaining that the video board will block views from across the street.

The rooftop owners used to have the sweetest deal in the business world. They sold tickets for fans to access their buildings so they could watch Cubs games from afar. (Think of the last row of seats in the stadium and multiply it.) Some years ago the grumbling rooftop owners broke down and negotiated a deal with the Cubs to pay the team 17 percent of revenue they obtained from leeching off the product.

That’s pretty generous on the part of the team because the rooftop owners don’t have guaranteed rights to sell tickets to games.

During the course of this latest brouhaha, Rickets made a most telling point. He said, “All we really need is to be able to run our business like a business and not a museum.”

The entire battle is portrayed as the little guys on the rooftops versus the zillionaire owner of the team. But the fact is, it’s tough to argue with Ricketts’ logic. He and his family are the ones that own the team.

That said, current tug of war aside, it’s doubtful that the Ricketts want to go down in history as the Cubs owners that moved the team out of Wrigley, then sold the property to be knocked down and converted into townhouses.

Chicago Cubs owner Tom Ricketts had the unsavory experience recently of a goat’s head being delivered to him care of Wrigley Field. Credit: Jerry Lai-USA TODAY Sports

Let’s go back to this goat’s head thing for a minute. One day last week a car pulled up to Wrigley Field on a Chicago Cubs off day, someone got out, and left a package on the sidewalk near Gate K and then drove off. Upon investigation, otherwise known as unwrapping the package, a severed goat’s head was found that was supposed to be delivered to team owner Tom Ricketts.

The so-called “Billy Goat Curse” was a hex put on the Cubs in 1945 and as far as everyone knows is still in effect. This may have been the renewal, though not by the same perp.

One of the best-known watering holes in Chicago is the Billy Goat Tavern, which is famed not only for its alcohol, but its cheeseburger, cheeseburger, cheeseburger as introduced to the nation in a “Saturday Night Live” skit long ago. In 1945, the last time the Cubs reached the World Series, for some reason that I have never been able to fathom, Billy Sianis then-owner of the Billy Goat Tavern, showed up for a game accompanied by his pet goat.

Who brings their favorite four-legged pet to a baseball game?

Whether Sianis was using the animal for free advertising or just what, those in charge at Wrigley turned the both of them away from the ballpark. Incensed, Sianis put a curse on the Cubs in retaliation, saying the team would never win again because of this disservice to the goat population.

For all we really know, he was kidding. But it worked. As we all know, the Cubs never have won again. Never mind a World Series, but even a National League pennant. The Series drought, of course, dates back to 1908 so the goat curse may have superseded a previously-placed, less-publicized curse.

Judging from the way the 2013 season has begun, and reviewing the talent on the roster, it is highly unlikely that the Cubs will be winning any pennants or World Series this season, either. Goat 105, Cubs 0.

The goat’s head delivered to the park was not greeted with a sense of humor. The police got involved and issued a statement indicating “we’re investigating it as an intimidating package.” Bear in mind that this occurred many days before the bombing near the finish line of the Boston Marathon.

It could be that someone got drunk and watched a “Godfather” movie festival and was inspired by the horse-head-in-the-bed scene to cut off a goat head and send it the Cubs’ way. It could be that someone who realized less than two weeks into the season that this campaign was going to be as hopeless for the Cubs as many recent ones and sought to perpetuate the goat curse. It could even be someone who lives in the neighborhood who despises the being-debated idea of playing more night games. It could be someone who is just flat-out looney tunes.

This is all speculation. No telling what is going through the mind of someone who shows up on the doorstep with a severed goat’s head. So whatever statement was being made it remains on the murky side.

Ricketts and his family are the latest in the line of owners that inherited the curse. They are determined to remodel and spruce up century-old Wrigley and just recently said the Cubs will win a World Series in the refurbished park.

That is still to come–both things. One thing seems certain, though. This goat, as much as the 1945 goat, will have nothing to do with helping the Cubs play better.

Ryan Sweeney asked for his release after not making the Red Sox and has now signed a minor league deal with the Cubs. (Image Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports)

Outfielder Ryan Sweeney requested (and received) his release from the Boston Red Sox late this past week when it became apparent that he wasn’t going to make the team’s active roster in time for Opening Day. He didn’t seem interested in heading down to Triple-A with the organization, instead preferring to take his chances on the open market. Sweeney signed a new deal late Tuesday, joining the Chicago Cubs organization on a minor league deal. He’ll report to the club’s Triple-A affiliate within the next few days.

Chicago’s Triple-A team plays their home games in Des Moines, Iowa – roughly an hour and a half from Sweeney’s hometown.

Sweeney spent the 2012 season with Boston, having joined the organization the previous winter along with Andrew Bailey in a trade with the Oakland A’s. He’d hit .260/.303/.373 on the year, in 219 PA over 63 games. He’s never been much of a power hitter – just 14 HR in 1,900 career PA over seven seasons – and doesn’t carry a high on base percentage, but he’s capable of handling all three outfield positions which is often where most of his value lies.

Sweeney was brought in to provide some added depth in the outfield. With a few weeks of strong at bats in the minor leagues, he could put himself in position to be the first option that the team calls upon when there is a need.

After missing a chunk of time with a knee injury and limping (slightly) into the post-season in 2012, Cincinnati Reds first baseman Joey Votto should be back to his All-Star form this season. Credit: Rick Scuteri-USA TODAY Sports

As well as the Cincinnati Reds played last summer during the regular season, adapting and overcoming injuries, they couldn’t play better in 2013. But they can play longer and that’s the goal and likelihood. The Reds won 97 games and the National League Central Division title last year, but they got knocked out of the playoffs early by the eventual World Series champion San Francisco Giants after leading the series 2-0.

They accomplished what they did with star Joey Votto missing a chunk of the summer with injury and with starting third baseman Scott Rolen missing time with injury.

The two biggest things on the Reds’ minds in the off-season came to pass in a way. One was moving Drew Stubbs out of center field to the Cleveland Indians because he kept striking out too much and used up his chances. The other was not moving star closer Aroldis Chapman out of the bullpen and into the starting rotation. Well into spring training it seemed the Reds were committed making the Chapman move and then, out of nowhere, Chapman announced maybe should stay as the closer where he was an All-Star last year. That was probably the best plan for the team.

Shin-Soo Choo came over to the Reds from the Indians in the Stubbs deal, but no one seems to think that he can play center adeptly enough. So there may be some shuffling going on. Todd Frazier was a versatile rookie last year and he is starting at third. The rest of the starting lineup is in intact and the starting rotation, led by scheduled opening day hurler Johnny Cueto, looks tough.

St. Louis residents like to pride themselves on being just about the most enthusiastic and knowledgeable fans, and just about every year the Cardinals reward them with a contending team. Losing starter Chris Carpenter for the season and probably forever to injury, is not going to help the cause. The Cards are pretty solid all around, but some regulars like Carlos Beltran and Rafael Furcal (both going on 36) may be showing signs of age. Right now Furcal, David Freese and closer reliever Jason Motte are on the disabled list.

It doesn’t seem as if the Cardinals closed the gap on the Reds during the off-season, but they could eke into the playoffs and make some noise, which they did last year a year after winning the Series as a long-shot.

The Milwaukee Brewers suffered a talent drain after they won the division title two years ago and they are now seemingly a .500 team. Star Ryan Braun is the best player on the team, but now that his name has surfaced in the Biogenesis Clinic investigation you have to wonder if he will make it through the season unscathed and unbothered or Major League Baseball will end up suspending him for patronizing the wrong business at the wrong time. Losing Braun would pretty much doom the Brewers to a life as the second coming of the Houston Astros.

Meanwhile, if you ever had any fondness in your heart for the Pittsburgh Pirates, even if it was long ago when Roberto Clemente was playing, you should throw a little love Pittsburgh’s way in hopes that they can finally end their 20-year streak of sub-.500 finishes. They were close last year at 79-83 after a late-season collapse. But it’s got to happen soon or the Pirates will be dropped to AAA.

And then there are the Cubs. Last year Chicago finished 61-101. They were pretty horrible. Any Cubs fan that thought Theo Epstein was going to come over from the Red Sox, wave a magic wand, and everything would be all right, was a tad optimistic. It was obvious from the start that rebuilding was not going to be accomplished overnight. (Of course what is the definition of overnight in the context of going 105 years without a World Series title–five years?). Checking out the Cubs roster can be pretty demoralizing. They really don’t have more than two or three guys that seem likely to cause any excitement in the batting order.

It also seems that anyone in the pitching rotation positively seems capable of winning eight games. Many more from any individual except maybe a healthy Matt Garza would be a bonus.

Wrigley Field will be 100 years old in 2014 and no doubt the Cubs want to put together a smashing celebration. Just maybe they’ll be able to field a spicier lineup by then.

This is how the NL Central Division will look: 1) Cincinnati Reds; 2) St. Louis Cardinals; 3) Pittsburgh Pirates; 4) Milwaukee Brewers; 5) Chicago Cubs. 6) Houston Astros, in memoriam after being forcibly moved to the American League West Division where they can finish last instead.

Rumors once again suggest that Carlos Marmol could be available via trade and his days in Chicago are numbered. (Image Credit: Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports)

Hard-throwing closer Carlos Marmol was almost traded earlier this winter and it appears once again that the right-hander might be on the move, potentially before the regular season begins in about three weeks. The Cubs appear intent on moving him, given the amount of interest around the league, according to ESPNChicago.com’s Bruce Levine. Sources have told Levine that numerous teams, including the Detroit Tigers, have had scouts in attendance recently to take a look at Marmol.

Chicago had a deal in place to ship Marmol to the Los Angeles Angels for Dan Haren in early November. The Cubs medical staff was hesitant to sign off on Haren’s physical due to some concerns with his back, ultimately causing the deal to fall apart. Haren would end up reaching free agency and signing with the Washington Nationals. There have not been any further serious discussions about dealing Marmol, however. Until now.

Marmol made 30 appearances for the Cubs this past season, posting a 3.42 ERA and 1.536 WHIP over 55.1 IP on the year. His season was the tale of two pitchers, however. Marmol posted a 5.61 ERA in the season’s first half. After the All Star Break he was convinced to use his two-seam fastball more often, resulting in a big turnaround that resulted in a 1.52 ERA in the second half. The rebound was significant, but it seems apparent that the 30 year old no longer fits into the Cubs plans long term. Levine speculates that the Cubs could look to acquire young pitching in any deal to move Marmol, who can reportedly block a deal to four West Coast teams. He’s slated to earn just short of $10 Million this year and will be a free agent at season’s end.

Of course, shortly after Levine’s article came out others in the Chicago media, including Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun Times, refuted it:

Nothing to reports of trade interest for Marmol, esp. w/ Detroit. Cubs don’t expect to move him till after season starts. Prob at deadline.

— Gordon Wittenmyer (@GDubCub) March 6, 2013

Chicago has a number of options they can look to here, but it seems fairly certain that Marmol will be moved at some point – if not now, then likely before the July trade deadline. His future is not with the Cubs beyond this season so there’s every reason for the organization to try and get something in return for him. Keep in mind, however, that between his pending salary and the fact that he’s merely a rental (unless the team that acquires him promptly signs him to an extension – an unlikely scenario) the Cubs aren’t going to get much in return when a deal does get completed. No opposing team could justify paying a steep price at this point in time.

Kyuji Fujikawa, who the Cubs signed to a two year deal this offseason, is presumably the favorite to take over the closer’s role should the Cubs complete a deal. Fujikawa saved 220 games in his career in Japan before signing with Chicago.