Who else could the Cubs trade?

Jeff Samardzija and Jason Hammel are the biggest Cubs players that could be traded in the coming weeks, but they are not the only 2 that could be traded. There are other players such as Emilio Bonifacio and Wesley Wright that could be traded as well. The biggest question is what they will get for them and other players.

Wesley Wright is quietly having a very good season having a 2.66 ERA in 24 appearances striking out 16 batters in 20.1 innings while walking 6 after being signed by the Cubs to a 1-year contract. The Cubs would most likely be looking for a pitching prospect for him but most likely will have to settle for a marginal prospect.

Emilio Bonifacio has cooled down after an amazing start but is still hitting an impressive .266/.311/.344 with his highest OPS since 2011. He is well regarded as a steal threat and has 13 steals so far in the season but has also been caught stealing 6 times which is 4th in the league. The Cubs could potentially acquire a utility player or a lower-level prospect for him.

Darwin Barney has struggled offensively in the past couple of years and has been horrible this year hitting .192/.250/.280 with a career low 45 OPS+. But he still provides a ton of defensive value and could be used as a late-inning defensive replacement. The Cubs know they won't get much for him and will only ask for a prospect not expected to make an impact in the big leagues.

Obviously the haul is not much for these players but the Cubs will be looking to make a deal and these players could be sent somewhere else to help another team while netting the Cubs some players that could make a small impact on the team.

Cubs lose to Pirates 6-2

On a cool Monday night that was perfect for a baseball game the Pittsburgh Pirates defeated the Chicago Cubs 6-2 behind great pitching by Charlie Morton who threw 7 innings of 1-run ball and 7 strikeouts. Edwin Jackson took the loss giving up 4 runs over 6 innings while striking out 8 and walking 2.

The Pirates offense got started early as a Pedro Alvarez lead off single allowed Starling Marte to drive him in to give Pittsburgh an early 1-0 advantage. They would add to the lead on a home run and a double by 2013 NL MVP Andrew McCutchen to make it a 4-0 disadvantage.

The Cubs scored their first run in the top of the sixth with 2 outs when Starlin Castro hit a double to score Anthony Rizzo who had gotten an infield hit. However the Pirates added 2 more in the bottom of the seventh on 3 straight extra-base hits including a home run from Ike Davis and an RBI double from Starling Marte.

Going into the 9th the Cubs were down 6-1 but a lead off home run by Starlin Castro made it a 6-2 game but were not able to get anything else started that inning.

Player of the Game: Andrew McCutchen 2-4 1 HR 1 2B 3 RBIs

Cubs draft C-OF Kyle Schwarber

With their first overall pick in the draft the Cubs have drafted C-OF Kyle Schwarber from the Indiana University Hoosiers. Schwarber had a nice season for Indiana hitting .348/.456/.643 with 13 home runs in 224 at bats and stealing 10 bases.

The Cubs obviously felt he was the best player available and were able to get an underslot player first. Even better, he is a lefty bat which is something the Cubs have needed with most of their top prospects being right handed hitters.

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The Saturday Shuffle: Arrieta, Coghlan, Fujikawa, Rosscup, and Sweeney

Before todays game against the Cardinals the Cubs made numerous roster moves including calling up Jake Arrieta so he can make his first start of the year today against the Cardinals. In a corresponding move the Cubs option Zac Rosscup who was the odd man out in the Cubs 'pen as he was the 3rd lefty available in the pen. He made 2 good appearances out of the bullpen for the Cubs pitching 2.2 scoreless innings while striking out 2 and walking 1.

Arrieta was rehabbing from shoulder soreness and pitched 20 innings in 5 starts striking out 18 while walking 7.

The Cubs also made some other moves today calling up Chris Coghlan, who was hitting .243/.379/.314 for the Iowa Cubs but with 18 strikeouts in 88 at bats. He was called up because of the injury to Ryan Sweeney who was placed on the 15-day disabled list.

 In another roster move the Cubs moved Kyuji Fujikawa, who is recovering from Tommy John surgery to the 60-day disabled list. This move was necessary so the Cubs could free up a spot on the 40-man roster for Chris Coghlan.

Chicago Cubs April Recap

Well April is over and the results aren't very good. A 9-17 record with an offense that is struggling to score runs isn't very promising, but teams usually don't hit as well at the start of the year. The Cubs rotation has been solid this year with Jeff Samardzija, despite a 0-3 record has been the ace of the staff with a 1.98 ERA.

The biggest surprise for the Cubs this year on offense has been Emilio Bonifacio who was signed to a minor league deal in February has really been impressive from the top of the order hitting .337/.385/.406 with 10 steals.

On the pitching side the biggest surprise has been Jason Hammel who was signed in the beginning of February has been terrific to begin his Cubs career posting a 4-1 record in 34.2 innings with 27 strikeouts and 7 walks.

My biggest expectation for May is for the offense to play better as the weather gets warmer and that the bullpen will be much better. The Cubs biggest bullpen acquisition, Jose Veras, has struggled to begin his season with a 15.88 ERA and a 2.82 WHIP in 5.2 innings pitched.

Cubs vs Royals game recap 3/2/14

The Good:
Darwin Barney and Anthony Rizzo both had RBI doubles
Dallas Beeler gave up 1 run in 2 innings
Neil Ramirez, Armando Rivera, and Yoanner Negrin each pitched a shutout inning
Edwin Jackson only gave up 1 run in 2 innings
Justin Ruggiano and Javier Baez went 2-3
The team went 2-5 with RISP

The Bad:
Edwin Jackson gave up 3 hits in 2 innings
Carlos Villanueva gave up 3 runs in 2 innings with 3 punchouts
Starlin Castro left with a mild hamstring strain
Cubs only drew 1 walk while striking out 9 times.