Baseball Prospectus makes their 2010 MLB predictions...

Many have learned of Baseball Prospectus's 2010 MLB predictions, and what they think of the Chicago Cubs. The site has predicted that the Cubs will finish 77-85, 9 games behind the first-place St. Louis Cardinals, and 4 games behind the second-place Cincinnati Reds. How BP figures the Cubs will finish behind the Reds is beyond me. Even more perplexing is that BP has only 3 teams winning 90+ games, and all 3 teams are in the AL East (Red Sox, Yankees, Rays). Surprisingly, the Oakland A's will win the AL West, the Atlanta Braves will win the NL East(my pick to win the NL East, but still, surprising), the Washington Nationals will finish ahead of the New York Mets in the NL East, and the Arizona Diamondbacks and Colorado Rockies will finish ahead of the San Francisco Giants in the NL West(not surprising, depending on who you talk to). I'm not sure who made these predictions or how they came up with them, but I think it's safe to say that they're possibly a little...off. To see BP's predictions: http://www.baseballprospectus.com/fantasy/dc/

Derrick Rose makes first All-Star Game...

Chicago Bulls second-year point guard Derrick Rose has been named to the Eastern Conference All-Star team. It will be his first appearance, and he will be a reserve. This should be considered special because the reserves are selected by coaches, and not the fans. Rose's jersey is the 4th-best selling in the NBA, so we should expect many more All-Star Game selections for Rose to come. Here are the Eastern and Western Conference All-Star rosters: http://www.nba.com/allstar2010/players/

I'm back...

I've been more than a little busy the past few days, and I realize that I've missed a few things. Allow me to catch you up...

Andre Dawson to wear Expos cap on his Hall of Fame plaque...

The Baseball Hall of Fame announced today that outfielder Andre Dawson will wear an Expos cap on his Hall of Fame plaque. Since finding out that he had been voted in, many people wondered whether Dawson would don an Expos cap (the team that he began his career with) or a Cubs cap (the team that made him most popular and where he won his only MVP). With catcher Gary Carter as the lone Expo (who also didn't spend his entire career in Montreal) in the Hall of Fame, I assume that the Baseball HOF wanted more even representation.

Andre Dawson was slightly before my time, but I still remember his powerful bat, good speed, and rocket arm. I assumed all along that he would go into the HOF wearing an Expos cap, but I honestly figured that Dawson would make that decision. I'm glad to know that most Cubs fans don't have a problem with the Baseball HOF's decision, and are simply happy to see a player that gave us joy for years finally get his just reward. Whether Montreal Expo or Chicago Cub, congratulations, Mr. Dawson.

Cubs sign Chad Tracy to minor-league deal...

Bruce Levine has reported (http://sports.espn.go.com/chicago/mlb/news/story?id=4861096) that the Cubs have just signed 1B/3B Chad Tracy to a minor-league contract. Tracy will make $900K if he makes the team, with a bonus based on plate appearances.

Cubs add Nady, A's reach for Sheets...

The Cubs have reached a tentative one-year deal with 31 year-old outfielder and righty-hitting Xavier Nady, pending a physical. Nady had his SECOND Tommy John surgery last season and only played in 9 games total, with 2 of those coming in the minors. His last full season was .2008, split between the Yankees and Pirates, when he hit 25HR, knocked in 97RBI, and finished with an .OPS of .867. He hit .330 with an .OPS of .919 for the Pirates in 89 games in 2008, so I'm hoping that had more to do with his familiarity and success in the National League than a hot 90-game period. It seems Nady will be the fourth outfielder, and most likely spell rightfielder Kosuke Fukudome against lefthanders.

On the West Coast, the Oakland Athletics signed righthanded starting pitcher Ben Sheets to a one-year deal, in the $8-$9 million range. As everyone has probably already said, that is a GREAT deal, considering Sheets didn't even pitch in 2009. The money is guaranteed, and there have been performance bonuses included. Sheets made 94 starts from 2005 to 2008, never making more than 31 in one season, and his ERA was never higher than 3.82. The Cubs and Rangers were also interested in Sheets, but I'm sure they backed off after it was learned that he was seeking more than a few million dollars over one year. The A's rotation will most likely consist of Sheets, Trevor Cahill, Brett Anderson, Dallas Braden, and either Vin Mazzaro or Gio Gonzalez. Look for this rotation to be a force to reckoned with in the next 2-3 years, as Cahill, Anderson, Braden, Mazzaro, and Gonzalez are an average age of 23 years old.

Cubs in the hunt for Park...

It has been reported that the Cubs and Tampa Bay Rays are pursuing right-handed pitcher Chan Ho Park (http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2010/01/cubs-rays-after-park.html). Park, 37, is coming off a season with the Philadelphia Phillies in which he finished with a 3-3 record, with an ERA of 4.43, making 7 starts, and appearing in 45 games. Obviously there's no way he starts unless it's in an emergency role, so I assume he'll be a middle reliever, which should be...interesting.