Dayan Viciedo is expected to arrive in Chicago this morning, take a physical and sign on the dotted line.
Time for a pop quiz on the Cubs' putrid postseason. Pencils ready? Pick the correct answer on precisely what went wrong, with a little help from some members of the organization who had the time to reflect before providing their answers.
Throw out Sam Zell's idea of selling the Cubs by the end of the year because he still hasn't reached his goal of narrowing the field from five bidders to two. And sources close to commissioner Bud Selig sounded an alarm this week during the annual general managers meetings: Forget about Mark Cuban buying the Cubs.
Chris De Luca: Ken Williams sees the same thing the average White Sox fan sees. The Sox are slow. A textbook example of station-to-station baseball. They are a double play waiting to happen. You can almost hear manager Ozzie Guillen groaning at the very mention of the Sox' slow-motion offense. ''I get it,'' Williams said. ''But certain things don't always avail themselves to you.''
Had the White Sox reached the second round of the playoffs last month, left fielder Carlos Quentin likely would’ve been added to the active roster, general manager Ken Williams said.
Chris De Luca: Offseason business has seemed like a snap for Cubs general manager Jim Hendry the last two years. He wanted Lou Piniella as his manager and Alfonso Soriano as his leadoff hitter and -- snap, snap -- there they were two years ago. Last winter, he had one item on his big wish list, Japanese outfielder Kosuke Fukudome, and -- snap -- there he was.
White Sox general manager Ken Williams made it clear there will be no talks about re-signing free-agent third baseman Joe Crede. Juan Uribe replaced Crede at third base, and he also is a free agent. Uribe is expected to test the open market but could return to the White Sox as a reserve player. Sources say teams have shown little trade interest in Uribe the last two years, indicating he likely won't interest any teams who are looking for starting infielders. ... The Cleveland Indians are among the teams who are expected to show interest in Crede, who was an All-Star in 2008 but was sidelined in the second half because of recurring back problems. ... Agent Scott Boras confirmed that former Cubs ace Greg Maddux will retire this offseason. ''I talked to Greg at the end of the season, and he said at this point, his intentions are not to play next year,'' Boras said during a visit to the annual general managers meetings. ''He was rather definitive about his statement, and my belief from his point of view is that he will retire.'' ... Darek Braunecker, agent for right-hander A.J. Burnett, told the Toronto Blue Jays his client will opt out of his contract, making him a free agent. Burnett, who turns 31 on Jan. 3, had two years and $24million left on his contract. ... The Cubs had shown interest in Japanese right-hander Junichi Tazawa, 22, but sources say he is close to reaching a deal with the Atlanta Braves. ... The Los Angeles Dodgers are making a hard push to re-sign free-agent shortstop Rafael Furcal, who is expected to draw interest from the Cubs, Detroit Tigers and San Francisco Giants if he hits the open market later this month. ... The Tampa Bay Rays have shown interest in Colorado Rockies left fielder Matt Holliday, a deal that would include sending Carl Crawford to the Rockies. ... Boras also said he believes it's unlikely the Detroit Tigers will trade right fielder Magglio Ordonez, another one of his clients.
Chris De Luca: White Sox general manager Ken Williams relaxed Monday in a parlor at the St. Regis Resort, a fire flickering a few feet from a grand piano behind him, and seemed the picture of calm. Until the subject turned to veteran right-hander Javier Vazquez.
Chris De Luca: Mark DeRosa took a slow look around the Cubs' clubhouse and knew only one thing for sure that night in Los Angeles when they were eliminated from the playoffs. ''I would love to have the same team back,'' DeRosa said, ''but it's never that way.'' That's a given even for the World Series champion Philadelphia Phillies today, as they brace for a celebration that marks the end of their 28-year title drought.
Chris De Luca: Brad Lidge did what he has done 48 times without flaw this season, getting the last out of a Philadelphia Phillies victory. Catcher Carlos Ruiz met Lidge halfway between home plate and the mound and wrapped the big right-hander in a bear hug. Their special moment was interrupted when first baseman Ryan Howard -- a blur at 6-4, 260 pounds -- barreled in to join the celebration, toppling over a still-embraced Lidge and Ruiz.
PHILADELPHIA -- A World Series that has featured a few blown calls by umpires and one bungled decision by a hand-wringing commissioner hopes to return the focus back to baseball, possibly by tonight.
Chris De Luca: Manager Charlie Manuel has relied on a stock answer lately when it comes to describing his feeling each time Philadelphia Phillies ace left-hander Cole Hamels takes the mound. ''Every time he goes out, I think he's going to win the game,'' Manuel said. ''He's capable of shutting somebody out, and also I think of him as throwing no-hitters at times. I've got a lot of confidence in him.''
PHILADELPHIA — When this October madness started, the Cubs and White Sox were still in the hunt — really, you can look it up. So were six other teams. Now, the Philadelphia Phillies are on the brink of delivering the final knockout punch of the postseason, and the Tampa Bay Rays are in serious need of smelling salts after absorbing a 10-2 beating in Game 4 of the 104th World Series on Sunday night.
Chris De Luca: It took 40 at-bats, but the Philadelphia Phillies finally did what was starting to seem impossible. They got a base hit that stretched as far as the outfield with a runner in scoring position. The snapshot moment came with two outs during the third inning in Game 4 of the World Series. And if you're keeping score at home, Game 4 should have been the last game of the 104th World Series.
Thanks to strong support from Cubs fans, Aramis Ramirez was presented the Hank Aaron Award — recognizing the most outstanding offensive performer from each league — a vote that undoubtedly took place before the playoffs. Ramirez hit .289 with 27 home runs, 111 RBI, 97 runs and career highs with 44 doubles, a .518 slugging percentage and a .380 on-base percentage. But he went 2-for-11 with no RBI in the National League Division Series.
We've gone from cowbells to the Liberty Bell. And the differences between St. Pete and Philly are as wide as the gap between Tampa Bay Rays starter Matt Garza and the Philadelphia Phillies' Jamie Moyer for Game 3 of the 104th World Series. Garza is 24 and coming off his first full season in the majors as he made his World Series debut Saturday night.
Should Bob Brenly become the next manager of the Brewers, then Mark Grace would be a clear favorite to move into the Cubs' broadcast booth. And based on his words Thursday, Grace's color commentary might not fly in that overly sensitive clubhouse. Summing up the Cubs' brief appearance in the postseason, Grace said they ''rolled over'' and should be humiliated.
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- Listening to the way Joe Maddon tells the story, he had a heck of a job cleaning up the mess left behind by Lou Piniella when he took over as the Tampa Bay Rays' manager after the 2005 season.
Chris De Luca: So that's what the Philadelphia Phillies look like. Have they grown since the last time we've seen them? Six days later, the Phillies resurfaced Wednesday in time for Game 1 of the World Series. Maybe it's because they were still playing in a Game 7 of the American League Championship Series three nights earlier, but it was easy to focus so much attention on the Tampa Bay Rays.