February 5, On Jan. 4, Castro moved his family to Arizona, which has allowed him to get a head start on training.

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1 February 5, 2015 Cubs.com Castro getting early jump on fresh year By Carrie Muskat MESA, Ariz. Starlin Castro is healthy. His left ankle has recovered from the high sprain that ended the 2014 season early. Castro's hamstrings, which have been problems the past two springs, are strong, too. And his swing is well ahead of last season. He was popping balls out of the park during batting practice on a regular basis Tuesday. But most important, Castro feels safe. The Cubs shortstop had a difficult offseason in which he was linked to two shootings in the Dominican Republic. In early December, Castro and his family were leaving a concert when shots were fired. Three people were injured in that incident. On Dec. 27, Castro was at a nightclub when six people were injured in another shooting. He was recognized at both and was questioned, but he had nothing to do with either incident. On Jan. 4, Castro moved his family to Arizona, which has allowed him to get a head start on training. "We tried to get away from the problem," Castro said after a workout at the Cubs' facility. "I don't want my name all over the place with those kind of things. It was wrong time, wrong place. "People who know me know I'm a really humble man, I'm a happy man. Wrong time, wrong place. Those kind of things, I think God put those kind of things in my life to tell me how important I am and to get out of the bad things that affect my name, my career, my family. Those are the kind of things I don't want to happen again." Castro, 24, had built a large home in his hometown of Monte Cristi, which is located in the northwest corner of the Dominican near the border with Haiti. "That's the city I grew up in, I was born there," Castro said. "I love it. I'm from the Dominican. I'll never forget my home. [If I go back] I'll just be there having fun, but I'll have fun where I don't have problems. I think the things I'm doing now, the adjustments in my life like I said, sometimes God puts you in situations where you have to change." Castro has told the Cubs' front office he will relocate in the offseason, but he is still deciding on where. "It's not easy to move right away," Castro said. "I grew up in that town. If [moving] protects me and my family, I'll do it. Whatever is good for me, I'll do it." Being in Arizona now has allowed Castro to take his young son, who turns 2 in March, to Disneyland. Starlin Jr. was excited to be able to see his favorite character, Mickey Mouse. His father is nearly as excited about the Cubs' upcoming season.

2 Last spring, Castro was limited to four at-bats over three games because of a right hamstring strain, and he said it took about a month in the regular season to feel comfortable. Now, he's able to catch footballs over his shoulder like a wide receiver one of the agility drills he's been doing with strength coach Tim Buss as quarterback and can handle anything hit to him at short. Castro says he feels "normal." "I'm going to start hot right away," Castro said. "Nothing is stopping me." Cubs.com Cubs claim lefty Britton off waivers from Red Sox By Adam McCalvy The Cubs claimed left-handed reliever Drake Britton off waivers from the Boston Red Sox on Wednesday to bolster the bullpen corps. Britton, 25, was 1-1 with a 2.93 ERA in 25 relief appearances with the Red Sox covering the last two seasons, and he has held left-handed hitters to a.643 OPS. In 2014, he made seven big league appearances without allowing a run, but he spent most of the season at Triple-A Pawtucket, where he posted a 5.86 ERA and five saves in 45 games. The 6-foot-2, 215-pound Texas product was a 23rd-round Draft pick of the Red Sox in 2007, when current Cubs president of baseball operations Theo Epstein was Boston's general manager. To clear space on a full 40-man roster for Britton, the Cubs designated for assignment well-traveled right-hander Gonzalez Germen. Previously this offseason, Germen had been designated for assignment by the Mets on Dec. 15 and traded to the Yankees on Dec. 19, then designated for assignment by the Yankees on Jan. 13 and traded to the Rangers on Jan. 20. The Cubs claimed him off waivers from the Rangers on Jan. 23. Cubs.com Cubs release Spring Training broadcast schedule By Adam McCalvy The Cubs on Wednesday unveiled their Spring Training broadcast schedule that covers every game day on the exhibition slate, including a March 7 debut on a new radio rightsholder and 21 free audio webcasts via cubs.com. The schedule features 10 televised games by Cubs broadcast partners (seven on Comcast SportsNet Chicago and three on WGN-TV), eight on the WBBM-AM Newsradio 780 Cubs Radio Network and 21 via cubs.com audio webcast. Fans will be able to access the Cubs webcasts on cubs.com and MLB.com for free by registering for a login account with the website. WBBM-AM Newsradio 780, the club's new radio rightsholder, will air its first game on Sat., March 7, when the Cubs play at the Rockies, with Pat Hughes and Ron Coomer on the call. Comcast SportsNet Chicago's first game will air from Las Vegas on Friday, March 13, when the Cubs play the Athletics. WGN-TV has its first game on Sunday, March 15, when the Cubs host the Cincinnati Reds at Sloan Park. Len Kasper and Jim Deshaies return to call all Cubs TV games. Kasper will again join Mick Gillispie, radio broadcaster for Chicago's Double-A Tennessee affiliate, for most of the cubs.com online radio broadcasts. In all, 30 of the 33 games are scheduled to be available on television, radio or online radio broadcast. Here's the full schedule (all games start at 1:05 p.m. Arizona time unless otherwise noted. Chicago is one hour ahead of Arizona through Saturday, March 7, before moving to two hours ahead on Sunday, March 8):

3 Thursday, March 5 vs. Oakland Athletics (ss) cubs.com Friday, March 6 vs. Cincinnati Reds cubs.com Saturday, March 7 at Colorado Rockies WBBM 780 (1:10 p.m.) Sunday, March 8 vs. Texas Rangers WBBM 780 Monday, March 9 vs. San Diego Padres cubs.com Tuesday, March 10 at Cleveland Indians cubs.com Wednesday, March 11 vs. Los Angeles Dodgers cubs.com Thursday, March 12 at Los Angeles Angels cubs.com (1:10 p.m.) Friday, March 13 vs. Cleveland Indians (ss) cubs.com Friday, March 13 vs. Oakland Athletics (ss) in Las Vegas CSN-TV (5:05 p.m. PT) Saturday, March 14 at Milwaukee Brewers (ss) WBBM 780 Sunday, March 15 vs. Cincinnati Reds WGN-TV, WBBM 780 Monday, March 16 at San Diego Padres cubs.com Tuesday, March 17 vs. Kansas City Royals cubs.com Wednesday, March 18 at Los Angeles Dodgers cubs.com Thursday, March 19 at Arizona Diamondbacks CSN-TV, cubs.com (6:40 p.m.) Friday, March 20 at Chicago White Sox cubs.com Saturday, March 21 vs. Seattle Mariners WBBM 780 Sunday, March 22 vs. San Diego Padres CSN-TV, WBBM 780 Monday, March 23 OFF DAY Tuesday, March 24 at Oakland Athletics cubs.com Wednesday, March 25 at Seattle Mariners CSN-TV, cubs.com (7:05 p.m.) Thursday, March 26 vs. Los Angeles Angels ESPN TV, cubs.com (4:05 p.m.) Friday, March 27 vs. Chicago White Sox CSN-TV, cubs.com Saturday, March 28 vs. Colorado Rockies (ss) WBBM 780 Sunday, March 29 at Kansas City Royals WGN-TV, WBBM 780 Monday, March 30 vs. San Francisco Giants CSN-TV, cubs.com Tuesday, March 31 at Texas Rangers cubs.com Wednesday, April 1 vs. Milwaukee Brewers CSN-TV, cubs.com Thursday, April 2 OFF DAY Friday, April 3 at Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field cubs.com (6:40 p.m.) Saturday, April 4 at Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field WGN-TV, cubs.com (1:10 p.m.) Kaplan: Cubs 'kicking the tires' on SP James Shields By Staff The last major unsigned free agent has yet to find a home, and the Cubs may be a possible destination. CSN's David Kaplan is reporting that the Cubs are "kicking the tires" on free agent starting pitcher James Shields, who helped guide the Kansas City Royals to the World Series in According to Kaplan, Shields has given indication that he will make a decision by the end of the week, and the Cubs are among the teams he's considering. Shields, 33, registered a 14-8 record last season with a 3.21 ERA. In four postseason starts, he compiled a 2-2 record and finished with a 2.88 ERA. Stay tuned with CSN, and to track the latest updates.

4 Joe Maddon won t be afraid to get creative and shake up Cubs lineup By Tony Andracki Joe Maddon is in for a big adjustment period. For one, he's moving from the small-market Tampa Bay Rays to the third-biggest market in professional sports and a franchise that hasn't won a championship in 107 years. But Maddon is also moving to the National League after spending his entire coaching career to date in the American League with the designated hitter. The two-time AL Manager of the Year turns 61 next week and seems anxious to jump into a new challenge. At Cubs Convention last month, Maddon signaled the possibility of hitting the pitcher eighth, like legendary manager Tony La Russa, who toyed with that idea during his tenure with the St. Louis Cardinals. "I talked to Tony about that in the past with the Rays a bit when we played National League ball," Maddon said. "There are some definite reasons why you would do something like that. "More than anything, you want to feed into the beefy part of the batting order. How do you feed into the beefy part of a National League batting order better? I'm trying to find that out." The idea isn't new to Maddon. As Rays manager, he hit the pitcher higher in the order eight times, including all three games against the Cubs at Wrigley Field last August (h/t CSN stat guru Chris Kamka for the info): And then there was the time where Maddon had to hit pitcher Andy Sonnanstine third in the batting order after a lineup snafu caused the Rays to lose their DH. The idea of hitting the pitcher eighth is foreign to the Cubs, however, as it has only happened once since at least Jeff Samardzija on Sept. 8, 2012 (Tony Campana hit ninth). Maddon is a student of the game, passionate about his craft and not afraid to think outside the box. We already knew he'd have some fun writing out the batting order after his Tommy Tutone " " lineup with the Rays last summer. And Theo Epstein s front office has given Maddon some weapons to play with. There's Arismendy Alcantara, who can play all over the field and has the raw talent to hit nearly anywhere in the order. There are the mix-and-match opportunities in the outfield with veterans Chris Coghlan and Chris Denorfia slated for a platoon. The Cubs have plenty of inexperienced kids still getting used to playing at the highest level, but there are also veterans like Miguel Montero, who can slot in multiple spots in the order. There's still plenty of time to think about all that with pitchers and catchers reporting in 15 days. And all the lineup speculation is better left for Twitter and blogs. Maddon isn't worrying about it. "I don't write lineups down. I'm not that guy," he said. "I never do. I need to see the guys in person. I like to see what's going on. I have to ask questions. "I got to get with the analytic people. I really do do that. (I said 'do-do' again.) I'm really big on that kind of stuff. "So once I'm able to get all the information, I want to talk to them in the dugout, watch their at-bats, ask the guys that have been here before: What did you see? I have zero preconceived notions right now." Maddon has admitted he's had people at Chamber of Commerce events fill out lineup cards for him in Tampa Bay. (They went 3-2 by Maddon's mark.) The manager joked he takes suggestions on Twitter, too.

5 Either way, Maddon won't be afraid to shake things up. Wonder what '80s song will be the next lineup inspiration. Cubs: Logan Watkins probably out for 2015 after Achilles injury By Tony Andracki Cubs utility player Logan Watkins may be out for the 2015 season after suffering an Achilles tear in Arizona Devastated to say that I tore my Achilles today working out in Arizona. Hard to put into words how sad I am that I won't be apart of the Great season the Cubs are prepared to have. Watkins posted a photo on Instagram Tuesday afternoon saying he was on his way to Arizona and less than 24 hours later, the 25-year-old's season was over. Watkins has appeared in 58 games with the big-league club over the last two seasons, hitting.233 with a.569 OPS in 110 plate appearances while playing second base and right field. He was the organization's Minor League Player of the Year in 2012 when he posted a.383 on-base percentage and.805 OPS with 28 steals. In seven minor-league seasons, Watkins posted a.274/.360/.384 line with 27 homers and 117 steals in 685 games. He started out as a second baseman, but transitioned into a utility role, seeing time at all four infield positions and all three outfield positions. The Cubs designated Watkins for assignment in December and was eventually outrighted to Triple-A Iowa. Report: Cubs nearing minor league deal with LHP Pedro Feliciano By Sarah Langs They call him Perpetual Pedro. Reports say that left-handed reliever Pedro Feliciano will sign a minor league deal with the Cubs. The deal would include an invite to big-league camp, and a chance to win a major league roster spot. Feliciano hasn t pitched in the majors since 2013 with the New York Mets. He spent time recently in the Yankees and Cardinals organizations, but his only big league experience is with the Mets. Feliciano had three separate stints with the team in Flushing, from , , and then a final one in In first interim, he played on a Japanese team, and the second was spent in the Yankees' organization. He spent 2014 in the minors with the Cardinals. He earned the nickname Perpetual Pedro after leading baseball in appearances by a pitcher for three straight years, from under manager Jerry Manuel's purview. Feliciano sported a 3.44 ERA over those hardworking seasons, and has a 3.33 ERA overall in his career. Feliciano was traded to the Mets in a package from the Cincinnati Reds in August of 2002 for a player who would join the Cubs the following season: Shawn Estes.

6 Cubs claim pitcher Drake Britton from Red Sox, DFA Germen By Sarah Langs The Cubs claimed left-handed relief pitcher Drake Britton from the Boston Red Sox on Wednesday. To make room on the roster, Chicago designated right-handed pitcher Gonzalez Germen for assignment. Britton appeared in seven games out of the bullen for the Red Sox last season as a September call-up, not allowing any runs over 6.2 innings. He spent his season with Triple-A Pawtucket, appearing in 45 games. He posted a 5.86 ERA with the PawSox over 58.1 innings. Britton also had a Major League stint during the summer of 2013, appearing in 18 games with a 3.86 ERA. Prior to his Major League appearances in 2013, Britton had been a starter. Germen appeared in 25 games for the Mets out of the bullpen last season, notching a 4.75 ERA over 30.1 innings. Germen's name has been on the transaction ticker a number of times this offseason. This is his fourth DFA of the winter. The Mets designated him in December and traded him to the Yankees for cash. The Yankees then designated him a month later and traded him to the Rangers, also for cash. Texas designated him a day later. The Cubs had claimed Germen off waivers on January 23. Chicago Tribune American Airlines scores big as new official airline of Cubs By Gregory Karp American Airlines has signed on as the official airline of the Chicago Cubs and Wrigley Field, stealing the designation from hometown carrier United Airlines and starting a major marketing push to boost its name at its Chicago hub. United, based in Willis Tower in Chicago, signed a three-year deal in 2011 to be the exclusive airline of the Cubs and Wrigley Field and extended it through last year. It had been a sponsor since But this season, American Airlines gets the start for the Cubs. Even though it's based in Texas, American has eyes on the title of "Chicago's hometown airline," said Fernand Fernandez, American's vice president of global marketing. "For us, it's really about putting a stake in the ground and saying, 'We're going to be No. 1 in Chicago," Fernandez said in an interview. "This is a big deal, a big relationship we have in Chicago." At O'Hare International Airport, American and United go head-to-head by far the two largest carriers at the airport, with United being slightly larger. Still, American has a huge presence, operating there for more than 30 years. It has about 500 flights a day and some 8,500 employees in Chicago. American and Cubs officials declined to disclose terms of the deal, including money and the length of the sponsorship, except to say it's a "multiyear contract" and "long-term partnership" and that American would be the only airline sponsor. The deal involves an American Airlines fixed sign on the brick wall by the Cubs' batting circle at Wrigley Field and video board features in the ballpark. Beginning with the 2017 season, American and the Cubs will add a new

7 stadium club behind home plate for box seat ticket holders, the airline said. An existing stadium club previously sponsored by United will have a new non-airline sponsor, said Colin Faulkner, vice president of sales and partnerships with the Cubs. Why the change in airline sponsors? Faulkner said the existing deal with United expired. "We really just shared a vision with the American folks for what we were doing here at Wrigley Field, with the path that we're on and the path that they're on," he said. "It really made a lot of sense." In an agreement with a separate company also controlled by the Cubs' owner, the Ricketts family, American will sponsor a conference center in an office building to be developed in the new plaza next to Wrigley Field. Exclusive sponsorship of the Cubs follows a pattern set by United to brand itself after its 2010 merger with Continental Airlines, when United became the exclusive airline at the ballpark. American's merger with US Airways is a little more than a year old, and it aims to market itself in highly competitive hubs in Chicago, Los Angeles and New York, Fernandez said. The Cubs sponsorship is only part of the branding strategy in Chicago, Fernandez said. "We plan to have a (marketing) presence there year-round," he said. With its merger, American replaced United as the largest airline in the world. The Cubs have embarked on a $375 million renovation of historic Wrigley Field, including installations of two largescale video scoreboards and four advertising signs in the outfield. With the expansion of advertising at the stadium, the team is on the hunt for new sponsors. The Cubs in December announced a deal with Wintrust Financial, making it the official bank of the team. It includes a Wintrust sign on top of the left field video board for this season and exclusive ATM provider rights, among other promotions. Other so-called Legacy Partner sponsors are Anheuser-Busch, ATI Physical Therapy, Starwood Hotels and Resorts, Under Armour and Sloan Valve. Cubs Chairman Tom Ricketts said in a statement that the deal with American "will provide important resources to help us build a winning team on the field and save Wrigley Field for future generations." The agreement also includes marketing opportunities for American Airlines at the Cubs' spring training facility, Sloan Park in Mesa, Ariz., American said. But the deal doesn't necessarily mean that Cubs players fly American Airlines to away games. The deal is a marketing agreement, Faulkner said. "Of course, with American being our exclusive marketing partner in this category, we obviously want to do whatever we can to help support their business," Faulkner said. Chicago Tribune Cubs claim pitcher Drake Britton off waivers By Colleen Kane The Chicago Cubs claimed left-handed pitcher Drake Britton off waivers from the Boston Red Sox on Wednesday. Britton, 25, was 1-1 with a 2.93 ERA, 21 strikeouts and nine walks over 27 2/3 innings pitched in 25 relief appearances with the Red Sox over the last two seasons. He made 45 relief appearances with the Red Sox Triple-A club in 2014, going 2-3 with a 5.86 ERA.

8 The Cubs designated right-handed reliever Gonzalez Germen for assignment to make room on the 40-man roster for Britton. They had claimed Germen off waivers from the Texas Rangers in late January.