January 30, Chicago Tribune These 7 free agents are still unsigned. And all have been linked to the Cubs or White Sox.

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1 January 30, 2019 Chicago Tribune, These 7 free agents are still unsigned. And all have been linked to the Cubs or White Sox. story.html NBC Sports Chicago, State of the Cubs: Center field Chicago Sun-Times, Cubs Chairman Tom Ricketts donates $25,000 to Bill Daley -- Chicago Tribune These 7 free agents are still unsigned. And all have been linked to the Cubs or White Sox. By Tim Bannon There s nothing like a deadline to get deals done. So with spring training less than two weeks away, look for unsigned free agents to cut deals soon. Here are seven players the White Sox or Cubs have been rumored to be interested in. 1. Manny Machado, shortstop/third baseman The White Sox reportedly made an offer to the 26-year-old, who seeks an eight- to 10-year deal worth $300 million or more. Machado is a career.282 hitter with a.487 slugging percentage and an OPS of.822. He hit 37 homers and drove in 107 last year with Orioles and Dodgers. Asked at SoxFest if the Sox are prepared to outspend any other team to get someone like Machado or Bryce Harper, general manager Rick Hahn said: Do we have no limits? No. Everyone has a limit on how far you re willing to go on something. You also have to keep in mind that there are at times, depending on the player, other elements besides simply economics. So if I stood up here and said, as (the Phillies) said, We re going to spend stupid money this offseason, that doesn t guarantee you re going to get the guy. The Yankees, Phillies and Padres are also reportedly pursuing Machado. 2. Bryce Harper, outfielder When asked earlier this month about the chances of Harper coming to the Cubs, manager Joe Maddon said: Not happening. In 79 plate appearances at Wrigley Field, Harper has hit.333 with a OPS. So never say never. The White Sox also have reportedly shown interest in Harper, although Machado is their primary target. The hot rumor was that Harper would announce Tuesday where he ll play in 2019, with the Phillies the favorite. Other teams in the hunt: Nationals, Dodgers, Cardinals. 3. Craig Kimbrel, right-handed reliever

2 The 6-foot, 210-pound closer has a 1.91 career ERA, and has averaged 65 appearances a season since He s reportedly looking for a six-year deal anywhere from $86 million to $100 million. The seventime All-Star is 30. Other teams reportedly interested in Kimbrel are the Red Sox, Indians, Braves and Phillies. 4. Tony Sipp, left-handed reliever The 35-year-old has 10 years of major-league experience and had a solid 2018 with the Astros, compiling a 1.86 ERA over 38.2 innings, with a WHIP. He also only gave up one homer last season. 5. Marwin Gonzalez, infielder/outfielder A valuable utility player who can play not only play the outfield corners but each infield position. All of his seven major-league seasons were with the Astros before he became a free agent. Over his career, the 29-year-old has hit.264, with an OBP of.318 and a.419 slugging percentage. He hit 16 homers and drove in 68 runs last year with Houston. His agent is Scott Boras. The Astros, Indians and Angels also are reportedly interested. 6. Mike Moustakas, third baseman The 30-year-old will be entering his ninth major-league season, 7½ of those with the Royals. He was traded to the Brewers last July. He s a career.251 hitter with 147 homers and 474 RBIs. Among the teams reportedly looking at him are the Padres, Phillies and White Sox, if they can t sign Machado. His agent: Scott Boras. 7. Drew Storen, right-handed reliever Storen, 31, has pitched for the Nationals, Blue Jays, Mariners and Reds. Over his career, he has a record, with a 3.45 ERA and a WHIP. He saved 43 games with the Nationals in 2011 and has 99 career saves. He missed all of last season after Tommy John surgery. He reportedly worked out for the Cubs two weeks ago. Other notable unsigned free agents Clay Buchholz, right-handed starting pitcher. The 34-year-old had a 2.01 ERA and a WHIP for the Diamondbacks in his 12th major-league season. Gio Gonzalez, left-handed starting pitcher. The durable 33-year-old has made at least 31 starts in eight of his nine years in the majors. Last year he was with a 4.21 ERA for the Nationals and Brewers. Jose Iglesias, shortstop, third baseman. A solid fielder, the 29-year-old hit.269 for the Tigers last season with a.310 OBP. He also stole 15 bases. Adam Jones, outfielder. A reliable veteran, he hit.281 with 15 homers and 63 RBIs or the Orioles in Dallas Keuchel, left-handed starting pitcher. Keuchel won the Cy Young Award in 2015 with the Astros. He was with a 3.74 ERA for Houston last year. Wade Miley, left-handed starting pitcher. An eight-year veteran, he pitched 80 2/3 innings for the Brewers last year with a 2.57 ERA and a WHIP

3 -- NBC Sports Chicago State of the Cubs: Center field By Tony Andracki As the Cubs maneuver through a pivotal offseason, we will break down the current state of the team by sectioning it off into position groups. Here is the ninth installment on the center fielders. "Who should be patrolling center field on a daily basis for the Cubs?" is an argument that has festered for two years and doesn't look to be tailing off anytime soon. Ever since Dexter Fowler left via free agency following the 2016 World Series championship, the Cubs have not had a stable, everyday guy at the most important outfield postion. That probably won't change in 2019, but could we at least move closer toward an everyday solution? Depth chart 1. Albert Almora Jr. 2. Ian Happ 3. Jason Heyward 4. Kris Bryant 5. *shrug emoji* Almora is the runaway favorite for the job right now and if anybody is going to get an everyday role in center field at Wrigley, the smart bet is on the first draft pick of the Theo Epstein regime. Last year, Almora started 94 games in center, followed by Happ with 49 starts and Jason Heyward with 20. That seems like a solid ratio to continue into After all, Almora is far and away the Cubs' best defender in center field. The question will be if Almora can hit enough to stay in the lineup on an everyday basis. Throughout his brief big-league career, the soon-to-be-25-year-old has fared much better against lefthanded pitchers (.309 AVG,.816 OPS) than right-handers (.279 AVG,.698 OPS). Against southpaws, he hits for more power, strikes out significantly less and walks at a much higher rate than he does against righties. Almora looked to be making strides all around at the plate to begin 2018, slashing.319/.357/.438 (.795 OPS) in the first half and actually finding his name in the conversation as a potential All-Star. But he was one of the worst offenders of the Cubs' second-half offensive struggles, hitting.232 with a.267 OBP and.280 SLG (.546 OPS) after the Midsummer Classic. His power completely disappeared (only 6 extra-base hits and 1 homer in 168 at-bats). As Epstein preaches production over potential this winter, Almora seems to be right in the crosshairs of that conversation. If he hits enough, pencil in Almora for roughly 2/3 of the starts in center field in If he continues to hit the ball on the ground at a high rate while failing to work the count, his defense may not be enough to save him if Epstein's mandate takes effect.

4 Then there's the Happ aspect of this all. Happ is faster than Almora, but is far less experienced in the outfield and doesn't get the elite breaks or take the same routes as Almora in center. But with more experience (especially at Wrigley Field), it's possible he can close the defensive gap, at least slightly. But where Happ may have a leg up is on the offensive end, especially if the Cubs once again have a need for run production from this lineup. The 24-year-old switch-hitter saw a noticeable dip in power last year after his rookie season (15 HRs vs. 24 HRs) and struck out at an astronomical rate (36.1 percent), but he also boosted his walk rate to an elite level (15.2 percent). Happ obviously needs to cut down on that alarming whiff rate, but the enticing blend of power and patience at the plate could prompt the Cubs to pencil him into the lineup on a regular basis. The question would be where he'd play in the field and center has the easiest potential avenue to playing time, especially since the Cubs seem to have given up on Happ as a second baseman. Heyward figures to get some time in center field once again this year as the Cubs opt to go with Ben Zobrist or Bryant in right field at times. Bryant could also man center in some rare cases, as he was scheduled to do in September last year before a rainout in D.C. washed away those plans. Beyond that, the Cubs do have Johnny Field (yes, that's a real name), who has extensive experience in center field in the minor leagues and even started 10 games there for the Tampa Bay Rays last year. They also have Mark Zagunis on the 40-man roster, but the 26-year-old outfielder has actually played more catcher (19 games) in his professional career than center (9 games). What's next? The Cubs aren't going to be signing any big outfielder that will come in and take over the everyday role in center field, so this depth chart is what it is at the moment. But this spring will be very interesting as Happ and Almora seemingly go head-to-head vying for a potential everyday job in center field, though both players have some serious holes in their game they need to address. The bottom line This is Almora's job to lose, as Happ could still find his way into the lineup in a corner outfield spot or possibly even second base if the Cubs go down that path again with the former infielder. Don't sleep on either guy, but expect this CF puzzle to wind up in much the same fashion it did in 2018, though the Cubs are obviously hoping for better results as a team. -- Chicago Sun-Times Cubs Chairman Tom Ricketts donates $25,000 to Bill Daley By Fran Spielman Cubs board member Todd Ricketts was so incensed by marathon negotiations with Mayor Rahm Emanuel that preceded the renovation of Wrigley Field, he suggested moving the team out of Chicago. Now, the billionaire Ricketts family has apparently chosen a horse in the crowded race to replace Emanuel: Bill Daley.

5 Cubs Chairman Tom Ricketts has donated $25,000 to the Daley campaign, joining a parade of business leaders who have made Daley the runaway winner in the mayoral fundraising sweepstakes with more than $5 million raised so far. Daley s next closest competitor in the money race is Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle, with just over $3 million, most of it from the Service Employees International Union and the union s affiliates. SEIU is one of the unions with an ownership stake in the Chicago Sun-Times. The donation from Ricketts came rolling in as part of, yet another $200,000 money drop reported by the Daley campaign. Dennis Culloton, a spokesman for the Ricketts family, could not be reached for comment about the decision to back Daley. Peter Cunningham, a spokesman for the Daley campaign, would only say that the brother and son of Chicago mayors was happy to have the Ricketts donation. Last month, private s published by Splinter and then discussed in more detail in a Deadspin article detailed the enmity between the Ricketts family and Emanuel. The Deadspin story claimed Todd Ricketts, a leading Republican fundraiser once slated for a top spot in President Donald Trump s Department of Commerce, was furious with Emanuel in That s when the mayor rejected the Cubs request for a taxpayer subsidy to renovate Wrigley, forcing the team to go it alone. According to Splinter and Deadspin, Todd Ricketts forwarded a story about Emanuel s refusal to his father Joe with a blistering comment attached. I think we should contemplate moving, or at least recognize that we are maybe not the right organization to own the Cubs, Todd Ricketts wrote. That was followed by yet another Todd Ricketts trashing Emanuel without mentioning the mayor by name. I just hate the thought of [Cubs Chairman] Tom [Ricketts] having to grovel to this guy to put money into a building we already own, Todd Ricketts reportedly wrote. Family patriarch Joe Ricketts replied, Yes Todd, it makes me sad, it hurts my feelings to see Tom treated this way. He is way superior to the Mayor in every way. I have been brought up to deplore the type of value system adopted by the Mayor of Chicago. This is stating it mildly. At the time, Culloton acknowledged the veracity of what he called the private stolen s. Reading those private stolen s is a reminder that there was an arduous process at the time as the debate went on, how best to save Wrigley Field, Culloton said then. But, in the end, the Ricketts family and Mayor Emanuel came together and 1,000 union men and women of the construction trades have been hard at work preserving Wrigley Field for future generations. And the family has invested $1 billion in the neighborhood and $400 million into those union wages.

6 Just how seriously did the Ricketts family consider leaving Chicago? It was definitely considered. There was discussion about that at the time. Tom made mention of it at a City Club speech, Culloton said. Emanuel s communications director, Shannon Breymaier, said the now-outgoing mayor told Ricketts in 2013 the same thing he told the owners of the Hawks and the Bulls. That is, You own it, you pay for it. She added: Negotiations can sometimes be heated, but the end result here was good for both the city and the Cubs. Ironically, Wrigleyville residents have accused Emanuel of going too far by giving the Cubs the go-ahead to put up two video scoreboards, four other outfield signs, extend the Wrigley footprint onto public streets and sidewalks without compensating Chicago taxpayers, and play more night games. At Emanuel s behest, the City Council also approved the Cubs ambitious plan to develop the land around Wrigley Field with a hotel, an office building and open-air plaza with even more signs. Earlier this month, Ald. Tom Tunney (44th), whose ward includes Wrigley, accused the Ricketts family of targeting him and trying to elect a puppet alderman in his place to pave the way for a Disneyland agenda that will make life miserable for Wrigleyville residents. --