Cubs Don't Have A 'Tremendous Trade Chip'
CHICAGO (WSCR) On Wednesday, Chicago Cubs general manager Jim Hendry went on record saying that despite the team having one of the worst records in baseball, there wouldn't be a "fire sale."
And even if they wanted to, the Cubs may not have a whole lot to offer other teams.
"I don't know that they're sitting there with any tremendous trade chip," Phil Rogers, of the Chicago Tribune, said on the Mully and Hanley Show.
The biggest issue facing the Cubs is the fact that the majority of the veterans players, who could potentially bring the Cubs some decent players in a trade, all either have a no-trade clause or have contracts to big to move.
"I think if Aramis Ramirez continues to hit, I think there will be interest in him," Rogers said. "What I don't know is: Will he have to have his 2012 club option guaranteed by a team to drop the no-trade? I think its one thing for a team to rent Aramis for the last few months of the season and then another thing to sign on for a big salary next year."
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Another player, with a no-trade clause and a big contract, is Carlos Zambrano. Before leaving Thursday's game with an injury to his back, Zambrano had only given up five runs in he previous 14 innings.
"If he keeps that up, I think there will be some trade interest in him," Rogers said. "But again, a guy with a no-trade clause."
Zambrano's recent injury would also make him more difficult for Hendry and the Cubs to move.
And again, Hendry has kept the stance that the team would not have a "fire sale."
"Every contender would like to have a Sean Marshall," Rogers said. "But he's a guy that Jim basically took out of play [on Wednesday] with his talk about 'we're not going to trade productive guys for us.'"
