Chicago
Cubs

News: Soriano (knee) has been removed from the DL.
Impact: He's still expected to be ready for the start of spring training. Soriano was a huge disappointment in 2009 with a .241/.303/.423 line along with 20 homers and 55 RBI in 477 at-bats. Durability has become a major concern for Soriano in Chicago, but you may be able to acquire him at a discounted rate in drafts and auctions this spring. 

News: The Chicago Cubs and Grabow have agreed to a two-year contract.
Impact: The 31-year-old Grabow combined to go 3-0 with a 3.36 ERA last season in a career-high 75 relief appearances with the Pittsburgh Pirates and Cubs. He pitched 30 games for the Cubs after he was traded from the Pirates along with lefty Tom Gorzellany for pitchers Jose Ascanio and Kevin Hart, and minor league infielder Josh Harrison on July 30. 

News: The Chicago Tribune's Phil Rogers is reporting that the Cubs are involved in a potential three-team deal with Texas and the Mets that would send Milton Bradley to the Rangers.
Impact: The supposed deal would send Texas' Kevin Millwood to the Mets, and New York's Luis Castillo to the Cubs. For the moment, it doesn't sound like anything beyond just preliminary talks.  

News: According to USA Today's Bob Nightengale, the Rays are the "clear cut" favorite to obtain Milton Bradley from the Cubs.
Impact: Should "favorite" also be put in quotes since it's hard to consider any team landing Milton Bradley a good thing? Not if Milton has finally gotten the message. He would be a decided upgrade over Pat Burrell as a DH, and could make a very potent Rays offense even more so if he stays healthy and keeps his mouth shut. Always. Visit DockoftheRays.com on the Fanball Blog Network for reaction to this rumor. 

News: Left-handed relief specialist John Grabow has signed a two-year contract extension with the Chicago Cubs, according to the Chicago Sun-Times.
Impact: After being all but gifted to the Cubs by the Pirates last season, Grabow posted a 3.24 ERA in 25 innings on the North Side. 

News: The Cubs agreed to a two-year contract with Grabow on Thursday, the Chicago Tribune reports.
Impact: Grabow posted a 3.24 ERA in 30 appearances with the Cubs last season. He will head into the 2010 season as the team's top left-handed reliever. 

News: John Grabow has filed for free agency Monday, according to MLB.com.
Impact: The Cubs have talked to his agent about bringing him back with a two-year deal though. He turned 31 earlier this month, and made a career-high 75 relief appearances in 2009.  

News: Texas would be interested in re-acquiring Bradley if the Cubs agree to pay half of the remaining $20 million owed to Bradley the next two seasons, the Dallas Morning News reports.
Impact: Texas liked Bradley's approach at the plate, and felt his absence caused a ripple effect on his offense last season. 

News: Guzman will miss the remainder of the regular season after reaggravating his right triceps strain.
Impact: Guzman was solid for the Cubs this season, but not a very good fantasy option. He finishes 2009 with a 3-3 record and 2.95 ERA in 55 relief outings. 

News: Kosuke Fukudome will start in right field, and not center, in 2010, according to the Chicago Tribune.
Impact: The Cubs were woeful defensively in the outfield last season, and while Fukudome is a solid defender, he is better suited to right, and not center. The team will now pursue a center fielder on the free agent market.  

News: Free agent pitcher Rich Harden's first choice is to remain with the Cubs, according to the Chicago Tribune.
Impact: The Cubs have long been rumored to not be interested in bringing the injury prone Harden back, but would likely consider it were he to agree to a short-term, incentive laden deal.  

News: Not unexpectedly, the Cubs are finding the trade market for mercurial outfielder Milton Bradley to be tough, according to the Chicago Tribune.
Impact: Most teams appear unwilling to take him on unless the Cubs eat a good chunk of his remaining $21 million in salary. That could just be a bargaining ploy, as the Cubs on paper have almost no leverage in Bradley trade talks after suspending him near the end of the 2009 season. But as 2010 draws closer, teams in search of a bat may soften their stance.  

News: Fox (elbow) filed for free agency.
Impact: Given his repeated setbacks with his elbow, Fox's career might be done. 

News: Gregg (ribs) has filed for free agency and is unlikely to return to the Cubs, the Chicago Tribune reports.
Impact: Gregg imploded down the stretch, ultimately losing the closing role to Carlos Marmol and getting relegated to non-critical situations. 

News: Grabow has filed for free agency. The Cubs have made retaining him their immediate priority, the Chicago Tribune reports.
Impact: The Cubs would like to get a deal done with him in the next two weeks. They initially discussed a two-year contract back in September. 

News: Johnson has filed for free agency. The Cubs would like to bring him back, but might not be able to squeeze him in financially, the Chicago Tribune speculates.
Impact: Johnson's lack of durability combined with the Cubs' need to bring in a center fielder make Johnson less desirable to retain. Johnson's likelihood of returning might hinge upon what the Cubs get back for trading Milton Bradley. 

News: Lilly (shoulder surgery) won't be ready for Opening Day, but the Cubs believe that Lilly will be able to pitch at some point in April, the Arlington Daily Herald reports.
Impact: If you have an early draft, you need to give Lilly a decent discount before considering him. Trying to estimate a pitcher's recovery time five months out is tricky enough, let alone in the offseason. Take the conservative route. 

News: MLB.com is reporting that Cubs' relief pitcher Kevin Gregg has filed for free agency. Gregg is a Type-A free agent, so the Cubs would receive a first-round pick if another team chooses to sign him.
Impact: The first-round pick only comes into play if the team is drafting after pick 15, as the Cubs would get a sandwich pick if a team in the top half signs him. The Cubs have their closer for 2010 in Carlos Marmol, so Gregg would be a better fit elsewhere. 

News: MASNSports.com is reporting that the Nationals could be interested in free agent pitcher Rich Harden. Harden is a Type B free agent, so the team would not have to forfeit a draft pick if they were to sign him.
Impact: Harden looks like a long shot to end up in Washington, but he could be a nice fit. The team has a pitching staff loaded with young talent, so having a veteran presence with the stuff of Harden could be beneficial for guys like Jordan Zimmermann and Stephen Strasburg. 

News: Reed Johnson would likely have to take a pay cut to return to the Cubs in 2010, according to the Chicago Tribune.
Impact: Something a soon-to-be 33-year-old journeyman outfielder would not be wise to do. Expect Johnson to go wherever the most dollars are at this point in his career. 

News: The Cubs are not likely to re-sign injury-prone hurler Rich Harden this offseason, according to the Chicago Tribune.
Impact: The 26 starts he made last season were the most since the 31 he made for Oakland in 2004. He could find himself in a Ben Sheets type situation this offseason where no team is willing to take any sort of a long-term risk in his fragile arm. He may have to settle for a very undesirable deal. 

News: Harden filed for free agency, the Associated Press reports.
Impact: It's not clear he'll return to the Cubs. Wherever he ends up, he'll be a high-risk, high-reward signing. 

News: Lilly had surgery on his left shoulder on Tuesday. The Cubs said the arthroscopy and debridement procedure performed Tuesday by Dr. Lewis Yocum in Los Angeles revealed no major damage.
Impact: The Cubs said they will determine after the first of the year a timetable for Lilly to start a throwing program. The left-hander was 12-9 with a 3.10 ERA in 27 starts last season. 

News: Ted Lilly underwent shoulder surgery Tuesday, according to the Chicago Sun-Times' Chris De Luca. The team hopes he will be ready sometime "within the month of April".
Impact: Lilly had shoulder soreness late in the year, so this isn't terribly surprising, though there hadn't been any whispers that surgery might be needed. De Luca says you can count the lefty out for opening day and maybe the entire month. He also notes the team's previous bogus early forecasts for Mark Prior and Kerry Wood after they went under the knife. You would be wise to knock Lilly down on your 2010 cheat sheet. 

News: Lilly had arthroscopic surgery to "clean up" his pitching shoulder on Wednesday, ESPN.com reports.
Impact: A timetable for his throwing program is going to be established in early January. No certain word yet if Lilly will be ready for the start of the regular season, but Cubs currently believe he will be ready to go in April and it sounds like he should be OK given that this was a relatively minor procedure. 

News: ESPN Chicago is reporting that the Cubs are discussing a two-year deal with relief pitcher John Grabow. The deal is reportedly worth between $6.5 million and $7.5 million.
Impact: Grabow and his people would like the team to include a third-year vesting option, but no word yet on where the Cubs stand with that provision. It sounds like something will get done between the two sides soon, so expect Grabow to stay a Cub. 

News: Updating a previous report, the Chicago Tribune is denying a report that the Cubs are in serious talks with the Jays about a Milton Bradley-for-Vernon Wells trade. The Cubs are reportedly not interested in Wells at all.
Impact: While it would seem like a decent deal for both sides on the surface, Wells' contract is so bad that not even Milton Bradley will make a team want to take it on. It seems highly unlikely the Jays find any takers for Wells, so they will just have to hope he figures it out and earns some of that money over the next few years. 

News: The Toronto Sun is reporting that the Cubs and Blue Jays have opened discussions on a trade that would send troubled outfielder Milton Bradley north of the border in exchange for center fielder Vernon Wells. These talks reportedly "has legs", according to a Cubs' official.
Impact: This swap would make plenty of sense, as the Cubs have to get rid of Bradley and the Jays would love to get rid of Wells and his contract. There has been a ton of interest in Bradley already this offseason, surprisingly enough, so it looks like the Cubbies might still get something decent in return. 

News: SI.com is reporting that the New York Mets have no interest in acquiring troubled Cubs' outfielder Milton Bradley. It had been reported that the Mets called the Cubs to inquire about Bradley a few weeks ago.
Impact: The Mets are going to be very interested in bringing in a top-level outfielder this winter, but Bradley will not be that guy. The Mets have no desire to take on Bradley and his problems, but there are reportedly several teams who are interested in Bradley.