After months of bickering, the Cubs and Red Sox agree on the players Boston will receive in exchange for letting Theo Epstein head to the North side. more ›

Despite his protestations the first time around, Cubs first baseman Derrek Lee could still be sent packing. The latest report has the Cubs working on a deal to send Lee to the Atlanta Braves in exchange for a group of prospects. Lee could again reject the trade because of his 10/5 status (10 years in the league, 5 with the same team) but sources indicate Lee favors a trade to the NL East-leading Braves. The trade would be more about a salary dump for the Cubs rather than a move to rake in talent. more ›

The trade deadline is less than two hours away and while we wait to see what moves the Sox make, the Cubs have made their big move, sending pitcher Ted Lilly, infielder Ryan Theriot, and cash to the Los Angeles Dodgers for infielder Blake DeWitt and two prospects, pitchers Brett Wallach and Kyle Smit. DeWitt and Theriot are almost identical, the exception being that DeWitt is younger (24 as opposed to Theriot's 30) and cheaper. Lilly's 3-8 record this year has been underscored by lack of run support - second worst for any major league pitcher. Bleed Cubbie Blue speculates this will mean a return to the rotation very soon for Carlos Zambrano and that Jeff Samardizja will be brought up from Iowa to take a spot in the bullpen. Not a whole lot is known about the youngsters Wallach and Smit. The Cubs will also send $2.5 million to the Dodgers to help cover part of Lilly's salary. more ›

So long, Daniel Hudson, we hardly knew ye. The rookie starter, along with youngster David Holmberg, was shipped off to Arizona this afternoon as the Sox acquired right-handed starter Edwin Jackson in return. Hudson was 2-2 in five career starts for the Sox and had replaced the injured Jake Peacy in the Sox rotation earlier this summer; Jackson is 6-10 with a 5.16 ERA so far this season, including a no-hitter in June. Hudson, who was supposed to start tonight against Oakland, will be replaced in the rotation by Lucas Harrell. The Sox also remain in play for Washington Nationals slugger Adam Dunn, but they have some stiff competition to face - including the Yankees and Rays - if they want to land Dunn by tomorrow afternoon's trading deadline. more ›

We were expecting it and it seems like it's happening: ESPN's Ric Bucher is reporting that the Bulls have agreed to deal Kirk Hinrich and their first round pick in tonight's draft (17th overall) to the Washington Wizards though it's still not known what the Bulls will get in return for the trade. What top free agents. Like, say, LeBron and Bosh? The deal won't be finalized until July 8 because that's when the Wizards will have enough space under the cap to take on Hinrich's contract. In the event the deal with the Wiz falls through, it seems the Bulls already have a back-up suitor for the same deal in the Sacramento Kings. more ›

The salary cap clearing out continued for the Blackhawks this morning as they sent center Colin Fraser to the Edmonton Oilers for a sixth round draft pick. Fraser, acquired in 2004 from Philadelphia saw limited action for the 'Hawks from 2006 through 2008 but saw more action over the last two seasons and finished his 'Hawks career with 36 total points (13 goals, 23 assists). The 'Hawks now have a load of draft choices with 11 overall picks including five picks (24, 30, 43, 54 and 60) in the first two rounds. more ›

Juan Pierre is returning to Chicago while the move means Scott Podsednik will likely once more bid good-bye to the Sox. Pierre, who played with the Cubs in 2006, was acquired by the White Sox from the Los Angeles Dodgers in exchange for a pair of minor leaguers to be named later. Pierre will bat lead-off for the Sox and speculation is that this means Podsednik's second stint with the Sox is done. The Trib's Dave van Dyck projects Pierre to start in left field with Alex Rios in center and Carlos Quentin in right. Of the $18.5 million left on Pierre's contract, the Dodgers will cover $10.5 million with the Sox paying $3 million in 2010 and $5 million in 2011. more ›

Illinois State Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias, the Chicago Democrat running for Illinois's junior senate seat, announced on Sunday as part of his jobs and economic platform his support for "reining in America's $200 billion trade deficit with China" by changing our trade policies to require China to "abide by fair labor, environmental, safety and health standards" that American firms must follow. He outlined three steps he would support in the Senate that would lead to that goal, requiring the U.S. to change its trade policies to discourage China from subsidizing weak state industries, closing tax loopholes that allow American firms to defer paying taxes on income earned abroad and stepping up copyright enforcement to crack down on Chinese counterfeiters that pirate movies, music and software. He also said that he would push for Congress to impose tariffs on Chinese imports if China doesn't end the practice of pegging the yuan to the dollar, which artificially keeps the Chinese currency devalued against the dollar, making U.S. exports substantially more expensive than their Chinese counterparts. "We don't want a trade war with China. But the Chinese government must end unfair trade practices and learn to compete on a level playing field," Giannoulias said. "China plays by its own rules, and only when their abuses are reined in will there be fair trade." more ›

It wouldn't be as big a miracle as making the 2009 playoffs, but being able to trade troubled outfielder Milton Bradley? That would provide something of a silver lining to the entire debacle and mean that the Cubs wouldn't eat the entire Bradley contract without at least a little something in return. A report in today's Tribune says that San Francisco or San Diego are two current possible destinations for the right fielder and Kansas City is also being mentioned. San Diego is the only team to openly admit an interest in Bradley but the Trib's Paul Sullivan suggests the Giants' Aaron Rowand could make for a nice swap for Bradley. Of course, given the flop seasons from Bradley and the Cubs' other big free agent signing for '09 - Kevin Gregg - it's still going to be hard for GM Jim Hendry to wash await the taint. more ›

ESPN News is reporting the Chicago White Sox have managed to land San Diego Padre ace Jake Peavy at the MLB trade deadline. We're tracking this story for details. Peavy has been on the DL since early June. MLB Network reports the Sox shipped the Padres four players in return for Peavy: left-handers Aaron Poreda and Clayton Richard and right-handers Dexter Carter and Adam Russell more ›

Hold tight, Cubs fans, as your team made a big move today. Journeyman infielder Ryan Freel, who joined the team in May, has been traded to the Kansas City Royals. Freel was traded to the Cubs, who in turn sent some cash and Joey Gathright to the Baltimore Orioles. Now, he and cash have been sent to the Royals in exchange for the hotly anticipated "Player To Be Named Later." Freel, who had originally been designated for assignment last week, finishes his short stint with the Cubs with one run, one RBI, and a .143 batting average. more ›

First, it was Jake Peavy turning down the White Sox. Now, it's the Astro's Roy Oswalt. Speculation swirled over the weekend that the veteran ace may be on his way to the Sox, but he also turned the team down. more ›

The Los Angeles Clippers came away the big winner after last night's NBA Draft lottery. It was only the second time in 11 years that the Bulls didn't have a ping pong ball in play, but that doesn't mean they might not profit. According to the Trib's K.C. Johnson: more ›

Bears fans, you have a new quarterback. This afternoon the Denver Broncos confirmed that they've traded embattled and bitter quarterback Jay Cutler to the Chicago Bears, according to ESPN. more ›

While the U.S. Senate was debating the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, the bill that President Obama hopes will pump billions of dollars and thousands of jobs into the faltering economy, the White House released a study indicating that the bill could save or create 150,000 jobs over the next two years. According to Crain's Chicago Business, those estimates "are based on the overall goal that the plan will create or save 3 million to 4 million jobs nationally over the next two years." (You can check out per capita details of the House stimulus plan over at the Wall Street Journal's nifty "Who gets what" map.) more ›

After completing a career year where he played six different positions, belted 21 home runs, and drove in 87 RBIs, the Chicago Cubs rewarded Mark DeRosa by trading him to the Cleveland Indians. The Cubs will receive a trio of minor league pitchers: Jeff Stevens, Chris Archer and John Gaub. DeRosa will likely play third base for the Indians. The Cubs replaced DeRosa with another utility infielder by signing free agent Aaron Miles to a two-year deal. Also in the works is a possible trade of Jason Marquis to the Rockies in exchange for Luis Vizcaino; rumors claim the Cubs are also interested in signing free agent Milton Bradley. Yes, because what this team needs is the stability of Milton Bradley. more ›

With the free agent signing period for Major League baseball set to begin at 12:00 a.m. Friday morning, clubs are making trades to get the most of what they can before they lose players to the market. First up are the Sox, who dealt Nick Swisher and minor leaguer Kanekoa Texeira to the New York Yankees in exchange for infielder Wilson Betemit and a pair of right-handed pitchers, Jeff Marquez and Jhonny Nunez. While Betemit saw some big league action this year, both pitchers spent '08 in the minors. more ›