Sean Marshall News

Cubs manager Lou Piniella asks Connor Cummings' classmates who their favorite Cubs during his visit to Churchill Elementary School in Glen Ellyn.

On Thursday morning, Major League Baseball held their annual Rule 5 Draft, in which teams can pirate other teams' minor leaguers for nothing.

With things so quiet on the trade front, you have to assume that the winter meetings will start the momentum of the offseason going - someone will overpay for a reliever that had a career year or a position player that was great two years ago but has been injured since.

For Cubs fans, the Verducci effect is an old and familiar foe, even if they have never heard of it.

When it comes down to numbers, right-handed pitchers have an easier go of it in Major League Baseball.

Posted by Christopher Glotfelty Looking to secure a solid bullpen that withered under pressure during the regular season, the Cubs have re-signed John Grabow to a two-year, $7.5 million deal.

Give Jim Hendry credit. He doesn't get them all right, but he doesn't get them all wrong, either.

John Grabow can laugh his way to the bank. According to the Chicago Sun-Times , Grabow and the Cubs have agreed on a two-year contract extension worth at least $7 million dollars, and Grabow is considered an option to take over the closer's role if Carlos Marmol's control issues cannot resolve themselves.

Cubs players Aramis Ramirez and Carlos Marmol joined Hall of Famers Ernie Banks and Billy Williams in ceremonies Tuesday to announce a $20,000 contribution to community projects in the Dominican Republic.

The expanded bleachers aren't the only thing new at Wrigley Field this year. The Cubs will start the season with eight new players on the roster, ranging from vital cogs such as Juan Pierre to little-known reserves such as Angel Pagan.

On January 28th, 2009, the Cubs pulled a deal off with the Mariners that would send them relief pitcher Aaron Heilman for Ronny Cedeno and Garret Olson.

In 2009, behind the reliable arm of Ted Lilly was a group of left handed would-be starters of modest ability and some history of success.

Filed: Oct. 4, 2009 It's over. The Cubs ended the 2009 season in a game that pretty much sums up the year: They got some good pitching, someone homered, and in the end, they couldn't come through in the clutch, this time losing 5-2 to the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Example of a player Jim Hendry should not sign to an overpriced, multiyear contract.

A month ago, Sean Marshall had no other southpaws to keep him company in the Cubs' bullpen.

Pittsburgh Pirates at Chicago Cubs , 8:05 p.m. Left-hander Sean Marshall gets his chance to end the Chicago Cubs' recent woes tonight when he and his team host the Pittsburgh Pirates in the second of three games at Wrigley Field.

Pedro Martinez is back on the mound and back in the win column. We don't know if he can keep making regular appearances in both places, but his work Wednesday night at Wrigley Field was truly an encouraging start.

Who are these Cubs ? What are they? Before they could even start a stretch of games that figured to answer those questions, they got a painful pregame reminder Friday of what they aren't: Healthy.

Two of the strangest chapters in this never-ending saga of a Cubs season occurred Friday night.

Two of the strangest chapters in this never-ending saga of a Cubs season occurred Friday night.