The Cubs watched with great interest Monday as NL Central foe Milwaukee landed left-hander CC Sabathia in a deal with Cleveland.
Cubs general manager Jim Hendry inquired about Sabathia, but there wasn't a match in prospects. The Indians were looking for position-player prospects who could step in and play as early as next year. While the Cubs have several pitchers in their system who fit that bill, most of their position-player prospects are at the lower levels and at least two or three years away from the big leagues. The Cubs are in first place in the Central, and Hendry said he won't make a move simply out of reaction to what Milwaukee did.
Names interesting to the Cubs include Oakland's Rich Harden, Toronto's A.J. Burnett and San Diego's Randy Wolf, with Harden seemingly their favorite possible target. It's also possible the Cubs will ask San Diego about former Cub Greg Maddux.
Starting pitching is the Cubs' greatest area in need of bolstering, but Hendry said he is pleased with the work of left-hander Sean Marshall, who stepped back into the rotation in late June, when right-hander and staff ace Carlos Zambrano went on the DL with a strained right shoulder. Zambrano is back and looking good.
