The Chicago Cubs have acquired 30-year old lefty reliever John Grabow and 27-year old lefty starting pitcher Tom Gorzalanny from the Pirates for 26-year old righty starting pitcher Kevin Hart, 24-year old righty reliever Jose Ascanio and 22-year old righty swinging 2B Josh Harrison. John Grabow pitched in 45 games (0 starts) for the Pirates this season and he was 3-0 with a 3.42 ERA and a 1.50 WHIP. Grabow has now pitched 7 seasons in the majors and he has worked in 390 games (0 starts) in which he is 20-15 with 6 saves, a 4.09 ERA and a 1.45 WHIP. Grabow will definately help out the Cubs’ bullpen late in games from the left side. Tom Gorzelanny has pitched in 9 games (0 starts) for the Pirates this season and he was 3-1 with a 5.19 ERA and a 1.15 WHIP. He has now pitched in 76 games (65 starts) in his major league career and he is 25-26 with a 4.79 ERA and a 1.50 WHIP. The Cubs are probably looking at returning Gorzelanny into a starting pitcher which is a need for the Cubs with Ted Lilly out of action for a while.

Kevin Hart was the Cubs’ #6 prospect heading into this season according to Baseball America. Hart has pitched in 8 games (4 starts) for the Cubs this season and he was 3-1 with a 2.60 ERA and a 1.48 WHIP. In parts of three seasons with the Cubs, Hart pitched in 37 games (4 starts) in which he is 5-3 with a 3.93 ERA and a 1.64 WHIP. If Hart starts throwing more strikes the Cubs might wish they didn’t trade him. Jose Ascanio pitched in 14 games (0 starts) this season for the Cubs and he was 0-1 with a 3.52 ERA and a 1.76 WHIP. In parts of three seasons with the Cubs, Ascanio has pitched in 33 games (0 starts) and he is 1-2 with a 4.86 ERA and a 1.68 WHIP. Josh Harrison might be the wildcard in this trade down the road for the Pirates. He has played in 97 games in A-ball this season and he is 122 for 373 (.327 avg, .836 OPS) with 61 runs scored, 5 homers, 42 RBIs and 26 stolen bases. The Cubs paid a big price for Grabow and Gorzelanny so they need them to pitch well.

Forget Rick Vaughn in the Major League movies as Carlos Marmol is the real “Wild Thing”. He has to be causing Lou Piniella to lose quite a few hairs off his head when he’s pitching. Still, somehow he has remained effective despite his wildness. Marmol has pitched in 53 games for the Cubs this season and he is 2-1 with 3 saves, a 3.10 ERA and a 1.42 WHIP. Marmol has only allowed 26 hits while whiffing 58 batters in only 49 1/3 innings this season but that’s the good news. Marmol has hit 8 batters this season and walked 44 batters which makes his ERA and WHIP that more amazing. If Marmol could just throw strikes he would be the Cubs’ closer without a doubt. Until he improves his control the Cubs won’t trust him in that role.

The Cubs have signed 33-year old lefty reliever B.J. Ryan to a 1-year deal. Ryan pitched in 25 games (0 starts) for the Blue Jays earlier this season and he was 1-1 with 2 saves, a 6.53 ERA and a 1.89 WHIP. Ryan will likely serve as a situational lefty for the Cubs so Kevin Gregg and Carlos Marmol are safe for now at the end of games. Ryan has now pitched in 560 games (0 starts) in his major league career and he is 21-28 with 117 saves, a 3.37 ERA and a 1.28 WHIP. Ryan has allowed only 424 hits in 536 2/3 career innings in the majors while whiffing 625 showing how dominating he can be when healthy. This was a nice low risk move for the Cubs to try to improve the bullpen.

With Geovany Soto hurting and the lack of a natural center fielder the Cubs will be on the hunt to improve before the trade deadline. The Cubs won’t likely be willing to pay the price for a player like Victor Martinez but the Indians should be a team the Cubs call. Ben Francisco and Kelly Shoppach could make this one stop shopping for the Cubs who would likely have to part with players like Jake Fox, Jose Ascanio, Kevin Hart and Mike Fontenot or Sean Marshall to get the job done. The Colorado Rockies would be another team that could fill both needs of the Cubs with Ryan Spilboroghs and Yorvit Torrealba. The Cubs would likely be willing to part with Kevin Hart, Sean Marshall and Jose Ascanio to get the job done. The Twins have Carlos Gomez and Delmon Young sharing CF and either of them could be had. The Cubs would likely be willing to part with Mike Fontentot, Kevin Hart and either Sean Marshall or Jose Ascanio to get either of them. All of the other catchers that would be available would likely cost the Cubs some pitching. Jeff Clement (Mariners), Lou Marson (Phillies), Taylor Teagarden (Rangers) or Miguel Olivo (Royals) would cost the Cubs guys like Hart, Angel Guzman and or Jeff Samardzija. If the Cubs don’t want to pay that high of a price they will look at guys like Josh Bard (Nationals), Will Nieves (Nationals), John Buck (Royals), Dusty Ryan (Tigers) or Francisco Cervelli (Yankees). The Cubs need to improve at both of these positions if they want to stay in the race in the National League Central.

The Cubs have placed Ryan Dempster on the 15-day disabled list with a broken right toe. Dempster has started 17 games this season for the Cubs and he was 5-5 with a 4.09 ERA and a 1.37 WHIP. The Cubs will miss Dempster who has really excelled since converting back to being a starting pitcher last season for the Cubs.

24-year old righty reliever Jose Ascanio pitched in 14 games (0 starts) earlier this season for the Cubs and he was 0-1 with a 3.52 ERA and a 1.76 WHIP. Instead of sulking, Ascanio appears motivated to get back to the show soon. He has pitched in 7 games (all starts) in AAA-ball and he is 1-1 with a 0.88 ERA and a 0.95 WHIP. Ascanio will get another chance soon if the need arises in Chicago.

32-year old outfielder Kosuke Fukudome was supposed to provide power for the Cubs when he came over from Japan….but he hasn’t. Fukudome has played in 68 games for the Cubs this season and he is 59 for 228 (.259 avg, .805 OPS) with 34 runs scored, 6 homers, 24 RBIs and 6 stolen bases. Look for Fukudome to start losing playing time to Reed Johnson who is about to come off of the D.L.

28-year old lefty swinging Mike Fontenot won the starting 2B job for the Cubs this spring but he doesn’t look like he wants to keep it. Fontenot has played in 71 games for the Cubs this season and he is 50 for 222 (.225 avg, .666 OPS) with 20 runs scored, 6 homers and 27 RBIs. The recent addition of Jeff Baker makes it very important that Fontenot get things going with his bat or he’s going to start sitting.

26-year old righty rookie Randy Wells came out of nowhere to take over as the #5 starter for the Cubs. Wells has started 10 games for the Cubs this season and he is 3-3 with a 2.43 ERA and a 1.08 WHIP. Wells’ pitching this season is one of the main reasons that the Cubs have stayed in contention in the National League Central.

The Cubs have signed 31-year old lefty starter/reliever Casey Fossum to a minor league deal. Fossum pitched in 3 games (0 starts) for the Mets this season and he was 0-0 with a 2.25 ERA and a 2.00 WHIP. In 237 games (120 starts) in Fossum’s major league career he is 40-53 with 2 saves, a 5.45 ERA and a 1.52 WHIP. The Cubs better hope that they don’t need Fossum this season.