Rich Hill is now in the Cardinals' organization

The St. Louis Cardinals have signed former Cub starting pitcher Rich Hill to a minor league contract.  Hill will also be invited to the Cardinals' spring training. 

Hill will reportedly be vying for the fifth starter job or a long relief spot in the bullpen.  According to St. Louis Cardinals' pitching coach Dave Duncan, Hill's arm had "life".  Hill, who turns 30 in March, had shoulder surgery last August, after spending more than a year struggling with his command.  It was his loss of command that ended his tenure with the Cubs.

The Cardinals are hoping that Hill can find his lost control and return to the dominant pitcher he had been for the Cubs.  I wish Rich Hill all the success in the world, except when playing the Cubs.

The Cubs Should At Least Consider John Smoltz

John Smoltz returned to the National League last year, finishing the season with the St. Louis Cardinals.  He is currently a free agent and one that the Cubs should seriously consider. 

With Ted Lilly expected to start the season on the DL, the Cubs could use a veteran starter, particularly one that could later be converted to a set up man out of the 'pen.  Smoltz could possibly fill both roles.  He of course spent most of his career as a starter and has started some the past two years.  He has also found success as a set up man so, after Lilly returns, Smoltz could then shift to the bullpen and provide a veteran presence there, where there are currently no veterans on the expected roster.

It would be interesting to find out if the Cubs have sent a scout to watch Smoltz work out.  If they haven't, they certainly should.

Where will the Cubs finish?

The Cubs are being projected as finishing anywhere from second to fourth in the NL Central, with the St. Louis Cardinals being favored to finish first.

While the Cards will be pretty good, I just don't see their pitching staff being good enough to carry them to the postseason.  The Cubs, on the other hand, will have an excellent pitching staff, assuming Lilly comes back healthy.  Also, the Cubs added a real hitting coach in Rudy Jaramillo, while the Cards added a new hitting coach themselves in the form of Mark McGwire.  I have very strong misgivings regarding whether McGwire will be a good hitting coach for the Cards.  First, he's new to the position, whereas Rudy Jaramillo is a seasoned vet at hitting coach.  Jaramillo should have a positive influence on Soriano, for one, having worked with him very successfully at Texas. 

Second, McGwire was not a contact hitter.  He was a power hitter, who used steroids to add more power.  So why do we think someone who needed juice to help him hit homeruns, who never hit for average, is going to make a good hitting coach.  The best hitting coaches are not power hitters, they are contact hitters ... folks who had to learn how to hit to make it to the show because they couldn't just rely on their power to get them there.  You can't teach power, you can teach hitting.  But unfortunately for the Cards, I'm not sure if McGwire knows how to truly hit.

But, time will tell.  I may be wrong about McGwire just like the pundits may be wrong about where the Cubs will finish in the standings.

Quote from La Russa

Not that we want him - but here's what La Russa was quoted as saying about whether he would ever manage the Cubs:
"You've got a double-headed whammy there. I have a lot of friends and fans that I'm close to with the White Sox. And you know White Sox and Cubs, they don't mix. I've got friends and fans that I'm close to in St. Louis, and the St. Louis Cardinals and the Cubs don't mix. So I think if there is one place that I don't fit, just because of my past, it would be the Chicago Cubs."

Of course, this is the same bone head that thinks Mark McGwire will make a good hitting coach.  Did I miss something or did Mark McGwire never have a good batting average?  McGwire was simply a power hitter and an artificially induced one at that.  Power hitters are not good hitting coaches since you can't teach power.  Hitting is what you can teach.  But you need a hitter to do it.  Or someone who understands contact hitting, something Mark McGwire apparently doesn't.

Former Cub Aaron Miles headed back to the NL Central

Former Cub Aaron Miles is heading to Cincinnati along with a player to be named later.  In exchange, the Oakland A's are receiving outfielder Willy Taveras and utility man Adam Rosales.

Miles played in just 74 games for the Cubs last year, who traded him to the A's at the end of the season.  Miles' limited appearances were primarily to due to injuries to his throwing shoulder and elbow.

Miles is a career .282 hitter, having played for the Chicago White Sox, Colorado Rockies, St. Louis Cardinals and Cubs. In 2008, he hit a career-high .317 in 134 games.

Miles was a member of the Cardinals' 2006 World Series championship club.  A true utility man, Miles has played every defensive position except first base and catcher.  Miles has even made three appearances as a pitcher.