Chicago Cubs GM Not Done Tinkering

With six weeks remaining until pitchers and catchers report, Chicago Cubs General Manager Jim Hendry has some unfinished business to take care of. 

Hendry will look to move both Ronny Cedeno and Felix Pie. Both players are out of options, and with the signing of Miles and Gathright there is little room for them on the roster.  

Aaron Miles can certainly backup Theriot at shortstop, and Gathright will most likely lock up the last outfield spot. 

Most likely, Hendry will deal Cedeno and Pie for prospect, unless he's able to strike a deal for Peavy.  

In all likelihood, Hendry will look to sign 37-year-old Rich Aurillia to a one-year deal. Aurillia split his time at third and first last year batting .283 with 10 HR. He will fill a whole as a productive right-handed hitter off the bench and as a backup for Ramirez and Lee.

Along with adding Aurillia, Hendry will look to add another starter. Certainly Sean Marshall can fill the No. 5 spot in the rotation, but Hendry would rather use him out of the bullpen and as a security blanket for Harden.  

There are plenty of starting pitchers available for Hendry to choose from. His preference would be to trade for Peavy but that would require the new owners approval, and the Padres will have to show a willingness to trade Peavy as they did in las Vegas.

Other than Peavy, there are numerous free-agent pitchers available on the market.  A couple possibilities are Andy Pettitte and Randy Wolf.

Pettitte recently turned down a one-year, $10 million deal with the Yankees. Pettitte is good for 13-15 wins and 200+ innings. It's uncertain if Pettitte would be willing to play anywhere but New York or Houston.

Jim Hendry has always been a fan of Randy Wolf, and he looked into trading for him last year.  Wolf is coming off a 12-12 season.  He was 6-2 with a 3.57 ERA after being traded to the Astros.  

There are other pitching possibilities, but I wouldn't expect Hendry to give anyone more then a 2-year deal unless it's Jake Peavy. I don't see Derek Lowe as a possibility unless he demands come way down.  

Oliver Perez who is coming off back-to-back double-digit-win seasons may also be a possibility if the Mets don't re-sign him. The Cubs may also look at Ben Sheets if they can get him for one year. 

The Cubs have been the most active team in baseball the past week, and I expect them to stay active in the weeks to come.