Will the Cubs trade Ted Lilly? A new rumor surfaced Sunday night after the Yankees' Andy Pettitte was injured in their afternoon game against the Rays. Could the Yankees be interested in Lilly?
Tests revealed Pettitte suffered a Grade 1 strain, the least severe kind, but manager Joe Girardi said, "It looks like he's probably headed to the DL."
Lilly, who will pitch for the Cubs on Wednesday, is being actively pursued by teams such as the Detroit Tigers, Minnesota Twins, New York Mets and Los Angeles Dodgers. If Pettitte’s injury is serious, you can add the Yankees to that list. Lilly came up in the Yankees’system and was almost traded to the Cubs in 2000, along with left fielder Alfonso Soriano, for outfielder Sammy Sosa.
Cubs GM Jim Hendry was noncommittal about whether he'll make any deals before the non-waiver deadline of July 31:
Hendry was asked whether he feels he needs to make a trade at this time. “We don’t feel the need for people to be dumped since we’re ten games back. A lot of time what the public thinks fits for a club, may not be. And so you can’t force trades. At the same time, even if you want to [make trades], that doesn’t mean you get what you wish [for].”
Hendry went on to talk about what his team needs to do over the next 70 ballgames. “It’s a balancing act of [doing] what’s best for the organization, playing enough people to be ready for next year, and then at the same time you have a lot of major league baseball games that you must try to win every day.”
After the Cubs' win over the Phillies on Sunday night, they remain 9.5 games out of first place. SB Nation Chicago will keep track of Cubs trade rumors -- whether they involve Lilly or anyone else -- and any deals made, right here.