December 22, 2011 Sun-Times Setup man Sean Marshall to be dealt to Reds; Bill Buckner joins minor-league staff By: GORDON WITTENMYER They weren’t factors in the bidding for Japanese pitching star Yu Darvish and aren’t serious players in the Prince Fielder sweepstakes. But the Cubs are quietly having a busy week, bringing back one of their .300 hitters, adding a former batting champ to the organization and getting close to trading setup man Sean Marshall for young Cincinnati Reds left-handed starter Travis Wood. The biggest name involved is former All-Star Bill Buckner, who has agreed to rejoin the organization as a hitting instructor for Class A Boise (Idaho), where he lives. A Cubs source confirmed the hiring of Buckner, who was briefly linked to coaching vacancies on Bobby Valentine’s staff in Boston and last coached in the big leagues with the White Sox in 1996 and ’97. Buckner managed the independent Brockton (Mass.) Rox last season. The Cubs announced all their minor-league managing, coaching and roving staff Wednesday, leaving only Buckner’s slot with a ‘‘TBD.’’ Meanwhile, the Cubs and Reds are nearing completion of a trade that would send Marshall — who team president Theo Epstein said earlier this month ‘‘might be the most valuable left-handed reliever in all of baseball’’ — to Cincinnati for Wood and a pair of prospects. Wood took a two-hit shutout into the eighth inning against the Cubs in his major-league debut two seasons ago before walking the first two batters of the eighth and exiting. He won a 3-2 decision, then faced the Cubs twice more that year in Reds’ wins. In 17 starts that rookie season, Wood went 5-4 with a 3.51 ERA and allowed barely a baserunner per inning. But the control pitcher without an overpowering fastball regressed during a 2011 season that included lengthy stints in the minors. With starting pitching depth being the Cubs’ top priority, acquiring Wood doesn’t mean talks with free- agent pitchers such as Paul Maholm and Jeff Francis would stop, contrary to some reports. Finally, the Cubs also reached agreement with popular, hard-nosed outfielder Reed Johnson on a one- year contract believed to be worth just over $1 million. Johnson hit .309 with 28 extra-base hits in 246 at-bats of platoon duty in his second tour with the team last season. Daily Herald No shock if Cubs move Garza, too By: Barry Rozner Maybe it’s the language barrier. Perhaps it’s that Chicago doesn’t speak Theo. Sounded like English to me, but apparently it was difficult to comprehend when Theo Epstein said, “There is a significant amount of work to do. I’m not going to put a timetable on it, but there’s a lot to do to get this where we want it to be.” Or maybe it was too complicated when Jed Hoyer said the Cubs would look for undervalued free agents to “fill holes” for the near term but wouldn’t blow a large portion of the payroll on a big-ticket free agent to try to fix the mistakes of the past — at least not when they’re years away from competing. For two months Cubs management has been saying they’re going to completely rebuild this from the bottom up, and yet this is still a news flash to many when they hear it — over and over and over again. The Cubs are years away from fixing this organization, and that means not a single player on the roster is untouchable. No, not a single one, not even Starlin Castro. Now, a reasonable person can quite easily assume that Castro is going nowhere, that he’ll be 22 in March, is under control for five more years and has a huge future. His present is pretty good, too. But if Cubs management was brought a package that included three potential Starlin Castro-type talents, they might consider it. Again, I don’t believe that will occur. The point is that there’s much concern the Cubs will trade Matt Garza, anger that they’ve dealt Sean Marshall, and worry about how it affects the 2012 season. That’s the disconnect. Something’s missing between the reality of where the Cubs are going to be the next two or three years and what some expect next season. Think of it this way: Any player who isn’t certain to be here and helping the Cubs in a significant way in three years is absolutely expendable if he can bring the Cubs something of value in return. The Cubs aren’t going to give away any reasonable assets, but Garza could net a huge package, so they’re shopping him to see just how big that could be. If they can’t get enough, the Cubs won’t do it and they’ll be happy to have Garza stay here and start for them, revisiting trades again in July and next off-season. Garza will be 30 and a free agent in two years if the Cubs don’t trade him or lock him up long term before that. If he remains on the roster, they have time to decide whether they want to do that. But in the meantime they will consider all the options — only one of which is trading Garza for a package of players that helps them build for the future. The deal Baseball America is out with its top 10 Rays prospects and ranks shortstop Hak-Ju Lee No. 2 and righty Chris Archer No. 3, projecting Archer as Tampa’s future closer. Both were acquired from the Cubs in the Matt Garza deal a year ago. Bull stuff How much did Tom Thibodeau like Rip Hamilton on Tuesday? “Defensively,” Thibodeau said, “I thought he looked very good.” It’s a meaningless exhibition game and one shouldn’t overreact to such a game, but Thibodeau doesn’t toss around defensive compliments unless merited. The stat QB Caleb Hanie now has a career rating of 41.6, which makes him the worst Bears QB of the last 10 years among those who have started at least three games, worse even than Craig Krenzel’s 52.5 and Jon Quinn’s 53.7. Take some time with that, but you probably shouldn’t consider a large meal just before or after. The new QB You have to wonder how very little Josh McCown must have shown in practice for the Bears to keep going with Caleb Hanie. At 0-2 after the terrible K.C. performance, McCown would have been in there if the Bears believed in him at all. And at 0-3 after the Denver game, the Bears came back with Hanie for a fourth start? Yikes. Hare apparent Kim Jong Un is reportedly a Michael Jordan fan. He also takes Kwame Brown first in his fantasy league every year — which he wins every year by a billion points. The quote Derrick Rose, after signing a five-year, $94 million extension Wednesday: “Money, I don’t think, is gonna change me.” Best line Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau: “I wish it were a 10-year contract.” Best tweet Deadspin: “After five days in captivity, Chris Kaman emerges to assure family that he is unharmed and Hornets are treating him well.” Best dream Emailer Tom Barnicle: “My wish for this holiday season is that George McCaskey wakes up Christmas morning as Rocky Wirtz.” Best headline Onion Sports: “New horse-racing initiative aimed at training thoroughbreds from inner city.” And finally … This tweet from Chris Kaman, on his trade from the Clippers: “I feel like my girlfriend broke up with me, but I still want to be friends because I really like her family.” -- Daily Herald Is Cubs-Reds deal for pitchers close? By: Bruce Miles If you’re worried about the Cubs trading left-handed reliever Sean Marshall, know that such a move fits the plan laid out by team president Theo Epstein and general manager Jed Hoyer. While it is true Epstein said Marshall “might be the most valuable left-handed reliever in all of baseball,” that also makes him a valuable commodity in other teams’ eyes. The Cubs would not confirm a report Wednesday that they have agreed to send Marshall to the Cincinnati Reds for left-handed starting pitcher Travis Wood and a pair of minor-leaguers. Players in the proposed deal would have to pass physical exams first. It fits the Epstein/Hoyer mold of trading a player nearing free agency (Marshall will be eligible after the 2012 season) for young players under team control for a long time. Marshall, 29, will make $3.1 million in 2012, finishing a deal signed with former GM Jim Hendry. That’s hardly bank-breaking money, especially if you agree that Marshall is the top left-handed reliever in the league. But Marshall probably is at his peak trade value now, and who knows how much he’ll command if he hits the open market next fall. Wood, who turns 25 in February, is not eligible for salary arbitration as he has just over one year of major-league service to his credit. This year, Wood was 6-6 with a 4.84 ERA and a 1.49 WHIP in 22 games (18 starts). He pitched 106 innings, giving up 118 hits while walking 40 and striking out 76. Wood made his major-league debut at Wrigley Field on July 1, 2010, getting a no-decision as the Reds beat the Cubs 3-2 in 10 innings.