From chicagosports.com:
The Cubs have decided to make Todd Hollandsworth a backup and aren't currently seeking outfield help.
"I don't know how significant a guy you could get now," general manager Jim Hendry said. "The wish list we all maybe would aspire to [isn't] always something the other club wants to do."
Hmmm. First Ryan Dempster is anointed closer, now Dubois is anointed left fielder.
These are moves that we thought were obvious as far back as spring training, and the Dempster-as-closer idea had even been mentioned before that.
As I noted last night, these things have Hendry's stamp all over them, and that's a good thing. Too bad 30 games had to go by before the obvious was forced on Dusty Baker.
The "aren't currently seeking outfield help" line up there is reassuring too. This means that the nearly 39-year-old Jeff Conine, currently sporting a ghastly .519 OPS, won't be coming to Chicago. Let the Yankees have him.
For the more stat-oriented among you, my SportsBLOGS colleague Marc Normandin over at Beyond The Box Score has put together what he calls the "Pythagenport" projections for final NL standings based on current runs scored and allowed figures. (Numbers current through last Friday.)
For an explanation of what "Pythagenport" means, go here.