Cubs hunker down in trade mode

MILWAUKEE — The Cubs will set up a winter meetings-like operation this weekend in St. Louis, with general manager Jim Hendry and his key baseball people readying for possible trade-deadline deals.

Hendry kicked things off Thursday by trading right fielder Kosuke Fukudome to the Cleveland Indians for a pair of minor-leaguers.

Asked if more deals were coming, Hendry said he wasn't sure.

“I don't know,” he said. “We're going to keep looking at everything. That's what you need to do. It's hard to predict. As we've talked, there's a lot of things that can be done during the season when you're this far out, some things you'd like to do. If we can whittle it away, maybe move a few other people we know aren't coming back. As I've said consistently for a while, we won't be moving anybody that has a bright future for us just to make deals.”

Cubs people have consistently shot down rumors that they shopped pitcher Carlos Zambrano to the Yankees and even offered to eat most of the money left on Zambrano's contract, which has one more guaranteed year at $18 million to run after this season.

Given Hendry's parameters, the Cubs have few parts they can move.

Center fielder Marlon Byrd would be one. He has one more year left on his three-year, $15 million deal, with $6.5 million due next year. First baseman Carlos Pena could be an attractive fit for a team like Pittsburgh. Pena signed a one-year, $10 million deal with the Cubs last winter; $5 million of that is due in January.

Catcher Geovany Soto might make for attractive trade bait, with prospect Welington Castillo waiting in the wings at Class AAA Iowa.

Zambrano has a no-trade clause, as does left fielder Alfonso Soriano who has been totally unproductive in the fifth season of his eight-year, $136 million contract.

Pitcher Ryan Dempster and third baseman Aramis Ramirez have 10-and-5 rights as veteran players, and the Cubs would need player permission to trade either one.

Ramirez said after Thursday's 4-2 loss to the Brewers that no one from the Cubs has contacted him, but he didn't seem to rule out the possibility of leaving if the Cubs had an offer. Ramirez has stated he'd rather stay with the Cubs.

“Nobody has come forward to me from the team today say, ‘We want to trade you,'” Ramirez said. “That's only in the media. Jim hasn't talked to me about trading me. Or who's the other guy? (Team president Crane) Kenney. Or the Ricketts (team owners).

“Nobody wants me, man. They want good players. Nobody wants me. If they come to me with a trade, we'll see. But nobody has talked to me about it ... I don't know which way they want to go. If they're looking to rebuild, I can't fit in.”

Among those Hendry does not appear willing to move are shortstop Starlin Castro, second baseman Darwin Barney, infielder Jeff Baker and relievers Sean Marshall and Carlos Marmol.

Hendry said Thursday's trade of Fukudome and the minor-league call-up of outfielder Tyler Colvin to play right field don't signal a change of direction for the Cubs.

“It's not a change of direction,” Hendry said. “It's what you normally would want to have happen as you move forward having a guy like Colvin, who needs to play more and re-establish himself after such a good year last year. The opportunity had to be created by moving Fuke, who we knew for sure, as he knew, wasn't coming back next year. It's not a change of direction. It's just the right thing to do.”