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| Left-handed relief specialist John Grabow has signed a two-year contract extension with the Chicago Cubs, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. |
Our View: After being all but gifted to the Cubs by the Pirates last season, Grabow posted a 3.24 ERA in 25 innings on the North Side.
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| John Grabow has filed for free agency Monday, according to MLB.com. |
Our View: The Cubs have talked to his agent about bringing him back with a two-year deal though. He turned 31 earlier this month, and made a career-high 75 relief appearances in 2009.
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| ESPN Chicago is reporting that the Cubs are discussing a two-year deal with relief pitcher John Grabow. The deal is reportedly worth between $6.5 million and $7.5 million. |
Our View: Grabow and his people would like the team to include a third-year vesting option, but no word yet on where the Cubs stand with that provision. It sounds like something will get done between the two sides soon, so expect Grabow to stay a Cub.
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| As expected, John Grabow has been dealt from the Pirates to the Cubs, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Tom Gorzelanny was also shipped to Chicago in the deal, and Pittsburgh gets pitchers Kevin Hart and Jose Ascanio. |
Our View: Grabow has a 3.42 ERA over 47.1 innings of relief, and will provide good depth for the Cubs' bullpen.
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| A deal to send left-handed reliever John Grabow to the Cubs is "just about done," according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Tom Gorzelanny might also be involved in the trade. No word on who the Cubs are sending in return. |
Our View: We are witnessing one of the most comprehensive fire-sales of the decade this week in Pittsburgh. This move would leave the Pirates "all but depleted of left-handed relievers at the top three levels of the organization." Yikes. Rumor has it they are trading all of PNC Park's toilets and seats to the White Sox for cash considerations, as well. Will the last one to leave Pittsburgh turn the lights off?
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| John Grabow is still drawing strong interest on the trading market, particularly from the Chicago Cubs, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. |
Our View: Grabow will be a free agent at season's end, but with the pitching market relatively thin this season, and the left-handed relief market always thin, Grabow could probably bring back a decent haul for the eternally rebuilding Pirates. He is 3-0 with a 3.65 ERA in 44.1 innings this season.
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| The Twins have expressed interest in John Grabow, according the Minneapolis Star-Tribune. |
Our View: Grabow isn't pitching quite as well as he did in 2008, but has a respectable 3.49 ERA in 38.2 innings this season, and could benefit from pitching in a league that he has never played in before. With 15 holds this year, he is a solid option in leagues that use middle relievers.
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| John Grabow is rumored to be on the Angels' radar, according to the PiratesReport.com. |
Our View: The Angels are supposedly interested in Grabow as they cannot rely on Scot Shields and Jose Arredondo in their bullpen. Grabow is a decent reliever, but his fantasy stock would not improve much with a move to the Angels.
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| Manager John Russell indicated that John Grabow could handle the closer's role while Matt Capps nurses his deeply bruised right elbow, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. |
Our View: Capps could land on the DL, and Grabow is worth targeting in NL-only leagues if you need help in the saves department. Grabow has proven to be a decent reliever over his career with Pittsburgh.
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| Lefthander John Grabow will pitch for Team USA in the World Baseball Classic, according to MLB.com. |
Our View: Grabow threw 76 innings over 74 appearances last season and walked away with a 2.84 ERA. The 30-year-old is among the steadiest players in the organization, but holds little fantasy value.
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| The Pirates have been discussing possible trades involving John Grabow, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. |
Our View: Grabow is among the leaders of the Pirates' pen, and the club would be losing a lefty if dealt. This could explain why Will Ohman was on their radar.
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| John Grabow, who has dealt with elbow chips over his career, is focusing on a new program that strengthens the shoulder, elbow and all nearby muscles to fortify the arm, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. He stated, "I feel great." |
Our View: Grabow held a 1.28 WHIP over 76 innings in 2008 with 62 strikeouts, and is worth consideration for deeper fantasy leagues that feature middle relievers.
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| John Grabow has inked a one-year deal worth $2.3 million to avoid salary arbitration with the Pirates, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. He can earn an additional $75,000 in performance bonuses. |
Our View: Grabow held a favorable 1.28 WHIP over 76 innings in 2008 with 62 strikeouts, and is worth consideration in deeper fantasy leagues that feature middle relievers.
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| The Pittsburgh Pirates have made reliever John Grabow available in a trade, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. |
Our View: Grabow was effective for the Pirates last season, throwing 76.0 innings and posting a 2.84 ERA with a 1.28 WHIP. His 4.38 BB/9 rate is too high, but he did strike out more than seven batters per nine innings and with relievers such a valuable commodity, it would not be a surprise to see Grabow moved.
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| John Grabow picked up his first save of the season on Friday by pitching a scoreless ninth inning. |
Our View: The Pirates will go with a closer by committee approach until someone stands out. Grabow and Tyler Yates figure to be the front runners at the moment, though newly acquired Craig Hansen could also factor in.
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| John Grabow is the most likely Pirate to be traded next, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. The Rays, Cardinals, Phillies, Red Sox and Angels are known to have inquired about trading for the southpaw. |
Our View: There is one caveat to Grabow being dealt. He was shut down for nine days earlier this month due to arm fatigue, so the interested parties will obviously want to make sure he's healthy before a deal is consummated.
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| John Grabow, who was shut down for nine days due to arm fatigue, could return to the Pirates' bullpen tonight (if he is cleared by manager John Russell), according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. He pitched a strong side session on Thursday. |
Our View: Grabow surrendered four earned runs and eight walks over his last 9.1 innings of work, and the reliever should not be considered for your fantasy lineups (in leagues that use middle men).
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| John Grabow was shut down by the club Wednesday to attend to arm fatigue, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. |
Our View: The team stated the reliever should be ready to pitch on Friday or Saturday. There was no specific injury disclosed, but 10 of his last 15 runs surrendered have come on a home run, and the team wanted him to rest as a precaution.
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| John Grabow pitched a scoreless ninth to earn the win in Friday night's 3-2 victory over Atlanta. Grabow came in after Tyler Yates allowed the first two runners to reach base. After striking out Kelly Johnson, Grabow got Yunel Escobar to bounce into a double play.
"Obviously, you never want to come into a situation like that," said Grabow, who has a 1.02 ERA. "But that's our job out in the bullpen to pick each other up." |
Our View: The Pirates continue to get good pitching and timely hitting and while Ian Snell didn't get the victory, he did pitch well for the first time this month, save the walks.
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| John Grabow hurled another scoreless inning in relief against the Mets on Tuesday, and is yet to allow a run over 13 innings this season, according to CBSsports. He also racked up 12 strikeouts over the span. |
Our View: He is yet to register a save, but does have one win to his credit. He is worth targeting, and could potentially push for some save opportunities if Matt Capps falls out of favor. Grabow holds an exceptional 0.77 WHIP.
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| John Grabow is off to a great start, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. He is yet to allow a run over 11.2 innings of work, with 11 strikeouts and a 0.77 WHIP. He said, "Everything feels great right now." |
Our View: He is yet to register a save, but does have one win to his credit. He is worth targeting, and could potentially push for some save opportunities if Matt Capps falls out of favor.
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| John Grabow plans to have minor surgery in the offseason to remove bone chips in his left elbow. "Everybody's got them," Grabow told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. "But I just want to get it cleaned out and move on." The procedure would not cause Grabow to miss any of the 2008 season. |
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| The Pirates activated John Grabow from the DL Sunday, according to the AP. He had been out with elbow inflammation. Juan Perez was sent to Triple-A Indianapolis. |
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| After John Grabow makes rehab appearances with Triple-A Indianapolis today and Wednesday, the Pirates will assess how far along he is and whether they want the reliever to pitch in back-to-back games before he's activated from the disabled list, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. He's recovering from elbow inflammation. "He's throwing the ball fine," manager Jim Tracy said. "We're very encouraged by what we're hearing." |
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| John Grabow will begin a rehab assignment today with Triple-A Indianapolis, according to the Post-Gazette. He's recovering from elbow inflammation. If all goes well, Grabow could join the Pirates for part of or all their seven-game road trip next week. |
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| John Grabow is slated to toss a couple of innings in an extended spring training game today, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Once he gets in two or three games there, he'll begin a rehab stint with Triple-A Indianpolis. If all goes well, he could return from his elbow inflammation next week. |
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| John Grabow is about three weeks away from returning, the AP reports. He's coming back from a sore elbow. |
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| John Grabow threw a 50-pitch live batting practice in Florida Thursday and said his elbow was "pain-free," the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports. He will not rejoin the Pirates until after a minor-league rehabilitation stint, however, and one has not yet been scheduled as of yet.
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| John Grabow will not come off the disabled list when eligible Saturday, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports. He's been dealing with elbow inflammation and is going to need a rehab assignment. |
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| John Grabow will start the year on the DL due to inflammation in his elbow, according to the Tribune-Review. "The beginning of the season is out of the question for me," Grabow said. "My arm feels a lot better than I expected. Two weeks ago, it hurt so bad that I was expecting the worst. But as far as a timetable (for pitching again), there's nothing at this point." Grabow's injury creates a job for Juan Perez. |
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| John Grabow is slated to toss a bullpen session on Thursday, according to the AP. He's recovering from inflammation in his pitching elbow and likely will begin the season on the DL. |
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| Since John Grabow still hasn't thrown off a mound, he almost certainly will begin the season on the disabled list, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. He's recovering from inflammation in his pitching elbow. |
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| Although John Grabow threw about 50 pitches from 60 to 90 feet Tuesday and said his inflamed left elbow is feeling better, he'll likely begin the year on the disabled list, the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports. |
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| John Grabow is dealing with inflammation in his left elbow, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. "The ball's just not coming out [of his hand] the right way," Grabow said yesterday. "I've tried to pitch through it, but it's not getting better. It's getting worse. I had to swallow my pride and go into the training room and tell them." Grabow is scheduled to throw on the side Monday to see how he feels. |
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| The Pirates avoided arbitration with John Grabow on Friday by signing him to a one-year deal worth $832,500, according to the AP. Grabow, who posted a 4.13 ERA in 72 relief appearances last year, should be used in more crucial situations this year with fellow lefty Mike Gonzalez out of the picture. |
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