Cubs News Update: SI Cover, Forbes Cubs Value, Edgar Olmos Trade, Victorino Status

Here’s a snapshot of the latest Cubs news update.

• You may have seen the cover(s) of Sports Illustrated recently and noticed they decided to feature four different teams on their baseball preview issue based on region. Of course, the Cubs made the cover, along with the Giants, the Astros and the Mets. SI prediction: Cubs make it to the World Series and lose to the Astros. I say, let’s get to the World Series first and we can worry about the outcome then. I’ll happily take that.

• Forbes has come out with their annual edition of Baseball’s Most Valuable Teams and they have the Cubs ranked fifth most valuable behind the 1) the Yankees, 2) the Dodgers, 3) the Red Sox, and 4) the Giants. They say the Cubs are worth a whopping $2.2 billion. The Ricketts family paid around $900 million for the Cubs back in 2009. That’s a 13.6% compounded annual rate of return, a fantastic investment for the Ricketts family. That’s cool.

• Yesterday it was announced that the Cubs traded Edgar Olmos to the Baltimore Orioles. You may recall that the Orioles actually claimed Olmos off waivers on December 10, 2015, and then the Cubs swooped in on December 23, 2015 and re-claimed him off waivers. So now he’s back with Baltimore for the ever-notorious player to be named later. Our friends at Bleacher Nation offer a bit more color on the story here.

• And finally, it looks like Shane Victorino just can’t quite shake the injury bug that has haunted him the last couple years. I’m thinking this could be the end for Shane’s exceptional career but we won’t know for possibly a few weeks. It’s being reported that the Cubs will not have Shane on the opening day roster and that he’ll stick around minor league camp after spring training ends later this month. This will give him time to re-evaluate his situation and decide if he wants to head to AAA Iowa or cut ties with the Cubs. Here’s a link to an Carrie Muskat article with a little more information.