The Chicago Cubs have designated relief pitcher Carlos Marmol for assignment. In my opinion this is good news for Cub fans because it means Svuem will no longer be able to put him into a game to lose it in the late innings. I was shocked when I learned that Marmol was not released during the off-season because I thought we all had learned pretty convincingly that he was not a closer during the 2012 season.

In somewhat related news, the Cubs have also severed ties with Ian Stewart, who they had lured away from the Colorado Rockies to play third base prior to the 2012 season, only to lose him for most of the season due to injury. Stewart had not been performing in the minor leagues and pretty much sealed his fate with a public tirade about Cubs management on Twitter.