from cubs.scout.com on former Northeast Guilford Ram Mitch Atkins for 2010:
–RHP Mitch Atkins, the Cubs’ minor league pitcher of the year in 2008, will be in a bullpen mix that features a lot of youngsters. Atkins had a rough go of it at Class AAA Iowa in ’09, his first full year of Class AAA ball, as he went 8-12 with a 6.58 ERA. He made two relief appearances for the big club in the middle of the season. The Cubs view Atkins, 24, as either a back-of-the-rotation starter or as a long to middle reliever.
As the old year faded away rumors continued to circulate that Cubs ace starting pitcher Carlos Zambrano was being shopped.
Zambrano, who is signed through 2012, has a no-trade clause in his contract, and his agent repeatedly has told those same reporters that the Cubs have not contacted him about waiving that clause.
Zambano’s record fell to 9-7 with an ERA of 3.77, and he has spent most of the offseason in Chicago working on his conditioning.
As of now, Zambrano is one of only three established starting pitchers with the Cubs, along with right-handers Ryan Dempster and Randy Wells, who was a rookie in 2009.
The Cubs insist they’ve not been shopping Zambrano.