GRAND CENTER — Both Chicago papers are reporting that Jim Edmonds could be a Cub shortly after he flies off waivers this week, having been released over the weekend by San Diego. A signature Cardinal — one of several members of the 2004 pennant-winning team to have a tough weekend (Julian Tavarez, for example) — is said to be attractive to the Cubs as an option other than youngster Felix Pie in Wrigley Field’s center field.

The Chicago Sun-Times Gordon Wittenmyer reports this evening that:

… multiple Cubs sources said the team plans to pursue Edmonds, and one said Edmonds has told his agent to talk to no one before he talks to the Cubs. The Cubs have considered a left-handed bat a need for weeks.

 On The Chicago Tribune baseball blog, Hardball, Cubs beater writer Paul Sullivan (and noted Mizzou alum), posited the possible move to readers and was hit immediately by this comment: “Once a Cardinal, always a Cardinal.” Sullivan outlined a few reasons, like Edmonds’ 17 homers at Wrigley (including the one that left Carlos Zambrano yelling at him as he rounded the bases), and:

Looking strictly at the numbers, it doesn’t appear to be worth the risk. Edmonds hit .178 with a .265 on-base percentage for the Padres, and seems to be past his prime, turning 38 next month. On the other hand, he does have a .298 career average against right-handers, and they’d only have to pay Edmonds the major league minimum.

Some thoughts from the Green Room here:

Max Leinwand: “Jimmy Ballgame, playing for the Cubbies? … That’s like the Montagues playing for the Capulets’ softball team.”

Jim Hayes: “If Edmonds thinks he can still play and if somewhere deep down he feels he’s was wronged by the Cards, it seems like the move for them. … I texted him to find out what he’s going to do, and I’ve gotten no response. So I’m waiting. Jimmy if you read this blog, text me.

“Talking with Skip Schumaker and Anthony Reyes, who worked out with him in the offseason, said he looked like he was in great shape. They said, that he was determined to show he can still play. Supposedly that’s why he went to San Diego because he wanted to be a starting center fielder. So obviously he did think he was going to play.

“I did talk to a bunch of Cardinals in Milwaukee and they all feel he’ll show up somewhere, on somebody’s roster. That report (the Cubs) had not surfaced at that point.”

Aside: One of the reasons the Cardinals and Edmonds decided to part company this offseason was because Edmonds wanted to start and the Cardinals could not guarantee that the rise of Colby Rasmus or arrival of Rick Ankiel would not mean the shift to part-time status for Edmonds. Late last season, one Cardinals official said that as he looked at 2008 he saw Ankiel as the starting center fielder, even if Edmonds was still on the team.

Pat Parris: “As long as he doesn’t mind his restaurant and club closing because there is no way Cardinals fans will patronize a Cub-players’ establishment. … I do not think he has it in him. If the Cubs are trying to get some veteran guy in there to spell Pie, I think that’s a mistake. Pie just has to fight through the mistakes of being a young outfielder. Why would you take the at-bats away from Pie?”

Hayes: “All I know, is if it were to happen it would spice-up the next series. It would make for good theater. Now let’s talk about Team 1380.”

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