With the start of spring training right around the corner, fans of the Chicago Cubs have plenty to look forward to this season. The Cubs train at HoHoKam Park located in Mesa, Arizona.

Note: All start times Mountain and all “Home” games take place in Mesa.

Mar 4, Oakland Athletics at Chicago Cubs, 1:05 p.m.

Mar 5, Oakland Athletics at Chicago Cubs, 1:05 p.m.

Mar 6, Colorado Rockies at Chicago Cubs, 1:05 p.m.

Mar 7, Chicago Cubs at Kansas City Royals (Surprise, AZ), 1:05 p.m.

Mar 8, Seattle Mariners at Chicago Cubs, 1:05 p.m.

Mar 9, Chicago Cubs at Chicago White Sox (Glendale, AZ), 1:05 p.m.

Mar 10, Chicago Cubs at Milwaukee Brewers (Maryvale, AZ) 1:05 p.m.

Mar 11, Chicago Cubs at Los Angeles Dodgers (Glendale, AZ), 1:05 p.m.

Mar 12, Cincinnati Reds at Chicago Cubs, 1:05 p.m.

Mar 13, Chicago Cubs at San Francisco Giants (Scottsdale, AZ), 7:05 p.m.

Mar 14, Milwaukee Brewers at Chicago Cubs, 1:10 p.m.

Mar 15, Arizona Diamondbacks at Chicago Cubs (SS), 1:05 p.m.

Mar 15, Chicago Cubs (SS) at Colorado Rockies (Scottsdale, AZ), 1:10 p.m.

Mar 16, San Francisco Giants at Chicago Cubs, 1:05 p.m.

Mar 17, Chicago Cubs (SS) at Oakland Athletics (Phoenix, AZ), 1:05 p.m.

Mar 17, Texas Rangers at Chicago Cubs (SS) (Las Vegas, NV), TBA

Mar 18, Chicago White Sox at Chicago Cubs (SS), 1:05 p.m.

Mar 18, Texas Rangers at Chicago Cubs (SS) (Las Vegas, NV), TBA

Mar 19, Chicago Cubs at Seattle Mariners (Peoria, AZ), 1:05 p.m.

Mar 20, Texas Rangers at Chicago Cubs (SS), 1:05 p.m.

Mar 20, Chicago Cubs (SS) at Oakland Athletics (Phoenix, AZ), 1:05 p.m.

Mar 22, Chicago Cubs at Texas Rangers (Surprise, AZ), 1:05 p.m.

Mar 23, Chicago Cubs at Colorado Rockies (Scottsdale, AZ), 1:10 p.m.

Mar 24, San Diego Padres at Chicago Cubs, 1:05 p.m.

Mar 25, Chicago Cubs at Cleveland Indians (Goodyear, AZ), 1:05 p.m.

Mar 26, San Diego Padres at Chicago Cubs (SS), 1:05 p.m.

Mar 26, Chicago Cubs at Arizona Diamondbacks (Scottsdale, AZ), 1:10 p.m.

Mar 27, Chicago Cubs at Cincinnati Reds (Goodyear, AZ), 1:05 p.m.

Mar 28, Cleveland Indians at Chicago Cubs, 1:05 p.m.

Mar 29, Chicago Cubs at San Diego Padres (Peoria, AZ), 1:05 p.m.

Mar 30, Los Angeles Dodgers at Chicago Cubs, 1:05 p.m.

Mar 31, Los Angeles Angels at Chicago Cubs, 1:05 p.m.

Apr 1, Chicago Cubs at Los Angeles Angels (Tempe, AZ), 1:05 p.m.

Apr 2, Chicago Cubs at Arizona Diamondbacks (Scottsdale, AZ), 1:10 p.m.

Apr 3, Milwaukee Brewers at Chicago Cubs, 12:05 p.m.

Sources:

All data provided by MLB.com

Paul Rados is a Cleveland based freelance sportswriter and Featured Contributor for the Yahoo! Contributor Network. Follow him on Twitter @PSRados or leave him a message on Facebook. For a complete look at his freelance work please visit his Blog.

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Read More: Adrian Gonzalez (1B – BOS), Darwin Barney (2B – CHC), Chicago Cubs

The Chicago Cubs and free agent second baseman Edgar Gonzalez have agreed to a minor league contract, according to Matt Eddy of Baseball America. Gonzalez is the older brother of Boston Red Sox star Adrian Gonzalez, with his only big league appearances coming as a member of the San Diego Padres.

Last season, Gonzalez spent the year with the Triple-A affiliate of the San Francisco Giants. The 33-year-old posted a strong .315/.378/.457 line with 14 homers and 14 steals in 137 games, flashing a solid understanding of the strike zone and some decent pop. He was obviously much older than most of his opponents, though, and doesn’t really qualify as much more than some emergency depth for a team that’s currently banking on Darwin Barney to be a starter.

For more updates on Chicago sports, stay tuned to SB Nation Chicago. For more in-depth coverage of the Cubs, head over to Bleed Cubbie Blue. Also, check out MLB Daily Dish for Cubs rumors and transactions.

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The Chicago Cubs and outfielder Reed Johnson have agreed to a $1.15 million US, one-year contract.

The 35-year-old batted .309 with five homers and 28 RBIs in 111 games for Chicago last season, his second stint with the team. He also played for the Cubs from 2008-09, batting .287 with 10 homers and 72 RBIs in 174 games.

Johnson is a career .283 hitter with 59 homers and 349 RBIs in 997 games over nine major league seasons with the Cubs, the Toronto Blue Jays and the Los Angeles Dodgers.

That’s all for today guys, i’ll be back to blog you tomorrow.

The Chicago Cubs have officially re-signed reserve outfielder Reed Johnson to a one-year deal worth $1.15 million in 2012, according to the Tribune’s Paul Sullivan. Johnson played in 111 games for the Cubs last season and provided a solid bat off the bench; he hit .309/.348/.467 with 22 doubles.

Johnson has spent three of the last four seasons with Chicago, with a brief detour to the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2010. He began his career with the Toronto Blue Jays, where he spent five seasons. Johnson, who turned 35 in December, is a lifetime .283/.341/.413 hitter with 178 doubles, 59 home runs and 349 RBI.

For more updates on Chicago sports, stay tuned to SB Nation Chicago. For more in-depth coverage of the Cubs, head over to Bleed Cubbie Blue. Also, check out MLB Daily Dish for Cubs rumors and transactions.

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CHICAGO (AP)—The Chicago Cubs and outfielder Reed Johnson have agreed to a
$1.15 million, one-year contract.

The 35-year-old batted .309 with five homers and 28 RBIs in 111 games for
Chicago last season, his second stint with the team. He also played for the Cubs
from 2008-09, batting .287 with 10 homers and 72 RBIs in 174 games.

Johnson is a career .283 hitter with 59 homers and 349 RBIs in 997 games
over nine major league seasons with the Cubs, the Blue Jays and the Dodgers.

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The Chicago Cubs have hired former star Bill Buckner as a minor league hitting coach.

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There is the quick update of the day.

That’s all the news for today.

CHICAGO — The Chicago Cubs have hired former star Bill Buckner as a minor league hitting coach.

Buckner will be with the Boise Hawks of the short-season Class A Northwest League. The Cubs made the announcement Friday.

Not much else going on in the MLB planet today.

December 30, 2011 – Northwest League (NWL) Boise Hawks
CHICAGO, Ill. – The Chicago Cubs have rounded out their minor league coaching staffs, announcing this afternoon that Bill Buckner will serve as hitting coach for the Boise Hawks.

Buckner, a resident of Eagle, returned to coaching last season as the manager of the Brockton Rox, leading the team to a 51-42 record in the independent CanAm League, earning the squad a postseason berth. He will replace Desi Wilson, who will serve as Class-A Daytona’s hitting coach.

“We are extremely excited in the Cubs decision to have Bill Buckner as our hitting coach,” said Todd Rahr, Boise Hawks president/general manager. “To have someone local on the staff, who had such a great career, will be beneficial to our organization. Bill had a Hall of Fame caliber career and we look forward to working with him year round. It will definitely be a treat.”

Buckner rejoins the Cubs system for the first time since playing for the big league team from 1977-84 – winning the 1980 National League batting crown and earning a spot in the 1981 All Star Game. The 22-year veteran served as the Chicago White Sox hitting coach in 1996 and 1997, while also serving as a hitting coach in the Toronto Blue Jays minor league system.

Buckner played in 2199 major league games with the Dodgers, Cubs, Red Sox, Angels, and Royals, hitting .289 with 174 career home runs and 1,208 RBI. He played in a pair of World Series’ – in 1974 with the Dodgers and 1986 with the Red Sox.

Three others return to the Hawks for the 2012 season – manager Mark Johnson, pitching coach David Rosario, and trainer Bob Grimes. Johnson skippered last season’s squad to a 36-40 record, including Boise’s first postseason berth since the 2006 season.

The Hawks, in their 12th season as an affiliate of the Chicago Cubs, open up the 2012 Northwest League season on June 15 at Salem-Keizer, with their Memorial Stadium opener on June 20 against Eugene. Season, mini-pack, bonus books, and group nights for Hawks’ games are available at 322-5000 or online at www.boisehawks.com.

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• Bill Buckner Named Boise Hawks Hitting Coach – Boise Hawks

The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

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Read More: Boston Red Sox, Chicago White Sox, Chicago Cubs

A report earlier in December indicated that the Chicago Cubs were going to hire Bill Buckner to be the hitting coach of the Boise Hawks, which is the club’s single-A affiliate. On Friday the Cubs confirmed the hiring:

name alum Bill Buckner as the hitting coach for the 2012 season.

Buckner hasn’t coached in the majors in nearly 15 years, but he did have interest from other teams, as explained in the previous update on this story:

Buckner currently lives in Boise, Idaho, which partially explains the hire. The ESPN report adds that new Boston Red Sox manager Bobby Valentine wanted to add Buckner to his Major League coaching staff, but Boston’s front office resisted the idea. Buckner has coached in the majors in the past, but not in a while. His most recent MLB coaching gig was as the Chicago White Sox hitting coach all the way back in 1997.

For more updates on Chicago sports, stay tuned to SB Nation Chicago. For more in-depth coverage of the Cubs, head over to Bleed Cubbie Blue. Also, check out MLB Daily Dish for Cubs rumors and transactions.

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Former Cubs fan favorite Mark DeRosa has signed with the Washington Nationals. (Contra Costa Times Photo)

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