Per the Chicago Sun-Times, Matt Murton is officially not a part of the Cubs' plans.  Today Lou Piniella named Mike Fontenot as the final player on the five man bench, ruling out the possibility of Murton making the roster and going on to say that the Cubs will try to get him a spot on a major league team.

The Rays, being in the market for an outfielder, would be doing themselves a big favor by acquiring Murton. He flat out hits and gets on base, with a career line of .296/.365/.455, developing power and good speed on the bases.  Matt was originally drafted in 2003 in the first round by the Red Sox, and saw himself dealt to the Cubs during the four-team blockbuster in 2003 which sent Nomar Garciaparra to the Cubs and Orlando Cabrera to the Red Sox, among others.

Granted, the Rays were specifically looking for a switch-hitting center fielder, but I can't imagine that they could land one nearly as valuable as Murton.