OFFSEASON OVERVIEW: During this past year's free agency period, few teams were even half as active as the Chicago Cubs. Without question, their biggest move was the signing of outfielder Alfonso Soriano. The move sent ripples throughout the rest of MLB as his 8 year $136 million dollar contract went on to inflate every other deal that was made. Possibly the most underrated move of the entire offseason was the Cubs re-signing third baseman Aramis Ramirez to a five-year deal. The Cubs were also able to sign veteran free agents Mark DeRosa and Cliff Floyd to relatively reasonable contracts. Chicago tried to upgrade their rotation by signing Ted Lilly and throwing an unreasonable amount of money to Jason Marquis, who was was coming off a season with an ERA over six. While both pitchers most likely will not make too many headlines, the Cubs view them as reliable middle of the rotation starters that will usually keep their team in games. The only major free agent that Chicago lost this season was center fielder Juan Pierre. The speedy Pierre never really made an impact on Chicago, but replacing his defense in center field with Alfonso Soriano looks to certain to fail miserably. All things being considered though, the Cubs gave their roster a major upgrade and now new manager Lou Pinella has a lot of talent to work with. OFFENSE: The Cubs spent their offseason looking to significantly upgrade their offense, and after a successful job they are left with one of the better lineups in the NL. Soriano should lead off for the Cubs, and he will most likely close in on the 40-40 numbers he posted last year with Washington. However, this season he should have even more runs and RBIs due to the amount of talent in the rest of the lineup. The heart of the order should feature Aramis Ramirez and Derrek Lee once again. Unlike years past, they will most likely have several more opportunities to hit with men on base. The other big bat, Cliff Floyd, will most likely platoon with Matt Murton. Floyd gives the Cubs a lefty hitter with 30 HR potential. What makes the rest of the Cubs lineup so difficult on opposing pitchers is that there is not one easy out among the group. Players such as Michael Barret, Mark DeRosa, and Jacque Jones are all threats to hit close to .300 this season. The weakest link in the lineup is shortstop Cesar Izturis, but all-world defense should make him worth having on the field.
PITCHING: Like last season, the picthing rotation is headed by ace Carlos Zambrano. The Big Z is a strikeout machine, and he could approach 20 wins this season with an improved offense supplying the run support. Newly acquired Ted Lilly and Jason Marquis should fill in the middle of the rotation spots, but the one player poised to take on the role of number two starter is young Rich Hill. Like Zambrano, Hill has an impressive strikeout rate and could evolve into one of the better pitchers in the NL this season. The often injured Wade Miller and Mark Prior should battle for the final rotation spot. The messiest picture on the Cubs is that one assembled by their bullpen. The closer role is up for grabs and should come from a group that includes former starter Kerry Wood, Bobby Howry, and Ryan Dempster. The rest of the Chicago bullpen is equally as unimpressive and if anything seems like a weak spot for Chicago it would be this. If they are lucky, a few younger arms will come up and help stabilize the pen.
X-FACTOR: After years of setbacks due to injury, the Cubs have finally learned not to expect anything from their starter Mark Prior. With no expectations for possibly the first time in his life, any sort of Prior production will only be a bonus for the Cubs. If Prior can stay healthy this season and regain his 2003 form, the Cubs will have one of the best rotations in the NL to go along with their top notch offense. A healthy Prior would make Chicago one of the most feared teams in the majors.
BEST CASE SCENARIO: Mark Prior stays healthy, Rich Hill becomes a dominant young ace, and Kerry Wood steps up and becomes a dominant closer. If all this happens, you can expect Chicago's fans to be on the edge of their seats as the Cubs play for their first World Series title in over 100 years.
WORST CASE SCENARIO: Derrek Lee once again gets injured, Alfonso Soriano plays without any desire now that there is no free agecny looming, no one becomes a reliable closer, and Rich Hill fails to develop into anything more than a middle of the rotation guy. A season like this will leave the Cubs with a losing record and a finish towards the bottom of the NL Central.
-David Cassilo
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