With pitchers and catchers starting to report to Florida and Arizona this weekend, let’s take a look at some key questions for Major League Baseball’s lovable losers, the Chicago Cubs, heading into 2011.
Key offseason additions: Matt Garza, Carlos Pena, Kerry Wood, Reed Johnson, Fernando Perez, Max Ramirez, manager Mike Quade.
Key offseason losses: Tom Gorzelanny, Xavier Nady, Sam Fuld, manager Lou Piniella.
Despite spending some $142 million on payroll last season, the Cubs fell apart and finished fifth in the NL Central with 75-87 record. Piniella jettisoned the team during the season for retirement, and Chicago did play much better under Quade (winning 19 of its final 29 games), who got the full-time job over Cubs legend Ryne Sandberg after the season to the dismay of many Cubs fans.
If Carlos Zambrano can pitch like he did in the final two months of last year and Matt Garza can control his wicked stuff, the Cubs should have a good top three of the rotation with those two and Ryan Dempster. The back end of the rotation figures to be manned by Randy Wells and Carlos Silva but there will be some competition there from guys like Jeff Samardzija and Andrew Cashner.
The lineup has many questions. For example, why did the Cubs spend $10 million on Carlos Pena? The former Ray is a good fielder and clubhouse guy but hit .196 last year and is a strikeout machine. He has averaged 36 home runs per year over the past four seasons and only got a one-year deal so it’s not a big risk. The Cubs also have two players on downward tracks in their careers in outfielder Alfonso Soriano (still due $72 million) and third baseman Aramis Ramirez. Catcher Geovany Soto was much improved last season after a terrible 2009. Shortstop Starlin Castro showed signs of being a star but is still wild defensively. Former Dodger Blake DeWitt likely will man second base but he’s average at best. And the team needs to find a spot for Tyler Colvin, possibly rotating among the corner outfield spots or in place of Kosuke Fukudome.
Is this team better and can it contend in the suddenly deep NL Central? It can, but it probably will take career years from most of the veterans.