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By Tim Dierkes | at
Email a copy of 'Offseason In Review: Chicago Cubs' to a friend
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rockfordone
The wheels could come off early for this team.
cubs223425
What wheels? This team’s like a car without wheels, an engine, or a decent paint job.
rockfordone
trying to be nice – agree with you – maybe 50 wins – Is Dale S. completely bald? If not will be after this season.
cubs223425
No, I think he’s got a little hair, but I don’t recall and don’t care to look it up. I’d say 65 wins.
Richard Hood
I am thinking about 72 – 75 wins just because of start of the rotation pitching. But man is this team going to struggle to score runs.
cubs223425
I hope not. Ideally, the Cubs trade both Garza and Dempster to better the long-term outlook of the team, especially the upper minors.
The 3-5 spots suck, though. Samardzija’s proven nothing as an MLB starter, Wells has been garbage since 2009, Wood has been awful, Lopez is OLD and probably incapable of going deep into games, and Mahlom is all right, but nothing special.
They’re going to struggle to score runs, and any team with more than one decent starter will likely kill them if even a mediocre offense backs them.
johnsilver
DeJesus is a good sign, Wood a good resign. Amezaga is as good of a utility man as there is *when healthy* is a good MILB sign. Camp is another good MILB sign. They didn’t do too awfully bad and didn’t go throw out any money that couldn’t be avoided on their own (Dempster) as a waste.
Hoyer/Epstein did a decent job of bringing in a combo of helpful vets on a bargain rate to go along with the few prospects they have to try and make this team as respectable on the field as they can in 2012.
Not a bad looking start for the new leadership at all.
cubs223425
Yeah, they’ve done a decent job, especially with getting Concepcion and being in on Soler. Making the gamble of crap-for-crap with Colvin and Stewart was good because the Cubs had NO ONE to plug in at third (unless they went with DeWitt or Baker…ugh). Of course, trading a spare (though liked-by-me) pitcher in Cashner for a player who fills a need in Rizzo was obviously a smart deal, too.
There’s still a lot of work to be done, as we’re still looking at a 4th-place team at best, but they’re not screwing up so far.
rockfordone
Think 6th – Rizzo for Cashner – huge mistake – think 2222 for next WS
We will all watch it from above.
ellisburks
You can tell Tim is a Cubs fan. By far the longest Team in Review article of the bunch!
But of course well done and well thought out.
BlueCatuli
Or the Cubs just had a very busy off season.
cubs223425
Not as busy as the Marlins, haha.
swankwank
He is a cubs fan. When this site first stated it was heavy on cubs news.
j6takish
I feel like Theo gets an undue amount of credit for Dan Duquettes work in Boston. It will be interesting to see how he does with a team with a barren farm system and not a lot of MLB talent
johnsilver
2003-5 draft dispells that. papelpon, pedroia, Ells, Bucholz, Lowry, Masterson. They drafted pretty decent under Epstein.
I DO agree that The Duke was better in the International arena. Anibel Sanchez and Hanley Ramirez alone earned him an A+ rating.
cubs223425
The farm is certainly not barren. The upper-minors is sketchy, but Jackson and Rizzo are both top-50 guys on many lists (though in the 60s in others).
Even though the Cubs don’t have a really good minors, they have some high-reward guys who could take a good step up in the lower levels, like Concepcion, and maybe Soler, if he’s signed.
101andcounting
Not to mention players like Javy Baez, Brett Jackson, and Junior Lake, both of whom have the tools to turn into excellent major league infielders.
BlueCatuli
What has Junior Lake done to warrant all the praise he gets?
Richard Hood
If you get a chance watch him play. You will understand.
He is a very toolsy infielder that just needs to take that next step. As he fills out his huge frame he could end up being a 3rd baseman or Right Fielder for the next 1o years in Chicago.
His footwork at SS is questionable at best but man does he have a gun. One scout compared his arm to Mondesi if he went to RF.
BlueCatuli
Most teams want him to be a power reliever. BP talks about it on their podcast all he time. He is awful in the field.
philliesfan136
Isn’t Jackson an OF?
johnnythoren3
yup.
101andcounting
Yeah, my mistake. I was only talking about Lake and Baez initially and didn’t correct from “infielders” to “players.”
iheartyourfart
i didn’t see it mentioned in this article but the cubs will also be sending a compensation piece to the padres for hoyer, and i imagine it will be before opening day.
goner
Alfonso Soriano likewise wasn’t mentioned in this article, but the spectre of his remaining contract likely prevented the Cubs from being serious bidders on Pujols or Fielder.
For the sake of Cubs fans, hopefully some of Soriano’s torrid spring training will carry over to the regular season.
Hoosierdaddy92
He always hits well in spring training. That’s about it though
Blake Viall
Alright, now lets get a World Series!
swankwank
Koyie Hill is not a notable loss.
101andcounting
I agree. The loss of Koyie Hill is actually a net gain for all of Major League Baseball.
CandyMaldonadoLand
There should be a section for every team review called “Oh yeah, this happened too” and put the Koyie Hill “loss” under that category.
johnnythoren3
“Paul Maholm, SP: one year, $4.75MM. Includes $6.5MM club option for 2014 with a $500K buyout.”
So what does he do in 2013?
Richard Hood
the option is for 2013
Cheap Sports Tickets
Agreed With all the discussion. well as far as the Cubs are discussed. i personally like them and all the best wished are for them.