The Cubs teams that reached the playoffs in 2007 & 2008 have been dismantled, and we’re back to rebuilding. Of course, those teams were swept both years in the playoffs, and everybody got old. Last year, the team hit bottom, finishing 5th in the National League Central. Here’s the projected lineup pre-spring training.
Pitchers and catchers report on Saturday!
The Cubs’ strategy of throwing money at free agents didn’t produce a championship, so the new management, led by Theo Epstein, will try player development in the minors and majors. It worked for the Red Sox, who Epstein built into a World Champion.
The infield is all kids, led by the new star of the Cubs, Starlin Castro, at SS. Veterans Marlon Byrd and Alfonso Soriano remain in the outfield. The Cubs would love to trade away Soriano for a handful of prospects but nobody wants to pick up his bloated contract.
The Cubs want to sell tickets, so they keep saying that this is not a throw away year, but it looks exactly like that’s the strategy. Develop kids and hope to be competitive in a couple of years. Hope that a new manager, Dale Sveum, imported from Milwaukee, can change the culture of the clubhouse.
I’m a Cubs' fan from birth, so I’ll probably watch the team when I can. I’m a fair weather Yankee fan. If the Cubs are 25 games out by August, I’ll switch allegiance to the Yankees.
Comments