Chicago Cubs 2010 Primer

After one of the best regular seasons in franchise history, the 2008 Cubs fizzled in the playoffs. In 2009, they picked right up where they left off, and fell drastically short of expectations.

There were injury issues, a lack of cohesion (due to general manager Jim Hendry's awful offseason tinkering) and severe underperformance. Of the major contributors, you could probably only say Derrek Lee and Ted Lilly did not have disappointing campaigns. Everyone else either simply met expectations (like Ryan Theriot), battled injury (like Aramis Ramirez) or simply played well below their ability (like almost everyone else). The result was giving the NL Central title back to the rival St. Louis Cardinals (either the Cubs or Cards have won a share of the division for every season since 1999).

Oddly enough, through all the adversity, the Cubs still finished 83-78, marking the first time the team had three consecutive winning seasons since 1972 (when it had done so for six straight). It was a 14-game regression, but the Cubs were tied for first place in the first week of August. It's a testament to how talented the group is. With some offseason patchwork -- mostly just undoing the damage Hendry did last winter -- it's possible the Cubs get back to the playoffs for the third time in four years.

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Coming and Going

In: Kevin Millar, 1B (free agency); Chad Tracy, 3B (free agency); Marlon Byrd, OF (free agency); Xavier Nady, OF (free agency); Carlos Silva, SP (trade)
Out: Milton Bradley, OF (trade); Jake Fox, 3B/OF (trade); Aaron Miles, 2B (trade); Reed Johnson, OF (free agency); Rich Harden, SP (free agency); Kevin Gregg, RP (free agency), Aaron Heilman, RP (trade)

Around the Horn

Happy Days ...
In 2008, the Cubs had incredible locker room chemistry. It was evident all the players got along really well and had fun playing baseball with each other. Last year, out went the lovable and incredibly respected Mark DeRosa and Kerry Wood, and in came a cancer in the form of self-proclaimed victim Milton Bradley. Sure, it's easy to get along when you are winning and tougher when you are losing, but the team just didn't seem to be having as much fun in 2009 -- even in a hot July when they won two-thirds of their games. Now Bradley's gone and the Cubs have brought in two guys known as great locker room guys in Millar and Byrd.

Star in Waiting ...
It's pretty common knowledge at this point that Starlin Castro is projected as a future star, but he's only 20 (or will be in just over a week) and will begin the season in Triple-A. Still, if he shows he's ready for the promotion at some point during the season, the Cubs could really strengthen their defense by moving Ryan Theriot to second base and using Castro at short. Thus far in spring training, Castro is tearing it up at the plate, too.

Health, Shape and Focus ...
Losing Ramirez for half the season in 2009 was a dagger, but so was a brutal year from Geovany Soto. Carlos Zambrano had a disappointing go, too. Soto and Zambrano are said to be in the best shape of their respective careers while Ramirez is completely healthy. Many of the other Cubs are said to be more motivated than ever after the catastrophic campaign. Of course, Ted Lilly is fighting back from injury and Angel Guzman is probably out for the season (and maybe even career). And all the motivation in the world doesn't matter if you don't play up to par.

Rounding the Rotation ...
Tom Gorzelanny, Sean Marshall, Carlos Silva and Jeff Samardzija are fighting for the final rotation spot, and there's a nice little caveat here. Lilly is likely to begin the season on the DL, so the top two from the aforementioned group may get to battle at the beginning of the regular season for the last spot. I expect Marshall to be back in the bullpen because Lou Piniella likes a second lefty back there. Of the other three, though, it's anyone's game.

The Closing Window ...
Ryan Dempster, Ted Lilly, Derrek Lee, Aramis Ramirez, Marlon Byrd, Kosuke Fukudome and Alfonso Soriano will all be at least 32 years old when the season concludes. Even Ryan Theriot is 30 and Carlos Zambrano has tons of pitches on his 28-year-old arm. Taking all that into consideration, it's pretty obvious the shelf life for this nucleus as a legitimate contender is growing more limited by the day.

Projected Opening Day Roster



2010 Outlook

The NL Central looks like it's going to be a fun race and should include four teams (sorry Houston and Pittsburgh). Don't expect the Cubs to fall behind the pack. Remember, they won 83 last year and almost everything went wrong. With natural progression back to the mean, the team will be in the ballpark of 90 wins. If they get a few breaks along the way, they'll grab a few more. Also, Hendry knows the window won't be open too much longer, so if tweaks at the trade deadline are necessary, expect him to trade any prospect aside from Castro to improve the big league club.