Big changes unlikely for Cubs in 2010
By TOM MUSICK -- Shaw Suburban Media
CHICAGO – A winning season is not good enough on the North Side anymore.
Cubs fans expected much more than 83 wins in 2009. They expected more than a second-place finish for a team with baseball’s third-highest payroll at nearly $140 million.
While we’re at it, they expected more than 40 RBIs from Milton Bradley, more than nine wins from Carlos Zambrano, more than a .241 batting average from Alfonso Soriano, and more than 82 games from Aramis Ramirez.
You get the idea.
Some changes could begin in 2010. After the Cubs played under lame-duck ownership for the past couple of seasons, closure is near.
Major League Baseball approved the sale of the team to the Ricketts family Tuesday. In the long term, that should mean improvements to the Cubs and to Wrigley Field.
In the short term, it will be hard to change much.
Expect Cubs general manager Jim Hendry to dump Bradley for an eight-figure loss. Rich Harden, Kevin Gregg, Reed Johnson and John Grabow all will be free agents.
But most of the team’s big-money disappointments such as Soriano, Zambrano and Kosuke Fukudome will remain. Can they turn things around in 2010?
Starting pitching
Carlos Zambrano snapped at reporters who questioned whether he would waive his no-trade clause this winter. We'll take that as a no for Zambrano, who is due to earn about $18 million over each of the next three seasons. Unless the Cubs find some spare change, Harden likely is to leave after going 9-9 with a 4.09 ERA. Tom Gorzelanny and Jeff Samardzija could vie for the open rotation spot unless the Cubs turn to Sean Marshall or a free agent.
Projected: Zambrano, Ryan Dempster, Ted Lilly, Randy Wells, Tom Gorzelanny
Relief pitching
Bye, bye, Gregg. He lost the closer’s job Aug. 17 and marked one of several bad decisions by Hendry this season. (Aaron Miles, anyone?) Carlos Marmol took over the closer's job and finished with 15 saves, but his erratic pitching command remains a major issue. The Cubs would like to re-sign Grabow, who could team with Angel Guzman as the team’s top options in the seventh and eighth innings.
Projected: Marmol, Guzman, Grabow (FA), Heilman, Marshall, RHP
Infield
The faces might be the same, but what does that mean? Will Geovany Soto return to his Rookie of the Year form or will he hit .218 with 11 home runs again? Will Jeff Baker beat out Mike Fontenot to start at second base, or will Hendry seek a free agent with speed? How will Ramirez respond after a few months off to heal his aching shoulder? Orlando Hudson and Placido Polanco are among the free-agent options at second base.
Projected: Soto, Derrek Lee, Baker, Ryan Theriot, Ramirez, Koyie Hill, Mike Fontenot
Outfield
The Milton Bradley saga should make for interesting hot stove theater. Several teams reportedly are interested in Bradley, with the Cubs expected to cover a healthy portion of the $21 million left on his contract. Fukudome will shift to right field, and Hendry might seek a speedy center fielder if the team opts against re-signing Johnson. Unless Soriano or Lee are injured, it will be hard to find starts for Jake Fox's big bat.
Projected: Soriano, FA CF, Fukudome, Sam Fuld, Micah Hoffpauir, Jake Fox
Overall
Cubs manager Lou Piniella said 2010 would mark his final season as a manager. Here’s hoping he looks better than he did in 2009, when a mediocre season left him looking badly worn down. The Cubs’ strong starting rotation and powerful bats in the middle of the lineup will make them a contender again next season, but we've heard this song before. A hot start could renew confidence on the North Side.
