With Theo Epstein and Jed Hoyer taking over this club, knowing that the path to consistent winning involves young players, there really should be no players on the current roster who are untouchable. Yes, that even includes Starlin Castro, although I would want a king's ransom for him. So, in effect, he is the only player who is almost untouchable. But if I were the Cubs brass, I would listen at least. But my main focus would be on players who may have value to other teams that are willing to move young pieces in return. Some have questioned the ...
Ron Santo played third base in the Major Leagues from 1960 to 1974, 14 of those years with the Chicago Cubs. In his career, he compiled 342 HR, 1,331 RBI and had a lifetime batting average of .277. He was in the top five voting for the Rookie of the Year. He was a nine-time All Star, a five-time Gold Glove winner and in the top 10 for MVP four times. Third base is the hardest position to play to get into the Hall of Fame. Third base has the fewest representatives in the Hall. Why is this? To understand ...
In January 2011, the Chicago Cubs acquired Matt Garza along with Fernando Perez and Zach Rosscup. Chicago sent Chris Archer, Hak-Ju Lee, Robinson Chirinos, Brandon Guyer and Sam Fuld to the Tampa Bay Rays in return. While the deal seemed steep at the time, after the season Garza had in 2011, he could be traded for even more this offseason.According to FanGraphs, Garza finished 2011 with career bests in ERA, xFIP and WAR. With a WAR of 5.0, Garza is among the elite in the National League and should attract trade offers comparable to what Kansas City got for Zack ...
Aramis Ramirez, who has manned third base for the Chicago Cubs for the last nine and half years, has declared that he will play elsewhere next season. But if the fish are not biting, could Ramirez return to the North Side in 2012?Without a doubt, Ramirez makes the Cubs a whole lot better. After hitting .306 with 26 home runs and 93 RBI in 2011, Ramirez has proven that he still can produce the numbers of an elite third baseman. While he isn't the greatest fielder in the world, his batting outweighs his poor fielding, and he is still the ...
With the Cubs attempting to make their way back into contention, many are calling for a culture change in Chicago. But what is Chicago Cubs culture, precisely?The Cubs are an old team, old enough to have its own legends and mystique. But it is time to separate fact from fiction. Here are three pervasive myths about the Chicago Cubs and their fans.Begin Slideshow
Prince Fielder. Albert Pujols. Chicago Cubs. The three have been interchangeable since the beginning of free agency, and rumors have run rampant about which piece is a good fit for each other. Simply put, neither Pujols nor Fielder are a good fit for the Chicago Cubs.Albert Pujols is 32 going on 34 (supposedly), and he has never been a serious part of the Cubs' free-agent discussion. Fielder has been put under a microscope for weeks and no one can get a good read on what the future holds for the left-handed power hitter. With the big-spending teams (Yankees, Red Sox ...
With the new management team in place for the Chicago Cubs, I think it's time for a housecleaning of losing traditions from the past. Dallas Green came up with the slogan "Building a New Tradition" when he took over as the GM of the team in the early '80s. It worked for awhile, but he was soon out the door when the Tribune Company decided they really didn't want to win after all if it was going to cost them money. My suggestions won't cost anything, other than ridding the team of the bad karma from the past. First to go ...
Jose Reyes poses an intriguing option for the Cubs.He seems like a natural fit with the direction the Cubs are going in—he is young, quick and talented. A left infield featuring Starlin Castro and Jose Reyes would be one of the most dynamic in baseball.The same two would form a formidable one-two punch at the top of the batting order and would create unbelievable pressure on the basepaths.But there are a few problems with making this move.First, the Cubs would have to move Starlin Castro to third base. Though Castro displays a youthful sloppiness (as his 29 errors last season ...
The Chicago Cubs recently added third base prospect Josh Vitters to their 40-man roster. The former third overall pick from the 2007 MLB amateur draft could finally be looking to make an impact on the team that selected him, and with how things are looking, he very much could be getting that chance.Considering the Cubs lack of depth at third base, especially with the departure of veteran Aramis Ramirez; so the Cubs may be best to go with Vitters. Looking at the rest of the available players, Vitters presents just as much of a risk, but at least he comes with ...
The Chicago Cubs have been making some noise this offseason so far. They have signed on a new Vice President of Baseball Operations in Theo Epstein, GM in Jed Hoyer, and a manager in Dale Sveum.All three have expressed they will do whatever it takes to bring a championship to Chicago.Now I know every new manager, GM, VPBO says that to appease the fans but not every group has already done it once together. Here is a list of five free agents I believe Theo and company will be targeting this offseason. Begin Slideshow
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