I can tell you one young kid who will for the Cubs.

Call me crazy, but Tom Gorzelanny is going to get the fifth starter spot on the Cubs' staff.

We know who the first four are. In no particular order: Zambrano, Lilly, Dempster, and Wells will be the top four. The fifth is up for grabs.

Off-Speed

Gorzelanny has an off-speed pitch—something former Notre Dame standout Jeff Samardizja has not really developed yet.

An off-speed pitch is something that needs to be prevalent in any major league pitcher's repertoire for them to succeed. In the MLB, you can't blow people away with a fast ball. They will catch up to it.

Take Kyle Farnsworth for example. Remember him?

He was a hard-throwing nut case. He threw the ball hard and that was about it. He sort of had a slider and nothing else really. What happened to him? Never made it in the show.

Don't turn Samardizja into a Farnsworth. Keep the kid in the bullpen if you don't want to waste his talent in AAA, and let him develop his change-up and slider. Once he does that, then let him fight with Gorzelanny.

Last Season

Last season, Gorzelanny had seven starts and posted a 4-2 record. He was very good down the stretch.

Gorzelanny showed he can pitch effectively last season. He isn't amazing, but he is effective.

Gorzelanny struck out 40 batters in 38.1 innings pitched over his seven starts and 13 total appearances. Batters had a .262 average against him. Decently effective, if you ask me, and something I can live with.

Gorzelanny only walked 13 people over his 13 appearances for the North Side Crew. One walk a game is a better average than Carlos Zambrano (4.1 walks a game).

Conclusion

Let the kid prove me wrong. Slide him in that fifth starter role for the start of the season, and if he can't handle it, then take him out. I think Gorzelanny more than deserves it. Let the kid shine.

Read more Chicago Cubs news on BleacherReport.com

This is going to be the first in a four-part series breaking down four positions for the Chicago Cubs.

Part one is going to be break down the Chicago Cubs’ pitching, after this article I will be taking on the infield, outfield, and bullpen.

The Cubs have been known for having solid starting pitching, and this season should be no different. Here is the expected rotation:

1. Carlos Zambrano
2. Ted Lilly
3. Ryan Dempster
4. Randy Wells
5. Tom Gorzelanny
Others who could start games: Sean Marshall, Jeff Samardzija, Carlos Silva.

Who Needs to Step Up : Carlos Zambrano

Who Could be the Biggest Surprise : Randy Wells

Looking at what each of these pitchers did last season, the Cubs are seemingly set at the top of their rotation. None of the top four pitchers had an ERA above 4.00.

However, the Cubs supposed ace of the staff, Carlos Zambrano, was, if anything, the fourth-best starting pitcher for the Cubs last season.

His ERA was fourth highest among the five expected starters, and he was just one strikeout away from being third in strikeouts, instead he was second with 152. He also finished fourth in WHIP.

But although the Cubs don’t have a legit ace, they also don’t give opposing teams a break, as none of their pitchers are exactly bad either.

After facing Carlos Zambrano, they face Ted Lilly, who had a 3.10 ERA last season, struck out 152 batters, and had a WHIP of just 1.06.

However, Lilly likely won’t be back until some time in early May. He is trying to be able to be back in April, but the Cubs aren’t going to risk anything, and if he has to miss an extra two starts to make sure he doesn’t miss serious time, nobody will complain.

This opens up an opportunity for a few Cubs pitchers to try to jump in and take his place. Chances are that Carlos Silva, Jeff Samardzija, or Sean Marshall will be the fifth starter for the first month or so.

The Cubs don’t have an especially difficult schedule at the beginning of the season, so although Lilly coming back should be a priority, his health should be a bigger one.

Until Lilly comes back, Dempster will be directly following Carlos Zambrano in the rotation.

Last season, Demster’s stats dropped from his magical 2008, but he was still very impressive holding an ERA of 3.65 and a 1.31 WHIP while striking out 172 batters, leading all Cubs and finishing 15th in the NL.

Randy Wells was a big surprise last season, as he came out of nowhere to tie for the most wins on the Cubs with 12. He also lead all starters with an ERA of 3.05.

If Wells is even close to as good as he was last season, the Cubs will be greatly benefited during the absence of Lilly. However, last season was just his first full season pitching in the majors, but in about 10 major league innings before last season he didn’t allow a single hit.

The favorite for the fifth Cubs position when the rotation is healthy will likely be won by Tom Gorzelanny, who came to Chicago from the Pirates last season.

Despite his ERA being 5.55, he was able to find ways to win, going 7-3. If you look at Gorzelanny’s season last year, you will see amazing inconsistency.

However, when he was able to establish himself, he was outstanding. In every game that he was able to pitch more than five innings, he never allowed more than two runs and went 4-0.

If he can channel what he did in those starts where he pitched a high amount of innings, then the Cubs will be very pleased in the former Pirate.

When looking at the other players who could start games for the Cubs, there isn’t much talent to choose from. There is the amazingly overpaid Carlos Silva, who is consistently beyond horrible.

Silva belongs in Double-A at best, but his highly inflated contract could keep him floating between Triple-A and the majors.

Jeff Samardzija is another option, and the Notre Dame product has shown some good pitching chops. Although I prefer to see him in the bullpen, he could give some short-term relief as the fifth starter.

Sean Marshall has been good in flashes as a starter through a few seasons, but he has never really met his potential despite never really being bad. He hasn’t had an ERA over 4.50 in the last three seasons, and like Samardzija, could be a good short-term option.

Overall, the Cubs don’t have anybody that really stands out in their starting rotation, but they also have very few people who fall into the background.

Although they aren’t anything special, the starting rotation shouldn’t lose the Cubs too many games.

I’m Joe W.

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But Carlos Silva has got to go.

Now this should not be a surprise to anyone who knows anything about baseball. The fact that Silva is a lousy pitcher is one of the biggest "Duh!'s" in history. It is an understatement similar to saying that Tiger Woods likes the ladies.

Look, if that's not Silva's face atop the list of the worst starting pitchers in major league baseball, he's in the team photo.

And just because GM Jim Hendry desperately wants to show his new bosses that he received some value in return for Milton Bradley, this charade just shouldn't be allowed to continue.

Look, if the Cubs really want to be contenders in 2010, they need to put their best foot forward, not in their mouths. Their best team for 2010 may include a Zambrano and a Marmol, but not a Carlos named Silva.

I understand we don't have quality depth in the rotation right now. The uncertain status of Ted Lilly and the departure of Rich Harden means this club can't afford to simply cast aside useful starting pitching.

But notice the word "useful"...that term is an antonym with Silva.

The fact is, Hendry and the Cubs wanted to offload Bradley so badly that all they wanted is a warm body and a few million dollars in salary relief in return. Well, at least they got the salary relief.

Meanwhile, they also need another kind of "relief".

Too bad they couldn't have pried away Mark Lowe from Seattle, given our conspicuous need for relief pitching at this point.

But no matter, for as Carl Sandburg once said, "The past is a bucket of ashes." Hendry must now be man enough to admit that Silva is simply not worth retaining just because they don't have the appetite to eat his bloated contract.

Oh I'm sure that the Cubs will give him a couple more chances to show what he can do, but if recent history is any guide, it won't work out favorably. Even if he somehow squeezes out a decent start or two, it will be fool's gold.

Meanwhile, the lower half of the rotation could be downright terrifying until Lilly returns.

Even accounting for an improved offense this year, that's potentially two out of every five games where our rotation will be at a disadvantage as compared with contending teams, at a minimum, and that is assuming the other three pitch well and the team scores runs.

Unless he pitches poorly this spring, you can expect Tom Gorzelanny to win one of the spots and I'm certain that Hendry was crossing his fingers that Silva would take the other.

If Silva pitches his way to the DL or an outright release, that opens a spot for Jeff Samardzija, another Cubs pitcher whom Hendry is hoping to get some positive value from this year.

That could be ugly my friends. Look, as Voltaire once said (I think he pitched for the Cubs in the early 20s), "Doubt is not a pleasant condition, but certainty is absurd." 

Still, it would be nice to go into the season with something a bit more concrete to go on than this. As much as I root for the guy, I still don't see anything that suggests "The Shark" is ready to command three pitches well enough to succeed over five or six innings at the big league level.

There are still a couple guys out there on the market, but don't expect Hendry to make any moves unless they discover that Lilly needs more time than initially thought.

His priority is an arm for the bullpen right now. And, while he didn't look good yesterday, I think it's time to see what Andrew Cashner can do.

The Cubs have been grooming the former college closer as a starter but I still view him as a reliever, albeit a potentially very good one. But he's young and will need to go through the normal growing pains until he finds consistent success.

Who will set up Carlos Marmol, assuming he throws strikes and can be an effective closer? The John Grabow experience is not the answer in my opinion.

But returning to Silva for a moment, he allowed 442 hits in just over 355 innings in 2007 and 2008. Last year, he pitched about 30 awful innings the entire season.

As if that wasn't bad enough, it's not as if he was any better with the Twins in 2006—246 hits in 180+ innings of work and a 5.94 ERA doesn't exactly inspire confidence. 

While Mark Twain may have raised a valid point when he said that "Facts are stubborn things, but statistics are more pliable", these numbers can't be disputed. 

You don't even need to look up his WHIP or his FIP, the man sucks at pitching a baseball for a living. Yet he will make $11.5 million this year and next, with a $12 million mutual option that contains a $2 million dollar buyout for 2012.

Let that absorb for a minute. Imagine what Seattle would have paid him if he had actually been any good when he signed with them...

Now, the Mariners will pick up $9 million of that albatross over the next two years, thank you, which leaves the Cubs having to eat $16 million if they release him (minus the salary they lost in moving Bradley, of course).

But that's OK. For as I once said, in fact it was today, "Call it addition by subtraction".

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National League Player News: March 7, 2010:

Huston Street – Rockies: The marquis fireballer-reliever for Colorado did some more work on Saturday throwing about 40 balls from 110 feet, reports Inside the Rockies.

Street has been dealing with some inflammation in his throwing shoulder over the past two weeks or so, but it isn’t being considered serious, which should raise a couple of red flags. Just keep a discerning eye on the situation to ensure things don’t go south prior to opening day.

Brandon Webb – Diamondbacks: Updated from 2/26: Last week we reported that Webb’s recovery was going well and that he should be on track to be available on opening day, now Webb is saying “it is too early to say whether he’ll begin the regular season”, reports the Arizona Republic.

Webb is targeting to be game-ready by March 15th at the latest, and while he is throwing some batting practices and mound sessions successfully, everything is simply being taken down a cautious road. Even if he isn’t ready be opening day, he should still be fine for the 2010 MLB fantasy season.

Angel Guzman – Cubs: Paul Sullivan of The Chicago Tribune is reporting that Guzman has “a significant ligament tear” in the bottom part of his shoulder and that spells disaster for the Cubs and fantasy owners alike.

Guzman posted a 2.95 ERA with a 1.05 WHIP last year and was considered to be a huge contributor this year for the Cubs, and it appears that isn’t going to happen. If he rehabs, it will be a month or more before he knows whether he can pitch. If he gets surgery, he may never pitch again. He is safe to drop in all formats.

Emmanuel Burris – Giants: Burris has been diagnosed with a broken toe and will don a boot for the next four weeks, making his chances of being on the roster at opening day null and void. Furthermore, there will be additional time missed once he is healed since he will have to work through some minor league stints.

Ugh, the second base situation in San Fran is just an utter mess right now, with Burris and Sanchez being down and for those of you thinking of picking up Uribe, I would suggest exploring other options first.

Scott Hairston – Padres: Hairston left Saturday’s game after being hit on the hand/wrist and there hasn’t been an update—as of this article—and may not be one until Monday, so check back here as we will keep you informed.

I say hand/wrist because it is unclear what body part actually took the blow, but losing Hairston would be a blow to San Diego and fantasy owners who were thinking of using him in a utility role.

American League Player News: March 7, 2010:

Hank Blalock – Rangers: Jon Heyman on Twitter is reporting that the Rays are in “serious talks” with the vaunted first baseman, which poses an interesting bit of news.

It’s always hard to disseminate these Tweets, but assuming the Rays actually are interested and bring him in, Blalock would serve as a very nice DH hitter and given the fact there is no guarantee over the durability of Carlos Pena’s surgically repaired fingers, there is even a slight chance of Blalock eventually starting.

Blalock is a funny guy. He had a horrible batting line (.234/.277/.459), but did hit 25 homers in 2009, which seems to be par for the course for him. He may be of some value going forward if the Rays pick him up. Stay tuned.

Jarrod Saltalamacchia – Rangers: Well Texas is a hot spot right now, huh? Old “Salty” mowed down speedster Alex Gordon while trying to steal second which is a great indication to his overall recovery progress from shoulder surgery.

This is wonderful news, as Saltalamacchia is in line to be a huge sleeper in my opinion if he is ready to go; Taylor Teagarden isn’t an option either way, so don’t even think about it.

Hideki Matsui – Angels: Manager Mike Scioscia said that Matsui could be ready to DH in a spring game today (Sunday).

Really? That’s great for a guy who is 35, on a serious decline, and traveling around with not one, but two bad knees. There are still some people with delusions of grandeur that Matsui will hit another 25+ homeruns this year; don’t be one of those people.

Joe Nathan – Twins: Nathan left Saturday’s game for “precautionary reasons” due to soreness in his right elbow.

Uh oh. That’s not good news in the slightest, considering Nathan had surgery to remove bone chips in that same elbow just last October. The procedure is relatively small, but anything surrounding ill feeling in that elbow could potentially be disastrous for Nathan and fantasy owners. Stay tuned for more.

Adam Lind – Blue Jays For those of you hoping that perhaps Lind was going to become eligible at first base, you can pretty much forget it (thank you very much Lyle Overbay).

There was some talk about that possibility, along with also hitting cleanup, but the fact of the matter is no matter where you put this guy, he is going to produce just as he did in 2009.

Last year, he was a 30/30 hitter and it wasn’t a fluke. Here is my projected line:
.298 AVG, 34 HR, 118 RBI, 45 DBL, 97 R, 5 SB, .978 OPS.

For more fantasy news and advice, check out our NFL , NBA , and NHL sections.

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Day baseball.

Ernie Banks and “Let’s play two.”

Harry Carey and “Take Me Out to the Ballgame.”

All of these are Wrigley Field in Chicago, home of the Chicago Cubs for 94 years.

Wrigley Field was built in 1914 and is the second oldest baseball field in continuous existence, second only to Fenway Park in Boston.

On the north side of Chicago, this baseball venue has existed ever since, although at first it was not called “Wrigley Field,” and it was not the home of the Cubs.

Charles Weeghman first built the stadium here, and it was built in just over a month beginning in March 1914. But at that time, the Cubs were playing on a different field in west Chicago.

Originally called North Side Park, Weeghman would rename the place after himself, Weeghman Park. It was a simple design that had room for only about 14,000 spectators. A V-shaped, single level grandstand ran parallel to the foul lines, and there were bleachers in the outfield.

Weeghman bought the Cubs, and they played their first game at his new park on April 20, 1916.  The venue was renamed Cubs Field.

In 1920, Weeghman sold the team and the field to the chewing gum magnate, William Wrigley.

In 1922, Wrigley had changes made to the park, as the grandstand was moved back from the field and wooden bleachers were added in the outfield that increased seating to 20,000.

In 1926, a second-tier grandstand was added, the playing field was actually lowered, and the left field bleachers were taken out. Capacity increased to almost 40,000.

Ironically, there was a plan to install lights at the park in 1942. But America’s involvement in World War II stopped this plan, as the lights were donated to the government.

Lights would not be installed at Wrigley until 1988, when the baseball gods decreed that if the Cubs made the playoffs, they would not be allowed to play at Wrigley because night baseball was required to appease the television moguls.

The baseball franchise that is known as the Cubs has existed since 1876 when the National League was first formed. However, at that time, the team was known as the Chicago White Stockings.

For the first two years they were managed by Albert Goodwill Spalding, more famously known for the sporting goods company that he founded and which still bears his name.

In 1890, the team name was changed to the Chicago Colts. They would become the Chicago Orphans in 1898 and remained so until finally becoming the Cubs in 1903.

Although the despair of Boston Red Sox fans may be more chronicled, true Chicago Cubs fans have had more to suffer with their Cubbies (by any other name, the torment is just as bittersweet) more than fans of any other team.

The Cubs played in four World Series contests between 1906 and 1910 and actually won in 1907 and 1908.

They have never won since.

In fact, the team has only played in six other World Series since that time.

Their last appearance in the Fall Classic was in 1945 and, of course, they lost.

But Cubs fans have never stopped following this team. Columnist George Will was featured in Ken Burns’ epic documentary “Baseball” and said that most of the kids he grew up with became Democrats and Cardinals fans. He became a Republican and a Cubs fan, and he has suffered ever since.

But Will said it with love in his voice. No one can follow a team this long, with this much frustration, without loving them.

And for most of its existence and since 1940, the team has been really, really bad—seldom finishing among the top half of the teams in their league.

The team has played in six playoff series since 1984, but have come close to winning a pennant in only one season.

In 2003, the Cubbies were leading the Florida Marlins 3-2 in the NCLS and were up 3-0 in the top of the eighth inning in the sixth game at Wrigley.

With one out, the Cubs needed only five more outs to clinch their first pennant in 58 years. Luis Castillo of the Marlins lofted a fly ball down along the left field foul line near the wall. Cubs left fielder, Moises Alou, drifted over against the wall and was poised to make the catch.

But the ball never reached his glove.

A young fan named Steve Bartman wanted to catch a playoff souvenir and interfered with Alou.

The ball dropped safely and the floodgates opened.

Florida scored eight runs after Bartman’s interference and won the game to tie the series. In the final game the Marlins won again, denying the Cubbies a trip to the Series.

Could this be just the latest incarnation of the Curse of the Billy Goat?

This jinx was supposedly placed on the team in 1945, when the owner of the Billy Goat Tavern in the Windy City was asked to leave a World Series game in Wrigley. Billy Sianis had brought his pet goat to the game, and fans sitting nearby were offended by the odor of the goat.

Sianis was asked to leave and he vowed, “Those Cubs, they aren’t going to win no more.”  There has never been another World Series played in Wrigley Field.

One of the best known personalities surrounding baseball in the past 60 years is Harry Caray. Although he broadcast games for the St. Louis Cardinals, Oakland Athletics, and the White Sox on the south side of Chicago, Caray is best known as the fun loving broadcaster of Cubs games.

Caray came to the Cubs in 1981 at a time when WGN was just beginning to broadcast all Cubs game on the cable and satellite TV feeds. Caray became famous, as millions around the country saw him.

Caray was best known for his seventh inning stretch rendition of “Take Me Out to the Ballgame,” when he would conduct using the microphone and scream (more than sing) the baseball tune to fans in the park and around the country.

And, of course, the park itself is probably best known for its ivy covered walls.

In 1937, team president, Bill Veeck, had the ivy planted at the base of the outfield walls. It has been there ever since. It adds a character to the old field, which is unique.

In the early season games in cold Chicago, the ivy has not recovered from its winter dormancy. But as the warmer days of late spring turn to the dog days of summer, the ivy covers the old brick walls with verdant growth.

Perhaps the most famous Cub of all time was Ernie Banks.

His love of the game has been captured for posterity by his favorite saying. Reportedly every day, Banks would come to the park, in sunshine or shadow, and declare, “Let’s play two,” meaning one game alone was not enough for Ernie.

Banks also coined another phrase which has been used ever since to describe Wrigley Field. Banks dubbed it, “The Friendly Confines.”

And indeed it is. Wrigley Field still beckons to baseball fans, regardless of which team they root for.

Fans make pilgrimages to this Mecca of baseball set in the business district in North Chicago. It seems as though this will always be a place where baseball is played on real grass and under the sun.

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The Cubs were pretty quiet this past off-season. They didn’t make too many moves, and the ones that they did make were more to shore up the bench rather than to provide a punch to the lineup.

They were, however, able to get rid of last season’s big mistake. Milton Bradley will be ruining the Seattle Mariners this season, after his work of art in Chicago.

However, if you ask Bradley, it was Chicago that ruined him, not the other way around, just ask the wordsmith known as Milton.

“Two years ago, I played, and I was good. I go to Chicago, not good.”

So lets see if Bradley returns to “good” this season, it should be interesting.

However, the Cubs didn’t just get rid of Bradley, they also found a couple of players who will come in and be pivotal to helping the Cubs try to get back to the top of the NL Central.

There will likely be only one starter this season who wasn’t on the squad last season, and that is Marlon Byrd.

Although he is 32 years old, he is the player that we were hoping Milton Bradley to be. He hit 20 home runs last season, drove in 89 runs, and hit for average at .283.

Although you shouldn’t expect another 20 home run season, you can expect his average to stay consistent and he will be solid defensively, which is huge as he will be playing center field.

Another solid free agent signing was Xavier Nady, who will come in and compete with Kosuke Fukudome for playing time.

Nady is historically better than Fukudome, and has shown that he can hit more home runs, drive in more runs, strike out less, and get more hits.

The only thing that Fukudome really has on Nady is the fact that he is a more recognizable name and that he is making twice as much as Nady.

I expect Piniella to split time between Fukudome and Nady, but that is for a different article.

After making big moves in each of the previous three free agent markets, Jim Hendry was quite this off-season and decided to keep largely the same roster that got them 83 wins last season.

Expect a similar outcome this season, but don’t expect a huge drop off either. The Cubs will be competitive, but they won’t be turning heads.

I’m Joe W.

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I will also provide the stereotypical letter grade to each team's lineup, rotation, bullpen, and depth/bench. Though it is trite, I think all baseball fans can identify with the letter grade system.

Teams will be addressed respective to their predicted finish in their division.

2. Chicago Cubs

LINEUP: B

Ryan Theriot - SS

Alfonso Soriano - LF

Derrek Lee - 1B

Aramis Ramirez - 3B

Marlon Byrd - CF

Kosuke Fukudome/Xavier Nady - RF

Geovany Soto - C

Mike Fontenot - 2B

OUTFIELD: The outfield is strong offensively, as well as quite deep. But defensively, they lack athleticism. Marlon Byrd can play CF a little better than Kosuke Fukudome, but he still isn't a true CF. I like the Xavier Nady signing for depth, and wouldn't be surprised if he unseats Fukudome as the starter if he proves to be healthy. Soriano is coming off an injury, so the Nady signing looks even better in light of that. It's time Soriano left the leadoff spot. He can do many of the same things in the no. 2 hole that he did in the leadoff spot, while helping his team score more runs.

INFIELD: The cajun middle infield is solid offensively and defensively but isn't spectacular. Theriot adds fire with his hard play. Fontenot is more expendable, and Jeff Baker will take away some of his ABs. Derrek Lee returned to form last season and is the unquestioned leader of this team. He plays gold glove defense year in and year out. Aramis Ramirez needs to remain healthy this season and help Lee drive in runs.

CATCHING: Geovany Soto hit a wall last season, a true sophomore slump. He should bounce back; maybe not to his 2008 R.O.Y. totals, but improvement won't be hard when you hit .218 the previous season. Koyie Hill is a solid defensive backup.

ROTATION: B

Carlos Zambrano - R

Ted Lilly - L

Ryan Dempster - R

Randy Wells - R

Tom Gorzelanny - L

I don't see Carlos Silva wrestling the fifth starter job away from Tom Gorzelanny this spring. Carlos Zambrano needs to come back healthy and ready to win this season. Leadership is needed from him. Ted Lilly has been quietly solid every year he's been with the Cubs. Ryan Dempster has been very good since moving into the rotation, too. I don't know if Randy Wells is the real deal. He may be a one-hit wonder. Time will tell.

BULLPEN: B

Carlos Marmol will close, but I don't know if he's as great as some think he is. Control is a major issue with him and it wouldn't be a surprise to see hitters consistently sit on their hands in the box until he throws the first strike. John Grabow, Angel Guzman, Jeff Samardzija, and Sean Marshall are all solid relievers.

DEPTH/BENCH: B

The outfield is pretty deep with Nady and Micah Hoffpauir both able to back up the corner spots. Hoffpauir is also the backup to D-Lee at first. Fontenot and Baker can both play 3B also, in case Ramirez gets injured again this season. Andres Blanco was a pleasant surprise behind Theriot last season.

THOUGHTS: The Cubs are solid at all parts of their game, much like the Cardinals, but I don't trust their recent health issues. They had injuries everywhere last season and the pitching rotation isn't as good. A lot rests on Randy Wells' shoulders. If he proves to be no fluke, then the rotation will succeed. If he falters, there isn't enough starter depth behind him to make up for it. The Cubs will be good, but not good enough to take the division from St. Louis.

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During his impressive Cubs tenure, Lee boasts one batting title, a .304/.384/.539 batting line, and a pair of Gold Glove awards.

He also has made two All-Star teams, won one Silver Slugger, and clubbed 163 home runs.

Lee will turn 35 in September, however, and when his current contract expires after the season, the Cubs have a difficult decision to make: Should they hang on to their most consistent leader and contributor of the past half-decade or allow free agency to sweep him away?

Before revealing the manner in which the team has already answered that question for itself, let us dispel the absurd notion that has crept into the consciousness of the general sports populace that would have GM Jim Hendry extend Lee's contract before it even runs out.

That idea is plainly foolish: Like every other aging player who has hit the market in the past three offseasons, Lee will find demand for his services seriously curbed by the realities of baseball's new economy, as well as teams' increasing reticence to spend big money on any player whose prime years are so clearly behind them.

There is no reason Chicago should compensate him right now as though he were still the commodity that earned him his five-year, $65-million deal prior to 2006.

Assuming, then, that Lee will in fact become a free agent after the season, there is one simple reason why the Cubs will not and should not re-sign him: their outfield.

After inking center fielder Marlon Byrd to a three-year deal this winter, the Cubs have three outfielders with contracts that run through 2011 or longer. Yet first-round draft picks Tyler Colvin (2006) and Brett Jackson (2009) are beating a rapid path to the Major Leagues themselves.

Colvin, with his doubles power only and relatively little plate discipline, need not bump anyone from his current position. He played fairly well in very limited time last year, but his future is the same as his present: fourth outfielder duties and the on-the-fringe life of a Quadruple-A batter.

Jackson, though, poses another question. At the tender age of 21, Jackson climbed through both Cubs rookie squads last season en route to a 26-game stint with Class-A Peoria. He hit .295/.383/.545 there, stole 11 bases, and popped seven home runs in only 112 at-bats.

Though this merited an unexpected non-roster invitation to big-league camp this spring, Jackson is still a year away. He may well not be more, though, and if that turns out to be the case, the Cubs will have a logjam on their hands in the outfield.

The only sensible solution to that overabundance would be for Byrd to slid to left in accommodation of Jackson, with defensively challenged left fielder Alfonso Soriano headed for the only spot on the diamond less demanding of glove men than his current post: first base.

Re-enter Lee, suddenly an excess piece. With all the money Chicago has committed to Soriano, there is no way they can unload him before 2013. That means that, unless Hendry is willing to obstruct the progress of his organization's brightest prospect, Soriano will need to shift, and Lee will have to go.

All of that is conjecture, of course. More tangibly, though, Hendry spent the winter loading up on players eerily similar to Lee. Veterans Chad Tracy and Kevin Millar join youngster Bryan LaHair and incumbent Micah Hoffpauir in the battle to back up Lee at first, and each also provides power off the bench.

Perhaps this only suggests that Hendry, wary of Lee's recurring neck problems over the past two seasons, fears that serious missed time could again be in the offing for Lee and wants to assure himself of sufficient depth behind him.

Whatever the reason, though, the Cubs and Lee seem to grow further apart all the time, and 2010 is nearly certainly the respected leader's swan song in Cubs blue. 

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However, fortunately for Hawks and Cubs fans alike, the Cactus League home opener has proven this devilish rodent wrong and introduced spring fever like no other can.

Seven former Hawks competed for a roster position against the Athletics Thursday, though Tyler Colvin (2006) made the most noise in route to a six-run win over Oakland.

In front of an eager crowd at Hohokam Stadium in Mesa, Arizona, Colvin went 3-for-3 by way of two doubles and a solo-homerun coming in the sixth inning, to give the Cubs a five-run lead.

Though Colvin may have briefly caught the interest of Wrigley faithful in the six games he appeared in during the 2009 season, there is much more that Chicago fans can look forward to with this 23-year-old left fielder.

Colvin made his first plunge into professional baseball when he was drafted 13th overall in the 2006 draft out of the University of Clemson and was sent the Boise Hawks Class A short season club for one season.

While in Boise, Colvin batted .268, with 71 hits and 53 RBI’s in his 64 games played, while becoming in instant fan favorite at Memorial Stadium.

At the age of 21, Colvin was promoted to Class A Daytona, where he batted a career best .306, with 24 doubles and 75 hits in as many games.

Then in 2008 while playing for Tennessee Class AA, Colvin played in 137 games, driving in 80 RBI’s and, again, a phenomenal extra base total of 52.

After bouncing between Daytona and Tennessee in 2009, Colvin made his Major League debut on September 21 where, in three at bats, he recorded one hit as well as one walk.

Moreover, Colvin has proven that he is not only an extra-base-hitting machine, but a perfect meld for the Cubs organization, and that will become much more apparent as the spring months progress.

Though Colvin will most likely find his way onto the Tennessee roster at season’s start, his name will certainly continue to arise as the future of the Chicago deep three.

So even though the groundhog has determined an uncertain future for baseball fans this spring, Cubs fans can be sure that Tyler Colvin will heat up their season nonetheless. 

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Jim Hendry picked up the fact that the Cubs had a righty-dominated lineup, which in the post-season is not a great thing, and decided to enter the free agent market. He had to choose between the recently released and given up for "old" Bobby Abreu, Three True Outcomes hero Adam Dunn, and divisive, outrageous, appalling Milton Bradley.

Gee, can you tell how I felt about the signing?

The Cubs were picked by every reputable publication and organization to win the NL Central. They were coming off a 97-win season and had added a switch-hitting outfielder, placing him in one of the few ballparks remaining that is completely a slave to the elements, putting him in a lineup that featured MVP candidate Derrek Lee, Aramis Ramirez, and Alfonso Soriano. What could go wrong?

See, every time you ask that question, something always has or will.

St.Louis put it all together that season, getting the usual Albert Pujols death-and-destruction job, but not only getting a good backup season from Ryan Ludwick but acquiring Matt Holliday, who was good in a Cards uniform until the postseason, and their rotation showed up in a big way.

The Cubs, on the other hand, under intense pressure and with a divisive presence in the clubhouse, crashed like the Hindenburg onto a giant spike.

I probably would have been less surprised had Tiger Woods come out for his supposed apology and instead said, "I don't regret anything I did, and you're all just jealous," and then began singing Madonna's "Human Nature" to the shocked audience.

Bradley threw more fuel on the fire when he said that Chicago, both the Cubs and the city has "a culture of negativity" and really shoved the spike in deep when he said "you understand why they've never won anything in a hundred years." Of course, the part we all missed was that not only was he brought in to help the Cubs win the World Series, but that he's never won anything either, and has never been in position to do so, either.

Really sticking in MY craw was that Dunn signed with the Nationals. His season: .267, 38 HR, 105 RBI, and 116 walks. His OBP was .398. I REALLY could have lived with Dunn's defense and strikeouts with numbers like that.

Abreu signed a $6 Million contract with the Angels. Not only did he put up these numbers, ".293-15-103," but he was instrumental in the Angels' run to the ALCS. (Where he didn't do too well, but that doesn't take away from my point.)

Hendry wasted no time dumping Bradley on Seattle for Carlos Silva. Marlon Byrd came aboard to replace Bradley. 2010, with Bradley out of the clubhouse, looks great.

Looks are deceiving, though.

Soriano, for example, is on the hook for 18 million dollars. Last year, his line in an injury-plagued year with 477 official at-bats was ".241-20-55" and he had an OBP of .303. That's not a misprint, a misquote, or a mistake. A man being paid 18 million dollars put up an OBP of .303 and struck out 118 times.

This is also a man who prefers to hit leadoff (though Lou Piniella put an end to that just after the season was pretty much conceded to the Cardinals). A man who has not had a 200 hit season since his second full season in New York. And, a man coming off knee surgery.

Last season Alfonso Soriano played more like Alfonso Ribeiro. And with the knee surgery, there's no indication that that may change, especially since Soriano is 34 years old-an age where most ballplayers begin slowing down. 

Lee is going to be 35 in September. Lee and Aramis Ramirez have been the cornerstone of the Cub offense since Lee's fire-sale aided arrival in Chicago in 2004. This means problems, as Lee's MVP-level season notwithstanding, he could decline at any time.

Lee is my favorite Cub, because he doesn't go the Sammy Sosa route, but he's not exactly Ryne Sandberg (Sandberg's relationship with the media wasn't great because Sandberg never talked ).

Lee talks to the media, but he leads by example. And he's a great guy, from all accounts. It was Lee who put the lie to Bradley's assertion that "his teammates never hate him." Lee, while being diplomatic, frankly said that he and his teammates loathed Bradley.

But, the offense outside of these guys is rather...well, bad, if not average. The pitching, on the other hand...

Carlos Zambrano was once one of my favorite Cubs EVER. As a Cub fan, though, I'm dimly beginning to realize that the only thing that separates him from Daniel Cabrera is four inches.(of height, don't put your minds in the gutter!) Okay, that's too harsh, but he wasn't great last season.

One could say he'd barely qualify as good for last season. Wins are an overrated stat, true. Still, when your ace pitcher goes 9-7, how good are you going to be? When your ace pitcher doesn't take conditioning seriously and has a temper that is counterproductive to his goals, what can you do?

He did put up a 3.77 ERA, which in the era of the home run is exceptional. But Zambrano insists he's going to retire in a couple of years, which makes his oddness worse.

Tom Gorzelanny is a surprise entry to this list. I firmly believe he can be a solid third starter on this team, after Zambrano, who insists he's cleaned up his act, and Ryan Dempster.

If Carlos Silva is your No. 3 starter, something has gone dreadfully wrong and everyone will probably be fired at the end of the season. If Jeff Samardzija is your No. 3, there's a possibilty you'll lose 90 games. And Ted Lilly is injured. Gorzelanny is a lefty like Lilly, but as I've always insisted, he needs a chance somewhere AWAY FROM PITTSBURGH. So Gorzo will now conspire against me and put up an ERA of 6.66.

The Cardinals will have a full season of Holliday hitting behind Pujols. They picked up Felipe Lopez to man the shortstop position. Colby Rasmus will build upon his immense promise. Ryan Ludwick will continue to be Ryan Ludwick. They're the most dangerous team in the division by FAR.

But the Cubs, despite not having Kerry Wood, Mark DeRosa, Jason Marquis, and others from the 2008 team, still give me hope that they'll surprise me by winning the division. I wouldn't count on it, but Hendry, who probably has a pink slip in his dubious future,  dumped the jackass in the picture on Seattle. So, as Kevin Garnett once yelled "ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE!"

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