It must have a slow day in the newsroom, so Daryl Van Schouwen from the Times reached out to Quade while he was fishing in his hometown in Florida.

Sveum was quoted previously talking about the effort or lack thereof put out by the team Quade managed last year, saying, "[w]hen you lose that many games, there are obviously problems."

"Not running a ball out isn't OK. It's unacceptable, and that has to be communicated."

Quade's response to hearing that was, "[m]aybe I'm being an idiot, but I thought we gave a pretty damn good effort every night. I don't know, maybe that was [Sveum's] philosophy or a back-handed shot."

If it's me, I'm going with the idiot comment.

Here is proof, again from the horse's mouth: "Did everybody run out every ball? No. That's going to happen with a lot of people [on a lot of teams]."

That's why Quade is fishing in Florida instead of preparing to head to spring training.

If you don't hold people accountable, and you are accepting of it, how can you say the team gave a good effort every night?

Using the reasoning that other teams do it too is no excuse.

Does that make it okay?

Using the old adage mothers like to use on their kids, "if everybody else jumped off a cliff, are you going to do it too?" Quade seems to be saying he would.

It's yet to be seen if Sveum will hold players accountable, but that kind of thinking is the reason Quade doesn't currently have a job in baseball.

As for the guy who gave him the job, former GM Jim Hendry, his name popped up in the news this week when he was hired by Brian Cashman of the New York Yankees.

No matter how poor a job you do, there is always room somewhere in the "good old boys network."

That's great news for Hendry, and he's certainly working for the right team.

Hendry was as good as anybody at handing out money, and now he's with the team with the deepest pockets.

Hopefully for the Steinbrenners, he's not the guy negotiating contracts, or they may be broke before they know it.

Hearing their names brought back some painful memories, but at least they're no longer associated with the Cubs.

That's the good news, along with pitchers and catchers report February 18.

A new era of Chicago Cubs baseball begins.

Read more Chicago Cubs news on BleacherReport.com

He should not be done yet.  The Chicago Cubs should make it a trio and sign 2012's other two Cuban stars: Yoenis Cespedes and Jorge Soler.

Yoenis Cespedes is the second international sensation of the winter.  The Texas Rangers signed the first, pitcher Yu Darvish, in January.  Cespedes is a star in Cuba's professional league and has been playing since his teens.  As early as the 2004-05 season, he posted a .313/.402/.540 line.  He has only grown as a player and was Cuba's starting center fielder in the 2009 World Baseball Classic, where he posted a .480/.485/1.000 with a double, three triples, two home runs and five runs in six games.  Last year, he put up a sensational .333/.424/.667 line and became a major star.

Cuba's professional league is not Major League Baseball, but that track record of success is indicative of his potential.  He is very athletic, has a strong build that can fill out even more and hits for power.  The only real negatives are questions about his potential strikeout rate and ability to play center field.  The Chicago Cubs can work with him to improve his contact rates and, since the Cubs have Brett Jackson to man center field in the future, Cespedes' fielding questions at the position are less important for them.  Also, while he will be expensive for a prospect, the $30-40 million it will take to sign him is child's play compared to what impact young talent costs on the free-agent market.  

What is important is that Yoenis Cespedes is a big-time talent and positional talent is exactly what the rebuilding Cubs need: a middle of the order bat who can thrive next to Anthony Rizzo in the Chicago Cub's future lineup.

Jorge Soler is the second Cuban outfielder on the market.  Soler is only 19 years old and not close to major-league ready, but his potential is off the charts.  Some scouts think Soler could become even better than fellow star Yoenis Cespedes, and has power, fielding range and athleticism that compare well to Colorado Rockies star Carlos Gonzalez.  

Regardless of his future MVP potential, Soler is one of the best international talents out there, and the Chicago Cubs should look to sign him.  Even with Yoenis Cespedes in the fold, they will still have a future need in the outfield (Marlon Byrd, David DeJesus and Alfonso Soriano will all be gone by the time Soler would hit the Cubs diamond). Plus, Soler will be even cheaper than Cespedes because he is so young; the two could cost less than $60 million combined in total dollars.    

It's time for the Cubs to make two moves that will help secure their future.  An outfield of Brett Jackson, Yoenis Cespedes and Jorge Soler, to go with Anthony Rizzo at first base and Starlin Castro at shortstop, would be an excellent base of talent for a long-time contender.

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Yet despite the desire to get younger, more cost-controllable players and build from within while not spending big money on free agency, the Cubs just could sneak into contention in the NL Central this season on the basis of two things.

First off, the lack of expectations should make for less pressure on a club that had been expected to contend over the past few seasons.

Two, division rivals St. Louis Cardinals and Milwaukee Brewers got worse this winter.

Now, despite these facts, the Reds seemingly have improved, and both the Cards and Brewers still appear to be better on paper than Chicago.

Still, the Cardinals losing Albert Pujols is a huge subtraction, even if the addition of Carlos Beltran was a decent response.

Also, keep in mind that in addition to the losses on the field, the club also said goodbye to its manager, Tony LaRussa, and longtime pitching coach Dave Duncan, who stepped away voluntarily to address personal issues.

The Cardinals appeared to leave the door open for Duncan's return, but it was since discovered that it wasn't a leave of absence, and instead, he had resigned.

Those are big losses for a Cardinals team that won the World Series last season.

Meanwhile, Milwaukee also lost its big slugger, with fellow first baseman and free agent Prince Fielder signing with the Tigers.

The Brewers were also dealt an additional blow when NL MVP Ryan Braun failed a steroid test and was suspended for the first 50 games of the season.

Of course, there are those darn Cincinnati Reds to deal with. They went out and traded for pitcher Mat Latos and signed Ryan Madson to be their closer.   

The Cubs even helped out by sending them lefty set-up man Sean Marshall. The Reds still need Latos to perform like a legitimate No. 2 starter, bullpen improvements and bounce-back years from Scott Rolen and Drew Stubbs.

So while the Cubs certainly won't be the favorites to win the division this year, they just might fool everyone. Their starting rotation is a huge question mark, though they have depth, especially if they retain Matt Garza.

The offense lacks thump, of course, as a 3-4-5 of Marlon Byrd, Bryan LaHair and Alfonso Soriano won't remind anyone of a murderer's row.

Closer is another area of concern for the Cubs, assuming they might contend (if they don't contend, the closer really doesn't matter).

Carlos Marmol struggled in 2011, with a 4.01 ERA while walking 48 batters and leading the league with 10 blown saves.

So yes, the Cubs aren't looking great on paper, but stranger things have happened. The goal is not to win now, but if they do, it's gravy.

It could happen.  

Read more Chicago Cubs news on BleacherReport.com

Most of the talk surrounds Roy Oswalt and Cuban outfielders Yoenis Cespedes and Jorge Soler.

But the Cuban that Theo Epstein should have his eye on towards rebuilding the future is 18-year-old pitcher Gerardo Concepcion. Concepcion is officially a free agent after receiving residency in Mexico.

Cespedes makes an immediate impact and Soler is too big of a risk. Concepcion is the perfect mix of potential and affordable that will vastly improve the rebuilding foundation Epstein is putting in place.

After I said Soler isn't worth chasing, one may wonder what makes Concepcion different. While both are young Cuban players, they are very different situations.

First of all, Concepcion is a starting pitcher, left-handed at that. When the time comes that I have my first son (hopefully not anytime soon) you better believe I'm putting everything in his left hand and hoping he is blessed with a cannon. Quality left-handed pitchers don't come around often, which explains why many teams are willing to invest time and money into them.

So big deal, he's left-handed. So are Doug Davis, Tom Gorzelanny and Sean Marshall. While each was serviceable in his own way, none of them are or were front-end starters. Maybe Concepcion isn't the next ace of the staff, but it's worth the risk to find out.

Contract demands aren't specific, but he may be looking at a deal similar to that of Kansas City Royal's prospect Noel Arguellas who signed a five-year deal for $7 million.

Besides position, this is the biggest difference between Soler and Concepcion. Concepcion is looking for just over $1 million a year, while Soler wants more in the range of $5 million a year. It doesn't sound like much to one of the higher-spending markets in baseball, but that $4 million dollar difference can be spent each year for fill-in players or bullpen help.

What else is there to Concepcion? He is a lanky 6'1" and 175 pounds. At his young, ripe age he figures to have room to grow into his frame and add more velocity to his already 91-94 mph fastball. He also features an above-average curveball to go along with a change-up and slider.

Concepcion earned the 2011 Cuban National Series Rookie of the Year competing against older players, many in their prime. Despite whatever level the Cuban National Series is compared to, any award is an accomplishment at 18 years old.

He finished with a 10-3 mark to go along with a solid 3.36 ERA. In just over 100 innings, he gave up just 6 home runs while averaging 4.9 K/9 rate. While not thoroughly impressive, it's a number that is expected to continue to rise as he grows into his body.

Because he isn't widely known, he will be able to grow under-the-radar in the minors without the pressures of being rushed to the Majors like previous prospects may have been. He'll also benefit from playing for newly hired Double-A pitching coach Jeff Fassero, who had an extensive career as a left-handed pitcher himself.

Ben Badler of Baseball America provides a brief scouting report that says part of Concepcion's negative side is his mechanics. Concepcion delivers the ball across his body, which some think is deceiving to hitters, while others believe it worsens his curveball.

Either way, mechanics are something that can be fixed at 18 years old in the minor leagues.

Whether he is the next Ardolis Chapman or just a bust is up in the air. But he sure is worth the price to find out.

Read more Chicago Cubs news on BleacherReport.com

The Central produced two National League playoff teams in 2011—the Brewers and the Cardinals—with the Cardinals winning their 11th World Series championship.

In 2012, this division should be an exciting three-team race between the Brewers, Cardinals and Reds.

Even without Pujols and Fielder, this division is full of studs with names like Ryan Braun, Joey Votto and Andrew McCutchen, but let's take a look at some lesser-known players who will be useful to fantasy owners in 2012 and beyond.

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Despite the 104-year championship drought that the Cubbies somehow manage to continue, the "lovable losers" still have perhaps the most loyal and unique fans in all of sports. 

This celebrates some of the traditions that Cubs fans, whether young or old, live by. 

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Among the departed: Aramis Ramirez (signed with Brewers), Carlos Pena (signed with Rays), Carlos Zambrano (traded to Marlins), Sean Marshall (traded to Reds), Andrew Cashner (traded to Padres) and Tyler Colvin (traded to Rockies).

New arrivals include: Anthony Rizzo (trade with Padres), Ian Stewart (trade with Rockies), David DeJesus (free agent from Athletics), Travis Wood (trade with Reds), Chris Volstad (trade with Marlins) and Paul Maholm (free agent from Pirates). 

Despite the roster revamp, Epstein and Hoyer have much work to do before the end of spring training. 

Nick Kappel is enrolled in the B/R writing program. He is the founder/editor of FantasyBaseballInsiders.com. Follow him on Twitter: @NickKappel

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ESPN.com's Jim Bowden reports that he will travel to the United States soon and begin meeting with teams face to face. So it would seem he is still at least two weeks away from signing.

It is going to take a lot from teams to woo Cespedes. When it comes to international players, the city selection may be more important than the team. 

If he is uprooting his family, he will want to go to a city that suits his needs and expectations. Somewhere that is safe with good schools and all that hibbidy-jibbidy. 

The Cubs reportedly gave Kosuke Fukudome an extensive tour of the city and and suburbs and discussed the non-baseball related stuff that likely sweetened the pot.  

Chicago is the perfect city for someone like Cespedes. 

Theo Epstein and the Cubs have been scouting him extensively and are expected to make a substantial offer.

Let's go over once again why Epstein must sign Cespedes.  

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I remember the feeling of slipping it on my hand.  I remember my dad showing me how to break it in so that it formed a nice big pocket with which I could easily close my hand around the ball. 

It was my first baseball glove.  A "Ron Santo" signature model.   I have had numerous gloves since then but, that's the only one I remember.  

It is the one that defined to me what a baseball glove should feel like and, I held all of its successors to the standard that it set.

I was all of about 8 years old when I received the glove.  At the time, I didn't know who Ron Santo was.  I grew up a New York Yankees fan and at that age the only players I knew of, or cared about, wore pinstripes in the Bronx. 

To me, the thrill was in having my first "real" baseball glove—not in whose signature was stamped into the pocket.   Looking back, if I had understood whose name was on the mitt, I may have held it in even higher reverence.

As a lifelong baseball fan, I would learn as I grew older that Santo was the third baseman for the Chicago Cubs for 15 seasons.  During that time, he hit 342 home runs, drove in 1,331 runs, won five Gold Gloves and was named an All-Star nine times.   In spite of these numbers, he never made it into the Hall of Fame.

With the advent of satellite radio, I had the opportunity on occasion, to listen to Cubs games.  To my surprise, the man who I only knew through a baseball glove and some statistics had become a colorful announcer for the team. 

Again, to reiterate, I'm a die-hard Yankee fan but, whenever I'd be scanning the XM/Sirius airwaves for a ballgame, I'd always stop at the Cubs broadcast so I could hear Mr. Santo.  He had so much passion for his beloved "Cubbies" and I could actually feel his joy or sorrow with every pitch. 

There were times I had my son Matt in the car with me while Santo would scream with ecstasy over a Cub home run or sigh with despair when the home team struck out.  My son instantly became a fan and Ron's emotional outbursts over the air gave us both something to smile and laugh about.  

As with my baseball glove, I have unknowingly held other baseball announcers to the standard Mr. Santo set each time I listened to him.

With a new baseball season around the corner, I once again will look forward to scanning my satellite radio for games being played in ballparks around the country.  I'll also on occasion think back to December 2nd, 2010—the day that Santo died. 

That morning while driving Matt to school, we learned that he had passed away.  The excitement in the air over the season's first big snow was replaced with a solemn silence.   Without a word being said between us, I knew he was feeling the same small sense of loss that I was. 

I know that both he and I will find ourselves thinking about Mr. Santo every so often as we find a game on TV or radio.  I may be a Yankees fan but, for me, the world became a little less colorful on the day he died.   Thank you, Ron.

Read more Chicago Cubs news on BleacherReport.com

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