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Chicago Cubs
Team Page | Roster | Spring Training Schedule | Regular Season Schedule
On this page: Arrivals | Departures | Spring Cleaning | Team Breakdown | Prospects | Predictions

Could this be the year the Cubs let Sammy Sosa skip town? Jonathan Daniel /Allsport

By Josh Wine, CNNSI.com

Well, it looks like Cub fans are in for another exciting 70-win season in which the North Siders will again sell out the Friendly Confines and draw more of Chicago's attention than their 90-win brethren on 35th Street.

The City of Broad "shoulders" has been known to let its share of good "arms" get away. Greg Maddux, Dennis Eckersley, Fergie Jenkins -- just to name a few. Then again, they let Rafael Palmeiro get away, and they traded Lou Brock for Ernie Broglio.

All this history provides some context for the transaction Cubs fans are bracing for -- the departure of Sammy Sosa, he of the 179 homers in the past three seasons. Chicago loves Slammin' Sammy, but they like winning more. Don't be surprised if the Cubs deal Sosa before he tests free agency in 2001.

Ousted general manager Ed Lynch's departure may be a blessing in disguise. Despite the fact that the Tribune Company has not been receptive to opening its pockets in over 20-years, Andy McPhail is making progress.

Eight players joining the team either via free agency or by trade figure to be impact players. The top player on the list is catcher Todd Hundley, who will be a huge improvement -- at least offensively -- over recent starting catchers like Scott Servais, Benito Santiago and Joe Girardi.

Top Guns Cubs 2000 team leaders Avg.  Sammy Sosa  .320  HR  Sammy Sosa  50  RBIs  Sammy Sosa  138  SB  Eric Young  54  Wins  Jon Lieber  12  ERA  Jon Lieber  4.41  Ks  Jon Lieber  192  Saves  Rick Aguilera  29    Go Figure 88 Number of players who have seen action at third since Ron Santo.

All the other positions appear set except at first. It's a shame Mark Grace had to move on, but at 36 going on 37, I think Cubs fans can live with it. Local boy Ron Coomer, who was picked up as a free agent from Minnesota, will likely get the nod, but Matt Stairs (21 homers, 81 RBI with Oakland last year) and Julio Zuleta (.294, three homers and 12 RBI in 30 games) will make a push.

Up the middle, the Cubbies are in good hands with second baseman Eric Young and shortstop Ricky Gutierrez. Young swiped a career-high 54 stolen bases while Gutierrez set his personal best in homers (11) in 2000.

Former San Francisco third baseman Bill Mueller gives the Cubs better defense at the hot corner than they have enjoyed in recent seasons, but he has never hit for much power.

Right fielder Sammy Sosa returns for the final year of a four-year, $42.5 million contract. Whether he mopes or mashes is up for debate. Odds are he joins Babe Ruth and Mark McGwire as the only players with four 50-homer seasons.

In left, Rondell White hopes to put all his checkered medical past behind him and have a solid season on Wrigley Field's natural grass. Rookie of the Year candidate Corey Patterson will ease into the big leagues by sharing center with Damon Buford.

As far as the starting staff goes, it has the potential to be one of the better rotations the Cubs have had in a while.

Assuming Kerry Wood's (8-7, 4.66 ERA) arm doesn't fall off, he should benefit from the higher strike zone. Jon Lieber (12-11, 4.41) should have won 15-20 games last season. Kevin Tapani (8-12, 5.01) will be slowed in spring training after offseason knee surgery. Jason Bere (12-10, 5.47) enjoyed some success early in his career with the White Sox and hopes to return to form on the North Side of town. Julian Tavarez (11-5, 4.43 ERA with Colorado) is looking to show everyone that he has what it takes to be a starting pitcher 30-35 games a year.

Tom Gordon, who who missed all of 2000 following the elbow surgery, is the biggest mystery in camp. He enters spring training as the Cubs' closer and says he can handle it. If Gordon can get his "flash" back, he can't do much worse than Aggie, Beck or the Wild-Thing.

So as the 2001 season greets us, I can make just one guarantee -- the Cubs will finish more than "Second" (City) behind everyone in the Central.

Arrivals
Pos.	Player	From	Via
RHP	Jason Bere	Indians	Free Agency
1B/3B	Ron Coomer	Twins	Free Agency
OF	Todd Dunwoody	Royals	Free Agency
LHP	Jeff Fassero	Red Sox	Free Agency
RHP	Tom Gordon	Red Sox	Free Agency
C	Todd Hundley	Dodgers	Free Agency
3B	Bill Mueller	Giants	Trade
OF	Matt Stairs	Athletics	Trade
RHP	Julian Tavarez	Rockies	Free Agency

Departures
Pos.	Player	To	Via
RHP	Rick Aguilera	Retired
3B	Shane Andrews	Cardinals	Free Agency
LHP	Micah Bowie	TBA	Released
RHP	Ben Ford	TBA	Released
1B	Mark Grace	Diamondbacks	Free Agency
INF	Jeff Huson	Retired
RHP	Eric Ireland	Athletics	Trade
INF	Cole Liniak	Blue Jays	Trade
C	Jeff Reed	Astros	Free Agency
RHP	Jerry Spradlin	Indians	Free Agency
RHP	Tim Worrell	Giants	Trade

Spring Cleaning

Corey Patterson Will Corey Patterson seize the center fielder job? While showing power and speed in Class AA, he didn't show much of either in his September trial. Don Baylor must decide if the future is now, or if Damon Buford can give some stability in the interim. One other option, would be to move Rondell White to center, and let Matt Stairs play every day in left. Grace is history. Now the team has to see if either of their new acquisitions, Matt Stairs or Ron Coomer, can produce what Grace gave them. The stats will probably come out close to even, but with Grace gone, who fills the leadership void in the clubhouse? At the other corner, Bill Mueller settles in, and should provide a defensive boost right off the bat. Mueller committed just nine errors with the Giants in 2000, while Cubs third basemen amassed 25 miscues. The pitching staff continues to get old. The Cubs have to wonder if Tapani has anything left in the tank. Lieber is the only starter to log over 200 innings in 2000, but his 251 innings wore him down. Kerry Wood on the other hand, was much better late in the season, posting a 5-1 mark after the All-Star break. Wood has to show that he has finally recovered from his surgeries, and must prove that he can anchor a staff.

Team Breakdown
Projected Lineup		Projected Rotation
2B	Eric Young	RHP	Jon Lieber
3B	Bill Mueller	RHP	Kevin Tapani
RF	Sammy Sosa	RHP	Kerry Wood
C	Todd Hundley	RHP	Julian Tavarez
LF	Rondell White	RHP	Jason Bere
SS	Ricky Gutierrez	Bullpen
1B	Ron Coomer/Matt Stairs	RHP	Tom Gordon (closer)
CF	Corey Patterson/Damon Buford	RHP	Todd Van Poppel
Key Reserves		LHP	Felix Heredia
1B	Julio Zuleta	LHP	Jeff Fassero
OF	Todd Dunwoody	RHP	Kyle Farnsworth
INF	Jose Nieves	LHP	Daniel Garibay
C	Joe Girardi	RHP	Scott Chiassson

Prospects to Watch
RHP Ben Christensen -- Big Ben features a mid-90s sinking fastball, a great slider that can reach the lower-90s, and a changeup. He will be pushed to reach the majors and could as early as September of 2001. CF Corey Patterson -- You can't hype this kid enough. The third overall selection in the 1998 draft, Patterson has all the tools and could win the starting center field job in spring training, though he has to improve his strike zone judgment. 1B Hee Seop Choi -- Choi, 22, is an advanced hitter, thanks to his short stroke and understanding of the strike zone. The Cubs let Mark Grace go for a reason -- Choi could take over the first-base job toward the end of the season. RHP Carlos Zambrano -- Zambrano, 19, is on the fast track to the majors. He was switched to relief last summer in Triple A, but with Tom Gordon on board as the closer, Zambrano's future may be as a starter again.
Best-Case Scenario
Wood pitches over 200 innings, and wins 15, anchoring the staff. Lieber and Tapani hold it together to complement Wood, and Tavarez excels in his first full season as a starter. The Cubs get good production from their new acquisitions, as Coomer, Stairs and Hundley provide the protection in the order that Sosa needs. Speaking of Sosa, a contract agreement would be nice.
Worst-Case Scenario
Sosa is traded, leaving the Cubs with no legitimate power source -- and no draw for the fans. Don Baylor again mismanages his pitching staff, and eats away at the confidence of his young pitchers while overworking the older ones. Fassero is forced into a prominent role in the rotation, a sure sign that things have gone horribly wrong.
Bottom Line
The Cubs have once again hitched their wagon to aging players brought in to bridge the gap to the youngsters. It figures to be another long summer in Chicago, but fans will enjoy the ambiance -- but probably not the product.

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