4 Chicago Cubs

After plodding through a listless season--the first sub-.500 record in manager Dusty Baker's three years with the club--in the unfamiliar role of second team in the Second City, the Cubs made modest improvements during the winter but whiffed on the players they wanted most. Free-agent shortstop Rafael Furcal turned down Chicago's five-year, $45 million offer to sign with the Dodgers, and a much-discussed trade for Orioles shortstop Miguel Tejada never materialized. That left the Cubs with relievers Scott Eyre and Bobby Howry and outfielders Juan Pierre and Jacque Jones as consolation prizes.

Still, general manager Jim Hendry believes he plugged his biggest holes by landing a couple of setup men and a leadoff hitter. "We don't have to make apologies on Furcal; we made him an overwhelming offer," Hendry says. "We didn't make a splash [in the off-season], but we addressed what we needed to." Eyre, a 33-year-old lefty, and Howry, a 32-year-old righthander, add experience to the bullpen and are coming off their finest seasons. With the Giants, Eyre led the majors in appearances, with 86, and had a 2.63 ERA; lefties batted only .182 against him. In 79 appearances with the Indians, Howry had a 2.47 ERA, and opponents hit .191.

Pierre, acquired for three prospects from the everyone-must-go Marlins, will play centerfield and bring his jitterbug routine to the top of the order; last season the Cubs' leadoff hitters batted .245, worst in the NL, and the club stole 65 bases, only eight more than Pierre had himself. A meticulous worker and an enthusiastic student of the game--he'll drop bunts in batting practice to test how the ball rolls through the infield grass and along the foul lines-- Pierre is also the focal point of an outfield makeover that has Jones, a free agent who left the Twins for a three-year, $16 million contract, in rightfield and Matt Murton, who after a midseason call-up batted .321, in left.

Plowing over last year's miserable outfield--the 10 players used there combined to finish last in the league at the position in on-base percentage (.307), slugging (.401) and runs--was imperative. But while the replacements have the speed, defense and an overall athleticism that most of last year's cast lacked, there are doubts about each of them: Pierre's .276 batting average and .326 OBP last year were career lows; Murton hasn't yet shown he can handle major league righthanders; and at 30 Jones seems to have plateaued as a power hitter while his average has dipped.

Jones acknowledges as much but blames a Minnesota lineup left thin by the absences of sluggers Torii Hunter and Justin Morneau. "I learned that I can't carry a team for a week or two at a time," Jones says. "I can be a more patient hitter here because I know that if I don't get a pitch to hit, they've got to pitch to somebody else." In particular Jones should benefit from the presence of first baseman Derrek Lee, who made a run at the Triple Crown last year, and third baseman Aramis Ramirez, who hit .302 with 31 homers.

The Cubs' starting rotation, the backbone of the 2003 division title winner, has been chronically unhealthy since. After throwing a career-low 66 innings last season and undergoing arthroscopic surgery on his throwing shoulder in August, righthander Kerry Wood had surgery in March to repair a torn meniscus in his right knee and won't pitch before May. Fellow righthander Mark Prior had his off-season throwing program interrupted by a respiratory infection, and he continues to be treated with kid gloves after two injury-compromised seasons. "This guy has had some terrible luck," Baker says of Prior. "Three years ago he ran into [the Braves' Marcus] Giles and hurt his shoulder, then last year he got hit with a line drive on the elbow. That's just bad fortune."

But that's also the way it always seems to go for the Cubs, who--now that the White Sox have won a World Series--can remain uniquely put-upon, can call themselves uniquely cursed. Returning to the postseason appears a reach, after this off-season of small upgrades and behind a rotation that never seems to be 100%.

IN FACT
Derrek Lee was the fourth straight NL batting champ to hit 40 homers (after Barry Bonds, twice, and Albert Pujols). The last AL batting leader who also hit 40 homers was Carl Yastrzemski, in 1967.

CONSIDER THIS
a modest proposal

Although the Cubs committed nearly $40 million in the off-season to three relievers--righthanders Ryan Dempster and Bobby Howry and lefty Scott Eyre--they should move Kerry Wood (right) to the bullpen. The hard-throwing, injury-prone righty was effective in middle relief late last year (17 strikeouts and three runs allowed in 12 innings). Using Wood in key spots in the seventh and eighth innings is the best way to keep him healthy and get the most value out of him. He can rely solely on his fastball and curve, and stay fresh with less wear and tear. Think starters turned relievers Tom Gordon and Jason Isringhausen.