Old school Gammons style
Season 9 Finish: 101-61, second place (-12), defeated Salem in Div., play in series (3-0), lost to WS Champ Cincinnati in NL Div. Champ. Series (3-2)
Offseason Transactions: Made several cost cutting moves to pare payroll, get younger and bolster a depleted farm system. Traded Mendy Hughes for Davey Valdes, Don Bell for Julio Alvarez, Cooper Benes for Mule Hernandez, Posiedon Warden and cash for Donne Garland and Dan Leary. Made no major FA acquisitions.
Rookies and Other Strangers: Rookie RP Luis Bonilla, SP Alex Ayala, and 2B Pedro Amaral should all see significant time in season 10. LRP Turner Hughes, Cubs all-time leader in wins, has been brought in for an extended look in spring training.
Major Spring Training Questions: The Cubs enter spring training with something to prove. Questions linger about windows closing, but that mostly has to do with other teams getting better, while the Cus jettisoned some of their older vets to get younger. The cubs lineup remains formidable, as stalwarts Tony Suarez, Joey Tracy, Juan Castro are once again leaned on to provide 120-140 HR and close 400 RBI. IF the Cubs get anything resembling the MVP performance submitted last year by Brett Kinney, and IF Jacob Yoshii can build on his rookie campaign and replace Warden's OBP, the Cubs will score runs in bunches. Defensively, the Cubs remain near the top of the NL.
Major questions revolve around the pitching staff. At 35 and entering a contract year, does Dwight Johnson have anything left? Can Xavier Hart make the leap from good to great? Will Douglas Baker make the most of his first real opportunity in the rotation? The answer will have to be yes to all three if the Cubs expect to contend.
The bullpen is thinner than previous years, but expectations are high on rookie Bonilla to help contribute right away. The Cubs expect Jorge Padilla to bounce back from an off year, and re-signed Vicente Lopez, who has pitched big innings that past 2 season and submitted a sub 2 ERA, to anchor the pen. Expect either rookie Ayala or Garland to start the year in the pen to add depth. If they struggle, look for the Cubs to make a move to add a few pieces mid-season.
This is an interesting year for the Cubs - the team still relatively young, but the NL should be the strongest its ever been. The Cubs believe they can compete and still win another WS with the team constructed the way it is, but that may change as the year goes on.
Season 10 Team Song: "What If?" (Creed)
Season 10 Prediction: 100 - 62, second place
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