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Since Theo Epstein joined the Cubs, the North Siders have focused on acquiring young talent and setting their rebuilding plan in motion.Epstein has done a solid job so far, turning unneeded veterans into potentially useful parts as the Cubs attempt to build a young team around cornerstones Starlin Castro and Jeff Samardzija. The Cubs have made clear progress in Epstein's first year, and there is significant hope for the future in Chicago.But the Cubs are not the only team with a plan for the future. Several clubs in the NL Central have the pieces in place to compete in this ...
In 2012, the Chicago Cubs endured one of the worst seasons in franchise history. You'd have to travel back 46 years to uncover the last time the North Siders lost more than 100 games in one year. Cubs fans expected a certain level of trial and error, of course. After all, it was Theo Epstein and Jed Hoyer's first season with the organization. Same goes for Chicago's skipper, Dale Sveum.You don't need me to tell you that little went right for the Cubbies in 2012. The 61-101 record speaks for itself. Even so, numerous reasons to be excited about this ...
The Chicago Cubs have a few young stars currently on the roster, but Theo Epstein needs to try to bring free agent pitcher Zack Greinke to the Windy City to speed up the rebuilding process.Chicago was unsuccessful in its attempt to acquire Dan Haren, and ownership should now go after a pitcher who has a better track record.Greinke will demand a big contract as the top pitcher on the market. Josh Hamilton may be the top free agent, but the pitcher will attract more interest. More teams need a star pitcher and at a more affordable price.As a midseason acquisition, ...
Dan Haren, Brandon McCarthy and Shaun Marcum are all names that have been tied to the Chicago Cubs over the past week with little press surrounding them.The Cubs are heading into the second year of the Theo Epstein/Jed Hoyer-led front office and after shedding several bad contracts in 2012, it may appear time for the team to spend a little cash once again.Several days ago, prior to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim buying out his contract, Doug Padilla of ESPN Chicago reported that the Cubs were looking to make a trade for Dan Haren.Padilla pointed out that Haren, in ...
In addition to the countless league-wide prospect rankings that I will be publishing this offseason, I will also be mixing in team-specific coverage with profiles on highly-regarded prospects as well as more all-encompassing analysis of prospect pools. Last week, I discussed how the Cubs’ farm system could have them in the playoff mix within the next five seasons. Well today, I thought I’d expand on those initial thoughts by breaking down the organization’s top 10 prospects with an emphasis on predicting each player’s respective estimated time of arrival (ETA) in the major leagues. So, here’s my take on the Chicago ...
The Chicago Cubs have some considerable talent in their minor league system.Under the direction of Theo Epstein and GM Jed Hoyer, the Cubs have built up their farm system while systematically developing the Chicago Cubs.Anthony Rizzo, Starlin Casto and Darwin Barney all came from the Cubs' minor league system, and all are expected to be building blocks for this team.The plan from the beginning is to win a championship, finding talent from Jorge Soler to Javier Baez will only add depth to an ever changing Cubs' roster.That depth will one day, hopefully soon, lead the Chicago Cubs to a playoff ...
The Chicago Cubs may be struggling to make noise in the big leagues, but their farm system has become the best in baseball.Nobody will be happy after a 101-loss season, and pointing out that young talent is on the way may not matter to impatient fans.If we're being honest, the team has room for improvement in all areas. Their best starting pitcher, Jeff Samardzija, had a 3.81 ERA with 180 strikeouts. Those numbers are solid, but not when they lead the entire team.The 2012 squad finished in the bottom third of the league in runs scored, batting average, on-base percentage ...
As the Chicago Cubs enter Year 2 of the Theo Epstein/Jed Hoyer era, they are once again expected to be as active as any team in the offseason as they continue to rebuild the organization from the ground up.Starting pitching is undoubtedly the biggest area of need, but with holes at catcher, third base and in the bullpen, there is plenty of potential for this to be a busy offseason.For all of the latest trade rumors, free agent signings and everything Cubs this offseason, check back here frequently. You'll find the most recent news immediately following the jump.Begin Slideshow
With the offseason working it's way into full swing this week, we're starting to see signs of which teams are seriously considering reshaping their rosters and which will maintain growth from within.The Chicago Cubs appeared to be one of the biggest buyers of the young offseason on Friday when a trade sending Carlos Marmol to Los Angeles in exchange for Dan Haren was announced, but with that trade falling through, it's back to the drawing board.One option noted by Chicago Cubs beat writer Carrie Muskat is the return of Ryan Dempster to Wrigley Field.The idea may seem odd, given the ...
**Follow-up** The deal is dead. Haren is a free agent, Marmol is back on the team. Cubs fans, put our heads back in the sand, nothing to see here. In the grand scheme of things trading a reliever, even an elite one, for a quality starting pitcher would strike most as a move worth making.Starters are so infinitely more valuable than relievers, even more so in the payroll department.Yet Carlos Marmol is no elite reliever, and hasn't been for a handful of seasons now. While Dan Haren was far from stellar last season, the 32-year-old is a near-Ace caliber pitcher when ...
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