The Chicago Cubs open the 2011 regular season on April 1st at home against the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Cubs have a lot of questions to answer before that Friday afternoon, which, knowing Wrigley in April, will presumably be cold and rainy. The team's rotation beyond the top three starters is up for grabs, the bench is unsettled and the bullpen has its own share of competition. In addition to handling those issues, manager Mike Quade must decide who his starters are at second base and in right field. As far as the lineup goes, a couple things are set. Aramis Ramirez is entrenched in ...
The Cubs created a surplus of qualified starting pitchers when they acquired Matt Garza from the Tampa Bay Rays in an eight-player swap earlier this month. Tom Gorzelanny ended up being the odd man out of the Cubs' rotation and was traded to the Washington Nationals, a team that has been in search of pitching depth for much of the offseason. In return the Cubs acquired three prospects, two of whom are pitchers while the other is an outfielder.
The trade brings clarity to a Cubs rotation that will now feature Matt Garza, Carlos Zambrano, Ryan Dempster, Carlos Silva and Randy Wells. The ...
Why the not-so-optimistic title? Because a fifth place finish in the NL Central isn't quite worthwhile when you're the Chicago Cubs. In 2010, the team sported the highest payroll in the senior circuit at $137.9MM and were 12 games under .500 by the trade deadline. Under manager Lou Piniella, the Cubs played with little enthusiasm and became complacent with their reputation as a team with a curse. It will be up to new manager Mike Quade to shake the curse and keep his team motivated during his first full season at the helm, one which needs more ups than downs. So, as ...
