A year ago, the Chicago Cubs bullpen was a weak point. That's saying something. Slowly but surely, the unit got better in the second half of the season, and now with some new additions to the 'pen, it looks like the team actually might be able to secure some wins for its starting pitchers.
Trades and player development last season along with free-agent signings this offseason have helped completely turn around the bullpen. Key additions in the past year include Pedro Strop, Wesley Wright and Jose Veras.
Projected Cubs Bullpen
Hector Rondon (Long Relief)
Rondon, who made his major league debut last season, had an ERA ...
With the 29th annual Cubs Convention just around the corner and Spring Training on the horizon, there are still some things the Cubs need to get figured out before they break camp.
It's clear that the Cubs aren't going to get big players on the free-agent market, but there are subtle moves both on and off the field that need to be made by late February.
This is a look at five changes the Cubs need to make in order to make 2014, and more importantly the future, more successful.Begin Slideshow
The Cubs are still very much in the rebuilding stage right now, but for the first time since team president Theo Epstein and general manager Jed Hoyer arrived, there appears to be light at the end of the tunnel. Many top prospects are starting to inch closer to the big league squad and big-name free agents will likely be targeted starting in 2015.
With excitement for the team building painfully slowly, here's a realistic look ahead to what the next three years of baseball on Chicago's north side figure to look like.
The 2014 Season:
Going into this season, the Cubs are still ...
Since they aren't likely to make a splash this offseason, the biggest move that the Chicago Cubs could make is signing pitcher Jeff Samardzija to a contract extension.
One of the hottest topics of the early offseason was whether the Cubs would trade Samardzija or offer him an extension. A couple of recent developments have made it less likely that a resolution will come any time soon.
About a week ago, Samardzija was reportedly offered a five-year, $55 million contract extension, according to Bruce Levine of Chicago's 670 The Score. The fact that the generous offer is still on the table shows ...
The Chicago Cubs have added to an already improved bullpen by inking Wesley Wright to a one-year contract worth $1.425 million, via Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune. By adding the left-handed Wright, the Cubs have made their bullpen far more versatile.
The 28-year-old, who spent his entire career with the Houston Astros until being traded to the Tampa Bay Rays last summer, posted an ERA of 3.27 in 2012 and 3.69 in 2013. Averaging more than 9 K/9IP, Wright has shown that he can miss some bats.
While the move will go under the radar in the grand scheme of free agency, ...
History often repeats itself in life, and especially in baseball. Unfortunately for the Cubs, a certain piece of their history hasn't repeated itself in 105 years. The process of rebuilding repeats itself throughout baseball history as well. That's where the Cubs find themselves: in the midst of a rebuild.
Teams such as the Royals, Nationals, Pirates and Orioles have experienced various levels of success with their rebuilding projects over the past four or five years. Their early paths, especially those of the Pirates and Orioles, parallel many of the things that the Cubs have been doing to build an eventual contender.
This ...
For a Chicago Cubs team that will be continuing their rebuild in 2014, the starting lineup presents a major question mark at several different positions. While prospects will be coming up sporadically through the minor leagues this season and next, the Opening Day lineup figures to be full of fill-in players or players looking to bounce back from last season.
Based on Roto Champ's projected Opening Day lineup for the Cubs, here are some realistic expectations for the players that figure to be in the starting lineup come April. There are sure to be some disappointments and some surprises during the ...
It was reported earlier by Jon Heyman of CBS Sports that the Cubs have agreed to send cash to the Royals in return for catcher George Kottaras. The 30-year-old will reportedly battle for the backup catcher job in spring training, according to MLB Trade Rumors.
While it's an under-the-radar trade, landing Kottaras does have upside for the Cubs. First of all, Kottaras is a lefty, so he can be used situationally by manager Rick Renteria if need be. Other than that, he can obviously give starter Welington Castillo a day's rest every now and then.
Something that people will instantly jump to ...
As is often the case after two seasons of over 90 losses, a major league baseball team "decides to go in a different direction" with regards to their coaching staff. Such is the case with the Cubs, who after firing manager Dale Sveum were tasked with finding a new manager and new people to fill much of his staff.
While a couple of coaches were retained from the previous coaching regime, the coaching staff as a whole is relatively new and getting to know who these men are can help shed light on how they will shape the Cubs' plethora of ...
With so many infield prospects coming up through the minor leagues in the coming years, the Cubs are going to have a pile-up at the major league level eventually. To lessen the severity of that situation, and attempt to get more offensive production out of the second base position, it's necessary the team non-tenders current second baseman Darwin Barney, which would make him a free agent.
This potential move first gained steam when Cubs' beat writer Carrie Muskat suggested that it was a possibility, in response to fan mail on cubs.com. Based on Barney's lack of offensive production, especially in 2013, ...
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