The Chicago Cubs were one of the busiest teams at the trade deadline this year, exchanging experienced talent for youth in an effort to move along the rebuilding process. Ryan Dempster and Paul Maholm, the Cubs' two strongest pitchers of late, were both moved for prospects, while Garza was on the block but remains in Chicago.The two departed starters coupled with Garza's current injury means the Cubs will be trying out some young talent over the final two months to evaluate the organization's starting pitching. Here's what we can expect the starting rotation to look like next year. 1. Matt GarzaThough ...
The Cubs were one of the busiest teams in baseball as the trade deadline came and passed. Geovany Soto, Paul Maholm, Reed Johnson and Ryan Dempster were all moved within 24 hours of the 4 p.m. ET cutoff Tuesday. Matt Garza and Alfonso Soriano were being shopped, but both will remain in Cub uniforms for now. In return for the exports, the Cubs received a load of prospects in an effort to continue the rebuilding process. The club has been performing well of late, going 19-11 since June 25, the day before Anthony Rizzo was called up. With the loss of talented veterans, ...
Dale Sveum's first year as the Chicago Cubs' manager has seen a combination of inexperience and mistakes that have led the team to the worst record (28-49) in Major League Baseball. The sheer lack of talent is mostly to blame, but Sveum has played a major role as well.It's his first full season as a manager in the league, and it shows. His inexperience has led to several questionable actions through the first half of the season.Here are his top five most puzzling decisions thus far. Begin Slideshow
The season is already a lost cause for any hopes of even mediocrity, but there are still reasons for Cubs fans to be hopeful. Though the team will hover among baseball's worst for much of the year, don't expect them to completely tank for the rest of 2012.There are a lot of aspects the Cubs can improve upon from here on out, and they can finish the season with a handful of positives going into 2013 and the next year in the rebuilding phase. Here are eight reasons the Cubs won't finish at the bottom of the league in 2012.Begin Slideshow
Bryan LaHair is one of the surprise stories of the 2012 season so far. A career minor leaguer with just 195 at-bats in the majors before this year, the 29-year-old first baseman ranks in the top five in both batting average and home runs in the NL. But is LaHair a good fit for the rebuilding Cubs? The Cubs aren't ready to win anytime soon, and it is doubtful that he fits into their long-term plans. Here are 10 reasons why the Cubs should unload him while they can.Begin Slideshow
The 2012 season has not started off well for the Chicago Cubs, who sit at the bottom of the NL Central division. Rebuilding mode has officially begun, and it will likely be a few years until the Cubs are in contention for any postseason position.But while the major league club is struggling, the future is bright for the Cubs as a whole. The farm system is promising and full of young talent, many of whom could be household names in a couple of years.Here are the 10 Cubs prospects with the most potential to make it big.Begin Slideshow
When Geovany Soto came into the league, he became an offensive force almost immediately. In his rookie year, he batted .285 with 23 homers and 86 RBI on his way to NL Rookie of the Year honors. He even finished 13th in MVP voting that year.Since then, injuries and inconsistency have turned Soto into an unreliable offensive player and far from the offensive force he was once projected to become. At just 29 years old, it is not too late for Geo to be an offensive weapon once again. He's shown that he has the ability, and the woeful Cubs could ...
Marlon Byrd's name has been mentioned throughout spring training and into the season as a possible trade piece for the Chicago Cubs. He is owed $6.5 million this season, the last year on his current three-year contract.The 34-year-old could net the Cubs a decent prospect and make room for Brett Jackson, the highly-touted outfielder playing at Triple-A Iowa to start 2012. There have been three teams that have reportedly had significant interest in Byrd, all coming from the NL East. The Washington Nationals have made the most progress, as it was rumored that a Marlon Byrd-for-John Lannan deal was in the ...
The Chicago Cubs made another set of cuts to their spring training roster this week, and surprised a few fans with the demotion of Welington Castillo and Randy Wells.It was also announced that Steve Clevenger and Joe Mather will be on the Opening Day roster when the Cubs start the season April 4.Welington Castillo was slated to be the backup catcher behind Geovany Soto, but his season will instead start in Iowa. The 24-year-old is one of the Cubs' top prospects and will benefit from playing every day in the minors. Taking his place will be Steve Clevenger, a 25-year-old with ...
The buzz surrounding Jorge Soler has died down in recent weeks, but that doesn't mean teams are losing interest. The race for the 20-year-old is wide open as several teams are lining up to sign Soler once MLB declares him a free agent.The asking price will be high for someone of his age, but could be a bargain considering many believe he is a better, younger version of Yoenis Cespedes. An all-out bidding war will take place once he is officially on the market. Here are the five teams with the best chances of landing Soler:Begin Slideshow
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