2008 Season Preview: Chicago Cubs

Last year, the Chicago Cubs survived a season-long dogfight with the upstart Milwaukee Brewers to win the National League Central by two games. Along the way, they got their money's worth out of huge free-agent pickup Alfonso Soriano, got surprisingly good contributions out of little thought-of free agent Jason Marquis and pretty-much-a-rookie Rich Hill in the rotation.

Now the Cubs cast their eyes overseas, bringing in former Chunichi Dragon Kosuke Fukudome to patrol right field, and giving young players like center fielder Felix Pie and shortstop Ryan Theriot more time to shine and grow in the ivy fields of the Windy City.

OFFENSE: B+

When you sport a lineup that features Soriano, first baseman Derrek Lee, and third baseman Aramis Ramirez, offense shouldn't be a problem, and for the Cubs, it really isn't, until you look at some of the numbers. Soriano hit 33 homeruns, great. He only drove in 70 runs with those jacks, though, because he's hitting from the leadoff spot, and there's really no one else that has the speed and ability to get on base that Soriano does in the lineup. Now, if the rumors come true that the Cubs are looking to take Brian Roberts off the Baltimore Orioles' hands, then they can gladly move Soriano down to that more damaging third slot, ahead of Lee and Ramirez, making a dangerous lineup very lethal. Fukudome, in limited action in the Japanese Central League last season, walked more than he struck out, and showed decent power. If he can stay healthy after surgery on his right elbow, he could be yet another dangerous bat. Anyway you look at it, if the cards fall right, the Cubs could be near the top in offense.

PROJECTED LINEUP: 1 Soriano LF 2 Theriot SS 3 Lee 1B 4 Ramirez 3B 5 Fukudome RF 6 DeRosa 2B 7 Soto C 8 Pie CF 9 Pitcher's spot

STARTING PITCHING: A-

The starting rotation is a little more secure. Leading off with big Carlos Zambrano, who ate up innings (216.1) and criticism (asking the Wrigley Field crowd to boo him after a rare lousy start) with equal aplomb. The Cubs had four starters with 10 or more wins (Zambrano's 18, Ted Lilly's 15, Hill's 11, and Marquis' 12), and all four are very likely to repeat that, barring injury. It's every fifth game that could be an adventure for the Cubs. Penciled in that slot at the moment is Jon Lieber, experienced but coming off a down year (3-6, 4.73), and waiting in the wings are inexperienced starter Sean Marshall (7-8, 3.92) and former closer Ryan Dempster, who hasn't started regularly since 2003, and wasn't all that effective then. It's not as catchy as "Spahn and Sain, then pray for rain," but "Carlos and Ted, Hill and Marquis, then flee" may be the case. All the same, not a bad place to be in for the Cubbies.

PROJECTED ROTATION: Zambrano, Lilly, Hill, Marquis, Lieber

BULLPEN: C

Possibly the best hope most teams playing Chicago this year would have is to somehow get the starter out of the game as quickly as possible, because the bullpen isn't experienced and could be this team's glaring weakness. The Cubs are looking at a couple of options at closer, one being former can't-miss ace Kerry Wood, who is oft injured and didn't look all that great in his appearances at the end of the season, and Bobby Howry, who hasn't been a full-time closer since 2001 with the cross-town White Sox, and a little inconsistent then (49 of 66 converted over three seasons). And there are a host of those with little to no major league experience to support them outside of Scott Eyre and Michael Wuertz. If the best trials are by fire, here's a good place to test that theory.

CONCLUSION

Possibly up there in a class with the Boston Red Sox, Los Angeles Angels, and Philadelphia Phillies offensively, and with the Sox and Detroit Tigers in starting rotation, the Cubs look to have a great shot at repeating as Central champs. But, in a division with those powerful Brewers, the greatly-improved Cincinnati Reds, and the revamped Houston Astros offenses, if they, and the rest of the league, can get to the possible soft underbelly that the bullpen looks to be, they could take just enough off the Cubbies to take them out. But...it's easier said than done.

PREDICTION: 89-73, first in National League Central