| Marshall Bradway. 29th April, 2007 - 5:54 pm
 After one of the busiest off-seasons in baseball history spending nearly $300 million dollars, it was easy to think the Chicago Cubs could be destined for their first World Series championship since 1908. Instead, due to poor play and injury, the Chicago Cubs look like they will be vacationing in October rather then participating in the playoffs. The Cubs sit at 8-13, 6th in the National League Central and 14th of out 15 teams in the entire NL. While their off-season may look successful on paper, they will end far behind their 13-10 record from last April.
One of the bigger changes for the Cubs this off-season was in the dugout. The Chicago Cubs signed former New York Yankees, Cincinnati Reds, Seattle Mariners and Tampa Bay Devil Rays manager Lou Piniella. Piniella, who signed a 3-year, $10 million dollar contract, is known for his aggressive personality and explosive behavior especially when dealing with umpires and the media. Unfortunately for the Cubs, he has not been able to light a fire in the belly of his team.
The biggest splash made this off-season was signing highly touted outfielder Alfonso Soriano away from the Washington Nationals. Soriano, who signed an 8-year, $136 million dollar contract, is hitting .267 with 0 home runs and only 1 RBI in 15 games. Soriano has recently missed a week of play because of a hamstring injury. Soriano was set to replace Juan Pierre in centerfield, who was let go in free agency because of his poor ability to get on base out of the leadoff spot. Contrary, Pierre, who has only 12 career home runs, is hitting only .004 percentage points behind Soriano, but has two more RBI’s then Soriano does and is second in the National League with eight stolen bases.
Two more off-season moves the Chicago Cubs made were giving third baseman Aramis Ramirez an extension and signing utility man Mark DeRosa from the Texas Rangers. Ramirez signed a 5-year, $75 million dollar extension and has put up decent numbers out of the cleanup spot despite hitting only .167 with runners in scoring position and two outs. DeRosa received a $13 million dollar, 3-year contract, despite his hitting thirty points lower then last year. DeRosa, who has the majority of the starts at second base, is hitting only .235 in 16 games.
While newcomers to the rotation, Ted Lilly and Jason Marquis are both having good statistical seasons, their personal success has not carried over in the win column. Lilly, who signed a 4-year, $40 million dollar contract, has a 2-2 record with a 2.18 ERA and 33 strikeouts in 33 innings. While those numbers are especially great in the long ball era, the Cubs have done little to help him out scoring only four runs in the three losses Lilly has started. Marquis, who will make $21 million over three years, is 2-1 with an astounding 1.88 ERA and 14 strikeouts in 24 innings pitched. The Cubs are only 2-2 in the four games Marquis has started for the ball club.
Ace of the staff Carlos Zambrano signed a 1-year deal worth $12.4 million dollars to avoid arbitration, yet has had the least success of any Cubs starter. Zambrano is 1-2 with a 6.91 ERA and has given up five or more earned runs in three of his five starts. Zambrano, who will turn 26 on June 1, is expected to receive one of the largest contracts for a pitcher in baseball history and may not return to the Windy City next year.
The Cubs have also spent a little over $10 million finishing out the bench and rotation this off-season. The team re-signed backup catcher Henry Blanco, relief pitcher Kerry Wood, and fifth starter Wade Miller, who was recently placed on the 15 day DL with back spasms. Finishing out the moves were the signing of outfielders Cliff Floyd and Darryl Ward from the New York Mets and Washington Nationals respectively. Floyd has been the team’s fourth outfielder so far and Ward has hit only .125 in 14 pinch-hitting appearances.
While you cannot blame the lack of success on the off-season spending spree, a team of this caliber and prestige cannot spend that kind of money without seeing some type of improvement on the field. The 2007 Chicago Cubs are proof that you cannot throw money at a problem and expect drastic change. I hope this team that appears to just be going through the motions, especially offensively, is just struggling to get out of the gate. This team has the firepower to be a contender deep into October, if only it could put everything together and win some games with regularity this spring.
I feel badly for the Chicago fans; it looks as though the money and resources the team pumped into the team will not alleviate any of the torture that goes along with having the longest World Series drought in baseball history anytime soon. |
