Over the next few weeks I'm going to take a look at the offseason moves of each of the NL Central teams and their 2014 outlook, starting from the bottom up and finishing with the Cardinals on or around the start of Spring Training.
Thus, today I start with the Chicago Cubs.
Key Losses
Scott Feldman, Scott Baker, Kevin Gregg, Dioner Navarro
Key Acquisitions
Tsuyoshi Wada, Wesley Wright, Jose Veras, Justin Ruggiano
Analysis
The Cubs continued their rebuilding plan this offseason, making no big splashes. Although they did make a run at Japanese pitcher Masahiro Tanaka, reportedly offering more than any other team, Tanaka ended up signing with the Yankees.
If its any consolation for Cubs fans, they did sign another Japanese player in Wada, who came over to the states in 2012, but did not pitch in the majors after undergoing Tommy John surgery. Wada won 107 games with a 3.13 ERA in his 9 seasons in Japan, including a 16-5 record with a 1.51 ERA in his final season in 2011. He is the epitome of the buy low players the Cubs have focused on in recent years.
The Cubs also picked up center fielder Ruggiano in a trade with the Marlins as well as a couple relievers in Wright and Veras. Veras could compete with holdover Pedro Strop for the closer role, while Ruggiano should be the Cubs starting center fielder in 2014.
Despite the lack of moves by the Cubs, things are still looking up for them as many of their top prospects are on the cusp on joining the big club.
Top prospect Javier Baez clubbed 37 homers between high A and AA last year. Third baseman Kris Bryant, who was selected in the first round of the 2013 draft, should not be long for the minors after hitting .336 with 9 homers in just 128 at bats in his debut.
Pitcher C.J. Edwards, acquired from the Rangers in the Matt Garza trade last summer, has been downright dominant in his brief minor league career, posting a 1.72 ERA in 183.1 innings.
Add in top outfield prospects Albert Almora and Jorge Soler, and the Cubs have the makings of a strong nucleus of players to build a championship caliber team around.
Overall, I don't look for the Cubs to contend in 2014, as most of their top prospects are probably at least a year away, but if the team has bounce-back years from youngsters like Starlin Castro and Anthony Rizzo and can patch together a decent rotation, they could push for a .500 record.
Showing posts with label Chicago Cubs. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Chicago Cubs. Show all posts
Wednesday, January 22, 2014
Tuesday, March 26, 2013
CFCL Bold Predictions: NL Central
Continuing the United Cardinals Bloggers March project, today I'll take a look at the NL Central or the only division that matters. All of my fellow Cardinals bloggers will be making their predictions as well and you can follow them at the UCB website.
Now, without further ado, here are my projected standings for the NL Central:
The Reds will be the closest competition for the Cards. They traded for Shin-Soo Choo in the offseason to give them a legitimate center fielder and Todd Frazier should be able to replace the retired (?) Scott Rolen. However, the key to their offense will be keeping Joey Votto healthy. Their pitching should be strong again, with Johnny Cueto and Mat Latos headlining the rotation and Aroldis Chapman throwing heat out of the pen. Predicted Record: 93-69 (Wild Card)
Pittsburgh keeps tantalizing their fans with the hope of a .500 season and 2013 might finally be their year to get over the hump. Starling Marte is a budding star and will join superstar Andrew McCutchen in the outfield. Their current pitching staff is pretty pedestrian, but when you consider that veterans Francisco Liriano and Jeff Karstens are probably just vying their time until top prospects Gerrit Cole and Jameson Taillon are ready, the pitching staff could end up being their strength by the end of the year. Predicted Record: 87-75
The Brewers traded away their best pitcher, Zach Greinke, last year and lost Shawn Marcum to free agency. Recent signing Kyle Lohse should help lessen those losses and Yovanni Gallardo remains, but there are questions beyond that. Marco Estrada and Michael Fiers caught the league by surprise last year and it remains to be seen if they can repeat that performance now that the league has the "book" on them. The offense will continue to be good, with Ryan Braun leading the way, but it may not be enough to overcome the lack of quality pitching. Predicted Record: 85-77
The Cubs continue to rebuild. They added some much needed arms to the pitching staff in Edwin Jackson, Scott Baker, Scott Feldman, Carlos Villanueva and Japanese import Kyuji Fujikawa, to go along with Matt Garza and budding ace Jeff Samardzija. However, their anemic offense will hold them back. They have some building blocks in Anthony Rizzo and Starlin Castro, but not much else. Predicted Record: 67-95
Up next will be the NL West.
Now, without further ado, here are my projected standings for the NL Central:
- St. Louis Cardinals
- Cincinnati Reds
- Pittsburgh Pirates
- Milwaukee Brewers
- Chicago Cubs
The Reds will be the closest competition for the Cards. They traded for Shin-Soo Choo in the offseason to give them a legitimate center fielder and Todd Frazier should be able to replace the retired (?) Scott Rolen. However, the key to their offense will be keeping Joey Votto healthy. Their pitching should be strong again, with Johnny Cueto and Mat Latos headlining the rotation and Aroldis Chapman throwing heat out of the pen. Predicted Record: 93-69 (Wild Card)
Pittsburgh keeps tantalizing their fans with the hope of a .500 season and 2013 might finally be their year to get over the hump. Starling Marte is a budding star and will join superstar Andrew McCutchen in the outfield. Their current pitching staff is pretty pedestrian, but when you consider that veterans Francisco Liriano and Jeff Karstens are probably just vying their time until top prospects Gerrit Cole and Jameson Taillon are ready, the pitching staff could end up being their strength by the end of the year. Predicted Record: 87-75
The Brewers traded away their best pitcher, Zach Greinke, last year and lost Shawn Marcum to free agency. Recent signing Kyle Lohse should help lessen those losses and Yovanni Gallardo remains, but there are questions beyond that. Marco Estrada and Michael Fiers caught the league by surprise last year and it remains to be seen if they can repeat that performance now that the league has the "book" on them. The offense will continue to be good, with Ryan Braun leading the way, but it may not be enough to overcome the lack of quality pitching. Predicted Record: 85-77
The Cubs continue to rebuild. They added some much needed arms to the pitching staff in Edwin Jackson, Scott Baker, Scott Feldman, Carlos Villanueva and Japanese import Kyuji Fujikawa, to go along with Matt Garza and budding ace Jeff Samardzija. However, their anemic offense will hold them back. They have some building blocks in Anthony Rizzo and Starlin Castro, but not much else. Predicted Record: 67-95
Up next will be the NL West.
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