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Analysis, News & Rumors
Archives
December 2006 Headlines
Less Pressure for Wood and Prior - 12/14/06 10:49pm
Cubs Preparing Sandberg? - 12/12/06 11:11pm
Rotation Complete with Marquis Signing - 12/9/06 10:55pm
Lilly Signed - 12/6/06 9:38pm
Cubs Looking to Bring Back Lofton? - 12/3/06 12:58pm
Cubs Make Offer to Lilly - 12/3/06 12:52pm
12/14/06 10:49pm - Less Pressure for Wood and Prior
With all the talk surrounding Ted Lilly, Jason Marquis, and whether or not they are worth their price tags, Cubs fans are trying to forget about
two former power arms that carried them within a few outs of the World Series in 2003.
The 2007 rotation consists of Zambrano, Lilly, Hill, Marquis, and one of a handful of other pitchers including Prior, Miller, or Marshall. In previous years,
the Cubs 1-2 punch was Kerry Wood and Mark Prior. Now, they are hardly mentioned because of a string of injuries that dates back to the 2004 season.
Prior, who was shut down towards the end of 2006 with tendonitis problems is working-out 6 days a week in an attempt to strengthen his arm. A healthy
Prior can get you between 15-20 wins and an ERA below 3.00. If he can stay healthy in 2007, he would be a pleasant surprise and would easily be considered
the #2 pitcher behind Carlos Zambrano.
Kerry Wood is recovering from a partially torn rotator cuff and is expecting to return to the Cubs in the bullpen. He signed a 1-year $1.75 million contract for the 2007 season.
Wood is expected to be used as a middle reliever to test his arm. If he stays healthy, he could be moved into the Setup role and maybe even the Closer role. He
isn't expected to rejoin the starting rotation.
What is different about 2007 is that there is minimal pressure on Wood and Prior where in previous seasons, they were expected to carry the team. From 2004 through
the 2006 seasons, fans were let down due to the numerous injuries each pitcher suffered. During that time, Carlos Zambrano has established himself as the #1 Ace
on the team and other pitchers like Rich Hill and Sean Marshall showed they can play at the Major League level.
With the focus now on how Lilly and Marquis will perform, Prior and Wood could sneak up and surprise everyone. The key to this is staying healthy. A healthy Wood and
Prior will make the Cubs contenders.
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12/12/06 11:11pm - Cubs Preparing Sandberg?
Are the Cubs grooming Ryne Sandberg to be the next manager of the Chicago Cubs?
During the search for the 2007 Cubs manager, Jim Hendry interviewed a familiar face named Ryne Sandberg.
At the time, Hendry indicated he was looking for someone with more managerial experience, which ultimately
led to Lou Piniella.
Now, several months later, the Cubs name Sandberg manager of the Peoria Chiefs, the Cubs Class A affiliate.
Is he being groomed to be the next Cubs manager? If he does well with the Chiefs, he could be moved up the
ranks quickly in an attempt at making him the future replacement for Lou Piniella once his tenure is completed.
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12/9/06 10:55pm - Rotation Complete with Marquis Signing
Early reports have indicated that the Cubs have completed their quest at building their 2007 starting rotation
with the signing of Jason Marquis.
Marquis had a tough year with the Cardinals last year, winning 14 games and losing 16 with a 6.02 ERA. His
best year was 2004 when he was 15-7 with a 3.71 ERA.
Marquis upside is that he is durable, pitching over 200 innings the last few years. His downside is that he finished
the second half of the season last year with a 3-10 record and a 6.72 ERA.
It is still not clear how much the deal is worth or how long it is for. The Chicago Tribune indicated the deal
is worth $20 million over 3 years, but Post-Dispatch out of St. Louis reported the deal is worth $28 million over
3 years.
The signings of Lilly and Marquis have some scratching their heads. Why would the Cubs spend all that money on
two mid-tier pitchers? Why instead didn't they go after Zito or Schmidt?
The rotation looks like it will consist of Carlos Zambrano, Ted Lilly, Rich Hill, Jason Marquis, and either
Mark Prior or Wade Miller. Sean Marshall could fill in as well.
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12/6/06 9:38pm - Lilly Signed
The Cubs moved one step closer to finalizing their roster by signing free-agent pitcher, Ted Lilly.
Lilly was 15-13 last year with a 4.31 ERA with the Blue Jays. He struck out 160 in 181 2/3 innings last year.
Lilly chose the Cubs over the Yankees, agreeing to a 4-year deal worth $40 million. He will join a rotation
that consists of Carlos Zambrano, Rich Hill, and Mark Prior.
The Cubs will now focus on adding one more starter to the rotation. Due to the large salary that Lilly signed
for, its unlikely the Cubs will be able to pursue the top available free-agent starter, Barry Zito.
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12/3/06 12:58pm - Cubs Looking to Bring Back Lofton?
Insiders are indicating that the Cubs are looking to bring Kenny Lofton
back to the Cubs.
Lofton was picked up by Chicago in 2003 when Corey Patterson tore his ACL.
He was a crucial
piece in getting the Cubs to the playoffs and helping them advance to the
NL Championship
series.
Lofton also helped the Dodgers reach the playoffs last year, hitting .301.
He would be a solid utility player for the Cubs and could change the
dynamics of the outfield.
More than likely, Lofton would start in center field the majority of the
time, with Soriano
playing in left field.
When Lofton sits, the Cubs could plan to have Soriano in center field and
start Matt Murton in
left field or they could bring Felix Pie up to the majors to split the
center field duties with
Lofton.
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12/3/06 12:52pm - Cubs Make Offer to Lilly
The Cubs are continuing their push at bolstering their 2007 roster. The
focus is now
on the pitching rotation where they recently made an offer to free-agent,
Ted Lilly.
Lilly was 15-13 with a 4.31 ERA last year with the Blue Jays. He had 160
strikeouts
in 192 innings for an average of almost 7.5 strikeouts per game.
Lilly has won at least 10 games a season for the past 4 seasons with
Oakland and Toronto.
The offer is rumored to be a 4-year deal worth approximately $37.5
million, but further talks
between Lilly's agent and the Cubs are not expected to take place until
next week's winter
meetings.
Lilly would fit into the Cubs rotation as a solid #3 pitcher behind Carlos
Zambrano and
Rich Hill.
Some insiders also expect the Cubs to continue their pursuit of Jason
Schmidt. He would
be the final piece of the puzzle to complete the starting rotation if
Chicago was to get
Lilly.
A starting rotation of Zambrano, Schmidt, Lilly, Hill, and Prior would be
tough, especially
if Prior steps up to his 2003 form.
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