Is anyone remotely excited for this season?

[SouthSideRyan]

Lee at 2/22 wouldn't be the worst thing in the world. Not really preferrable though.

[Rusch33]

derrek lee is untradeable??? you either have no idea what his contract is or do not understand baseball and player valuation.

 

Not completely untradable, but his no trade rights make it virtually so.

 

Even if it's to a contender at the deadline if we're out of the race?

 

I would think with this being his final year of his contract that he would have to consider it.

[Sammy Sofa]

derrek lee is untradeable??? you either have no idea what his contract is or do not understand baseball and player valuation.

 

Not completely untradable, but his no trade rights make it virtually so.

 

Even if it's to a contender at the deadline if we're out of the race?

 

I would think with this being his final year of his contract that he would have to consider it.

 

I would have to assume he'd allow them to trade him if they were just upfront and said that they had had no plans to re-sign him. Unless the organization treats him like crap or he's a vindictive jerk there's little reason he'd refuse.

[Exile on Waveland]

derrek lee is untradeable??? you either have no idea what his contract is or do not understand baseball and player valuation.

 

Not completely untradable, but his no trade rights make it virtually so.

 

You don't think he would have some interest in moving to a contender at the deadline if the Cubs were out of it?

 

(I expect the Cubs to re-sign him anyway, though.)

 

It's possible, but he also already has a WS ring and multiple playoff appearances. He's not desperate to play for a winner. And his NTC (or 10/5 rights) makes him less valuable in a trade since it may force a team to offer an extension to get him. There's probably not much point in trading him, you'd probably be better off with an arbitration offer and taking him back for one year or getting picks.

 

Yeah. I'm tempted to say the Cubs should re-sign him anyway -- for a reasonable price, if that's even possible -- unless they can net some really good prospects for him (which I doubt).

[Sosa21MVP]

I feel a bit indifferent right now but as soon as they string a couple wins together I'm sure I'll get more excited. The last couple years my expectations were higher.......this season I really don't know what to expect.

[Garwilly]

I'm excited.

[RegulusBlue]

I feel a bit indifferent right now but as soon as they string a couple wins together I'm sure I'll get more excited. The last couple years my expectations were higher.......this season I really don't know what to expect.

 

The worst part of the two playoff meltdowns wasn't so much that we missed the chance to go to the NLCS, but that I felt at the time that I was witnessing the peak of this roster, and that the next several years would be a downward slide.

 

I am hoping that a young guy or two, and a decent trade will resurrect some optimism, but this year is really one of the first that in the best case scenario, I see no hope for a meaningful postseason appearance, which is what this is all about, obviously.

[Guest]

I'm more excited about my fantasy teams, and they are rather generic. I'm happy there is new ownership in place and I'm trusting that Ricketts will eventually put people in place that build a team with now and the future in mind. I feel Hendry's time here is done and the team is in a holding pattern until he is replaced.

 

It's sad, because I once believed in him. That was probably before I really knew him, though. Now it's lame excuse after poor decision as to why this team hasn't been as good as they should be considering the resources.

 

I really like several of the players on this roster, but the overall make up of the team is rather mediocre. Last summer I was able to accomplish way more in my personal life because I had a similar feeling as I do this year, and I found myself watching less games. I'll cheer for them, but with my guard up. Unfortunately, the start to this season is right along the lines of the way I currently feel about this team. Disappointment. It's a bit early to call it a season, however. :blink:

[J.R.]

Are you kidding?!

[Guest]

Are you kidding?!

 

Regarding the disappointment? Nope. I said it earlier in my post. There are several guys I really like on this team, but the overall make up is not a team I can all that excited about. I have them finishing 3rd. In a year where I see something to be even slightly excited about, I like to give them the benefit of the doubt and predict a first place finish.

 

I hope I'm wrong and I hope they prove me wrong.

[J.R.]

That was directed at the OP. Should have quoted.

[Little Slide Rooter]

Im always excited for the baseball season. My expectations just arent as high as they have been the past few years, and that could be a good thing. The fact is while our team is decent enough, its not spectacular. Good enough to contend though. Lets look at the lineup:

 

-the top of the order Theriot and Fukudome is below average as far as Im concerned.

-Lee, Ram, and Byrd in the heart of the order is solid, but there are better out there. Maybe my opinion is clouded because between St. Louis and Milwaukee, were up against 2 of the top 5 3-4 combos in the game.

-The lower part of the order, Soriano, Baker/Fontenot, and Soto is a big X Factor. If all these guys perform as they were expected to pre 2009, it could be one of the best 6-8s out there. Nady, Colvin, Tracy, and Font/Baker give us some very good pop off the bench.

 

Pitching:

-Z, Lilly, Demp. Again, a very good 1-3. No true ace though, unless Dempster manages to pitch all season like he did last night.

-Wells is a solid number 4, and between Silva and Gorzo, not really much better or worse than your average #5 starter, which is basically what they are. Marshall would probably be a better choice, but hes to valuable where he is right now. Thomas Diamond intrigues me as well.

 

Pen: we have some good guys in Marshall, Caridad, and Marmol

Im not sure what to make of Berg or Russell just yet.

Grabiow makes a lot of money, and thats all I have to say about him.

Then theres Samardzjia.

 

The pen is obviously not steller, but its not horrible if used right. Most big league pens only have those 2 or 3 guys who are truely dependable, and the rest fall into shades of grey. Thats basically how ours shapes up. With Stevens, Gaub, Gray, and maybe even Cashner waiting in the wings, anyone of them not pulling their weight could be on borrowed time.

 

So in the end, what we have is an above .500 team. Maybe they'll surprise us. maybe we'll be hanging around the race come July and we'll be able to pick up a piece or 2 to make us that much better. Maybe we'll be well out of it by then and we can trade somebody and get some nice prospects in return and make us better for the future.

[Yeti]

...There are several guys I really like on this team, but the overall make up is not a team I can get all that excited about. I have them finishing 3rd...

we have a winner!!!

[Guest]

I'm always excited for baseball. I've loved Cubs teams that were far more hopeless than this one.

[Careless]

Happy for baseball to be back, but don't think this Cubs team will really compete.

[JonJayCutler]

The low expectations are understandable due to the disappointment of last year, but I think this team will surprise some people. I say this for a few reasons.

 

1. We should see a large improvement in hitting. We haven't seen this so far, but its early and we just faced an elite pitching rotation on the road. Jaramillo will play a part in this, but more importantly it will be about getting our hitters back to their 2008 form. Our "big five" going into last year were Lee, Ramirez, Soriano, Soto, and Bradley. Only one of these five had a productive season (Lee). The other four didn't either due to injury or poor performance in general.

 

This year, replace Bradley with Byrd. Even if we can just have three/four of the five have good productive seasons, its going to be a significant upgrade over last year. Throw in the stronger bench and we should be much better at the plate this year. It probably won't be as good as 2008, but it doesn't necessarily need to be.

 

2. Rotation depth. We don't have a dominant #1 pitcher, but we have a group of solid guys. Assuming Lilly doesn't a lose a step when coming back, we have four solid starters, and then three decent options for the #5 spot. Surely one of Gorz/Silva will stick, but if not they can always move Marshall back to the rotation. Hopefully Lou would do this before starting Samardzija. Z will be fine. He is not an ace, but hes never really had an awful season, ERA-wise. Lets hope I didn't just jinx that.

 

3. Luck in general. Lets face it, we caught some bad breaks last year. Injuries to two of our three best hitters (Ramirez and Soriano), injury-prone players like Carpenter staying healthy all year for the Cards, etc. People tend to forget we won 83 games last year. We only need to improve by 6-8 games to have a decent shot at the playoffs.

 

There's my optimism for the night.

[tfarks]

I concur with your optimism. They should stay in it till the trade deadline, the one area I have faith for Hendry to maneuver. Up the middle in the infield could surely use a boost.

 

Once Lilly gets back and the bullpen gets settled (another possible mid season upgrade), the playoffs will certainly be attainable.

 

In summation, tempered excitement with potential for more. Concurrently, worried the team will falter due to injury and the aging core will be held onto for false hope.

[CubmanPi]

Despite sharing the relatively low expectations, I'm definitely excited for this season. Watching things like players having breakout seasons, Soriano's hot streaks (though they're fewer and farther between), Ramirez raking, Z/Dempster dominating, and those few epic and improbable comeback wins will definitely outweigh all the garbage like lineup black holes, offensive dry spells, and bullpen collapses. I much prefer the time of year when I get to complain about how lousy the Cubs are doing over the time of year I don't get to watch them.

[biittner77]

I'm more excited for my Daughter's softball season. I'm trying to decide whether she should bat 3rd or 4th. My son was never really into baseball so I never had that problem with him. My daughter is LH and has been killing the ball in practice.

 

As for the Cubs, I'm excited about the young pitchers in the pen. I may be the only person who believes it but I think once Gray comes up for Smardz or Berg and Russell moves down for Lilly (With Gorz or Silva to the pen) the Pen will be a real plus with lots of options. No one in the central impresses me much including the Cards so the Cubs should be able to make it interesting if they can score enough runs.

 

Moving forward it seems like the new GM next year won't have to waste money on the pen and can instead find upgrades to the rotation and whatever holes need to be filled.

[jersey cubs fan]

1. We should see a large improvement in hitting. We haven't seen this so far, but its early and we just faced an elite pitching rotation on the road. Jaramillo will play a part in this, but more importantly it will be about getting our hitters back to their 2008 form. Our "big five" going into last year were Lee, Ramirez, Soriano, Soto, and Bradley. Only one of these five had a productive season (Lee). The other four didn't either due to injury or poor performance in general.

 

This year, replace Bradley with Byrd. Even if we can just have three/four of the five have good productive seasons, its going to be a significant upgrade over last year. Throw in the stronger bench and we should be much better at the plate this year. It probably won't be as good as 2008, but it doesn't necessarily need to be.

 

I don't get this reasoning. There's no reason why we should see a large improvement in hitting. It's possible, but I wouldn't count on it. The default position for Cubs' lineups is weak. They have several weaknesses still, and their best hitters are old. Discounting a lack of production last year due to injuries to oft-injured players is no way to justify the statement that the offense should be better. The middle infield is weak. Catcher is a big question. Soto is no lock to make a significant step forward, and the backup C is as bad a hitter as you can find in baseball. Marlon Byrd was a huge bust until arriving in Texas in his last 20's. , and he took a step back in his third season there when he played his most time. The bench is not particularly strong. There's one guy who can be considered an asset, but he's coming off major surgery. Everybody but Aramis Ramirez is capable of playing a full season while being fairly unproductive. They've all done it at various points of their careers, and not just in weird age 23 seasons or anything like that. They've got a bunch of 33/34 year old players who don't have a consistent track record of tremendous success. Expecting those players to be better simply because they were at some point earlier in their career is delusional.

It might happen. But there's a really good chance it does not happen. There's no "should" about it when it comes to major improvements in the offense.

[champaignchris]

I made a promise to myself some time in the mid-90's to never get excited about a Cubs season until they were at least 10 games above .500. That promise has served me well over the years. I remain interested, but not excited until that point.

 

That said, I think some are being overly pessimistic concerning this year's team. I think they'll still have a winning record and an outside chance at a playoff spot.

[jersey cubs fan]

That said, I think some are being overly pessimistic concerning this year's team. I think they'll still have a winning record and an outside chance at a playoff spot.

 

Aren't most people predicting a winning record and an outside chance? That's still very diappointing from where this team should be. That was 2009.

 

I did get excited for last night's game since it was the first I was able to watch all of on my couch without interruptions, and I'm as susceptible to the short-term emotions of wins and losses as anybody.

[Soul]

I'm certainly excited about Randy Wells' opening performance.

[Backtobanks]

1. We should see a large improvement in hitting. We haven't seen this so far, but its early and we just faced an elite pitching rotation on the road. Jaramillo will play a part in this, but more importantly it will be about getting our hitters back to their 2008 form. Our "big five" going into last year were Lee, Ramirez, Soriano, Soto, and Bradley. Only one of these five had a productive season (Lee). The other four didn't either due to injury or poor performance in general.

 

This year, replace Bradley with Byrd. Even if we can just have three/four of the five have good productive seasons, its going to be a significant upgrade over last year. Throw in the stronger bench and we should be much better at the plate this year. It probably won't be as good as 2008, but it doesn't necessarily need to be.

 

I don't get this reasoning. There's no reason why we should see a large improvement in hitting. It's possible, but I wouldn't count on it. The default position for Cubs' lineups is weak. They have several weaknesses still, and their best hitters are old. Discounting a lack of production last year due to injuries to oft-injured players is no way to justify the statement that the offense should be better. The middle infield is weak. Catcher is a big question. Soto is no lock to make a significant step forward, and the backup C is as bad a hitter as you can find in baseball. Marlon Byrd was a huge bust until arriving in Texas in his last 20's. , and he took a step back in his third season there when he played his most time. The bench is not particularly strong. There's one guy who can be considered an asset, but he's coming off major surgery. Everybody but Aramis Ramirez is capable of playing a full season while being fairly unproductive. They've all done it at various points of their careers, and not just in weird age 23 seasons or anything like that. They've got a bunch of 33/34 year old players who don't have a consistent track record of tremendous success. Expecting those players to be better simply because they were at some point earlier in their career is delusional.

It might happen. But there's a really good chance it does not happen. There's no "should" about it when it comes to major improvements in the offense.

 

Jaramillo might not be a miracle worker, but he certainly could help players like Fontenot, Soto, Baker, Soriano, and Colvin assuming they will listen to him and follow his advice. An improvement by Soto and Fontenot/Baker with the exchange of Bradley for Byrd along with some health from ARam and Soriano would be a tremendous improvement in the offense.

[JonJayCutler]

I don't get this reasoning. There's no reason why we should see a large improvement in hitting. It's possible, but I wouldn't count on it. The default position for Cubs' lineups is weak. They have several weaknesses still, and their best hitters are old. Discounting a lack of production last year due to injuries to oft-injured players is no way to justify the statement that the offense should be better. The middle infield is weak. Catcher is a big question. Soto is no lock to make a significant step forward, and the backup C is as bad a hitter as you can find in baseball. Marlon Byrd was a huge bust until arriving in Texas in his last 20's. , and he took a step back in his third season there when he played his most time. The bench is not particularly strong. There's one guy who can be considered an asset, but he's coming off major surgery. Everybody but Aramis Ramirez is capable of playing a full season while being fairly unproductive. They've all done it at various points of their careers, and not just in weird age 23 seasons or anything like that. They've got a bunch of 33/34 year old players who don't have a consistent track record of tremendous success. Expecting those players to be better simply because they were at some point earlier in their career is delusional.

It might happen. But there's a really good chance it does not happen. There's no "should" about it when it comes to major improvements in the offense.

 

My point is that hitting will improve simply because Soriano and Ramirez aren't injured anymore. Soriano turned in his career-worst OPS last year of .726, 150 points less than it was in 2008 and over 100 points worse than his career average. Do people really think he just forgot how to hit? Ramirez is an .850-.900 OPS guy who missed about 250 ABs last year. Soto is a question mark but asking him to improve over last year isn't asking for a lot (.218 avg, 702 OPS). Then you have Byrd who has OPSed .800 for the last three seasons; he should be able to slightly improve on Bradley's 393 ABs and .775 OPS from last year. Then Lee is Lee, and I'll settle for a season somewhere in between 2008 and 2009 in terms of production from him. I understand your point about age but none of the players I've mentioned have even hit 35 yet. We've seen time and time again players put up big numbers in their mid-30s.