Offseason priorities

October 13th, 2008 at 05:47pm Wally Haas

Resigning Kerry Wood and Ryan Dempster seem like musts to me, but after that what should the Cubs do for the always coming “next year”?

I think the Cardinals and Astros will be better next year, but the Brewers pitching makes them a question mark. The Cubs need to improve if they want to win the division again.  If not, they’ll finish third or fourth.

I think it’s time to trade Derrek Lee despite his decent playoff performance. You always want to trade a player a year or two before you really want to and I think Lee has slipped at the plate and in the field. Either give Micah Hoffpauir a shot with the team or trade him.

Or, how about trading Soriano, putting Hoffpauir in left and acquiring a true leadoff man? You can always put Reed Johnson in left for defense in the late innings.

Or, how about giving Johnson the everyday centerfield job and have him bat leadoff? He has good plate discipline and wound up hitting better than .300 in a limited role.

The Cubs have options. They can stand pat or they can do something dramatic like sign CC Sabathia and then make a blockbuster trade for a leadoff hitter, a big left-handed bat, or a reliable lefty for the bullpen.

The Cubs also have lots of question marks. Can Felix Pie ever hit big-league pitching? Will Rich Hill return to form? Can Angel Guzman stay healthy? Can Kosuke Fukudome finish the season as strong as he started the last one? Does Jason Marquis have a future with the team? What’s the best role for Jeff Samardzija? Does Mike Fontenot deserve more playing time?

It will be a long winter, especially if the Bears continue to give us heart attacks.

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