The Cubs Have Issues

Among them; 　

2009; 117 games, 20 HR, 55 RBI, .241 AVG.

Soriano HAS to contribute in almost every game (not just the one’s the oft injured, sub-standard outfielder plays in) in order to live up to his 136-million-dollar contract. Coming off arthroscopic knee surgery, Soriano is due to make 19-million-dollars this season; 19-million more in 2011; 19-million more in 2012; 19-million more in 2013; 19-million more in 2014. Another miserable season and it may be on the next Cubs GM to launch Soriano.

130 games, 21 HR, 79 RBI, .276 AVG …He won’t be leading off. Numbers should rise, especially average.

2009; 141 games, 35 HR, 111 RBI, .306 AVG.

Lee appears primed for another big season. A lingering wrist injury had supressed his numbers some. But Lee is in the last year of a five-year, 65-million-dollar contract. He’ll earn 13-million-dollars this season. He was 9th in NL MVP voting last season but turns 35 in September, so a new multiyear contract seems implausible.

He’ll be traded for pitching prospects before the July deadline. His offense doesn’t seem to drive the team like a Sorianao or Ramirez hot streak. Cubs need to upgrade their starting arms (more below). If veteran Kevin Millar makes the team he could cover at first.

Carlos Zambrano and Ryan Dempster are locked in at the top. Randy Wells’ rookie year earns him a spot.  While Ted Lilly recovers from shoulder surgery (late April? May?) four pitchers compete for 2 starting spots; Carlos Silva, Jeff Samardzija, Sean Marshall and Tom Gorzelanny.

It’s not enough. With little chance of the “furious four” pitching well all season long and Wells on the spot to improve on a surprising (12-10, 3.05) summer, Lilly won’t have room for error in his late return to the mound, and Zambrano and Dempster will have to be a two-headed monster.  They won’t win a World Series without another top notch arm.