Wait Until Next Year - Part III

I sort of left off 2/3 of the way through an assessment of the Cubs roster and roster needs around the time of the Epstein hiring.  Here is the rest for what it is worth.

The outfield is the Cubs biggest problem even granting the thin starting pitching.  That issue can be resolved with the acquisition of just one pitching asset and/or the complete recovery of one or two injured starters.

When you look at last year, the Cubs had the least productive outfield of any team with pretensions to compete in all of the major leagues.  With the exception of Fukudome who was traded at the deadline and Johnson who was strictly a platoon player when he wasn't on the DL, none of them got on base or hit for average.

Not only were they weak offensively, but they were weak defensively as well.  And that goes also for all the bench-warmers they brought up from the minor leagues with the exception of LaHair, who is primarily a first baseman anyway.

This is an area of the game where the team needs to just start over.  They have to trade Byrd for whatever they can get.  Somebody has to figure out what is wrong with Colvin and whether there is any hope of fixing it.  They need to try to move Soriano as well.  This guy is simply an albatross.  Worst case scenario, he platoons in left field with somebody in the hopes he can be moved at the trade deadline.

Deep in the minors there is some help on the horizon, but, realistically, Brett Jackson is the best hope.  He looks ready for a shot and I expect him to deliver.  That still leaves at least one big hole.  As much as I like Tony Campana's speed, I think this kid is really just a fourth or fifth outfielder.  Someone needs to work with him to get him to stop swinging at everything and start hitting ground balls.

I'd like to see the Cubs get aggressive in pursuing the Cuban star Yoenis Cespedes.  This guy looks like the real deal.  He is a center fielder.  He is fast, a good outfielder, and he can hit for average and power.  I saw recently the Cubs had scheduled a private workout for him.  This is a good sign and he might prove to be the first impact player the new regime acquires.