Baseball Preview

By Benjy Lipsman in News on Mar 31, 2008 4:29PM

While it certainly doesn't feel like spring, today is Opening Day for both the Cubs and White Sox. The Cubs open their season at what is for now still Wrigley Field and host the Milwaukee Brewers, while the White Sox begin their 2008 campaign in Cleveland against the Indians.

With the full slate of 162 games still ahead, fans of both teams can hope for making the playoffs and even fantasize of World Series titles, but how realistic will such dreams be in 2008?

The Cubs certainly enter the season with the higher expectations after winning the NL Central title. A sweep at the hands of the Arizona Diamondbacks in the opening round of the playoffs ended any hopes for breaking the curse but have players and fans champing at the bit to try and win the World Series -- exactly 100 years since the Cubs' last title. Meanwhile, the White Sox sleepwalked to a 72-90 record just two seasons after their own World Series title. The Sox made some moves during the off-season, but many fans remain unconvinced that Kenny Williams did enough for the team to compete again in the American League.

Chicago Cubs
After spending lavishly prior to last season, and with the team up for sale, the Cubs reigned in the spending. Their only big acquisition was Japanese outfielder Kosuke Fukudome. The Cubs finally parted ways with oft-injured Mark Prior and are hoping that his partner in pain Kerry Wood can transition to closer. Former closer Ryan Dempster joins the starting rotation. Much of the rest of their lineup isn't too different from last year's central division champs. The biggest question is whether the Cubs can improve upon last year in year two of the Lou Piniella era, and will that include an end to the century of futility? Or will history prove too much weight to bear as the team dives back below .500?

Chicago White Sox
The White Sox disappointed everybody last season, with poor hitting, poor relief pitching and injuries all contributing to a lousy season. Fans were looking for Sox GM Kenny Williams to make a big splash in free agency, but after whiffing on a number of high profile outfielders he traded for Nick Swisher. He bolstered the beleaguered bullpen with Octavio Dotel and Scott Linebrink. Williams also continued to dismantle what was once the most feared starting rotation in baseball by trading Jon Garland for shortstop Orlando Cabrera. While Mark Buehrle is always solid and Javier Vasquez looked to have improve as a pitcher last year, Jose Contreras' age as well as the inexperience of Gavin Floyd and John Denks are all areas of concern. Swisher and Cabrera add some new bats to the front of the lineup, while the middle remains much the same. Surprisingly, Joe Crede remains with the Sox and starting at third base. But how long before he's traded and Josh Fields returns to the everyday lineup? The White Sox failure to adequately address the leadoff hitter position in their lineup could again result in an inability to score runs without relying on the home run. Overall, this team should perform better than it did last year, but is by no means ready to compete against Detroit and Cleveland to win the division.