Next Year Ain't Here: Your 2013 Chicago Cubs Preview

By Rob Winn in News on Mar 28, 2013 4:20PM

The Chicago Cubs have plenty of buzz surrounding them in 2013 but most of it concerns renovations, the notion of moving to Rosemont and the team's relationship with Mayor Rahm Emanuel, Ald. Tom Tunney and their neighbors. There will be baseball on the North Side this year — not good baseball, but baseball all the same. The team's young core will be a year older and (hopefully) a year wiser, while the front office has signed several stop-gap players to bring the team closer to respectability.

Much of last spring was spent waiting on the arrival of Anthony Rizzo and he didn't disappoint. Since being called up last June, Rizzo performed the way the team hoped. He came out with a bang and hit everything in sight, then went through a few struggles when the league adjusted to his strengths, but rebounded with a strong September. With a high average and on-base percentage Rizzo is perfectly suited for his role as the No. 3 hitter. So where does that leave former No. 3 Starlin Castro?

Castro had a rough year in 2012. He didn't hit well, his fielding was once again called into question and his year started with an ugly sexual assault accusation stemming from a night out on the town. Only time will tell if Castro learned from last year and returns to form. Manager Dale Sveum will start the year with Castro batting second, ahead of Rizzo and Alfonso Soriano in the cleanup spot. Castro's ability to hit anything and get on base will set the table nicely for Rizzo and Soriano. This lineup will help the Cubs score more runs this year, but will it be enough to bring the team out of the cellar? Probably not with their depleted starting rotation.

Spring training started with Matt Garza telling everyone who would listen how healthy he is. It turned out Garza wasn't so healthy. He immediately suffered a lat injury that has plagued him all spring and now leaves him looking at a May 1 return. If Garza's injury wasn't bad enough, new Cub pitcher Scott Baker suffered a muscle injury the second he stepped back on the mound. The Cubs signed Baker after he missed all of 2012 recovering from Tommy John surgery, counting on the fact that nine out ten pitchers come back from the surgery stronger than ever. In true Cubbie fashion Baker was the exception. With Garza missing the first month of the season and Baker now a major question mark, the rest of the rotation is largely unproven.

Jeff Samardrija seems eager to take the No. 1 spot but the rest of the rotation consists of Edwin Jackson, Travis Wood, Scott Feldman and Carlos Villanueva. All the Cubs can hope from Jackson, Wood and Villanueva is they eat up innings and keep the game relatively close. However Feldman does possess some upside, winning 17 games in 2009 before several injury plagued years. If Feldman remains healthy, he could help the Cubs survive until Garza and Baker return.

On the bright side, middle relief looks to be in decent shape. Shawn Camp, James Russell and new addition Kyuji Fujikawa should be able to handle the later innings. But Carlos Marmol has taken a major step back. He has struggled to find the plate in spring training and, when he does, he is getting hammered. As of right now he will start the year as the closer, but who knows how long that will last. This team can't afford to lose games they're leading in the ninth inning, because they will surely be few and far between. And for those hoping to unload Marmol for a few prospects, his trade value currently hovers around a bag of balls.

For the early part of 2012 the Cubs were able to keep within shouting distance of .500. That was until the great fire sale of June and July. Cubs president Theo Epstein and general manager Jed Hoyer will be looking to trade and load up on prospects again, but who in their lineup will actually entice teams? With a good start Alfonso Soriano will be trade bait now that his ridiculous contract is winding down. But that leaves only Matt Garza, who is now so injury plagued that teams will refuse to give up any top prospects. Maybe Theo can pull a Jedi mind trick and trade David DeJesus for Mike Trout, but probably not.

All in all, the Cubs most likely won't break the team record for losses again, but how much better they will they be is anyone's guess. Their success depends on bounce back years and unproven players stepping up, but at least they still play at Clark and Addison. So get your tickets now Cubs fans, after all Wrigley Field is still one of the best day drinking spots in the city.