As I sat in the office on this fine Friday , I came to the realization that doing work was secondary to something much more vital. Obviously, that’s looking at the Cubs current projected 25-man roster. In all seriousness, I know this is extremely early, and I’m not doing it for the same of attempting to guess our roster correctly or anything like that. In my opinion, looking at our current situation sheds more light on what TheoCo may be attempting to do as far as trades/signings are concerned.

Starters:
Catcher- Soto
First Base- LaHair
Second Base- Barney
Third Base- Stewart/Baker (I think it’ll end up more of a platoon)
Shortstop- Castro
Left Field- Soriano
Center Field- Byrd
Right Field- DeJesus

Order: (optional order)
1.DeJesus (1. DeJesus)
2.Castro (2. Barney)
3.Byrd (3. Castro)
4.Stewart (4. LaHair)
5.LaHair (5. Stewart)
6.Soriano (6. Soriano)
7.Soto (7. Byrd)
8. Barney (8. Soto)

Bench:
-Baker
-DeWitt
-Johnson
-Sappelt/Campana
-Castillo/Clevenger

Rotation:
SP1- Garza
SP2- Dempster
SP3- Zambrano
SP4- T. Wood
SP5- Wells

Bullpen:
CL- Marmol
SU-K. Wood (my only assumption here)
SU-Russell (maybe Samardzija or Cashner)
MR-Samardzija
MR-Maine/Beliveau
MR-Sonnanstine/Corpas
MR-Cashner

As you can see there is still a lot in the air, as well there should be at this point in the offseason. As far as pitching goes, Cashner’s future will be one of the more interesting ones to follow, as JedStein decide where he will be most valuable this year. Spellcheck may have an opportunity to create some of that depth at SP that Theo wants as well. Wells may become expendable soon if other options present themselves.

What I find most intriguing is the current depth in the outfield. As of now, we have to assume they are all here, and that pushes Jackson back to AAA. Johnson was signed to be a reserve outfielder, leaving a battle between Sappelt and Campana for the final outfield spot. If Byrd is moved, that tells me Theo is comfortable enough with Jackson in center, as there is no one else viable to handle that position on an everyday basis. I think this leaves Soriano as the most influential piece of the outfield. If he is either moved or waived (I know, it’s beyond unlikely, this is all hypothetical anyways), suddenly left field is open for Byrd, center is open for Jackson, and we still have the fortunate position of depth behind them in Campana, Sappelt and Johnson.

Looking at the order is awfully sad. Please realize I am not a fan of either lineup very much. The worst is the idea that Byrd could be batting 3rd again. As I look at the starters, I simply don’t see that many options though. In a perfect world Castro would be there, but who knows if he is ready for that yet, much less if we have anyone that can fill the spot behind him well enough to give him pitches to hit.

All in all, there is some flexibility being put into place on the mound, both in the rotation and the bullpen, as well as in the outfield (more than can be said for years past). There is a giant hole in the order at the 3 spot, and an unknown quantity starting at First base in this scenario, thus I think Fielder is still a big option for us. I’m tired of writing, and I’m sure you are tired of reading, but does looking at the big picture bring any thoughts to you that haven’t been talked about ad nauseum here?