FanPost

Happy 100th Birthday, Wrigley Field. Maybe next year....


The Cubs win the season finale 5-2 and complete their year at 73-89, an improvement of seven games from last year. Things that look promising for the 2015 campaign:

The Cubs have every reason to believe in their bullpen with Rondon as the closer and Strop, Ramirez and Grimm as the set-up guys. The 2-4 spots in the rotation look good to okay with Arrieta, Hendricks and Wood. I'd like to see the Cubs keep Wada but Jokisch and Turner look solid, too. I think the lead starter is going to be found on the free agent market (Jon Lester, anyone?).

Rizzo and Castro both rebounded nicely under Renteria and look like solid cornerstones of the offense. I like Coghlan in left, Soler in right, and I think Alcantara might figure out the fine art of situational hitting before Baez does. To be honest, I'd be pleased with a top of the lineup that read Coghlan, Valbuena, Rizzo, Castro (or Castro, Rizzo).

After a 20-33 start through May, the team finished 53-56, so they improved once they jettisoned the Jose Veras experiment. Another cheap improvement is not giving another start to Edwin Jackson.

Finally, while all Cub fans are awaiting the arrival of Kris Bryant, I think what the most positive sign for the organization is that we aren't shedding tears over Mike Olt. Maybe Olt will develop into a major league hitter, but if not here comes Bryant. Maybe Javy Baez will develop into a mjor league hitter, but if not here comes Addison Russell. The Cubs have positioned themselves to have more than one bullet and a willingness to not take on other people's problems (see how they turned the Braves down on the Jackson for Upton trade).

What does it take for the Cubs to be in the playoffs in 2015? A 17-20 game improvement in the win column. They get half of that just by not having Veras close games or Jackson start them (if he can be redeployed as a middle relief guy, fine; if they deal him out of the city, that's cool, too). So, there are 8-10 wins. I'm not sure where they pick up the other 8-10. But I think they can.

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