Chicago Cubs 2012

There have been many different attempts at a creative way to describe this upcoming Cubs season. I prefer the famous line from the film Raging Bull when Jake LaMotta’s brother says “If you win, you win. If you lose, you still win.” Allow me to expound on that.

For the first time in quite some time, the Cubs have zero expectations of winning. Most fans with a brain understand this to be true. The Cubs themselves know this to be true. The reason being is that this organization is still riddled with bad contacts to aging veterans that aren’t nearly worth the paper they’re printed on. There’s no real hope of someone from the minor leagues coming up this year to vault the Cubs into contenders, and the Cubs are not a trade or two away from contention either.

Here is the most important thing to realize and remember throughout this upcoming season. The Cubs have freed themselves from the same organizational pathos that was a staple of the Jim Hendry Era. No longer will the Cubs simply throw money at the biggest available free agents, and expect that to cure everything that ails them. Cubs’ fans finally realized this to be true this winter when (surprisingly to Cubs fans only), the Cubs did not even attempt to sign Albert Pujols or Prince Fielder.

Those free spending days are over, thanks to the hiring of Theo Epstein and his bookworm frat boy crew who are now running this franchise, and they aren’t interested in a quick fix. Theo and the gang are in this for the long haul and any serious Cubs fan should be very thankful. (Please spare me the “104 years and we’re out of patience!” nonsense because you’ll wait as long as it takes, trust me).

Unfortunately for Cubs fans, what Theo wants and needs to do with this team (drafting, trading veterans for prospects, and drafting some more), takes time. As a result, the lineup and rotation are going to be tough to watch this season.

Who to watch in the lineup: Obviously the main draw should be Starlin Castro. His 207 hits last season were a good sign that he can make the necessary adjustments to be a professional hitter in the big leagues. Nobody knows what long time minor league player Bryan LaHair is going to do, but odds are it won’t be much. Cubs’ fans should root heavily for Marlon Byrd to hit the cover off the ball, since that would only help his trade value.

Who to watch pitch: Matt Garza remains the best pitcher on the staff. The better he does, the quicker the Cubs can turn this organization around because he’ll return more prospects in a potential trade. Jeff Samardzija might FINALLY be ready to break through this season, but I’ll believe it when it happens. Carlos Marmol is always a hire-wire act to watch, as he continues to post freakishly high Walks and Strikeouts per 9 innings pitched ratios.

Bottom Line: I believe the Cubs will finish 75-87, give or take a few. Going back to the Raging Bull line, if the Cubs win more than 75 games, great. If they win less, they get higher draft picks which plays right into what Theo Epstein does well, hence “If they win they win. If they lose, they still win.”

I just hope most Cubs fans keep that in mind this season.