Kuzul

The Chicago Cubs have only the abysmal Minnesota Twins and San Diego Padres to thank for keeping themselves out of the basement of baseball following Tuesday’s 5-3 win over San Diego. Sitting at 17-32 after an encouraging early May start has Theo Epstein and Jed Hoyer sticking to their guns without making any quick-trigger decisions.

But thanks to the worse-than-expected start, the only thing hotter than summer weather in Chicago could be the seat under Epstein’s $15 million bottom.

Two months into the season, one has to wonder, did Epstein really know what he was getting himself into?

Epstein is dealing with the animal that is the Chicago fanbase. It’s been too many years to count since the last World Series for Chicago. Just one World Series in between barely holds the fans over on the South Side.

Chicago Bears fans still have copies of the Superbowl Shuffle stuffed into VCRs in the basement. And Derrick Rose’s torn ACL ruined any chance of a return to the Michael Jordan era for the Bulls.

The Cubs’ struggles this summer come in the midst of one of the most frustrating years in Chicago sports. Patience is thinner than a reincarnated Charles Barkley on Weight Watchers, even though it was supposed to be expected that the Cubs wouldn’t compete for three years.

Epstein has never had to deal with such pressure. Boston doesn’t compare to Chicago, especially when the Red Sox were playoff, and eventually championship, ready upon Epstein’s arrival. The Cubs couldn’t be farther from that case.

The Cubs’ best player, presumably Starlin Castro, would be lucky to be the fourth best offensive weapon on the Red Sox—with a position change required due to the presence of Nomar Garciaparra. 

Manny Ramirez, Johnny Damon and Garciaparra all were waiting for Epstein to build around. Derek Lowe and Pedro Martinez anchored the staff. With the signing of David Ortiz, the Red Sox were set for a run for multiple years.

Epstein’s latest test in Chicago includes Castro, Bryan LaHair and…I’ll stop there. Whoever the third best offensive weapon is may be worse than Lance Armstrong riding his bike in the Indianapolis 500.

Winning a title in his first year gave Epstein plenty of years to get back in 2007. He won’t be blessed with that opportunity here. The Cubs are more than Anthony Rizzo away from a title. Brett Jackson continues to show why he couldn’t win the starting center field job over Tony Campana and career utility infielder Joe Mather.

Expect even more roster turnover next year. This is a challenge Epstein’s never had before. And there’s no emotional attachment to succeed as there was in Boston.

He already has two championships with his dream job in Boston. How motivated is Epstein actually going to be to bring one home to Chicago when doubt begins to creep in 2014? Is he mentally prepared to handle the criticism as the losses mount?

While every other leader has been forced out, Epstein won’t wait for that to happen. One year of criticism for poor signings—John Lackey and Carl Crawford—and a September collapse was enough for Epstein to gladly walk away from his dream job.

Who knows how many losing streaks will mount before he wants to run away from this one.

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Jed Hoyer worried that he rushed Anthony Rizzo, then of the San Diego Padres, to the majors before he was ready.

At this point, Hoyer can’t pick up the phone soon enough to instill Rizzo into the everyday lineup.

Rizzo, a left-handed hitting first baseman, is tearing up Triple-A right now for the Chicago Cubs and is one of the top prospects in the system.

Acquired in the offseason for pitcher Andrew Cashner, Rizzo is hitting .391 with five home runs and 13 RBIs. At this point, there is little else that Rizzo needs to prove at that level.

Sooner or later, Rizzo needs to prove himself and take his lumps in the big leagues, and that time is now. Rizzo positively affects the organization as a whole immediately.

Assume Rizzo is called up for utility man Joe Mather. Mather gets the demotion based on need more so than production, or lack thereof.

With Rizzo in the everyday lineup, he’s immediately placed in the cleanup role in the lineup and permanently at first base. This moves Bryan LaHair to right field and David DeJesus to center, therefore benching the struggling Marlon Byrd.

It may make sense to keep Byrd in the lineup to increase his trade value, but at this point all he is doing is diminishing his value. General managers know what to expect from Byrd, as he is a veteran in the league. But if he struggles continue over a longer stretch than two weeks, it will be impossible to trade him.

Looking at the new everyday lineup, it’s amazing how one important piece can vastly improve the struggling offense.

The top three spots stay the same with DeJesus, Darwin Barney and Starlin Castro. From there Rizzo hits cleanup, followed by Alfonso Soriano and LaHair. Geovany Soto and Ian Stewart round out the order.

With this lineup, there’s power throughout as well as balance between right-handed and left-handed hitters.

It’s obvious Rizzo is outclassing Triple-A. His promotion would spark interest in a fan base that is growing increasingly impatient despite the low expectations coming into the year. He may also provide a spark in the clubhouse or a kick in the behind to underachieving veterans.

Forget about keeping him under team control for an extra year by delaying his promotion. If Rizzo is good enough, Epstein and Co. will do whatever is needed to lock him up and get plenty of value. The extra year isn’t worth holding both him and the organization back.

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The Chicago Cubs have been one of the most active teams this offseason under the new leadership of Jed Hoyer and Theo Epstein.

But what do Theo’s moves mean for the club in 2012?

They’ll be competitive and fun to watch…but don’t expect a division title just yet.

Gone are the Carlos Zambrano blowups. Don’t expect the lackluster effort that was typically seen with Mike Quade’s squad. But besides that, what else is there to expect?

The Cubs will be competitive this year. A large part is due to the NL Central losing its top three players in Albert Pujols (LAA), Prince Fielder (TBD) and Ryan Braun (50-game suspension). The Pirates showed improvement last year, but aren’t front-running this year. And the Cincinnati Reds regressed last season to the surprise of many.

The starting rotation includes Matt Garza, at least for the start of the season. While there are no aces on the staff following Garza, Ryan Dempster, Chris Volstad, Paul Maholm and either Travis Wood or Randy Wells are serviceable starters.

One of the most troubling aspects of the Cubs season last year was their inability to field the ball, rating last place in fielding percentage. Expect new manager Dale Sveum to address that situation immediately.

The biggest question looms offensively. Bryan LaHair replaces Carlos Pena (TB) at first base. Ian Stewart is taking over for the Cubs best offensive player in Aramis Ramirez at third. David DeJesus is expected to man right field, replacing Tyler Colvin and Kosuke Fukudome.

Stewart was formerly a highly-touted prospect with the Colorado Rockies, but injuries hindered his production. A fresh start and competition with Josh Vitters may be exactly what both players need to rejuvenate their careers, as Vitters has struggled in the minors after being the Cubs first-round pick in 2007.

Although I fully expect them to be competitive, I don’t know how many wins will come as a result of the competitiveness. And that’s okay.

The Cubs won’t be in World Series talks until at least 2014, which means there are still moves to be made from the front office.

Epstein and Hoyer are making the right move holding onto Garza until the trade deadline. The Detroit Tigers are rumored to be in heavy pursuit, but they are reluctant to deal top prospect Jacob Turner. It should come as no surprise that teams are more willing to deal top prospects in the heat of a pennant race than the beginning of the year.

The future of Alfonso Soriano is also up in the air as teams may be looking for a designated hitter in the American League and the Cubs look to rid themselves of his expensive contract.

And with top prospect Brett Jackson appearing Major League-ready, is Marlon Byrd the Cubs center fielder on August 1^st?

Cuban outfielder Yoenis Cespedes is also on Epstein’s radar, as he has personally attended Cespedes’ games while the outfielder awaits word on his residency.

With many players getting new opportunities, others fighting for a starting job or some displaying their talents for other teams, expect the Cubs to play hard each and every day, which is half the battle in a 162-game season.

The Cubs are better than the 71-91 team that took the field last year, but the talk of winning a division is premature.

But the fact of the matter is the Cubs are still at least a year or two away from the top of the NL Central. A star like Starlin Castro, and the excitement and foundation brought by Theo Epstein, is enough to stay tuned.

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