Kuzul

Going into Tuesday night’s play, the Boston Red Sox hold last place in the AL East, eight games behind the New York Yankees. With a record of 33-33, the Red Sox don’t appear to be out of the playoff picture, though they do have four teams to climb over for the division lead.

The AL Wild Card picture looks a bit more encouraging, with the Red Sox only four games behind and two bids available this season. But in terms of the scrum, Boston has a bigger crowd to fight through with five teams above them in the standings. Plus, two teams—Detroit and Oakland—are at their heels.

The Red Sox have allowed the third-most runs in the AL this season, so getting some starting pitching help would be the place to begin for an upgrade. And in a development that has plenty of baseball writers rubbing their hands together and smiling, the team that has the most available help for the Red Sox is run by their former general manager.

Chicago Cubs team president Theo Epstein has two extremely appealing trade pieces in Ryan Dempster and Matt Garza. Dempster just went on the disabled list with a lat injury, which obviously hurts his current trade value. But for the Red Sox, that might be irrelevant anyway. Garza is the guy to pursue.

Not only is Garza the more dynamic pitcher, posing more of a strikeout threat than Dempster, but, most importantly, he has experience pitching in the AL East in three years with the Tampa Bay Rays. Garza sees himself as a good fit, too, telling WEEI that the AL East doesn’t scare him a bit. 

Some might think that Epstein would be hesitant to deal with his former team, given how his tenure as Red Sox GM ended last year. But Epstein’s exit certainly wasn’t as contentious as Terry Francona’s. There weren’t any searing Boston Globe pieces that stabbed Epstein in the back once he was gone. Of course, Epstein probably has dirt on the inner workings of the Red Sox’s front office, so it’s best not to upset him. 

However, we did see some latent tension between Epstein and Red Sox ownership last week.

Epstein said he regretted some of his decisions in Boston—such as signing John Lackey to an $83 million contract—saying they were made to feed “the monster” that the Red Sox created. The implication was that ownership pressured him to make a move for the sake of doing something. Red Sox chairman Tom Werner disputed that, saying that Epstein was never pressured to sign a particular player. 

But that’s not highly charged language that indicates deep dislike between the two sides. And even if it was, Epstein wouldn’t refuse to deal with the Cubs because of any grudge toward his former team. Likewise, the Red Sox wouldn’t hold a grudge against their former GM. Business is business, and both sides want to improve their respective teams. 

Besides, how much can Epstein really help the Red Sox? Yes, trading them a top starting pitcher would help their chances at playoff contention. If the AL East race stays close, getting Garza could make the difference for Boston.

But the Red Sox have needed to broom out their clubhouse since last season. Buster Olney’s report that the Boston clubhouse is swimming in dissension confirmed that. (Should it be a surprise that the players disagreed with Olney’s article?)

Epstein isn’t going to help with that. He’s not taking the surly Kevin Youkilis off their hands. He doesn’t want any part of Josh Beckett. And if Epstein regrets signing Carl Crawford the first time, why would he take that contract in Chicago? 

But the Red Sox could help Epstein and the Cubs. Epstein is extremely familiar with Boston’s minor league system, having played a prominent role in drafting and developing most of those prospects.

Writing for ESPN.com, Eric Seidman proposes several deals that the Red Sox and Cubs could make, such as one packaged around Boston’s top pitching prospect, Matt Barnes. Shortstop prospects Xander Bogaerts or Jose Iglesias could be part of a potential deal, too. Throw in another good arm like Brandon Workman and that’s a nice return for Garza. 

Would Epstein be a fool to help the Red Sox at the trade deadline? Absolutely not. He can help himself and the Cubs too much. If anything, Epstein would be a fool not to deal with the Red Sox. He knows the kind of deal GM Ben Cherington and team ownership would want to make. It’s just a matter of putting the right pieces together. 

Follow @iancass on Twitter.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

The most diminutive player on the field for the Chicago Cubs is showing them where the future of the organization needs to be headed. When Theo Epstein took the job, he already had a plan in place.

The only guesswork was how do you win playing at Wrigley Field? Tony Campana has provided him with the answer.

It’s always tough to score at Wrigley in April and May—even when the team has a roster full of sluggers. This season highlights it more than ever with the Cubs having a shortage of power in the lineup.

Speed is the answer to the question a century of Cubs GM’s have never asked. That is the secret to winning at Wrigley.

Considering the Cubs have never won the World Series while playing there, it was probably easier for Columbus to discover America than it has been for the Cubs to solve that riddle.

I would have to be crazy to suggest that Campana, who looks more like a bat-boy than a player, is the “Holy Grail” for Cubs fans. It’s not him specifically but what he represents.

Despite being a menial major leaguer who best fits as a fourth or fifth outfielder, Campana has demonstrated what the Cubs have been missing.

Looking at the numbers, here’s a player with a career .309 OBP who has scored 39 runs in 256 at-bats. If you look at a typical leadoff hitter, he will come to the plate over 600 times in a season.

Projecting those numbers out, Campana would be close to a 100 runs scored for the season. That’s for a player who can barely get on base, but amazing things happen when he does reach.

In 42 career stolen base attempts, he has been thrown out only five times.

Once he gets on, the pitcher forgets about concentrating on the batter. Instead, almost his entire focus is on Campana—whether it’s looking him back to first or throwing over so many times it elicits boos from the fans.

It also gives the hitter an advantage, because he’s far more likely to see a fastball to give the catcher a chance to throw the runner out.

Campana has mentioned in the past that if he gets on base, it’s like a double, because of the assumption he’s going to steal.

A player like him puts pressure on the defense. Even an infield grounder is an adventure, because the fielder knows he has a split second to make a play or he’s going to beat it out.

If he’s on third with less than two outs, which happens fairly often because he doesn’t just steal second, almost any ball to the outfield, and most infield grounders, are an automatic run.

A player like Campana completely changes the way a team plays against the Cubs. It hasn’t done much for them this year, because they are so inept. But a few years down the line—with better personnel—it could do wonders.

Look at the White Sox in 2005 when they added Scott Podsednik to the team. He gave them the same dynamic Campana gives the Cubs.

It worked, because they became the first Chicago team since 1917 to win the World Series. It wasn’t only him, but they wouldn’t have won without him.

I admit I don’t watch as many Cubs games as I have in the past, because as I said—they’re bad. But when Campana’s up, I don’t turn the channel.

I like to see him run, and I love to see the commotion he causes on the base-paths.

Don’t think I’m crazy. I’m not saying Tony Campana is the missing piece to the puzzle for the Cubs. Instead, he solves the puzzle of what it takes to win at Wrigley Field.

The Cubs just need a few bigger and better Tony Campana’s to fill the roster in the next few years.

Speed kills, and a lack of it has been killing the Cubs for years.

With a new regime, it’s time for that to change.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Theo Epstein’s introduction as President of the Chicago Cubs was impressive.  You won’t see a sports executive as glib and articulate as the 38 year-old Epstein. When it comes to “winning the press conference,” few have won as convincingly as he did.  Some six months later, what stands out most from that October morning is Epstein’s proclamation that “every opportunity to win is sacred.” 

At this point – having recently completed the franchise’s longest losing streak in over a decade– 2012 appears to be the exception to Epstein’s first promise to long-suffering Cub fans. 

Epstein and GM Jed Hoyer inherited bad players with awful contracts, there’s no debating that.  They also inherited a group of players with the ability to contribute in 2012 and carry on the critical momentum from that late-October press conference. 

In addressing the recent 12 game slide, Hoyer said “we have guys with good track records that aren’t hitting.”  He’s absolutely correct, the Cubs are not hitting.  When out of 16 National League teams, you’re 14th in runs scored, 13th in on-base percentage and 9th in batting average, not only are you failing to hit, you’re causing opposing pitchers to salivate.  Where Hoyer loses me, is when he talks about “good track records.”  The much maligned Alfonso Soriano is sporting his best batting average since 2008.  Brian LaHair has exceeded the expectations of even the most optimistic prognosticator.  David DeJesus has raised his batting average by fifty points since last season, while Starlin Castro, Darwin Barney and Ian Stewart are all producing at a rate that follows suit with what they’ve done in recent seasons.  Cub hitters are doing almost exactly what their track records suggest they should.

As much as Cubs brass might want to blame this on a struggling offense they had little control over, don’t let them downplay the impact the bullpen has had on the season.  When the front office “dream team” took the reigns last winter, the bullpen was a strength for this ball club.  Sean Marshall, James Russell, Kerry Wood, Carlos Marmol, Andrew Cashner and Jeff Samardzija had all proven themselves capable of contributing at the big league level.  Somewhere around Christmas – and maybe you can chalk it up to the season of giving, maybe it was simple holiday cheer, maybe it was the eggnog – Theo and Jed decided to blow up the bullpen.  Sean Marshall was sent to the division rival Cincinnati Reds for the same Travis Wood who couldn’t beat out Chris Volstad for a spot in the rotation.   Andrew Cashner was shipped to Jed Hoyer’s old team in San Diego in exchange for top-prospect Anthony Rizzo.  Despite his tremendous upside, Rizzo is still an unknown, having fallen flat on his face in his only stint against big-league pitching. Samardzija was wisely moved to the rotation, but nothing was done to replace his power arm or his ability to eat up multiple innings per appearance.   Kerry Wood retired after 10 appearances and Carlos Marmol took up residence on the disabled list early in the season.  Durability issues should not have come as a surprise for either. 

Thus far, the Cub bullpen has blown 5 leads and lost another 5 games.   Even for a team 15 games under .500, eliminating half of those makes a substantial difference.  A 22-27 team is worlds away from a 17-32 team.  

For those wondering, Sean Marshall has 8 saves, 4 holds and 24 strikeouts in 17 innings of work.  Andrew Cashner – with a fastball that regularly reaches 100 MPH– has 24 strikeouts in 21 innings with a 3.38 ERA.  And yes, I know Tyler Colvin is hitting .300 in Colorado while Carlos Zambrano has a 3.00 ERA over 66 IP in South Florida.  

To Epstein’s credit, he made no excuses for the team’s abominable 12-game slide.  “The fans have a right to be upset anytime we aren’t playing winning baseball, especially during a stretch like this. I understand it, I just think if we start making decisions based on it or scrap plans because of it, try to put band aids on it, we’re doing the fans a disservice in the long run.”    

What Epstein seems to have learned since October – and Hoyer quickly needs to- is that Cub fans have no tolerance for speaking out of both sides of your mouth.  If you say every opportunity to win is sacred, you better back it up.  Hoyer’s excuse about Cub hitters not performing at a level consistent with their past history won’t go far with this fan base either.  For example, they’re well aware that Ian Stewart hit .156 with 6 RBIs in 2011, while the Cubs got 93 RBIs and a .306 average from their third baseman. 

While early returns on their first off-season are mixed at best, we have no idea how those moves will pan out in the long term.  Theo and Jed certainly deserve the benefit of the doubt based on their track records. 

We do know this:  The Cubs are not suffering from a group of proven hitters failing to perform and 2012 was not approached as a “sacred” opportunity to win.  If Theo and Jed plan to take up an extended residence at 1060 West Addison Street, the empty promises and soft excuses need to stop and their long-term bets need to start paying dividends sooner rather than later.    

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

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.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

In January of this year, the New York Times ran a story that said the Yankees are saving now for a potential free-agency splash next winter. The story highlighted hurlers Matt Cain of the Giants and Cole Hamel of the Phillies as potential targets for the pinstripes.

But could the Yankees be loading up the ole piggy bank for the heir apparent to Derek Jeter?

Could it be that the Bronx Bombers are eyeballing Starlin Castro, the sweet-swinging shortstop for an annually afflicted Chicago Cubs franchise?

At first this question seems preposterous, especially in light of how well Jeter has been playing thus far this season.

But looking big picture, a few things have occurred in the past month that points to the potential for Castro to eventually become a Yankee.

First, Castro is eligible for arbitration after the 2012 season. While the Cubs have signed Castro through 2012, new Cubs GM Theo Epstein has yet to commit to Castro long-term. Reasons for this vary, which will be highlighted in a moment.

Second, Castro’s at-times attention deficit at shortstop has sparked Chicago radio pundits to float the opinion balloon that Castro should move to the outfield.  

To this, I say perfecto!

Yankees outfielder Nick Swisher is a free agent after this season.  According to ESPN New York writer Wallace Matthews, Swisher intends to test the free agent market in 2013.

Andruw Jones will also become a free agent. And there is no guarantee the Yankees will re-sign him.

The Cubs could give Castro some serious on-the-job-training in right field. Castro could then learn the ins and outs of the position, en route to becoming the right fielder for the Yankees next season.

Once a Yankee, Castro would receive mentorship from Jeter on how to properly prepare to play shortstop every day for one of the greatest baseball teams in world history.

Who better for a young phenom like Castro to receive mentorship from?

Then when Jeter finally hangs the spikes up in a few campaigns, the Yankees can seamlessly slip Castro into Jeter’s position.

Castro and Cano.

Has a nice ring to it, doesn’t it?

Two .300-hitting ballplayers playing middle infield together in New York over the next decade.

Let daydreaming by Yankee fans out school and office windows begin.

Let collectors of skyrocketing Castro rookie cards and memorabilia feel like kids once again.  

Hark the Herald Angels [who for the record love the New York Yankees] Sing…

All right, all right; snap out of it!

Back to reality, we all know Mr. Epstein is much smarter than letting the Cubbies best player in years get away without receiving anything in return. After all, Epstein did not shrewdly transform the Red Sox into World Champions without some intelligent aggressiveness.

Barring insanity, Epstein will keep Castro at shortstop for now, amid a backdrop of taking trade offers from other ball clubs. Perhaps in time, Epstein will ship Castro out of Chicago as part of a mega deal. 

What a great way for a struggling club to load up on young arms and bats, than to trade away a phenom like Castro to a contender. A phenom, by the way, who makes just $567K. In baseball, this is chump change.

And do not think for one hot second the Boston Red Sox do not have their scopes set on Castro, either. If Jose Iglesias’ bat does not join his spectacular defense at shortstop, Boston will also enter the Castro sweepstakes.

Then again, Epstein could just step in and sign Castro this summer, and thus make him the face of the Cubs for the next decade. Trade or sign, the opinion Castro becomes a New York Yankee will thus become null and void. And Castro could go on to become our generation’s Ernie Banks.

But as all baseball fans can attest, the Yankees have proven time and time again throughout their history, when they want someone, they usually go all-out to get them.

James is a huge baseball fan who loves to write and make new friends. You can follow James on Twitter by clicking HITHA!

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

It seems as though Theo Epstein has finally found a suitor for struggling veteran outfielder, Marlon Byrd. Reported by ESPN Chicago, Byrd is apparently shipping up to Boston. 

The trade is reported as “imminent” and may be officially announced at any time now. This deal would mark the first major in-season trade for Theo Epstein and Jed Hoyer’s administration in Chicago as well as Ben Cherington’s first in Boston.

Byrd, a 35-year-old center fielder, has struggled this season, much as he did at the end of his 2011 campaign, after a hit-by-pitch sidelined him with a face injury midseason.

He only has three hits in 43 at bats thus far, all of them singles. Ben Cherington will hope a new environment will help Byrd turn around.

With Jacoby Ellsbury and Carl Crawford on the disabled list, as well as Jason Repko injuring himself on Friday, Boston is in dire need of outfield depth. As of now, their outfield is primarily composed of back ups and Triple-A caliber talent. The acquisition of Byrd provides Boston with at least more experience in the outfield.

Throughout his 10-year career, Byrd is a .278 hitter with some power. An All-Star in 2010 with the Cubs, Byrd actually had his best season in 2009 when he hit 20 home runs and had 89 RBI with the Texas Rangers. In 2011, he battled with injuries, but when he was on the field, he hit fairly well.

While exploring other options, most notably speedster Scott Podsednik, Boston really had little to no options on the open market or in the farm system. This is likely the worst possible time to trade for Byrd, who is currently hitting .071.

The deal seems more and more likely by the hour, as Ken Rosenthal deems the trade “probable.” Also, according to the Boston Herald, manager Bobby Valentine responded to the rumors.

“The talks have been good talks, from what I gather,” Valentine said. “Ben [Cherington] will try to get as good a player as he can get.”

The Red Sox skipper’s words ring true here. The best possible option at the moment for the Boston Red Sox is Marlon Byrd, whether anyone likes it or not. Options are scarce and there is hope that he does pick things up with a change of scenery. He may not be the ideal replacement out in center field, but bringing him in is a must at this point.

While it is unknown what Chicago will get in return, it will likely be a left handed arm in the bullpen from Boston’s major league squad or Triple-A level. Needless to say, they will not receive a whole lot for Byrd.

Update: 2:30P.M. According to Ken Rosenthal’s latest Tweet, it seems likely that the Chicago Cubs will pay a chunk of Byrd’s contract. There are currently “timing issues” between both sides, pushing the deal to take longer. Also, Michael Bowden is the assumed pitcher to be sent to the Cubs as part of the deal.

Update: 6:03 p.m. Previously Tweeted by Bruce Levine of ESPN, Marlon Byrd has confirmed that he has been traded to Boston. The deal is now official and details will be released following the Red Sox game against the Yankees.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Cubs fans, I’d like to take a poll. How many of you expected Alfonso Soriano to be hitting over .300 after the first week of the season?

I’d be shocked if more than 10 percent of you said yes.

Nonetheless, Soriano has been the most impressive Cub this season, outside of young superstar Starlin Castro.  He has been an offensive catalyst for the team while batting .302 with six RBIs and a stolen base.

Soriano historically starts strong and then fades as injuries catch up to him and limit his production. But he looks healthier than usual (even at the start of the season) and is benefiting from new manager Dave Sveum’s penchant for running the base paths.

Now, the Cubs need to ride Soriano’s hot streak while looking for the right opportunity to trade him to a contender.

He will not keep up this kind of production all season but could keep playing at a high level while healthy.  If he can also show other teams that he still has the speed to steal some bases, then his value will shoot up.

Soriano’s play could open up trade opportunities that looked like long shots during the preseason.

Before now, teams saw Soriano as a low-average player whose speed was long gone; basically, to them, he was just a power guy.  He may still be that, but, if he keeps his average above .280 for a while and continues to steal bases, that perception will change.  

And the Cubs desperately need it to change so they can deal him off the roster and convince a team to pay some of his salary.

Which teams might be willing to do that?  

Some interesting options may open up. The Boston Red Sox outfield is a disaster, and it is showing in their 2-5 start.  Cody Ross and Mike Sweeney are manning the corners and neither of them has the hitting ability to be a starting outfielder.

Soriano could be a fit, mixing left field with days at designated hitter. The Red Sox certainly need his offensive production with all their question marks across the diamond.

The Chicago White Sox are also intriguing.  

The Sox are playing fairly well to start the season, which means they might take on salary to contend after dumping millions in contract obligations in the offseason. Current outfielders Alex Rios and Dayan Viciedo are disasters in the early going, so the team may want Soriano’s 30-plus home runs at the right price.  

Whatever happens, Cubs fans should be excited about Soriano’s hot streak.  If nothing else, it gives the franchise better options moving forward.  

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

With a flare for the dramatic, Theo Epstein pulled a Kerry Wood out of his hat, appeasing the throng of Cubs fans on hand at the annual Cubs Convention. Theo really knows how to play a crowd, but this move smacked of the past regime throwing the fans a bone.

Listening to Epstein talk, I thought he was above pandering, but now I’m not so sure.

Cubs fans universally love Kid K, but he’s no longer the phenom who struck out 20 Houston Astros in just his fifth major league start.

If you watched him pitch that day, you would have assumed the Hall of Fame would be polishing up a bust of him for his future nomination. Unfortunately, his career was plagued by injuries, and Wood became the poster boy of all the bad luck that is the Chicago Cubs.

Do Cubs fans need a mascot? I thought that was Ronnie Woo Woo.

I love Kerry Wood as much as the next guy, but where are the Cubs going next year?

Was this a Theo Epstein move, or was it dictated by Cubs owner Tom Ricketts, who is a big fan and wants him somewhere in the organization after his career ends?

Since Theo supposedly has autonomy over the roster, maybe he was trying to win favor with his boss, even though he doesn’t need to.

Perhaps this was a marketing ploy to keep the fans coming through the turnstiles despite the fact the team will probably not be contending for anything this year.

But isn’t the front office the attraction? Do the Cubs have a bigger star than Theo? Won’t the fans pay the freight knowing there is now hope for the future?

I know Theo’s not performing on the field, but isn’t the thought of him there enough to keep the crowds coming?

Maybe because Wood signed below market value last year when former GM Jim Hendry signed him to a $1.5 million contract, the current brass felt they owed him something.

Epstein said he wasn’t going to make any moves like bringing back a fan favorite if it didn’t help the team on the field.

You can say Wood makes them better, but at what cost? His contract is for $3 million with a club option. That sounds like a lot more than they initially offered him.

Why did the numbers change, and why did it suddenly become so important to bring Wood on board?

Was it done strictly for the buzz and good feeling it created at the convention? You have to admit the timing was perfect.

It could be that Wood is the kind of veteran to teach the young players the right way to be a professional. Management might think that is more valuable than what he contributes on the mound.

There was talk earlier in the week that the Cubs were going to cut ties with Wood and possibly bring in Jason Varitek from the Red Sox for his leadership abilities. When that came out in the local daily, fans were incensed that they would bring in an outsider at the expense of their beloved Wood.

Did Theo buck to the pressure?

I would hope not.

He’s shown the guts to finally blow up the team and start from scratch. I admire that, and I’ve been waiting for the Cubs to do that my entire life.

He’s preaching patience, because doing things the right way takes time. It’s taken 103 years of doing things the wrong way, so it’s not too much to ask for a little patience when somebody’s doing it right.

Just don’t cry at the trade deadline when Theo sends Woody to a contender for a prospect that might be a part of the Cubs finally winning.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

For the first few months of the Cubs new administration, it has been relatively quiet on the forefront despite being in the running for several free agents throughout the offseason. However, yesterday Theo Epstein and Jed Hoyer acquired first baseman Anthony Rizzo and Zach Cates, a 23-year-old pitcher from the San Diego Padres in exchange for Andrew Cashner and Kyung-Nin Ma according to MLB.com writer, Carrie Muskrat.

Although this trade is not in the same league as signing Prince Fielder, nor does this mean that Rizzo will be the projected starting first baseman for the Cubs this season, but Rizzo is undoubtedly a promising prospect that will be a serious component in the Cubs future. It seemed evident Rizzo would be on his way out of Chicago after the Padres traded for Yondo Alonso. With this move, Epstein and Co. were able to jump and grab a premier prospect. 

Rizzo was called up to play for the MLB squad in San Diego last season, but flopped by only hitting .143 in only 35 games. In response to this, Jed Hoyer claimed on an interview with MLB.com that, “It was too early and a mistake on my part, and I don’t think I did Anthony any favors there.”Hoyer of course, was the one who decided to call Rizzo up last season, as he serves as the general manager for the Padres. Despite his lousy start, Hoyer believes that Rizzo is the future of the Cubs.

When asked about thoughts on Rizzo and his future with his new organization, Hoyer said that, “The way we see it is Bryan had a terrific year last year in Triple-A and has been terrific this year in Venezuela. We see him as our first baseman. It’s likely Anthony will start the year in Triple-A.” The Cubs have seemingly found their first baseman for the upcoming years, which is a very spectacular start to the re-building of the Cubs farm system, which has been beyond depleted for quite a while.

Alongside Rizzo, the Cubs also acquired a 23-year-old, Zach Cates, who went 4-10 with a 4.73 ERA in his first ever professional season within an organization. While he may not be the premier pitcher for the system, he seems to have some potential with a lot of time to develop before reaching the MLB level.

In return for these two prospects, the Cubs gave up Andrew Cashner, who was plagued by injuries and thought of by Theo Epstein as a reliever at best for the remainder of his career as well as Kyung-Nin Ma, a solid bat, but only a 20-year-old, who is far from reaching the big leagues. To say Rizzo was well worth it would be a massive understatement.

Disregarding his stint in San Diego, which is not going to do any hitter favors, Rizzo had a phenomenal tenure in Triple-A, hitting .331 with 26 home runs and 101 RBIs. While he will not be the starter this season, Rizzo definitely has a future on the Cubs. Without giving up too much, Theo Epstein and Jed Hoyer re-acquired a bat they have loved, but gave up for Adrian Gonzalez while serving in Boston last offseason.

Rizzo is a quality bat and with the right training in Triple-A to start the season, Rizzo could prove to be the most underrated acquisition in the Epstein/Hoyer era. While San Diego technically didn’t lose anything, seeing as they have more faith in the abilities of Alonso, the Cubs did gain a very quality bat who could be a solid asset in the middle of Chicago’s lineup for years to come.

Follow DJ Rallo @Str8edgeRallo

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

How do you like Theo Epstein now?

After kicking off his Chicago Cubs tenure with two low-key acquisitions in outfielder David DeJesus and third baseman Ian Stewart, Epstein has shifted personnel moves into second gear now—dumping volatile Carlos Zambrano and adding young, slugging first baseman Anthony Rizzo.

At this rate, Cubs fans can dream that maybe Epstein can keep the magic rolling and dump Alfonso Soriano on some AL team needing a designated hitter, trade Ryan Dempster for a top pitching prospect and trade Marlon Byrd for more pitching depth.

It probably won’t happen, but it’s not out of the realm of possibility, either.

And even if none of those moves happen, Epstein has already done quite a bit.

Epstein’s surgery on the Cubs

Let’s see. He has:

• upgraded the outfield defense with DeJesus
• upgraded the defense at third base with Stewart
• resolved the black hole at first base for the long term with Rizzo
• added a couple solid young starting pitchers in Travis Wood and Chris Volstad
• subtracted the volcano named Carlos Zambrano
• stockpiled a few extra rotation and bullpen arms
• added depth in the minor league system (esp. with Dave Sappelt)
• balanced the team with lefties in both the batting order and the pitching staff
• not wasted money on long-term contracts to future Alfonso Sorianos

With stronger defense, more youth, more depth and less reality TV drama, the Cubs are starting to look like a team I can enjoy watching.

In contrast, I swore at the beginning of the season I wouldn’t pay a cent to step foot in Wrigley Field, knowing the team would be really bad.

As the police like to say at a crime scene, “Nothing to see here, people. Move along.” Wrigley was the crime scene, and there indeed was nothing worth seeing.

A few others agreed: Attendance was down for the second consecutive season, and there were even more empty seats in the stadium compared to the announced attendance totals.

This season feels different. The team is starting to bear Epstein’s fingerprints: Instead of aging and bad, the Cubs look young and promising. 

Skeptical?

Some may scoff and say this team still won’t be competitive, and that may be true, but I also wouldn’t be so quick to discount the possibility of a quick turnaround that Epstein has said is possible.

Want a real-life example of the possibility?

The Tampa Bay Rays had just come off a 66-96 season in 2007. New Rays GM Andrew Friedman made a lot of mostly unheralded acquisitions, so come spring training, no one expected the Rays to be competitive. Yet, the Rays finished the 2008 campaign 97-65, beating out the mighty Yankees and Red Sox to win the AL East and making it to the World Series.

Can the Cubs be the 2012 version of the 2008 Rays?

Let’s just say Wrigley is no longer a crime scene. They’ll be more competitive than you think, and they’ll be more enjoyable to watch.

I’ll be looking for tickets this season.

Your turn

Optimistic about the upcoming season, or pessimistic? Will you be going to Wrigley this year?

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com