A Step in the Right Direction

By Mike Maguire | Nov 07, 8:33 PM

The Chicago Cubs took a big step in the right direction in reshuffling their pitching staff for the 2008 baseball season. Often in years past, the Cubs have thrown money at slugger after slugger in hopes of battering away the Billy Goat curse. While homeruns put asses in the seats (chicks dig the long ball), pitching wins baseball games (especially in October) and it seems like the Cubs are finally coming to grips with that fundamental fact.

The Cubs have stated their intentions to move Ryan Dempster into the starting rotation, opening up the derby for the closer's role to Bobby Howry, Carlos Marmol, and possibly Kerry Wood. This seemingly simple shift should help the Cubs in many ways.

First, the Cubs rotation needs the help. God knows how the Jason Marquis soap opera will unfold, and Sean Marshall is no more than the poor man's Rich Hill. If the Cubs are serious about entering baseball's elite in '08, they need to upgrade their pitching… and in a thin off-season market, giving Dempster (who has had success as a starter in the past) another go in the rotation is an intelligent option to explore.

Second, Dempster is not going to end up in Cooperstown as a closer. This move not only helps the Cubs rotation, but it could also make the bullpen stronger in the long run as well. There is no way that Kerry Wood will return to the Cubs unless he figures to be in the late inning/closing mix, and this move paves the way for the Cubs to keep one hell of an arm in their organization… perhaps as the closer for years to come (remember, Wood is still just 30 years old). If Wood can't do the job, surely some combination of Howry and Marmol can step up to get it done.

Perhaps most importantly, this innocent reshuffling shows Cubs fans that their team is thinking about the pitching staff (for the second off-season in a row). Sure, Mark Prior may yet save the day for the Cubs… but the fact that the North Siders are no longer waiting for him to walk on water speaks volumes for this team stuck in limbo. The Cubs can hit… they have one of the best combination of 3 star hitters in baseball in Soriano, Lee and Ramirez… but it will take more than their lumber to put them over the top. Ryan Dempster may not be the be-all, end-all answer, but he certainly is a step in the right direction.

Only the New York Yankees had a better record than the Cubs after June 1^st in 2007. Adding one more competent starter (and hopefully strengthening the late inning bullpen mojo) just might be enough to tip the scales in the Cubs favor.

…then again, finding a way to add A-Rod wouldn't hurt either.