Wait 'till next year

We've all heard it before. Probably have even said it a few times. Hell, it's the title of the Cubs documentary on HBO. And unfortunately, it'll continue this offseason leading us into our 99th year without a World Series championship. Yes, the wounds may be still fresh, but as many Cubs fans know it's never too early to start thinking about next year. And a good place to start is the roster, to determine who will be back, who should be back, and who better start talking to his agent.



See You in Spring Training:


Alfonso Soriano: He'll be roaming left field for the next several years. The question is how long will be leading off?

Derrek Lee: The Gold Glove first baseman is signed through 2010 and has a full no trade clause. I don't see them wanting to trade him anytime soon anyways.

Aramis Ramirez: Injuries slowed him down this year limiting him to only 132 games. It's never good to see a 30 year old third baseman get so many days off throughout the season. He's locked up till 2011 but can opt out after 2010.

Mark DeRosa: "This isn't a contract that's likely to work out well." This was Keith Law's review of the DeRosa signing in the offseason. He played six different positions and had a .371 OBP this year. So far so good.

Carlos Zambrano: He finally he got his extension even though his season was so up and down. His Cy Young and World Series talk was a little too much and hopefully he'll let his pitching do the talking next year.

Ted Lilly: He had a solid season as the number two starter and will be slotted in the same spot next year.

Rich Hill: He led the team in strikeouts this year and looked unhittable at times. He'll be the number three next year completing a pretty solid 1-2-3, in the NL at least.

Daryle Ward: The pinch hit specialist has a team option for 1.2 million next year and the Cubs would be silly not to pick it up.

Carlos Marmol: He had an amazing season out of the bullpen. Lou Piniella relied on him heavily to get out of tough jams and he did, stranding 88 percent of inherited runners. But will he be given a chance to close next year?

Bob Howry: The set up man also had a good season with a near 4:1 strikeout to walk ratio. He'll be pitching for a contract next season and should be setting up again, but I can see him being given a chance at closing in spring training.

Scott Eyre: Stevie Ire had an awful first half of the season and was relegated to mop up duty. But in the second half he was almost unhittable posting a 0.81 ERA and averaging about 8 K/9. He has one more year left and will be the go to left hander in the pen, unless of course he duplicates his first half of this season.

Michael Wuertz - Lou Piniella used him a lot down the stretch and rightfully so. He averaged more than 2 strikeouts per walk and posted almost 10 K/9.

Matt Murton: He'll be back next year but whether he'll start or not is the question. He should be given the job right field job in spring training but we'll see what Lou will decide.

Ryan Theriot: The Cubs considered him to be a super sub at the beginning of the season, but his play made them rethink that and thankfully forced them to trade Cesar "Hot Zones" Izturis. He needs to walk more so he can take advantage of his speed. Piniella has confidence in The Riot but Hendry might do some window shopping in the offseason just to see whats out there. And we can't forget those A-Rod rumors.

Geovany Soto: The Pacific Coast League MVP came up and proved that he belonged. He overcame the weight issue that plagued him throughout his career and should be written in as the starting catcher next season.

Henry Blanco: Hank White has one year left on his contract and has been a big influence on Soto. He will give the kid some days off here and there, plus he has all those awesome tattoos.

Kevin Hart: The Cubs' Minor League Pitcher of the Year performed well enough to make the postseason roster. He'll be given a chance to be the fifth starter. If not, he'll definitely have a place in the bullpen.

Ryan Dempster: Sadly, he will be back next year because of his asinine salary. Most people think he'll lose his job as closer next year, but if he does, I would assume he'd be given a chance at a spot in the rotation. It's a lose/lose situation.

We'll Call You

Ronny Cedeno/Mike Fontenot/Eric Patterson: One of them will be back to be the backup infielder. Fontenot started off really hot when he came up but faded down the stretch. Cedeno started off slow and really got it together when he got called back up at the end of the season. Patterson has the most talent but got himself in trouble by showing up late to a game. It will probably come down to who has the better spring training.

Jacque Jones: The man that everyone loved to hate, then love, then hate again would probably not mind being moved this offseason. The Cubs couldn't give him away at mid-season and when the trade to Florida fell through, he was named the everyday center fielder where he went on to finish strong. Go figure. He's scheduled to make 5 million next year which is reasonable unless...

Felix Pie: Pie could be given the starting job next year which could lower the Cubs desire to keep Jones. But they'll probably hold on to Jones unless they know for sure that Pie is ready. He played good defense but struggled to hit. If he can show he can handle facing major league pitching, its his job to lose.

Cliff Floyd: The often injured outfielder played well enough this year to merit a role as a bench player next year. But will Floyd accept less money and a smaller role?

Kerry Wood: The often injured pitcher surprised everyone by becoming healthy enough to return to the team at mid-season. He pitched well and deserves a spot in the pen next year as well. But what kind of contract will he be looking for? He's already cost the Cubs a ton of money and it's hard to commit to a pitcher who has missed as much time as he has.

Will Ohman: He had his problems with the Cubs front office and struggled throughout the season. The only reason he has a chance at coming back is because he has one year left on his deal.

Sean Marshall: He made 19 starts this season, 10 of them being quality starts. He pitched well enough to be given another shot to start next year but not making the postseason roster shows the Cubs might not agree.

Good Luck Next Year...

Jason Kendall: After joining the Cubs he posted a .362 OBP which was about 60 points higher than the previous backstops this season. He couldn't throw out anyone and no longer has much speed. But hey, he made $60 million dollars over the past six seasons. I hope he invested it wisely.

Craig Monroe: He'll want more money and a starting job, neither of which the Cubs will offer.

Steve Trachsel: Thanks for playing.

Mark Prior: Unless he takes a massive pay cut, the Cubs will let him loose. It was fun while it lasted, well for that one year at least. And until that one postseason start. But everything in between was nice.

Jason Marquis: A guy can hope can't he?