Footprints in the Snow is FanHouse's look at the paths to be forged by MLB teams this winter as they look ahead to 2010.
Considering the Cubs were probably the most disappointing team in baseball in 2009, they definitely have their work cut out for them this offseason in order to return to being a legitimate contender. I guess Cubs fans should take solace in the fact that a winning season was considered a colossal failure -- after all, they have had a winning record in three consecutive seasons for the first time since the Nixon administration now. It's simply a sign that the bar has been raised in Wrigleyville. No longer content to play "lovable losers," Lou Piniella's Cubs are determined to win it all. New owner and lifelong Cubs fan Tom Ricketts has guaranteed the Cubs will win a World Series under his watch.
After altering the best Cubs team since 1945, general manager Jim Hendry has to find a way to get some of that magic back in 2010. He'll have to start by unloading one of the biggest mistakes of his career.
From the Windup is Matt Snyder's extended look at some aspect of America's pastime each Thursday.
Every Hot Stove season, each team reshapes its roster in an attempt to better themselves. After each transaction, whether a free agent acquisition, trade or something else, writers and bloggers everywhere provide knee-jerk reactions on each particular move. Though the majority of the analysis is educated, it's still just conjecture. Today, we'll take the long view and look back at some of the maneuvering this past offseason and see how it played out on the field.
In light of the recent offensive woes of the entire team -- namely Mike Fontenot, though -- Cubs manager Lou Piniella admitted it's a possibility to move Alfonso Soriano to second base. He did say it was a "last resort," but possible. You might recall Soriano played the majority of his early career at second, however, he's only played there for two innings since his move to the National League in 2006.
Moving Soriano to second base would give a huge boost to the Cubs' offense -- which just scored a meek two runs in a three-game series at St. Louis -- by enabling Micah Hoffpauir everyday at-bats in left field. Fontenot, along with Bobby Scales and Aaron Miles, would still be able to accrue at-bats at third base until Aramis Ramirez is healed.
Hold your breath, Cubs fans. Aramis Ramirez dislocated his left shoulder diving for a grounder in Friday night's game against the Brewers. We'll have to wait and see what the full prognosis is, but this could be a very serious blow for Chicago depending on the type of dislocation.
Ramirez, who came into the game batting .369 with 16 RBI, injured the shoulder when he made a great diving stop on a sharply hit grounder off the bat of Ryan Braun. He immediately grabbed his left arm in pain and Braun was safe at first as the ball rolled away.
Hold your breath, Cubs fans. Aramis Ramirez dislocated his left shoulder diving for a grounder in Friday night's game against the Brewers. We'll have to wait and see what the full prognosis is, but this could be a very serious blow for Chicago depending on the type of dislocation.
Ramirez, who came into the game batting .369 with 16 RBI, injured the shoulder when he made a great diving stop on a sharply hit grounder off the bat of Ryan Braun. He immediately grabbed his left arm in pain and Braun was safe at first as the ball rolled away.
FanHouse continues its 2009 MLB Preview with a look at the Chicago Cubs.
A magical regular season that yielded the most victories for the Cubs franchise since 1935 sent them to the postseason for the fourth time in a 11-season span. Unfortunately, 2008 ended the same way 1998, 2003 and 2007 did -- in disappointment. The Cubs head into 2009 hoping to wipe the slate clean and get over any fake curses they are allegedly saddled with.
Fantasy baseball draft season is coming, so you best be prepared by delving through every major player on each team. Fantasy FanHouse is here to help with a quick once-over.
Meet the ... Team who decided 97 wins wasn't enough. Seriously, why would you go out and intentionally make your team worse? Sorry, I'll spare you the huge homeristic rant right now. Instead, I'll just say that you can find good fantasy options at nearly every turn with this team, even though you shouldn't be taking any in the first few rounds.
As baseball's offseason slogs along at a molasses-like pace, the Jake Peavy-to-Cubs rumors just won't die. Whether it's actual reality or just pure conjecture at this point is hard to tell.
As I wrote a few days ago, the Cubs have recently shed payroll and stockpiled what could be perceived as trading chips during the course of this past week. While people in the know continue to dispel myths of the Jake Peavy talks resurfacing, it seems the Brian Roberts rumors of this past offseason are being kept on life support.
There is apparently talk in Baltimore from fans, but -- like Peter Schmuck -- I'm not buying it. The Cubs wouldn't have signed Aaron Miles to a two year deal to join Ryan Theriot, Mike Fontenot, and Ronny Cedeno in the middle infielder fray if they planned on adding Roberts. That would mean they likely would need to trade two of the aforementioned group to realistically round out their opening day roster. It doesn't make sense, logisitically.
I'm still standing firm in my belief that this move was made as a precursor to landing Peavy, even if it's during the season. People everywhere are giving reasons to dispute my claim, but this would really be the only way to justify trading Mark DeRosa at this juncture.
Footprints in the Snow is FanHouse's look at the paths to be forged by MLB teams this winter as they look ahead to 2010.
After the Cubs finally broke their crippling eight-game losing streak Tuesday, they made a 
In light of the recent offensive woes of the entire team -- namely Mike Fontenot, though -- Cubs manager 
Hold your breath, Cubs fans. 
Fantasy baseball draft season is coming, so you best be prepared by delving through 
As baseball's offseason slogs along at a molasses-like pace, the 
As I wrote a few days ago, the Cubs have recently shed payroll and stockpiled what could be perceived as trading chips during the course of this past week. While people in the know continue to dispel myths of the 
