Cubs need to start with pitching
Let’s put aside, for one day at least, what happens to the Cubs at first base, third base and right field next year.
Where the Cubs really need help is starting pitching.
The new general manager, whoever he or she is, will need to rebuild a rotation that had an ERA of 4.88 after Saturday’s 2-1 victory over the Houston Astros at Wrigley Field.
Matt Garza has been the Cubs’ most effective starter this season, with an ERA of 3.51 to go with a hard-luck record of 8-10. Depending on what happens in the off-season, Garza could go into next spring with the inside track to being the Cubs’ opening-day starter and ace.
Randy Wells bounced back from a forearm injury to put together a solid second half. He figures in the back of the rotation somewhere.
Here are some of the other key factors:
Dempster’s deal:Veteran Ryan Dempster, who starts Sunday#146;s, has a $14 million player option for 2012. Dempster has made Chicago his home since 2004, and he#146;s become a fixture in the community. It#146;s hard to imagine him not staying and Sunday being his last home start as a Cub. #147;I haven#146;t even thought about that,#148; he said Saturday. #147;I#146;m just trying to go out there and win a game tomorrow and let all those things handle themselves.#147;As a player, you just want to see where everything#146;s going and what direction they want to go and things like that more than anything. You know how much I love playing here. Hopefully, it#146;s not just about staying here for next year but staying past next year. I#146;ll worry about what#146;s on the field first.#148;In-house candidates:Andrew Cashner opened the season as the No. 5 starter before suffering a strained right rotator cuff and returning only recently, and as a reliever. It#146;s not certain what his role will be next year. Jeff Samardzija has improved steadily as a reliever after spending previous seasons yo-yoing between the majors and the minors and the rotation and the bullpen. Lefty Sean Marshall came up as a starting pitcher but since then, he#146;s become one of the best left-handed relievers in the game and one who can get both lefties and righties out. #147;Big, strong guy, has started before,#148; manager Mike Quade said of Samardzija. #147;There#146;s plenty of reasons for people to mull over that and think about that being a possibility. Looks like we need some starting pitching. All of those reasons. It#146;s not rocket science.#147;Who do you think about? You think about Marshall. You think about guys that have done it before. It#146;s like anything else around here. Just stay focused on finishing with what you#146;re doing now. Could that be a possibility? Absolutely. Where are we going with Cash? There are so many things. Cash, in my mind, I don#146;t know what the medical thing is going to be, but I#146;d like to see him start. I haven#146;t ruled that out at all.#148;Outside help:The Cubs#146; farm system has hit a wall in its development of major-league ready starters. Casey Coleman had a chance to grab a job, but he is 2-8 with a 7.06 ERA, making his future questionable.Minor-leaguer Jay Jackson couldn#146;t get a September call-up, and Class AA prospect Trey McNutt battled blister problems earlier this year. The free-agent market is iffy this winter, and the Cubs#146; budget will be a factor. #147;And if you#146;re going to go get some pitching, what#146;s available?#148; Quade asked. #147;Does it wind up being a decision on, #145;OK, we#146;ve got this but we still need this?#146; That#146;s kind of why we did it with Cash last year. Let#146;s make sure we don#146;t let a potential high-end starter just end up in the bullpen without taking a shot. It made perfect sense. It#146;s a (darn) shame he got hurt because we all wanted to see that experiment finish (strong), didn#146;t we? Maybe it starts up again this winter. We#146;ll see.#148;