Spiegel: Time to enjoy this Cubs' hitters parade

Everybody gets it now.

The vision manifesting itself in front of your eyes hammers it home to even the staunchest nonbelievers.

The Cubs will have a very young, very good, very cheap lineup for several years to come.

This was the plan, the methodology to build the "foundation of sustained success."

Right-handed power has become baseball's most sought-after asset, and the Cubs now sit with an obvious, cost-efficient abundance. Payroll dollars will be free to spend on pitching. Assets are lined up to be part of deadline trades as a buyer, adding final pieces to a playoff push.

The hitters are coming, one after another.

They have shown themselves to be exciting, flawed, raw, evolving and often stunningly impressive.

Jorge Soler is the latest, and he has made people briefly forget about Javier Baez's historic strikeout rate. Soler's 2-homer night Friday gave him 3 in his first three games. Baez accomplished the same on Aug. 7.

The last time two rookies under 22 each did that for the same team in the same year? Never.

Meanwhile, the jewel of the farm system is busy padding his minor-league-leading 43 home run total for the season. Jed Hoyer reiterated that Kris Bryant won't see the bigs until next year.

Picture a lineup with Starlin Castro, Anthony Rizzo, Arismendy Alcantara, Baez, Soler, Bryant and Welington Castillo and you will smile.

Baez had a terrific at-bat Friday leading to a 2-run double and does have 7 homers in his first month. But he strikes out every other time he comes to the plate. Maybe he's the one Theo Epstein decides to make available in trade this off-season.

Addison Russell and Albert Almora are readying themselves to join the party. Kyle Schwarber is hitting bombs with Ruthian prowess at the lower levels. The next two years will see a steady stream of Wrigley debuts.

I've written earlier this season about the paradigm shift that will begin in 2015, when wins will be valued more.

Well, if this summer is any indication, the possibilities for contention are immediate.

June and August both have been over-.500 months. The field has been filled with viable pieces for next year and beyond. If the Cubs were to add an expensive ace like Jon Lester to go with Jake Arrieta and Kyle Hendricks, the rotation could be way ahead of schedule. The young bullpen has been a bright spot all season.

The Cubs know that real hope has arrived. Theo called them "must-see TV" this week on The Score. The partial deal with WGN-TV is up this off-season, and the timing is right.

For the first time in organizational history, season-ticket holders will be asked to decide whether to renew before the end of this season. Invoices are going out Tuesday. People on the waiting list will leap to fill unclaimed spots, knowing the daily possibilities for a power barrage.

I keep thinking of a memorable morning hosting Hit & Run with Barry Rozner in August 2012, when caller Mike from Palatine was an emblem of thousands. Mike was grumpy about his time wasted that season on the couch. He was angry that the veterans were being traded away.

Then 83-year-old Margaret called in. Her first game was in 1941. She waited in line at midnight for seven hours so she could get bleacher seats to Game 4 of the 1945 World Series. She'd lived through decades of failure.

She was willing to withstand a couple of bad years. "I get frustrated; I get happy watching games still. But I love what Theo is doing. Nothing else ever worked before."

I hope both Mike and Margaret are watching these days.

And I bet Margaret is enjoying it more.

• Matt Spiegel co-hosts "The McNeil & Spiegel Show" 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Monday-Friday on WSCR 670-AM. Follow him on Twitter @mattspiegel670.