Weekend Quick Hits: Opening Day Starter, Roster Cuts & More

Here's the latest from Cubs Spring Training!

• According to a tweet from Patrick Mooney, the Cubs have named Ryan Dempster their Opening Day starter. Matt Garza will be the number two.
  
• The Cubs made some additional roster cuts today. Brett Jackson, Anthony Rizzo, Jim Adduci, Andrean Cardenas, Jay Jackson and Bobby Scales were all sent to Fitch Park.
• Tim Kurkjian of ESPN caught up with Dale Sveum.
• Sveum's main message this spring has been preparation. In the interview with Kurkjian, Sveum indicated that Chris Volstad will be in the rotation as the number four starter. Sveum said that the last spot it still up for grabs, but Jeff Samardzija has been very impressive.
  
• David DeJesus is the one guy on the Cubs who has a track record of leading off.
  
• Carrie Muskat tweeted that Sveum said it was tough to send Jackson down because he is ready now.
• Marcos Mateo left yesterday's Cactus League game against the Rangers with a right arm injury. He was expected to have an MRI/arthogram last night.
• Ron Villone is taking over as the Peoria Chiefs pitching coach this season. Tom Pratt has left the position after recently being diagnosed with brain cancer.
• Andy Sonnanstine was assigned outright to Triple-A Iowa yesterday. He was removed from the 40 man roster.
• Muskat tweets that Paul Maholm will be the fifth starter. Sveum will name the third and fourth spots on March 28. It looks as if Chris Volstad and Jeff Samardzija will take those two spots.
• Travis Wood has been off track this spring, so his next appearance will be in either a minor league game or a simulated game.
  

Here is the Cubs lineup for today's game against the Rockies.
1. David DeJesus, RF
2. Ian Stewart, 3B
3. Starlin Castro, SS
4. Bryan LaHair, 1B
5. Geovany Soto, C
6. Marlon Byrd, CF
7. Reed Johnson, LF
8. Darwin Barney, 2B
9. Jeff Samardzija, P

That's it for now, but I'll keep you posted on Everything Cubs as always!

Starting Rotation Breakdown: 2011 vs 2012

The Cubs starting pitching depth was one obvious area of weakness for the squad throughout the year. Although Matt Garza put together a good year and Ryan Dempster was a solid middle of the rotation starter, after that the rotation was a mess.

Entering Spring Training, the Cubs felt that they had plenty of starting pitching. However after Carlos Silva was traded before injuries to Andrew Cashner and Randy the first week of the season, the lack of depth became apparent. Carlos Zambrano ended up disqualified for the final few months of the season after an up and down year.

Casey Coleman, who probably should have been developing in Triple-A, made 17 starts and posted a 3-9 record with an ERA of 6.40. Rodrigo Lopez was picked up and made 16 starts, Doug Davis (1-7, 6.50 ERA) made nine starts and Ramos Ortiz was picked up for two starts. Out of desperation the Cubs stuck left handed reliever James Russell in a starting role, who clearly was not cut out to start. If the Cubs had started the season with more starting pitching depth, they would not have resorted to the likes of Russell, Coleman and Davis.

The 2012 season will start with a much larger quantity of starters on the squad. While last year's team started with just six players with starting experience (excluding Kerry Wood, Sean Marshall and Carlos Marmol who were not starting options), this year's will have, at this point, 13. Matt Garza is penciled in as the number one baring a trade, while Ryan Dempster will be the number two. Young starters Randy Wells, Chris Volstad and Travis Wood will compete for spots in the middle and back of the rotation along with veteran lefty Paul Maholm. All six of these players are legitimate starting options, while Jeff Samardzija, Manny Corpas, Andy Sonnanstine and Rodrigo Lopez could be serviceable, along with the possibility of a more developed Casey Coleman bouncing back or a prospect like Chris Carpenter stepping up.

If the season started tomorrow, who would follow Dempster and Garza in the rotation? Do the Cubs have quality starting options? Feel free to comment with your thoughts!

Getting to Know the Cubs: Chris Volstad

There will be plenty of new faces in the mix when Spring Training gets underway in February. Right handed pitcher Chris Volstad is one of those faces. Here is some biographical information on Volstad that will help you know what to expect when you see him on the Wrigley Field mound this summer. Information courtesy of BaseballReference.com.

• Born: September 23, 1986
• Age: 25
• High School: Palm Beach Gardens
• Drafted: by the Marlins in the first round (16th overall) in the 2005 draft
• MLB Debut: July 6, 2008, earned the win in relief VS Rockies
  
• Teams: Marlins (2008-2011)
• Arbitration Eligible: 2013
• Free Agent: 2015
• Acquired: In the trade that sent Carlos Zambrano to Miami
  
• 2011 Stats: 5-13 with 4.89 ERA
• Career Stats: 32-39 with 4.59 ERA
• B/T: Right
• Height: 6'8"
• 103 Career Games, 102 starts
• Incidents: Suspended six games in 2010 for involvement in bench clearing brawl
• Style: Finesse Pitcher, ground ball pitcher
  
• Pitches: Sinking fastball (90-93 mph), tight curve, sinking change-up and slider
• Does not strike out many or allow many home runs

We'll continue to profile each of the new Cubs over the next weeks.

That's it for now, but I'll keep you posted!

Breaking News: Cubs Trade Carlos Zambrano to Miami

Updated 9pm CT with all the details
Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports tweeted today that the Miami Marlins are close to acquiring Cubs pitcher Carlos Zambrano. Zambrano would probably be interested in waiving his no-trade clause to join his good friend Ozzie Guillen in Miami. Many media sources have confirmed that the Cubs have agreed in principal to send Zambrano to Miami for RHP Chris Volstad. The 25-year old had a down year in 2011, going 5-13 with a 4.89 ERA in 29 starts. Between $15 and $17 million are expected to be sent to the Marlins to help pay for the remainder of Z's contract.