Opening Day Roster Predictions: 10-31-11

Happy Halloween Cubs fans! The big news in the National League Central Division today is the retirement of Cardinals manager Tony LaRussa. It will be odd next year when the Cubs/Cards rivalry no longer includes Tony. Congrats to LaRussa on the World Championship and on an outstanding career.

Aramis Ramirez declined his end of the mutual option for 2012. He will test free agency and still could return to the Cubs, but the team is no longer on the hook for the $16 million option or $2 million buyout. Ramirez is looking for a three or four year deal for about $15 million per year.

Each year I make and update my opening day roster predictions for the following season throughout the offseason. The purpose of these predictions is to tell what I think would be the roster if the season started tomorrow. I do not use any players in the predictions that are not currently under control of the club. These predictions give us an idea of how many moves need to be made in order for the Cubs to have a decent roster. It also helps highlight which areas need improvement.

Starting Rotation
1. Matt Garza
2. Ryan Dempster
3. Randy Wells
4. Andrew Cashner
5. Carlos Zambrano

Bullpen
Closer- Carlos Marmol
LH Setup- Sean Marshall
RH Setup- Jeff Samardzija
LH Middle Relief- James Russell
RH Middle Relief- Chris Carpenter
Long Relief- Casey Coleman
Long Relief- Marcos Mateo

Starting Position Players
C- Geovany Soto
1B- Bryan LaHair
2B- Darwin Barney
SS- Starlin Castro
3B- DJ LeMahieu
LF- Alfonso Soriano
CF- Marlon Byrd
RF- Tyler Colvin

Bench
Koyie Hill
Jeff Baker
Blake DeWitt
Tony Campana
Lou Montanez

Cubs that are Free Agents
Kerry Wood
Aramis Ramirez
Carlos Pena
Reed Johnson
Rodrigo Lopez
Ramon Ortiz
John Grabow

I'll post more projections as the Cubs make moves this offseason!

Let the Offseason Begin

As much as it pains all Cubs fans to say it... congratulations to the St. Louis Cardinals on winning the 2011 World Series. Game 6 will go down as one of the best games in World Series history. I actually enjoyed watching the Cards come back time and time again because it was just such good baseball. Joe Buck's "We'll see you tomorrow night" tribute to his father was perfect.

Now the the World Series is over, what should be an action-packed offseason for the Chicago Cubs begins. The first bit of news was made today as Ryan Dempster decided to pick up his player option for 2012. He will make $14 million in the fourth and final year of his contract.

Theo Epstein is now in place as the President of the Cubs, but there are still many question marks heading into next year. Among them are-

1. Who will manage the team?
There is a chance that Mike Quade will return, but most seem to feel he is on the way out. The Cubs did not pay Theo all that money to keep things the same. Some big moves are likely on the horizon and that will start with a new skipper. Ryne Sandberg, Terry Francona, Bobby Valentine, Tim Bogar, DeMarlo Hale, Rick Renteria and Dale Sveum are among the names being tossed around.

2. Will Ramirez return?
Aramis Ramirez has been a fixture at the hot corner at Wrigley Field since the middle of 2003. Can the Cubs find an upgrade on the market, or will the best option be A-Ram for 2011? Ramirez will leave a big hole in the lineup if he leaves. He has a player option where he can elect for free agency even if the Cubs want to pick up his $16 million team option. Ramirez was quoted saying that he is more likely to want to return now that Epstein has taken over.

3. Which other free agents will the Cubs let go, and which will they bring back?
In addition to Ramirez, Carlos Pena, Reed Johnson, Kerry Wood, Rodrigo Lopez, John Grabow and Ramon Ortiz will all hit the open market. My guess is that Wood and Johnson return while Lopez, Grabow and Ortiz go elsewhere. That leaves Carlos Pena as the big question mark. Theo will have to figure out whether or not there is a better option on the free agent market, because the Cubs do not have much corner infield depth in the system.

4. Which additions will the Cubs make?
There is no doubt that this team will have at least a few new faces come Spring Training. The biggest area of need is the starting rotation. There are three spots up for grabs with only Dempster and Garza penciled in. Randy Wells did not have a good season, but will likely end up back in the starting five none-the-less. Casey Coleman and Andrew Cashner could battle for the No. 5 slot, but the Cubs are in trouble if they do not add at least one middle of the rotation starter. Additions to the lineup will be based on whether or not they decide to keep Pena and Ramirez. The bullpen could also use a few extra arms.

5. Will the Cubs find a way to dump Carlos Zambrano?
Carlos Zambrano's days pitching in a Cubs uniform are likely over. The question is how, not if, he will be moved. The Cubs will search for a trade partner that is willing to take the baggage that he carries with him. After the end of last year, it is unlikely that Z returns to the Cubs, but since there is an overhauled front office there is a chance the he comes back.

The Cubs have until Tuesday to work out a compensation package with the Red Sox, or Bud Selig will step in.

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

Breaking News: Hoyer & McLeod Added to Front Office

Theo Epstein has made his first additions to his staff. Jed Hoyer and Jason McLeod have officially been announced as the Cubs Executive VP/General Manager and Senior VP of Scouting and Player Development. The Cubs will send a player to be named later to San Diego as compensation.

McLeod will be in charge of Oneri Fleita and Tim Wilken. His title will not be assistant GM, as originally reported. As of now Randy Bush remains the assistant to Hoyer.

On a side note- Bruce Levine tweeted today that Aramis Ramirez is open to returning to the Cubs now that Theo is in charge.

With the front office set, it's time to start talking about what moves it should make. We'll have breakdowns of managerial and free agent options this weekend.

Reaction as Theo Takes Over

Theo Epstein was introduced today as the President of Baseball Operations for the Chicago Cubs. Click here for the article and video from CSN Chicago.

Jed Hoyer and Jason McLeod will be introduced later in the week, no later than next Monday.

Here were some of the tweets that were being sent out today regarding #Esptein.

• Jon Heyman- Cherington said that compensation from the Cubs was agreed to be significant.


• Jon Heyman- No matter who was hired to run the Cubs, Quade was a goner. He was Hendery's guy. Of course, why pay Theo $3.7 million to leave status quo.


• CSN Mooney- Theo says he never asked for a contract extension or new role with the Red Sox.


• Len Kasper- The thing about Theo that is common among brightest people I've met--he's not condescending,he listens.Less is more. Great vibe.


• Chris DeLuca- Theo says if Francona hadn't left the Red Sox, he would have stayed another year.


• David Kaplan- By the way, yes that was Theo at Starbucks a couple of weeks ago. He confirmed.


• WGN TV- It certainly feels great to be a Cub today.


• Click here for more #Theo tweets.

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

Epstein's Press Conference Set

The press conference to introduce Theo Epstein as the general manager of the Chicago Cubs is set for tomorrow at Wrigley Field. The press conference will start at 11am and will likely be televised on CSN Chicago and WGN-TV Chicago. Look back at my recent posts for more Epstein coverage, and expected a recap tomorrow!

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

Radio Recaps: Getting Set for the Epstein Annoucement

Bruce Levine joined Carmen, Jurko and Harry for the latest on the Theo Watch on Thursday-

• The Cubs were very close at that time to the deal with the Red Sox. One of the holdups may have been the medical situations of some of the deals that they agreed on.


• Levine called the situation a real tangled web, with Jed Hoyer moving to the Cubs. The front office will grow under Epstein and Hoyer.


• Theo will be the guy to call the shots. This is a lateral move for Hoyer.


• The media and fans are going to be talking to Jed Hoyer every day. Jed is going to be a very important part of the front office.


• Levine was told that there would not be any compensation need to San Diego, but some reports have said that there will be a low level prospect.


• Bruce was told that Trey McNutt and Brett Jackson are both staying in Chicago. Nobody is sure who the prospect going to Boston is.


• Bud Selig has not gotten involved much yet. He has allowed these teams to make the announcement during off days of the World Series so that the teams (San Diego, Boston and the Cubs) can be ready for free agency.


• Theo was probably the one who decided that he wanted a general manager under him. Esptein likes to have a lot of guys under him. At times, he has had three assistant general managers working under him.


• The Cubs going to add more people to the front office after Esptein and Hoyer. A few more guys from Boston and San Diego will become over.


• Levine shot down the possibility of John Lackey being sent to the Cubs. Starlin Castro and Matt Garza's names also came up during the compensation offers.


• Carem and Bruce agreed that the Red Sox have been set on dragging this thing out as long as possible. The Bo-Sox have made this as difficult as possible.

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

Breaking News: Epstein to the Cubs

It's official, Theo Epstein is the President of Baseball Operations of the Chicago Cubs. Check back tomorrow for all the details.

Update Saturday 10:30am
Theo Epstein has joined the Chicago Cubs on the team's President of Baseball Operations. The compensation to the Red Sox has not yet been announced, but the two sides have reached an agreement as to the process that will be taken. The compensation issue will be worked out soon. If the compensation process does not work, Bug Selig will make the final decision.

With the World Series going on, the official announcement will be made on Tuesday, an travel day for the Cardinals and Rangers. Neither club will have further comment until that time.

A few days after Epstein's press conference, several more announcements are expected to be made. Padres general manager Jed Hoyer and assistant GM Jason McLeod are expected to join the Cubs organization as the GM and assistant GM respectively. Hoyer is set to sign a five year deal with a Cubs. The compensation to San Diego is expected to be a low level minor leaguer.

Crane Kenney will remain with the Cubs organization, but his title will change to President of Business Operations.

That's it for now, but we'll have much coverage of this story this weekend and early next week.