To contend, or not to contend, that is the question.
If the Cubs really believe they are going to contend for a division title and a deep post-season run, then is the current roster a viable blueprint for success.
By all measures, no.
Left field platoon is bad. A center field placeholder is bad. A right fielder rookie who swings the bejesus out of himself with each pitch may struggle with major league off-speed stuff.
Third base is still underwhelming until Kris Bryant arrives; but he is no "sure thing." Remember, Mike Olt was a sure thing for the Rangers.
Javy Baez needs to learn second base, cut down on his strikeouts and be a consistent player.
The team believes that it has upgraded its catching with Montero and Ross, leaving the trade value of Welington Castillo falling toward spring training.
There is no guarantee that Arrieta and Hendricks will build upon their surprising 2014.
Ownership and management have publicly stated that this team is ready to contend now. But that is the same marketing line Ricketts gave the public when he first bought the team. "We are only one or two players away."
The Cubs are still one, two, three, four, eight, ten players away.
One cannot plug in minor league stats on a line up card as future major league performance. In fact, most players lose a quarter to half of production value. Some, like Olt, lose almost 2/3 of batting average. There are so many factors, including mental pressure and stress, that major league players face which cause hot prospects to cool.
That is why some teams, like the Tigers, traded away their top prospects for known veterans. As a result, the Tigers have been in contention for many seasons. But the Cubs do not want to work that way. The management gurus have fallen in love with their acquisitions. Cub fans with short memories will realize that the last general manager, Jim Hendry, also loved his prospects so much he would never trade them. Those prospects did not pan out.
So when the Cubs continue to say that the team will contend in 2015, it is another ring of false hope. For if it was true, and money was no object to obtain a priceless championship, the Cubs would have signed James Shields by now.
