GLENDALE, Ariz.For an organization that has undergone sweeping changes, the Cubs dont really have many jobs open in camp. The hardest and most important decisions will be at the back end of the rotation.
I dont see a six-man rotation, especially early in the year, when you have extra days off, general manager Jed Hoyer said Sunday. I hope we have that problem. I hope the problem is because guys pitch well, not because they struggled down the stretch.
But Id love to have a quandary, so to speak. Were going to use eight, nine, 10 starters this year if were lucky. So the idea that we have, kind of, seven guys competing for five spots, thats an Opening Day issue. Thats not a season-long issue.
Stay in the game with the latest updates on your beloved Chicago sports teams! Sign up here for our All Access Daily newsletter.
Ryan Dempster, Matt Garza and Paul Maholm are essentially locks. Hoyer declined to say whether the Cubs have made any progress with Garzas camp on a potential long-term extension.
Manager Dale Sveum has been raving about Jeff Samardzija, how hes on a mission and built to throw 200 innings. The Cubs also like the upside of Chris Volstad, whos 25 years old, 6-foot-8 and a former first-round pick.
Randy Wells has a track record in the big leagues (27-30, 4.01 ERA in 500-plus innings). The Cubs thought enough of Travis Wood to make him the centerpiece of the Sean Marshall trade with the Cincinnati Reds last December.
The Cubs could be looking at a surplus of starting pitching, which is exactly what they wanted to create over the winter. Rodrigo Lopez, Casey Coleman and Andy Sonnanstine are insurance against the injuries that devastated the Cubs last season.