Come to Think of It: Five Ways the Cubs Can Build a Winner in 2010 and Beyond

Amid Lou Piniella’s recent proclamation that, despite reports to the contrary, he was planning on returning for the 2010 season, there is this little thing called expectations gnawing at Jim Hendry and the Cubs.

While Hendry has certainly messed things up, and Lou seems to be winding down a successful career, they deserve one more shot at bringing a winner to the loyal Cubs fans, who deserve so much more than we've been getting.

Sure, the sale of the team to the Ricketts family, even when finalized, may provide some stability for the franchise. Yet even when fully approved and finalized, don’t look for a whole bunch of extra cash to be poured into the payroll for next season.

First of all, payroll is no longer the issue with the Cubs. They are now one of the biggest spenders in MLB. Plus, would you entrust Hendry with more money after seeing how he spent his loot up until now?

Further, Ricketts may be a fan, but he is a businessman too. He just sunk a lot of his personal wealth into the purchase of the team, so it’s not logical to expect that he will be adding to payroll.

So what can the Cubs do?

Well, it is obvious that rebuilding is out of the question. Not only do Cubs fans have no appetite for rebuilding after waiting more than a century for a World Series winner, the long-term contracts given to Alfonso Soriano, Aramis Ramirez, Carlos Zambrano, Ryan Dempster, and others pretty much lock the Cubs into contending mode for years.

It is also apparent that the farm system is thin, especially at the upper levels.

Therefore, the only thing left to do is try to move some contracts and redesign the 2010 Cubs with players obtained in trades or using the payroll space saved by some shrewd moves.

Longer term, there are some business moves the Ricketts family can make to help keep the Cubs competitive for a long time.

As for 2010, I don’t know if Hendry has the wherewithal to make the shrewd moves necessary to change up this roster without taking on additional payroll, or if there actually are any such moves to be made.

But since I said he deserves one more chance (and anyway, what could a new GM do? His hands would be tied just as well), Hendry had better think of something.

Fortunately, I am here for Jim. But it won't be easy.

After all, who wants Soriano and the five years remaining on his deal? Ramirez can’t stay healthy. Milton Bradley is a bad character. And so on.

This is why I suggested in a recent article that the Cubs should consider trading Zambrano. At least he might garner some return, in addition to providing salary relief.

There are no easy answers. I’m searching for that silver lining, but all I’m finding are dark clouds. Even so, I will try my best to offer some suggestions, both for 2010 and beyond.

1. Allow a big contract to go in a waiver claim

Yes, similar to what Toronto did with Alex Rios, if the Cubs don’t find suitors for their players in a trade, perhaps they could simply dump some salary to a team willing to accept it. Soriano certainly comes to mind, as does Bradley.

Is any team willing to take these guys off our hands? It’s doubtful, but worth a try, even if the Cubs have to include some cash as part of the transaction.

2. Sign or trade for a middle infielder who plays good defense and can hit

Quit sticking with the Aaron Mileses and Mike Fontenots of the world. Go for a second baseman in a trade or sign an inexpensive free agent that can hit. Even if the player is a shortstop, you can simply move Ryan Theriot over to second base.

Right now, as currently constructed, second base is the only position with which to make changes. We’re locked in at all three outfield positions, and we have Ramirez signed at third and Derrek Lee at first.

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