10 Moves the Cubs Have to Make to Break the Curse

The 2011 Chicago Cubs are revitalizing old Cub ways, those of ineptitude and fans only going to Wrigley Field to be there, more as a tourist attraction than a ballpark. More and more members of the younger generation of Cubs fans (myself, 20, included) are now seeing the truth in Steve Goodman's "A Dying Cub Fan's Last Request."

It's only mid-July, and yet the prospect of a .500 season might take a miracle. The roster is filled with guys that either have no place on an MLB roster, are overpaid, or have the last names of Wood, Marshall, Barney, Castro, and Marmol.

It has become obvious that a full overhaul of the Cubs' roster and ideals is needed to finally break the 103-year championship drought. Face it, this isn't the year.

1. Waive Alfonso Soriano

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MIAMI GARDENS, FL - MAY 19: Alfonso Soriano #12 of the Chicago Cubs looks on during a game against the Florida Marlins at Sun Life Stadium on May 19, 2011 in Miami Gardens, Florida. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)

Alfonso Soriano is due $18 million dollars per year through the 2014 season as part of the 2006-2007 offseason spending spree by Jim Hendry, under orders of the Tribune Company. Nobody could have predicted his slew of injuries and steep production decline at the time, as one of the factors that drove his price so high was his ability to stay healthy.

Alas, here we are, with an aging, overpaid left fielder with a tendency to not catch the ball, and only able to hit with no pressure on him whatsoever. The man once embraced by Cubs fans as the 5-tool guy they'd always dreamed of has become a despised figure, with the contingent wanting to see him off the roster growing every day.

Which is why the Cubs need to run Soriano through waivers. Much like when the White Sox got Manny Ramirez, the Cubs should simply allow anyone willing to take on Soriano's monster contract to have him outright. Trading Soriano could also work; however, odds are teams wouldn't want to give up much, if anything, to get him. If there's an offer to take him off the Cubs payroll, it should be jumped on without any second thoughts.

Let the exciting speedster Tony Campana start in left and run down literally everything hit that way.

2. Trade Ryan Dempster

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ST. LOUIS, MO - JUNE 3: Starter Ryan Dempster #46 of the Chicago Cubs pitches against the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium on June 3, 2011 in St. Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images)

Ryan Dempster, the would-be de facto ace of the Cubs, had an abysmal April in which the ball had to have looked roughly like a watermelon to opposing hitters. Since then, he's gotten back to his old ways. Sure, he's overpaid at $13.5 million this season, but if you're a contender looking for a middle-of-the-rotation guy to solidify your playoff push, Dempster could be worth that mid-level prospect or two the Cubs are asking for.

In addition to his skills on the mound, Dempster is a wonderful clubhouse presence who can keep things loose under loads of pressure. If any of the old vets on this team deserves a trade to a contender, in my opinion, it's Dempster.

If the team isn't going anywhere, Casey Coleman deserves a shot in the rotation. This team won't get any better any time soon, so you might as well let him prove his worth.

3. Trade Carlos Zambrano

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BOSTON, MA - MAY 21: Carlos Zambrano #38 of the Chicago Cubs delivers a pitch in the first inning against the Boston Red Sox on May 21, 2011 at Fenway Park in Boston, Massachusetts. Tonight the Chicago Cubs and the Boston Red Sox are wearing replica unif

In essence, Zambrano is a higher paid version of Dempster, only one that could probably hit well enough to start on a terrible team. Zambrano has stated that while he'd like to stay a Cub, he'd be willing to be moved in a trade.

Big Z brings fire and passion every time he steps between the lines and gets to play ball. He's not one to simply accept the status quo, as he loves to win, plain and simple. Boston could be a home for him, as they constantly seem to be beaten down by injuries.

While the Cubs starting pitching depth is a bit thin, Jay Jackson should get the call. He hasn't posted the best numbers in Iowa, but he's still considered about as MLB-ready as anyone the Cubs have.

4. Trade Aramis Ramirez

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CHICAGO, IL - JUNE 22: Aramis Ramirez #16 of the Chicago Cubs reacts after striking out against the Chicago White Sox at U.S. Cellular Field on June 22, 2011 in Chicago, Illinois. The White Sox defeated the Cubs 4-3. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images

Aramis Ramirez has publicly said that he does not wish to be traded from the Cubs for family reasons. He turned down an All-Star job to spend time with his family... in the Domincan Republic.

While I, and every Cubs fan who has followed the team over the last decade or so, appreciate everything that No. 16 has done for the team at third base and at the plate, it's growing increasingly obvious that Rammy won't be a viable candidate as a starter by the time this team finally turns things around.

One fit I really like for Ramirez is the Yankees. They can afford his contract and extension (which vests with a trade), and he can give them extra firepower at the plate, not to mention insurance for an increasingly injury-prone Alex Rodriguez.

5. Fire Jim Hendry

As the Cubs sink further and further out of contention, it becomes more and more obvious that general manager Jim Hendry has to go. While Hendry has had no problem handing out huge contracts—ones which will continue to cripple the team for a few years—he has had an issue where it matters: postseason success.

Since taking over, Hendry has paid out over a billion dollars to his players, and yet teams such as Tampa Bay, Colorado, and Texas have more postseason wins in that span than the Cubs do. Hendry has proven time and time again incapable of building a quality team that can win in the postseason, and he seems to feel he can compensate by overspending on free agents that simply won't live up to the contracts they receive.

6. Hire Andrew Friedman

With Hendry gone, there will be an obvious void at GM for the Cubs. Andrew Friedman's contract expires at the end of the 2011 season.

The mastermind of building a pennant winner on a budget roughly equal to what the Cubs spend on outfielders, Friedman might not instantly build a championship team, but he would place a new-found emphasis on the farm system and scouting.

If Friedman can't be had, Billy Beane's deal is up at the end of the 2011 campaign as well. Both men focus on ways of thinking that have plagued the Cubs for years. Many fans remember Dusty Baker's logic in stating that walks "clog the bases" and that "it's called hitting, not walking." Thinking like this is toxic, and the Cubs have never really been able to get past this philosophical hump.

7. No Big Money Signings for Players over Age 27.

This one's pretty obvious: no more signing old guys to long-term deals. While many Cubs fans salivate at the thought of Albert Pujols anchoring the lineup, there are also a number of rumors suggesting that Pujols may actually be as old as 34.

Even if Pujols is only 31, the Cubs are still a few years away from contention, meaning that he will be on the decline by the time the Cubs will truly need him. The same goes with Prince Fielder—too old by the time the Cubs could realy use a superstar.

I've got no problem with signing veteran stop-gap guys or bench players, but please, no more overpaid old guys. Haven't we learned our lesson with Soriano?

8. Retain Carlos Pena

Gone are the days when Carlos Pena could realistically start on a contending ball club. His batting average has taken a steep dip, and championship-caliber teams just won't employ a guy who over the last season and a half has hit a combined .207 with an OPS+ of just 108.

However, Pena is the perfect option for the Cubs for the next couple of years. He's a great guy, a great veteran leader, good to the press, and provides gold glove defense for young guys like Starlin Castro, Darwin Barney, and the eventual third baseman of the future—be that Josh Vitters, Ryan Flaherty, or Marquez Smith.

Rebuilding teams need stability and mentors, and Pena is both. I doubt he'll be able to make the $10 million he did this season, but he seems thrilled to be a Cub, and I really don't think he'll get a better offer on the free agent market.

9. Re-Invest in the Farm

Nobody will argue that the Cubs have a surefire star in Starlin Castro. His offensive numbers at this age draw comparisons to some of the all-time greats, including Mr. Cub himself, Ernie Banks.

However, there's not much else to like with the Cubs youth. Sure, Darwin Barney's a great guy, but he's already 25 and probably won't improve much more. Tony Campana's another fringe guy who I think would be on the bench with Barney on a championship team. The lack of starting pitching depth has been exposed, as Cubs fans had to endure some brutal starts by the likes of Doug Davis, Casey Coleman, and James Russell.

Brett Jackson and Matt Sczcur both provide hope in the outfield, and the Cubs look to have found the proverbial needle in the haystack with lefty Trey McNutt, but there's not much else, especially after the fleecing by Tampa Bay for Matt Garza.

While free agency can put a team over the top, quality franchises use free agency to fills in the gaps left by their farm system rather than depend on free agency exclusively. Even the Yankees have begun to embrace this logic, leaving the Cubs as a relic of times gone by.

10. Let Mike Quade Complete His Contract

Many Cubs fans are calling for Mike Quade's head, fantasizing about Ryne Sandberg at the helm, and how much different things would be with the Hall of Famer managing the team.

This could not be further from reality.

Ryno couldn't make this a healthy team, nor could he have made Carlos Pena hit in April, nor could he have magically healed Andrew Cashner's shoulder, made Aramis Ramirez hit home runs before June, and so on. Changing managers for the Cubs at this point would be akin to shuffling chairs on the deck of the Titanic. Let the Chicagoland native serve out his contract while the team flails about.

Quade was also named to the All-Star Game by National League manager Bruce Bochy, so it's apparent within baseball that he's better than the Cubs record would show.