Dream Land: How I Would Fix The Chicago Cubs

Brace yourself... this might be rough.

The following is a list of the deals or signings that, if I were the general manager of the Chicago Cubs, I would attempt to make this potential 100 game-winner into a World Series Champion (as we've now seen, there is a difference between the two).

Please note that this manifesto is written in chronological order of how the deals would take place, with each successive step contingent on the previous taking place.

1) Trade Derrek Lee and Kosuke Fukudome to Seattle for Ichiro. This puts the "check" next to a number of glaring Cubs needs: a left handed bat, a leadoff man, a right fielder, and someone who can run. Ichiro is still good for 200-plus hits per season and, in Wrigley Field instead of Seattle, might be the most dangerous weapon in all of baseball. This would also allow the Cubs to potentially move Micah Hoffpauir to first base, putting another left handed bat in play, and move Alfonso Soriano down in the order.

With rumors swirling in Seattle that teammates wanted to kick his "tail" this past season, Ichiro may have overstayed his welcome in Seattle. Fukudome would replace Ichiro in the multi-million dollar advertising campaigns the Mariners have in Asia, and Lee would give them a big bat presence to hit beside Adrian Beltre. Between Beltre and Lee, the Mariners would suddenly have a very good defensive infield with a couple solid bats. The salaries are almost identical between the two teams as well.

2) Sign AJ Burnett and Andy Pettitte to fill out the rotation.This could potentially get expensive, but with the Cubs stockpile of young arms, this would allow for further moves clearing away space for some of the younger arms in the system to develop into major leaguers, while Pettite would likely come to town for a shorter-term deal than Burnett.

Both would come significantly cheaper than what the team would need to give away for Jake Peavy, and the salaries between Burnett and Pettite would be comparable to those that retaining Ryan Dempster and Peavy would earn in the next few years.

3) Buy out Jason Marquis' contract. Seriously, who are we kidding calling this a championship team when the team's fifth starter is more valuable in crunch time as a batter than a pitcher?

4) Trade Kevin Hart, Chad Gaudin and Mark DeRosa to the White Sox for Paul Konerko. This piece is completely dependent on a) the Lee deal to Seattle happening and b) Konerko waiving his no-trade clause. The White Sox would theoretically eat this deal up, acquiring a young starting pitcher in Hart with a swing pitcher that could serve in the bullpen or rotation in Gaudin and filling either their second or third base needs with DeRosa.

At just over $5 million for the coming season, he gives the Sox the versatile player they envisioned Nick Swisher becoming (and also allows them to play Swisher at first base full-time). The Cubs would acquire a first baseman that has actually performed after Aug. 1, and could put Mike Fontenot at second base.

5) Bring back Kerry Wood as closer. He has earned a multi-year contract and has taken pay cuts to stay in Chicago. The combination of Wood and Carlos Marmol at the end of the bullpen last year was devastating, and adding Jeff Samardzija to the mix could be lethal. By buying out Marquis, the money would be available to make this deal happen.

6) Trade Rich Hill and Felix Pie to the Yankees for Johnny Damon and cash. The Yankees are looking to reload, and aren't happy with Melky Cabrera's play in centerfield. Pie would fill that gap while Hill would give them another arm in a growing stable of young starters that Brian Cashman could potentially use in subsequent trades. Johnny Damon coming to Chicago would give the Cubs more speed on the bases and could potentially allow them to play Ichiro in center and Damon in right. This also would give the Cubs a significant upgrade in team speed, and Damon's contract ending soon would give the Cubs future flexibility.

So how do these deals finally sort the Cubs roster out? Let's take a look:

Outfield: Soriano, Ichiro, Damon

Infield: Aramis Ramirez, Ryan Theriot, Fontenot, Konerko, Geovany Soto

Bench: Reed Johnson, Ronny Cedeno, Hoffpauir, Koyie Hill/Henry Blanco

Order: Ichiro, Theriot, Ramirez, Konerko, Soriano, Soto, Fontenot, Damon, P

Rotation: Carlos Zambrano, Rich Harden, Lilly, Burnett, Pettitte

Bullpen: Wood, Marmol, Samardzija, Cotts, Michael Wuertz, Ceda, Angel Guzman, Hill

While the bullpen would be young in a few areas, the youth still available to make a mid season deal would give the Cubs time to sort through the division. The power arms in the rotation, coupled with a back end of the bullpen of Samardzija, Marmol and Wood would make any team want to avoid Chicago.

But most importantly, this sequence of deals is predicated on the Cubs acquiring seasoned leadership with short term contracts. Damon has played in, and won, a World Series, and is a free agent in one more year.

Pettitte would likely come to Chicago for a two-year contract, and has multiple rings. Burnett has a ring from his days in Florida (2003), and Neal Cotts won on the South Side. This depth and experience would help to offset the youthful excitement that has cost the Cubs in October, two consecutive years now.

Like Kevin Garnett said last spring, "Anything is possible."

With just these few deals, the Cubs might actually finish the deal for once.