Chicago Cubs: Odds That Key Players Are Moved Under Theo Epstein

With the announcement coming that the Cubs have brought on Red Sox General Manager Theo Epstein to run the show, a slew of changes could be coming to the North Side.

While there are a number of players the team will look to retain and build around, the Cubs also have a number of veterans with bloated contracts that Epstein could look to move as the team begins to rebuild around their young talent.

So here is a quick overview of the Cubs roster, with a look at the key players who won't be going anywhere as well as the odds that some of the not-so-untouchable players are shipped elsewhere by the time Opening Day 2012 comes around.

Not Going Anywhere

While there is no doubt a good deal of change coming for the Cubs, there is still a good amount of young talent that will be the core of the team moving forward and likely is not going anywhere.

Here are the players you can fully expect to see back in Cubbie Blue this coming season.

2B Darwin Barney
SS Starlin Castro
IF D.J. LeMahieu
OF Tyler Colvin
SP Matt Garza
SP Andrew Cashner
RP James Russell
RP Sean Marshall
CP Carlos Marmol

Aside from this group, expect anyone and everyone to be made available this offseason as Theo Epstein looks to retool the team and head back to playing winning baseball.

Alfonso Soriano

The Cubs have been buried under the contract of Alfonso Soriano since they inked him to an eight-year, $136 million deal prior to the 2007 season.

With three years and $54 million left on his contract and Soriano a shell of the player he once was, it will be tough to find a taker for the 35-year-old outfielder.

Even with his declined production, Soriano is still good for 25 HR and 75 RBI, and that is at least passable for a starting outfielder.

It would take the Cubs eating the vast majority of the money he has left for relatively nothing, or taking on another team's unwanted player—similar to what they did in the Milton Bradley deal—to move him, but it is at least a possibility.

Odds He Is Dealt This Offseason: 10%

Geovany Soto

When Geovany Soto first took over the Cubs' starting catching job at the end of the 2007 season and on into the playoffs, and then captured NL Rookie of the Year honors the following season with a line of .285 BA, 23 HR, 86 RBI, he looked to have the catching position taken care of for years to come.

However, his average plummeted to .218 the following season and while he bounced back with a .280 BA, 17 HR, 53 RBI line in 2010, he struggled once again this season with a .228 average.

Soto will be 29 years old this coming season, and catching prospect Welington Castillo looks ready to step into a bigger role. With a slim catching market the Cubs could look to deal Soto while he still has at least some value.

Odds He Is Dealt This Offseason: 20%

Jeff Baker

For one reason or another, the Cubs decided to make Jeff Baker unavailable at the deadline as they deemed him one of their untouchable players.

Why a 30-year-old utility player who put together a line of .269 BA, 3 HR, 23 RBI would be viewed as someone to hold onto and build around moving forward is baffling, and with new management in place he could be on his way out.

That is not to say that Baker has no value, as he can play five different positions and provides decent pop. However, with Darwin Barney and Blake DeWitt on the team, finding him at-bats becomes an issue and he would be better served on another team.

Odds He Is Dealt This Offseason: 30%

Ryan Dempster

The Cubs were expected to be much more active at the trade deadline this past season, and one of the names that was frequently thrown around as a possible trade candidate was right-hander Ryan Dempster.

Dempster is set to make $14 million this coming season before hitting the free agent market, and if he does survive the offseason it is highly unlikely that he will end the 2012 season with the Cubs.

His numbers declined significantly this past season as he went from 15-12 with a 3.85 ERA in 2010 to 10-14 with a 4.80 ERA this past season.

Still, the 34-year-old likely has some trade value as a durable veteran who has reached double-digit wins and eclipsed the 200 innings pitched mark in each of the past four seasons.

Odds He Is Dealt This Offseason: 50%

Marlon Byrd

Like Ryan Dempster, Marlon Byrd is a name that was thrown around at the trade deadline as someone who could be on the move. Had it not been for an injury that cost him some of May and all of June he very well could have been dealt.

Byrd is entering the final year of his three-year contract. It was a back loaded deal, so he is set to make $6.5 million this coming season, which could hurt his value a bit.

At 34 years old, Byrd likely has at least a few productive years left, and for a team looking for a veteran clubhouse presence he brings that dimension as well. Look for him to be dealt at the deadline if he is not moved in the offseason.

Odds He Is Dealt This Offseason: 50%

Carlos Zambrano

Carlos Zambrano has had an up-and-down tenure with the Chicago Cubs, but in the past two years it has weighted heavily to the bad.

It came to a head this past season, when he was ejected from a game for throwing at a hitter, then cleaned out his locker and announced that he was retiring. He was subsequently suspended from the team for the remainder of the season and all signs point to him having pitched his last game in a Cubs uniform.

The sticking point is the $18 million that he is due this coming season. While the Cubs are likely to do whatever it takes to ship him out of town, they may wind up eating the majority of that money.

Odds He Is Dealt This Offseason: 90%