August 15, 2012; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Cubs right fielder David DeJesus (9) is greeted by manager Dale Sveum (33) after hitting a home run against the Houston Astros in the third inning at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-USA TODAY Sports

2012 wasn’t always an ideal season as the Cubs only posted 61 wins, but often times in baseball, you learn far more from your losses than your wins. There were errors, poor hitting, injuries and even a few boners off the field but the Cubs persevered. No matter their record or how many wins back they were of a wild card spot, the Cubs still played hard and it showed. Every success was celebrated and every failure was met by guidance and advice from coaching staff.

You could see the changes from previous seasons. There was a support network present that seemed to be lacking during the Quade era – all players knew that 100% effort was being displayed every single game and a true team mentality had been established. There was no “I” in this team.

Cubs’ manager Dale Sveum was very aware of what needed to be done in 2012 and for the most part, he accomplished his goals. He didn’t always have the best lineup at his disposal but the core mentality of this team had been changed. Sveum feels that progress had been made:

We knew going in (to 2012) we were changing the culture of an organization, changing the culture of the 25 guys who were on the baseball field every day, and I think we accomplished a lot of things like that.

Sveum is no stranger to the game. He knows that sound fundamentals will win baseball games in 2013 and the Cubs need to improve in this area. Heart and soul helped the Cubs stay close in many games, but put simply, they were out-muscled and out-played by other teams.

A few spots the cubs need to improve on? On base percentage and slugging. The Cubs ranked near the bottom in the league in each of these categories in 2012 and considering the latest moves the team has made? They may be a few good bats away from being a .500 team. Sveum looks to other teams last season for inspiration:

You look at the Oakland A’s last season, the Orioles winning all those extra-inning games, the one-run ballgames, the walk-off home runs – we talk about it all the time. You have to have slugging percentage, you have to have guys with the ability to hit fastballs to win those close games.

This coaching staff continues to display poise and experience while they work to improve this team. It now a matter of the players answering the call:

Those core guys, eight guys, who are going out there every day, they have to have career years.

Take note Cubs fans – the team continues to be in good hands. The goals set out by Sveum and his staff and smart, measurable, attainable and realistic. While the World Series is the final goal, 2013 will be the proving ground for many players – especially Ian Stewart at third base, which was virtual offensive black hole last season generating only 12 homeruns and 55 RBI.

The first step in Sveum’s books? Get starting pitching under control… and maybe get a little lucky with a few breakout performances too.

Most teams, while they might not be on paper like the Yankees or the good Red Sox teams, guys can come out of nowhere and have their career years and you win a lot more ballgames. Don’t get me wrong, you still have to pitch. We have to compete, we have to put together a pitching staff and get these guys to understand you’ve got to stay away from the walks.

With a progressive set of goals in place, 2013 will surely be an exciting one for the Chicago Cubs. It won’t always be pretty – the Cubs still have many questions to answer but with only 6 more weeks until pitchers and catchers report in to Mesa, Arizona, you can bet we’re all going to have it marked on our calendars.

And I use the term “heating up” very loosely.

This isn’t exactly a breaking story as the Phillies have been known to be in the market for a corner OF with a strong right-handed bat this offseason. Soriano matches that profile almost perfectly hitting over 30 HR last season and committing only 1 error in 151 games. While this supposed match has been well known for a while and this story has been on “slow simmer” mode for a long time, it seems to be now gaining some traction.

Sept 12, 2012; Houston, TX, USA; Chicago Cubs left fielder Alfonso Soriano (12) hits a double against the Houston Astros during the ninth inning at Minute Maid Park. The Cubs won 5-1. Mandatory Credit: Thomas Campbell-USA TODAY Sports

Jim Bowden, ESPN baseball analyst and co-host of the SiriusXM program “Inside Pitch” had reported that the Cubs and Phillies had a deal tabled for Soriano on Friday night. This may have been in place for quite some time now as teams tend to explore all possible options when it comes to making deals despite the fact that the vast majority never come to fruition.

Despite a deal being on the table (for what ever length of time is has been present,) Bowden is reporting that the Phillies are waiting for free agent OF Michael Bourn to sign in order to pull the trigger on any deal involving Soriano and the Cubs. This isn’t because the Phillies are necessarily in on the Bourn talks, but they want to see how much he will sign for as his contract will impact the overall OF market and Soriano’s price along with it.

Put simply? The Phillies don’t want to overpay and they’re happy to use Bourn as a test market.

The Cubs have also expressed some interest in Bourn’s services which adds another layer of complexity to the entire situation, but then again, the Cubs have an interest in just about anyone with two legs and a glove as of right now.

How much should we invest in these rumors? While the Soriano/Phillies swap makes sense on paper as has made sense for quite some time now, I wouldn’t hold my breath on this one. Soriano is not the only OF on the market and the Phillies will be looking at other options to gain leverage on any potential deal. If the Phillies felt any sort of desperation to obtain Soriano because of outside pressures from other teams for example, they would have initiated a trade long ago.

It also begs the question: should the Cubs really be looking to shop Soriano at this point? Will the market remain hot enough for the Cubs to gain a substantial return despite their requirement to eat a large portion of Soriano’s contract? Is his relative value to the team greater than what his numbers indicate? It all has to be kept in mind, not to mention the fact that the Cubs will have to fill the void that Soriano leaves in left field before opening day.

It will be interesting to see how this situation plays out. Eptein and Hoyer might have to get crafty on this one and take a solid look at what kind of value Soriano has to the team not only on the field, but off the field as well.

Takakashi spent the majority of his 2012 season with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim but had also played for the Pittsburgh Pirates for a brief period. The 37 year old Japanese lefty reliever had been effective in two previous seasons in the MLB and had also been effective in Japan. Despite his many years of quality pitching, he sputtered last season posting a 5.54 ERA.

July 19, 2012; Detroit, MI, USA; Los Angeles Angels relief pitcher Hisanori Takahashi (21) pitches during the seventh inning against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park. Detroit won 5-1. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports

While his ERA indicates struggling, the other metrics associated with his performance actually show his potential. He posted a very healthy 9.30 K/9 complimented with a 2.5 BB/9 in 50.1 total innings. His FIP (fielding independent pitching) shows promise at 3.93 and is projected to post an ERA under 3.40 for next season. Clearly Takahashi knows how to pitch.

Picking up a slumping lefty arm on a minor league deal is a steal in retrospect to the price of pitching this off season. This is another one of those potential high return moves for little to no risk what so ever and Takahashi has a very real chance of cracking the Cubs’ bullpen. Even if his performance is below what is required to be effective at the major league level, Takahashi will still add great depth and experience to the AAA Iowa Cubs.

While this is far from a blockbuster, it’s one of those deals that championship teams generate. Value continues to be the theme for this offseason and the Cubs’ are playing all the right cards.