More Pre-Spring Links

The news will be coming in fast and furious now that the Super Bowl is out of the way. There are no more distractions before spring training. In just a few weeks we’ll be seeing predictions and prognostications for the upcoming season all over the media… but we aren’t quite there yet.

In the meantime, be sure to take note of the Cubs spring training broadcast schedule. Our Pat Hughes withdrawal officially ends February 27 (less than three weeks!) when the Cubs take on the Oakland A’s in the Battle of Who Is That Guy Who Just Entered The Game In Right Field. Several games will also be broadcast through Cubs.com, so keep your schedule handy.

ESPN’s Jason Stark has posted his Offseason Grades for the NL Central, and the Cubs come in with a solid B. That is second in the division behind a well deserved A- for the Brewers.

Stark’s brief write up focus’s on the moves the Cubs made, when arguably their best offseason moves were the ones they didn’t make. They did not trade Starlin Castro, Brett Jackson, or Andrew Cashner. They did not sign any mediocre players to long term contracts. They did not mortgage their future in an effort to win right away. They did not make deals purely for the sake of making deals.

Nor did he have room to mention arguably the three most significant moves the Cubs made: signing Matt Szczur away from the NFL, reaching into the Cuban talent pool, and launching a new development complex in the Dominican Republic. These three moves, especially the camp in the Dominican Republic, will have more to do with the Cubs long term success than Kerry Wood or Carlos Pena.