Full Court Press

Not too surprised although I would have thought 3rd ahead of the Twins and Royals. Sox have far more question marks than last year. I'm not too upset about the trades especially since Garcia did nothing until it was almost over but the reality is that Williams is essentially giving up on this year. We still don't have much of a SS, CF is shaky and I don't know who's playing LF. Oh yeah, 5th starter is a big question mark. It feels like 84-85 wins which isn't gonna get it done!

I believe the Cubs will finish second in their division. Right now, their offensive lineup looks solid...Soriano, Ramirez, Lee, Barrett, etc, but I have a real problem with their starting rotation. Zambrano, Lilly, Marquis, Prior, and Wood is not a strong enough to win the division. Plus, they have no closer. Relying on Ryan Dempster is a mistake. This has been my major issue with the Jim Hendry regime since day one. He has never been able to grooom a capable closer during his tenure and its inexcuseabel considering how important the closer position is. As far as the White Sox, they will still be a strong force for the division. Question is, how good will the Tigers be? I think they will win their division and the Sox will finish second.

The cubs as an organization pushed me away as a fan many years ago into becoming a sox fan.Just because they finally spend some money (only to sweeten a sale) i'm not going back.Now with that said i do believe they have the talent to win the division but as we saw last year with the sox talent doesn't mean you go to the playoffs.I do think that the white sox are still underestimated.Paulie, Thome,Dye,Crede is still THE toughest line to pitch through.

Yes, the Cubs have a potent lineup, but their pitching, oh their pitching is horrific. Talking about the Sox and no number 5, the Cubs have no 3, 4, or 5 starter. But boy can they swing the bats.

Reminds me of the 2000 Sox. I am a Sox fan I must admit. Whereas the Sox, I don't really like the moves, I wish they would've gotten a real SS (or Uribe plays like he was playing in 05').

Four good starters is enough, can cover for 5 inning Vasquez, with relief, and can still win 90-95 games. No other team in our division really made more than one significant move. I like our chances. And they won it all unlike Detroit, so they do have moxie. (My main problem with the Bears---finish the job).

Let's see what happens

Being a third generation Cubs Fan and having passed that curse on to my children, the prediction of the Cubs winning thier division should have me a little excited. Unfortunately what comes to mind is the late Steve Goodman's song ..."A Dying Cubs Fan's Last Request"...in which he states...."you raise up a young boy's hopes and then just crush 'em like so many paper beer cups year after year after year after year 'til those hopes are just so much popcorn for the pidgeons beneath the el tracks to eat..."

As a life long Sox fan, I am not surprised by the Sox prediction.. our division is very strong...However, I like being the underdog..I think our pitching staff, especially our bullpen, will be much better than last year and I think Uribe, Pods and Erstad will have solid years..and overall, I think we will play with more determination & urgency than last year..

Re the Cubs.. The Cards are still the team to beat..they have the best GM and Mgr & best player in baseball..However, the rest of their division looks weak so the Cubs have a shot for 2nd if they stay relatively healthy & play better fundamental baseball..those are 2 big ifs!!!

Roman,

This is the same Baseball Prospectus that picked the White Sox 4th in 2005. We saw how that worked out. The Cubs should win their division. You spend 300+ million you better win your division.

I dont care what the Baseball Prospectus predictions predicts. The problem with the White Sox last year was their bullpen and now it is the stongest in the majors. Yes the Tigers will be good again but honestly they have no leadoff hitter. If we as sox fans think that Scott Podsednik is bad then Curtis Granderson is even worse and played teerible down the stretch. Their is going to be some hangover from the Tigers and some hunger lost by just getting to the World Series. The Twins lost Liriano and Radke I wouldnt be too scared of them and the Indians dont show up until mid august so Sox fans RELAX. All is well on the South Side and look for big contributions from Haeger, Floyd, and Gio Gonzalez as well as Erstad and the sox will have 94 wins and are AL Central champs once again.

wish the sox still had garcia , polite getting hurt during the season last year really hurt. never heard of baseball prospectus

Who is the screw head that said K. Williams gave up on 2007,, Must be a Cubbie the demon laid MLB club.FAN.that cherishs a old worn down Baseball park with close to 100 years of ghosts haunting the club and fans...I like Pinella and believe he could bring them in 2nd or 3rd...not good enough to meet the 2005 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP CHICAGO WHITE SOX...as Ken Williams as an astute MLB GM did the right thing this off season. Obtaining 8 strong young arms for the rotation and Pen, Plus a Gamer like Erstad will help along with the strong core of players from last year to meet the Arizona Diamonbacks in the 2007 World Series.

Boy, they call Cubs fans delusional. By the virtue of their moves and lack thereof the Sox will not bypass the Tigers. The Cards lack of decent pitching, makes the central wide open. I don't care who manages them. The Cubs are in as good of a position as anyone.

If Ozzie gives up the antics and concenterates on coaching his baseball team, I believe the Sox can compete for the Division Championsip and wind up with no less than a wild card. The pitching must come through, Contraras, Buhrle, and Garland are all proven winners who must perform. There is no reason to believe Konerko and Dye will not have very good years, Crede is coming into his own and the rest of the lineup is solid. If the Sox can concentrate on winning games this year, the sky is the limit.

As for the Cubs...I am a life long Sox fan who never saw Wrigley until I was 16 when I worked there as an Andy Frain Usher in the late 70's...I bought into the hype during the Bartman season and followed the Cubs for the next couple of years thinking that with Wood, Prior, Sosa, Lee and Ramirez they would break through. Never again, what a heartbreak, I don't know how you Cub fans can deal with this year after year. I wish them luck and an el train series.

Baseball Prospectus is a joke. first of all the cubs need better pitching. sure they spent all that money on offense, but all they got for pitchers was average at best. they will score a lot of runs and give up just as many. once again i see prior is going to be counted on in their rotation... what a joke. the sox should win their division of over achievers last year. sure they finished third last year but they won 90 games. the twins are plagued with no pitching this year and the tigers can't handle the pressure. look for brian anderson and pods to have big years this year. not to mention floyd to win at least 10 games in the 5th starter spot. javier looks poised to win 20 this year. things look good on the south side. (hey jay i hope they sell you to the st paul times in minn. you have never done anything good for this city... take a long walk off a short dock)

Where did the baseball prospectus predict the Sox would end up in '05? Exactly. I have learned over the past few years of watching ESPN and reading publications such as SI, ESPN Mag, and Sporting News to take these analysts predictions with a grain of salt. I prefer to let the results unfold on the field and dont get caught up in the predictions of the so-called "experts" The Sox are in arguably the best division in baseball, so anything can happen this year, but i can assure you they will not come in fourth. Oh and Cub fans, enjoy the first couple months of the season, because once June rolls around and 2 or 3 starters are out for the season, all you are gonna have to look forward to again is the offseason when the Tribune Co rolls out the red carpet for another big free agent signing so everyone can forget about the previous season and buy more tickets for '08.

All baseball "experts" always hate on the Sox. The Cubs wont win the central because they have one pitcher everybody know prior will get hurt and so will wood. cuubs might make it to the playoffs but they wont win it all. you cant buy a WS, if it doesnt work for the yankees it wont work for the cubs.

I would like to say that the Cubs pitching is not a weakness, it is a strength. Re: The comment posted by "Mark," Wood is no longer being relyed on as a starter, he will be a strong bullpen edition to what looks to be the best bullpen in the National League. Here is the rotation: 1. Zambrano, 2. Lilly, 3. Prior, 4. Hill, 5. Marquis or Miller. Bullpen: Miller or Marquis, Wood, Cotts, Eyre, Howry, Ohman, Dempster (Weurtz, Novoa, Marmol, etc...will be used when others go down). If Prior and Miller come back to their old forms (that is a HUGE if) the Cubs starting rotation looks to be one of the best in the National League as well. If not, it still looks a hell of a lot better than last year and with the lineup this team has (Soriano, DeRosa, Lee, Ramirez, Jones, Floyd/Murton, Barrett, Izturis) the starting rotation will not need to do much more than eat up innings and keep the team in the game until the later innings.

Having Darin Erstad is like having Aaron Rowand in the clubhouse - a fierce competitor who supports his teammates to no end. A low risk / high reward pickup that KW picked up for a song.

The bullpen is not as "hype" as much as people think. We have horses that throw serious heat, but mixing in a Chad Bradford type of reliever would keep opposing batters' timing in check.

This year will further prove the power shift from the AL East to the Central. 92 wins should earn at least a wild card berth.

If the Sox can make a late trade for that needed reliever I mentioned before, I feel confident that the White Sox will make another post-season appearence.

I had the great honor to meet Mr Santo when he was a patient at my last job. This man never denied anyone anything that was asked of him. No matter his circumstances he was an absolute gentleman. He never bad mouthed anyone and he just had this enthusiasm for the players and the team. He was very patient while everything went on with him at the hospital. And if you've ever been a patient you know there is the taffy pull and the hurry-up and wait thing going. When a guy come across like that you wish them the best. I'm too young to have seen him play but if he played half as good as he was gracious let him in the hall.

Reading the responses, far too many believe the Cubs' pitching is weak. I'm here to explain why our pitching staff is going to be a strength not a weakness. Zambrano is a legit Ace. Prior is mad, healthy, and going to dominate. Hill is our best young prospect, lefty, and lights out (think last September). Lilly handled the AL East, and is a steady vetern lefty. Miller, Marquis, or Marshall are more than capable #5's. Also, I happen to think that Samardzijia is most likely going to crush batters soon at any level. He may not get a shot this year, but I wouldn't be suprised if he does. He's been busy setting all Notre Dame's recieving records, right? Now he's giving up football completely to dominate batters for the Cubs? He must be a damn good pitcher to completely give up football. I don't see why he can't be one of the best pitchers in baseball. According to Lou he has a live arm. Add to that four pitches with more athleticism than anyone else on the mound. He's tall, competitive, and accustomed to the spotlight. The Cubs should take a long look at him for #5, if he can locate his fastball. He may be the key to a magical season. Sometimes you need to make the different move to make the difference. I'm not too interested in Marquis, truthfully. He's a Cardinal with an ERA over 6. I'm not a huge fan.

Plus, our bullpen is good. Remember when Dempster saved 33 straight or something? I think Wood will close eventually anyway, and believe me, Kid K can still mow 'em down. Eyre, Cotts, Howry, Weurtz- all quality set-up guys. Baseball Prospectus is on to something. The Cubs will lead the NL in HR and K's, the power categories, and flex our muscles all the way to the World Series Trophy!

As for the Sox- you had your glory, enjoy it. You still have a nice squad, though. I like your chances.

Go Bulls!

p.s. Can we please tender Lovie a reasonable extension, then dispel the Thomas Jones trade rumors, then give Lance Briggs a big hug, like tomorrow?

I don't believe that prospectus much. Sox shouldn't be much worse than last year. Maybe the prospectus was thinking of the 08 season after buerhle, dye, and crede leave, then fourth sounds about right. Besides, i think the sox minor league teams should be really good with all the new players williams got for them, that should make up for the sox not having a good 4 or 5 starter or a center fielder or middle infielder. Minor league baseball can be really fun to watch, maybe williams will trade crede and buerhle and get some more class a or aa players. Good to get the real young ones that you can get more of and keep longer in the minors.

As for the cubs, well, i doubt they'll be any worse than last year. And with their payroll being the same as the white sox, they seem to have more of their key players signed for the long haul, something i guess the sox don't believe in. Or maybe the cubs would rather rely on scouting to fill their minor league teams than trading starting pitching, i dunno. Guess after you win a world series you don't have to worry what the fans think, as long as they keep buying the tickets and and the beer.

Should be a fun season, especially in the white sox minor leagues and at wrigley.

The projection that the Sox will finish 4th doesn't surprise me considering Williams has been working feverishly to dismantle the team. I tried to give him the benefit of the doubt and I hoped he had a master plan for this offseason but I'm not for the rebuilding. The Sox are going to be second class citizens again in this town and Reinsdorf doesn't care! I have lost my faith and won't be going to games untl they prove me wrong!

Forget the Sox

Roman responds: It seems a little soon after a World Series title to give up hope.

Hopefully, the Cubs will be competitive this year and much improved. But first place? At best a long shot. Their pitching will prevent that from happening. Too many pitchers have to be healthy all year and good. But if the Tigers can come out of nowhere why not the Cubs? They are in a weak division after all. I predict 3rd place. A great closer would increase their post season chances. At least Dusty's gone!

I love the off season. The hatred for the Reinsdorf/Williams duo, the disappointment of Ron Santo being denied the Hall again, hashing out the Sox batting order or new pitching rotation, hearing random rumblings of "the Cubs should be good this year" - it's all coming together. Just when you thought the winter couldn't get any longer, the city is starting to divide into Sox fans and Cubs fans again. (We did spend some quality time together as Bears fans, though, didn't we?) Some people let a groundhog decide when spring will arrive, but here in Chicago, I know it's getting close. It will be interesting to see what the Cubs can do with their giant payroll, and the White Sox are defintitely going to finish better than 4th. North or South there's a lot to look forward to - we have great pitching, power hitters and managers who provide great sound bites - I can't wait for Opening Day!

Just came back from Mesa & cubs certainly will score runs.But off season pitching moves or non moves will keep cubs from contending.Lilly & Marquis ,give me a break! No true closer! The sox are becoming a low budget small market franchise it seems.Not surprising coming from Reinsdorf & his puppet! I pick cubs for third & sox for fourth. Have a nice summer!

If Ozzy gets the sox to play together and help each other out they should be fine.
For the cubs it is the same every year.Prior and Wood are question marks,santo is not in the hall (how many hall of famers does that chokejob 69 team need?),they lifted the curse at harry carry's for 20th time.(at least they didn't eat a baseball this year)and they have their new manager every 3 years.I just hope cub fans dont humiliate the whole city by crying on the sidewalk outside of wrigley again

win, lose or draw there is NOTHING better than an afternoon or evening at the "friendly confines" except being there to see them "play 2". predictions are all good and well but the games still have to be played and injuries, slumps and trades happen not to mention decisions like the one in '85 that took home field away from the Cubs and forced lights to be installed at Wrigley. so lets take the predictions with a 5 pound bag of salt and sit back and enjoy every frustrating play of the season.
GO CUBBIES!

Cubs fan (and I've been one for over 40 years) will grasp on to anything, if they believe just maybe it could be the year. Sox fans require proof before they start to believe. The Sox's division is tough, but they are still at the top tier of the AL teams, and intangibles should help teams with depth. Is the Sox's main worry really the fifth starter? If so, this is a top tier problem. The name of the game is pitching, so not matter what the Cubs do with the bats, it just won't matter. Having faith in Prior and Woods has proven to be unwise, so why are we behaving like somehow things will be different? Ernie Banks was the eternal optimist and that behavior has permeated all Cub fans, to where we want to believe. But just like the little boy asked Shoeless Joe Jackson "say it ain't so".

Ha. That is funny. I am a huge Cubs fan and I will say right now the Cubs are awful. They have a slight shot at 75 wins, but their pitching is TOO awful to do anything. And what about thier OK lineup? Lee was a one year wonder, although he is solid. All they have on a consistent basis is Soriano and arguably Barret, Lee, and Ramirez.

As for the Sox, they will win their division. Their pitsching staff is stacked, except for the #5 spot, and thier pen is among the best in the majors, IMO. All of that to go along with Thome, Konerko, Dye, Crede, Pierzinski, Iguchi, and not to mention sometimes Pods and Uribe. That is still a championship caliber team. Last year was simply an off year where the Sox did not have enough ambition. I fully expect them to at least make to the ALCS.

The Cubs? They have ZERO chance to make the playoffs. And dont compare that possiblity (there is none) to the Tigers miracle last year. The tigers will not make the playoffs, and neither will the Twins!

GO CUBS prove me wrong! (wont happen, ill be happy if that team gets 70 wins, as it would be an accomplishment).

Are you kidding? I think this is a joke. Cubs fan should be happy with a 70 win season, it would be a step in the right direction. However, the Sox have a 98% chance to win their division. The lack of big spending will hurt the Twins finally, and Sheffield will certainly get hurt for the Tigers. The Indians are the only team I see competing with the Sox, but they will fall short.
The prediction was without a doubt made by someone who SHOULD BE FIRED. The Sox are hungry again, and they are too stacked to be stopped (except #5 starter). The Sox will win 102 games, as Jenks said.

?
the cubs might win 70 games!
doubt it.
Sox will win 105, 3 more than Jenks said. They are hungry again and are toooooo stacked to blow it again, especially with that ridiculous lineup and bullpen, along with that awesome pitching staff except for the #5 spot

Yeah Yeah Yeah - same stuff I heard in 05 from the know it alls of baseball at Baseball Prospectus. Truth is nobody knows what any team will do right now. Jeez...Spring training just started. To say this team will win or that team will lose is truely stupid. The Cubs may win - or maybe not. Same for my beloved White Sox. Both sides of town just have to wait and see. Enjoy the season and the wonderful game of baseball - and forget all the crap these baseball geniuses predict.

Yea! Game 1 of the spring season. Bout time, been a long winter.
Don't like what I'm hearing about K Wood 'muttering' about his bp pitching. I've got a feeling kid K aint back the way some people think he is. We'll see. I'd still like to hear some detail on the hot-tub fall, something doesn't ring true here. Prior hasn't pitched a full season since???? You really gonna pencil him in for 200 plus innings? I don't think so. The volatile Zambrano? You never know with this guy, great stuff and fun to watch, but is he really the guy you want pitching in the 'big' game? Wade Wilson has an 85 mph fastball. You don't go overnight from a power pitcher to a finesse guy. What does that leave you???
Hill with a 6-3 record in Sept when they are 87 games out. Two inning eaters with career numbers in the .500 area. Bullpen looks good outside of Eyre(terrible 2nd half)& Dempster, who still doesn't get why they stop giving him the ball at the end of the season. Offense should be pretty good. Be nice if everyone could stay healthy for once. Weak division, they could finish anywhere from last to first.
Sox should be right there in a much tougher division. Without key injuries, they can be #1 in the division. Imagine though if they would have lost talent similar to what the Cubs did, where they would have finished in '05 or '06.

The Baseball Prospectus doesn't seem to be a fairly respected publication here in Chicago. Predictions are meaningless. The
so-called "experts" don't know anymore than you and I who will do well in the upcoming season. I would be happy to see both teams win their divisions and go deep in the playoffs. A cross-town World Series has to happen some day, they did it in New York a few years back, why not Chicago?

I must be dreaming.

please tell me how a team who has no pitching depth and no defense can win a division?the cubs,has baseball prospectus forgot about fundementals?cubs cant field.now the sox in forth?please maybe second place,detroit will have some injuries that will hurt there team team to watch?cleveland if they get a closer.

Quit crying about the cubs. They're losers and they'll always be losers, just like every other sports team in this city. Oh they'll draw people to the park so people can see wrigley field (wow) and get druck out of their minds, but that'll be the only thing the cubs well compete in this season. Hard to believe fans STILL blame bartman fo blowing th '03 playoffs. Typical.

The Cubs didn't drop $300 million to improve by four wins. They have no expectation that Prior, Miller or Wood will even pitch an inning this year. If they are healthy that is a party bonus and gives Pinella a tough decision.

When picking the division, it is not so much what the Cubs have as it is what the others don't. The division was won last year with 83 wins. The Cards have pitching issues as does Houston.

I'm a little surprised at all the baseball prospectus bashing on this site. I don't look at it on line so maybe they predict what place everyone will come in on their site. But I do get their books and they don't say what place a team will finish as far as I can see. They predict how many wins a team will have based on the history of the players they have on the team. Sometime teams perform beyond their average talent. And sometimes teams are better because of this.
I'm looking at the 2006 baseball prospectus and there are a few things they say before last season that prove they know what they are talking about. After their analysis of the 2005 season they say the Sox outperformed by 9 games. They say with the runs they scored and the runs given up they should have been 90-72.
They say this is where they expect them to be again in 2006. Right on the money. They go on to say one of the biggest areas of overachievment was in the bullpen. Specifically Cotts and Politte.
I think they nailed that one too, if we see what happened with these two guys in 2006. They also suggested dealing Posednik instead of Rowand. They suggested dealing Brian Anderson instead of Chris Young. For those of you who don't know Chris Young, you will. Williams traded him to Arizona. He will be a stud center fielder.
The bottom line is Baseball Prosepectus is right about most of the analysis they give. Fortunately for us, this is baseball and sometimes the unexpected happens. Sometimes miracles happen. How boring would it be if everything happened as predicted. I wish good luck and good health to both sides of town.

As much as I love the Cubs, they have no chance to even win 80 games. Their pitching is awful, thier lineup overrated.

As much as I hate to say this, the White Sox will make it to at least the ALCS. They are stacked

GO CUBS

That's right Sox fans you were picked for 4th in 2005 and played over your heads to win it, that's why no one gave your team any respect and still doesn't. After 90 years of nothing and and playing second banana to a so called loser team.....what does that make you? You play in a concrete toilet bowl and make fun of a baseball shrine like Wrigley....Well it's your turn to cry losers, you and you team's luck has run out and Mr Wizard (Williams) has run out of lucky (on the cheap)moves. See you back in obscurity where you belong

CUBS FANS CAN YOU ALL STOP BELIEVING THAT MARK CUBAN IS GOING TO BUY THE CUBS THIS RUMOR POPS UP EVERY FEW MONTHS HE HAS SAID MANY TIMES HE ISN'T GOING TO BUY THE CUBS AND IF HE IS GOING TO BUY A BASEBALL TEAM IT'S GOING TO