The Winter Meetings have come and gone and while it was a very busy week for Theo Epstein and Co., they still have yet to make any changes to the Cubs' pitching staff.
In a conversation last week with one of my friends, Billy (who would like to be described as a "Cubs enthusiast"), we were discussing the potential starting rotation for the Cubs next year.
Jed Hoyer and Theo keep preaching run prevention and the fastest way to improve in that area is to bolster the starting rotation. Theo has already said he wants to have as many as nine starting pitcher options, which makes the five-man rotation hard to predict. Throw in injuries and potential ineffectiveness and it's near impossible.
But we can have fun anyways and still throw out our projections.
As such, here is Cubs Enthusiast Billy's projected Opening Day rotation:
1. Matt Garza
2. Ryan Dempster
3. Paul Maholm
4. Joe Saunders
5. Andrew CashnerRandy Wells
He also believes the "Dream Team" will find a taker for Carlos Zambrano.
MLB
It's interesting and entirely possible. Maholm and Saunders are free agent options and they could come somewhat cheap. They're both lefties and it would make sense for the Cubs to target a left-handed starter at some point during this offseason.
The idea of Maholm is certainly intriguing. He's the kind of under-the-radar free agent signing Theo and his posse seem most inclined to make.
Maholm is coming off the best year of his career (3.66 ERA and 1.29 WHIP despite a tough-luck 6-14 record) and could sign a deal worth 5-7 million a year or so. Not too expensive and at 29 years old, the former first-round pick could be a solid addition to the pitching staff.
Saunders, meanwhile, was just non-tendered by the Diamondbacks and has compiled a 4.07 ERA in 415.1 innings over the past two seasons. He did lead the league in losses in 2010 with 17, but he's been a steady and reliable -- if unspectacular -- starter over his career.
Cubs enthusiast Billy also thinks Epstoyer (his celebrity name for the new Cubs front office duo) could go out and sign a guy like Jeff Francis for depth and to help push the younger starters in Spring Training.
Dempster and Garza are both obvious choices to head up the rotation, assuming Garza isn't dealt sometime this winter (which I doubt he will be).
Cashner was sidelined most of 2011 with a shoulder injury, so the organization may not want to stretch him out as a starter at the beginning of the season. Whether they do or not remains to be seen, but even if he is an option for the fifth starter, Wells could be there to push him in the spring.
A very realistic rotation possibility, though. I personally like the Maholm signing. He may not be flashy, but like David DeJesus, he's a guy that will improve the team and help them take steps back into prominence in the NL.
Far better than having Doug Davis making starts, right?
Have a prediction for the Cubs' 2012 starting rotation? Comment in the section below with your projection of the five Opening Day predictions and I'll discuss each and every rotation comment here on CubsTalk.