Cubs Outfield: 2010 and beyond

December 3rd, 2009 | by Mark |

Today I will wrap up my series reviewing the Cubs’ starters and depth by taking a look at the Cubs’ outfield.

2010

The outfield was a sore spot for the Cubs in 2009 with Alfonso Soriano, Kosuke Fukudome and Milton Bradley all performing inadequately, especially given the large amounts of money being thrown their way.

Its well know by now that Jim Hendry is looking to trade Bradley this offseason and try to acquire a centerfielder to allow Fukudome to move to his more comfortable position, rightfield. The latest trade rumors indicate that the Cubs are still interested in Curtis Granderson, but would like to move Bradley first. It also appears that a Bradley for Pat Burrell swap is the most likely scenario, but that the Cubs would then have to find someone to take Burrell (perhaps the Mets for Luis Castillo).

So, let’s take a look at the current incumbents and the possible replacements (should Bradley be traded).

Leftfield – Alfonso Soriano (signed through 2014) – The Cubs have to hope that 2009 was an aberration for Soriano, due to his knee issues or whatever, because if Soriano’s skills are deteriorating the Cubs are in trouble. Soriano hit only .241 with 20 HR’s on the year and was limited to 117 games due to injuries. The Cubs are stuck with him, as they have 5 years and $90 million left on his contract. Hendry is probably hoping that Soriano bounces back in 2010 so that he can trade him when his value is high.

Centerfield – Kosuke Fukudome (signed through 2011) – Fukudome is not a true centerfielder, he just hits like one. Fukudome hit just .259 with 11 HR’s on the year, but did have a nifty .375 OBP. He is a good number 2 hitter, but should not be relied upon to leadoff. Hendry and Piniella want to move Fukudome to right, but doing so would give them one of the weaker hitting rightfielders in the league. But I guess it beats another year of Milton Bradley.

Rightfield - Milton Bradley (signed through 2011) – Bradley had a comparable year to Fukudome, hitting .257 with 12 HR’s and a .378 OBP. However, much more was expected out of him. He struggled from the get go and never seemed to fit in with the Cubs. Hendry will try hard to trade him this offseason, but if he cannot do so without eating a large chunk of his contract, Hendry may be resigned to hold onto Bradley for another year and hope that Rudy Jaramillo can get him hitting again to improve his trade value.

Reserves – Sam Fuld, Jake Fox and Tyler Colvin – The Cubs will probably let 4th outfielder Reed Johnson walk this offseason and use some combination of Fuld, Fox and Colvin to backup the starters. Fuld can play centerfield and will likely make the team. Fox will also likely make the team and backup the corner outfield spots, while Colvin gets some more seasoning at AAA.

If Bradley is traded, the Cubs will likely replace him with a centerfielder, either Granderson (via trade) or Marlon Byrd (free agent). Here’s a look at both of these players.

Curtis Granderson (signed through 2012 with 2013 option) – a Chicago area highschool and college player, Granderson would seem like a logical fit. However, given his struggles against lefthanders, the high price tag the Tigers are placing on him and the $25.75 million remaining on his contract, it would probably be best for the Cubs to pass on him. Hendry likes him and will make a strong effort to acquire him, but will stop short of dealing Carlos Marmol and/or Starlin Castro for him.

Marlon Byrd – Byrd had a fine year with Texas in 2009, hitting .283 with 20 HR’s. Texas’ stadium has a way of inflating hitters stats, but Byrd is still a solid player. It will likely cost the Cubs around $7-8 million per year for 3-4 years to sign him.

In my opinion, it would be better for the Cubs to sign Byrd, as it would cost them about the same and they wouldn’t have to gut their farm system in the process.

2011 and beyond

With all of the Cubs outfielders, including their potential replacements (Granderson and Byrd), signed through 2011, there will probably be no changes to the Cubs outfield lineup in 2011.

However, with Fukudome’s contract coming off the books after 2011, the Cubs will be looking for another outfielder in 2012. The most likely replacement is Cub prospect Brett Jackson. Jackson has already established himself as one of the Cubs top prospects while hitting .318/.418/.488 in 211 AB’s after being drafted this past June. Chances are he’ll be ready to man the outfield for the Cubs in 2012. However, if he’s not, the Cubs could go with a free agent or maybe Tyler Colvin to fill in until Jackson is ready.

So, here are my projected outfield lineups for 2010-2012:

2010 – Alfonso Soriano (Left), Marlon Byrd (Center), Kosuke Fukudome (Right).

2011 – Alfonso Soriano (Left), Marlon Byrd (Center), Kosuke Fukudome (Right).

2012 – Alfonso Soriano (Left), Marlon Byrd (Center), Brett Jackson (Right).

So, that pretty much wraps up my series on the Cubs roster depth. I will be adding an analysis of the Catcher position tonight (as I failed to include it with the Infield analysis) and you can check out my analysis of the Starting Pitching, Relief Pitching and Infield as well.

The baseball Winter Meetings will be held in Indianapolis next week (December 7-10) and I will keep you up-to-date on all the rumors involving the Cubs. You can also follow me on Twitter @ FanballCubspack.

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