Chicago Cubs Spring Training 2007

Hope springs eternal and ever the optimists, Chicago Cubs fans are gearing up for a new season. The winds of change have blown in to the Windy City as new manager Lou Pinella gets ready for his first Spring Training as the Northsiders skipper. With the addition of several new players like Alfonso Soriano and Ted Lilly along with a healthy Derek Lee the Cubs look to make some serious noise in the National League Central Division. After spending close to $300 million this off season to bring in a bevy of new coaches and players, the Cubs feel they are on the cusp of turning the franchise around.

With spring training a few mere weeks away the optimism in Cubs Nation is at a fevered pitch. Though several upgrades have been made, there are still some key questions that need to be answered. With pitchers and catchers reporting on February 14^th and the first Spring Training games beginning March 1^st, Manager Lou Pinella will have a little over a month to find those answers.

With that, I give you 3 key situations to watch as Spring Trainings plays out.

1. The Outfield: Who will be in Center Field Opening Day

With Matt Murton, Jacque Jones, Alfonso Soriano, Cliff Floyd, and Daryle Ward the Cubs have a surplus of corner outfielders. This begs the questions, who will play Center? When Soriano first signed with the team it was assumed he would take over Right Field with Murton sharing time in Left Field with whoever else the Cubs brought in. We later learned this was Cliff Floyd and as it stands right now there could be a Murton and Floyd platoon in Left Field. After the 2006 season ended, there were many rumblings that Jacque Jones was unhappy and wanted out of Chicago. Many fans believed a trade was imminent, but with Spring Training only a couple of weeks away, Jones is still in a Cubs uniform. During the Cubs Convention last month the prospect of Soriano playing Center was addressed, and looks like this is what is likely to happen.