Chicago Cubs preview There was a sense of destiny in Chicago last season -- the 100th anniversary of the Cubs' most recent World Series championship. Everything went according to plan during the regular season, but the Cubs were swept in the NLDS for the second consecutive postseason. Once again, they're expected to win, and anything less than a championship will be a disappointment. THREE QUESTIONS 1. Are the Cubs better now than they were on Sept. 28? They're different, that's for sure. On Sept. 28, the Cubs were putting the finishing touches on their dominant 97-win regular season. But after the NLDS sweep against the Dodgers, G.M. Jim Hendry reconstructed his squad, bidding farewell to closer Kerry Wood, the versatile Mark DeRosa, starting pitcher Jason Marquis and others. But were the Cubs really in need of a revamping? They led the N.L. in wins, then lost the first two games to the Dodgers in fluke fashion -- Game 1 starter Ryan Dempster walked seven batters (as many as he had walked in five September starts), and the Cubs' normally slick defense committed four errors in Game 2. And, just like that, change swept into Wrigley Field. Was it a necessary? Ask again this October. 2. What about the ninth inning? The Cubs have two very good options to replace Wood. Carlos Marmol is the favorite, and probably will have to pitch his way out of the job this spring/early in the season. His raw stuff is overpowering. As Wood's setup man in 2008, Marmol pitched 87-1/3 innings, struck out 114 and allowed only 40 hits. The Cubs also traded for Kevin Gregg, who had 61 saves (and 13 blown saves) the past two years for the Marlins. Gregg enjoys the challenge of the ninth inning, but there's a difference between closing games in front of 10,000 fans in Florida and a packed house at Wrigley Field. Gregg is great to have as insurance, but a risk as the No. 1 guy. 3. What can Chicago expect from new right fielder Milton Bradley? They undoubtedly can expect more offense from the position, where Kosuke Fukudome struggled mightily in the second half of last season. Meanwhile, Bradley led the A.L. in on-base percentage (.436) and OPS (.999). The concern with Bradley, who signed a three-year deal with the Cubs this offseason, is his ability to stay in the lineup. He has played more than 100 games in the outfield only once in his career, and that was in 2004 with the Dodgers. Bradley was the Rangers' primary DH last season and still played only 126 games. Even if he stays off the disabled list, the Cubs will have to give Bradley regular rest to keep him fresh for the stretch run. Plus, there is some concern about Bradley's sometimes-combustible personality in a clubhouse with Lou Piniella and Carlos Zambrano -- two guys who have had temper issues. PROJECTED LINEUP 1. LF Alfonso Soriano. Eventually, he'll slide down in the lineup. Can't happen soon enough. 2. 2B Aaron Miles. Good contact hitter; defensive versatility is a plus. 3. 1B Derrek Lee. Excellent hitter, but not the power threat he once was. 4. 3B Aramis Ramirez. Mark it down: 25-30 homers, 110 RBIs. 5. RF Milton Bradley. Switch hitter will be a key contributor, when healthy. 6. C Geovany Soto. Offensive numbers overshadowed defensive prowess. 7. CF Kosuke Fukudome. Plenty to prove after subpar 2008. 8. SS Ryan Theriot. Why isn't he leading off? PROJECTED ROTATION 1. RHP Carlos Zambrano. Extremely talented, but always struggles to find consistency. 2. RHP Ryan Dempster. Breakthrough season in Wrigley earned big offseason contract. 3. LHP Ted Lilly. Quietly won 17 games for the Cubs in 2008. 4. RHP Rich Harden. Is 16-4 with a 2.57 ERA in past three injury-plagued seasons. 5. LHP Sean Marshall. Tall southpaw is the favorite to round out rotation. PROJECTED CLOSER RHP Carlos Marmol. Nasty stuff, but can he handle the ninth-inning pressure? GRADES Offense. A. The Cubs led the N.L. in runs scored by a large margin in 2008 and added Bradley. If the switch from right field to center helps and Fukudome can be consistent offensively, that would be a bonus, too. Lee and Ramirez probably are starting to slide a bit in terms of raw numbers, but they're still dangerous. Pitching. A. The talent is here in bunches, though there are nitpicky questions throughout the staff. Lilly and Marmol are pitching in the World Baseball Classic; you never know how pitchers will fare after that extra work. Can Marmol and/or Gregg handle the pressure of closing in Chicago? Can Harden stay healthy? Bench. B. Miles and Mike Fontenot can play multiple infield positions, giving Piniella options. Reed Johnson did a nice job (.303 average) as a fill-in last season and could get more playing time if Fukudome struggles. Outfielder Micah Hoffpauir hit .342 in a late-season call-up after driving in 100 runs in 71 Class AAA games. Manager. B. Piniella has done a bang-up job in the regular season (two N.L. Central titles in two seasons), but that isn't what the Cubs wanted when hired him to replace Dusty Baker. Piniella was brought in for one reason: to bring a World Series title to Chicago for the first time since 1908. So far, though, he is 0-6 in the postseason. Sporting News prediction: The Cubs are the favorites to win their third consecutive division title. The last time they did that was in 1906-07-08. Maybe this is actually the true year of destiny, eh? No. Though they'll reach the World Series, they'll lose to the Yankees. --

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