Regular Season Record: 85-77
First in the NL Central 

Offensive leaders:
Home Runs: Alfonso Soriano 33
Average: Derek Lee .317
RBI: Aramis Ramirez 101
Runs: Alfonso Soriano 97
Steals:  Ryan Theriot 28 

Pitching leaders:
Wins: Carlos Zambrano 18
ERA: Ted Lilly 3.86
Strikeouts: Rich Hill 183
Saves: Ryan Dempster 28 

Highlight of the season:  Getting into the playoffs after a dismal start to a season where they seemed almost dead in the water.  As it was it came down to the final week where they crawled into the playoffs just 2 games ahead of the Brewers and just 3 games above the .500 mark. 

Low point of the season:  In June the Cubs reached a point where fans and sportswriters were scratching their heads and wondering just how bad this team really was.  At 22-31 they sure looked like the weakest team in the Central. 

Best move of the season:  Adding Ted Lilly as a free agent was the saving grace of the Chicago Cubs in 2007.  The lefthander went 15-8, lead the team in ERA with a 3.86 and gave the Cubs 207 solid innings which they desperately needed since neither Kerry Wood nor Mark Prior were able to contribute. 

Worst move of the season:  Picking up Steve Trachsel via a waiver trade wire late in the season.  Trachsel managed a 1-3 record with an 8.31 ERA in his four September starts and helped keep the Brewers in the race a few days longer. 

Key Player: Carlos Zambrano.  Once considered the third wheel in a pitching staff that was supposed to feature headliners Mark Prior and Kerry Wood, Zambrano was expected to fill a support role.  Today he’s the ace of the staff and arguably the best pitcher in the Central division.  He’s carried the team, stepped up in big games, and kept the Cubs alive during the awful first two months of the season. 

Up and Coming Player: Geovany Soto.  Slated to take over the catching duties in 2008, Soto is coming off a banner year where he not only impressed as a September call up (54 AB, .389-3-8 RBIs), but ripped apart the minors (hitting .353-26-109) 

What went right:  The Cubs dug themselves out a pretty deep hole during the season and showed that the Cubs weren’t totally crazy shelling out $300 million in free agent contracts during the 06-07 offseason.  They did that almost entirely on the backs of their pitching staff which was the second best in the National League with a 4.04 ERA.  The foursome of Carlos Zambrano, Ted Lilly, Rich Hill and Jason Marquis kept the team afloat when the offense underperformed. 

And the offense wasn’t by any means bad - Alfonso Soriano, the big free agent acquisition, hit .299-33-70 with 19 steals, and that was after missing a month with a broken leg.  Derek Lee and Aramis Ramirez re-enforced the middle of the lineup and combined for 48 home runs and 183 RBIs. T

hey also had some outstanding relief pitching from guys like Bob Howry (1.43 ERA), Michael Wuertz (3.48 ERA), and even Kerry Wood (3.33 ERA) toward the end of the season but the star was Carlos Marmol.   

Carlos Marmol.  The young flame thrower didn’t look all that good in the playoffs, but then none of the Cubs did.  Marmol’s numbers during the regular season: 59 appearances, 5-1 with a 1.43 ERA and 96 Ks in just 69.1 innings.  Those are outstanding numbers and suggest he might develop into a future closer. 

What went wrong:   The offense never managed to click on all cylinders and hit the way everyone expected.  Instead the team at times struggled to manufacture runs and that in the end was what killed them. Well that and a questionable decision by Lou Pinella to pull Carlos Zambrano in game one of the NLDS in a 1-1 tie. 

Offseason Preview:  The Cubs didn’t take any major hits in the Free Agent market.  Free agents Cliff Floyd, Jason Kendall and Kerry Wood all walked with the blessing of the team and Jacque Jones and Craig Monroe were dealt away.  That leaves them looking for outfielders and pitchers during the offseason. 

Rumors are flying that the Cubs will make a Japanese connection either for an outfielder or a starting pitcher, but plenty of names are being bandied about.  The Cubs probably won’t spend a lot of money, but one maybe two big free agent signings are possible but a trade is a lot more likely if they can convince a struggling team to part with a good talent for some prospects.

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