Check out the 2001 schedule

The Cubs finished the 2001 season at 88-74, 23 games better than 2000 and they hope that this success will continue into next season. Between now and then, however, they have at lot of decisions to make. With more than a half-dozen players eligible for free agency, and 11 other signed for next season, the organization is bound to be busy in the next couple of months.

With Jon Lieber, Kerry Wood and Jason Bere under contract already for 2002, the Cubs have to make some decisions as to who will fill the remaining two slots.

Julian Tavarez, who spent the majority of the 2001 season in the rotation before being demoted to the bullpen after a few unforgettable starts, could return to the rotation next year. This past season was the first in his career that he'd begun as a starter, and fatigue could have played a role in his late season collapse. Tavarez gave Manager Don Baylor something to think about in his final outing, when he no-hit the Pittsburgh Pirates for 7 1/3 inning. The Cubs love his sinker, which is suited perfectly for Wrigley Field, especially on days when the wind is blowing out. The organization freed up the other slot when they showed veteran right-hander Kevin Tapani the door by deciding not to pick up the club option for next season.

That leaves possibly a door open for another arm to come in.

Mark Prioris is a great pitching prospect, but will probably not be ready to play with the Cubs for their April 3 Opening Day. The club was impressed with Juan Cruz in late August and September, but remain cautious, they want to see the spindly right-hander add some weight, which Don Baylor hopes will help Cruz last more than five innings per outing.

The Cubs are also wary of making the same mistake they did after the 2000 season with Will Ohman. The left-handed reliever pitched well after his September call-up and was all but ensured a big-league job entering Spring Training. After pitching in winter ball last off-season, despite objections from the club, Ohman did not fare well in Mesa or in two call-ups to Chicago. Don Baylor has expressed a desire to see a left-hander in the rotation, but those are few and far between. The nearest thing in the organization would be 23-year-old Scott Smyth, who pitched well at AA-West Tennessee (9-3, 2.54 ERA in 18 starts) alongside Cruz, before an injury cut his season short, and made his road to the big leagues that much longer.

Fred McGriff was a great mid-season addition to the Cubs. He came over from Tampa Bay on July 27 and hit 31 home runs and 102 RBIs with the two teams, 12 and 41 as a member of the Cubs. He definitely became more comfortable with his new surroundings as he went along, hitting .326 with 10 homers, five doubles and two triples and 27 RBIs in his final 27 games.

The infield for the Cubs has two question marks at second and short, as both Eric Young and Ricky Gutierrez are free agents. Young believes that he has played his last game for the Cubbies, and with Delino DeShields, also a free agent, possibly coming back at a lower price and prospect Bobby Hill on the horizon, he may be right. Hill followed up a great Spring Training with an equally impressive April and May with West Tennessee and seemed like a fast track player before he was sidelined by an abdominal injury. The Cubs second-round pick in 2000 missed about 70 games before finishing the season at less than full strength. Hill still finished with a .301 average.

Third base is covered for at least another year by Bill Mueller, who started his workout program two weeks after the end of the season to get the strength back in his left knee. Mueller shattered the kneecap on May 13 and sat out three months of the season, only returning to the team to try and help them make the postseason.

Perhaps the position that will get the most attention this off-season will be left field. Because Rondell White had fewer than 500 plate appearances (323 at bats) he is eligible for free agency. Hampered by a groin injury that resulted in two separate stints on the disabled list this year, White has had at least 500 at bats only once in the last four seasons. He hit .307 with 17 home runs this year, has expressed his desire to return to Wrigley.

If they are unable to resign White, the Cubs will look for a right-handed hitting left fielder due to no such player close in the farm system. With Todd Hundley, McGriff, Mueller, Corey Patterson and Michael Tucker all hitting on the left side of the plate, the team is in need of another power hitting right-hander. Tucker, Patterson and Roosevelt Brown will all compete for playing time in the outfield, while Sammy Sosa will return to his home in right. Patterson was starting so show some of the promise that made him the No.3 draft pick overall in 1998 before the Cubs signed Michael Tucker with the team in a pennant race. Even after his mid-August recall, Patterson was a bench player with no consistent playing time.

The team expects to go into Spring Training with the three catchers that carried them most of the season, Joe Girardi, Hundley and Robert Machado. Girardi had knee surgery right before the end of the season and Hundley was on the DL for a month with a back injury and ended up hitting .187 with 12 home runs and 31 RBI in 79 games. Robert Machado proved himself with his defense behind the plate and hit .222 in 52 games.

In the bullpen, the team will look to re-sign Todd Van Poppel who was 4-1 with a 2.52 ERA in 59 relief appearances. David Weathers, who came over from the Brewers at the trading deadline, is also a free agent. The right-hander posted a 3.18 ERA in 28.1 innings. In addition, Matt Stairs, who struggled to find his swing against National League pitching, is expected to sign elsewhere, while Ron Coomer and Ojeda are likely to return. Ojeda proved himself valuable with his versatility in the infield. There are few players in the league who can play three infield positions with almost flawless defense.

The 2002 season may seem questionable for the Cubs at this point, but with Sosa and McGriff leading the way on offense, and with Wood, Bere, and Lieber making up the core of the pitching staff, we'll do all right. Just believe.