The Chicago Cubs are one of Americas most beloved teams despite the disappointment that they bring to their faithful followers year after year. The Cubs are hoping a key off season acquisition of Juan Pierre, to replace the inconsistent Corey Patterson in center field, will pay off. Pierre is a true lead off hitter and more of a threat on the base paths than Patterson which is definitely one of the things the Cubs were missing last season as Patterson was striking out too often trying to hit long balls. The other problem for the Cubs last season was that they really struggled with injuries to their pitching staff. It seems like the team is going to start off this season with the same problems to Prior and Wood, so it will be interesting to see how this team will pan out.

My fear is that the Cubs didnt get better where theyve needed to really get better for several seasons, the bullpen. The Cubs starters have been banged up over the past few seasons which has prevented them from throwing as many innings as they need to in order for this team to be successful. The bull pen has been exposed countless times having to enter the game in the 6th or 7th. When a reliever enters the game, Cubs fans start to panic. Carlos Zambrano has been the only starter who is producing up to the potential set for him and if he can continue to improve, hes a Cy Young contender. Moving Ryan Dempster to the bullpen proved to pay off as he earned 33 saves.

Derrek Lee is coming off a break out, MVP caliber, season. The question remains if hell be able to duplicate it, as prior to last season he was a .270 hitter over the last three seasons. Although not at the rate his numbers jumped last season, they have gone up each year over the last 3, which leads me to believe he will be talked about as an MVP candidate again this season and that last season wasnt some kind of a fluke. However, just as last year, Lees heroics wont be enough to put the Cubs over the top. The Cubs were a sound hitting team overall with an average of .270. Cedeno, Murton, Ramirez, and Todd Walker all made it over the .300 mark. Lee and Ramirez should be able to drive in quite a few runs with Pierre setting the table.

Because of the Cubs starting pitching, which has all the potential in the world but has rarely seen the rotation on the same page, Vegas often overvalues these Cubs, especially at home. If you pick your spots, you can make some nice profits by going against the Cubs as a home favorite. I would be wary about taking them as an underdog and on the road in division games as they play in the toughest division in the National League with Houston and St. Louis.

This article was written by Jimmy Boyd. Pick up his MLB Gambling Picks here.