This is part of a 30-article series looking at each team’s depth chart headed into spring training.

Rotation
1. Ryan Dempster
2. Matt Garza
3. Carlos Zambrano
4. Randy Wells
5. Carlos Silva
6. Andrew Cashner
7. Todd Wellemeyer
8. Braden Looper
9. Casey Coleman
10. Thomas Diamond
11. Jeff Samardzija
12. Jay Jackson
13. Chris Carpenter
14. Trey McNutt

The rotation should be a strength if Silva can perform like he did last year and stay healthy. There is some pretty reasonable depth around, too. Since Cashner didn’t pan out as a setup man last year, I’m guessing the Cubs will have him return to Triple-A to work as a starter. If things go well, he could be a big factor in the second half of the season.

Bullpen
1. Carlos Marmol
2. Kerry Wood
3. Sean Marshall
4. John Grabow
5. Marcos Mateo
6. Esmailin Caridad
7. James Russell
8. Andrew Cashner
9. Jeff Samardzija
10. Braden Looper
11. Angel Guzman
12. Todd Wellemeyer
13. Scott Maine
14. Thomas Diamond
15. Justin Berg
16. Jeff Stevens
17. Polin Trinidad
18. Jeff Beliveau
19. Rafael Dolis
20. John Gaub
21. Scott Rice

The Cubs decided against spending to upgrade their pen, and they only ended up with Wood because he passed up bigger offers to return to Chicago. I like Mateo’s chances of being useful, but beyond the top four, there shouldn’t be any locks for the pen. … Being out of options probably won’t help Samardzija, since his big contract would seem to guarantee that he’ll clear waivers unless he pitches well enough to earn a spot on merit.

Catcher
1. Geovany Soto
2. Koyie Hill
3. Max Ramirez
4. Welington Castillo
5. Chris Robinson

First base
1. Carlos Pena
2. Tyler Colvin
3. Bryan LaHair
4. Scott Moore

Second base
1. Blake DeWitt
2. Jeff Baker
3. Scott Moore
4. Augie Ojeda
5. Darwin Barney

Third base
1. Aramis Ramirez
2. Jeff Baker
3. Bobby Scales
4. Scott Moore
5. Augie Ojeda
6. Darwin Barney

Shortstop
1. Starlin Castro
2. Darwin Barney
3. Augie Ojeda
4. Matt Camp

Baker hit .350/.395/.550 in 140 at-bats against lefties last season, so the Cubs should go with a strict platoon at second base. … Barring an acquisition, the newly signed Ojeda will likely battle Barney for the last spot on the Cubs bench. It wouldn’t be a bad idea for the Cubs to grab Cristian Guzman or Julio Lugo as another middle-infield option.

Left field
1. Alfonso Soriano
2. Tyler Colvin
3. Fernando Perez
4. Reed Johnson
5. Lou Montanez

Center field
1. Marlon Byrd
2. Tyler Colvin
3. Reed Johnson
4. Fernando Perez

Right field
1. Kosuke Fukudome
2. Tyler Colvin
3. Reed Johnson
4. Brad Snyder
5. Fernando Perez

The Cubs failed to move Fukudome in an effort to free up money and playing time for Colvin, so he’ll probably start in right field against right-handers, at least early on. Colvin, who figures to get more work at first base this spring, will be the top backup at four spots. He’ll probably end up with more at-bats than Fukudome if he keeps hitting like he did last season.

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After three straight winning seasons in which they finished no lower than second in the National League Central, the Cubs endured a calamitous 2010 in which they slumped to a 75-87 record and a fifth-place finish. They did wind up the season strong with interim manager Mike Quade at the helm, going 24-13 after Lou Piniella retired, which helped to remove the “interim” tag from Quade’s title going into the 2011 season.

While the Cubs begin the year without the volatile Piniella, the team is still largely unchanged. The outfield of Alfonso Soriano, Marlon Byrd and Kosuke Fukudome is intact, Geovany Soto returns behind the plate, and Carlos Pena is the only new face in the infield. The pitching staff remains stable as well, aside from Matt Garza replacing Tom Gorzelanny in the rotation and Kerry Wood joining the bullpen mix.

Hopes for improvement rest heavily on the arm of Garza, who brings a higher profile than Gorzelanny, but whose 3.91 ERA from last year was only a shade lower than Gorzelanny’s 4.09. Add in Garza’s long-time struggles when pitching away from his former home of Tropicana Field — his career ERA away from Tampa Bay is 4.51 — and there are fewer reasons to be optimistic about a turnaround.

The Cubs are not exactly brimming with youth, but as a 20-year-old rookie, shortstop Starlin Castro provided one of the team’s bright spots, batting an even .300. Veterans Aramis Ramirez and Carlos Zambrano made up for disappointing starts with strong second halves. If Ramirez can stay healthy and Zambrano can stay focused, both could help the Cubs inch closer to .500 again, if not make them contenders in an improved NL Central that features an emerging Reds powerhouse and a retooled Brewers squad in addition to the steady Cardinals.

However, without a stable of youngsters to build upon, a healthy and consistent corps of middle-of-the-order hitters or a true ace atop their rotation, this could be the beginning of a long and difficult stretch at Wrigley Field.

Sleeper … Randy Wells, SP

Even though Wells didn’t pitch quite a full season in his rookie year in 2009, he finished a surprisingly robust 55th among all starting pitchers in Fantasy points. Last season, despite getting 32 starts, Wells fell to 80th in the rankings. The righty may have overperformed in ’09, but his value was hurt last season by an 8-14 record. Only 10 qualifying starting pitchers received less run support than Wells in that disappointing campaign. The Cubs’ offense may not have been world-beaters, but Wells should have certainly received more help than he did. Look for him to lower his ERA and WHIP slightly and to get his record back to around .500, making him a relevant hurler in standard mixed leagues again.

Bust … Blake DeWitt, 2B

As a minor leaguer, DeWitt showed good contact skills a decent amount of pop for a middle infielder, but as a major leaguer, neither of those skills has been in evidence. The 25-year-old DeWitt could still grow into being a better contact hitter, but there are reasons to suspect his power. His Triple-A stats were compiled in good hitting environments in the Pacific Coast League. He did hit 13 doubles and six home runs in only 178 at-bats at Double-A Jacksonville back in 2007, but he was repeating that level, not to mention that we’re looking at a small sample. After a much larger sample of 857 major league at-bats, it’s getting harder to expect DeWitt to become even a 15-homer threat. Even if he can get his batting average out of the .260s, DeWitt’s bat is not one to roster outside of NL-only leagues.

Bounce-back player … Carlos Pena, 1B

With a batting average that has dropped steadily from .282 to .196 over the last three seasons, it’s hard not to be skeptical about Pena’s chances for a comeback season in 2011. However, there are signs that the former Tampa Bay slugger could have a nice rebound in his near future. His power is still as evident as ever, as his home run per flyball rate of 20 percent was just one percentage point lower than his 2009 rate. His homer output dropped from 39 to 28, however, because of a growing tendency to hit grounders. Not only did this rob Pena of precious long balls, but it was an unfortunate trend for someone who has hit below .200 on ground balls in three of the last four seasons. Pena’s aversion to flyball hitting was a sudden change, so there is no reason to assume that this will become a long-term pattern. Expecting a return to his .282-46-121 line from 2007 is not advisable, but he could pay off as a late-round grab in mixed league formats.

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Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White and the Chicago Cubs unveiled the Cubs permanent Illinois license plate Thursday.

The Cubbie Blue license plate features the Cubs logo and was on display during a press conference at Wrigley Field.

The Cubs are the second team to take advantage of Public Act 095-0331, which was enacted in 2002 and allows Illinois sports teams to have license plates.

In addition, $25 from each plate purchase will go to the Professional Sports Teams Education Fund, and will also be earmarked for the Common School Fund, which supports public schools throughout the state.

“For many years I played in the wonderful Chicago Cubs organization as a center fielder,” White said. “I feel a special bond and history with the team. I am not alone. The Chicago Cubs are a legendary franchise and boast of diehard fans throughout the country who will be excited to show their team spirit and support education with these plates.”

Cubs owner Tom Ricketts and Hall of Famer Ernie Banks were on hand for the unveiling.

“We are thrilled to help the State of Illinois in its effort to raise funds for public education and to give Cubs fans the chance to display their loyalty on an official Illinois license plate, Ricketts said. “We thank Secretary White for his efforts in making this possible and hope all Cubs fans will show their loyalty by reserving their plate today.”

Plates can be preordered by visiting www.cyberdriveillinois.com. Fans can order random number, personalized or vanity plates, which will be sent out March 1. Cost to purchase a random number plate is $69. Pricing varies for vanity and personalized plates.

In addition, fans who attend the Chicago Auto Show, beginning Feb. 10 at McCormick Place, will be able to purchase a random number Cubs plate. A secretary of state mobile unit will also be on hand to register personalized and vanity plates.

CHICAGO — Right-hander Braden Looper and infielder Augie Ojeda have agreed to minor-league contracts with the Chicago Cubs and have been invited to spring training.

The Cubs open camp for pitchers and catchers on Feb. 13 in Mesa, Ariz.

The 36-year-old Looper last pitched in 2009 with Milwaukee. He went 14-7 with a 5.22 ERA and led the league in homers and earned runs allowed. He is 72-65 with 103 saves in 12 seasons with St. Louis, Florida, the New York Mets and the Brewers.

Ojeda batted .190 in 59 games for Arizona last season. The 36-year-old played with the Cubs from 2000-2003.

Among the other players invited to camp were pitchers Angel Guzman and Todd Wellemeyer.

The Chicago Cubs signed pitcher Braden Looper and infielder Augie Ojeda to minor league contracts on Thursday.

Chicago, IL (Sports Network) – The Chicago Cubs signed pitcher Braden Looper and infielder Augie Ojeda to minor league contracts on Thursday.

Looper started his career as a reliable reliever but served as a starter for his last three seasons. He made 34 starts for Milwaukee in 2009 and went 14-7 with a 5.22 earned-run average.

The 36-year-old righty has appeared in 670 games — 97 starts — over his career and has a 72-65 record with 103 saves and a 4.15 ERA. He has played for the Cardinals, Marlins, Mets and Brewers.

Ojeda started his career with Chicago and played in 148 games for the club between 2000-03. The 36-year-old middle infielder has spent the last four years in Arizona and hit just .190 with six runs scored in 59 games with the Diamondbacks in 2010.

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