Chicago Cubs rebuilding plan still a tall order

Chicago fans have waited 108 years for their beloved Cubbies to win a World Series, and according to Cubs' beat writer Jesse Rogers, they will be asked to keep waiting. Coming off their first 100-loss season since 1966, few could anticipate a turnaround for the 2013 season. And with only a handful of stealth offseason moves under their belt, Cubs management is sticking to their guns about the rebuilding process being a slow one.

Before the Winter Meetings in Nashville, Chicago inked starting pitchers Scott Baker and Scott Feldman to one-year deals worth $5.5 and $6 million, respectively. Throw in $9 million over two years for Japanese relief import Kyuji Fujikawa and the Cubs have a few nice, yet unspectacular, moves.

When the meetings commenced, the Cubs stayed relatively idle, nabbing only outfielder Nate Schierholtz for $2.5 million for 2013. Little else is expected for a team that is trying to wait out bad contracts, like the $38 million they owe Alfonso Soriano over the next two seasons or the $9.8 they owe Carlos Marmol in 2013. The Cubs load will lighten in 2015 when they only long-term deals guaranteed are stud shortstop Starlin Castro and Cuban outfield prospect Jorge Soler.

Rogers points out that when the Cubs do wheel and deal in the offseason, it will be an indication management thinks the team has the assets to compete for a playoff run. Hey, the only thing Cubs fans have is time.