MVN: Most Valuable Network

This series is predicated on educated guesses, past history of the team/general manager, rumors that have been out there for a while, and actions that I feel could be taken. This exercise is me playing GM to inspire conversation and a new way of approaching things. Moves that I complete as previous GMs of teams will carry over here. Trades only include principal, significant players.

The Chicago Cubs were the NL's best team in 2008, but it got them nowhere in the playoffs. What is it going to take for them to get back?

Chicago Cubs resign closer Kerry Wood.

The team should be motivated to bring Wood back as he excelled out of the closer's role and there's no reason to try to fix what ain't broken. Yes, Carlos Marmol can close, but that would be at the expense of not having such a dominant setup man. Wood should command a two or three year deal, something the Cubs shouldn't shy away from.

Chicago Cubs sign SP Sidney Ponson.

In this series, Ryan Dempster signed with the Colorado Rockies, so the Cubs will need to move to bring in competition. They could fill Dempster's role internally with Sean Marshall, but they should at the very least not just hand him the job. Ponson's character certainly comes into question, but there's no overlooking his success in Texas last year. His later failures with the Yankees should serve to make Ponson cheap enough that the club can bring him in to compete for a starting spot.

Chicago Cubs sign reliever Horacio Ramirez.

The Cubs could use another reliever, and Ramirez makes a lot of sense. He's left-handed, plus he has a history of starting and can step into the rotation if the team needs him to. He was once a solid starter for the Braves and then was sent to the Mariners where he imploded spectacularly. He rebuilt his value as a reliever last year for the Royals and White Sox (okay, just the Royals).

Chicaco Cubs resign C Henry Blanco, 1B Daryle Ward.

Bringing back two people that were pricier than the Cubs thought they would, they should come back at lower prices because the two players are great complementary players for the Cubs. Blanco is a great backup while Ward is one of the better pinch-hitters in the game.

Chicago Cubs sign second baseman Ray Durham.

The club needs a right-fielder, preferably left-handed, and could very well land Bobby Abreu. However, with Abreu gone to the Angels and Garrett Anderson to the Phillies in this series, they've been frozen out of that market. They have a couple choices. One is to give Felix Pie another shot in centerfield platooning with Reed Johnson and hoping Fukudome improves next year in right field. The other...

Is signing Durham to be their starting second baseman. Mark DeRosa can shift to right-field and Pie can return to Triple-A. Durham proved that despite his injury troubles, he can still rake. The club should have plenty of depth in DeRosa and Mike Fontenot to weather any injuries from Durham.

This club doesn't need a lot of wholesale changes -- just some tinkering here and there. I understand they need an outfielder and you may not be pleased with who I have them getting, but this isn't a vacuum. Teams compete for players. They'll be the favories to repeat the NL Central next year.