Jeff Roberson / AP

Injury-prone Cubs pitcher Mark Prior has been babied throughout his career, and that needs to end, writes Mike Krukow of MSNBC.com.

Potentially wise investments
One of the key things the Cubs had to do in the offseason is improve their starting rotation. To do that they hit the free-agent market and brought in Jason Marquis and Ted Lilly with the hopes that those two veterans will be able to eat up some major innings.

For the Cubs last season, getting their starters to pile up innings was like trying to move mountains. Fifteen pitchers made starts for Chicago, and they combined for a paltry 963 innings pitched.

Carlos Zambrano is the Cubs' ace and their workhorse. He logged 214 innings last season, and at least 209 innings in the three seasons before 2006.

Take away his production last year, and the 14 other pitchers who opened games for the Cubs threw a combined 749 innings.

So while the acquisitions of Marquis and Lilly have come under their share of media criticism, both moves make sense to me.

The signing of Marquis to a $21 million, three-year contract has received major flak, in large measure because he had a 6.02 ERA last season for St. Louis. But the fact of the matter is his innings pitched totals for the last three seasons are 194, 207, and 201.

Since the Cubs so desperately need innings out of their rotation, the Marquis deal is right for them, especially given the lucrative going rate in the current free-spending era for pitchers who can throw 200 innings.

In eight major-league seasons, Lilly -- who signed a $40 million, four-year contract -- has never pitched 200 innings, but he does deliver a steady six frames in just about every start. And make no mistake about it, the Cubs will take that kind of dependability from anyone in their rotation.

The starting rotation remains the biggest weakness for the Cubs, and I would not be surprised if before too long they don't try and trade for another starter, especially if Prior limps along in spring training and isn't adding arm strength like starters normally do during March.

Striking gold with Soriano
What general manager Jim Hendry has done to improve the club outside of the starting pitching is quite impressive and granted quite expensive, but none of his moves is as wise as adding Alfonso Soriano, who last season with the Nationals hit 46 homers, stole 41 bases, and knocked in 95 runs.

The Cubs gave Soriano a $136 million, eight-year contract, and it looks like he'll play center field even though he's never done that before. To some that's cause for concern defensively, but not to me.

Soriano in center field is not even an issue to me. Originally a second baseman, Soriano showed me a lot last year in Washington when he played left field.

Chili Davis, a big leaguer from 1981 to 1999, knows a little something about playing the outfield. A teammate of mine with the Giants, Davis used to tell me the corner outfield positions were tougher to play than center field because of the amount of movement on a ball that gets hit to a corner outfielder.

There isn't that same sort of movement on balls hit to center field. Yes, in center Soriano will have more room to cover than in left, but he's very capable of doing that.

I think the athletically gifted Soriano has good range, and remember the outfield at Wrigley Field is not nearly as large as in many other parks.

I think Soriano is Bobby Bonds reincarnated. If there is anyone who has come along and resembled Bonds' talent it's Soriano. He's a remarkable athlete, and in my mind his ability to adapt to center field is a no brainer.

The Cubs have talent, and as long as they have health, Piniella could look like a genius, and Chicago --providing Prior and Wood stay healthy -- could make a serious run at going from worst to first in a division that smacks of parity.

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