Q: Will the Cubs repeat as division champions? Do they have hopes for a World Series in the near future?
— Joanna Foris, Hot Springs Village, Ark.
A: I’ve said this before, and I’ll say it again: There is no reason why the Cubs shouldn’t be one of the elite franchises in the National League, and there certainly is a chance for that to happen in the near future. A big key will be the new ownership group that will take over shortly into the 2008 season.

Considering they will have to pay around $1 billion to obtain the club, you have to think they will have deep enough pockets to put a team on the field (read: $100 million payroll) that consistently will contend, and on occasion, advance deep into the postseason.

The Cubs are immensely popular nationally, and that helps them maximize revenue streams. They pack Wrigley Field regardless of how the team is performing, and find themselves in a period in National League history where there are no dominant franchises such as the Red Sox and Yankees. So there is a prime opportunity for them to establish a run of success.

Now as for the team on the field, you have to like the signing of Kosuke Fukudome, who could have an impact similar to Ichiro Suzuki. Fukudome has power that should translate to the American game, and is a left-handed bat that will help balance a lineup that includes right-handed power hitters in Alfonso Soriano, Derrek Lee and Aramis Ramirez.

I’d like to see them pull off a deal to land second baseman Brian Roberts from the Orioles, an All-Star caliber player who would add speed and a .300 hitter at the top of the lineup. But even if they don’t, I’d have to say right now that the Cubs are the team to beat in the NL Central.

Q: How do you think the Orioles made out in the Miguel Tejada deal?
— Brad Schwartz, Olney, Md.
A: This is one of those deals that will take a few years to truly evaluate. But let me say this: I agree with Andy MacPhail’s strategy of hanging onto the club’s young pitching and trying to deal away high-priced position players for prospects and young, big-league-ready talent. This likely will mean a couple of more years of rebuilding, and that’s going to be painful for Orioles fans who have been waiting so long for a return to glory. But believe me, it’s a far better way to go than the annual try-to-win-now spending on overpriced free agents.

As for this deal, it really was time for Tejada to go. He had complained in the past about the Orioles’ struggles, and his performance has begun to decline, so holding onto him much longer would have been a mistake. Since Tejada has only two years and $26 million remaining on the six-year, $72 million deal he signed in 2003, the O’s were able to get a solid return for him, although I feel it is more quantity than quality at this point.

Luke Scott already is 29 and has only 663 career big-league at-bats, so he likely will be nothing more than a platoon corner outfielder. Right-hander Matt Albers, 25, has good stuff but hasn’t mastered it at the big-league level. Troy Patton, a 22-year-old left-hander, has had some arm issues and has lost velocity on his fastball, and projects as a back-of-the-rotation starter. Right-hander Dennis Sarfate, 27, moved to the bullpen last year to take advantage of an mid-to-upper-90s fastball, and had a short but dominant run with the Astros. He could have the biggest impact for the O’s in 2008.

Q: Why can’t the Mets offer one of their young starting pitchers — John Maine or Oliver Perez — in a Johan Santana package?
—Al S., Bronx, N.Y.
A: I’m not sure that would get a deal done either, but I see where you’re coming from. The Mets desperately need a frontline starting pitcher, as I don’t feel they are a playoff team with their current projected rotation. The problem is, the young talent they have to offer in any Santana package just doesn’t measure up to offers made by either the Red Sox or the Yankees.

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The Twins want some big-league-ready talent, and this is where the Mets fall short. Young pitchers Philip Humber, Mike Pelfrey and Kevin Mulvoy don’t measure up to the Yankees’ Philip Hughes, Ian Kennedy or the Red Sox’s Jon Lester, and young outfielders Carlos Martinez and Carlos Gomez need more minor-league experience. Maine and Perez are more established, but if the scouts are correct, Hughes, Kennedy and Lester could surpass the Mets’ twosome soon enough.

I think the Twins wouldn’t mind sending Santana to the National League, but there doesn’t appear to be a good match with the Mets at this point.

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