By Brian Gillespie, MLB Analyst (My Sportsbook)

2004 FINISH (89-73) - Third (NL Central)

OVERVIEW

For most teams, finishing 16 games over .500 would be something to be happy about. The Chicago Cubs are not one of those squads, as they had huge expectations heading into the campaign.

One year removed from a near trip to the World Series, the Cubs seemed destined to take the next step in 2004. However, things didn't work out that way as they had key injuries early in the season and couldn't take advantage of a light schedule in September to nail down the NL Wild Card.

Chicago (89-73) actually finished with one more win than 2003, when they won the National League Central Division. The Cubs led the Wild Card race on Sept. 25, but lost seven of the next eight games to fall out of contention.

Bad breaks began to haunt the Cubs in April, as ace righthander Mark Prior went down with an inflamed right Achilles tendon. The injury ended up costing him two months of the season. After returning, Prior went 6-4 with a 4.02 ERA in 21 starts.

Fellow ace Kerry Wood didn't escape the injury bug either, as he hit the DL from mid-May to mid-July with a sore triceps muscle. Wood managed an 8-9 record with a 3.72 ERA in 22 games on the year.

Cubs manager Dusty Baker couldn't get his team to postseason for the first time since 1996 despite the mid-season acquisition of All-Star shortstop Nomar Garciaparra from Boston.

PEAK PERFORMER

The Cubs found themselves a staple offensive star in third baseman Aramis Ramirez this year. Ramirez had a spectacular season, hitting a career-high .318 with 36 homers and 103 RBI. The former Pittsburgh Pirate registered a career-best .578 slugging percentage.

Veteran righthander Greg Maddux has to be mentioned in this category, as he tallied 16 wins, giving him 15 or more wins in 17 consecutive seasons. In the process, Maddux passed the 300-win plateau, which many people think will never be passed again.

WEAKEST LINK

Sammy Sosa, once a beloved Cub, became a bad distraction for the team this season. Sosa, who hit poorly for most of the year, refused to be pushed down in the batting order for a large portion of the season. Eventually the perennial All-Star agreed to the demotion, but the damage was done. For the year, Sosa hit just .253 with 35 homers and 80 RBI.

The offseason has gotten off to a terrible start for Sosa, as he chose to leave the season finale early without letting anyone know. For his disrespect to the club, the Cubs have fined him $87,400. The veteran has also popped off about Baker, who he claims blamed all the team's struggles on him.

OFF-SEASON NEEDS

First and foremost, the Cubs must find a place for Sosa and his $17 million contract. Although Sosa still has pop in his bat, he is well past his prime and his ego is causing problems for the club.

Another decision the Cubs must make is whether or not to keep Garciaparra, who hit .297 with four homers and 20 RBI in 43 games after the trade. Garciaparra battled nagging injuries to his Achilles, wrist and groin.

The Cubs must get closer Joe Borkowski back healthy, as middle reliever LaTroy Hawkins struggled in his spot at the end of the year.