The hiring of Theo Epstein as club president marked a new era for the Chicago Cubs, but there was no chance that the change would manifest itself in the standings this year, and there is little chance that it will change anything next year.

The Cubs' problems are simply defined. They are probably about five or six young pitchers short of have a legitimate shot of contending. They are four or five players short among their position players, and those they do have -- Starlin Castro, Triple-A first baseman Anthony Rizzo -- need more development time.

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