"The Chicago Cubs finally have their first baseman of the future, and it's neither Albert Pujols nor Prince Fielder.

It's Anthony Rizzo, whom new Cubs President of Baseball Operations Theo Epstein selected in the sixth round of the 2007 amateur draft, when he was general manager of the Boston Red Sox, and new Cubs general manager Jed Hoyer acquired in last winter's Adrian Gonzalez trade, when he served in the same position for the San Diego Padres. Rizzo, along with minor league right-hander Zach Cates, were acquired by the Cubs from the Padres on Friday in exchange for right-hander Andrew Cashner and minor league outfielder Kyung-Min Na.

Clearly both Epstein and Hoyer hold Rizzo in high regard, having been rumored in trade pursuit of the 22-year-old prospect since the Padres acquired their likely Opening Day first baseman, Yonder Alonso, in December. There's little question that was their intent in acquiring him. Whether Rizzo's future begins now or at some distant point, however, is one significant question, and whether Rizzo's future is indeed bright is another.

According to Hoyer, the Cubs' plan at the onset of spring training will be to have Bryan LaHair at first base and Rizzo ticketed for more seasoning in Triple-A. It's a move that makes sense; Rizzo batted .141/.281/.242 and struck out in 35.9 percent of his at-bats in a 49-game stint for the Padres last season, plus batted .288 and struck out 26.3 percent of the time after being returned to Triple-A midseason (compared to .365 and 24.0 during his season-opening stint at that level).

LaHair, meanwhile, has seven years of age and 576 games' experience at the Triple-A and major league levels on Rizzo, meaning he's a more-than-adequate stand-in until the team deems Rizzo ready. LaHair has .297/.368/.528 career rates in Triple-A, is coming off his best year at that level -- .331/.405/.664 in 129 games as a 28-year-old -- and managed .288/.377/.508 numbers in a 20-game stint for the Cubs late last year. The dilemma, of course, is that fantasy owners in redraft leagues might not get a full season out of either; LaHair might handle the job for the first couple months before being supplanted by Rizzo midseason."