Latest news and updates about the Cubs
So if you didn’t like yesterday’s idea for the Cubs to trade for Sandy Alcanatara, perhaps you’d like his teammate Edward Cabrera better. Like Alcantara, Cabrera was the subject of trade rumors at the deadline last July. And like all the useful starters around then, none was traded because the asking prices were too high. […]
From Bleed Cubbie Blue | 3 months ago | 1 read
We cover the coverage like PCA covers center field. Scott Kingery is the newest Cub, signed to a minor-league deal. Likely that puts Willi Castro in the rearview as they’re at least superficially the same kind of player. Nicky Lopez is reportedly a Rockie. Anthony Kay is a White Sock. The Winter Meetings are almost […]
From Bleed Cubbie Blue | 3 months ago | 3 reads
We’re so glad to see you here at BCB After Dark: the hippest afterparty for night owls, early risers, new parents and Cubs fans abroad. Come on in out of the cold. We can check your coat for you. Please tell us if you need anything. The hostess will seat you now. Bring your own […]
From Bleed Cubbie Blue | 3 months ago | 1 read
The last decade has been a journey for Matthew Boyd, from trying to break through as a young starter with the Tigers, to suffering injuries and trying to make it back with the Mariners as a reliever, to returning to the Tigers as a starter, to having surgery and making it back with the Guardians, to breaking out as an All-Star with the Cubs this past season. He’ll return to the Cubs’ rotation in 2026, hopefully as effective as he was in 2025, and maybe a touch better able to sustain the c...
From Bleacher Nation | Chicago Sports News, Rumors, and a Reasonable Level of Obsession | 3 months ago | 6 reads
EDITOR’S NOTE: With these walkoff homers getting more recent, you likely remember them well. So again, I present to you the BCB recap of Christopher Morel’s exciting walkoff homer against the White Sox. The recap is lightly edited, and there’s an epilogue about Morel that follows. As baseball fans, each and every one of us […]
From Bleed Cubbie Blue | 3 months ago | 5 reads
Will Brewers trade Freddy Peralta this offseason? It may not matter. They lost their president of Baseball Operations, David Stearns, to the Mets. They lost their manager, Craig Counsell, to the Cubs. They traded their two elite closers, Josh Hader (to the Astros) and Devin Williams (to the Yankees). They traded their ace, Corbin Burnes, to the Orioles. And they lost their star shortstop, Willy Adames, to the Giants in free agency. None of it mattered. No matter how many times the Milwauk...
From Bleacher Nation | Chicago Sports News, Rumors, and a Reasonable Level of Obsession | 3 months ago | 4 reads
Last week, Andy McCullough at The Athletic did one of those “if each MLB team could make one Black Friday move” things, and he landed on righty Michael King to the Cubs . Mark Feinsand has done the same kind of exercise at MLB.com , and what do you know, he landed on the same guy to the same team: “Cubs: Michael King, RHP Even with the return of Shota Imanaga via the qualifying offer, the Cubs are in the market for a frontline starter this offseason. King is one of the most talente...
From Bleacher Nation | Chicago Sports News, Rumors, and a Reasonable Level of Obsession | 3 months ago | 3 reads
When the Cubs announced that they were starting their own regional sports network, to take over broadcasts beginning after 2019, the idea was to bring “wheelbarrows of cash” (as Cubs President of Business Operations Crane Kenney once put it) to the baseball ops team and let them spend it on top players. Well. Marquee Sports […]
From Bleed Cubbie Blue | 3 months ago | 2 reads
The volume at which I said “NOPE” when my son asked if today was going to be another snow day … it was loud. Giddy, almost. My apologies, son. As always, significant contract deferrals make the calculations a little complicated, but the main point is that the headline number on deals like Dylan Cease’s isn’t the real number for us to conceive of the price of a contract: Clarification: The luxury-tax calculation uses a different discount rate for deferred compensation. The annual ...
From Bleacher Nation | Chicago Sports News, Rumors, and a Reasonable Level of Obsession | 3 months ago | 3 reads
On Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, Bleed Cubbie Blue is pleased to present a Cubs-centric look at baseball’s colorful past. Here’s a handy Cubs timeline, to help you follow the various narrative paths. “Maybe I called it wrong, but it’s official.” — Tom Connolly, HoF Umpire. Today in baseball history: Cubs Birthdays: Bennie Tate, Mike Martin, Damon Berryhill, Manny Corpas, Mike […]
From Bleed Cubbie Blue | 3 months ago | 3 reads
This afternoon, I said the following : “It’s pretty wild that we sit here on December 2, and the Cubs still have yet to make a single waiver claim or sign a player to a minor league deal. That’s their bread and butter, and I don’t even mean that as an insult!” The Cubs were listening, clearly: Cubs announce they signed INF Scott Kingery to a minor league contract with an invite to major league camp. — Maddie Lee (@maddie_m_lee) December 2, 2025 I guess beggars can’t be cho...
From Bleacher Nation | Chicago Sports News, Rumors, and a Reasonable Level of Obsession | 3 months ago | 2 reads
MLB Rumors — A few days ago, free agent reliever (and rumored Cubs offseason target) Ryan Helsley signed a two-year, $28M deal with the Baltimore Orioles. Last night, Devin Williams followed suit, signing a meaty, three-year, ~$50 million deal with the Mets . We knew Helsley was a Cubs free agent target from various reports across the industry, but I can also tell you that Devil Williams was, too. I’m not sure if the Cubs were one of the “five other offers from teams with glaring needs at...
From Bleacher Nation | Chicago Sports News, Rumors, and a Reasonable Level of Obsession | 3 months ago | 3 reads
EDITOR’S NOTE: Once again, I am doing a repost here, largely because this walkoff home run by Willson Contreras came very, very close to me in the left-field bleachers on what was a very, very cold, rainy and long afternoon (four hours, 56 minutes of game time in a 15-inning contest). Lightly edited, here is […]
From Bleed Cubbie Blue | 3 months ago | 4 reads
Here is another Twins right-hander (in addition to Joe Ryan, who I profiled in this series last week) who could help the Cubs. It seems clear that the Twins are in rebuild mode and would likely be happy to trade Pablo López. There are caveats with López. He missed quite a bit of time in […]
From Bleed Cubbie Blue | 3 months ago | 5 reads
Major changes are coming for Marquee Sports Network, per a report in the Chicago Sun-Times . The Regional Sports Network co-owned by the Chicago Cubs and Sinclair Broadcast Group is the TV and streaming home of the team’s games and associated content, and, going forward, it seems like things are scaling back considerably. The network’s GM, Diane Penny, is out, as are content director Tony Andracki and reporter Andy Martinez: Cubs' Marquee Sports Network eliminates GM position among...
From Bleacher Nation | Chicago Sports News, Rumors, and a Reasonable Level of Obsession | 3 months ago | 1 read
The Washington Nationals made another coaching hire and like the previous ones, this hire is fascinating. Corey Ray was hired to be the team’s first base coach. At 31 years old, he continues the Nats trend of hiring young. Before this, Ray was the Cubs base running coordinator. However, this is not the most interesting […]
From Federal Baseball | 3 months ago | 6 reads
We cover the coverage like PCA covers center field. *means autoplay on, (directions to remove for Firefox and Chrome). {$} means paywall. {$} means limited views. Italics are often used on this page as sarcasm font. The powers that be have enabled real sarcasm font in the comments. Food For Thought: Please be reminded that Cub Tracks and Bleed Cubbie Blue do not necessarily endorse the content of […]
From Bleed Cubbie Blue | 3 months ago | 1 read
It’s Monday night here at BCB After Dark: the grooviest spot for night owls, early risers, new parents and Cubs fans abroad. We are so glad you decided to stop by. Come on in out of the cold. There’s no cover charge. We can check your coat for you. We still have a few tables […]
From Bleed Cubbie Blue | 3 months ago | 2 reads
2025 Cubs MLB First-Year Player Draft Ticker Tracker 12/1 UPDATE: The Cubs signed NDFA RHP Sam Mettert (St. John's University) to a minor league contract. 7/25 UPDATE : The Cubs signed NDFA RHP Braylon Myers (U. of Alabama) and INF Jose Silva (International Baseball Academy - Fajardo, PR / MLB Draft League) to minor league contracts. (Silva will be assigned to the Cubs Catcher Conversion Program in Mesa). Silva played for Frederick in the MLB Draft League prior to signing with C...
From The Cub Reporter (TCR) | A Chicago Cubs Blog | 3 months ago | 2 reads
MLB RUMORS — It’s December 1 (still one week out from the Winter Meetings), and so far, the 2025-2026 MLB offseason has been pretty active. One way or another, a handful of name-brand free agents like Josh Naylor, Shane Bieber, Jack Flaherty, Dylan Cease, Raisel Iglesias, and Ryan Helsley have come off the board. While other big-name players like Sonny Gray, Grayson Rodriguez, Brandon Nimmo, and Marcus Semien have been traded. For the Cubs, Shota Imanaga chose to return on the qualif...
From Bleacher Nation | Chicago Sports News, Rumors, and a Reasonable Level of Obsession | 3 months ago | 2 reads
EDITOR’S NOTE: This might be the most memorable walkoff home run in Cubs history, at least in modern times. Thus you probably don’t need to be told too much more about it. Lightly edited, here’s the article I wrote about it in 2023 on its fifth anniversary. David Bote’s ultimate grand slam on Aug. 12, […]
From Bleed Cubbie Blue | 3 months ago | 3 reads
Japanese ace Tatsuya Imai, one of the best starting pitchers available on the market, is reportedly going to be coming to the United States as soon as this week to meet with interested clubs. The Chicago Cubs have been among the teams attached to Imai by rumor and speculation, but with the bidding potentially approaching or topping $200 million – with the posting fee included – it’s difficult to imagine the Cubs coming out on top. That’s a level we haven’t seen them go on any free agent, much ...
From Bleacher Nation | Chicago Sports News, Rumors, and a Reasonable Level of Obsession | 3 months ago | 1 read
News item: Dylan Cease signs with the Blue Jays for a deal that includes deferred money: The Blue Jays are making a major splash at the top of the rotation. Toronto is in agreement with Dylan Cease on a seven-year contract, pending a physical. It’s reportedly a $210MM guarantee for the Boras Corporation client, though it includes […]
From Bleed Cubbie Blue | 3 months ago | 3 reads
Everything old is new again. My son yesterday sent me – and 14 others, within one hour, or else – one of those classic chain messages from the early days of email. I will not be passing it on, however, so if I am cursed with bad luck in 2026, I guess I’ll know why. We talk often about the Chicago Cubs’ lack of success in traditional International Free Agency going back for quite a while, with the period that followed the hard caps being exceptionally disappointing. When the Cubs could s...
From Bleacher Nation | Chicago Sports News, Rumors, and a Reasonable Level of Obsession | 3 months ago | 1 read
Mr. Cub becomes Coach Cub, and other stories. RIP Dave McNally, Tommy Heinrich. On Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, Bleed Cubbie Blue is pleased to present a Cubs-centric look at baseball’s colorful past. Here’s a handy Cubs timeline, to help you follow the various narrative paths. “Maybe I called it wrong, but it’s official.” — Tom Connolly, HoF Umpire. Today in […]
From Bleed Cubbie Blue | 3 months ago | 3 reads