Latest news and updates about the Cubs
Here is a more recent Cubs photo, sent to me by BCB reader Clark Addison. What do we know about this photo? It’s 2015, because the “14” patch honoring Ernie Banks was worn only in that season. You’ll recognize, of course, Joe Maddon, Javier Báez and Anthony Rizzo. But who are the catcher and the […]
When I think about the Cubs’ offseason starting pitching targets, my brain first goes to the free agents. Dylan Cease , Shane Bieber , and Jack Flaherty may be off the board, but Framber Valdez, Ranger Suarez, Tatsuya Imai, and Michael King (among others) are still out there and remain attractive fits for the 2026 Cubs rotation. Beyond them, we often discuss the trade candidates. Tarik Skubal (too costly to acquire) and Freddy Peralta (won’t be traded to the Cubs) are probably not on...
Taylor Davis has his EYE on you, and other stories. Happy birthday, Taylor! 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 […]
Happy Thanksgiving, now let’s get a win.
Happy Thanksgiving. Let’s talk ball … by which I mean Dylan Cease, the Cubs, and what they didn’t do last night. Last night, the Toronto Blue Jays signed free agent starter Dylan Cease to what was initially reported as a seven-year, $210 million deal. I say “initially” because deferrals bring the value down closer to seven years and $182M. And I bring THAT up not to argue with those of you who remain resistant to the fact that deferrals are a material difference in the real value of ...
We cover the coverage like PCA covers center field. Ryan Helsley? Edwin Diaz? These are two of the names floating out there in the aether as the Cubs cast their net for next year’s relief corps with an eye toward qualifying for the postseason and garnering some of that sweet postseason lucre. This is supposing […]
It’s the night before Thanksgiving here at BCB After Dark: the coolest club for night owls, early risers, new parents and Cubs fans abroad. Come on in and have a pre-holiday beverage with us. It’s cold out there, but it’s warm in here. We still have a couple of tables available and none of them […]
Episode 40 of the Bleacher Nation Cubs Podcast is officially live! In this week’s episode, Brett and I talk about the many available options on the pitching market, in free agency (both international and domestic) and via trade … as well as options from the top-shelf all the way down to convincing reclamation targets. All things considered, it’s a pretty good offseason for the Cubs to be seeking pitching from outside the organization, and we pick that a part a bit as the podcast goes on. ...
When Jon Lester came to the Cubs, he was a terrible hitter. No, seriously. He had gone 0-for-36 in his American League career, and that carried over to his first year with the Cubs in 2015. Lester went 0-for-30 in his first 16 Cubs starts, finally breaking that 0-fer with a single off his friend […]
Enjoy some Chicago Cubs prospect notes as you hunker down for the arrival of your extended family and try to remember how to add that extra leaf to the table … Speaking of which, a Thanksgiving theme from MLB Pipeline: Here are 3 prospect-related reasons for #Cubs fans to be thankful this Thanksgiving: https://t.co/SupWyCbDg8 pic.twitter.com/P044o2lu9P — MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) November 25, 2025 A lotta love there for all of Owen Caissie, Moises Ballesteros, Jaxo...
George Altman, one of several Black players signed to the Cubs by famed scout/coach Buck O’Neil, has died, aged 92. Altman had two outstanding years for the Cubs, in 1961 and 1962. In 1961, he batted .303/.353/.560 with 27 home runs and played in both All-Star Games that year (for four years from 1959-62, MLB […]
MacKenzie Gore was one of the starting pitchers most mentioned in trade rumors last July. In the end, just as was the case for every big-name starting pitcher, he wasn’t traded, largely because it was perceived that the Nationals were asking for more in return than teams were willing to give. Gore had good numbers […]
OK. Day before Thanksgiving. This is important. I must summon all of my willpower to eat VERY LIGHT today, thereby justifying the monstrous damage I plan to do tomorrow. The problem with putting me in charge of Thanksgiving Day food is that I will choose anything and everything that I personally want to eat. Which means there are like 15 different things I want to eat tomorrow, and I will do so. The Athletic’s Andy McCullough put together a list of mostly-serious, semi-cheeky Black Frid...
Happy birthday to Matt Garza* and other former Cubs! 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: […]
It’s Tuesday evening here at BCB After Dark: the hippest hole-in-the-wall for night owls, early risers, new parents and Cubs fans abroad. Come on in and sit with us for a while. Get warm. We can take your coat for you. There’s no cover charge. The hostess will seat you now. Bring your own beverage. […]
One of the secrets of the 2025 Cubs success was above average production from just about every position on the diamond. That includes catcher, where Carson Kelly, Miguel Amaya and Reese McGuire combined to put up 4.2 fWAR last season. You can see FanGraphs’ summary of production by player position and role at this link. […]
Every year, MLB teams pay into a pool of cash set aside to reward younger players – those who’ve not yet reached their arbitration years – for the value they provide in a given season. It was a nod in the last Collective Bargaining Agreement to the fact that pre-arb players do so much for a team, but receive so little compensation, relatively speaking. The payout is based on a combination of factors, from awards recognition to WAR calculations, and it comes from the collective pool, not a...
The last weekend of May 2015 was unseasonably cool and rainy in Chicago. When the Cubs defeated the Royals at Wrigley Field May 31, the game-time temperature was just 47 degrees — that’s almost 30 degrees below the average high for the date, 75. And the game the day before had been rained out. The […]
One day after the Cubs signed Phil Maton to the franchise’s most significant free agent deal for a reliever since Craig Kimbrel, we were able to confirm that they would still be in the market for impact free-agent relievers . Pete Fairbanks is a name we’ve heard and discussed. Brad Keller could always make his way back to Chicago. And even Devin Williams, with his Craig Counsell connection, is an option, I’m told. But there’s another former NL Central closer, Ryan Helsley, reportedly on the Cu...
Let’s pivot from looking at possible Cubs free agent signings and instead, check out some starting pitchers who will likely be available by trade. Some of these guys were the same starters that many teams, including the Cubs, tried to acquire at last summer’s deadline. Exactly zero of these pitchers were traded, reportedly because the […]
We finally have some numbers on the Phil Maton deal , though not yet the full breakdown (which I do think matters): Phil Maton Cubs deal: $14.5M, 2 years and club option. Plus $250K incentives per year based on games pitched for the ultra reliable reliever. So good chance to reach $15M. — Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) November 25, 2025 Maton had 81 k’s in 61.1 innings split between St. Louis and Texas last season — one of the best of his career. @Michael_Cerami was on the signing las...
We cover the coverage like PCA covers center field. It gets old, repeating the same non-news every day, or every other day. The nature of this team’s management group means that they’re frustrating to root for. But nonetheless we persist, and try to err on the positive side, if possible. Several sources report that Evan […]
It’s another week here at BCB After Dark: the coolest club for night owls, early risers, new parents and Cubs fans abroad. We’re so glad you decided to stop by. It’s always good to see a friendly face. There’s no cover charge. We still have a few tables available. Let us know if you need […]
MLB RUMORS — Brett and I got into this a bit in our latest episode of the Bleacher Nation Cubs podcast (which is still going into the offseason!), but it bears repeating in writing: For however much we may want the Cubs to add an impact bat this offseason, and for however much adding that bat at third base makes the most sense, and for however much we ALSO believe the Cubs want to continue supporting their pipeline into the NPB and Japenese-player market, we do NOT think Munetaka Murakami is ...
The Cubs today announced that infielder Jonathon Long was the winner of the Buck O’Neil Cubs Minor League Player of the Year and that right-hander Jostin Florentino was the Vedie Himsl Cubs Minor League Pitcher of the Year. Long, 23, was a ninth-round pick out of Long Beach State in 2023. In his third season […]