The odds that this chain of events actually plays out are extremely long. But it’s something I’ve been thinking about, and considered it fun enough – and at least plausible enough – to share.
We know that Kyle Tucker’s free agency is not likely to touch upon the Chicago Cubs directly, outside of the post-second-round draft pick they’ll add when he signs elsewhere. The Cubs were never going to commit $300+ million to Tucker, and there have been no public indications that his market is so s...
All right. The holiday is here. The Winter Meetings. Time to start really popping off, baseball …
Speaking of which, I wrote yesterday about the prepared-for-urgency with which the Cubs need to treat this week, even if it may wind up that it isn’t absolutely critical to get things done SPECIFICALLY this week. In short, if dominoes do start falling in certain sectors, the Cubs may have to leap quickly. They have a set of needs, and if they have strong market preferences, they can’t let t...
Over at Marquee, Bruce Levine runs down the many rumors and storylines for the Chicago Cubs this week at the Winter Meetings. It’s a very comprehensive read, and worth checking out.
One thing jumped out at me, not necessarily for the strength of the rumor, but instead for the identity of the player. Because it’s not a guy we’ve really heard attached to the Cubs:
“While [Tatsuya] Imai is the jewel of this year’s foreign player class, Japanese third baseman Munetaka Murakami is a pow...
Behold, what artful creature gambols across yon prairie? ‘Tis the ever graceful Denzelope bounding joyfully in its habitat! Whatever Denzel Clarke does, he certainly does it to the hilt. Defensively he debuted taking the league by storm and putting up pro-rated numbers that would have broken DRS. At the plate he started his career by […]
Here’s another photo from BCB reader Clark Addison. It is, quite clearly, a play at the plate. There are enough letters on the back of the runner’s jersey to identify him: That’s Jason Marquis. Here’s the full photo: Marquis pitched for the Cubs for two seasons, 2007 and 2008. The catcher’s uniform doesn’t show a […]
Given the fact that we know the Cubs are in on third baseman Alex Bregman , and given the reports that had the Cubs interested in Eugenio Suarez at the Trade Deadline, I have been waiting for some kind of rumor to connect the Cubs to Suarez this offseason. We can and will discuss the wisdom of such a match, but it only made sense that, at some point, the Cubs would have the conversation, right?
Right:
The Cubs continue to explore the third-base market in free agency, and Eugenio Suár...
Major League Baseball’s annual Winter Meetings are taking place this week at the Marriott Bonnet Creek Resort & Spa in Orlando, Florida. Here are some of the events going on this week and what to look for from a Cubs point of view. First, there was a report by Bob Nightengale of USA Today early […]
We cover the coverage like PCA covers center field. We catch everything but we throw a lot back. ‘Insider’ Bob Nightengale’s dispatches aren’t often found here. He’s on the same level as ‘Insider’ Jim Bowden as far as I’m concerned. Zac Gallen is still on the market. *means autoplay on, (directions to remove for Firefox and […]
Braves News We continue our annual player review series with Eli White, who put in a strong season as a fourth outfielder on the squad. MLB.com’s Mark Bowman previewed the winter meetings for the Braves. MLB News The Mariners acquired a good controllable reliever from the Nationals for some real prospect capital. The Cubs are […]
Today was a bit of a wild ride, with an erroneous initial report that the Chicago Cubs were signing Zac Gallen to a multi-year deal worth $22 million annually, followed by an immediate and firm refutation. Then the original report was withdrawn, and changed to only that the Cubs were hoping to maybe try to sign Gallen. It was weird, given how specific the original report was.
So where do things stand? What’s the real story on the Cubs and Gallen, who reportedly is among the many starting ...
Last week, we learned of the major (and mostly negative/financially pessimistic) changes coming to Marquee Sports Network here at the end of 2025.
In short, the Region Sports Network, co-owned by the Cubs and Sinclair Broadcast Group, announced its plans to scale back across the organization in a series of cost-saving endeavors. There’s a lot more to it than this, but among the immediate, front-facing fallout was the firings of content director Tony Andracki and reporter Andy Martinez.
...
Well, this was a strange one. I’m glad it took me a few minutes to click publish, because the initial news of the Cubs signing free agent starting pitcher Zac Gallen ( from Bob Nightengale , who has since edited his initial post on X) was shot down almost immediately ( from Jeff Passan and others ).
Still, after yesterday’s news that the Cubs were looking at Zac Gallen , and the specifics from Nightengale, I do believe there’s probably something here.
Zac Gallen to the Chicago Cubs? ...
Here we have three easily recognizable Cubs: Derrek Lee, Aramis Ramirez and Jacque Jones. It appears to be (and I found that it was) after the fourth player, the only one whose face we can see, has hit a grand slam at Wrigley Field. Here’s the full photo, another one sent to me by BCB […]
The Houston Astros are hot on the trail of free agent SP Ranger Suarez, according to Mark Feinsand of MLB.com. In his recent article regarding the top 5 free agent starters on the market, Feinsand noted the Astros, Cubs and Orioles as the three teams as the most serious threats to signing Suarez away from […]
The bigger news dropped earlier today, when Mark Feinsand reported that the Chicago Cubs were among the three biggest threats (along with the Astros and Orioles) to sign free agent starter Ranger Suarez this offseason. You can read all about his fit, cost, and attractiveness right here if you missed it.
But at the end of that report, Feinsand also mentioned another guy on the Cubs’ radar … a 30-year-old free agent starter they were also considering at the 2025 MLB Trade Deadline … a 2023 ...
EDITOR’S NOTE: This is another repost of the game recap from a walkoff home run, this one from Chicago-area native Mike Tauchman, who grew up a Cubs fan. Once again, there will be an epilogue after the lightly-edited recap repost. This concludes this offseason series about Cubs walkoff heroes. Mike Tauchman grew up in the […]
Ranger Suarez Rumors — I know there’s a whole lot of exciting Cubs/Alex Bregman talk out there lately , but don’t let that distract you from the publicly stated and more logical offseason objective: Pitching, pitching, and more pitching.
Last we heard, the Cubs were in on Dylan Cease until his bidding approached $200 million, and that they remain involved in the markets for Michael King and Tatsuya Imai . We also learned that the Cubs can add upwards of $50 million to the 2026 payroll , w...
Last offseason, the Cubs were reportedly “in” on free agent third baseman Alex Bregman. They got outbid by the Red Sox. A couple of weeks ago, I posted this article regarding Bregman’s free agency this offseason after he opted out of his deal in Boston. Now, per Patrick Mooney and Sahadev Sharma in The Athletic, […]
You have to be a little careful this time of year when you see a particular team and a particular player mentioned a half-dozen times in quick succession. Sometimes it means things are heating up, and word is getting around. But sometimes, it only means that a lot of folks started asking questions and shared what they’re hearing. It can build on itself in a way that, on the outside, seems like more and more smoke, but actually is just a lot of well-connected folks hearing the exact same correc...
The Orioles traded Andrew Kittredge to the Cubs at the trade deadline last July. Baltimore received a 17-year-old shortstop prospect, and Chicago gained a veteran reliever with a club option for 2026. The Cubs could have kept Kittredge around for the upcoming season, but Baltimore wanted him back. The Orioles reacquired the 35-year-old by sending […]
The cold certainly tests your commitment to taking a walk outside every day, no matter what.
Matthew Boyd, in addition to announcing his spot on Team USA , talked on Foul Territory about what happened in Game One of the NLDS, and how, from his perspective, it had nothing to do with pitching on short rest or anything like that:
Matthew Boyd says his rough outing in Game 1 of the NLDS had nothing to do with short rest. "They [the Brewers] just got me." pic.twitter.com/7EBaEbvaCp &m...
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. Happy birthday to Cliff Floyd* and other former Cubs. Today in baseball history: Cubs Birthdays: […]
The Houston Astros announced that they have acquired minor league pitcher Nico Zeglin from the Chicago Cubs in exchange for $250K international bonus pool money. Zeglin, 25, last pitched in 2024. He went 7-0 with a 0.95 ERA in 25 appearances combined for the Cubs Single-A and High-A affiliates, striking out 90 batters and only […]
Episode 41 of the Bleacher Nation Cubs Podcast is officially live!
In this week’s episode, Brett and I talk about the potential hurdles for any PCA extension this offseason, the upcoming Winter Meetings (and what we want the Cubs to do), as well as the free agent starting pitcher market as a whole. We also get into Kyle Tucker’s meeting with the Blue Jays, why the Cubs aren’t expected to be involved in those talks, and the expectation that bullpen additions are still coming soon.
Aft...
Although there are a handful of high-quality free agent starters available to the Cubs after they whiffed on Dylan Cease (Framber Valdez and Ranger Suarez chief among them), the majority of their rumored focus seems to fall on two guys: Michael King and Tatsuya Imai.
The former is a little bit older and often injured, but has already had significant big league success. The latter has just as much (if not more) upside and is younger, but hasn’t proven himself in the big leagues yet. He’ll ...