A Chicago Cubs Fan Community Since February 9, 2005
Here’s another photo sent to me by BCB reader Joe Coney. I sleuthed one of his scoreboard photos last weekend and this is another one. So, what do we know about this photo? The Cubs are playing the Giants. Again, as in the last photo, it has to be between 1978 and 1981, because the […]
about 1 hour ago | 0 reads
Welcome to the weekend. We can expect some winnowing around the edges, but it looks like the personnel are settled, more or less. I have some concerns about the handedness of the bench but it’ll work out. Or it won’t. Ability counts more, really. But I like balance. Apparently I’m not alone. I understand that […]
about 4 hours ago | 0 reads
The Cubs had played a bit better after the All-Star break in 2022, but were still far out of first place, or indeed, any contention. They had picked up Franmil Reyes on waivers from the Guardians in early August. Just one year earlier, Reyes had a 30-homer season for Cleveland (and had hit 37 for […]
about 21 hours ago | 0 reads
31-year-old Carson Franklin Kelly had a real nice year in 2025, registering 3.6 bWAR and a slash line of .249/.333/.428 with 17 home runs and 50 RBI in 421 plate appearances. Not too shabby. Yeah, he wasn’t Cal Raleigh, but then, neither is anybody else. That was easily his best year in MLB, surpassing the […]
1 day ago | 0 reads
I am thinking of a pitcher. He made 17 starts early in his career and the results were not good: 5.49 ERA, 1.341 WHIP, his teams were 5-12 in those 17 games. Then this pitcher was traded — twice in one offseason, incidentally — and converted to relief. Almost immediately he became a dominant closer, […]
1 day ago | 0 reads
Happy Friday everyone, lots of fun little tidbits for you in our news of the day. We’ve got some more thoughts and discussion about the Hall of Fame inductees, including some bold sentiments from Carlos Beltran about why he doesn’t want to be defined by the Astros cheating scandal. Plus, two big starting pitcher trades […]
1 day ago | 0 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. Hack Wilson finds another new team. Happy birthday, Jeff Samardzija* and other stories for the discerning […]
1 day ago | 0 reads
Amaya needs a little more proofing but is penciled in as the full-time starter for 2027. He’ll start more as the season goes on and he is healthy and having success. Miguel Amaya, a 26-year-old Panamanian native (he turns 27 on March 9) was well on his way to winning the job outright when he […]
2 days ago | 0 reads
Baseball America announced their preseason Top 100 prospects for 2026 and two Cubs prospects were named to the list. Catcher Moisés Ballesteros was named the 36th-ranked prospect and right-handed pitcher Jaxon Wiggins was named the 78th-best prospect. Recently-traded outfielder Owen Caissie, now of the Marlins, was named the 43rd-best prospect in the game. Additionally. two […]
2 days ago | 0 reads
I’ll preface this by saying I was not at this year’s Cubs Convention. BCB’s Sara Sanchez was, though, and wrote up this informative article earlier this week about how overcrowded the event was, and it seems clear to me that this event is far too large for a venue like the Sheraton Grand Chicago Riverwalk, […]
2 days ago | 0 reads
The Cubs Convention is over, and it’s back to the real world for us. The quartet above have had the most mentions in the trade/FA marketplace and that’s where most of the attention is being paid right now. I don’t think the Cubs are dealing either infielder and I don’t see them picking up Zac […]
2 days ago | 0 reads
It’s Wednesday evening here at BCB After Dark: the coolest spot for night owls, early risers, new parents and Cubs fans abroad. We’re so glad you decided to stop by. Come on in out of the cold. There’s no cover charge this evening. We still have a few tables available. The hostess can lead you […]
3 days ago | 0 reads
I don’t think anyone really expected another outcome for Cody Bellinger. Did you? Here’s the deal that returns Bellinger to the Bronx: Bellinger’s swing seems well-suited for Yankee Stadium, and that shows in his splits from 2025. Home: .302/.365/.544 with 18 home runs in 298 at-batsAway: .241/.301/.414 with 11 home runs in 290 at-bats So […]
3 days ago | 0 reads
Last year: After averaging everything according to various projections, the Cubs’ season record came out to approximately 87-75 after a little consideration of our trusty napkins and some minor mental gymnastics. Reality was kinder to our Cubs and their final record was 92-70, good enough to get the Cubs into the postseason, where they dismissed […]
3 days ago | 0 reads
Earlier this week I posted this article saying that MLB players should propose a salary cap/floor system to owners. In the poll attached to the article, 78 percent of you agreed with that idea, though with some caveats that owners would never open their books to players. Late Tuesday, Evan Drellich posted this article at […]
3 days ago | 0 reads
Good morning.
3 days ago | 0 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. Happy Birthday to Mike Krukow*, farewell Hollywood Stars, and other stories for the discerning reader. Today […]
3 days ago | 0 reads
It’s Tuesday night here at BCB After Dark: the coolest club for night owls, early risers, new parents and Cubs fans abroad. Thanks for stopping by. Come on in out of the cold. We’ve got a fire going on inside and the music is hot. We can take your coat for you. The hostess will […]
4 days ago | 0 reads
The Baseball Hall of Fame announced two players were elected to the Hall by the Baseball Writers Association of America Tuesday evening. Carlos Beltrán played 20 MLB seasons with the Royals, Mets, Yankees, Cardinals, Rangers, Giants and Astros, with his most success coming with the Royals and Mets. He hit 435 home runs, had 312 […]
4 days ago | 1 read
Frank Schwindel replaced Anthony Rizzo at first base after the big selloff in 2021, and actually hit pretty well: .342/.389/.613 with 13 home runs in 56 games, enough to get him some downballot Rookie of the Year votes. He didn’t hit as well in 2022 and the team, picked over by the selloff, didn’t play […]
4 days ago | 1 read
Cubs left-hander Justin Steele made just four starts in 2025 before missing the rest of the season with Tommy John surgery. That surgery took place April 18, 2025, and the normal time frame for returning is between 12 and 15 months. That means, theoretically, that Steele could be back pitching sometime in late April, though […]
4 days ago | 0 reads
The Cubs Convention is over, the Bears’ fine season is, too, and only the Blackhawks remain standing in the playoff hunt. But there is hope for the 2026 Cubs squad, after a couple of major and quite a few minor signings, with only a couple of roster decisions to make unless something special happens. Marquee […]
4 days ago | 0 reads
It’s another week here at BCB After Dark: the hippest spot for night owls, early risers, new parents and Cubs fans abroad. We’re open again for business. We’re so glad you decided to stop by. Come in out of the cold. We can check your coat for you. The hostess will seat you now. Bring […]
5 days ago | 1 read
The thing about Cubs Convention is that you can be as big of a Cubs fan as anyone you know, a rabid poster on various Cubs communities like Bleed Cubbie Blue, the type of person who gets notifications for multiple teams and players, and odds are the crowd at Cubs Convention will out-fanatic you. It […]
5 days ago | 1 read
The Cubs’ 2022 season began much like 2021 ended — with the team losing games, some of them by large scores (though they also had a 21-0 win over the Pirates in that span, go figure). They had taken two of the first three games of a four-game set against the Reds in Cincinnati, and […]
5 days ago | 1 read