https://northsidebaseball.com/chicago-cubs-news/cubs/page/115/?d=7enhttps://northsidebaseball.com/chicago-cubs-news/cubs/ghosts-of-trade-deadlines-past-what-if-ryan-dempster-hadnt-blocked-his-trade-to-atlanta-r1348/As we all wait for the Cubs to make a move to acquire some more pitching depth, the doldrums of the offseason approach. We’re going to try a new series to get us through some of the slower baseball news periods of the year.  Exploring different "what-if" scenarios is not a unique idea, but t...1348Tue, 24 Dec 2024 12:33:02 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/chicago-cubs-news/cubs/as-dominoes-fall-throughout-mlb-this-under-the-radar-trade-target-should-be-cubs-priority-r1347/A flurry of pre-holiday transactions has taken some options off the Cubs' menu of ways to spend their considerable payroll capacity this offseason. One hurler suffering serious Coors Field Syndrome could be the key to the team's response to that circumstance. When I ran down a list of possib...1347Mon, 23 Dec 2024 15:43:36 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/chicago-cubs-news/cubs/updating-the-cubs-outfield-logjam-after-cody-bellinger-kyle-tucker-trades-r1344/There have been a lot of moving parts in the outfield in recent weeks. Let’s regain some clarity about who’s playing where. To recap: since the Winter Meetings, the Cubs have brought in right fielder Kyle Tucker and traded away outfielder/first baseman Cody Bellinger. Also, Seiya Suzuki (via...1344Mon, 23 Dec 2024 12:28:01 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/chicago-cubs-news/cubs/the-extra-dimensions-and-earlier-successes-of-sammy-sosa-r1346/Yes, Sammy Sosa used performance-enhancing drugs. No, he was not made by them. As we approach the end of December, there’s still work to be done for the 2025 Chicago Cubs roster. But it’s hard to label what’s unfolded thus far this winter as anything less than a success. In terms of the curr...1346Sun, 22 Dec 2024 16:20:02 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/chicago-cubs-news/cubs/cubs-week-in-review-bellinger-to-bronx-bombers-rotation-sights-set-higher-sosa-back-in-fold-r1345/If good things come to those who wait, perhaps the Cubs are primed for another parade down Michigan Avenue in 2025.  Through playing the long game, Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer has the Cubs positioned for immediate postseason success. The latest evidence of this was in thi...1345Sun, 22 Dec 2024 12:23:02 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/chicago-cubs-news/cubs/previewing-the-2025-nl-central-are-cubs-favorites-with-kyle-tucker-r1342/The Brewers have owned the division since 2018. Is a changing of the guard due in 2025? Since 2017, when the Cubs won the National League Central with a 92-70 record, there have been seven seasons, four of which ended with the Brewers atop the division. Only once since then have the Cubs fin...1342Sat, 21 Dec 2024 00:05:02 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/chicago-cubs-news/cubs/the-group-the-2025-chicago-cubs-will-go-to-war-with-r1335/Just how above-replacement are your wins, really? And just how winning is your above-replacementness? In a recent podcast, Patrick Mooney of The Athletic made a comment about Isaac Paredes that was quite interesting. "He's more good at accumulating WAR than actually playing baseball,"...1335Fri, 20 Dec 2024 15:07:02 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/chicago-cubs-news/cubs/should-cubs-engage-rays-on-shane-mcclanahan-or-shane-baz-r1343/In the Cubs' relentless search for a rotation upgrade, the final frontier might be Tampa Bay. Coming into this offseason, the Rays knew they needed to clear some payroll, and that the most sensible way to do so would be by trading from their pitching surplus. They traded Jeffrey Springs to t...1343Fri, 20 Dec 2024 12:24:32 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/chicago-cubs-news/cubs/sammy-sosa-admits-he-used-performance-enhancing-drugs-i-made-mistakes-and-i-apologize-r1341/The most important player in Cubs history might finally be allowed to come home, after fessing up to some of his sins in a statement Thursday. Out of the blue, on a cold Thursday afternoon in December, Sammy Sosa struck like a lightning bolt—just as he did on so many warmer, semi-soporific s...1341Thu, 19 Dec 2024 19:38:20 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/chicago-cubs-news/cubs/mlbs-study-on-pitching-injuries-and-what-it-tells-us-about-cubs-offseason-r1338/If you missed it, MLB released a 62-page document on pitching and injuries. Are there any real solutions in there? It's all very interesting, and you can read all about the findings from Jeff Passan, David Adler of MLB.com, and basically any website that covers baseball at all. They have don...1338Thu, 19 Dec 2024 18:48:02 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/chicago-cubs-news/cubs/the-challenge-before-matt-shaw-is-now-the-cubs-too-r1339/They've carved a niche for a player they believe in. Now, they have to let him fill it on a permanent basis. There was a point (roughly a week ago) where it looked like the Chicago Cubs might have to rely on multiple prospects to serve as an all-important “X-factor” for 2025. That term, of c...1339Thu, 19 Dec 2024 15:15:39 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/chicago-cubs-news/cubs/where-cubs-can-pivot-after-jes%C3%BAs-luzardo-trade-falls-apart-r1337/Chicago got close to a deal for Miami's high-upside, high-risk southpaw, but the deal collapsed. Jed Hoyer knows he still needs to make a major upgrade to his starting rotation. Where will it come from? After multiple reports throughout the last week that the Cubs were pushing to complete a...1337Thu, 19 Dec 2024 12:38:00 +0000