https://northsidebaseball.com/chicago-cubs-news/cubs/page/118/?d=7enhttps://northsidebaseball.com/chicago-cubs-news/cubs/cubs-pick-up-a-bizarre-nick-madrigal-miles-mastrobuoni-patrick-wisdom-megazord-in-2024-mlb-rule-5-draft-r1304/You can't just mash a bunch of bad players into one body and come up with a useful bench piece. What the Cubs' Rule 5 choice asks us is: what if you can? The Cubs found a market inefficiency, here. Ever since the players union got its butt kicked in the negotiation of a new collective bargai...1304Wed, 11 Dec 2024 20:11:00 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/chicago-cubs-news/cubs/lets-take-quick-stock-of-cubs-payroll-situation-including-considering-what-it-means-for-a-kyle-tucker-trade-r1302/It's probably gotten easy to lose track of the Cubs' spending power, as rumors distorted by imperfect information have muddied the water with regard to their 2025 payroll plans. Let's reset a little bit. Firstly, and this is not an estimate the team has put out publicly but I've talked to se...1302Wed, 11 Dec 2024 18:29:47 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/chicago-cubs-news/cubs/the-mlb-draft-lottery-has-been-unkind-to-the-cubs%E2%80%94but-theyve-also-been-unkind-to-themselves-r1301/Resist the temptation to rage against the universe after an NL Central team soared up into the top five for the second year in a row, while the Cubs once again stayed right in the middle of the first round. It's bad luck, but that bad luck is the residue of the team's lousy designs. The thir...1301Wed, 11 Dec 2024 16:21:39 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/chicago-cubs-news/cubs/so-far-the-winter-meetings-have-raised-as-many-cubs-questions-as-theyve-answered-r1300/The MLB Winter Meetings are bringing the hot stove to a full boil now, but as the temperature and the pressure rise, the Cubs seem to be staying cool—maybe too cool. Maybe frozen. We got some newfound clarity about the options box the Cubs are trying to unpack this winter on Tuesday—but all...1300Wed, 11 Dec 2024 12:28:11 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/chicago-cubs-news/cubs/it-feels-like-this-is-the-crucial-piece-of-info-weve-been-missing-all-along-about-cubs-offseason-r1299/One partial, still-valid explanation of the Cubs' somewhat puzzling behavior and messaging this offseason is that they face constraints related to the payroll, imposed by ownership. On Tuesday, another, much more completely explanatory fact came to light. If we're being honest, it didn't mak...1299Tue, 10 Dec 2024 19:42:59 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/chicago-cubs-news/cubs/how-kyle-finnegan-ended-up-being-rightfully-non-tendered-but-could-still-emerge-as-a-legit-relief-ace-r1298/The Cubs are reportedly interested in the hard-throwing ex-Nationals closer. Based on his profile from 2024, that would be a mistake—but his profile in 2025 doesn't have to look anything like the one from 2024. My big problem with Kyle Finnegan is this: dude throws his splitter for strikes t...1298Tue, 10 Dec 2024 18:47:53 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/chicago-cubs-news/cubs/why-carson-kelly-is-the-perfect-fit-for-cubs-needs-behind-the-plate%E2%80%94and-what-it-means-for-miguel-amaya-r1296/The Chicago Cubs made perhaps their most necessary move right at the outset of the Winter Meetings on Monday, as it was reported that the team was close to a contract with catcher Carson Kelly.  As the offseason got underway, we knew that the free-agent options behind the dish were slim pick...1296Tue, 10 Dec 2024 15:10:02 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/chicago-cubs-news/cubs/kyle-tucker-trade-rumors-the-theory-and-praxis-of-bringing-astros-slugger-to-cubs-in-blockbuster-deal-r1295/Jed Hoyer doesn't shell out prospect hauls for one-year rental stars, any more than he ponies up $300 million for free agent studs. Does that mean you should count the Cubs out if this superstar hits the trade block? One year ago, the Yankees traded for Juan Soto, giving up a handsome packag...1295Tue, 10 Dec 2024 12:13:02 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/chicago-cubs-news/cubs/cubs-near-deal-with-free-agent-catcher-carson-kelly-r1294/The Cubs are on the verge of the move we foresaw and recommended this morning, as multiple reports indicate they're nearing a deal with free-agent catcher Carson Kelly. Though (as I laid out in my first post of the day) they did have a few options, the Cubs' best and dearest hope coming into...1294Mon, 09 Dec 2024 20:47:00 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/chicago-cubs-news/cubs/cubs-biggest-misses-of-winter-to-date-came-this-weekend-can-they-find-the-right-alternatives-r1293/As the market keeps moving, the players signing in new places are starting to sting a little more. Good options who could have fit the Cubs nicely are coming off the board. Where do good options still exist? Other than players like Shohei Ohtani and Juan Soto, it's a little silly to fixate o...1293Mon, 09 Dec 2024 18:11:02 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/chicago-cubs-news/cubs/i-bet-all-that-gold-makes-the-chocolate-taste-terrible-with-juan-soto-dream-dead-whats-next-for-cubs-r1292/As was largely expected, Juan Soto’s destination for 2024 and beyond was revealed on the eve of the Winter Meetings. With Soto now set to play his home games in Queens, the rest of the league can get busy on what should be a fairly active week.  The Chicago Cubs, specifically, were never in...1292Mon, 09 Dec 2024 15:04:02 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/chicago-cubs-news/cubs/with-four-catchers-off-the-board-cubs-have-three-choices-left-for-position-this-offseason-r1291/Two segments of the free-agent market have moved quickly this MLB offseason: that for starting pitchers, and that for catchers. The Cubs have made additions to each group, but are they still looking to make a bigger backstop splash? Many Cubs fans had set their sights on catchers Danny Janse...1291Mon, 09 Dec 2024 12:17:02 +0000