https://northsidebaseball.com/chicago-cubs-news/cubs/page/172/?d=7enhttps://northsidebaseball.com/chicago-cubs-news/cubs/shohei-ohtani-contract-structure-deferrals-dodgers-460-million/When is $700 million not $700 million? When it's less. However, that doesn't mean it's only $460 million, either. And by the way, what is 'only' doing in that sentence? After a couple days spent finalizing the details and clearing the necessary roster spots for the Los Angeles Dodgers, Shohe...498Tue, 12 Dec 2023 14:12:01 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/chicago-cubs-news/cubs/the-joyously-uncomplicated-possibility-of-emmanuel-clase-r499/Baseball is hard. That's ok. It should be hard. Life is hard. It's complicated, too. Often, so is baseball. The very best things in life are the simplest, though, and the same is true of baseball. There's nothing complicated about Emmanuel Clase. The Guardians' closer is just a rear-back-and...499Tue, 12 Dec 2023 12:35:01 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/chicago-cubs-news/cubs/chicago-cubs-free-agent-target-spencer-turnbull-r497/One way or another, the Cubs are likely to add at least one starting pitcher before spring training. It would be best to add two, with one of them being an expensive but high-value addition to the front end and one being a depth option. Let's talk about one especially intriguing depth option....497Mon, 11 Dec 2023 12:42:00 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/chicago-cubs-news/cubs/destination-the-show-episode-15-winter-meeting-draft-lottery-rule-5-draft-r495/Draft tandem JD Cameron and Jeremy Nygaard team up for a new podcast to discuss prospects on their way to the big leagues. The boys are back to recap the slow Winter Meetings. There's a detailed breakdown of the Draft Lottery including winners and losers, revenue sharing comp picks, a summar...495Sun, 10 Dec 2023 13:15:01 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/chicago-cubs-news/cubs/shohei-ohtani-will-not-be-a-cub-thats-probably-for-the-best-r496/On Saturday, the record for the biggest contract in MLB history was nearly lapped. In one Instagram post, the Cubs got their definitive answer, after the most mysterious free agency in recent memory. Now, they can move on. At $700 million (even given massive deferrals), Shohei Ohtani was not...496Sun, 10 Dec 2023 12:56:01 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/chicago-cubs-news/cubs/thinking-about-six-months-from-now-as-the-present-r494/The Cubs continue their pursuits of stars and high-caliber, high-certainty answers in various areas of the roster. That exercise remains important. Maybe, though, we're all letting the time dilation inherent to baseball fandom exaggerate that importance for us. Being a sports fan is a funny...494Fri, 08 Dec 2023 12:52:03 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/chicago-cubs-news/cubs/can-matt-chapman-unlock-his-offensive-upside-again-by-changing-his-approach-r493/If the Cubs aren't going to land Shohei Ohtani or Yoshinobu Yamamoto, they need to find another way to add an excellent player to the top of their roster. One of the increasingly obvious options is a fraught one. Let's explore it. It's hard not to see the match between the Cubs' roster const...493Thu, 07 Dec 2023 19:30:03 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/chicago-cubs-news/cubs/lets-establish-the-ground-truth-around-christopher-morel-r491/Shoved into trade rumor after trade rumor. Moved around the diamond endlessly, but somehow, less than the team wants. The Cubs' most enticing young slugger is also their most enigmatic value proposition. Let's pin it all down. There's an uncomfortable (and, perhaps, ultimately unreconcilable...491Wed, 06 Dec 2023 20:27:00 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/chicago-cubs-news/cubs/cubs-shohei-ohtani-rumors-bubble-over-into-confusion-and-more-rumors-abound-r490/Everybody calm down! Now. There. Let's all take a deep breath, here. It's been a bit of a day. Time to reset things a bit. In the blizzard, the absolute onslaught of things that have been said and slung about the Cubs' pursuit of Shohei Ohtani as that pursuit has gained steam in the last wee...490Wed, 06 Dec 2023 13:16:01 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/chicago-cubs-news/cubs/what-rhys-hoskins-could-and-couldnt-do-for-the-cubs-r489/In an unbearably arid news desert, the latest mirage that has fans pouring sand into their mouths like water is a report connecting the Cubs to the erstwhile Phillies slugger. According to Jon Morosi of MLB Network and FOX Sports, the Cubs and Rhys Hoskins's representation (i.e., the Boras C...489Tue, 05 Dec 2023 21:07:49 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/chicago-cubs-news/cubs/cubs-rule-5-draft-success-stories-catcher-jody-davis-r485/The Winter Meetings have begun, and on Wednesday, the 2023 Rule 5 Draft will take place. We are looking at a few of the best Cubs Rule 5 picks. In 1980, the Cubs were able to select their catcher for the next half-dozen years. Background  Jody Davis was born in 1956 in Gainesville, Georgia...485Mon, 04 Dec 2023 17:15:01 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/chicago-cubs-news/cubs/trade-candidate-framber-valdez-alex-bregman-jordan-wicks/Names are flying through the MLB trade rumor mill on the eve of the Winter Meetings. One stands out, though, as both an especially unexpected and an especially impactful potential target for the Cubs. To be clear, The Athletic Astros beat writer Chandler Rome didn't say the Astros are lookin...483Sun, 03 Dec 2023 20:56:15 +0000