https://northsidebaseball.com/chicago-cubs-news/cubs/page/96/?d=7enhttps://northsidebaseball.com/chicago-cubs-news/cubs/two-cubs-hitters-swing-speeds-are-trending-in-opposite-directions-early-on-r1634/There’s nothing baseball fans love more than overreacting to some small piece of data from early in the season. So, let’s do just that! There can be some value in early season statistics. Certain numbers can portend future success, or failure. Kyle Tucker only had two hits in his first 19 pl...1634Sun, 30 Mar 2025 15:01:02 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/chicago-cubs-news/cubs/shota-imanaga-is-living-in-the-shadows-whether-you-like-it-or-not-r1632/Shota Imanaga isn't mentioned in the same breath as other stars in the MLB. He should be. In my years of following the great game of baseball, I can scant remember a time that the sport was in better shape than it is now. With an elite collection of generational talents such as Juan Soto, Fe...1632Sun, 30 Mar 2025 00:18:02 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/chicago-cubs-news/cubs/cubs-designate-cody-poteet-for-assignment-leaving-some-big-questions-r1630/The Cubs cut bait at an early date on the swingman they acquired in exchange for the lefty bat who helped anchor their lineup the last two years. Did they botch that entire string of transactions? Are you old enough to remember the word "boof?" It was a baseball term when I played growing up...1630Fri, 28 Mar 2025 14:06:02 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/chicago-cubs-news/cubs/wide-awake-this-time-cubs-bats-secure-the-teams-first-win-of-2025-r1631/The lineup was held in check in the Tokyo Series against the Dodgers, but in their domestic opener, the Cubs made a statement: this team will be dangerous. There are questions hanging over this Cubs season that can't be answered in just a few games. After a pair of disappointing showings and...1631Fri, 28 Mar 2025 11:37:44 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/chicago-cubs-news/cubs/verbalizing-some-last-minute-anxieties-about-the-2025-chicago-cubs-r1628/The runup to Opening Day contains a strange cocktail of intrigue, anticipation, and eerie calm. It's a combination that spikes the ol' anxiety in someone such as myself. I catastrophize. Mostly over smaller scale, trivial things. But the physical response is the same as if it were a big thin...1628Thu, 27 Mar 2025 14:20:02 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/chicago-cubs-news/cubs/some-perspective-on-cam-smith-and-kyle-tucker-r1626/There's a civil war brewing in Cubdom. Cam Smith has made the Houston Astros' Opening Day roster. As usual, the internet has several different takes, all of which are valid (in a way). Here is an attempt to be nuanced—and, of course, the most correct take on the internet. Cam Smith, who was...1626Thu, 27 Mar 2025 13:13:02 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/chicago-cubs-news/cubs/call-to-the-pen-nsbb-writers-bold-predictions-for-the-2025-chicago-cubs-r1629/As the season begins in earnest, we asked several North Side Baseball writers to offer up bold (but plausible) predictions. Here's what we came up with. The 2025 Cubs will be a fascinating team, one way or another. They're at a stage of the competitive cycle wherein desperation is right at t...1629Thu, 27 Mar 2025 11:09:54 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/chicago-cubs-news/cubs/diamondcentric-staff-predicts-the-2025-mlb-season-r1627/Gather round, read it here first. The season will go like this, see. Ok, soothsayers we (probably) aren't, but 33 writers across the DiamondCentric family of sites tried their hands at predicting the season to come. Here's how it shook out. The Standings AL East There's no question...1627Wed, 26 Mar 2025 23:01:02 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/chicago-cubs-news/cubs/ben-brown-wins-chicago-cubs-starting-rotation-battle-over-colin-rea-r1623/Sometimes, you just have to trust the stuff. When I'm watching a Major League Baseball game, sometimes I am watching specifically for the arm up on the bump. Other times, I'm watching for the guys behind the arm, with the pitcher becoming a mere facilitator for the more interesting parts of...1623Wed, 26 Mar 2025 11:23:02 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/chicago-cubs-news/cubs/dansby-swanson-and-the-importance-of-being-early-when-youre-fast-r1624/The Cubs' leader and highest-paid player hit the ball hard more often in 2024 than in 2023—but he got much less value from those hard-hit balls. Why? Check the contact point. In his second season with the Cubs, Dansby Swanson had very similar strikeout and walk rates to the ones he posted in...1624Tue, 25 Mar 2025 22:05:01 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/chicago-cubs-news/cubs/with-de-facto-deadline-looming-cubs-remain-interested-in-padres-ace-dylan-cease-r1622/Deadlines spur action, and when the qualifying offer came into being in 2012, it made Opening Day into one—albeit to a very minor degree. Now, that clock is ticking loudly for teams interested in the Padres' ace. The Cubs are one of multiple teams still checking in with the Padres on Dylan C...1622Tue, 25 Mar 2025 11:56:00 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/chicago-cubs-news/cubs/3-cubs-pitchers-due-for-regression-and-how-they-can-make-it-not-matter-r1616/The Cubs had a handful of pitchers emerge in 2024 to help level out the pitching staff, some of whom look to be due for regression. How might some of these arms fight off that dragon in 2025?   The Cubs relied on a trio of arms last season who performed well but looked a bit suspect. Wi...1616Mon, 24 Mar 2025 17:13:01 +0000