Top 25 Most-Viewed North Side Baseball Articles of 2024 (Part 1: 21-25)

[Seth Stohs]

Chicago Cubs 2024. Let's take a look at the most-viewed articles of 2024, starting with those at 21-25. 

Image courtesy of © Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

2024 began with a lot of hopes and expectations. Along with the return of Cody Bellinger, rookies like Michael Busch and eventually Pete Crow-Armstrong stepped up and contributed to the big league roster. Shota Imanaga's rookie season really couldn't have gone much better. The lefty started out really well and kept it up throughout the season. The team didn't meet hopes or expectations but still finished above .500. And with some of the transactions made this offseason, there will again be large hopes and expectations in 2025.

But today, we want to start a series looking back at 2024. Which North Side Baseball articles had the most views and gained the most interest? It's always interesting to see which articles create interest, page views and conversation. Today we start with the 21st through 25th most-viewed articles. 

#25: A Big, Creative Cubs-Twins Trade That Just Might Work for Everyone 
Matthew Trueblood
October 9  

Rumors are fun. Speculation makes the offseason go ‘round. The idea is you look at your favorite team’s roster, noting the strengths and the weaknesses. Then find another organization and think about what their needs might be, and their areas of strength. Early in the offseason, the Cubs found themselves with lots of outfield depth including several top prospects. They were looking for a reliable backup catcher and more pitching. The idea of this particular trade speculation is that the Cubs would receive dominant reliever Griffin Jax (and give him an opportunity to start) and veteran catcher Christian Vazquez. In return, the Cubs would send the blocked Kevin Alcantara, a Top 100 prospect in baseball. Almost two months later, the Twins have done nothing. The Cubs still have a lot of outfield depth and have added a veteran backstop in Carson Kelly.     

#24: Did the Isaac Paredes Deal Seal Nico Hoerner’s Trade Fate?
Matthew Trueblood 
July 30 

Just to clarify… This is the first Isaac Paredes deal, the one that brought him to Wrigley from Tampa in exchange for Christopher Morel and more. The article ends by saying, “moving Hoerner is the key intermediate step to finding and snatching up the unidentified player who will help anchor the lineup of the next great Cubs team, starting next spring.” Is that player Kyle Tucker, who the Cubs acquired recently in the second Paredes deal? Is Nico Hoerner still on the trade market? Does he provide enough value on his own to bring in a potential lineup anchor? 

#23: Kyle Tucker Trade Rumors: The Theory and Praxis of Bringing Astros Slugger to Cubs in Blockbuster Deal 
Matthew Trueblood  
December 10 

As noted above, rumors are fun and speculation is fun. How about when you take a pretty legitimate rumor from an industry expert and then speculate on what it means? So much fun! In this article, Matt speculated on rumors that the Cubs and Astros were heavily involved in trade talk surrounding Kyle Tucker. The first thought was that Jed Hoyer would not give up prospects for a guy who will be a free agent at the end of the year without being very confident that he could lock up Tucker for a long time. Therefore, the speculation shifted to who else might pique the Astros interest enough, and specifically, could a Tucker for Bellinger trade make sense for both teams? A couple of weeks ago, the Cubs sent Paredes, Hayden Wesneski, and 2024 top pick Cam Smith to the Astros for Tucker. Paredes is a veteran, Wesneski is still pre-arbitration, and Smith is a powerful prospect with a ton of team control. So, should Cubs fans be encouraged that it might mean an extension is possible? 

#22: Pete Crow-Armstrong and Michael Busch Earned 2024 Bonuses 
Seth Stohs 
December 13 

101 pre-arbitration players earned a bonus recently for their 2024 performances thanks to the most-recent Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA). Just two Chicago Cubs players earned that bonus this year, rookies Michael Busch and Pete Crow-Armstrong.   

#21: One Early Hot Stove Move Might Pave Way for Cubs to Land Little-Known Big Bat from Angels 
Matthew Trueblood 
November 6

Here is some more early offseason speculation. Matt speculated that there might be a match with the Angels, a potential move that could happen quickly. He used the Angels' appreciation and belief in swing speed (evidenced by their early offseason acquisition of Jorge Soler) to name a couple of Angels bats (on in particular) that the Cubs could consider. Interestingly, on of the names mentioned was catcher Matt Thaiss. Two weeks after this article, the Cubs sent some cash to the Angels for the 30-year-old. Of course, after they officially signed Carson Kelly, they traded Thaiss to the cross-town White Sox.  

Which was your favorite? Maybe it'll be in the Top 20, which we'll jump into tomorrow. 

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