https://northsidebaseball.com/news-rumors/chicago-cubs/page/107/?d=7enhttps://northsidebaseball.com/news-rumors/chicago-cubs/javier-assad-ran-an-ill-fated-late-season-experiment-r1232/Though his season was hollowed out in the middle by a month lost to arm trouble, Javier Assad entered mid-August with things going swimmingly. Despite walking 10.5% of opposing batters and not striking out even a league-average number of them, he kept working out of trouble. Through 21 starts an...1232Wed, 13 Nov 2024 00:08:01 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/news-rumors/chicago-cubs/if-cubs-want-to-jump-free-agent-market-with-a-great-stage-setting-move-it-should-be-this-one-r1227/Don't listen to panic over the progress of prospects Zyhir Hope or Jackson Ferris with the Dodgers: the Cubs made out gorgeously in last winter's trade sending those two West in exchange for Michael Busch and Yency Almonte. Admittedly, it would have felt much better if Almonte had stayed healthy...1227Mon, 11 Nov 2024 16:14:02 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/news-rumors/chicago-cubs/the-cubs-should-improve-their-offense-by-embracing-michael-buschs-defensive-versatility-r1225/However, one small moment from the GM Meetings stands out as notable as it relates to the Chicago Cubs’ “first baseman of the future.”  Of Michael Busch, Hoyer said: “Because we now know he can play first, he doesn’t have to work on it. He can move around a little bit. But the expectation i...1225Mon, 11 Nov 2024 14:10:01 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/news-rumors/chicago-cubs/cubs-trade-candidate-breakdown-seiya-suzuki-r1223/Seiya Suzuki hasn’t been a disappointment since signing a five-year, $85 million deal with the Cubs in March 2022, with an OPS that has climbed every year he’s been in the majors and topped out at .848 in 2024. Outside of a strikeout rate that climbed to 27.4% this past season, Suzuki has improv...1223Mon, 11 Nov 2024 12:53:01 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/news-rumors/chicago-cubs/cubs-week-in-review-clubs-free-agent-picture-no-clearer-after-gm-meetings-r1226/Most things seem to be bigger in Texas, but immune from that list, apparently, is Jed Hoyer's offseason aggression. How could the de facto face of this franchise, which crushingly missed the playoffs the past two seasons, show even a whiff of complacency? Part of it can justifiably be attributed...1226Mon, 11 Nov 2024 03:07:00 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/news-rumors/chicago-cubs/two-star-free-agents-are-willing-to-play-second-base-and-cubs-should-be-first-in-line-r1221/In separate reports coming from the General Managers Meetings in San Antonio this week, both Willy Adames and Alex Bregman expressed a willingness to move off the positions that have defined their careers to this point. In a piece at The Athletic by Katie Woo and Will Sammon: And directly...1221Fri, 08 Nov 2024 12:19:00 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/news-rumors/chicago-cubs/the-cubs-should-trade-or-non-tender-mike-tauchman-and-sign-one-of-these-minor-league-free-agents-instead-r1219/Just after the end of the MLB season, players who ended the season off the 40-man roster and who have been in pro baseball for at least six years can elect free agency. We saw the Cubs go through this process on Monday, when they allowed several players to become free agents, although they subse...1219Fri, 08 Nov 2024 00:06:00 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/news-rumors/chicago-cubs/are-we-all-underestimating-the-odds-of-an-ian-happ-trade-this-winter-r1217/Over the last few months, even those of us who were formerly big believers in the need to trade Ian Happ or Seiya Suzuki to vault the Chicago Cubs forward have come to our senses. Suzuki's lack of durability and defensive value remain daunting, in certain ways, but he stayed healthy enough to sh...1217Thu, 07 Nov 2024 12:07:00 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/news-rumors/chicago-cubs/farewell-kyle-hendricks-a-cubs-fans-tribute-to-the-professor-r1215/This one is tough. If you have read my writing on this site, or listened/watched my content on Bricks Behind the Ivy, you may be aware that I have a soft spot for Kyle Hendricks. Baseball analysts would even call it a blind spot. I would agree. Per Jon Heyman, Hendricks has agreed to a one-...1215Wed, 06 Nov 2024 23:05:01 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/news-rumors/chicago-cubs/trade-rumors-taylor-ward-batted-ball-data-bellinger/One of the first noteworthy, non-procedural moves of the fledgling MLB offseason was a trade between Atlanta and the Angels, the day after the World Series concluded. Jorge Soler, who can't stop being shipped across the country lately, landed in Orange County, with inconsistent starting pitcher...1216Wed, 06 Nov 2024 19:16:00 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/news-rumors/chicago-cubs/juan-sotos-free-agent-saga-wont-include-the-chicago-cubs-r1212/One year after the most famous free agency saga of all time, Juan Soto is heading into the land of unclaimed superstars expecting to incite a bidding war of his own.  Now, Soto isn't exactly the player that Shohei Ohtani is. He's an all-time great hitter who marries power with patience in a...1212Wed, 06 Nov 2024 00:09:02 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/news-rumors/chicago-cubs/cubs-astros-trade-rumors-bregman-paredes-pedro-leon-miguel-ullola/To best understand the conundrum the 2025 Cubs face, let's sketch their projected Opening Day lineup. With the team's incumbent right fielder locked back in after exercising his player option for next year, there aren't any low-friction ways to shake up this group, but this group is going to loo...1213Tue, 05 Nov 2024 17:19:00 +0000