https://northsidebaseball.com/news-rumors/chicago-cubs/page/122/?d=7enhttps://northsidebaseball.com/news-rumors/chicago-cubs/nico-hoerners-jekyll-and-hyde-month-of-april-r765/Nico Hoerner has been both of these hitters in a single month.  On April 13th, Hoerner was hitting .171. His wRC+ was only 77; his ISO was .024. In the broad way in which we typically evaluate hitters, it wasn’t getting off to the kind of start he might’ve aimed for. Especially given his re...765Sun, 28 Apr 2024 15:50:13 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/news-rumors/chicago-cubs/cubs-rotation-third-time-order-shota-imanaga-kyle-hendricks-javier-assad/Heading into Saturday afternoon’s game, Cubs’ starters had thrown 125⅔ innings, which is 26th in baseball, according to FanGraphs. Their 2,075 total pitches thrown is ninth. It’s been a consistent theme and concern for the Cubs early this season. The starting pitchers aren’t working deep in...764Sun, 28 Apr 2024 12:14:02 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/news-rumors/chicago-cubs/unlocking-baseball-a-call-for-dramatic-changes-to-the-offseason-r763/For over a century, baseball has held a special place in American culture--"the national pastime." However, this reverence for tradition shouldn't equate to resistance against necessary changes. Throughout its history, baseball has undergone significant transformations, from implementing automat...763Sat, 27 Apr 2024 16:19:01 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/news-rumors/chicago-cubs/cubs-april-defense-christopher-morel-cody-bellinger-miguel-amaya/It’s an interesting paradox in which to reside for someone so consumed by defense and recognizing the sample it requires to genuinely analyze as a result.  But as we prepare to hit the end of April and guys have settled into spots accordingly, it now seems like a point at which to take a te...762Sat, 27 Apr 2024 12:16:02 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/news-rumors/chicago-cubs/a-first-bad-stretch-for-michael-busch-r761/A stretch like this was always inevitable. Of course, to even call this a stretch would be, in fact, a stretch. But Michael Busch has gone four consecutive games without recording a hit. He’s struck out nine times across those four games, including eight in this three-game set against Houston. ...761Fri, 26 Apr 2024 14:05:01 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/news-rumors/chicago-cubs/a-tough-2023-taught-hayden-wesneski-how-to-best-manage-his-routines-r760/Entering Spring Training, 2024 was just another season for Hayden Wesneski, but this year, he’s a lot more comfortable with his dual role in the Cubs organization as both a starter and reliever.  Wesneski started the 2023 season in the starting rotation, but after a fistful of poor starts,...760Fri, 26 Apr 2024 12:08:00 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/news-rumors/chicago-cubs/despite-diminished-velocity-jameson-taillon-showing-good-stuff-so-far-r759/No longer a spring chicken, the 32-year-old Jameson Taillon returned to the Chicago Cubs a bit less dynamic a pitcher than the team hoped they signed in late 2022. It's only been two starts, but Taillon seems not to have the same velocity with which he pitched most of last year. It's possible th...759Thu, 25 Apr 2024 12:04:01 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/news-rumors/chicago-cubs/pete-crow-armstrong-is-coming-back-to-the-cubs-but-for-the-worst-possible-reason-r758/This is not the news any Cubs fan was hoping for. It didn't look like Cody Bellinger took the full force of his collision with the wall in left-center field Tuesday night, but he displayed visible discomfort for the rest of the evening and left the Cubs' 7-2 win early. After a CT scan Wednesday...758Wed, 24 Apr 2024 19:52:10 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/news-rumors/chicago-cubs/cutting-garrett-cooper-brings-greater-clarity-broader-opportunity-to-cubs-lineup-and-bench-r757/Going back to early in the spring, I’ve spent more time than I care to admit thinking about the Chicago Cubs’ roster construction at the infield corners and on the bench, as the two seemed inextricably linked. As the third base picture became clearer and Garrett Cooper earned a roster spot, I wo...757Wed, 24 Apr 2024 12:08:02 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/news-rumors/chicago-cubs/cubs-pitching-staff-loses-two-veterans-gains-much-needed-clarity-r756/It's bittersweet to see Kyle Hendricks land on the injured list for the Cubs, and just bitter to see Drew Smyly accompany him there. Hendricks was overdue to be taken out of the rotation based on the way he's pitched so far in 2024, but probably does have some real physical issues with which to...756Tue, 23 Apr 2024 21:54:26 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/news-rumors/chicago-cubs/cubs-make-a-surprising-roster-move-dfa-garrett-cooper-in-favor-of-matt-mervis-r755/This was not akin to the abortive Luis Torrens stint last April, or to the Cubs' doomed effort to resurrect the hype around Clint Frazier in 2022. Garrett Cooper didn't blow any doors off, but in 41 plate appearances distributed raggedly across the first 22 games of the season, he batted a respe...755Tue, 23 Apr 2024 19:35:00 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/news-rumors/chicago-cubs/matt-mervis-returns-to-the-cubs-will-he-mash-this-time-r754/On Tuesday afternoon, the Cubs recalled first baseman Matt Mervis to Wrigley Field. Long rumored to be on the trade block (especially after the Michael Busch acquisition), the Cubs held onto the lefty masher throughout the offseason and are giving him his second shot at MLB relevance. I wrote ea...754Tue, 23 Apr 2024 18:10:00 +0000