https://northsidebaseball.com/news-rumors/chicago-cubs/page/144/?d=7enhttps://northsidebaseball.com/news-rumors/chicago-cubs/the-cubs-are-betting-big-on-internal-improvements-r557/After the signing of Shota Imanaga, the Cubs made another surprising move, trading tantalizing pitching prospect Jackson Ferris and toolsy teenager Zyhir Hope to the Los Angeles Dodgers for third baseman Michael Busch and reliever Yency Almonte. Those were two savvy moves, as the Cubs...557Thu, 18 Jan 2024 12:15:02 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/news-rumors/chicago-cubs/projecting-the-cubs-2024-opening-day-roster-v-20-r558/One month ago, I wrote up the most likely 26-man roster for Opening Day 2024, which then looked an awful lot like the team we last saw at the end of 2023, less the much-discussed Cody Bellinger. It was purely an exercise in framing, because we all knew the roster would look much different than t...558Wed, 17 Jan 2024 12:50:01 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/news-rumors/chicago-cubs/blake-snell-free-agency-pitch-arsenal-200-million/I understand why Blake Snell is not some fans' cup of tea. If truth be told, he isn't mine, either. I like my aces to fill up the strike zone, and Snell (who walked a career-high 13.3 percent of opposing batters last year) stubbornly refuses to do so. He's an inveterate nibbler. He's also a two-...554Tue, 16 Jan 2024 11:32:44 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/news-rumors/chicago-cubs/too-many-people-are-dismissing-shota-imanagas-upside-based-on-velocity-r552/It's true: Shota Imanaga doesn't throw all that hard. While he's touched 96 miles per hour a few times relatively recently, he more frequently sits between 91 and 93 miles per hour. In an MLB where the average four-seamer hums in at 94, that marks him as below-average in one regard. When you com...552Mon, 15 Jan 2024 14:48:00 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/news-rumors/chicago-cubs/what-did-jed-hoyer-mean-by-that-r551/Call him Chef Hoyer-dee, because he is cooking. Wait... no, don’t actually call him that. It’s weird. Just let him cook. After a bevy of activity (by Cubs standards anyway) over the past week, Hoyer admitted during Cubs Convention on Friday night that the team is “in the fourth or fifth inning o...551Sun, 14 Jan 2024 16:34:01 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/news-rumors/chicago-cubs/new-cubs-reliever-yency-almonte-and-why-it-matters-what-you-call-his-breaking-ball-r550/For parts of the last two seasons, Yency Almonte has been downright dominant. At other times, he's looked almost helpless. That's partially because he's dealt with (and sometimes tried to pitch through) injuries, but it also has something to do with his skill set--and the inherent weaknesses in...550Sun, 14 Jan 2024 12:23:01 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/news-rumors/chicago-cubs/cubs-fixed-julian-merryweather-slider/The move to claim Julian Merryweather nearly 365 days ago would have gone under the radar for even the most ardent Cubs fans. There was little to be excited about a reliever who had shown such little success to date, and the Cubs have a habit of claiming and then designating for assignment these...544Sat, 13 Jan 2024 13:13:01 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/news-rumors/chicago-cubs/arbitration-salaries-steele-merryweather-alzolay-tauchman-madrigal-leiter/For context: if the arbitration deadline passes without the player and team reaching a deal, then the two parties exchange official offers and await an arbitration hearing. (Technically, they're allowed to continue negotiating until the hearing begins, but most teams now pursue a "file-and-trial...549Fri, 12 Jan 2024 17:17:01 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/news-rumors/chicago-cubs/michael-busch-scouting-report-pitch-recognition-velocity-issue-milb-data/Michael Busch has long been rumored to be on the move from Los Angeles, going back a few years. With players ahead of him at any position he could conceivably play (Mookie Betts at second, Max Muncy at third, Freddie Freeman at first and new arrival Shohei Ohtani at designated hitter), finding a...547Fri, 12 Jan 2024 12:21:01 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/news-rumors/chicago-cubs/michael-busch-first-base-third-base-defense-metrics-scouting-reports/546Thu, 11 Jan 2024 22:06:14 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/news-rumors/chicago-cubs/destination-the-show-episode-19-r543/In this episode, Jeremy and Jamie discuss the ins and outs of the international signing window, which opens on January 15th. The fellas discuss the signing rules, bonus pool allocations, rules for trading funds, and the problematic nature of the current setup for international prospects. They ta...543Thu, 11 Jan 2024 20:33:00 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/news-rumors/chicago-cubs/cubs-acquire-michael-busch-yency-almonte-dodgers-pitcher-scouting-report/The Cubs are set to acquire right-handed reliever Yency Almonte from the Dodgers. First on the news was Juan Toribio, a veteran Dodgers writer. Almonte, 30, is out of options, so this is a bet by the Cubs on their ability to make (and keep) him a solidly MLB-caliber reliever. He's h...545Thu, 11 Jan 2024 18:07:00 +0000