https://northsidebaseball.com/news-rumors/chicago-cubs/page/149/?d=7enhttps://northsidebaseball.com/news-rumors/chicago-cubs/nick-madrigals-roster-utility-just-keeps-dwindling-alongside-his-skill-set-r835/His sterling defense in a first season-long exposure to a new position was, in a sense, a good enough reason to keep a former first-round pick and valued trade acquisition for a year. When even that little value bump won't stick to him anymore, though, all that's left to say is goodbye. I’ve...835Wed, 29 May 2024 13:11:02 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/news-rumors/chicago-cubs/a-new-manager-hasnt-yet-solved-the-same-old-problems-facing-the-cubs-r834/Maybe the genius of the Chicago Cubs' new $40-million skipper is only beginning to reveal itself. Maybe the glorious future of the franchise is close at hand, and it's just not yet visible to us. Then again, maybe we all owe David Ross an apology. With the Chicago Cubs making their first tri...834Wed, 29 May 2024 11:35:01 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/news-rumors/chicago-cubs/the-dansby-swanson-contract-looks-like-both-a-mistake-and-an-error-r833/Mistakes are slip-ups. When you make a mistake, you understood what you were trying to do, and the context in which you were trying to do it. You just flubbed it. Errors, on the other hand, are (by definition) about misunderstanding or being ignorant of something. They're distinct things. But so...833Tue, 28 May 2024 17:09:00 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/news-rumors/chicago-cubs/the-cubs-month-of-offensive-misery-is-maddening-but-not-shocking-r832/The Cubs are, to put it mildly, not where we thought they would be by now, based on where they were when this month began. What happened? And how (if at all) can they fix it? On May 1, the Chicago Cubs were 19-12, just 0.5 games behind Milwaukee for the top spot in the National League Centra...832Tue, 28 May 2024 13:28:07 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/news-rumors/chicago-cubs/pete-crow-armstrongs-awesome-floor-and-tantalizing-ceiling-r831/He's stuck doing stunt work on helpless Triple-A pitchers right now, but very soon, the Cubs' top prospect almost has to come back and show off the value of the adjustments he's made this spring. Er, right? After Pete Crow-Armstrong's hitless 19-plate appearance debut for the Chicago Cubs la...831Tue, 28 May 2024 11:19:01 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/news-rumors/chicago-cubs/monday-morning-north-sider-offensive-offense-ben-browns-heater-ronald-acuna-and-more-r830/The last few weeks have been a struggle for the Cubs, who are getting healthier but no more productive at the plate. At least some of the youngsters are showing out, a third of the way through the season. The Cubs won just one game last week, which included an off day on Monday and a rainout...830Mon, 27 May 2024 18:02:01 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/news-rumors/chicago-cubs/why-hasnt-seiya-suzuki-taken-a-step-forward-r829/This was supposed to be the year for Seiya Suzuki.  Seiya Suzuki's first two seasons were good. Maybe even above average. His second half of 2023 (149 wRC+, .254 ISO) was supposed to indicate another level to be reached. The front office appeared confident enough in such a breakout that they...829Mon, 27 May 2024 16:17:02 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/news-rumors/chicago-cubs/happy-40th-anniversary-to-the-craziest-argument-in-baseball-history-r827/Monday is Memorial Day, but it also happens to be the 40th anniversary of one of the most bonkers moments in Chicago Cubs history. Let's talk about the Foul Ball Incident. There's no adequate way for me to fully render, in words, what happened at Wrigley Field on May 27, 1984. We're going to...827Mon, 27 May 2024 15:10:01 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/news-rumors/chicago-cubs/double-plays-are-drying-up-even-or-especially-for-defense-focused-cubs-infield-r828/The twin killing. The pitcher's best friend. The rally-killer. Though multiple generations of fans came to take the double play for granted, it was the first mark of a great defense doing exceptional things on a baseball diamond--of peak team performance in the field. Now, that majestic creature...828Mon, 27 May 2024 11:19:02 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/news-rumors/chicago-cubs/a-bad-day-a-bad-week-and-a-bad-trend-for-miguel-amaya-and-the-cubs-r826/The Chicago Cubs lost another game on Saturday--something we’ve become rather accustomed to, in a nightmarish month of May. However, one element of this one stood out as being particularly difficult to stomach. With two outs in the eighth inning, the Cubs held a 4-3 lead. St. Louis had runne...826Sun, 26 May 2024 13:14:01 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/news-rumors/chicago-cubs/cubs-schedule-takes-a-dramatic-and-important-turn-this-week-r822/Thursday marked the end of a long period during which the Chicago Cubs faced unusually fierce competition. Friday opens a stretch during which they'll play a lot of contests within their division. As of this writing, the Cubs have only played 10 of their 51 games against their rivals from th...822Fri, 24 May 2024 14:06:02 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/news-rumors/chicago-cubs/cubs-hitters-have-been-helped-more-by-ball-strike-calls-than-any-other-team-r821/Is this a fluke or a skill? Will it regress, or will they continue to enjoy this edge? Yes. To all of it.   Generally speaking, when we talk about pitch framing (that is, the value gained and lost by either team because of influences that distort the umpire's judgment of the strike zone...821Fri, 24 May 2024 11:23:02 +0000