https://northsidebaseball.com/news-rumors/chicago-cubs/page/164/?d=7enhttps://northsidebaseball.com/news-rumors/chicago-cubs/yan-gomes-miguel-amaya-and-the-catching-situation-for-the-2024-chicago-cubs-r374/Without doubt, Yan Gomes was one of the most valuable members of the 2023 Cubs. Entering the season, it seemed vaguely unlikely that the Cubs would exercise their $6-million option for his services in 2024, given his age and what he’d done as (in large part) Willson Contreras’s backup in 2022. H...374Tue, 03 Oct 2023 12:22:13 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/news-rumors/chicago-cubs/this-season-was-a-failure-r370/He simply laughed and told me that he would remind me of this when the Cubs lose some crushing games while in the middle of a playoff race in September. Fortunately for me, he has either forgotten that this conversation happened, or just decided to be nice about it.  By my early April expec...370Mon, 02 Oct 2023 12:04:00 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/news-rumors/chicago-cubs/a-cody-bellinger-appreciation-post-r369/For most Cubs fans, it will be a massive disappointment if Cody Bellinger's Cubs career comes to a close Sunday. He's been too good, and too perfect a fit for their needs, for the team not to make every effort to retain him. Non-tendered by the Dodgers last winter, he signed with Chicago for $17...369Sun, 01 Oct 2023 12:41:04 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/news-rumors/chicago-cubs/hope-into-memory-the-final-nail-lands-in-the-coffin-of-the-2023-chicago-cubs-r368/In a fitting capstone to a three-week edifice of misery, the Cubs lost a game even their opponents seemed to want them to win Friday. They were pushed to the brink of playoff elimination (and really, past it) by a collective and evenly distributed ineptitude, neither softened nor sharpened by th...368Sat, 30 Sep 2023 12:11:01 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/news-rumors/chicago-cubs/destination-the-show-episode-7-r366/In this episode, Jeremy, JD and Theo discuss whether the Twins last World Series was in 1987 or 1991, whether the team is fraudulent, and show some love for an amazing Twins themed YouTube passion project. The fellas walk through the prospects the Twins, Cubs and Brewers sent to the Arizona Fall...366Fri, 29 Sep 2023 15:15:00 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/news-rumors/chicago-cubs/defense-slumps-and-the-cubs-has-gone-into-a-bad-one-at-a-worse-time-r367/The old baseball truism that defense and speed don't slump is wrong. It's just wrong. Players go on defensive hot and cold streaks, the same way they do at bat or on the mound. The chances are just so much more sparse, and most measurements of each individual play in the field so much more crude...367Fri, 29 Sep 2023 11:55:47 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/news-rumors/chicago-cubs/the-cubs-still-have-a-30-percent-chance-to-make-the-playoffs-r365/The Chicago Cubs still have, according to FanGraphs, a 29.6-percent chance to claim a place in the Wild Card Series. That's just me being pessimistic, too. Baseball Prospectus has them at 42.2 percent, because they're a bit more bearish on the Marlins than is FanGraphs. As weary as the Cubs look...365Thu, 28 Sep 2023 14:15:02 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/news-rumors/chicago-cubs/seiya-suzuki-muff-and-all-is-still-the-cubs-second-half-mvp-r361/Yes, this is in response to that drop yesterday. No matter what people say, and regardless of how the rest of this season progresses, the Cubs wouldn’t be here, fighting with the Marlins, Reds and others for a Wild Card spot, if it weren’t for the heroic contributions of their right fielder. ...361Thu, 28 Sep 2023 12:03:00 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/news-rumors/chicago-cubs/braves-6-cubs-5-10-innings-acuna-steals-70th-base-and-steals-the-cubs-hope-in-extras-r364/Box Score: Starting Pitcher: Jameson Taillon - 6 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 3 K (82 pitches, 62 Strikes, 68%) Home Runs: Mike Tauchman (8), Ian Happ (20) Bottom 3 WPA: Daniel Palencia (-.793), Mark Leiter Jr. (-.494), Julian Merryweather (-.189) Win Probability Chart (Via Fangraphs): The Cubs tr...364Thu, 28 Sep 2023 02:22:00 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/news-rumors/chicago-cubs/jeimer-candelarios-return-needs-to-go-smoothly-r362/Stop me if you’ve heard this before: the Cubs have a third base problem. Patrick Wisdom, the nominal starter at the hot corner, has been relegated to match-up duty for months. Nick Madrigal is currently on the IL with a hamstring issue and may not return until the postseason (if the Cubs even ge...362Wed, 27 Sep 2023 17:17:00 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/news-rumors/chicago-cubs/for-now-i-just-want-to-talk-about-pinch-hitting-for-pete-crow-armstrong-r360/The magnificently spunky 2023 Chicago Cubs will get one last, scintillating, unwelcome opportunity to prove how special they are when it comes to bouncing back. With five games left in their season, they're on the canvas again, having taken a gut punch that leaves them searingly vulnerable and w...360Wed, 27 Sep 2023 12:38:01 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/news-rumors/chicago-cubs/braves-7-cubs-6-as-bad-as-cubs-losses-get-r359/Box Score: Starting Pitcher: Justin Steele - 5.1 IP, 6 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 6 K (90 pitches, 56 Strikes, 62%) Home Runs: None Bottom 3 WPA: Drew Smyly (-.522), Javier Assad (-.122), Ian Happ (-.117) Win Probability Chart (Via Fangraphs): The Cubs entered Tuesday night's matchup against the N...359Wed, 27 Sep 2023 02:33:00 +0000