https://northsidebaseball.com/news-rumors/chicago-cubs/page/175/?d=7enhttps://northsidebaseball.com/news-rumors/chicago-cubs/the-value-of-buying-even-when-youre-probably-not-going-to-win-the-world-series-r211/It’s been less than a decade, but it can be easy to forget: 2016 was our year. Atop the baseball world heading into the trade deadline, the Cubs bought, and they bought big: they acquired one Aroldis Chapman at the peak of his closing powers, trading away top prospect Gleyber Torres and former f...211Fri, 28 Jul 2023 13:26:02 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/news-rumors/chicago-cubs/rumor-could-aaron-civale-be-a-cubs-trade-deadline-target-r212/Tom Loxas, the former prominent Cubs blogger and current host of the podcast "Beers and Beat Guys," tweeted Thursday morning that the Cubs are scouting the Cleveland Guardians ahead of Tuesday's MLB trade deadline. Whenever Tom drops a little nugget like that, I perk up, because he...212Fri, 28 Jul 2023 12:28:02 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/news-rumors/chicago-cubs/a-trade-a-day-the-cubs-should-go-add-two-tigers-pitchers-r210/One thing is becoming increasingly clear, as the Cubs approach the deadline: they're not the team we thought they were. Two months ago, it could not have been clearer that this team's strength was its starting rotation. The offense was inconsistent, the bullpen was uncertain, and the defense was...210Thu, 27 Jul 2023 12:26:01 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/news-rumors/chicago-cubs/multiple-reports-say-cubs-more-likely-to-trade-marcus-stroman-than-cody-bellinger-r209/Over the weekend, The Score 670's Bruce Levine reported that the Cubs are more likely to trade Marcus Stroman than to deal Cody Bellinger. Those two are the Cubs' most famous and intriguing trade chips, should they undertake any version of selling at the deadline, but it's Bellinger (and his sco...209Wed, 26 Jul 2023 12:37:25 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/news-rumors/chicago-cubs/a-trade-a-day-does-trading-cody-bellinger-have-to-signal-giving-up-on-2023-r208/On the surface, any trade of Cody Bellinger would seem to signal that the Cubs are letting go of the idea of winning anything in 2023. If they're serious about reaching the postseason, trading a player as productive and as obviously talented as Bellinger seems hilariously misguided.  No mat...208Tue, 25 Jul 2023 14:16:01 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/news-rumors/chicago-cubs/the-cubs-should-target-these-3-left-handed-relievers-at-the-mlb-trade-deadline-r207/Even in the process of winning five of their last six, the Cubs showed the vulnerability of their bullpen. Julian Merryweather and Mark Leiter Jr. look much less reliable lately than they did a month ago, and the underbelly of that relief corps has always been a problem. Since it became clear th...207Tue, 25 Jul 2023 12:21:02 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/news-rumors/chicago-cubs/this-is-not-a-rebuild-episode-39-the-infamous-live-episode-r206/This is the long-awaited special episode, recorded from the unofficial podcast headquarters in bucolic Homewood, Ill. It's a late-nighter, and it shows. Let's get weird. Together in one room for the first time in the podcast's short history, the four co-hosts discuss whether Marcus St...206Mon, 24 Jul 2023 17:47:13 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/news-rumors/chicago-cubs/could-the-return-of-drew-smylys-third-pitch-augur-well-for-his-stretch-run-r204/With two outs and the bases loaded in the top of the fifth inning Saturday, Drew Smyly started his showdown against the Cardinals’ Jordan Walker with two straight cutters on the inside part of the plate. Walker fouled off both pitches, and just like that, Smyly was ahead in the count 0-2. ...204Mon, 24 Jul 2023 15:14:02 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/news-rumors/chicago-cubs/3-up-3-down-belli-bombs-r205/That is too existential for my taste, regardless of how great and reflective the Barbie Movie was.  Let’s set the scene for the week heading into the trade deadline… Record 48-51 6.5 GB in the NLC 5.5 GB of the Wild Card (Honestly, I didn’t expect the Wild Card to be that close...205Mon, 24 Jul 2023 12:39:00 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/news-rumors/chicago-cubs/a-trade-a-day-ok-lets-talk-about-jeimer-candelario-r203/Cody Bellinger hit so well over the last week and a half that he has simultaneously cemented himself as the best impending free-agent hitter who could be traded at this deadline, and decreased the likelihood that he actually will be. If we nix Bellinger (at least for the purposes of this discuss...203Mon, 24 Jul 2023 12:29:01 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/news-rumors/chicago-cubs/hayden-wesneski-should-take-drew-smylys-next-turn-in-the-rotation-r202/It's been a steady but inexorable tumble for Drew Smyly, since his strong start to the season. His seasonal ERA is up to 4.69, but that doesn't even begin to tell the full tale of his woes. Over his last 10 appearances, he's thrown 48 1/3 innings, with an ERA of 7.08. Opposing hitters are hittin...202Sun, 23 Jul 2023 15:18:00 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/news-rumors/chicago-cubs/a-trade-a-day-trying-to-save-a-lost-pitching-soul-from-the-royals-r201/Whether the Cubs trade one of their veteran starters this month or not, they need to keep in mind the need for more rotation help going into 2024. Though their starters have been their most vaunted and hyped position group this year, they've been merely average in that department over the last t...201Sun, 23 Jul 2023 12:07:02 +0000