https://northsidebaseball.com/news-rumors/chicago-cubs/page/195/?d=7enhttps://northsidebaseball.com/news-rumors/chicago-cubs/accepting-some-failure-has-to-be-part-of-the-plan-for-matt-mervis-r119/On Friday night, the Padres had right-handed starter Michael Wacha on the mound. Nonetheless, Matt Mervis was not in the lineup, and Trey Mancini struck out in all four plate appearances. This needs to be nipped in the bud. In the first few weeks after his call-up, Matt Mervis was in the Cub...119Sat, 03 Jun 2023 14:23:01 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/news-rumors/chicago-cubs/how-adbert-alzolay-has-morphed-into-a-relief-ace-and-hype-machine-r118/"We need to work on his high fives, because they're starting to hurt," said Cubs catcher Yan Gomes. If that's the biggest problem the Cubs have with regard to Adbert Alzolay, they've come a long way. The Cubs just might have a reinvented star reliever. It feels as though it took forever for...118Sat, 03 Jun 2023 12:20:00 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/news-rumors/chicago-cubs/the-2023-cubs-cant-win-without-an-elite-defense-and-they-dont-have-one-r117/In an absolute sense, the most disappointing performances of the young season for the Cubs belong to veteran signees in each segment of the roster: Jameson Taillon, Eric Hosmer, Trey Mancini, Michael Fulmer. In an absolute sense, it's the bullpen where they've struggled most. Taking into account...117Fri, 02 Jun 2023 12:20:02 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/news-rumors/chicago-cubs/personal-cheeseballs-first-basemen-r116/After taking a week off of the Personal Cheeseball series to post our first mock draft of the season, we’re back to look at some first basemen.  Drafting a first baseman - especially early - can be one of the most polarizing decisions in all of sports.   It’s not that it never works o...116Thu, 01 Jun 2023 15:18:51 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/news-rumors/chicago-cubs/how-the-cubs-playoff-hopes-tumbled-in-may-and-what-they-mean-r115/In a bold, innovative stroke, the 2023 Cubs got their June swoon out of the way in May. Thanks to the performance of the rest of the division, they aren't yet out of the race, but the Playoff Odds at various sites remind us how urgently they need a turnaround. Even at their early apotheosis,...115Thu, 01 Jun 2023 12:05:14 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/news-rumors/chicago-cubs/this-is-the-seiya-suzuki-who-was-promised-r114/Because of the odd circumstances of his first season and the lousy injury luck that opened his second, it took us far too long to see the real Seiya Suzuki on any kind of consistent basis. At last, it's happening, and we can start to discern the size and shape of his value in an MLB outfield....114Wed, 31 May 2023 12:09:36 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/news-rumors/chicago-cubs/five-hitters-the-cubs-could-target-with-the-number-13-overall-pick-r110/In the coming weeks, we’ll spend some time going in-depth on players whom the Cubs could target with their first pick in the 2023 Draft. They didn't get lucky in the lottery in December, so they'll pick 13th, but there should still be some interesting talent on the board at that time. We’ll...110Tue, 30 May 2023 14:18:01 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/news-rumors/chicago-cubs/what-a-marcus-stroman-extension-could-look-like-r113/Just when things seemed almost hopeless, Marcus Stroman might have saved the Cubs’ season. Their record is lousy, but Stroman is one argument for persisting in optimism. Let’s talk about what a contract extension might look like for him. Already this season, we’ve seen multiple reports that...113Tue, 30 May 2023 12:22:01 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/news-rumors/chicago-cubs/david-ross-and-the-peeps-in-the-chili-pot-r112/One year ago Wednesday, Ken Rosenthal wrote a column saying that firing Joe Girardi wouldn't solve the disappointing Phillies' problems. A few days later, the Phillies fired Girardi, and it immediately solved their problems. Firing David Ross won't solve the Cubs' problems, but, you know?  ...112Mon, 29 May 2023 12:23:01 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/news-rumors/chicago-cubs/will-the-cubs-bullpen-look-completely-different-in-a-week-r111/Though it's suddenly far from being their only flaw, the Cubs' bullpen has been a persistent problem this year. Three relievers currently pitching for the Triple-A Iowa Cubs could change that, and it's nearly time to give them their chance.   It's no secret that the Cubs' relief corps i...111Sun, 28 May 2023 12:20:00 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/news-rumors/chicago-cubs/jed-hoyer-is-not-getting-fired-before-david-ross-period-r107/Most Cubs fans agree that the early stages of this season have been disappointing. Increasingly, there have been calls for changes in baseball leadership for the team. Those aren't out of line, but we need to clarify a couple of things. A couple of weeks ago, after another close and winnable...107Sat, 27 May 2023 12:35:01 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/news-rumors/chicago-cubs/bad-luck-wasnt-the-culprit-in-kyle-hendrickss-rough-return-r108/A couple of softly-hit balls fell in, and the defense behind him wasn't what it needs to be. That said, the Cubs' erstwhile ace made too many mistakes Thursday night to excuse his loss on those bases. It would have been wildly unfair to expect vintage Kyle Hendricks on Thursday night. In his...108Fri, 26 May 2023 12:29:01 +0000