https://northsidebaseball.com/news-rumors/chicago-cubs/page/196/?d=7enhttps://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 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/news-rumors/chicago-cubs/nygaard-mock-draft-v-10-r106/Mock Draft Season is upon us. We're still a solid seven weeks from having any clarity, but it's always fun to start to speculate. Last year's draft got crazy early. Even crazier than normal when you consider two pitchers went in the Top 7 and barely anyone saw a pitcher going in the Top 15. Othe...106Thu, 25 May 2023 20:20:57 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/news-rumors/chicago-cubs/christopher-morel-magic-and-what-he-needs-to-do-for-his-next-trick-r105/Folks…we need to talk about Christopher Morel.  Normally, when I preface a piece with that type of phrasing, it’s not a harbinger of positivity. I can think of at least two occasions where this was the case (and weirdly, they both involved San Diego Padres first baseman Eric Hosmer). But in...105Thu, 25 May 2023 11:59:06 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/news-rumors/chicago-cubs/this-time-the-four-seamer-is-working-for-marcus-stroman-r104/When the Cubs signed Marcus Stroman on the eve of the lockout in late 2021, they envisioned helping him reclaim the top of the strike zone with his four-seam fastball. In 2022, it didn't work. This year, though, that's changing. There's no full-scale reinvention happening here. Marcus Stroma...104Wed, 24 May 2023 12:25:01 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/news-rumors/chicago-cubs/consensus-mlb-draft-board-v2-r98/The Cubs enter the 2023 MLB Draft with the 19th most money to spend ($8,962,000) They hold three top 100 picks (13, 68, and 81). 2023 is one of the deeper draft classes in recent years. Let's take a look at some of the prospects available to teams in July. How to Use This Tool This is hope...98Tue, 23 May 2023 14:12:00 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/news-rumors/chicago-cubs/nick-madrigal-has-to-go-r103/The Cubs' offense has yet to be shut out in 2023. They have seven above-average hitters on the active roster, even with Cody Bellinger on the injured list. To get the most out of that group, though, they need to jettison one of their persistently below-average ones. Nick Madrigal started the...103Tue, 23 May 2023 12:47:03 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/news-rumors/chicago-cubs/draft-preview-five-under-the-radar-pitchers-im-watching-r102/Drafting pitchers is fraught with risk. It's also the most important position on a baseball team. The pitching position is, in most people’s opinions, the most important position on a baseball team in terms of having both quality and depth. Yet, the term “there is no such thing as a pitching...102Mon, 22 May 2023 17:44:06 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/news-rumors/chicago-cubs/the-nightmare-of-the-90s-is-alive-in-wrigleyville-r101/There was something gnawing at me. It was tough to put my finger on it, but just as Christopher Morel's eighth home run in his first 11 games of 2023 sailed over the fence, the penny dropped. This is what the 1990s were like. Last Tuesday, Danny Rockett (on Twitter at @SonRanto, one of the d...101Mon, 22 May 2023 12:20:02 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/news-rumors/chicago-cubs/how-far-can-jeremiah-estrada-go-with-just-his-fastball-r100/Amid another tough loss for the Cubs on Saturday, one bright spot was the performance of Jeremiah Estrada. The rookie reliever might be emerging as a new relief ace for the team--if he can find a way to get a little more use out of his breaking ball. In his major-league career, Jeremiah Estr...100Sun, 21 May 2023 12:58:00 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/news-rumors/chicago-cubs/jed-hoyer-settled-all-family-business-and-his-team-responded-r99/On Friday, Jed Hoyer, Carter Hawkins, David Ross, and the rest of the Cubs brain trust enacted a bit of tough love. Five games (and really, a full month) into a tailspin that threatened to derail their season, the team's decision-makers (belatedly) made some big decisions. For one night, at leas...99Sat, 20 May 2023 12:35:56 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/news-rumors/chicago-cubs/down-but-not-out-the-cubs-have-to-save-their-season-now-r95/As bleak as things feel in the moment, the 2023 Cubs are not out of it. On the contrary, the door remains open to them in the National League standings. They just need to turn things around, starting tonight in Philadelphia. In other years, starting 19-24 might doom a team to irrelevance. It...95Fri, 19 May 2023 12:22:01 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/news-rumors/chicago-cubs/whats-eating-keegan-thompson-r94/There is, alas, much to unpack in the wake of the worst loss of the Cubs' 2023 season, which came Wednesday night in Houston. One of the most urgent questions with which the game left us, though, is what is wrong with the man who was their best fireman in 2022. It's almost unfair to start an...94Thu, 18 May 2023 12:35:01 +0000