https://northsidebaseball.com/news-rumors/chicago-cubs/page/3/?d=7enhttps://northsidebaseball.com/news-rumors/chicago-cubs/cubs-lineup-woes-are-the-result-of-navigating-the-perils-of-a-sequential-offense-r2731/Caveats abound at this early stage of the season, but the Chicago Cubs are, at present and at best, a mediocre offensive team. A number of components will even out as the sample grows, but it's a hard idea to deny for a team that ranks 19th in runs scored, 24th in isolated power, and 22nd in wRC...2731Mon, 13 Apr 2026 11:54:02 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/news-rumors/chicago-cubs/matt-shaw-is-swinging-slower-and-finally-looks-like-the-top-prospect-the-cubs-were-promised-r2730/Earlier this week, our Matt Trueblood took a look at how a change in stance has allowed Nico Hoerner to tap into more practical power. However, Hoerner is not the only Chicago Cub in 2026 who has bucked conventional trends yet produced much better results based on a stance change. Enter Matt Sha...2730Sat, 11 Apr 2026 19:32:01 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/news-rumors/chicago-cubs/can-miguel-amaya-be-an-effective-hitter-if-his-bat-speed-never-rebounds-r2728/Hitting is problem-solving. After all, you're standing there in a box, not allowed to move beyond it, armed with a seemingly powerful but unwieldy club, and you've got a projectile coming at you at bone-breaking speed. You can't be sure where it'll be when it passes you, or even that it won't co...2728Fri, 10 Apr 2026 11:38:02 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/news-rumors/chicago-cubs/the-five-stages-of-relief-r2721/As we await the return of Justin Steele and weather the losses of Matthew Boyd and Cade Horton to the injured list, I considered the grief of being a Cubs fan through this early part of 2026, and recalled the infamous "Five Stages of Grief" in trying to process my feelings. Known as the Kubler-R...2721Thu, 09 Apr 2026 13:35:01 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/news-rumors/chicago-cubs/how-a-slight-stance-change-has-allowed-nico-hoerner-to-aim-for-the-corners-better-r2725/Back in May 2024, I wrote about Nico Hoerner's potential (or, as I myopically believed back then, lack thereof) to hit more doubles. The issues I noted at the time are still real and salient: that hitting the ball to center and right field, while good for a batter trying to maintain a high conta...2725Thu, 09 Apr 2026 11:56:00 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/news-rumors/chicago-cubs/carson-kelly-has-been-the-cubs-primary-catcher-in-2026-but-that-could-change-moving-forward-r2724/One of the more intriguing aspects of the Chicago Cubs and their lineup construction thus far in 2026 has been the distribution of playing time between their two catchers.  In reality, the team has a pair of starting-caliber backstops. Carson Kelly is coming off a career season despite fadi...2724Wed, 08 Apr 2026 22:05:01 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/news-rumors/chicago-cubs/pete-crow-armstrongs-next-step-is-clear-become-a-leader-of-the-cubs-r2716/It's a Friday, 1:20 start at Wrigley Field, the outfield ivy has yet to grow in, showing its exposed brick. Scanning your surroundings, you look around, your eyes greeted by thousands of jerseys of red, white, and blue, with the number "4" on the back. The Chicago Cubs' young, would-be superstar...2716Wed, 08 Apr 2026 13:04:01 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/news-rumors/chicago-cubs/javier-assads-improved-changeup-could-take-him-to-the-next-level-r2722/The fastest player in the league hit a sharp one-hopper, almost perfectly placed. With a runner going and Nico Hoerner breaking toward second base to cover a potential throw Tuesday night, Chandler Simpson hit behind the runner. It was still (more or less) up the middle, but Hoerner was moving a...2722Wed, 08 Apr 2026 11:44:43 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/news-rumors/chicago-cubs/ugh-cade-horton-will-undergo-season-ending-elbow-surgery-r2720/The news is bad. The news, by now, is barely news, but that doesn't make it any less bad. Four days after Cade Horton left his start against the Guardians in the second inning, the team announced that he will undergo season-ending elbow surgery. He flew to Dallas to consult with Dr. Keith Meiste...2720Tue, 07 Apr 2026 20:55:00 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/news-rumors/chicago-cubs/how-worried-should-we-be-about-michael-buschs-swing-speed-r2718/Through 10 games, the Cubs aren't just a disappointing 4-6, but an anemic 4-6. Their lineup has been lousy, and their best hitter from 2025 is one reason for the shortfall. Michael Busch batted .261/.343/.523 last year; he's off to a .176/.310/.235 start this spring. It's early, and Busch is bei...2718Tue, 07 Apr 2026 17:02:55 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/news-rumors/chicago-cubs/is-this-javier-assads-big-break-r2717/For the past four years, one of the Cubs' treasured rites of spring has been sending starting pitcher Javier Assad to Triple-A Iowa. Despite his strong performances when actually on the mound (he has a 3.43 career ERA, despite often being used so flexibly that it makes his job harder), Assad fin...2717Tue, 07 Apr 2026 11:55:00 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/news-rumors/chicago-cubs/cubs-are-likely-to-be-without-matthew-boyd-for-6-weeks-or-more-as-trouble-mounts-r2715/Cubs fans everywhere are spending their Mondays with a weekend-long case of the Sunday scaries that won't go away. Cade Horton walked off the mound Friday in the second inning, with what has been dubbed a forearm strain—but until the team reveals the results of the imaging Horton underwent Monda...2715Mon, 06 Apr 2026 20:54:44 +0000