https://northsidebaseball.com/news-rumors/chicago-cubs/page/68/?d=7enhttps://northsidebaseball.com/news-rumors/chicago-cubs/chicago-cubs-2025-position-analysis-designated-hitter-r1566/I am offering a virtual high five to anyone who can name the Cubs’ Opening Day starter at designated hitter in the first three seasons since the National League adopted the position full-time in 2022.  Any takers? You might have gotten 2024 correct. It was Christopher Morel, with Nick Madri...1566Fri, 07 Mar 2025 00:17:01 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/news-rumors/chicago-cubs/chicago-cubs-2025-position-analysis-left-field-r1544/Left field is in capable hands with Ian Happ. He's averaged 3.7 WAR in his past three seasons and won a Gold Glove award in each of them. His power numbers are consistent; his OPS has also been between .780 and .790 yearly. He regularly scores and drives in over 80 runs per season. There's not m...1544Thu, 06 Mar 2025 14:15:01 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/news-rumors/chicago-cubs/the-cubs-sleep-advantage-r1565/I was looking around FanGraphs to check out what the league as a whole did in 2024, with a sort of idea that I would see if the Cubs in 2025 had assembled a team resembling my platonic ideal of an offense that hit for power via both the home run and gap-to-gap line drives; a pitching staff that...1565Thu, 06 Mar 2025 12:39:01 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/news-rumors/chicago-cubs/the-multi-layered-process-of-reclaiming-dansby-swansons-power-r1564/There was a time in my life when I thought Dansby Swanson was a mystery—something to be solved. But I’ve grown up. Matured. Evolved. Now I realize that the Chicago Cubs’ shortstop is a sometimes-good, mostly underwhelming offensive performer who is propped up by the exceptionally steady defense...1564Thu, 06 Mar 2025 00:05:02 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/news-rumors/chicago-cubs/on-the-very-real-possibility-that-caleb-kilian-is-just-a-casing-into-which-new-pitches-are-poured-every-year-r1559/Countless times, it seems, Caleb Kilian has had enough success in the upper minors to get the Cubs organization or its fans intrigued. Then, he comes up to the majors and is a major disappointment, or he gets hurt, and he ends up in the minors again, having done nothing to actually help the Chic...1559Wed, 05 Mar 2025 14:03:02 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/news-rumors/chicago-cubs/chicago-cubs-2025-position-analysis-second-base-r1542/Note that we're operating under the assumption in this piece that Matt Shaw will not be making the trip to Japan. If he's healthy, he'll certainly be the starter at second base. With news that Nico Hoerner will not be making the trip overseas and will stay back in the states and continue to...1542Wed, 05 Mar 2025 12:56:01 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/news-rumors/chicago-cubs/are-the-cubs-better-prepared-to-withstand-slow-starts-from-key-hitters-in-2025-r1558/The calendar has just barely flipped over to March, but we’ve long known the shape of the Chicago Cubs’ lineup to start 2025. The bench still needs to be sorted, sure. But assuming Matt Shaw latches onto the third base gig (and we have no reason to think otherwise at this point), the starting ni...1558Wed, 05 Mar 2025 00:05:03 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/news-rumors/chicago-cubs/chicago-cubs-2025-position-analysis-right-field-r1546/Kyle Tucker is, in no uncertain terms, the superstar that the Cubs have needed. In just 78 games in 2024, Tucker hit 23 home runs and drove in 49 runs. He finished with a .993 OPS, which would have been first among right fielders if Tucker had enough at-bats to qualify. He will now head into 202...1546Wed, 05 Mar 2025 00:05:02 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/news-rumors/chicago-cubs/colin-reas-success-in-cubs-starting-rotation-will-depend-on-the-defense-living-up-to-its-potential-r1557/For the last two seasons, the Cubs' theory—their plan and design for getting to the postseason—has been that they would have an elite team defense. They signed Dansby Swanson and slid Nico Hoerner to second base for 2023 to create an exceptional middle infield. They extended Ian Happ on the same...1557Tue, 04 Mar 2025 15:15:48 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/news-rumors/chicago-cubs/how-long-can-you-last-without-caring-about-kyle-tuckers-spring-struggles-r1556/In his first 15 plate appearances in the Cactus League, Kyle Tucker is 0-for-12, with three walks and five strikeouts. It's just a fistful of looks to start the season, and the games don't count, but Tucker hasn't hit anything especially hard, or looked especially good, even for a guy on an 0-fe...1556Tue, 04 Mar 2025 12:08:05 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/news-rumors/chicago-cubs/gage-workman-is-looking-too-good-to-let-go-for-cubs-r1555/Twice in three trips to the plate Monday, Gage Workman took one of the hardest swings anyone managed all day against a good big-league pitcher—and connected fairly cleanly. In the first inning, he worked a full count against Corbin Burnes of the Diamondbacks. Then, he cracked a one-hop grounder...1555Tue, 04 Mar 2025 00:03:35 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/news-rumors/chicago-cubs/brace-yourselves-this-cubs-team-could-be-special-r1550/It's easy to get lost in the fun of a hot start, even in the Cactus League. While this team will eventually hit brief slides, they've shown (even at this stage) that they'll never be out of a game. And that's what makes the 2025 Chicago Cubs a club with championship DNA. The true ceiling of a ba...1550Mon, 03 Mar 2025 16:05:02 +0000