https://northsidebaseball.com/news-rumors/chicago-cubs/page/71/?d=7enhttps://northsidebaseball.com/news-rumors/chicago-cubs/make-or-break-players-for-cubs-in-2025-jordan-wicks-r1517/Jordan Wicks has long been a favorite of mine, as he's steadily climbed the minor-league ranks since being picked 21st overall in the 2021 MLB Draft. I was extremely encouraged by his 2023 debut, before things came crashing down last year. The relatively soft-tossing lefty has a devastating...1517Thu, 20 Feb 2025 12:43:00 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/news-rumors/chicago-cubs/can-the-cubs-get-away-with-using-justin-turner-as-a-pinch-hitter-for-pete-crow-armstrong-r1515/Matt Shaw will man third base during the 2025 campaign, with Jon Berti as the backup. Justin Turner is too old to play such an active defensive position, but what he's not too old to do is crush baseballs in big spots. The youth movement at the third base and center field positions is important;...1515Thu, 20 Feb 2025 00:10:01 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/news-rumors/chicago-cubs/the-kyle-tucker-trade-is-the-only-thing-holding-up-an-otherwise-rough-cubs-offseason-r1514/After landing Kyle Tucker, Chicago was "in" on names like Alex Bregman, Roki Sasaki and Tanner Scott. It ended up with none of them, though, and had to shop on the discount rack instead. That's not a knock on some of the signings, like veteran infielder Justin Turner. Turner agreed to a dea...1514Wed, 19 Feb 2025 15:05:01 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/news-rumors/chicago-cubs/the-cubs-outfield-defense-might-be-their-secret-source-of-major-improvement-r1516/Late last week, MLB.com’s Mike Petriello published a piece in which he examined the most improved defenses among contenders (while also expounding on a pair of clubs who got worse on that side of the ball). I found it quite interesting that the Chicago Cubs were listed among the three teams with...1516Wed, 19 Feb 2025 12:45:34 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/news-rumors/chicago-cubs/javier-assad-and-the-mighty-fip-beaters-r1509/While browsing through some stats the other day, I came across something I found interesting. Allow me to rattle off six teams, and I’ll let you decide what they all have in common: Los Angeles Dodgers, Houston Astros, Milwaukee Brewers, Cleveland Guardians, New York Yankees, and Seattle Mariner...1509Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:04:01 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/news-rumors/chicago-cubs/whose-roster-spot-will-justin-turner-take%E2%80%94and-does-the-answer-depend-on-other-moves-r1513/By acclamation, the Cubs needed one more good bench piece to complete their roster, even before considering their lingering interest in a possible blockbuster to raise the potential level of that roster. Less often discussed, though, was what became impossible to avoid Tuesday morning. If and wh...1513Tue, 18 Feb 2025 19:18:45 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/news-rumors/chicago-cubs/how-justin-turner-fits-and-can-contribute-for-chicago-cubs-defensively-r1512/With the Chicago Cubs bringing in Justin Turner on a one-year deal Tuesday, there will be an immediate reaction from certain circles that label him as “Matt Shaw insurance.” After all, this was a pivot after the team failed to sign Alex Bregman. Given that the newest member of the Boston Red Sox...1512Tue, 18 Feb 2025 17:43:22 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/news-rumors/chicago-cubs/breaking-cubs-to-sign-first-basemandh-justin-turner-to-one-year-deal-r1510/The Chicago Cubs are finalizing an agreement to sign first baseman and DH Justin Turner, a source confirmed Tuesday morning. Patrick Mooney of The Athletic broke the news. Turner, 40, will be a valued bench bat and a backup to Michael Busch, the team's primary first baseman. He can al...1510Tue, 18 Feb 2025 14:49:00 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/news-rumors/chicago-cubs/if-you-missed-cubs-jed-hoyer-being-in-a-protracted-hot-stove-staredown-youre-in-luck-r1508/After signing Nick Pivetta and Kyle Hart last week, San Diego Padres president of baseball operations A.J. Preller told reporters he intends to keep Dylan Cease as the leader and linchpin of the team’s starting rotation for 2025. He got extremely creative with the deals to which he signed Pivett...1508Tue, 18 Feb 2025 12:25:55 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/news-rumors/chicago-cubs/spring-training-questions-how-will-the-cubs-catcher-timeshare-play-out-r1507/After a winter dedicated to creating more clarity and upgrading depth throughout the roster, there isn’t a whole lot for the Chicago Cubs to settle this spring. Matt Shaw and the third base spot notwithstanding, the positional side of the exhibition season will be about building up and staying h...1507Tue, 18 Feb 2025 00:06:01 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/news-rumors/chicago-cubs/the-interesting-details-and-complex-implications-of-cubs-upcoming-shota-imanaga-decision-r1506/Remember, though it's nominally worth $53 million over four years, Shota Imanaga's deal has a huge wrinkle in it. Imanaga made $10 million ($9 million in base salary, plus a $1-million signing bonus) in his first year Stateside, and will make $13 million this year. So far, so simple. After this...1506Mon, 17 Feb 2025 17:05:02 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/news-rumors/chicago-cubs/make-or-break-players-on-the-2025-cubs-matt-shaw-r1504/Yes, it may seem like a lot to put the team's success on the back of Matt Shaw, a player who will probably make his MLB debut in just over a month, but he is a bit of an outlier. The hype around Shaw's emergence is extremely real, and the expectations will be higher than normal for the beginning...1504Mon, 17 Feb 2025 15:11:01 +0000