https://northsidebaseball.com/news-rumors/chicago-cubs/page/79/?d=7enhttps://northsidebaseball.com/news-rumors/chicago-cubs/the-top-20-chicago-cubs-player-assets-of-2025-part-1-nos-20-16-r1395/Over at our sister site Twins Daily, Nick Nelson did a similar write-up for the Twins (he’s been doing it every year since 2018). As our resident asset-ranking expert, I’ll allow him to explain the purpose and methodology behind this concept: Seeing as this is our first year putting toget...1395Wed, 15 Jan 2025 12:46:02 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/news-rumors/chicago-cubs/instead-of-trading-something-major-for-willi-castro-cubs-should-try-dealing-for-the-next-willi-castro-r1400/Two years ago, the Minnesota Twins caught a huge break. The then-backward Detroit Tigers non-tendered talented but frustrating utility man Willi Castro in November 2022, paving the way for Minnesota to swoop in and sign him to a minor-league deal. Castro, then 25, hit a messy .241/.284/.367 in 3...1400Tue, 14 Jan 2025 23:31:15 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/news-rumors/chicago-cubs/2025-cubs-breakout-brandon-birdsell/After being a fifth-round pick in 2022 out of Texas Tech, Brandon Birdsell didn't officially make his debut in the Chicago Cubs farm system until 2023. Since doing so, though, he's done nothing but affirm the team's faith in him, and as they've counseled him on some ways to rebuild and adjust hi...1398Tue, 14 Jan 2025 16:52:26 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/news-rumors/chicago-cubs/3-podcast-episodes-to-catch-you-up-on-all-things-chicago-cubs-offseason-r1397/Firstly, late last week, three-fourths of the crew of the This is Not a Rebuild Cubs podcast convened to discuss the team's oddly eventful week, albeit at a frustratingly unclear moment in the progress of the hot stove season. It began as a rumination on the possibilities for how they can still...1397Tue, 14 Jan 2025 14:39:49 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/news-rumors/chicago-cubs/the-importance-of-dansby-swanson-in-2025-r1393/After signing with Chicago prior to the 2023 season, Dansby Swanson hasn't quite lived up to the $177-million contract he was given. He posted batting averages of .244 in 2023 and .242 in 2024. Swanson has also started to miss time, something he hadn't done since very early in his career. T...1393Tue, 14 Jan 2025 12:49:02 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/news-rumors/chicago-cubs/horsefeathers-the-chicago-cubs-are-not-finalists-for-free-agent-starter-roki-sasaki-r1396/All along, we've known that it was a longshot that the Cubs would reel in Roki Sasaki. He's as hotly in demand as any free agent in baseball history, with his price artificially suppressed in a way that amplifies his value to whichever team signs him in a way disproportionate even to his immense...1396Mon, 13 Jan 2025 23:17:25 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/news-rumors/chicago-cubs/after-colin-rea-signing-becomes-official-how-much-have-cubs-upgraded-their-pitching-staff-this-winter-r1392/The Chicago Cubs made their signing of Colin Rea official on Monday, adding him to their already-full 40-man roster and designating righthander Michael Arias for assignment to accommodate him. The news of Rea's agreement to join the team's pitching mix broke on Friday, and we knew there would ne...1392Mon, 13 Jan 2025 15:52:02 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/news-rumors/chicago-cubs/as-roki-sasaki-nears-a-decision-heres-the-case-the-cubs-likely-made-that-they-can-unlock-his-upside-r1391/On Wednesday, teams can once again begin signing international amateur free agents for 2025. There will be dozens of millions of dollars handed out to dozens of Latin American teenagers, but this year, there will also be a handsome sum paid to one of the most sought-after free agents in recent m...1391Mon, 13 Jan 2025 12:40:01 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/news-rumors/chicago-cubs/cubs-week-in-review-kyle-tucker-debacle-a-pair-of-new-veteran-arms-and-more-punctuate-chaotic-week-r1389/By bringing in the hard-hitting Kyle Tucker and buttressing the support beams of their roster, the Cubs have become the favorite to win the National League Central division in 2025. With the Cubs and Tucker failing to reach a salary agreement for 2025, the impetus is on the North Siders to make...1389Sun, 12 Jan 2025 23:03:01 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/news-rumors/chicago-cubs/cubs-still-have-30-million-or-more-to-spend-this-winter-but-could-be-aiming-lower-for-a-good-reason-r1390/Signing Colin Rea to a one-year deal worth $5 million Friday brought the Chicago Cubs' projected 40-man roster payroll for 2025 to roughly $178.3 million, according to Cot's Contracts. That figure bakes in all their agreements with arbitration-eligible players, the small amounts (less than $1 mi...1390Sun, 12 Jan 2025 18:04:54 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/news-rumors/chicago-cubs/lets-road-trip-cubs-2025-trip-1-its-tokyo-time-r1376/The Cubs kicked off the "opener in Tokyo" concept in 2000 in a one-game event against the New York Mets. Sammy Sosa and the Cubs took that game 5-3, but the experience really won't translate to the 2025 iteration. Most of the current rosters were in kindergarten, diapers, or not even born yet in...1376Sun, 12 Jan 2025 17:17:01 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/news-rumors/chicago-cubs/the-depressing-national-narrative-around-the-chicago-cubs-r1386/The Cubs front office's perception league-wide is flagging. The farm system, long held up as a beacon of hope for fans, is losing steam. MLB.com often posts interesting topics that are meant to drive user engagement. However, their surveys, like the linked article of a survey from MLB execu...1386Sat, 11 Jan 2025 14:15:02 +0000