https://northsidebaseball.com/news-rumors/chicago-cubs/page/97/?d=7enhttps://northsidebaseball.com/news-rumors/chicago-cubs/what-is-the-cubs-dansby-swanson-contingency-plan-r1126/When Dansby Swanson and the Cubs agreed to a $177-million deal, everyone understood that he would have his peaks and valleys at the plate. The selling point was that he would be an elite defender at a premium position. Gold Glove awards would abound, and people who are smart about baseball would...1126Tue, 24 Sep 2024 11:43:01 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/news-rumors/chicago-cubs/should-we-be-worried-that-craig-counsell-couldnt-fix-the-cubs-run-differential-problem-r1128/To a point, it feels like the 2024 season was almost the exact same story as the 2023 season for the Chicago Cubs. A good April gave way to a very poor May and June. The team clawed back into the Wild Card race with a good July and August, but ultimately ran out of steam in September to miss the...1128Mon, 23 Sep 2024 23:05:01 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/news-rumors/chicago-cubs/seiya-suzukis-well-roundedness-actually-makes-him-a-very-rare-hitter-r1127/The thing about Seiya Suzuki is, he does almost everything well on offense. His baserunning is inconsistent, but when he's healthy, he balances the key skills of a batter--making contact, controlling the strike zone, generating power and using the whole field--as well as almost any hitter in MLB...1127Mon, 23 Sep 2024 15:25:52 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/news-rumors/chicago-cubs/week-in-review-cubs-officially-eliminated-from-postseason-show-some-frustration-r1125/With the North Siders relegated to spectators this October, the rumbles of dissatisfaction escalated to a deafening roar this week. Team leader Jameson Taillon and skipper Craig Counsell themselves spoke up, trying to meet fans in their frustrated place. The Cubs are humiliatingly distant from s...1125Mon, 23 Sep 2024 11:14:01 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/news-rumors/chicago-cubs/which-cubs-have-had-successful-seasons-and-how-do-we-even-answer-that-question-r1123/Success is a hilarious concept within the world of sports. From a fan perspective, success is almost entirely dependent on final outcomes--especially in matters of team sport. Did your team win a championship? No? Well, then we can only assume that season was a failure, not a success. That’s an...1123Fri, 20 Sep 2024 11:26:01 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/news-rumors/chicago-cubs/fitting-cody-bellinger-into-the-2025-cubs-roster-if-we-must-r1122/Even with a brief run of success at the end of August into September, it was always going to be a stretch for the Chicago Cubs to be playoff-bound. If you’re like me, you’ve been thinking about the 2025 Cubs for quite a while. With the team’s postseason hopes set to come to an official end withi...1122Thu, 19 Sep 2024 22:01:51 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/news-rumors/chicago-cubs/in-pitching-philosophy-cubs-might-need-to-recalibrate-balance-between-zigging-and-zagging-r1121/  Earlier this month, I wrote about the Cubs' unique usage of a pair of pitches that rarely go together: cut-ride fastballs and power changeups with ample arm=side run. That's just one crystallizing way to understand a broader organizational philosophy, though. The Cubs believe that the lea...1121Thu, 19 Sep 2024 13:58:21 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/news-rumors/chicago-cubs/offseason-targets-and-options-for-the-cubs-lineup-r1118/Cody Bellinger, of course, is the big domino, and there are conflicting reports and counter-reports about his intentions. No matter what he decides, though, external additions need to be made. If he leaves, that just means they need to add two bats, instead of one. How can they do what's needed?...1118Thu, 19 Sep 2024 11:25:01 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/news-rumors/chicago-cubs/has-nico-hoerner-figured-things-out-in-a-resurgent-second-half-r1119/Though thoroughly unimpressive, Nico Hoerner has remained playable this season, with a .268/.332/.358 slash line in 141 games. The one big improvement I wanted him to make entering this season was hitting more home runs, but he’s only hit five--fewer than the nine he hit last year, and without a...1119Wed, 18 Sep 2024 14:14:01 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/news-rumors/chicago-cubs/the-one-vital-huge-reason-why-justin-steele-is-back-and-should-pitch-down-the-stretch-r1120/On Tuesday, the Cubs announced that Justin Steele will return from the injured list and start the final game of their series against the Oakland Athletics Wednesday afternoon. After being sidelined with elbow soreness for the last fortnight, Steele comes back with a chance to make as many as thr...1120Wed, 18 Sep 2024 13:07:30 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/news-rumors/chicago-cubs/juan-soto-or-corbin-burnes-for-the-cubs-this-winter-why-not-you-know-both-r1117/With as much energy and era-defining excitement as there is in Major League Baseball these days, the game is better when the Chicago Cubs are elite. Due in large part to a much more passive spending strategy in free agency than the club's most loyal fans would like, this is not the case. But wit...1117Wed, 18 Sep 2024 11:08:02 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/news-rumors/chicago-cubs/why-cubs-fans-should-keep-a-close-fond-eye-on-christopher-morel-r1116/Every season near the trade deadline, fans watch nervously, hoping not to see their favorite players get traded. When they inevitably do, the aim is to keep following them, stay up to date--but slowly, they fade off of your radar, as the articles regarding your team shift to focus on new players...1116Tue, 17 Sep 2024 13:50:34 +0000