Top 25 Most-Viewed North Side Baseball Articles of 2024 (Part 4: 6-10)

Yet again, the offseason continues to dominate the discourse here on North Side Baseball. From trade rumors to trade candidates, Cubs fans have partaken in a number of discussions about the team's roster construction this year. These are the articles that placed just outside the top five on our best performers list in 2024.

#10: Kyle Hendricks Can’t be on the Active Roster Right Now
Matthew Trueblood
April 16

It was a tough topic to discuss, especially so early in the season, but Kyle Hendricks was clearly out of gas as the 2024 season began. He simply wasn't getting people out with any efficiency, and the Cubs did eventually listen to Matt's advice to stash Hendricks on the IL for a bit while he tried to figure things out. He returned and continued to start in the back-end of the rotation for the remainder of the year, but his ineffectiveness in 2024 all but guaranteed the end of his tenure in Chicago. He has since signed with the Angels.

#9: Why Cubs Fans Should Keep a Close, Fond Eye on Christopher Morel
Bailey Hall
September 17

Christopher Morel was a fan favorite prior to his trade to the Tampa Bay Rays at the trade deadline. In this piece, Bailey vouches for Cubs fans to keep rooting for the energetic, exuberant slugger, even as he plays in Florida. It's hard not to believe in his prodigious talent and affable character.

#8: Cubs Trade Candidate Breakdown: Seiya Suzuki 
Brandon Glick
November 11 

Speaking from personal experience, this was not a popular article in the traditional sense of the word. Readers did not agree with the idea of trading Seiya Suzuki — FYI, I didn't either, and said as much in the piece — advocating for the Cubs to alter their roster through some other means this offseason. Well, they got their wish, as the Cubs swapped out Cody Bellinger and brought in Kyle Tucker to reshape their outfield while keeping Suzuki in the mix.

#7: Cody Bellinger Trade Rumors: A Breakdown of Yankees Pitching Prospect Will Warren 
Matthew Trueblood
December 13

Speaking of Bellinger, there were a lot of rumors surrounding him as the Winter Meetings came to a close. Matt performed a deep dive on the most popular name that kept popping up in the Bellinger-Yankees rumors: Will Warren. Instead, the Cubs opted to focus on cost-cutting, eating just $5 million of Bellinger's remaining contract and landing 30-year-old reliever Cody Poteet in return.

#6: It Feels Like This is the Crucial Piece of Info We’ve Been Missing All Along about Cubs Offseason 
Matthew Trueblood
December 10 

As the Winter Meetings began, the Cubs were operating all too familiarly like a small-market club rather than a big-market behemoth. As Matt laid out in this piece, that was, in part, due to Suzuki's preference to keep playing the field rather than being a full-time DH. How the Cubs resolve that conundrum with Tucker in tow will be fascinating to watch, especially if Suzuki's agent, Joel Wolfe, doesn't back off his demands.

What do you remember from Kyle Hendricks' time with the Cubs? Do you think the team has made the right moves this offseason, particularly with the outfield logjam they're facing? Let's discuss.