Brock Beauchamp

Done!

Thank you!

https://northsidebaseball.com/chicago-cubs-top-prospect-rankings/

It's prospect voting time! Here's the rundown how to participate: 1. You must have an account and be logged in to vote. If you don't have an account, click here. It literally requires 60 seconds to create an account. 2. Review our current top 20 prospect list, catch up on stats, rankings, etc. (you can do so from the voting page link below) 3. Have your prospect list in your dirty little paws? Then flip on over to the new prospect voting page (after reading the rest of this, please). https://northsidebaseball.com/prospect-voting 4. Voting is super simple, you drag and drop players in the order you wish them to be. After you move a prospect, the list automatically renumbers so you don't lose track of the order. This works on mobile devices but it's a *vastly* better experience on desktop. Sorry, that's just how this kind of thing works. There's no great way to make something like this be as awesome on a phone screen. 5. Each prospect has a comment section where you can add any commentary you have on that player. At the bottom of the list, there is a general comment section to explain over-arching things you wish to mention. 6. Don't see a prospect you want to put on the list? Just pop back here and give me a mention (in a comment, start typing @Brock Beauchamp or @Seth Stohs as they appear). Mention the prospect you want added and I will do that asap. 7. Once you're done with all of it, click Save. You've now voted! 8. When the voting closes, a new thread will automatically generate in this forum with all of your rankings and comments for everyone to read and talk about. 9. You can only vote once. If you have voted in error, pop back here and tag Brock, asking to have your vote deleted. It will be removed and you can vote again. Voting will close at end of day Tuesday, October 8th!

Why the hell did Swanson not throw to second? He had loads of time.

If we all pretend it didn’t happen, did it really happen?

The wheels on the bus go 'round and 'round... Contrary to earlier reports from USA Today's Bob Nightengale, Patrick Mooney of The Athletic is saying sources close to Cody Bellinger suggest he is undecided whether to opt in to another year with the Cubs in 2025. This isn't surprising, as most opt-out clauses are an easy decision; either the player is clearly worth more than the contract or they're underperforming/injured and have no chance at matching the contract in place. Bellinger is straddling that line with a season (2.2 fWAR with eight games remaining) that makes it hard to judge whether a long-term contract will approach the $27.5 million is he owed by the Cubs in 2025. Bellinger has remained relatively healthy in 2024, playing 124 games as of this writing. The 29-year-old will have a difficult decision in the coming weeks, though thankfully unlike last offseason, he will have to make his decision to stay or leave just five days after the completion of the World Series. View full rumor

Yet another stellar piece from @Bailey Hall. I'm thrilled to have her writing Cubs content for us, she's a huge addition to the team!

The $60m would probably be a three-year deal. I don't think he gets $100m, not given the economic state of baseball as a whole (whether that's real or perceived, boatloads of teams are stagnating or lowering payroll).

Yeah, maybe I didn't make that clear but that's the real variable in play. Would he rather have $50 million and hit free agency at 31 or would he rather have $60-80 million and not worry about free agency for four-ish years?

Bob Nightengale (yes, I know) of The USA Today recently wrote that Cody Bellinger "Is Fully Expected" to remain with the Chicago Cubs in 2025. Bellinger, one of the infamous "Boras Four" last offseason, found the free agent market not to his liking and signed a three-year, $80 million contract late in the offseason. The contract includes opt-outs after each season. Bellinger, while still a very productive player somehow still under the age of 30, has seen his performance dip this season. After a wildly successful 2023 campaign that saw his OPS+ skyrocket back up to 138, it has drifted back down to 115 this season. The question for Bellinger is whether he wants to maximize overall dollars in a single contract or remain with the Cubs at a higher yearly rate. He is owed $27.5 million in 2025 and $25 million in 2026. It's unlikely any long-term contract he signs this offseason will approach those numbers on an AAV basis. View full rumor