Brandon Glick

The Cubs could receive some huge reinforcements in August from the injured list. View full video

Nothing like a bullpen game to kick off a crucial three-game series. This will be fun, I'm sure.

What a series to begin the second half. The hottest team in baseball at Wrigley Field to face the NL Central-leading Cubs.

The Cubs and Red Sox have similar trade deadline needs in the rotation, but can the two franchises agree to a deal that pulls from both rosters' strengths? View full video

Image courtesy of © Jaylynn Nash-Imagn Images On Day One of the 2025 MLB Draft, the Chicago Cubs selected three players: outfielders Ethan Conrad and Kane Kepley, and pitcher Dominick Reid. There was an obvious theme there: all three are polished college players with the potential to rise through the system quickly, and they should all sign for under-slot signing bonuses. As you might expect, the Cubs took advantage of those bonus pool savings early on Day Two, drafting Kaleb Wing and Kade Snell in the fourth and fifth round, respectively. You can find our write-ups of Wing and Snell here, and in the rumors and notes section of the site. In the "middle" rounds of the second day of the draft, the Cubs opted to go for a high-upside high school hitter before turning their attention back to the college ranks. You can find analyses of each of their five picks from Rounds 6-10 below. And, as a reminder, you can find the full list of Cubs picks, signing status, and bios right here on our Cubs draft tracker. Round 6, Pick 181: Josiah Hartshorn, OF (Orange Lutheran HS) From our in-house draft expert, Jamie Cameron: "Hartshorn is a prep outfield prospect out of Southern California currently committed to Texas A&M. It's a profile buoyed by a solid hit/power combo. Hartshorn is a switch hitter who has been limited to long stretches of hitting exclusively left-handed or right-handed due to various nagging injuries to his back and elbow. The right-handed swing is currently more polished, and Hartshorn could end up with an above average hit and power combo if his development goes well. There's a good arm here too (he's been up to 94 mph on the mound) with the run and field tools grading out as solid average, too." Overall, this is one of the highest-upside swings we've seen the Cubs take in quite some time in the draft, as he's got prodigious power for a young kid with a history of injury issues. They'll have to pry him out of his commitment to Texas A&M, but that's what those early-round slot savings are for. Round 7, Pick 211: Pierce Coppola, LHP (Florida) The Cubs have effectively decided that their Moneyball tactic is going to be having the best medical scouting department in the world, apparently. Another big talent who fell due to injury issues — he made just one start in his first two collegiate seasons due to back and leg injuries — Coppola posted an 8.75 ERA in eight starts (23 2/3 innings) in 2024. He shook the rust off this year, though, authoring a 2.53 ERA in seven starts (21 1/3 innings). He did miss two months with an undisclosed upper-body injury. Ultimately, this is just a bet on their ability to evaluate medical records. He threw less than 50 innings in college. As a 6'8" lefty, they may be thinking they can turn him into their next Luke Little. Round 8, Pick 241: Jake Knapp, RHP (UNC) Don't say Jed Hoyer doesn't have a type. Another big (6'5") starter with a serious injury history (he underwent Tommy John surgery and missed the entire 2024 season), Knapp won National Pitcher of the Year this season at UNC. A consensus All-American in 2025, Knapp logged a 14-0 record, as North Carolina won each of his 15 starts. He posted a 2.02 ERA (fourth-best in the country) in 102 1/3 frames. He also struck out 88 hitters while allowing just 16 walks, showing an unusual amount of polish for a college pitcher with a Tommy John surgery on his résumé. One more fun tidbit from this pick: he'll join Tar Heels teammate Kane Kepley (second-round pick) in the Cubs organization, assuming both players sign. Round 9, Pick 271: Colton Book, LHP (Saint Joseph's) Oh wow, another big college lefty (6'4") who thrived in his final collegiate season after earlier struggles? Color me shocked. In all seriousness, Book converted to being a full-time starter at Saint Joseph's this year after bouncing between the rotation and bullpen earlier in his college career. In a career-high 86 2/3 innings, he posted a 3.53 ERA and huge 35% strikeout rate, all while walking just 20 batters. He really did struggle prior to 2025, though, allowing 59 earned runs in 76 innings at Stony Brook. This is a bet on a projectable, big frame with rapidly improving talent, and the Cubs' recent history with getting the most out of college pitchers should have fans more excited than nervous with Book. Round 10, Pick 301: Justin Stransky, C (Fresno State) After nine rounds of nothing but pitchers and outfielders, the Chicago Cubs have made the daring decision to draft... a catcher. Stransky played 91 games at the position in college, with all nine of his other appearances coming at designated hitter. In those 100 games at Fresno State, he slashed .312/.400/.501 with 15 home runs, 12 of which came during the 2015 season. As a pure catching prospect and semifinalist for the Buster Posey Award (best D1 catcher in the country), he's got a pretty well-rounded offensive profile, walking 41 times compared to just 32 strikeouts with Fresno State. He's got limited upside, but it's hard not to like a strong glove behind the plate with a good eye and history of offensive success. As 10th-round picks go, he's a solid one. What do you think of the Cubs' first batch of selections from Day Two of the 2025 MLB Draft? Let us know in the comments! View full article

Image courtesy of © Brett Davis-Imagn Images The 2025 MLB Draft will again feature just 20 rounds, but there has been a format change. After downsizing from a two-day, 40-round draft to a three-day, 20-round draft, Major League Baseball has now gone to a two-day, 20-round draft. The final 17 rounds (from Rounds 4-20) will happen later today, beginning at 11:30am EST. You can catch it live on MLB Network and MLB.com. The Destination: The Show crew would like to invite you to join us live as we cover the final rounds of the draft There hasn't been a 17-round draft day in a while, but rest assured — there used to be 20-round days, so North Side Baseball will have the capacity to cover the duration. After selecting three players on Sunday during the first day of the draft, the Cubs will make 17 picks on Monday: 121st Overall (Round 4) 151st Overall (Round 5) 181st Overall (Round 6) Following Round 5, the Cubs will pick 16th in every round for the remainder of the draft. Thus, their draft position is as follows: 181, 211, 241, 271, etc. The Red Sox will have the 13th-largest bonus pool ($12,409,300) in baseball. As a reminder from Baseball America: "In the MLB draft, each pick inside the first 10 rounds comes with assigned slot values. The sum of those slot values creates each team’s bonus pool. From rounds 11-20, players can sign for up to $150,000 without counting towards the bonus pool. Anything beyond that value does count towards the pool." It's also important to remember that teams can exceed their bonus pool allotment by up to five percent before incurring any future pick penalties. No team in bonus pool era has ever exceeded that additional five percent threshold. Once again, North Side Baseball will feature the Cubs Draft Tracker, which will be kept up-to-date not only during the draft but through the entire signing period. So keep coming back for updates! View full article

Image courtesy of © Jaylynn Nash-Imagn Images The Cubs wrapped up an interesting first day of the 2025 MLB Draft with three (seemingly) under-slot reaches. That strategy mostly lines up with their previous drafts, where they saved some money on safer picks in early rounds before going for broke on high-upside players in later rounds that may require larger signing bonuses to bring in. Below, you'll find a recap of the Cubs' three picks in full. Here is the results from Day One: Round 1 (17th overall): Ethan Conrad, OF Player Bio: https://northsidebaseball.com/chicago-cubs-draft-picks/2025/ethan-conrad-r1/ Draft Pick Article: https://northsidebaseball.com/news-rumors/chicago-cubs-draft-picks/chicago-cubs-select-ethan-conrad-with-17th-overall-pick-in-2025-mlb-draft-r1961/ Round 2 (56th overall): Kane Kepley, OF Player Bio: https://northsidebaseball.com/chicago-cubs-draft-picks/2025/kane-kepley-r2/ Draft Pick Article: https://northsidebaseball.com/news-rumors/chicago-cubs-draft-picks/chicago-cubs-select-kane-kepley-with-the-56th-pick-in-the-2025-mlb-draft-r1963/ Round 3 (90th overall): Dominick Reid, RHP Player Bio: https://northsidebaseball.com/chicago-cubs-draft-picks/2025/dominick-reid-r3/ Draft Pick Article: https://northsidebaseball.com/news-rumors/chicago-cubs-draft-picks/cubs-select-dominick-reid-at-90-in-the-2025-mlb-draft-r1964/ Day One Recap: With plenty of solid college arms still on the board, the Cubs surprised a lot of people and went with Ethan Conrad, an outfielder from Wake Forest, with their first pick. He very much fits the Cam Smith and Matt Shaw mold of a polished college who should rise through the system extremely quickly. He doesn't have quite the immediate upside as those two, but as far as first-round picks go, this very much fits the mold of what the team has done in recent seasons. The team went back to the same well with their next pick in Round 2, taking UNC outfielder Kane Kepley. He's a very high-floor pick, with a ton of solid tools and no real great ones. He's advanced like Conrad is, though his ceiling is lower. My best current-Cub comparison would be Nico Hoerner, with a slightly worse glove and a little more pop. Finally, the team took their college arm in Dominick Reid in the third round. He was a huge reach, but man his changeup is special. He has a Jordan Wicks-esque vibe to him, as he works quickly and builds his entire arsenal around his primary off-speed offering. If his control remains solid as he adds a few ticks to his velocity in the Cubs' pitching development lab, the Cubs may prove the industry wrong with this pick. Day Two of the 2025 MLB Draft will continue later today! The Cubs should have plenty of signing bonus pool space to work with. How do you think the Cubs fared on Day One of the draft? Let us know in the comments! View full article

The Cubs will send three representatives to Atlanta for the 2025 Midsummer Classic, though fans have a right to gripe about a few players who didn't get the call. View full video

Great episode as always, guys! They're looking pretty solid heading into the All-Star break.

Hoping for a strong push in the final series against the Yanks. Big trade deadline coming up, and then it's nothing but the stretch run!

Besides the Tokyo Series to open up the campaign, the Cubs have not been swept this year. Can they keep the streak alive vs the Twins?

Rich Harden is a nine-year MLB veteran having pitched for three franchises, including a two-year stint with the Chicago Cubs during the height of their 2008-09 craze. Originally taken in the 38th round of the 1999 MLB Draft by the Seattle Mariners out of high school, Harden opted to go Central Arizona College, parlaying his success there into a 21-round jump. The Oakland Athletics selected him in the 17th round the following year. He quickly rose through the farm system, eviscerating hitters at every level of the minors before finally getting the call to the big leagues in July 2003. Over the next six years, Harden developed into a dependable starter. He pitched to a 3.60 ERA between 2003-07, starting 76 games and hurling over 460 innings. He dealt with back-to-back injury-plagued campaigns 2006 and 2007, though by the latter season, the A's window of contention stemming from the "Moneyball era" had slammed shut. The Canadian-born righty got off to a roaring start in 2008, yielding a scant 2.34 ERA in 77 innings, becoming one of the top trade chips on the market. He also authored the 57th immaculate inning in baseball history, doing so on June 8, 2008 against the Los Angeles Angels (video here). With the A's out of contention by July, the Cubs pounced. In exchange for Rich Harden and reliever Chad Gaudin (who was a disaster in his half-season with the Cubs), Chicago gave up Matt Murton, Eric Patterson, Sean Gallagher, and, most famously, Josh Donaldson. Of course, Donaldson ended up becoming the star of the deal, converting off catcher and becoming one of the league's premier third basemen in Oakland. However, while Gaudin was a nothing-burger, Harden more than lived up to his end of the bargain. To close out the 2008 campaign, Harden turned in a sterling 1.77 ERA in 71 innings. Were it not for Jake Arrieta's unfathomable run in 2015, Harden's 3.2 bWAR in the second half would be the highest of any Cubs pitcher since at least 1999. Unfortunately, like Ryan Dempster and Carlos Zambrano before him, Harden couldn't stymie the Dodgers' bats in the NLDS as Los Angeles swept the Cubs out of the playoffs. Nevertheless, he was so good that the Cubs gladly picked up his $7 million team option for 2009. The following campaign wasn't quite as memorable for Harden or the team — he pitched to a 4.09 ERA in 141 innings while the Cubs won 14 fewer games than the year before and missed the playoffs entirely — and he would walk in free agency over the offseason. He signed and played for the Rangers in 2010 before making his way back to Oakland in 2011, though a serious shoulder injury prevented a trade to the Boston Red Sox and all but ended the starter's career. He failed to latch on with the Twins after undergoing surgery, officially retiring from the game in 2013. View full player

If you're going to the game today, feel free to use this guide from our sister site: The Ultimate Fan Guide to Target Field - Minnesota Twins Guides & Resources - Twins Daily TWINSDAILY.COM This is the definitive guide to Target Field, by the fans and for the fans.

Alright, scouts. Now's your time to shine. LOTS of potential trade candidates in this series.

It will please you all to know that five Cubs (Tucker, Kelly, McGuire, Happ, Busch) have hit homers off of Fedde before.

Drew Pomeranz will give way to Jordan Wicks today. Hopefully it won't matter since the offense will hit 9 home runs, right?

Image courtesy of © Jeff Curry-Imagn Images Prior to a July 4 drubbing of the St. Louis Cardinals where they set a franchise record for home runs, the Chicago Cubs were dealt devastating injury news: right-handed stater Jameson Taillon will miss the next month or more with a calf strain. In his stead, Jordan Wicks will take at least a few turns through the rotation, with his first scheduled to come today against the Cardinals. Obviously, the immediate aftermath of this injury is the stress it puts on the Cubs' already-perilous starting pitcher depth. Shota Imanaga's return from injury did ease some of the burden, but with Ben Brown needing plenty of seasoning in Triple-A Iowa after pronounced struggles in the big leagues, Chicago isn't exactly overflowing with options to handle innings if Wicks falters. Veteran swingman Chris Flexen, who has been a revelation out of the bullpen this year, does have a long and somewhat successful history of starting, but it feels like malpractice to displace him from the role in which he's thrived this season. Kenta Maeda is toiling down in Triple-A, but he's been a disaster all season and isn't on the 40-man roster. Connor Noland has been Iowa's most reliable starter, but his stuff isn't very impressive and he'd also have to take someone's spot on the 40-man roster. And then there's Brown, but at this point, he'll be relegated to "break glass in case of emergency" duty for the remainder of the season. Thus, the Cubs, who have already been mentioned incessantly in rumors for starting pitchers over the last few weeks, pretty much no longer have a choice on the trade market. They're going to have bring in one, if not multiple, surefire starters over the next few weeks. Ideally, they'd nab at least one "ace", or at least someone who profiles as a frontline counterpart to their southpaw duo of Imanaga and Matthew Boyd. With Taillon's availability now threatened for the foreseeable future, they'd also do well to bring in another quality innings eater, à la Dan Haren back in 2015. There's a number of quality options on the market, including Seth Lugo, Mitch Keller, Merrill Kelly, Zac Gallen, Sandy Alcantara, Tyler Mahle, Zach Eflin, and more. Those pitchers all come with varying levels of team control (and recent success), though the Cubs can't be scared off by the potential acquisition cost for any of them. Prospects will be lost and — oh the horror — salary will be added to the team's bottom line, but Taillon's injury necessitates a need for reliable starters now more than ever. At 53-35, the Cubs have opened a sizable lead in the NL Central, and they could nab a bye in the first round of the playoffs if they can bypass the NL East winner in the final standings. Of course, in what's going to be a very favorable seller's market, the Cubs aren't going to have a ton of negotiating leverage. There's a lot more buyers (and neutral teams) than sellers in the three Wild Card format, and the injuries to Taillon, Justin Steele, and Javier Assad will prevent Jed Hoyer and Carter Hawkins from deploying any effective smokescreens. They need a starter, and you better believe every other team knows it. Alas, this is just the nature of baseball. The front office did well to build out the pitching depth over the offseason, as Boyd and Colin Rea have done amicable jobs filling in for Steele and Assad. They made things work when Imanaga went down for more than a month of action. Now, the chance to fortify the team and build out the championship version of this roster has arrived. Taillon's injury doesn't change anything other than making the Cubs more desperate. That's only a bad thing if it makes them too cautious. View full article