Brandon Glick

It's rare that the baseball world is ever unified. And yet, a certain umpire provided just the spark to send all fans into a raucous celebration. Brandon & Ethan rejoice whilst remembering the career of Angel Hernandez. View full video

The Cubs called up shortstop prospect Luis Vazquez this week. Brandon and Ethan break down what the defense-first infielder brings to the team. View full video

The last few weeks have been a struggle for the Cubs, who are getting healthier but no more productive at the plate. At least some of the youngsters are showing out, a third of the way through the season. Image courtesy of © Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports The Cubs won just one game last week, which included an off day on Monday and a rainout on Friday. The Braves proved to be demonstrably better than the Cubs this year in their two series this month, mostly because the Cubs’ offense has been downright offensive (or inoffensive, perhaps? You get the point) in May. However, there is some good news to dive into, and the schedule is about to ease up after a brutal stretch. As per usual, we’ll be focusing exclusively on baseball in this edition of MMNS. Let’s dive right into things. The Cubs’ latest homestand was bad. Like, really, really bad. Chicago went 2-5 in those seven games against the Braves and Pirates, with both of those wins coming on walkoff hits. They did not lead for a single inning in any of the seven games. Now, that may sound really bad on the surface, but it gets - *checks notes* - so much worse when you dive into the numbers. The team, as a whole, put up a .149/.235/.228 slash line and scored 16 total runs in 7 games (2.3 per game). The lineup’s collective 37 wRC+ during that stretch was even more ghastly. Ian Happ led the way with a 114 wRC+, while Miguel Amaya and Michael Busch tied for second with a 76 wRC+ (i.e., the Cubs’ second- and third-best hitters last week were 24% worse than average). At least the Cubs are getting healthy? Is that even a good thing, when everyone is struggling so profoundly? With Cody Bellinger, Dansby Swanson, Nico Hoerner, and Seiya Suzuki all back from injury, it feels like the Cubs are deploying their optimal lineup, but the results are enormously suboptimal. Is this just a cold stretch? Or is this a symptom of a team that has a ton of slightly above-average bats (in theory) but no real superstars? These questions will continue to plague the Cubs this season, as long as they fancy themselves contenders. I don’t know if there’s going to be a bat available on the trade market who could be wholly transformative for the lineup, but something needs to give before the season gets away. The reason why the Cubs are still in it, despite the horrendous offensive performance team-wide, is their pitching. Five of the top 25 pitchers in baseball since the start of April (based on ERA) belong to the North Siders right now: Shota Imanaga (#1), Ben Brown (#6), Hayden Wesneski (#9), Javier Assad (#12), and Jameson Taillon (#24). Brown’s placement may surprise those who haven’t been paying especially close attention this season, as he had a tough debut in the first series of the year against the Texas Rangers. Besides that, though, his 1.91 ERA is stellar, and he just held the mighty Braves scoreless over four innings on short rest, allowing just one hit, two walks, and six strikeouts. Who knows whether the Cubs believe in Brown’s potential as a 150+ inning per season starter, or if they think he’ll be best in the bullpen, but there’s no denying how effective he’s been in 2024. He’s sort of been on the pitching prospect periphery, thanks to the emergence of Cade Horton and Jordan Wicks’s stellar work at the end of last year, but a healthy and efficient Ben Brown is easily one of the Cubs’ best five pitchers. There are more positives to discuss around the team - the bullpen may finally be starting to turn it around - but it’s admittedly difficult to look on the bright side when it feels like the Cubs simply won’t ever score again. I will give a shoutout to Ian Happ, though, who hit two home runs against the Cardinals on Sunday Night Baseball and has an impressive .246/.338/.462 slash line (good for a 130 wRC+) since May 3. He’s streaky, but Happ always seems to find a way to be productive over a full season. I hate to end this Memorial Day edition of MMNS on a sour note, but the landscape of baseball changed this weekend when Ronald Acuna Jr., the winner of the 2023 NL MVP Award, went down with a torn ACL. It’s a gut punch to the Braves, but also to MLB at large, as Acuna is one of the most electrifying players in the sport when he’s healthy. Unfortunately, his health looks like it could be the one thing capable of stopping him. That’ll wrap it up for this week, folks. The Cubs are heading to Milwaukee for an all-important four-game series against the Brewers to open the week, before heading home to Wrigley to host the last-place Cincinnati Reds for a weekend jaunt. Believe it or not, if the Cubs sweep the Brewers, they’ll be in first place in the NL Central going into the weekend. That’s a big ask against a Milwaukee team that has handled the attrition of their offseason quite well, but these division games always have a way of going haywire. Hopefully, the Cubs can capitalize on the chaos. Enjoy your Memorial Day holiday! Have a good week, everyone! Go, Cubs, Go View full article

The Cubs' Gold Glove middle infield tandem is healthy again. Brandon and Ethan rejoice, though with plenty of caution. View full video

The one-time top prospect in the Cubs farm system is coming off his hottest stretch in years, but can he stay healthy (and productive) enough to justify time in the big leagues? Image courtesy of © Allan Henry-USA TODAY Sports Before the 2022 season, outfielder Brennen Davis was a consensus top-30 prospect in baseball: Baseball America had him ranked 16th, MLB Pipeline placed him in 15th, and Baseball Prospectus put him all the way down at 27th. At the time, he was coming off a tremendous 2021 season in which he ascended three levels of minor league ball, finishing with a 16-game cup of coffee at Triple-A Iowa, where he posted a .933 OPS. Since then, you know the story. Due to a combination of underwhelming performance and mostly injuries, Davis has been stuck in Triple-A over the last couple of seasons, falling off most top prospect lists around the mid-way point of last season. In 2022, the outfielder slashed a paltry .180/.299/.298 across 178 at-bats. 2023 wasn’t any better, as he put up a nearly identical .604 OPS in 293 plate appearances. Coming into this season, expectations for Davis had all but vacated the minds of Cubs’ fans. Despite being just 24 years old, the arrival and emergence of other outfield prospects like Pete Crow-Armstrong, Owen Caissie, and Kevin Alcantara (and, to a lesser extent, guys like Alexander Canario and the now-departed Nelson Velazquez) has pushed Davis to the backburner. With Seiya Suzuki entrenched in right field for the next three seasons and Ian Happ following suit in left field, only center field has a reasonable opening in the short-term future, assuming Cody Bellinger opts out of his contract or eventually transitions to first base full-time. Having just one outfield spot and possibly one designated hitter spot for all those prospects is untenable, especially when PCA’s otherworldly defense in center makes him a virtual guarantee to take over the position. Of course, baseball can surprise even the most astute observers. Over his last two weeks of playing, Davis has put up the following slash line: .452/.605/1.161/315 wRC+. Thus, according to Weighted Runs Created Plus, Davis has been 215% better than the average Triple-A hitter since early May. It’s hard to quantify what a figure that large means, but suffice to say, Davis is ON FIRE. Our @Seth Stohs interviewed Alex Cohen, the voice of the Iowa Cubs, during the midst of that hot streak, where Cohen claimed that Davis merely needed to continue performing at an above-average clip to catch the front office's attention. Though he’s no longer the five-tool star his older prospect days promised (his average sprint speed nowadays is 26.9 feet per second, a bit below average), his bat is still clearly above average when healthy. Even though this kind of hot streak won’t last forever, Davis is more than capable of being a productive, above-average hitter - something the major league squad desperately needs right now. So then, why isn’t Davis being considered for a major league promotion, at least publicly? Naturally, it’s the injury bug again. Davis has missed the last few games after being pulled in the middle of the Iowa Cubs’ May 22 affair, and it’s unclear when he will return. He’s reportedly day-to-day for now, but anytime an injury is mentioned in conjunction with Davis, it’s hard to feel confident. Since 2022, Davis has missed time with an HBP-induced broken finger, a pair of concussions, hamstring issues, and nagging back injuries that stem from genetic vascular malformation. He already missed time earlier this year with the second concussion after being hit in the head with an errant pitch in Spring Training. Whether by fluke or just good old-fashioned injury proneness, the outfielder can’t seem to stay healthy for any reasonable amount of time. And that’s where this conversation will continue to rest, for now. If he can finally move past the physical toll of playing professional baseball, Davis has a good enough bat to justify serious playing time in the big leagues. If not… well, we already know what will happen. It’s been happening for the last couple of years. Davis’ story isn’t a novel one. Talented players with tremendous raw gifts have been stopped by the breakdown of their bodies since the dawn of professional sports. To be truly special, Davis must overcome his fragility and bad luck and continue to be a star at the dish. View full article

The Professor has become the substitute teacher. Brandon and Ethan discuss what's next for the longest tenured Cub after his demotion to the bullpen. View full video

The Cubs had their first bad week of the season, losing both series against the Braves and Pirates. At least things are going well down on the farm. Image courtesy of © Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports The Cubs are really starting to feel the effects of their injuries, losing two of three to the powerful Atlanta Braves before being stumped by the Pittsburgh Pirates three times in a four-game set. The offense is struggling, scoring more than four runs just once all week (in a 7-1 win in the series finale against Atlanta). It's hard to pick out a "big" news story during such a lethargic week, so let's turn our attention to the minor leagues for a bit. Luis Vázquez is getting the call to the majors! The defensive stud is hitting .270/.369/.409, good for a 106 wRC+ at Triple-A Iowa this season. However, it's worth noting the last three weeks have not been kind to the 24-year-old (.143/.273/.232, a 39 wRC+). Most likely, he'll be stepping in as a fill-in for Dansby Swanson or Nico Hoerner, who may be behind in their recovery timelines. Miles Mastrobuoni and Nick Madrigal have filled in adequately for the time being, but they aren't true, everyday players. The Cubs do have a day off Monday, so some corresponding roster move will take place to accommodate this, but it might not be immediate. Regardless of what that transaction ultimately looks like, all the team needs from Vázquez is a more competitive, theoretically dangerous at-bat than Madrigal has given them--which is a low bar to clear. Elsewhere in the minor leagues, Brennen Davis is [NBA Jam voice] ON FIRE. The one-time top prospect in the Cubs' farm system has now become an afterthought, given his injury troubles and the loaded outfield for the parent club, but he still possesses as much raw talent as anyone. On Saturday, he hit two home runs, running his total up to seven in eight games. Who knows what Davis, who is on the 40-man roster, is capable of doing across a full season anymore, if his body can even handle the rigors of it. However, at just 24 years old, there's still plenty of time for him to come up and make a big impact on the big-league team. He was a top-20 prospect in baseball just a couple of years ago, after all. Jake Slaughter was traded for Tyson Miller this week, which is a bittersweet goodbye to one of the longest-tenured players in the farm system. Slaughter, 27, was originally drafted by the Cubs in the 36th round of the 2016 MLB Draft, but then headed to college, only to be picked by the Cubs again in the 18th round (in 2018). The utility infielder was batting .297/.392/.487 for the I-Cubs at the time of the trade. Richard Lovelady was also traded this week, to open up a roster spot for Tyson Miller. In return, the Tampa Bay Rays sent back lefty arm Jeff Belge, a 26-year-old reliever who’s never reached Triple-A. It's a low-end return, but Lovelady had already been designated for assignment, and had no significant trade value. Perhaps the Cubs' Pitch Lab can turn Belge into a useful reliever. Cade Horton got his first Triple-A win this week, pitching five innings of three-run ball on Friday. He looks closer and closer to being ready for The Show. Like I said, there isn't much to talk about from the big-league team this week that hasn't been said one million times already this season. The lineup is banged up and can't score runs with any consistency. Shota Imanaga and Javier Assad are the best 1-2 punch atop any rotation in baseball right now, but Kyle Hendricks looks awful, and the rest of the rotation can't stay healthy. And don't even get me started on the bullpen. Hopefully, Adbert Alzolay's Injured List stint helps him fix whatever's been ailing him this season. The Cubs need a surefire reliever in the worst way right now. The Cubs were heavily active on the trade market this week, but those were just moves around the margins. As the trade deadline draws near, Jed Hoyer and company may have to bite the bullet on a blockbuster move if they hope to hang with the Milwaukee Brewers atop the division. That'll wrap it up for this week, folks. The Cubs are off today before facing the fightin' Snitkers again (this time at home, at least) for three games. They'll then head to St. Louis to take on the rival Cardinals for the first time this season. The weekday set will be a difficult one to win, but the Cardinals are currently fourth in the NL Central. A .500 week, at minimum, is needed for the Cubs to right the ship. Have a good week, everyone! Go, Cubs, Go! View full article

A cloud of uncertainty hangs above the Houston Astros’ heads. The team is off to a wildly disappointing start this season, as they currently sit in third place in the AL West behind the Texas Rangers and Seattle Mariners. Many pundits are predicting a firesale for the team if they don’t right the ship soon, and we discussed Jon Heyman connecting the Cubs to Justin Verlander yesterday. Now, speculation has arisen surrounding star third baseman Alex Bregman. Bregman, 30, is in the midst of the final year of his contract ($28.5 million salary, $16.6 million AAV against the luxury tax) and having one of the worst years of his pro career. He’s slashing just .223/.284/.349 through 183 plate appearances, which is good for a disappointing 84 OPS+. However, he was far better in 2022 and 2023 (OPS above .800 in both seasons), and he isn’t too far removed from two consecutive top-five finishes in AL MVP voting in 2018 and 2019 (when he had an OPS+ above 155). It is worth noting that Bregman has a history of starting slow, though, and has done by far his best work in August (.996 OPS) throughout his career. Christopher Morel has done a nice job at the hot corner since starting slow defensively, which could make the Cubs hesitant to pay the asking price on Bregman, who hasn’t played a position other than third base since 2019 (65 games at shortstop). Like Verlander, his rental status would drive down the prospect cost to acquire Bregman, though his large salary could make the Cubs’ front office hesitant to pull the trigger. What do you think? Should the Cubs reinforce a lineup that can’t seem to stay healthy in 2024? Should they make that bet on a hitter that’s been ice cold to start the season? View full rumor

MLB Insider Jon Heyman said that the Houston Astros, currently sporting a 20-25 record and third in the AL Central, could begin selling off some of their shorter-term pieces in the coming months if they don’t turn things around quickly. The most notable player he mentioned is starting pitcher Justin Verlander, whom he connected directly to the Cubs. Verlander, 41, has a 3.38 ERA in 29 and ⅓ innings this season. He’s currently in the final year of a two-year, $86 million pact he originally signed with the New York Mets, which could mean the Astros have to eat some money in order to move him (especially to a team that is trying to avoid the luxury tax, like the Cubs). The veteran starter is just two years removed from winning his third AL Cy Young Award in 2022, when he led the junior circuit in wins (18), ERA (1.75), ERA+ (218), WHIP (0.829), and hits allowed per nine innings (6.0). Notably, Verlander’s strikeout rate has plummeted over the last couple of seasons, dropping from 9.5 K/9 in 2022 to just 7.1 K/9 in 2024. Still, he remains a wildly effective starting pitcher who is capable of gobbling up innings. Most Cubs fans will remember the team’s failed pursuit of Verlander in 2017, when the ace pitcher badly wanted to go to Chicago once the Detroit Tigers placed him on (the since defunct) tradeable waivers in August. Instead, the Cubs opted against trading what little talent remained in their farm system, and Verlander was sent to the Astros, whom he won two World Series titles with. The Cubs have been pounded with injuries this season at every position, though their rotation depth has been pushed to the extreme already. All of Justin Steele, Jameson Taillon, Jordan Wicks, Kyle Hendricks, and Drew Smyly have been on the Injured List at some point or another this season, and the Cubs have had to rely heavily on the arms of Shota Imanaga and Javier Assad. Nevertheless, the Cubs rank 12th in the MLB in ERA despite an abysmal performance from the bullpen, and that’s thanks to the terrific work of players like Imanaga, Assad, Ben Brown, and Hayden Wesneski. Trading for a 41-year-old pitcher is way outside of Jed Hoyer’s wheelhouse, though Verlander is only a (expensive) rental. Would he be willing to pay the prospect cost for someone who might stretch the budget and not fill the team’s biggest area of need (the relief corps)? With Cade Horton possibly on the way soon, it’s hard to imagine the Cubs really being in deep on Verlander. View full rumor

The Cubs' bullpen continues to implode, both in terms of performance and health. Ethan and Brandon are ready to sound the alarms as arm-ageddon continues. View full video

The Cubs acquired RP Tyson Miller from the Seattle Mariners. Ethan and Brandon break down what he brings to the Cubs' fledgling bullpen. View full video

The Cubs remain in the hunt for first place in the NL Central, and Ethan and Brandon break down their upcoming schedule and mounting list of injuries. View full video

The Cubs went 3-3 against the Padres and the Pirates. It wasn’t a perfect performance - and the bullpen is still a disaster - but the Cubs continue to find ways to win early in the season. Image courtesy of © Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports Happy belated Mother’s Day to everyone! The Cubs had a pretty quiet week, all things considered, though they did get Kyle Hendricks back on the bump Sunday after facing the most hyped pitching prospect since Stephen Strasburg on Saturday. They remain just 0.5 games back of the Brewers for the top spot in the NL Central, and standing 24-17 on the season places them firmly among the league’s second tier of contenders. Just as a heads-up, I received good feedback on last week’s Cubs-only format, so we’ll roll with that again this time around. Like I said last week, I’ll continue to synthesize and apply new feedback as I get it. For now, let’s get on with the show. There’s no use in burying the lede: On Saturday, May 11, the Cubs faced off against Paul Skenes in his major-league debut. It was as anticipated a debut as any in recent memory. In some ways, Skenes lived up to the hype: he struck out seven in four innings and generated 17 whiffs on 84 pitches. However, the Cubs did a good job working Skenes’s pitch count up, and they knocked him out at the start of the fifth inning. His final line: 4 IP, 3 ER, 2 BB, 7 K, and one home run, courtesy of Nico Hoerner: The Cubs ultimately lost that game, thanks yet again to the horrendous state of the bullpen. Outside of Mark Leiter Jr., there is not a single arm in the pen who will make you feel comfortable when they’re on the mound. Maybe Yency Almonte belongs in that group as well, but he was just placed on the IL with a right shoulder strain (José Cuas was called up to take his roster spot initially, but he’s since been replaced by another pitcher returning from injury). Speaking of injuries: Will they ever end? Just as Seiya Suzuki gets back from injury, Dansby Swanson landed on the Injured List. Now, Jameson Taillon is dealing with another back strain, which is the same injury that held him out for the first few weeks of the season. Taillon is listed to start Tuesday in Atlanta, but we'll see whether that comes to fruition. The Cubs’ rotation has been such a bright spot for the team this year, but it sucks that no one outside of Javier Assad and Shota Imanaga has been able to stay healthy. Justin Steele is back, but he hasn’t looked great since returning from the hamstring injury he suffered on Opening Day. Taillon was sporting a tremendous 1.13 ERA in his first four starts of the season, but again, all seems up in the air with him now. At least the “Prospect Trio” - Ben Brown, Hayden Wesneski, and Jordan Wicks - have all been excellent when called upon, but they’ve either been relegated to bullpen duty at times or are dealing with injuries. Outside of Imanaga and Assad, only one pitcher has made more than five starts for the Cubs this year: Kyle Hendricks. The Professor returned from a back “injury” that was more of a Phantom IL stint and delivered five innings of one-run ball, which was nice to see. However, the Pirates are the worst offense in the entire league against right-handed pitching, slashing .215/.295/.311 (74 wRC+) going into Hendricks’s start on Sunday. If the longest-tenured Cub can right the ship from his early season struggles, then it’ll be a boon for a team that just cannot stay healthy this year. However, with so many youngsters either in the big leagues or knocking on the door (looking at you, Cade Horton), Hendricks’s leash will be shorter than it’s ever been before. Some quick bites to wrap things up: Christopher Morel proved his knee troubles were a non-issue on Sunday, hitting his team-leading ninth home run of the year in a 5-4 victory: Mason Miller of the Oakland Athletics, who is one of the most dominant closers in the game today, is reportedly on the trade block. It would take A LOT to acquire him, but man, do the Cubs need a lockdown arm at the back of their bullpen right now. Lastly, and just for fun, let’s reminisce upon Michael Busch’s walk-off homer against the Padres on Tuesday: That about it wraps it up, folks. The Cubs are heading to Atlanta to take on the mighty Braves for a three-game set early in the week, before coming back home to Chicago to play host to the Pirates (again) for a four-game series. They then have a day off next Monday before facing the Braves again, and then the Cardinals (on the road), so these next two weeks will be a pivotal stretch for the team as they continue to wrestle with the Brewers for first place in the NL Central. Have a great week, everyone! Go, Cubs, Go! View full article