Brandon Glick

Chris Denorfia is a former professional baseball outfielder who spent 10 years in Major League Baseball, including the 2015 season with the Chicago Cubs. Originally drafted by the Cincinnati Reds in the 19th round of the 2002 MLB Draft out of Wheaton College (Division III), Denorfia made his MLB debut in 2005 after steadily climbing the minor league ranks. He played two years for the Reds before needing Tommy John surgery on his elbow in 2007, which would get him sent to the Oakland Athletics later that year. He struggled to get playing time with the A's, who released him after the 2009 season. Subsequently, Denorfia signed with the San Diego Padres, where had the most successful tenure of his career. He spent parts of five seasons with the Friars, establishing himself as an above-average hitter and solid glove at all three outfield spots. He was dealt to the Seattle Mariners at the 2014 trade deadline, failing to make much of an impact as the team fell just one game short of making the postseason. Upon reaching free agency, Denorfia signed a one-year deal with the Cubs for the 2015 season. He was mostly used by Joe Maddon as a late-inning defensive replacement, appearing in 103 games but drawing just 212 at-bats. On the season, he hit .269/.319/.373, good for an 89 wRC+ and 0.4 fWAR. Notably, in the final regular season home game of the year, Denorfia became the first pinch-hitter in history to hit a walk-off home run that served as the only run in the game. Of course, the Cubs made the postseason in 2015, which was the first and only time Denorfia ever got to play in October. Unfortunately, he went hitless in six plate appearances, though he did offer important glove work late in games. After 2015, the veteran outfielder had minor league stints with the San Francisco Giants and Colorado Rockies, though he never returned to the major leagues after leaving the Cubs. He retired following the 2017 season and became a special assistant in the Cubs' front office. He also served as a quality assurance coach with the team before leaving to become manager of the Hartford Yard Goats (Rockies' Double-A affiliate), a role he held until 2024. View full player

Well... that sucked. Coming back from 0-2 down only to lose Game 5 in that whimper of a fashion was a rather poetic way for this season to end. Now, the Cubs are left to pick up the pieces of a should've-been-better postseason run that was still pretty good. Kyle Tucker's free agency looms, practically the entire bullpen will join him, and Nico Hoerner, Ian Happ, Seiya Suzuki, and Jameson Taillon all have just one year remaining on their current deals. What are you most looking forward to this offseason? What's your favorite memory from the 2025 campaign? What do you lament the most? What changes do you want to see? Thanks for a great season, everyone. We hope you enjoyed following this team as much as we enjoyed covering them.

Gonna need some magic from an unlikely hero

UPDATE: Pomeranz starting tonight as an opener. Imanaga might come in for bulk innings? Or maybe just one to face light-hitting lefties? Either way, bullpen game it is.

The collective hopes of the fanbase? Lol. I haven't seen anything official. FanGraphs has these guys slated to pitch, so that's what I'm going on right now.

Also, I am BEGGING the Cubs not to let this devolve into a Mariners-Tigers affair. Staying up until 1am for a neutral sudden death baseball game? Incredible stuff. Staying up until 1am for a Cubs sudden death baseball game? Pure torture.

Well folks, here we are (again). Another winner-takes-all postseason clash. This time after a rest day, meaning players have had an extra 24 hours to prepare. It sounds like Shota Imanaga and Jacob Misiorowski will start today. Don't expect them to last long. The leash will be extraordinarily tight on both (or whoever gets the starting nod). Both bullpens should be rested enough to handle a big workload, especially the Cubs' quartet of long relievers (Brown, Soroka, Civale, Rea). This is what it's all about. Whoever wins gets the right of wrestling the Dodgers for the NL pennant. Loser goes home.

Behind Matthew Boyd and brilliant pitching from the bullpen, the Cubs leveled the NLDS with the Brewers. Who has the advantage heading into the winner-takes-all Game 5? View full video

Well, the Cubs have been here before this October. Thanks to a few Wrigley W's, the series shifts back to Milwaukee for one final game. How are you feeling right now? Who do you want to see take the start? Can the offense hit another first-inning home run?

The Chicago Cubs barely escaped with a victory over the Milwaukee Brewers in Game 3 of the NLDS, having to use their hottest starting pitcher and all of their high-leverage relievers to do so. With Freddy Peralta slated to start Game 4, are the Cubs still on the ropes? View full video

Behind some impressive home runs and elite velocity, the Milwaukee Brewers have taken commanding control of the NLDS, putting the Chicago Cubs on the brink of elimination. View full video

The Milwaukee Brewers jumped out to a commanding lead in the early innings of a Game 1 NLDS victory, putting the Cubs on notice after they burned through some of their most important bullpen arms. View full video

I anticipate that Brock will do the "by the numbers" threads we've been trialing in the playoffs, but for now, we'll chat here. So, uh, the Cubs kinda need this game, huh? Imanaga can really become a folk hero tonight.

Garrett Cooper is a former MLB first baseman who spent eight years in the major leagues, including a brief 12-game stint with the Chicago Cubs. Born on Christmas Day in 1990, Cooper was a force at Auburn University, slashing .354/.481/.540 with seven home runs and 37 RBIs in 56 games. That was enough to coax the Milwaukee Brewers into drafting him in the sixth round of the 2013 MLB Draft, where Cooper would steadily climb the minor league ranks until 2017, when the New York Yankees traded pitcher Tyler Webb to acquire him. He played just 13 impressive games for the Yankees (.822 OPS) in 2017, getting traded that offseason the Miami Marlins in a deal that landed Michael King back in New York. Cooper had the best stretch of his career in South Florida, earning 4.5 bWAR in 427 games across parts of six seasons. He was even named an All-Star in 2022 as an injury replacement for Bryce Harper, though that would mark the high point of his tenure with the Marlins. Just a year later, the San Diego Padres acquired Cooper at the trade deadline, and he became a free agent after the 2023 season. That was when the Cubs inked Cooper to a one-year deal, and he made the Opening Day roster as a right-handed power bat option off the bench. His defensive versatility (he could play first base and both corner outfield spots) made him a strong fit for Craig Counsell's first roster on the North Side, though his time was always going to be limited as the Cubs awaited the return of Patrick Wisdom. In the end, Cooper only played in Chicago for the first month of the 2024 season, though he did exactly what Counsell asked of him in that time. In 41 plate appearances with the Cubs, Cooper slashed .270/.341/.432 with one home run and six RBIs, good for 0.2 fWAR and a 118 wRC+. Once Wisdom returned from injury, though, Cooper became superfluous as a weak-side platoon threat. The Cubs shipped him off to the Boston Red Sox, where he completely fell apart, posting a .455 OPS and 26 wRC+. Unfortunately, that would mark the end of his time in professional baseball. Cooper couldn't find his way onto a roster this year, ultimately deciding to retire at the end of the 2025 regular season. He posted a .759 OPS and hit 57 home runs in his eight-year career. View full player

Does anyone know when the game starts? This exhibition match is upsetting me

Following their Wild Card Round win over the San Diego Padres, the Chicago Cubs are set to face their division rival, the Milwaukee Brewers, for the right to play for the NL pennant. View full video

Thanks to some sterling middle-infield defense (and a generous strike three call in the ninth inning), the Cubs barely outlasted the Padres in a tense Wild Card series. View full video

I appreciate Matt Shaw. His at-bats are perfect for bathroom breaks