Jacob Zanolla

It took a few days, but the Carson Kelly signing is now official. After entering the offseason with the goal of upgrading at the catcher position, Jed Hoyer grabbed Carson Kelly, one of the last free-agent catchers on the market. Image courtesy of © Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images Carson Kelly's official deal is for two years, earning $11.5 million total. This is quite a solid bargain compared to what other catchers have been earning. Kelly is originally from Chicago, which is a possible reason for the deal coming together. He’s an average catcher offensively, with one of the best parts of this game being the lack of strikeouts and balls chased out of the zone. His OPS of .687 in 2024 is definitely below average but was slightly better than his new partner, Miguel Amaya. Kelly’s defense is the best part of his game, with above-average blocking, framing, and stolen base prevention. His three blocks above average were just over the 60th percentile mark, with his framing around the same. Until Christian Bethancourt was added to the team, the Cubs were one of the worst teams in baseball when it came to throwing runners out. Kelly should help change that, as he threw out four more runners than the average catcher, putting him in the 85th percentile compared to the rest of the league. Once it was clear that someone like Logan O'Hoppe or Cal Raleigh was unavailable via trade, Hoyer had to pivot for the current year. Two possible prospects to investigate as trade options are Drake Baldwin and Carter Jensen, with Cody Bellinger being a trade candidate for both teams. View full article

Tuesday marked the deadline to protect players from the upcoming Rule 5 Draft. In order to be protected, an otherwise eligible player has to be placed on the 40-man roster. The Cubs began the day with that roster full, which means in order to add players, changes had to be made. Image courtesy of © Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images The no-brainer add was Owen Caissie, the 34th-best prospect in all of baseball, per MLB Pipeline. Caissie finished the year in Triple-A Iowa and was a top candidate to be promoted to Chicago. His contact skills come and go, but the raw power is unreal. On top of that, his defense has significantly improved. As of right now, there isn’t a clear spot for him on the active roster. The odds are that he’ll start the season in Iowa, ready to be called up if and when an injury occurs. Caissie’s promotion wasn’t a surprise, but it’s exciting to see him finally get some more recognition. He’s been mentioned as a possible trade candidate, of course, but for now, this was an automatic move. Ben Cowles was the second player to have his contract selected, even though he only played four games in Double-A with the Cubs. Chicago acquired Cowles in July, along with Jack Neely. Cowles was injured before the trade, and Jed Hoyer knew that. It’s a testament to Cowles and his talent that Hoyer was still willing to trade for him, even though there was a risk that the injury would hinder his abilities. Cowles was able to appear in a few games for the Tennessee Smokies before heading to the Arizona Fall League, where he played in 19 games. The returns from the desert weren't pretty, and there was a chance Cowles could have been kept without adding him to the 40-man. Because he controls the strike zone well and has some versatility, though, it was plausible that a team would pluck him in the Rule 5. The front office decided it was worth a roster spot to thwart that risk, and since they're likely to non-tender an infielder (Nick Madrigal, perhaps?) Friday anyway, it cost relatively little to give Cowles the bump. Since the roster was full to begin the day, two players had to be designated for assignment to make room for Caissie and Cowles. Adbert Alzolay and Brennen Davis drew the short straws, with their time in Chicago coming to an end (for now). Alzolay only appeared in 18 games with the Cubs in 2024, posting a 4.67 ERA and 7.38 FIP. After having such a successful 2023, the lackluster performance to begin this season was quite surprising. The team quickly realized Alzolay was injured, and he had Tommy John surgery in August. At first, they tried to find ways around it, but they couldn’t escape the inevitable. Alzolay was set to earn around $2.3 million in arbitration, and is unlikely to pitch at all in 2025. I wouldn’t be surprised if the Cubs try to bring him back on a minor-league deal, letting him rehab before potentially appearing in Chicago again. The second player to be cut loose stings the most, with the former top prospect Davis finally running out of time to get some runway. Davis was one of the top prospects in baseball before the pandemic. After the lost season in 2020, though, injuries plagued Davis for the next three years. He seemed to be making a comeback earlier this year, with 11 home runs in 55 games. His success didn’t last long, as he suffered a back injury in early July and then broke his lower leg on Sept. 10. Davis is one of the prime examples that prospects are never guaranteed. His downfall had nothing to do with a lack of skill, but instead the fact that he couldn’t ever stay healthy. He is also a candidate to be brought back on a minor-league deal, although probably less likely than Alzolay. More roster churn looms for the Cubs, this week and beyond. Tuesday marked a step toward the future, however, with Caissie creeping toward a major role in Chicago and some long-time hopes flickering out. View full article

Seiya Suzuki is underrated around the game of baseball, and this nomination further proves how valuable he is to Craig Counsell's lineup. Image courtesy of © Jim Rassol-Imagn Images A day after learning that Ian Happ won his third straight Gold Glove, his outfield counterpart Seiya Suzuki was announced as a Silver Slugger Award finalist. The Silver Slugger Award is given to each position's best hitter, with one award per league. Jackson Chourio, Teoscar Hernández, Jackson Merrill, and Jurickson Profar were also nominated for the award. Suzuki won multiple offensive awards in Japan, and this is now the second nomination he’s received for this award. This was Suzuki’s best offensive season since coming to America, posting 3.6 fWAR and a 138 wRC+. He hit 21 home runs and walked 63 times. His strikeout percentage hit a career-high as well, but when he made contact, the results were more than enough to cancel that out. Among qualified hitters on the Cubs, Suzuki led the team in wRC+, ISO, BABIP, slugging, on-base, and batting average. He was easily the Cubs' best hitter and, honestly, is underrated around the game of baseball. This nomination further proves how valuable he is to Craig Counsell's lineup. He was near the top of baseball in terms of exit velocity, with a hard-hit rate of 49.2%. He will likely stay in the designated hitter spot next season, giving the Cubs a sure-fire bat near the middle of the lineup. He has some tough competition to win the award, but it wouldn’t be a surprise if he brings home some hardware after a fantastic season. View full article

Even in a season full of disappointments, the Cubs had plenty of talent. That’s what makes the result so frustrating, knowing that the skill was there, even if the results weren’t. Let’s take a look at who the North Side Baseball crew voted as the 2024 Most Valuable Player. Even in a season full of disappointments, the Cubs had plenty of talent. That’s what makes the result so frustrating, knowing that the skill was there, even if the results weren’t. Let’s take a look at who the North Side Baseball crew voted as the 2024 Most Valuable Player. Honorable Mention Nico Hoerner, Cody Bellinger, Jameson Taillon, Justin Steele, Porter Hodge, and Pete Crow-Armstrong Let's countdown the Top 5 vote getters for Chicago Cubs 2024 MVP. #4: Michael Busch (1B), Dansby Swanson (SS) Michael Busch won our Rookie of the Year award but ended up tying with Dansby Swanson for fourth place in MVP voting. Both players were absolutely spectacular, and one thing they had in common was great defense. Swanson has always been a great fielder, as we knew when he was signed before the 2023 season. Swanson won the Gold Glove award in his first season with Chicago and will be in the running once again once the postseason concludes. Busch was acquired for his bat, but his defense was equally as impressive. Knowing that the Cubs have someone who can hit 20+ home runs while also providing a strong glove is really important when building this team. We had it in Anthony Rizzo, and now we have it with Michael Busch. Swanson started off strong and then fell into a rough slump where his batting average sat around .200, not something you expect from the face of the franchise. He finished the season with a 99 wRC+, right at the league average. Swanson finished the first half with a .212 average but turned it around by hitting .281 in the second half. Battling through the criticism from all the media, the shortstop had a really solid season. #2: Seiya Suzuki (RF/DH), Ian Happ (LF) The best two offensive players in Chicago this year tie for second place, although I’d give Seiya Suzuki the slight edge due offensively. Suzuki posted a 183 wRC+ and 3.5 fWAR, all while missing 30 games total due to injuries. In May, he had an average but .219, but other than that he was one of the best hitters in all of baseball. Happ had a 122 wRC+ but posted 3.6 fWAR thanks to his great defense. Happ’s no-trade clause makes it very unlikely that he’s moved this offseason, which is totally fine with me due to his reliability offensively. There is always a stretch where he goes into a horrible slump, but in the end, the season numbers always look quite impressive. #1: Shota Imanaga (SP) Shota Imanaga had a spectacular rookie season, earning the most votes for Most Valuable Player on the 2024 Chicago Cubs. His 37.2% ground ball rate worked well with the strong infield defense, and the 2.91 ERA also backed that up. He threw a career-high 173 1/3 innings with a 1.02 WHIP and .264 BABIP. Imanaga doesn’t throw super hard, but his command is what makes him one of the best pitchers in baseball. His Cubs debut came on April 1st, the home opener in Chicago against the Colorado Rockies. The southpaw threw six innings of shutout baseball, not allowing a hit until the sixth inning. He was everything you could ask for and followed that up with an incredible rest of the season. Looking at Imanaga’s rankings league-wide is important to show just how good he was. His K/9 ranked 21st in all of baseball, with his BB/9 ranking 4th. His BABIP was 12th best, LOB% 4th, ERA 5th, and fWAR 28th. He didn’t just have a great season when looking at the Cubs standards, he had an insane season when looking at the whole league. And don’t worry, we have him for several more years to come. So what do you think? Would Imanaga receive your top vote? Who would you rank #1? View full article

The Cubs haven’t had a player win the National League Rookie of the Year since Kris Bryant in 2015. Nonetheless, a few players stood out in their rookie campaigns with Chicago. There are three players that are in the running, each of them impressive in their own way. The Cubs haven’t had a player win the National League Rookie of the Year since Kris Bryant in 2015. Nonetheless, a few players stood out in their rookie campaigns with Chicago. There are three players that are in the running, each of them impressive in their own way. Honorable Mention: Porter Hodge Hodge solidified the closer role down the stretch and should keep that role going into 2025 unless something drastic changes. #3: Pete Crow-Armstrong, CF PCA was coming off a brutal debut stretch in September of 2023, but ended up proving that it was a fluke, and a rough start that is experienced by most rookies in today’s game of baseball. He started off his 2024 season with a bang, sending his first MLB hit into the right-field bleachers. The best part is that Crow-Armstrong got better as the year went on. His defense was always a strong suit, although there were a few bad errors mixed in. His best defensive game was against the Dodgers on September 11th, when he made two diving catches as well as robbing a home run to end the game. Just a few weeks earlier, he hit an inside-the-park home run in Miami that made highlight reels across social media. In August, Crow-Armstrong had a .314 average, with an elite .558 slugging and .933 OPS. He helped the Cubs catch fire and make one last push for the Wild Card, although it was unsuccessful. There are too many defensive stats to show off, but he is easily one of the best defensive players in baseball, and will only get better with more experience. #2: Shota Imanaga, SP Imanaga should earn several votes for the Rookie of the Year and a few for the Cy Young award. Although Imanaga is 31 years old, he is eligible for the award due to coming over from Japan back in January. The Cubs didn’t expect Imanaga to be a real option for a free-agency addition. However, it quickly became apparent that he only wanted to play in Chicago, making the eventual deal much easier to negotiate. At the time of his signing with the Cubs, many people around the industry predicted that he would be the steal of the offseason, which ended up being correct. Imanaga threw 173 1/3 innings, with a 2.91 ERA and 1.02 WHIP. Imanaga doesn’t throw super hard, but his command is what helps make him one of the best pitchers in baseball. He had a 4.0% walk rate, and 25.1% strikeout rate, striking out 174 hitters in total. The main concern with his scouting report was the amount of fly balls he gave up, which often led to home runs. It wasn’t as noticeable as everyone expected, but a 45.5% flyball rate is more than average. Whether it was his performance on the mound, his attitude on the field, and his fun antics after games, there isn’t much debate that Shota Imanaga is the 2024 Cubs Rookie of the Year. #1: Michael Busch, 1B Acquired in a trade with the Dodgers in January, no one expected Busch to be so good in his freshman season. It was going to be impossible to fill the shoes of Anthony Rizzo, who is the definition of a franchise first baseman to the Cubs fans. However, Busch immediately became well-liked among Cubs fans and easily put up the stats to back that up. In 152 games, Busch posted a 119 wRC+ and 2.3 fWAR. 21 home runs were accompanied by 28 doubles and 63 walks. He started off strong in April, blasting five home runs in five straight games, before slowing down and having a rough month of May. All rookies have slumps, which we saw continue to be true with the young first baseman. He was able to bounce back each time, and gives the Cubs a really strong bat to help secure a top spot in the lineup. He played first base for all but seven of his games, with a few appearances at second base and third base. He will most likely get a few gold glove votes among first basemen, and could easily win one in the future. He has power, hits the ball hard, and draws a lot of walks. Busch needs to work on his strikeouts, but otherwise, there is no reason he can’t become an elite first baseman in the years to come. Congratulations to Michael Busch on a fantastic rookie season. The Cubs had a few rookies that came up big throughout the year, and they have prospects galore. So, what do you think? Who would get your vote? Should players coming over from the major leagues of Japan or even Korea be considered rookies? Discuss below. View full article

It’s been a disappointing season for Nico Hoerner. His offensive numbers are down, with Cubs fans noticing when he isn’t as clutch as he was in 2023. To the people who are frustrated with Hoerner for not producing like last year, though, we have some rejoinders to offer. Image courtesy of © Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images Though thoroughly unimpressive, Nico Hoerner has remained playable this season, with a .268/.332/.358 slash line in 141 games. The one big improvement I wanted him to make entering this season was hitting more home runs, but he’s only hit five--fewer than the nine he hit last year, and without a meaningful uptick in doubles and triples to make up for it. Hoerner’s defense hasn’t been in issue at all, with 10 Outs Above Average, according to Statcast. Dansby Swanson and Hoerner both won Gold Gloves in 2023, and will be plausible candidates for those awards when they're handed out again this fall. Hoerner has seven errors to his name, with a fielding percentage of .986, and he's shown excellent range at times this year--just as he did last season. Jul. 4 was the rough turnaround date for Hoerner, offensively. He’s been solid since then. As of Jul. 3, Hoerner had a .241 average and .662 OPS, along with a .297 wOBA. From Independence Day onward, he’s batted .299, with a .723 OPS and a .318 wOBA. One concern with Hoerner has been the lack of clutch hits compared to last season. He’s improved in that regard, too. Since Jul. 4, he has a .273 average with 20 RBIs when there are runners in scoring position. Before then, he was hitting .211 with 17 RBIs in such spots. He’s back to his normal self, and it’s awesome to see. While he is getting hits, the power is still non-existent. His .358 slugging is one of the worst on the Cubs roster, with a .090 ISO that ranks second-to-last on the team. (Miles Mastrobuoni owns a .032 ISO.) It’s great to have such a good contact hitter on the roster, but the lack of power is quite frustrating and concerning. There's also a more serious question of how he can blend his BABIP skills with his control of the strike zone. Hoerner's 2023 had this same general shape, but when he came on strong in the second half, he also drew a good number of walks, making him a dynamic overall offensive player. This season, he's given up the walks he'd been taking to get the hits that had been missing, which has resulted in a much less exciting OBP and less ability to affect the game with his legs. Split PA BA OBP SLG OPS ISO K% BB% HR% BABIP WOBA Pre All-Star Break 2023 371 .271 .321 .376 .697 .105 11.9% 5.7% 1.3% .297 .306 Post All-Star Break 2023 317 .297 .377 .391 .768 .094 12.3% 8.8% 1.3% .331 .342 Pre All-Star Break 2024 381 .256 .336 .348 .684 .092 10.8% 8.1% 1.0% .279 .306 Post All-Star Break 2024 221 .287 .326 .373 .699 .086 10.9% 5.0% 0.5% .321 .307 In 2022, Nico Hoerner posted a 4.3 fWAR, following that up with 4.6 fWAR in 2023. He’s currently sitting at 3.2 fWAR, so there is a noticeable decrease since last year. However, thanks to his elite defense, he’s still third on the team in fWAR. In his last eight starts, he's recorded five multi-hit games. A .424 average and .405 wOBA aren’t sustainable for a whole season, but finishing the season strong will help his trade stock, something that will need to be discussed further once the offseason is upon us. Whatever decisions the Cubs make with regard to their infield for 2025, continuing to show signs of life over the final fortnight will be good for Hoerner and the club. View full article

Jed Hoyer made two roster moves before Chicago’s matchup against the Pirates on Tuesday, bolstering the bullpen with some fresh arms. The moves are the latest in a round of moves aimed at allowing the team to hold leads and give themselves chances to win on an everyday basis. Image courtesy of © David Richard-USA TODAY Sports The first move that trickled out Tuesday afternoon placed Julian Merryweather on the injured list with right knee tendinitis. Merryweather is coming off a rough outing in Miami, in which he allowed four runs in one inning of work. His fastball velocity was down a little, but it’s hard to know if the loss of speed was injury-related. It's been a rough season for Merryweather, who spent most of the year on the shelf already, and could remain there now for the balance of the campaign. It sounds as though this has been nagging him since last year. The corresponding action for Merryweather’s injury is the promotion of Keegan Thompson. Thompson has done well in Iowa this season, with a 2.96 ERA in 20 games. In his last 22 innings, he has only allowed 2 earned runs, while racking up 32 strikeouts. Thompson fractured his rib back in June, but appears to be at full strength right now, He’s kept his walks down, too, giving up only three free passes since returning from the injured list. One of the best parts of Thompson’s skill set is the ability to throw more than one inning at a time, which could be useful down the stretch. Daniel Palencia was out for most of June, but after returning to Triple-A Iowa, he’s been lights out. This season in Triple-A, he has a 15.5 K/9, although the walks can be an issue. His velocity has topped out at 102.5 miles per hour. Even with poor command at times, he’s still a really valuable name to have in the bullpen for the late innings. Like Thompson, he's back with the big-league team as of Tuesday night. To make room for Palencia, the Cubs demoted rookie reliever Jack Neely, who was acquired from the Yankees in the trade for Mark Leiter Jr. back in July. The towering rookie has had a rough start in Chicago. In his first outing, he gave up four earned runs, but that was followed by two scoreless appearances with three strikeouts. Monday was his last outing with the major-league club, for now, after a two-run home run to Connor Joe ballooned his ERA even more. With a month left in the season, there is still a chance Neely is called up again, but it’s unfortunate that his first stint was so short. Thompson and Palencia are a new look for the bullpen, and since it sounds like Merryweather's injury was making it hard to count on his availability from day to day, the ever-versatile Thompson seems to be an upgrade in terms of flexible usage. Meanwhile, Palencia provides the same kind of upside as Neely, who didn't pass his first test at the highest level. This feels like an effort to improve the bullpen, constrained by the limited options available to the team but with a kernel of hope remaining for a hot finish to the season. In that way, it makes sense, although it's a long shot that it will make a material difference. View full article

Owen Caissie is expected to be promoted in September (according to Matt Spiegel of 670 the Score). Caissie is now ranked as the third-best prospect in the Cubs’ system, so let's take a quick look at why he is there, why he deserves this call-up, and how he landed with the Cubs in the first place. The San Diego Padres drafted Owen Caissie in the second round of the 2020 MLB draft, which was shortened to five rounds due to the COVID-19 Pandemic. Before he could step into the box with the Padres, AJ Preller shipped him off, along with two other prospects, for Yu Darvish and Victor Caratini. Darvish came in second place for the 2020 NL Cy Young race, so he easily would have provided value for the Cubs. At the time, Darvish was under contract until 2023, so control was not an issue either. During the pandemic, teams started panicking and shedding payroll, exactly what Tom Ricketts did with shipping away Darvish. Progressing basically one level every season, Caissie finds himself in Triple-A Iowa in his fourth full season with the Cubs. Last year in Tennessee, he posted a .230 ISO, which shows how incredible his power can be. He hit 22 home runs, with a 144 wRC+ and .519 slugging. Injuries have hurt him a little this year, but the power is still there, with a 113 wRC+ and .179 ISO, accompanied by 13 home runs. Defensively, Caissie will most likely play in the corner outfield spots (right field the most) and designated hitter. While his defense is nowhere near elite, it is decent enough, especially with the elite bat you get when he is in the lineup. Cody Bellinger’s decision this offseason will greatly affect Caissie due to the crowded outfield the Cubs already have. The main problem with the big lefty is his strikeouts. As of Saturday, he has a 27.9% strikeout rate, meaning he is striking out almost a third of his at-bats. For context, someone like Christopher Morel, who strikes out a lot, has a K% of 24.7. Maybe the strikeouts don’t go away, although, with the major league coaching, the hope is he can at least trim that down a little bit. He can help this ballclub down the stretch if he keeps up favorable numbers. Caissie has been fantastic as a prospect. Not only did he homer in the World Baseball Classic for Team Canada, but he was also selected to the 2024 MLB Futures Game (he did not play due to injury). Once he is officially promoted, you can expect the right-field bleachers to be a hotspot for Cubs fans trying to catch his mammoth home runs. View full article