Latest news and updates about the Cubs
The Cubs have a new left-handed reliever: This seems a signing well in line with Jed Hoyer’s practice of recent years — sign a mid-range reliever who’s had some success in the past and hope to make something out of him, as the Cubs did in 2025 with Caleb Thielbar and Drew Pomeranz. Milner, like […]
From Bleed Cubbie Blue | about 3 hours ago | 1 read
It was something I knew was true this week. Heck, we’ve been talking about it since even before the arrival of free agency. But it was something that got a whole additional layer of context when the Rule 5 Draft arrived yesterday. You see, every year, just ahead of the Rule 5 Draft, someone fires off an info update on where every organization’s 40-man roster stands, since you do not get a slot in the Rule 5 Draft if your 40-man roster doesn’t have at least one open spot. When that ha...
From Bleacher Nation | Chicago Sports News, Rumors, and a Reasonable Level of Obsession | about 7 hours ago | 1 read
Since the baseball offseason has run cold for the moment, let’s pivot to the 2026 World Baseball Classic. Per Meghan Montemurro in the Tribune, the Cubs might send quite a few players to the WBC: As many as eight Cubs players might be on WBC rosters: Pete Crow-Armstrong and Matthew Boyd (U.S.), Seiya Suzuki and Shota […]
From Bleed Cubbie Blue | about 7 hours ago | 1 read
Since the baseball offseason has run cold for the moment, let’s pivot to the 2026 World Baseball Classic. Per Meghan Montemurro in the Tribune, the Cubs might send quite a few players to the WBC: As many as eight Cubs players might be on WBC rosters: Pete Crow-Armstrong and Matthew Boyd (U.S.), Seiya Suzuki and Shota […]
From Bleed Cubbie Blue | about 7 hours ago | 1 read
The Phillies have checked the biggest item off of their offseason to-do list, as they have ensured that Kyle Schwarber will be back in Philadelphia for 2026 and beyond. There still is a lot of work to do, namely answering the J.T. Realmuto question and remaking the outfield, but retaining Schwarber or finding a replacement […]
From The Good Phight | about 8 hours ago | 1 read
So the vaunted Winter Meetings turned out to have been a massive time-suck, completely useless from my point of view. It wouldn’t be a surprise for me at this point if the Cubs signed nobody at all. It’s going to take a hell of a lot to mollify me or even to start to allay […]
From Bleed Cubbie Blue | about 9 hours ago | 1 read
It’s Wednesday night here at BCB After Dark: the swinging-est afterparty for night owls, early risers, new parents and Cubs fans abroad. We’re so glad you decided to stop by. Come in out of the cold. We’ve got a fire going in here. There is no cover charge. We still have a couple of tables […]
From Bleed Cubbie Blue | about 17 hours ago | 1 read
The Winter Meetings, broadly speaking, were a bust. The Chicago Cubs were far from the only club that didn’t complete any deals, and even today’s massive Pete Alonso signing by the Orioles wasn’t quite enough to salvage the week. There’s still a whole lot left of this baseball offseason, and it might be a while before it all shakes out for the Cubs and for most other teams. There was one spicy report that dropped at the end of the day, though, and it was about that Alonso signing. Jo...
From Bleacher Nation | Chicago Sports News, Rumors, and a Reasonable Level of Obsession | about 22 hours ago | 1 read
Cubs 2026 Rule 5 Draft & Minor League Free-Agent Watch List As thing stand right now (12/10 - post-2025 Rule 5 Draft)… 66 Cubs minor leaguers are eligible for selection in the 2026 MLB Rule 5 Draft, and 18 Cubs minor leaguers (16 post-2026 6YFA and two second-contract players) are eligible to be declared MLB Rule 9 minor league free-agents at 5 PM Eastern on the 5th day after the final game of the 2026 World Series (or at 5 PM Eastern on October 15th if the World Series is cancelled). Among...
From The Cub Reporter (TCR) | A Chicago Cubs Blog | 1 day ago | 1 read
2025 MLB Rule 5 Draft Primer / Preview 12/10 UPDATE : PLAYERS SELECTED BY CUBS IN MAJOR LEAGUE PHASE OF 2025 RULE 5 DRAFT : NONE CUBS MINOR LEAGUERS SELECTED IN MAJOR LEAGUE PHASE OF 2025 RULE 5 DRAFT : NONE PLAYERS SELECTED BY CUBS IN AAA PHASE OF 2025 RULE 5 DRAFT : Adam Stone , RHP (selected for AAA Iowa from New York Yankees Lo-A Tampa roster) Zane Mill s, RHP (selected for AAA Iowa from St. Louis Cardinals AA Springfield roster) Devin Ortiz , INF (se...
From The Cub Reporter (TCR) | A Chicago Cubs Blog | 1 day ago | 1 read
It’s been a very quiet Winter Meetings for the Chicago Cubs, and that mostly carried right on through the MLB Rule 5 Draft today. In a relative surprise, the Cubs did not take anyone in the Major League phase of the Rule 5 Draft. Normally, a team passing in the Rule 5 is almost definitionally not a surprise. But with nine(!!!) open spots on the 40-man roster and a desperate need to start adding potential relievers, I’d assumed the Cubs would grab a flier to compete in Spring Training for ...
From Bleacher Nation | Chicago Sports News, Rumors, and a Reasonable Level of Obsession | 1 day ago | 1 read
The Cubs made news in this year’s Rule 5 Draft by not doing very much at all. This year, I was reasonably certain the Cubs would select someone to add to their major league roster in this annual draft. They’ve got plenty of room on the 40-man roster, which contains only 31 players right now. […]
From Bleed Cubbie Blue | 1 day ago | 1 read
MLB’s top brass are meeting in Orlando this week and that generally sets the stage for getting at least a few deals done. This year’s Winter Meetings have not disappointed, with closer Edwin Díaz switching teams and coasts as he signed a three-year deal with the Dodgers and slugger Kyle Schwarber resigning an even larger contract […]
From Bleed Cubbie Blue | 1 day ago | 1 read
It’s the last day of MLB’s Winter Meetings, and that means the Rule 5 Draft. Last week, I wrote about some guys the Cubs might take in that draft. Given that there are only 31 players currently on the Cubs’ 40-man roster, I do expect them to take someone. They’ve done so in other years […]
From Bleed Cubbie Blue | 1 day ago | 1 read
We all love Michael Soroka. We’re all sad his career has gone the way it has, right? Well, Soroka had his second-best season last year, putting up 1.1 fWAR for the Nationals and Cubs. He actually had 1.2 fWAR for the Nationals in 16 starts, but then kind of imploded while barely pitching for the […]
From Talking Chop | 1 day ago | 1 read
On Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, Bleed Cubbie Blue is pleased to present a Cubs-centric look at baseball’s colorful past. Here’s a handy Cubs timeline, to help you follow the various narrative paths. “Maybe I called it wrong, but it’s official.” — Tom Connolly, HoF Umpire. Happy birthday, Paul Assenmacher*, the death of the spitball, and other stories. Today in baseball […]
From Bleed Cubbie Blue | 1 day ago | 0 reads
It’s Tuesday evening here at BCB After Dark: the coolest club for night owls, early risers, new parents and Cubs fans abroad. We’re so glad you decided to stop by this evening. Please come in out of the cold. There’s no cover charge. We can check your coat. There’s still one table left by the […]
From Bleed Cubbie Blue | 1 day ago | 1 read
Chicago Cubs manager Craig Counsell certainly fulfills his duty as a “coach” as well as anyone in the game, but part of his unique value is his involvement in some of the more executive-y facets of an organization. He participates at all levels, including player targeting and acquisition. It’s unsurprising, then, that he’s at the Winter Meetings, undoubtedly helping Jed Hoyer and Carter Hawkins where they need it. Being that he is there in Orland, Counsell spoke with the media in a few hi...
From Bleacher Nation | Chicago Sports News, Rumors, and a Reasonable Level of Obsession | 2 days ago | 1 read
The MLB Draft Lottery was held earlier today and the results were recently revealed on MLB Network. The Cubs were not part of the lottery, as only the 18 teams that did not make the postseason were eligible for the lottery. That’s good, right? Anyway, the Cubs will pick 23rd in the first round of […]
From Bleed Cubbie Blue | 2 days ago | 1 read
Cubs President Jed Hoyer spoke with the media from the Winter Meetings, some of which we discussed last night . Some of the media session is available via Marquee, and I’ll embed it here so you can watch for yourself: As I said, I got into a lot of the meat last night, but there was one snippet at The Athletic that I thought deserved a call out today: “We’re definitely looking for another starter,” said Hoyer, who also sounded open to adding another swingman to go between ...
From Bleacher Nation | Chicago Sports News, Rumors, and a Reasonable Level of Obsession | 2 days ago | 1 read
The Winter Meetings so far are notable for one thing: The lack of major signings. The “biggest” thing that’s happened so far is Steven Matz, formerly of the Cardinals, signing a two-year deal with the Rays. Meanwhile, Cubs President of Baseball Operations Jed Hoyer talked relief pitching: After signing veteran reliever Phil Maton, team president […]
From Bleed Cubbie Blue | 2 days ago | 1 read
The Winter Meetings are underway. Nothing under our collective tree yet. Ryne Stanek is a name in the wind, Michael King still draws interest, Zac Gallen is probably still a thing, and MacKenzie Gore’s name is out there. *means autoplay on, (directions to remove for Firefox and Chrome). {$} means paywall. {$} means limited views. Italics are often used on […]
From Bleed Cubbie Blue | 2 days ago | 1 read
Welcome back to another week here at BCB After Dark: the hippest hangout for night owls, early risers, new parents and Cubs fans abroad. Come on in out of the cold. We can check your coat for you, gratis. We still have a couple of tables available. There’s no cover charge. Bring your own beverage. […]
From Bleed Cubbie Blue | 3 days ago | 1 read
A funny (and charmingly classic Bob Nightengale) story gets even funnier tonight. On Friday afternoon, Mark Feinsand reported that the Chicago Cubs have been “looking at” free agent starting pitcher Zac Gallen, a reasonable (and subsequently confirmed) baseball rumor ahead of the Winter Meetings. But 24 hours after that, all hell broke loose when Nightengale reported that the Cubs had landed their man: “The Chicago Cubs are close to finalizing an agreement with free-agent starter Zac Gall...
From Bleacher Nation | Chicago Sports News, Rumors, and a Reasonable Level of Obsession | 3 days ago | 1 read
It’s not a new rumor to say the Chicago Cubs are interested in Japanese ace Tatsuya Imai. They have been connected in multiple reports , and the fit is otherwise quite obvious. You have a Japanese star (Cubs are strong in that area, though have two Japanese players hitting free agency after next season) coming over at age 27 (Cubs, like everyone, prefer pitcher youth if possible), who cannot be attached to draft pick compensation, and you have a club with a need in the front half of their rota...
From Bleacher Nation | Chicago Sports News, Rumors, and a Reasonable Level of Obsession | 3 days ago | 1 read