Latest news and updates about the Cubs
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. Today we feature financial skullduggery and other such fare, just the thing for a holiday […]
From Bleed Cubbie Blue | about 2 months ago | 5 reads
1914 Charles Comiskey paid to keep a star opposing pitcher in the American League? Indeed, the White Sox owner, in fear of Walter Johnson jumping from the AL’s Washington Senators to the Chifeds (Chicago Whales) of the new Federal League and creating a second legitimate rival for Chicago fan dollars beyond the Cubs, did just […]
From South Side Sox | about 2 months ago | 5 reads
Although the free agent relief market has been extremely active of late, the free agent starter market hasn’t really gotten going. Dylan Cease’s big deal with the Blue Jays was over two weeks ago, and none of the other big-name free agent starters have signed since ( unless you count Merrill Kelly ). Until tonight! According to multiple reports, rumored Cubs free agent target Michael King has a new home. Well, an old home, new again. Let me state that more clearly: He’s going back to...
From Bleacher Nation | Chicago Sports News, Rumors, and a Reasonable Level of Obsession | about 2 months ago | 3 reads
This was not an expected signing by the Chicago Cubs baseball team: Hmm, I said. This is not a player I’m familiar with, and probably, neither are you. Tyler Austin was the Yankees’ 13th round pick out of high school in Georgia in 2013. He made his MLB debut in 2016 and played parts of […]
From Bleed Cubbie Blue | about 2 months ago | 2 reads
The Chicago Cubs today announced at least some of the lineup for the 10th anniversary reunion of the 2016 World Series team, which will be heading up the Cubs Convention next month. As you can see, it’s a truly loaded collection of nostalgia: Albert Almora Jr.? The tag-up! Trevor Cahill? The swing man! Chris Coghlan? Underrated! Carl Edwards Jr.? The Stringbean Slinger! Dexter Fowler? The lead-off homer! Justin Grimm? The fireman! Jason Hammel? Given him potato chips and he rock...
From Bleacher Nation | Chicago Sports News, Rumors, and a Reasonable Level of Obsession | about 2 months ago | 0 reads
Before he was Cubs manager for four years, before he was a World Series hero, before he was “Grandpa Rossy,” David Ross was just another Cubs backup catcher. Well, not “just” another one. He had been signed at the recommendation of Jon Lester, who the Cubs signed to a long-term deal before 2015, as Lester […]
From Bleed Cubbie Blue | about 2 months ago | 2 reads
Thanks again to BCB reader JayWent for this article suggestion. Kris Bubic has talent — he was a No. 1 pick (40th overall) in 2018 out of Stanford. If that date and school sounds familiar, it should, because Nico Hoerner was the Cubs’ No. 1 pick out of Stanford that year, thus Bubic and Hoerner […]
From Bleed Cubbie Blue | about 2 months ago | 3 reads
Yu Darvish may have thrown the final pitch of his career in his playoff outing against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field, but for those of us watching or listening on the radio, we had no idea. News broke following the conclusion of the season that Darvish had elbow surgery. The 39-year-old right-hander miss all […]
From Gaslamp Ball | about 2 months ago | 3 reads
Brad Keller and Luke Weaver signed identical-money deals, with the Phillies and Mets, respectively, sources indicate. Pedro Strop is selling his former home, Bowden is bullish on Bregman to Chicago. *means autoplay on, (directions to remove for Firefox and Chrome). {$} means paywall. {$} means limited views. Italics are often used on this page as sarcasm font. The powers that be have […]
From Bleed Cubbie Blue | about 2 months ago | 1 read
The Phillies seem to love last minute shopping, as they made another signing the week before Christmas. This time, they reportedly agreed to a two year deal with former starter-turned-reliever Brad Keller who had a career year out of the bullpen for the Cubs in 2025. He’ll join a strong bullpen mix that includes Johan […]
From The Good Phight | about 2 months ago | 3 reads
It’s Wednesday 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. Come on in out of the cold. We can check your hat and coat for you. There are still a couple tables available. They’re all […]
From Bleed Cubbie Blue | about 2 months ago | 4 reads
The Sporting News | Matt Sullivan: The Yankees have yet to make a major splash this winter, even as more than one key member of the bullpen has left the team — more on that in a moment. We get a bit of good news on that front, with reports that New York is one […]
From Pinstripe Alley | about 2 months ago | 2 reads
Last week, we learned that Nico Hoerner’s name had popped up in trade conversations this offseason, though it was non-specific and certainly not a situation where it had the feel of Hoerner being shopped or anything like that. More likely, we figured, the Cubs were having conversations with LOTS of teams about LOTS of topics, and given how hot the second base trade market is (and the lack of shortstops out there), it would make sense for a team or three to ask the Cubs about Hoerner. He’s...
From Bleacher Nation | Chicago Sports News, Rumors, and a Reasonable Level of Obsession | about 2 months ago | 3 reads
EDITOR’S NOTE: This article is going to look very familiar, as it just ran last month as part of my “walkoff heroes” series. I’m running it again because, well, John Baker was one of the Cubs position player pitchers in the divisional play era, and he does have a singular distinction: In that era, of […]
From Bleed Cubbie Blue | about 2 months ago | 3 reads
About 12 years ago, the Chicago Cubs, under the new stewardship of Theo Epstein and his lieutenant, Jed Hoyer, were trying to kick off an organizational rebuild with a bang. Knowing that building inroads in Japan were going to be critical for years to come, and knowing that youthful stars become available in free agency only so often, the Cubs pushed hard to sign Masahiro Tanaka that offseason. The Cubs actually made it into the final two, according to many reports, ultimately losing out ...
From Bleacher Nation | Chicago Sports News, Rumors, and a Reasonable Level of Obsession | about 2 months ago | 1 read
In the continued search for bullpen help, the Phillies have reportedly settled on Brad Keller as the best option to provide reinforcement. Once a starter in the Royals’ system, Keller went to the relief role last year with the Cubs where he flourished. He saw jumps in all of the good stats one wants to […]
From The Good Phight | about 2 months ago | 5 reads
Just a few housekeeping notes on the recent Cubs transactions. First, the Hoby Milner signing is officially official. He’s been incredibly durable the last four seasons, but he’ll be 35 next year, so the post-agreement physical was not a TOTAL zero entry. All seems to have gone well, so he’s inked at a reported $3.75 million for 2026. Second, the Caleb Thielbar deal ( discussed some more this morning ) now has a dollar figure attached: Caleb Thielbar’s one-year deal contract wit...
From Bleacher Nation | Chicago Sports News, Rumors, and a Reasonable Level of Obsession | about 2 months 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 to Marvell Wynne* and other former Cubs. The spitball is grandfathered in, and […]
From Bleed Cubbie Blue | about 2 months ago | 3 reads
The offseason continues to move along, as this week we’ve had a spate of low-profile relief signings; Caleb Thielbar re-signing with the Cubs, the Nationals handing $5.5 million to lefty Foster Griffin, the Giants inking Jason Foley for $2 million, and the Reds landing former Yankee Caleb Ferguson on a one-year deal. Exciting stuff! The […]
From Pinstripe Alley | about 2 months ago | 9 reads
It’s the most wonderful time of the year as the holidays approach. If your calendar is anything like mine the time from Thanksgiving through New Years is filled with opportunities to catch up with loved ones, holiday parties with old friends, and more. This Saturday, Dec. 20, the Bleacher Bunch podcast including some of your […]
From Bleed Cubbie Blue | about 2 months ago | 4 reads
Outside of a stray Zac Gallen report that initially inadvertently reported a signing , I would say the two free agent starting pitchers who’ve been most seriously linked to the Chicago Cubs this offseason are Japanese ace Tatsuya Imai and outgoing Padres righty Michael King. Each offers significant upside, but comes with his own significant risk (for Imai, it’s the transition to MLB; for King, it’s his robust injury history). Each also has a contract projection that is a little tough to peg, a...
From Bleacher Nation | Chicago Sports News, Rumors, and a Reasonable Level of Obsession | about 2 months ago | 5 reads
Caleb Thielbar was one of Jed Hoyer’s better reclamation projects in 2025. After posting a 5.32 ERA in 59 relief appearances for the Twins in 2024 at age 37, Thielbar appeared done. But Hoyer and his team saw something they liked, so they signed Thielbar to a one-year, $2.75 million deal. And Thielbar had possibly […]
From Bleed Cubbie Blue | about 2 months ago | 6 reads
Although the Chicago Cubs have over the years made quite a practice of finding low-cost relief options and spinning them up into significant contributors, what they have done far less often is bring those relief options back after that year of contribution. If you want to take that as a sign that the Cubs really saw something special in Caleb Thielbar’s time with the team, you may feel free to do so. The Cubs are bringing him back: News: The Cubs are bringing back lefty Caleb Thielba...
From Bleacher Nation | Chicago Sports News, Rumors, and a Reasonable Level of Obsession | about 2 months ago | 5 reads
The 2012 Cubs were, by design, a bad team. New President of Baseball Operations Theo Epstein had torn down the previous structure to rebuild, and what was left was not very good. After an unexpectedly good 15-10 July, the Cubs began August winning just six of their first 24 games, never winning more than one […]
From Bleed Cubbie Blue | about 2 months ago | 4 reads
When word broke that the Chicago Cubs and Boston Red Sox had met with Pete Alonso at the Winter Meetings before he signed with the Baltimore Orioles, I offered up my reaction here . The short version? No reason not to meet, it probably wasn’t serious, and it probably served everyone’s interests. Other folks had a different reaction, and it’s one we’ve heard many times before when reporting indicates the Cubs were involved/interested/etc. with respect to a free agent they didn’t ultimately...
From Bleacher Nation | Chicago Sports News, Rumors, and a Reasonable Level of Obsession | about 2 months ago | 5 reads