A Chicago Cubs Fan Community Since February 9, 2005
It’s Monday night here at BCB After Dark: the hippest spot for night owls, early risers, new parents and Cubs fans abroad. We’re so glad that you stopped by. Come on in. There’s no cover charge. We can check your coat for you. Hang on to that ticket. The hostess will take you to your […]
about 2 hours ago | 0 reads
The starters are presented in alphabetical order, and, as always, are written in a No. 2 pencil. Today we’re looking at Matthew Boyd, who had the best year of his career in 2025, throwing 179.2 innings and going 14-8 with a 3.21 ERA and 1.091 WHIP, though he did in fact look gassed during the […]
about 9 hours ago | 0 reads
As I do here every spring, today I present to you a full numerical roster of all the players and coaches in Cubs spring camp. Also included are the Cubs’ retired numbers, so you can see the full numerical progression. There are 58 players in camp, the 40-man roster plus 18 non-roster invitees. A few […]
about 11 hours ago | 0 reads
Many Cubs players are already in Mesa, Arizona working out, but the official pitcher and catcher report day is Wednesday, Feb. 11, and the first full-squad workout will be Monday, Feb. 16. Today, the Cubs announced the names of 18 non-roster players who will join the 40-man roster in participating in spring camp at the […]
about 12 hours ago | 0 reads
As you will recall, about a year ago MLB and ESPN jointly agreed to void the final three years of their deal. That would have been it between MLB and the “Worldwide Leader,” but later in 2025 the league and the channel put together another agreement that will keep baseball on ESPN this year, though […]
about 15 hours ago | 0 reads
Good morning. With the Super Bowl finished, you all know what that means. It’s baseball season!
about 17 hours ago | 0 reads
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. The Manfred Man arrives, and other stories. Happy birthday to Todd Pratt* and other former […]
about 18 hours ago | 0 reads
Usually, I run just one sleuthing photo a day on the weekends during the offseason but I came across this one recently and it was too good to pass up. So let’s do a bit of baseball sleuthing as we wait for today’s Super Bowl to begin. Here we have brothers Joe and Phil Niekro […]
1 day ago | 1 read
Here are two Cubs from the last decade who you likely remember well, Starlin Castro and Tyler Colvin. This is another photo courtesy BCB reader Clark Addison. They are standing together at Wrigley Field, apparently just waiting. There’s no one else on the field, the umpires appear to be having some sort of meeting, and […]
1 day ago | 0 reads
The time for hibernation is ending and soon it will be serious business in Arizona. Some players, notably Nico Hoerner, are already in camp. The fires have been banked, but we are told the flames are ready to be fanned and that we’ll see that post-season-ready buzz in short order. *means autoplay on, (directions to remove […]
1 day ago | 0 reads
Terrance Gore was known as one of the fastest men in baseball. He played in 14 games for the Cubs in 2018, mostly as a pinch-runner, and also appeared in the Wild Card Game that year against the Rockies. He was still in MLB as recently as 2022, with the Mets. Today, I have sad […]
2 days ago | 0 reads
BCB reader Clark Addison sent me some more photos to sleuth, and said none were easy. Well! I love a sleuthing challenge. Today, we have a photo of actor Joe Mantegna, a big Cubs fan and creator of the play “Bleacher Bums.” He’s with Cubs manager Joe Maddon, which already dates it between 2015 and […]
3 days ago | 1 read
Vince Velasquez is the latest MiLB signing for our Cubs, it has been reported. This is in addition to Owen Miller, who has officially adorned the dotted line. The Cubs are filling up around the edges. I used to love Javy Báez. I still do, but I used to, too. Isiah Kiner-Falefa has filled Boston’s […]
3 days ago | 1 read
Eleventh in the series. Today we look at the Cubs’ veteran right fielder. 31-year-old Seiya Suzuki is a native of Arakawa, Japan, who came to the Cubs in 2022, with a reputation for good OF defense and a lively bat, after a storied career in NPB, where he played for the Hiroshima Toyo Carp. In his four […]
3 days ago | 0 reads
Today we’re counting down the top five prospects in the Cubs minor league system. Because of the requests of some of you, I’m going to do today’s in reverse order. I’ll try it this year. If I don’t like it, I’m going back to the other way next year. If you want to look back, […]
4 days ago | 0 reads
Let’s switch things up today and talk about a new baseball stadium in the Tampa Bay area that might actually get built. The Tampa Bay Rays have had quite the stadium saga. When they were created, they began play in Tropicana Field, originally built as the Florida Coast Sundome in 1989, when the area was […]
4 days ago | 0 reads
Happy Friday, everyone. In arbitration news, two-time Cy Young-winning pitcher Tarik Skubal proved why it’s worth it to know your value. He and the Detroit Tigers did not see eye-to-eye when arbitration came around, with the team offering him only $19 million to the $32 million he estimated he was worth. The Tigers notoriously do […]
4 days 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, Dale Long*, who held a significant record while he was a Pirate, and […]
4 days ago | 0 reads
xx Cubs will leave the Sloan Park complex in early March to take part in the 2026 World Baseball Classic. Here are all the North Siders who will participate. Cubs outfielder Pete Crow-Armstrong heads a three-player Cubs delegation to the USA team for the World Baseball Classic. New Cub Alex Bregman will also play for […]
4 days ago | 1 read
Tenth is the series. Today we look at the Cubs’ young center fielder. Peter Henry Crow-Armstrong, the first-round pick of the New York Mets in 2020, came on like gangbusters in the first half of 2025. His act flagged badly toward the end, but he turned in a marvelous season that raises expectations and anxieties […]
4 days ago | 3 reads
It’s our fourth day of counting down the Cubs top prospects and now we’re getting to the really interesting part. 6. Kane Kepley. OF. B:L, T:L. DOB: 2/14/2004. 5’8”, 180. Drafted 2nd round (2025) North Carolina. Kane Kepley had one of the best starts to a professional career of any 2025 draftee. After the Cubs […]
5 days ago | 2 reads
This article was prompted by discussion in the various articles I’ve posted recently about position players pitching. Basically, if you have put a position player in to pitch, you have essentially given up playing baseball and are just filling the time until nine innings have been completed. Often, the position player gives up multiple runs […]
5 days ago | 0 reads
Sources say Owen Miller has signed an MiLB agreement with the Cubs. He’s a lifetime backup with positional versatility and a .238/.287/.342 slash, with a lifetime -0.8 bWAR (0.7 fWAR) in MLB. Marquee Sports Network hasn’t offered any new content since the Convention. It makes me wonder. Like I wonder how people post articles on […]
5 days ago | 2 reads
We’re open for business here at BCB After Dark: the grooviest spot for night owls, early risers, new parents and Cubs fans abroad. It’s so good to see you this evening. Come in out of the cold. There’s no cover charge. We still have a few tables available. Bring your own beverage. BCB After Dark is […]
5 days ago | 0 reads
Reese McGuire came to the Cubs and produced when they really needed him — right after Miguel Amaya suffered an oblique injury in May. McGuire homered twice in his first game as a Cub and was a suitable backup for Carson Kelly the rest of the year. The Cubs, as you know, had fallen far […]
5 days ago | 0 reads