All of the Stuff

Let Craig and Nico tell you… [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b2PzUqioe1w?si=iqjDOO-Y4XtkvS6V&w=560&h=315] [...]

The New York Mets have signed former Chicago Cubs reliever Julian Merryweather to a minor-league deal after he was recently designated for assignment. [...]

We’re going to move quickly on this one yet again, but I hope to get back to more in-depth breakdowns after this weekend. My daughter just graduated high school — summa cum laude, class president, etc — and her open house is this afternoon. Meanwhile, my son has had four [...]

Ben Brown entered his May 31 outing against the Reds with a 6.39 ERA, having given up 14 runs in his last two starts combined. He began the season as the fifth starter in the rotation, moving up in order as Justin Steele and Shōta Imanaga went down with injuries, [...]

Brendan joins Sean to talk about the Cubs explosive offense and terrific start to the season. Other topics include Pete Crow-Armstrong as a possible MVP, major contributions from young players like Matt Shaw and Cade Horton, and a surprisingly competent bullpen. [soundcloud url="https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/2107386219" params="color=#ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&show_teaser=true&visual=true" width="100%" height="300" iframe="true" /] Sean Holland · Holy [...]

One of the secrets to the Cubs’ success this year is they are not one team. They are two teams, stunningly different in their approaches, yet equally potent. [...]

Trade season is fast approaching, and teams have mostly begun to start sorting themselves between the contenders and pretenders. At almost every trade deadline, there’s one need that teams prioritize filling than any other: starting pitching. There’s no such thing as too many starters, and that’s become even more true [...]

The Cubs have designated right-hander Tyson Miller for assignment after reinstating him from the 60-day injured list, per Maddie Lee of the Chicago Sun-Times. He had been pitching on a rehab assignment of late but it seems the club didn’t want to add him back to the roster. Since he [...]

The Cubs are signing right-hander Jake Woodford to a minor league deal, reports MLBTR’s Steve Adams. Woodford, a client of Excel Sports Management, is heading to Triple-A Iowa and will start for that club tomorrow night. Woodford, 28, just opted out of a minor league deal with the Yankees a few [...]

The Cubs texted me to let me know the All-Star Ballot is now live, so with the season barely a third completed, we have to once again choose who to send to the midsummer popularity contest, or else we can abstain and hope every Cubs player gets an extended rest. [...]

Nats park has been around for a good 17 years now, but I still have to stop and catch myself and remember that they don’t still play at RFK. It is/was a weird, ugly mound of concrete but oddly I’ve had the best hot dogs that I’ve ever eaten at [...]

For a second time this season, Chicago Cubs manager Craig Counsell deployed an "opener" rather than a traditional starter. For a second time this season, it's worked and ultimately led to a win. The first instance came on May 10 in New York, when Brad Keller tossed a scoreless first inning against [...]

It’s been a bit since we’ve had a new post, so here’s a good excuse after a Cubs win fueled mostly by good pitching and defense (plus a bit of help from the Wrigley winds), before some late fortuitous offense. Ben Brown did pretty well after Drew Pomeranz opened for [...]

The Cubs released reliever Julian Merryweather, according to the MLB.com transaction log. He’d been designated for assignment last week when they selected Brooks Kriske (who is himself now in DFA limbo). Merryweather, 33, lost his roster spot after a rough start to the season. The righty gave up 13 runs (12 earned) [...]

Despite losing Justin Steele to Tommy John surgery in April and Shota Imanaga to a hamstring strain in early May, the Cubs starting pitching staff has held it together respectably. Going into the weekend series against the Reds, the Cubs’ starters had a collective 3.95 ERA and a 3.3 fWAR. [...]

The Cubs announced that they have signed left-hander Génesis Cabrera, a move that had been previously reported. In a corresponding move, right-hander Brooks Kriske has been designated for assignment. Kriske, 31, was only just added to the roster less than a week ago. He made one appearance, tossing two scoreless innings [...]

The latest episode of the MLB Trade Rumors Podcast is now live on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and wherever you get your podcasts! Make sure you subscribe as well! You can also use the player at this link to listen, if you don’t use Spotify or Apple for podcasts. This week, host Darragh McDonald is joined [...]

May 28: It’s a big league contract, reports Thomas Harrigan of MLB.com. Cabrera will draw directly into Craig Counsell’s bullpen once he passes a physical. The Cubs will need to create space on the active and 40-man rosters. May 27: The Cubs are in agreement with reliever Génesis Cabrera, reports Jon Heyman [...]

Cubs catcher Miguel Amaya hit the injured list over the weekend due to a left oblique strain. At the time of his IL placement, the team indicated that Amaya was headed for imaging to determine the severity of the injury. That step has been completed, and manager Craig Counsell informed [...]

The Cubs made an effort to lock up center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong during Spring Training. At the time, an MLB.com report indicated that Chicago made an offer that could have maxed out around $75MM had all the option years been exercised — though the actual guarantee would have checked in lower [...]