Cubs Stuff

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 [...]

I’m currently watching the Knicks try to do something against the Pacers, who seem intent to give up their lead but it’s the Knicks so I guess that may be a challenge, just after the Mets beat the Dodgers. That means there is now a three-way tie for second best [...]

TODAY: The Cubs officially placed Amaya on the 10-day IL and selected McGuire’s contract from Triple-A. SATURDAY, 11:00pm: Jesse Rogers of ESPN reports that McGuire is likely to be the Cubs’ choice to replace Amaya on the roster. 10:16pm: The Cubs were dealt a blow to their lineup today when catcher Miguel [...]

The Cubs announced they’ve designated reliever Julian Merryweather for assignment. He’ll be replaced on the active and 40-man rosters by Brooks Kriske, whose contract was selected from Triple-A. Merryweather, 33, loses his roster spot thanks to a rough start to the season. The hard-throwing righty has given up 13 runs (12 [...]

The Cubs’ efforts to host the 2027 All-Star Game appear to be “gaining momentum,” writes Patrick Mooney of The Athletic. Bruce Levine of 670 The Score reported on Thursday afternoon that the game “will be awarded” to the Cubs later this summer, but a team spokesperson subsequently told reporters that [...]

Yay, more divisional baseball! (physically drags axe away from grindstone). The Cubs face the Reds for their first series of the year this weekend, and will turn around to host them at Wrigley next week. While the Cubs are in their stretch of relatively weaker opponents, the Reds are definitely [...]

We were hoping on the last Dreamcast that the Cubs would make a sort of a run, and so far so good (albeit could’ve swept but for some dumb baseball things and the usual bullpen grumblings). As I revisited the preview I did before the season started (which still includes [...]

Infielder Nicky Lopez went unclaimed on outright waivers after being designated for assignment by the Cubs, per the transaction log at MLB.com. Chicago sent him outright to Triple-A Iowa, but Lopez has instead elected free agency. He can now sign with any team. The 30-year-old Lopez is a versatile, glove-first utility [...]

About a year ago, Matthew Boyd was recovering from a left elbow injury and throwing for teams, hoping to get signed. He landed with the Cleveland Guardians, where he made 8 starts and posted a 2.72 ERA during the 2024 regular season and then added three postseason starts with a [...]