Chicago Cubs Articles - Page 49

When the Chicago Cubs faced the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 2017 NLCS, they got a healthy dosage of Yu Darvish. After the Dodgers took the first two games in Los Angeles, Darvish came to Wrigley Field and dominated the Cubs, striking out seven and giving up just one run in 6 2/3 innings of […]

The Chicago Cubs are one of the winningest MLB franchises in the last few years. After a long and arduous rebuild that began in earnest following the 2010 season, the Cubs burst back onto the scene as contenders in 2015. One season later, they had finally climbed the mountain in winning their first World Series […]

As the All-Star Break is closing up shop and the second half of the MLB season has already begun, teams across both the American and National leagues are gearing up for their run at making it into the postseason. While five teams from each league will ultimately earn a spot in the playoffs, not every […]

The halfway point in the 2019 MLB season has come and gone, and as teams gear up for the dog days of summer, there are some organizations that may have more to play for than others. Heading into Spring Training, there were plenty of exciting storylines. Whether fans chose to follow the retooled teams in […]

The halfway point of the 2019 MLB season has come and gone, and the All-Star break is just around the corner. While NBA free agency talk has dominated the majority of the headlines as of late, baseball teams around the league are going through internal changes as they prepare to enter the dog days of […]

With the ebb and flow of a 162 game MLB season having just crossed its halfway mark, both the National and American Leagues are sorting out their standings in an attempt to decipher who will be falling into the group of buyers and who will be selling off their talent before the trade deadline hits. […]

The good news is that before any gameplay on June 28th, the Chicago Cubs are sitting in first place in the National League Central division, having looked the part of a divisional winner so far as the last few days of June come to a close. The bad news? They only sit one game ahead […]

It didn’t take long for Craig Kimbrel to make his debut with the Chicago Cubs. After being called up for the final game of the Cubs’ series against the Atlanta Braves at Wrigley Field, Kimbrel made an immediate impact. He came into the game in the ninth inning and recorded his first save with the […]

The date is April 10th. The Chicago Cubs have just lost a game to the Pittsburgh Pirates, 5-2. This marked eight losses in their first 11 games. Doubters seemed to forget that there was 151 games left following this meaning loss to the Pirates. The Cubs went on to win 22 of their next 28 […]

Every year, there are teams from both the National League and the American League who exceed expectations and make much more noise than everyone figured they would. While not always making the playoffs at season end, their names are at least in the running all the way up to the end, so at least they […]

For the majority of this 2019 MLB season, two players have come to define excellence in the National League: Christian Yelich and Cody Bellinger. What Yelich and Bellinger have done thus far has made them clear-cut frontrunners for the MVP award, and they have dominated headlines in the process. But in a league as competitive […]

Javier Baez has become one of the most dangerous bats in baseball and that was on display once again against the Colorado Rockies on Wednesday afternoon. The Chicago Cubs have been handing it to the Rockies all afternoon and Baez added to that with a massive home run that he smashed and admired. If you […]

Even with as much success as these teams have experienced so far in 2019, there are always instances in which players need to move on, regardless of how good the situation is. For the likes of the Los Angeles Dodgers, Philadelphia Phillies and the tied Chicago Cubs and Milwaukee Brewers, each of these National League […]

After the long-standing wait for All-Star closer Craig Kimbrel and starting pitcher Dallas Keuchel to finally choose their new MLB teams ended with the Chicago Cubs and Atlanta Braves, respectively, getting his services, there are teams who were in on both players that now have to figure out what Plan B-Z looks like. The likes […]

If I told you that the active leader in saves and the career leader in ERA+ who was coming off of a 42-save season in 2019 remained unsigned in early June, would you have believed me? Craig Kimbrel’s incessant offseason demands for a long-term, lucrative contract in free agency put him in this position, but […]

Joe Maddon and the Chicago Cubs have worked their way into the upper echelon of contenders in the National League. That was even before the big news that broke yesterday afternoon. Theo Epstein and the Cubs went out and agreed to a three-year deal with superstar closer Craig Kimbrel. It was a move that was […]

The Chicago Cubs have reached an agreement with free agent closer Craig Kimbrel, according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic: BREAKING: #Cubs in agreement with free-agent closer Craig Kimbrel, pending physical, sources tell The Athletic. — Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) June 6, 2019 Multi-year deal for Kimbrel with #Cubs, source tells The Athletic. — Ken Rosenthal […]

With the conclusion of the MLB Draft on Wednesday, plenty of reporters have speculated that there would be increased bidding for free agent pitchers Craig Kimbrel and Dallas Keuchel. Both players have compensatory first-round draft picks attached to their name, but those compensation picks are dead and gone as the first round has already concluded. […]

The Chicago Cubs signed veteran outfielder and former superstar Carlos Gonzalez to a minor-league a short while ago and officially called him up to the big leagues this afternoon. In his debut, Gonzalez made his presence felt immediately. With the bases loaded, Gonzalez made an insane diving catch to save multiple runs. For those of […]

Having dealt with some interesting parity to open up the 2019 MLB season, the sport of baseball is in full swing as the month of May closes to an end. The National League divisional leaders, Philadelphia Phillies in the NL East, Chicago Cubs in the Central and Los Angeles Dodgers in the West, all have […]

The Chicago Cubs got off to a rather inauspicious start to their 2019 campaign. Firstly, the team had one of the quietest winters in years while National League Central foes like the St. Louis Cardinals, Milwaukee Brewers and Cincinnati Reds all made improvements to their clubs. The Cubs–who made the biggest splashes of the winter […]

Currently leading the National League Central division by only 1.5 games as the end of May draws closer and closer, the Chicago Cubs have a bit of an issue that needs fixing. Their positional player depth, while a strong suit for the franchise this season, is making it a bit tough to juggle for manager […]

If there is one thing that has become obvious so far this season for the Chicago Cubs, it is that they need to pursue a new closing option. With Brandon Morrow’s injury issues and the rest of the bullpen not finding ways to close out games cleanly, the Cubs need to get aggressive when it […]

Javier Baez and the Chicago Cubs have turned things around after a slow start to the 2019 MLB season. Now, not only are they a solid team, they are one of the hottest teams in baseball. That trend continued on Tuesday evening with a huge 3-2 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies in the friendly confines […]

Currently sitting at a healthy ten games over .500, the Chicago Cubs came from the ashes early on in their 2019 campaign to sit in first place over the Milwaukee Brewers. Dubbed as one of the most difficult divisions to win this season, the National League Central will truly test the wills of all teams […]

When you think of dominant starting rotations, you might think of the power arms of Justin Verlander and Gerrit Cole for the Houston Astros. Or perhaps Washington’s combination of Max Scherzer and Stephen Strasburg come to mind. Corey Kluber and Trevor Bauer are almost always come up as possible trade pieces at the deadline, but […]

Four out of the five teams that are a part of the National League Central are currently over .500 entering play on May 9th (sorry Cincinnati), and all five teams are competitive to open the season too, so the NL Central division is shaping up to be a doozy in 2019. While this was a […]

In all of the offseason predictions, one thing seemed to ring throughout all conversations: that the National League Central would boast one of the best spreads of teams in the entire league for the 2019 season. While backed up by strong facts and solid opinions in the offseason, those NL Central facts are far from […]

The Toronto Raptors can close out the Orlando Magic in Game 5 of their first-round Eastern Conference playoff series on Tuesday night, but history is not on their side. Or is that even relevant? In the past, the Raptors have had playoff struggles, showing an inability to come up big when it really counts. Of […]

Things have not been too peachy on the North Side of Chicago during the early goings of the 2019 MLB season. While the reigning National League Central champion Milwaukee Brewers have jumped out to an 8-2 start, the Chicago Cubs dropped to 2-7 after losing two of three in Milwaukee this weekend. After an offseason […]

The Chicago Cubs have gotten off to a sluggish start in 2018 and fans are beginning to get worried. Even though it’s early in the season, the pitching staff has given them cause for concern. Thankfully, the piece of news that came out this afternoon is nothing but good news. According to a report from […]

In 2018, the National League Central division had its fair share of tough battles down the road, as the Milwaukee Brewers and Chicago Cubs battled back and forth for the right to win the divisional crown. With 162 games not being enough, a tiebreaker was needed to solve the tie. The Brewers, after going down […]

The Chicago Cubs have reached a four-year extension with starter Kyle Hendricks, according to multiple sources: Kyle Hendricks has just agreed to a four-year extension with a club option for a fifth season. pic.twitter.com/YW7j8deGwv — The Pedro Gomez Foundation (@PGFoundation_) March 26, 2019 Correction: Deal is four years, $55.5M. Option is a vesting option, not […]

Expectations are always hard to follow through on, especially in professional sports. Injuries, flashes in the pan, players not developing on expected timelines, all of these aspects ring true in some shape during a typical MLB season. In 2019, the league has seen offense overtake and dominant the gameplay, as players are using advanced stats […]

Spring Training is the time of year that all MLB fans look forward to as the unofficial official start to spring. While teams must travel to warm areas of the country to avoid the cold weather taking over the vast majority of the states, the scent of spring and the sound of bats cracking can […]

Opening Day is on the horizon, and one of the greatest closers in the modern era remains unsigned. That’s right, Craig Kimbrel is still unemployed. The 30-year-old notched 42 saves and won a World Series with the Boston Red Sox last season, but he also struggled mightily. Kimbrel allowed seven runs in just over 10 […]

After missing the vast majority of 2018 with a triceps strain and a stress reaction on his pitching elbow, Chicago Cubs starting pitcher Yu Darvish is out to actually attempt to validate his contract in 2019. Signed to a six-year, $126 million contract with an opt-out clause after this season, Darvish has a ton of […]

Over the last four seasons, no team in baseball has won more games (387) than the Chicago Cubs. The Cubs made three consecutive NLCS appearances from 2015-17, winning their first World Series championship in 108 years in 2016. And yet, the past two seasons have ended in disappointment. Chicago led the MLB in run differential […]

As a mainstay on the major league roster for the Chicago Cubs since 2012, first baseman Anthony Rizzo has become a franchise cornerstone over the years, belting out long home runs and making great plays at first. A consistent offensive threat for the Cubbies, Rizzo is what consistent looks like in terms of production at […]