Cubs Rumors & News

ESPN "Major League Baseball in a memo warned about the "very real risk" of over-the-counter sexual-enhancement pills after at least two players this year were suspended for performance-enhancing drugs and claimed the banned substances found in their urine came from the unregulated products,..." August 21

NBC Sports Chicago "Cole Hamels is working on so much stuff mechanically right now, he compared his pitching delivery to a golf swing and how "you're thinking about like 10 different things and you can't hit the ball off the tee box." The veteran southpaw picked up the win Tuesday night..." August 21

USA Today "For years, it was perhaps the noblest surrender in sports, a rare raising of the white flag that mixed comedy, camaraderie and selflessness. Now, the sight of a position player climbing the mound to record the final outs of a lopsided major league game is an almost routine occurrence,..." August 21

NBC Sports Chicago "Ben Zobrist will see more action on the minor-league fields this weekend. The Cubs announced Tuesday evening the veteran switch-hitter will play for Double-A Tennessee Thursday night in Jackson, Tenn. Then, Zobrist would head back to Iowa where he will play with the Cubs'..." August 21

12 Up "Nicholas Castellanos already ripped the Detroit Tigers' home field of Comerica Park earlier this season, so what more could he say about his now former team? Even though we're three weeks removed from the trade deadline, Castellanos spoke to the media and was asked about the..." August 20

Beyond The Boxscore "51 was a foreign number to me. At the age of seven, an emboldened 51 on the back of a baseball card simply didn’t belong in the home run column. It was absurd and grotesque. Hitting 50 bombs was something I read about in baseball history books (yeah, I was a weird second grader). It..." August 20

CBS Sports "Though we're constantly talking about history this season when it comes to home runs -- and rightfully so -- let us not ignore the two-bagger. Doubles are fun and they are happening in a big way this season, despite certain groups of people bemoaning how it's just "home..." August 20

Bleacher Report "With trade season over and the postseason still a good distance in the future, now is a perfect time to second-guess decisions Major League Baseball teams have made in 2019. Specifically, we've attempted to pinpoint each team's most boneheaded choice since the season properly..." August 20

CBS Sports "It's no secret that active managers and coaches are getting younger each and every year. Most recently, front-offices have become more open to hiring recently retired players to lead their clubs. With a higher reliance on analytics and less dependency on the Xs and Os, the..." August 20

MLB Trade Rumors "We’re nearing the end of the 2019 regular season, a campaign which has featured plenty of valuable contributions from young starters. By my count, no fewer than 10 starters age 25 or younger have excelled this year. Several of them could continue helping their teams’ causes once the..." August 20

NBC Sports Chicago "David Bote signed a 5-year contract with the Cubs at the beginning of the year, but he is headed to Triple-A Iowa. Bote joins Ian Happ, Addison Russell and Albert Almora Jr. as notable Cubs position players to be sent to Iowa. Bote's production isn't as bad as the..." August 20

USA Today "The game is still played with the pitchers’ mound 60 feet, 6 inches from home plate, the bases 90 feet apart, three outs per half inning and nine innings in a regulation game. Those are about the only constants resembling the game of baseball as we once knew..." August 19

NBC Sports Chicago "Of course it happened this way. After going more than three months without winning a series away from Wrigley Field, the Cubs exorcised their demons on Sunday. With their 7-1 win over the Pirates, the North Siders secured their first road series win since May 17-19 against the..." August 19

The Score "If you've ever questioned how hard it is to hit a baseball, just ask Chicago Cubs third baseman and former National League MVP Kris Bryant. Bryant was one of seven victims to strike out against Philadelphia Phillies right-hander Aaron Nola on Wednesday, and he looked particularly..." August 18

NBC Chicago "The Chicago Cubs have made a big roster move on Sunday, activating closer Craig Kimbrel from the 10-day injured list. Kimbrel, who has been out since Aug. 5 with inflammation in his right knee, has nine saves so far this season with the Cubs, but does have a 5.68 ERA in 14 total..." August 18

NBC Sports Chicago "The last three games have been more than forgettable for the Cubs. From Wednesday’s 11-1 drubbing at the hands of the Phillies to back-to-back walk-off losses on Thursday and Friday, the Cubs’ current road trip has looked much like those that preceded it. At various times,..." August 18

CBS Sports "The Cubs' bullpen had a rough week. On Thursday, it blew what was a 5-0 lead entering the eighth inning, culminating with Bryce Harper's walkoff grand slam for a Phillies sweep. Friday, the Cubs took a 2-1 lead in the eighth inning, but then Brandon Kintzler allowed a walkoff..." August 17

CBS Sports "The Cubs lost their fourth straight game Friday, also marking losses in six of their last seven games. It shouldn't come as much of a shock to anyone paying attention, though, because there is a simple explanation: They were on the road.  The Cubs are now 23-39 on the road..." August 17

Sporting News "The Cubs shuffled the deck again Friday as they continue to grapple for consistency. Chicago recalled Addison Russell from his exile to Triple-A and sent underperforming outfielder Albert Almora down to Iowa. The Cubs also activated reliever Brandon Kintzler from the injured list and..." August 17

12 Up "On Friday, several minor league players were officially suspended by Major League Baseball for violating the league's PED policy. Three players, including Chicago Cubs minor league pitcher Marcos Encarnacion, Atlanta Braves minor league pitcher Luis Diaz, and Seattle Mariners..." August 17

Bleacher Report "As we head into the dog days of summer and toward the MLB stretch run, it's as good a time as any to examine every team's worst bang-for-your-buck star. This isn't an exact science. But we'll consider each player's 2019 salary (per Spotrac) versus..." August 16

SB Nation "Watch any major league game these days, and you’ll probably see both managers make several trips out to the mound to make a pitching change. Heavy reliance on relief pitchers lends itself to roster churn, a near-constant replenishing of bullpen arms. It’s created a class..." August 16

MLB Trade Rumors "The ability to handle late-inning pressure still has value to teams. But the accumulation of saves, standing alone, isn’t generally the driver of open-market bullpen salaries that it once was. For arbitration, however, saves tallies pay big, opening the door to significant earning..." August 16

NBC Sports Chicago "Kyle Schwarber is keeping it 100. In Thursday's game against the Phillies, Schwarber hit a major milestone in his big league career. The 26-year-old hit his 100th career home run with a blast into deep center field at Citizens Bank Park. August 16

MLB Trade Rumors "There was a well-documented run on contract extensions prior to this season, which bled into the current campaign in multiple instances. All told, 30 players inked multiyear pacts with their clubs between January and April. We highlighted five last week who’ve disappointed this..." August 16

Bleacher Report "Now that the Major League Baseball trade deadline has come and gone, up next on the list of things to look forward to are the stretch run of the regular season and, of course, the postseason. But let's skip right past those and look ahead to free agency. We have fresh..." August 15

USA Today "With just six weeks left in the regular season, baseball's playoff races are heating up. Several divisions are still in play, which trickles down to the wild-card races, particularly in the National League with seven teams within 4 ½ games. Here's a..." August 15

Chicago Tribune "After the Cubs suffered one of their most humbling losses Wednesday night, manager Joe Maddon remained calm. “There’s no readjustment to the lineup,” Maddon said after an 11-1 loss to the Phillies that knocked them out of first place in the National League..." August 15

NBC Sports Chicago "Tonight, as Cole Hamels is set to pitch against his first team, the Philadelphia Phillies, I am reminded of the truth of the major league journey. It was Phillies spring training in 2004 when I sat in the dugout and saw Hamels pitch for the first time. I was the aging veteran, a role..." August 14

MLB Trade Rumors "The Reds have made a pair of claims already, nabbing Kevin Gausman from the Braves and Freddy Galvis from the Blue Jays. While the Cincinnati organization still hasn’t manage to make a run into clear postseason contention, it’s in shouting distance and obviously..." August 14

Bleacher Report "Theo Epstein has denied that Joe Maddon's recent comments about his contract reportedly made the Chicago Cubs unhappy. Per Dan Bernstein of 670 The Score (h/t Evan Altman of Cubs Insider), the Cubs are "pissed" at Maddon because he..." August 13

CBS Sports "We're inside seven weeks to go in the 2019 season, which means every pitcher has about 8-9 starts and maybe 45-50 innings remaining. That is, if they're allowed to use them. Innings limits are a fact of life. When a guy's workload enters uncharted territory, you..." August 13

ESPN "Good news if you're a Tigers, Orioles, Mariners or Royals fan: You can start prepping for 2020! MLB released its 2020 schedule and here are some key dates to know. Opening Day, March 26: All 30 teams will open up on a Thursday in late March. At least MLB did a better job of..." August 12

The Score "Major League Baseball has announced the schedule for the 2020 season, which will officially begin with all 30 teams playing Thursday, March 26.  MLB Communications cataloged some noteworthy contests on next season's calendar, including the first game at the Texas..." August 12

MLB Trade Rumors "With over two-thirds of the 2019 season in the books, let’s check in to see how seven players are progressing towards possible vesting options in their contracts.  For those unfamiliar with the term, a vesting option is an agreed-upon threshold within a player’s contract..." August 12

Chicago Sun-Times "As the Cubs’ road woes continue and speculation persists that manager Joe Maddon’s job is at stake down the stretch, the fifth-year manager said his optimism level is “very high” that he’ll return with a contact extension next season. “I’m..." August 11

MLB.com "The Cubs’ bullpen absorbed another blow on Saturday, when righty sidearmer Steve Cishek was placed on the 10-day injured list due to left hip inflammation. Chicago’s bullpen is now missing four key arms: closer Craig Kimbrel (10-day IL with right knee inflammation), setup..." August 10

Chicago Sun-Times "Hell-bent on changing their road fortunes, the Cubs dispatched mental-skills coordinator Bob Tewksbury for the start of a 10-game trip Thursday. Players also arrived at Great American Ball Park to find their pinstriped, home-white jerseys hanging at their lockers in the..." August 10

Bleacher Report "There are no more trades to be made in Major League Baseball. This season's July 31 deadline truly ended the summer trading season, so contenders will have to find other means to make upgrades. We have a few ideas. We've taken a look at each of the 17..." August 09

12 Up "It's amazing what can happen when you change teams and go from one of the worst teams in baseball to a playoff contender overnight. Outfielder Nicholas Castellanos when from the Detroit Tigers to the Chicago Cubs, and immediately he's a different player and..." August 09

Chicago Sun-Times "A huge “Happy 30th Birthday” poster with a graduation photo and childhood snapshots, including a grade-school shot with a mullet, greeted first baseman Anthony Rizzo when he got to the clubhouse Thursday at Great American Ball Park. “It’s kind of..." August 09

12 Up "There is a reason why pizza is so popular in the Windy City. Chicago Cubs pitcher Jose Quintana jokingly ordered a pepperoni pizza from Pizza Hut prior to a game against the Cincinnati Reds, and has been on fire ever since. Really? Since ordering the "bullpen..." August 08

Sporting News "The Cubs are thankful they landed Jonathan Lucroy. Chicago needed a catcher after trading away backup Martin Maldonado at the deadline shortly before Willson Contreras suffered a hamstring injury that is expected to keep him out for about a month. But, despite the..." August 08

MLB Trade Rumors "MLBTR is the hottest spot on the internet for all your arbitration needs! I know, I know … bold marketing statement. But it’s true. We take the arb process seriously in these parts, from essential arbitration projections to detailed breakdowns to in-time coverage of the..." August 08

Hardball Talk "In a move that seemed inevitable the moment Willson Contreras grabbed his hamstring last weekend the Cubs have signed free agent catcher Jonathan Lucroy. Lucroy, 33, was released by the Angels on Monday. he had batted just .242/.310/.371 over 74 games this year in..." August 07

Bleacher Report "The MLB trade deadline is in the rearview. We're headed for the stretch run. Let's pause for a moment to gaze ahead at the upcoming free-agent market and predict the direction each team will take.  It's early, sure. But it's an interesting thought..." August 07

Larry Brown Sports "Jon Lester has not pitched particularly well over the past month with the Chicago Cubs clinging to the division lead in the NL Central, and he knows that has to change going forward. Lester gave up a season-high 10 earned runs in just four innings of an 11-4 loss to the Oakland..." August 07

Hardball Talk "Per Kelly Crull of NBC Sports Chicago, the Cubs have activated reliever Pedro Stropfrom the injured list and placed reliever Brandon Kintzler on the IL due to inflammation in his right pectoral muscle. Kintzler’s injury is considered mild. Manager Joe Maddon said, “To..." August 07

Bleacher Report "The Chicago Cubs climbed the mountaintop in 2016. They won the World Series. They broke arguably the most infamous championship drought in professional sports history. They buried the billy goat curse with a burgeoning young core..." August 06

NBC Sports Chicago "No more than five minutes after Willson Contreras came up hobbling in Saturday's Cubs win, there was Kyle Schwarber with a catcher's glove in hand. Schwarber jumped at the chance to squat behind home plate, even if only to warm up a couple of Cubs relievers in between innings..." August 06