Cubs Rumors & News

Deadspin "Cubs executive Theo Epstein is embroiled in a not-at-all-classic security deposit dispute with a landlord whose home in Paradise Valley, Arizona Epstein rented with his family during spring training in 2015. The landlord says Epstein’s small family dog was a prolific piss-monster; Epstein..." October 15

USA Today "In baseball's new era of big data, high-definition cameras and tablets in the dugout, pitch-tipping – and how teams decipher and share the information – has become less about gamesmanship and entered something of an ethical gray area. It's..." October 15

Hardball Talk "Evan Drellich of The Athletic reported this morning that Major League Baseball and the Major League Baseball Players Association are in discussions that could lead to the creation of a testing regime for opioids. This, obviously, comes in the wake of the July 1 death of Angels pitcher..." October 15

Sportress of Blogitude "Alex Rodriguez, entering the final year of his deal with ESPN, is expected to remain in his current analyst role on the “Sunday Night Baseball” broadcast team, but he could be the only holdover from the current crew next season. Andrew Marchand of the New York..." October 15

MLB Trade Rumors "The value of the qualifying offer will be set at $17.8MM for the coming winter, per Jayson Stark of The Athletic (via Twitter). That’s down by $100K from last year’s mark of $17.9MM. In every prior year that the QO has been in existence, it has risen. The offer price is..." October 15

NBC Sports Bay Area "Bruce Bochy spent 25 consecutive years as a big league manager, but it appears the Giants are looking to go the opposite route as they search for Bochy's replacement. Two weeks in, there's a consistent theme with the known names in the managerial search. They mostly are..." October 15

Chicago Sun-Times "If this week’s schedule is any indication, the Cubs’ decision on a new manager could be headed toward a conclusion in the next week or so. On Monday, the Cubs were scheduled to interview Astros bench coach Joe Espada. The club also added a surprising name to its interview..." October 15

Yardbarker "Former big league outfielder Sam Fuld, currently serving as the Phillies’ Major League player information coordinator, declined the opportunity to interview with the Cubs, Mets and Pirates for their managerial vacancies, MLBTR has learned. The 37-year-old Fuld, who had..." October 15

Chicago Sun-Times "Minutes before Cubs president Theo Epstein’s annual postmortem, whispers among reporters rose in the Wrigley Field interview room as a media-relations executive from the business operation and recently reassigned baseball executive Jason McLeod entered the room and waited against a..." October 14

Hardball Talk "As we wait for tonight’s NLCS to kick off — a preview on that will be up later this morning — let’s talk about all the managerial openings, shall we? With the Dodgers giving Dave Roberts their vote of confidence last night — and none of the remaining..." October 11

The Score "Major League Baseball issued a statement Thursday denying the baseballs being used in the 2019 playoffs are different than those used in regular-season play. The statement comes amid concerns MLB changed its baseballs for the playoffs following a regular season that saw record power..." October 11

12 Up "Well, Rob Manfred, what in the actual heck do we have here? For Major League Baseball fans out there, there are few things more thrilling than seeing the ball fly out of the park. The "Chicks Dig the Long Ball" theory exists for a reason, after all. Everyone loves..." October 10

MLB Trade Rumors "Pirates center fielder Starling Marte isn’t a perfect player, but he’s a very good one. And he’s now within two seasons of free agency, with the Bucs looking increasingly unlikely to contend before that time comes. The 31-year-old ought to have plenty of appeal,..." October 09

Yardbarker "It was easy to forget since he did not pitch in 2019, but the Cubs inked righty Kendall Graveman to a fairly unique contract last winter. Now, the team will soon face a decision on his future with the organization. Graveman’s deal promised him $575K for 2019..." October 09

12 Up "The Cubs put all their eggs in one basket in order to win the World Series in 2016, and while they achieved their goal, it came at a cost. Most notably, the Cubs traded then-top prospect Gleyber Torres to land Aroldis Chapman from the Yankees, a move that helped them..." October 08

Larry Brown Sports "The Chicago Cubs will continue their search this week for a new manager, and that will include interviews with some former catchers. According to both 670 The Score’s Bruce Levine and the Chicago Tribune’s Mark Gonzalez, Joe Girardi is set to interview for..." October 08

MLB Trade Rumors "In a frank interview with The Athletic’s Patrick Mooney, veteran starter Cole Hamels indicated an openness–if not downright interest–in pitching for an NL Central club next season, regardless of whether or not the Cubs elect to re-sign him (link). While the..." October 07

CBS Sports "The MLB postseason is in full swing, but it is never too early to look ahead to the hot stove season, and a big new free agent will be available this winter. The Yokohama DeNA BayStars in Japan announced Monday that they will post slugging outfielder Yoshitomo Tsutsugo for MLB teams this..." October 07

MLB Trade Rumors "First of all, there’s more than a decent chance that Mookie Betts will still be a member of the 2020 Red Sox.  As per Sox president/CEO Sam Kennedy, the team’s intention to get payroll under the $208MM luxury tax threshold is a “goal but not a..." October 06

MLB Trade Rumors "A slow night in transactional and hot stove-related news allows for a closer reading of the previous week’s industry news, and a Wednesday piece from the Los Angeles Times’ Bill Shaikin is certainly deserving of a look, for those who missed it upon publication. In the shadow of the..." October 06

Yardbarker "After a 2018 offseason that saw countless veterans linger on the free agent vine much longer than anticipated, MLBPA executive director Tony Clark is expecting yet another cooled stove this winter. Judging from comments made to The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal on Thursday, he..." October 06

MLB Trade Rumors "Former Toronto Blue Jays manager John Gibbons is throwing his hat in the ring for the many managerial openings across Major League Baseball, per MLB Network’s Jon Morosi (via Twitter). Gibbons last managed a major league team in 2018 when he led the Toronto Blue Jays to a record..." October 05

Yardbarker "The Cubs have begun formal interviews as they seek to identify their next manager, the team informed reporters including Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune. First-round interviews will carry into next week, at least. First up for a chat was Mark Loretta, who served as the..." October 05

MLB Trade Rumors "When I was a kid, prior to the 1994 strike, it was common for about a dozen MLB players to hit 30+ home runs in a season.  The only notable exception was in 1987, when the so-called “rabbit ball” led to 28 players hitting 30+ home runs.  There was an apparent..." October 04

Sportsnaut "Major League Baseball is one of four major professional North American sports leagues that still test for marijuana. It also does not allow the substance to be used as a pain-killing alternative. This is all taking place in a country that has seen several states legalize marijuana for..." October 03

Sportsnaut "The Chicago Cubs apparently aren’t wasting any time looking for a manager to replace the recently ousted Joe Maddon. According to Jon Heyman of MLB Network, former Cubs catcher David Ross is favored to replace Maddon. In fact, the job could be his if he wants..." October 02

Chicago Tribune "Joe Girardi admitted he has interest in the Cubs managerial vacancy, though he added he’s mostly interested in returning to the game. Appearing on WSCR-AM 670’s “Mully & Haugh Show” Wednesday morning, Girardi was careful not to appear to be campaigning for..." October 02

MLB.com "The baseball industry is poised to witness one of the most turbulent offseasons in memory among its managerial profession. On the first full day of the Major League Baseball offseason, six managerial searches were underway. More jobs could open in the coming days as..." October 02

Deadspin "For the first time since Major League Baseball required the extension of foul ball nets to the ends of the dugouts before the 2018 season, individual teams have begun to take the injuries suffered by their fans seriously. As detailed in a story I reported earlier this year, foul..." October 01

USA Today "Would anyone be surprised if Brad Ausmus, shoved out the door Monday by the Los Angeles Angels, actually tripped over the red carpet rolled out for Joe Maddon while leaving the team parking lot Monday afternoon? Within minutes, well, maybe seconds of Ausmus'..." October 01

Cubs Insider "Go ahead and add Raul Ibañez to the “broad list” of Cubs managerial candidates that to this point only officially features David Ross. MLB Network’s Jon Morosi has reported that the Cubs will consider the well-traveled former player and current special assistant to..." October 01

NBC Sports Chicago "Theo Epstein acknowledged Monday that former Cubs catcher David Ross is on the team’s list of candidates to replace former manager Joe Maddon. “He’s on our broad list of candidates. He’s one of many candidates,” Epstein said at Monday’s..." September 30

Yardbarker "Joe Maddon is out as the Cubs’ manager, but the 65-year-old isn’t eyeing retirement. Bob Nightengale of USA Today writes that Maddon hopes to manage for another three to five seasons and is open to signing on with rebuilding clubs and contenders..." September 30

CBS Sports "On Sunday, the Chicago Cubs announced manager Joe Maddon would not come back for a sixth season. Maddon's tenure with the Cubs, then, ends with four playoff appearances and 90-win campaigns, as well as the 2016 World Series title that snapped Chicago's title drought. On..." September 30

Hardball Talk "White Sox shortstop Tim Anderson went 0-for-2 in Sunday’s season finale, but still comfortably won the American League batting title with a .335 average. He is the first member of the White Sox to win the batting title since Frank Thomas in 1997. Anderson slashed .335/.357/.508..." September 30

NBC Sports Chicago "There will be a new manager on the top step of the Cubs dugout at Wrigley Field next season. After all the speculation, the Cubs are, in fact, choosing to part ways with Joe Maddon following the 2019 season. The move was made official Sunday after Maddon and Theo Epstein met Saturday..." September 29

NBC Sports Chicago "Joe Maddon and Theo Epstein are planning to meet Saturday night after the Cubs-Cardinals game to discuss the manager's future. Both parties indicated they would be meeting as the Cubs' season wound to a close, but Maddon confirmed Saturday evening that discussion would take..." September 28

12 Up "You can all but guarantee that Joe Maddon is not going to be brought back as the manager of the Chicago Cubs, news that was only further confirmed by Ken Rosenthal's Friday report. It's crazy to think he won't be retained by the team he won a World Series..." September 28

MLB.com "Cole Hamels wants to take the mound one last time for the Cubs not only for this season, but also with next year in mind. Hamels is heading into free agency for the first time in his 14-year career in the big leagues and will do so following a season that was marred by injuries...." September 27

12 Up "It appears that the Joe Maddon era has come to an end on the North Side, as the Chicago Cubs manager is likely not going to be back at Wrigley Field next season. According to Ken Rosenthal, it's widely understood that 2019 will be Maddon's final season at..." September 27

CBS Sports "  Major League Baseball has released its list of top jersey sales and for a third straight year, Yankees' slugger Aaron Judge sits at the top. At first blush, it seems a surprise, but digging deeper it makes sense. Of course a Yankees player is going to lead..." September 27

ESPN "The Milwaukee Brewers continued their scorching September with their 19th win of the month Wednesday, clinching a postseason berth and eliminating both the New York Mets and Chicago Cubs in the process. The Brewers' 9-2 victory at Cincinnati brought..." September 26

The Score "The Chicago Cubs were officially eliminated from postseason contention on Wednesday, and manager Joe Maddon isn't planning to put out his top lineup for each game of the club's weekend series against the St. Louis Cardinals. Maddon expects this won't sit..." September 26

Sportsnaut "Chicago Cubs manager Joe Maddon is not in the greatest of moods after seeing his team be eliminated from playoff contention earlier this week. He’s also feeling a ton of pressure with the former World Series champ’s future in the Windy City up in the air. It..." September 26

Bleacher Report "Now that the Chicago Cubs' fall from grace is complete, the only question is if the recovery effort will fall to an all-new cast of characters. What's certain for now is there won't be any October baseball at Wrigley Field this year. Even before the Cubs wrapped up..." September 26

NBC Sports Chicago "Wednesday evening at PNC Park might be the last time Joe Maddon takes Jon Lester out of a baseball game. The Brewers' win earlier in the day knocked the Cubs out of playoff contention, so Wednesday's 4-2 loss marked Lester's final outing of the season. With Maddon's..." September 26

ESPN "Theo Epstein said he is staying with the Chicago Cubs as president of baseball operations and dismissed speculation that he could return to the Boston Red Sox, with whom he was general manager from 2002 to 2011. "I'm here [with the Cubs]," Epstein said..." September 26

The Big Lead "Theo Epstein and the Chicago Cubs are limping to the finish of their season and the future of the franchise is in question. Similarly, Epstein's former franchise, the Boston Red Sox, are in the midst of a massive transition. Some are suggesting the two sides could reunite this..." September 25

NBC Chicago "The Chicago Cubs have a big decision to make when it comes to the future of manager Joe Maddon, but according to a new report, one team would definitely be interested in his services if he ends up departing the Windy City. According to Ken Rosenthal of the Athletic, the Los Angeles..." September 25

Larry Brown Sports "The Boston Red Sox have an open executive job, and there’s been growing speculation that a Theo Epstein reunion could be in the cards. Not according to Epstein, at least. While there doesn’t appear to be a lot behind the speculation, some reports, including one from..." September 25