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Marcus Stroman’s leadership paying dividends for Cubs, younger pitchers
In Marcus Stroman’s case, he has effectively used his first year with the Cubs to make a positive impression on the younger members of the pitching staff.
Not always with what he tells them, but more often because they watch and learn from what he is modeling.
Jason Heyward’s Cubs legacy is about more than stats and dollars
Trying to sum up the legacy that Jason Heyward will leave behind after seven seasons with the Cubs seems complicated.
But in the grand scheme of things, Heyward's impact goes far beyond the stats and the dollars.
Hayden Wesneski is putting himself in the Cubs’ 2023 rotation discussion
When Hayden Wesneski walked off the mound at the end of his third career start for the Cubs on Wednesday, he didn’t think he had his best stuff all night. He said his slider — and particularly his two-strike slider…
Hayden Wesneski impresses in starting debut, but will he stick in the rotation?
In a season when you’re twenty games below .500 with two-and-a-half weeks to play, sometimes you take the wins that don’t show up in the standings. Though the Cubs lost 3-1 to the Rockies on Saturday, Hayden Wesneski showcased the…
Nico Hoerner willing to be flexible if Chicago Cubs add a shortstop this winter
When the offseason begins, one of the deepest markets in free agency will be at shortstop. Carlos Correa, Xander Bogaerts, Trea Turner, and Dansby Swanson are all slated to be available. It is to be expected that the Cubs will…
Cubs react to new MLB rule changes
Back when Cubs manager David Ross was in his playing days as a catcher, he could take a hard hit in a collision at home plate and nobody would’ve batted an eye. Having debuted during the 2002 season, Ross came…
Monday morning Cubs thoughts: Heading to Toronto
Happy Monday and happy last week of August, folks.
The Cubs are headed up north to take on the Blue Jays, and they're leaving a couple of starters behind. Later in the week, they'll head to St. Louis with a couple of extra faces when rosters expand, and I'm sure there will be plenty of speculation over the next few days as to who might take up those spots.
It should be an eventful week with at least a couple of players making their MLB debuts, plus it'll be the last time Cubs fans have to see Albert Pujols and Yadier Molina playing in Cardinals jerseys on their TV screens. But first, we have to talk about what's happening in Toronto.
So let's get into it. Here's the first international edition of the Monday morning Cubs thoughts.
Cubs need to be cautious with Justin Steele moving forward
MILWAUKEE — Every time Justin Steele takes the mound the rest of the season, he’ll be resetting his new career high in innings pitched. His 5 1/3 frames to start the Cubs’ 4-3 win over the Brewers on Friday brought…
Scenes from Dyersville: ‘Field of Dreams’ was a day for the Cubs to remember
DYERSVILLE, Iowa — Looking out from the stands behind home plate of the roughly 8,000-seat stadium in the small town of Dyersville, you’ll see a view unlike any other in Major League Baseball. If you look just outside the actual…
Cubs ready and excited to play in the Field of Dreams game
Breaking away from the loop of what can be a monotonous MLB season, the Cubs and the Reds will meet in Dyersville, Iowa, for the Field of Dreams game on Thursday. Here's how some of the Cubs are approaching the event
How should Jason Heyward be remembered as a Cub?
Jason Heyward's Cubs tenure is soon coming to an end. How should he be remembered for his time on the North Side?
David Ross juggling winning with development in the second half
The last two months of the 2022 season will be a lot about learning experiences for young Cubs players. The front office may not have traded Willson Contreras or Ian Happ at the Tuesday trade deadline – a move that…
Monday morning Cubs thoughts: Things are coming down to the wire
It's a special Monday morning in the baseball calendar, folks.
The Cubs have no games left to play before the trade deadline at 5 p.m. on Tuesday. Right now, at 7 a.m. on Monday, the only big-league deal the Cubs have made is trading Chris Martin to the Dodgers on Saturday. Everyone else, as of this moment, are still members of the Chicago Cubs.
The reality is, though, that there are a few who'll likely be dealt elsewhere in the next 34 hours. The Cubs are sellers, and they have some trade pieces — from veterans on cheap deals to fan favorites — that could net them prospects of use. That's just where the team is at this point in the rebuild.
But we'll have much more on that this week. I'll be in St. Louis for the trade deadline and its aftermath, so CHGO will have a lot of content to come. Until then, I've got some thoughts on the Cubs and what's ahead for them over the next two days. So without further ado, here are my Monday morning thoughts, the day-before-the-deadline edition.
Keegan Thompson has cemented himself as a starter
It should no longer be a question. Keegan Thompson is a starter for the Chicago Cubs. Not only that, he has cemented himself this season as one of the Cubs’ most steady and reliable rotation pieces. Thompson has the highest…
The Cubs at the break: Learning lessons, seeking consistency
At the All-Star break, the Cubs are on pace to lose over 100 games. They finished the first half of the season on Sunday with a 3-2 win over the Mets, narrowly avoiding extending their losing streak to 10 games.…
Keegan Thompson has earned his spot in the Cubs’ rotation
When it comes to figuring out what the Cubs want to do with Keegan Thompson, one thing has remained constant for the second-year right-hander: he's willing to do whatever the staff asks of him.
Yes, Thompson is fine taking on any role for the pitching staff, which he has done admirably the entire season. But once the Cubs return from the All-Star break next week, there's only one role that the team should be using Thompson in — as a full-time starting pitcher.
Cubs fall to 20 games under .500 — and things might still get worse
Sure, the Cubs won four straight series heading into this past weekend, but it didn't do a whole lot to make their record look better.
Now, after dropping six straight, they sit 20 games under .500, and another trade deadline sell off makes it very likely things will only get worse.
Cubs’ rotation takes another hit after Kyle Hendricks’ early exit
MILWAUKEE — Right from the start, Kyle Hendricks just didn’t feel right. As soon as he threw his first warmup pitch before the bottom of the first inning against the Brewers on Tuesday, Hendricks felt some pain in his right…
*Tuesday morning Cubs thoughts: Return of offseason signings brings some hope
Good morning and happy fifth of July, everyone.
Because of the holiday, my Monday morning thoughts were postponed a bit, but I wanted to make sure I still gave all of y'all something to read to kick off the week. This is only for this week, and I'll be right back with my Monday morning post six days from now.
The Cubs had an exciting week themselves, winning series against the Reds and the Red Sox and nearly taking one from the Brewers in a 10-inning loss on Monday. We can talk all we want about how the wins don't ultimately matter and it's the development that does, but developing is always going to be sweeter when it comes alongside a win. The Cubs haven't lost a series since the four-game clunker in Pittsburgh, and a lot of that has to do with the performances of some of the guys who might have really exciting futures in Chicago.
And of course, an electric moment from their big offseason signing didn't hurt, either. Despite the loss in the series opener, what Seiya Suzuki did in the top of the ninth was probably the biggest shot of adrenaline the Cubs fanbase has had in a little bit.
With that said, I might as well just get right into it now. Here you go folks, the post-Fourth of July, Tuesday edition of my morning Cubs thoughts.
Monday morning Cubs thoughts: How will the outfield look moving forward?
Hello, hello. We're back again on another Monday morning.
The Cubs just got done taking two of three games in St. Louis, which was a good change of pace after they dropped three of four in Pittsburgh. We're now just three days away from July and 36 days away from the trade deadline, so we're about to see the start of trade season and the chaos that comes with it. The Cubs are 17 games under .500, so it would take a lot for this team to be anything other than sellers leading up to the deadline on Aug. 2.
The national speculation on Cubs trade candidates certainly picked up recently, and there's more than a few players who could be wearing jerseys on Aug. 3. That, along with the happenings from the Cubs' seven games this week, gave me plenty to think about. So without further ado, here's the June 27 edition of my Monday morning Cubs thoughts.
Monday morning Cubs thoughts: When might we see ‘The Next Great Cubs Team’?
Good morning, CHGO familia. Happy Monday to you all.
It was a hot, long week, and even though the Cubs snapped their 10-game losing streak and took two of three from the Braves, it's tough to say the week was anything less than a disappointment. A four-game sweep at home to the Padres and a third double-digit losing streak in less than a calendar year will do that.
If you look on Twitter, there is a lot of anger in the fanbase. That's understandable. Fans were promised a competitive team this year, and by the looks of things, that's not happening. There were question that needed answers, and the morning of the series finale against San Diego, president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer came out to Wrigley Field to answer them.
That 30-plus minute conversation didn't bring with it a whole lot of groundbreaking information, but there were still some insights that I have thoughts about. So without further ado, here is the newest edition of my Monday morning Cubs thoughts.
Where the Cubs stand as the pitching staff size trims to 13
After two years of pushing it back, Major League Baseball is finally implementing its rule to limit pitch staffs to no more than 13 arms, which is set to go into effect on Monday.
The Cubs had 14 pitchers on the roster as of Sunday night, but the shrinking size of the pitching staff will have even larger effect on the club.
Willson and William Contreras share hard-earned moment at Wrigley Field
At its best, baseball is a game that can cultivate a lot of joy. Being one of the oldest professional sports in the United States, the game has become generational. Parents have passed love for baseball on to their children,…
Keegan Thompson leans on his four-seam fastball, leads Cubs to streak-busting victory
One of the things that can determine whether a young player sticks around or is merely a flash in the pan is how he handles adversity. In baseball, facing adversity is inevitable, and the only question is how long into…
Cubs’ rebuild offers opportunities, but losing is no less painful
If anyone knows what it’s like to be part of a rebuild on the North Side of Chicago, Alfonso Soriano does. Signed to an eight-year, $136 million contract — the largest in Cubs history at the time — heading into…
Monday morning Cubs thoughts: Does Frazier DFA align with messaging?
Good morning and happy Monday, friends.
It's been over a week since the Cubs got a win following the one-game stop in Baltimore and the three-game sweep in New York. That's now six straight losses for a slumping Cubs team, capped by back-to-back tough-to-stomach losses to the Yankees in which the Cubs had a combined minus-22 run differential.
Things won't get any easier this week. To start the homestand, the Cubs welcome the Padres to Wrigley Field for a four-game set. San Diego has won seven of its last 10 games and is currently just a half-game back of the Dodgers in the National League West. Then, the Braves, the hottest team in baseball currently riding an 11-game winning streak, visit the North Side for three games.
We'll have plenty of coverage to come from those series. So before that, let's do a quick recap of some of things that happened over the last week. Here are my Monday morning Cubs thoughts for June 13.
Monday morning Cubs thoughts: The grueling stretch is finally over
Happy Monday, folks.
The long, long week is finally over. No more 11 games in nine days. No more two doubleheaders within one week.
The long week felt even longer when the Cubs and Cardinals went into extras last night, the third time Cubs fans got free baseball at Wrigley Field this past week (and fourth if you count last Sunday's 12-inning affair on the South Side). The Cubs' record didn't come out of it looking as good as it could've, but they'll have their first off-day in a while today to regroup, and so do we.
So let's get going. Here are your Monday morning Cubs thoughts for June 6.
‘Best birthday present ever’: Caleb Kilian impresses in his debut
It has been about two decades since a Cubs starting pitcher has had such a highly-anticipated debut. Fans were buzzing at Wrigley on Saturday because Kilian is one of the best pitching prospects in the Cubs’ system. And because he…
Caleb Kilian’s call-up a byproduct of Cubs’ injury problem
Caleb Kilian will make his much-anticipated debut in Game 2 of the Cubs' doubleheader today. Last week, though, he apparently wasn't among the starting options for it. So, what changed?
Rotation or bullpen? For Keegan Thompson, all that matters is getting outs
Keegan Thompson has said all year that he's not worried about his role on the Cubs. He's just focused on coming in when he's called upon to get people out.
With injuries opening up a spot in the rotation, though, he'll get the chance to get those people out as a starter.
Too much of “The Professor”: Kyle Hendricks working on simplifying
David Ross and Willson Contreras think Kyle Hendricks might be guilty of overthinking things on the mound. Is it time to use his changeup more?
Morel quickly becoming a fan favorite — and reminding Cubs of another one
David Ross once said Javier Báez played the game like a kid, and "that’s why a lot of people fall in love with him.”
Christopher Morel has displayed the same sort of vibe in his short two weeks with the Cubs, giving supporters another fan favorite to fall in love with all over again.
Monday morning Cubs thoughts: A long week at Wrigley looms
Happy Monday, dear readers. Hope everyone has some eventful Memorial Day festivities planned.
I'll be out at the Friendly Confines, where the Cubs will host the Brewers for a split doubleheader to kick off a four-game series. Originally, it was supposed to be a regular three-game set, but remember that rainout on the first Friday of the year? This is the day they decided to reschedule the game on. At the time, I didn't consider what the upcoming stretch would look like with another game added into the mix, but now I can see how rough of a stretch it's going to be.
I can tell you why here, or I can tell you to keep on reading to find out. Personally, I think the second option is best, because there are some other news, notes and nuggets (including an appearance from my more serious side) that you'll want to take a peak at.
Let's get into it. Here are your Monday morning Cubs thoughts for May 30.
CHGO Cubs Podcast: Keegan Thompson’s stellar outing lifts Chicago Cubs past White Sox
The Cubs got back on track on the South Side behind a stellar performance from Keegan Thompson, the bullpen, and some timely hitting from the offense. Cody and Luke break down the winner and talk to Ryan later in the…
Keegan Thompson’s flexibility an asset as he steps in and quiets the White Sox
One of the most consistent qualities of Keegan Thompson’s major league career thus far has been his ability to step up and fill in a variety of roles on the Cubs’ pitching staff. In his 11 appearances so far this…
Cubs benefiting from veteran catching duo in Willson Contreras and Yan Gomes — for now
In 2021, Willson Contreras caught 935 ⅔ innings behind the plate. Thus far in his career, he has only logged more time behind the plate once, in 2018. The reason Contreras had to take on so much of the workload…
Fergie Day: Cubs legend Fergie Jenkins immortalized at Wrigley Field
On 'Fergie Day,' the Cubs finally immortalized the player Pat Hughes called "the greatest pitcher in the long and legendary history of the Chicago Cubs" with a statue outside of Wrigley Field.
Here, you'll find the sights, sounds and stories that made Friday a day to remember, for Fergie Jenkins and for Cubs fans everywhere.
Cubs prospects show out in debuts … Is ‘The Next Great Cubs Team’ on its way?
Christopher Morel and Brandon Hughes, newly called up on Tuesday, had themselves big league debuts to remember.
Now that the Cubs have seen a couple of prospects have instant success, is 'The Next Great Cubs Team' around the corner?
Despite his uncertain future, Willson Contreras still leads the way for the Cubs
Willson Contreras' future remains unclear thanks to the lack of an extension and his upcoming arbitration case. Still, nights like Monday are helping him put together a season to remember as he leads the way for the Cubs.
Despite a short debut, Wade Miley is an important addition to the Cubs’ rotation
Wade Miley's first outing of the season Tuesday night didn't go quite like he wanted, and the fact that that was one of the few times he's faced live hitters this year certainly help.
But with the Cubs looking for stability in what's been a shaky rotation thus far, he's a veteran presence the team hopes will bring that in 2022.
Monday morning Cubs thoughts: Picking up the pieces from a lost week at Wrigley
Happy Monday, folks!
We're heading into a new week, which means I've got another set of my Monday thoughts for you to dig into this morning. It was a wild weekend as far as roster movement goes, but none of that shuffling made up for the 0-5 week the Cubs experienced.
Things just aren't looking up for Chicago right now, whether it's on the field (the team starts the new week with a three-game series in San Diego), in the trainer's room (Marcus Stroman is on the injured list and Justin Steele left Sunday's game early with an ailment) or on the transaction list (Frank Schwindel is now with the Iowa Cubs).
So OK, let's really get into it.
Here they are, everyone, my Monday morning Cubs thoughts (the May 9 edition).
How consistency has helped Ian Happ balance as a switch-hitter
Whatever a fan might think about the Cubs trading away their championship core last July, one of the silver linings of all of those changes was that it created space for Ian Happ to be in the lineup a lot…
Help is on the way? David Ross hopes his rotation stabilizes soon
The Cubs haven’t had all of their starting pitching options available to begin the season, but they hope that reinforcements will be on their way soon.
Ethan Roberts’ IL stint is another learning experience, plus more Cubs injury updates
Cubs injury updates include: Ethan Roberts learning from his first IL placement, Wade Miley kicking off his rehab assignment and new information on David Bote and Clint Frazier.
Baskets, shifts and called strike threes: Cubs lose ‘frustrating’ game to White Sox
Some things just didn't seem to go the Cubs way on Wednesday. That's true. But an alarming trend also continued to rear its ugly head, and that — more than some bad luck — will be the cause of more struggles if the Cubs don't adjust.
Ryan’s Monday morning Cubs thoughts for May 2
This article is free for everyone. To unlock all of Ryan Herrera’s credentialed Cubs coverage this season, join the CHGO family today! Annual members get access to all written content from CHGO’s credentialed reporters plus a free t-shirt from the CHGO Locker and…
‘I want that to be the standard’: Cubs’ Marcus Stroman is rounding into form
Whatever nickname you want to give to Marcus Stroman, everything was on full display Sunday in Milwaukee. The hope now is that "The Stro Show" will be performed every time the 31-year-old takes the mound moving forward.
With roster size shrinking soon, Cubs need more length from their starters
Justin Steele's three-inning night marked yet another short outing from a Cubs starting pitcher. With the imminent roster crunch taking at least one arm away from the staff, the starters need to figure out how to eat more innings and give the bullpen more of a break.
‘Gotta get more of the good’: Kyle Hendricks labors in Milwaukee
Kyle Hendricks couldn't locate his fastball down and away to Brewers hitters on Friday — something that's a main focus in each of his outing — which led to a rough night in Milwaukee.
Cubs players are buying into David Ross’ plan so far
It takes a lot of buy-in from players for a manager's plan to ultimately succeed.
The Cubs currently own a 7-9 record, they just dropped three of four at home to the Pirates and they now head into road series in Atlanta and Milwaukee before hosting the White Sox and the Dodgers at Wrigley Field. Right now, despite what appears to be complete buy-in by the roster, it hasn't resulted in as much success as Chicago would've liked.
If the Cubs manage to weather the upcoming storm and come out on the other side in solid shape, though, the players buying what David Ross is selling will certainly have played a big part in that.
