#chicago-cubs

#chicago-cubs

The Cubs have completely rebuilt their bullpen after saying goodbye to 2025 stalwarts Brad Keller and Drew Pomeranz, adding Maton, Hunter and Milner. But their biggest addition comes at third base, where Bregman takes over for Matt Shaw. Shaw showed promise in the second half as a rookie, but he's not Bregman, who brings leadership and championship experience to the mix to go along with his hitting prowess.

Beede, 33 in May, has had a uniquely winding career but is not coming off a good year. He signed a minor league deal with the Twins in April of 2025. He made seven appearances for Triple-A St. Paul but allowed eight earned runs in nine innings via 12 hits and nine walks while striking out seven opponents. He was released in June and then landed a deal with the Long Island Ducks of the independent Atlantic League.

I'm still riding the high from IU's beatdown of Oregon last night, and it's taking quite a bit of restraint for me to keep from turning this into a celebration of Curt Cignetti and the Hoosiers. So don't worry, I'm not going to include a bullet on how Fernando Mendoza has thrown eight touchdowns to just five incompletions in two CFP games.

The Cubs were able to avoid arbitration hearings with all of their eligible players this season, reaching agreements with Justin Steele, Edward Cabrera, and Javier Assad. Assad was the last to be reported, but both sides reached a deal before the day ended. Maddie Lee of the Sun-Times was first to report that Assad will earn $1.8 million in 2026, which is just $100,000 less than MLB Trade Rumors projected. Jordan Bastian of MLB.com also reported that Assad's deal includes a team option for the 2027 season.

Arbitration filing deadline: Today is a big day on MLB's offseason calendar, as Thursday marks the deadline for teams and players to exchange figures ahead of salary arbitration. Most of those cases will end in the two parties settling on a salary to avoid arbitration, but any team that still has unsigned players after today will be scheduled for a hearing in front of a three-person arbitration panel.

Someone must have smeared Gorilla Glue on all the seats in the Cubs' office building, because it appears all the execs have remained on their asses for the last several days. While I'm sure Jed Hoyer and his crew are indeed putting in work, they've got little to show for it beyond a handful of relievers and a returning expat bench bat.

The Cubs have very few players under contract past 2026 and 2027, which means the next few winters could be quite busy. Just a few years ago, the team had one of the best farm systems in baseball. Those players are now reaching the major leagues, which could prove to be pivotal as Jed Hoyer looks to construct the next great Cubs team.

Here we are at another holiday break, and as we talked about on the last pod, there really is no incentive for teams and players to sign early, so that's why we've only really seen relievers go off the board so far.

As first reported by ESPN's Jesse Rogers, the Cubs have re-signed lefty reliever Caleb Thielbar. The southpaw pitched well over 58 innings across 67 appearances, posting a 2.64 ERA and striking out four times as many batters as he walked. Thielbar also did a very good job of keeping the ball in the park, surrendering only five home runs all season.

Jesse Rogers of ESPN reported in his article this afternoon that the Chicago Cubs are a team that "could make a deal soon." Every report from Orlando has indicated that the Cubs are indeed very active on the trade market, but those things can still take time to develop. Sadadev Sharma mentioned MacKenzie Gore and Edward Cabrera as two names that may be of interest as Jed Hoyer looks to bolster his starting staff.

This week should be busy for the Cubs, who will look to strengthen their roster in hopes of returning to the postseason and dethroning the division-champion Brewers. Hoyer has been very open about the fact that pitching will be the focus. Whether through a trade or free agent signing, the Cubs will hope to leave the Sunshine State with a bolstered starting rotation.

At the risk of banging the Michael King drum too loudly after already featuring him in another post from earlier today, I wanted to look more at why he is a perfect fit for what the Cubs do. CI has been told that Jed Hoyer is infatuated with Japanese fireballer Tatsuya Imai, who will likely be a priority because his posting window closes on January 2, but King appears to be a very close second when it comes to their offseason wishlist. Though his fastball doesn't jump off the page, it's the way King manipulates it and the rest of his pitches that makes him so intriguing.

In his latest piece about the Pirates trading away Johan Oviedo, Ken Rosenthal reported that the Pirates are open to trading another starting pitcher not named Paul Skenes. So while it still feels like it's only a matter of time before that domino falls and Skenes gets shippied out of Pittsburgh, it isn't likely to happen this season. Despite having perhaps the best pitcher in baseball, the Pirates finished in last place in the NL Central with just 71 wins.

If recent predictions from ESPN's top baseball writers carry any weight, it doesn't look like the Cubs are expected to do much on the trade front. Though Jeff Passan and Kiley McDaniel listed as many as eight team fits for each of their top 25 trade candidates this offseason, the Cubs did not appear a single time. Not for Tarik Skubal (No. 1), not for Byron Buxton (5), not for Joe Ryan (6),

Evan Phillips, for example, became a free agent when the Los Angeles Dodgers declined to offer him a contract through the arbitration system. The right-handed reliever is recovering from the Tommy John surgery he underwent in June, a timeline that could put him back in action around the time that playoff contenders are searching for bullpen help at the trade deadline,