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,
The Cubs are in the market for notable rotation upgrades this offseason, and right-hander Michael King is among the names on their radar, per Patrick Mooney and Sahadev Sharma of The Athletic. Mooney and Sharma also double down on the Cubs' previously reported interest in Dylan Cease, noting that the Cubs are willing to forfeit the requisite draft pick and international funds to sign a player who has rejected a qualifying offer (which both Cease and King received from the Padres).
The GM meetings are taking place in Las Vegas this week, which will lead to a plethora of rumors and reports over the coming days. Free agency being wide open now means teams can talk with players and their representatives, although it's still too early for any big names to come off the board. One of those is star infielder Bo Bichette, who Jon Morosi reported on Tuesday is drawing interest as either a second or third baseman from multiple teams with established shortstops.
While getting Naylor might have worked out well, they sure dodged a bullet by failing to pull off a deal for the reliever. It sure doesn't look like either pitcher involved in the scandal will play in MLB again, and jail time is a distinct possibility. Luis Ortiz might end up getting the worst of it because Emmanuel may be able to plead his felony down to a Clase misdemeanor.
Bowden forecasts Schwarber's contract to be five years at $160 million, good for an average annual value of $32 million. That's a solid deal for Schwarber's level, whose lack of defensive versatility - or any defense at all, really - hurts him when it comes to earning a monster contract. But he's still one of the best power hitters in baseball, and that's what teams want him for.
Those Cubs were led by a core that included Jake Arrieta, Jon Lester, Kyle Hendricks, Kris Bryant, Anthony Rizzo, and Javier Báez. The supporting cast featured the likes of Dexter Fowler and Ben Zobrist, plus unsung heroes Jason Hammel, Miguel Montero, David Ross, and Willson Contreras. They won 103 regular-season games with one tie, and beat the Giants, Dodgers, and Indians in the playoffs to end a 108-year championship drought.
The young center fielder seemed to launch himself into superstardom in the first half this year, with 20 doubles, 21 homers, and 25 steals through the end of June. That worked out to a .263/.299/.537 slash line, good for a 128 wRC+ with elite defense in center field that made him an early rival for Shohei Ohtani in this year's MVP race.
The World Series starts tonight, but for Cubs fans, it's merely an impediment between this chilly Midwest morning and the official start of hot stove season. Most of us would love a sweep, though few outside of Los Angeles will root for the Dodgers as a prohibitive favorite. I can't help but dream of the time that Bo Bichette and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. were linked to the Cubs in trade rumors. Oh, what might have been!
The 2025 Fielding Bible Awards gave even more credit to the Cubs. Sports Info Solutions (SIS), the company that developed Defensive Runs Saved (DRS), honors the best defenders each year. It is the 20th season of the awards, although some recent changes have been made. Patrick Bailey of the San Francisco Giants won the third annual Defensive Player of the Year Award, while the Cubs were named the Defensive Team of the Year.
The back-and-forth between Brewers and Cubs fans has quickly become tiresome - and it's even more prosaic when White Sox fans get involved - but it shouldn't absolve Jed Hoyer. Analytics and voodoo magic aside, Chicago's North Side Baseballers have finished behind Milwaukee in the NL Central in every season since the 2018 tiebreaker game. That has to change. Hoyer may have to re-blueprint his roster as well. The potential loss of Kyle Tucker means finding left-handed power to replace him,
Looks like Jed Hoyer isn't the only one who's going to have something cooking this offseason. Had things gone according to plan, the Cubs would actually be preparing to play in LA with Cade Horton on the mound for Game 1 of the NLCS. As it is, they're back at Wrigley to put a bow on things before heading to wherever they call home in the winter.
For those of you who didn't watch Saturday's game, the Cubs won the series against the Cardinals and by doing so, have clinched the top wild card in the National League. As of now, based on the standings this time of year, the Cubs will host the San Diego Padres at Wrigley Field for all three games (if necessary) of the wild card series.
My emotions are going in several directions at this point in the 2025 season. I'm still sad over the Red Sox early exit from the playoffs; I really believed that we'd at least take the Yankees down. I don't feel the intense bitterness of, say, 2003-I'm just sad. Saturday's Toronto/New York ALDS game gave me a major case of the side-eyes too; why couldn't we get it together to score a bunch of runs against Yankee pitching?! Dammit, offense, where were you?
