A Chicago Cubs Fan Community Since February 9, 2005
It’s another week here at BCB After Dark: the hippest spot for night owls, early risers, new parents and Cubs fans abroad. We’re open again for business. We’re so glad you decided to stop by. Come in out of the cold. We can check your coat for you. The hostess will seat you now. Bring […]
about 8 hours ago | 0 reads
The thing about Cubs Convention is that you can be as big of a Cubs fan as anyone you know, a rabid poster on various Cubs communities like Bleed Cubbie Blue, the type of person who gets notifications for multiple teams and players, and odds are the crowd at Cubs Convention will out-fanatic you. It […]
about 14 hours ago | 0 reads
The Cubs’ 2022 season began much like 2021 ended — with the team losing games, some of them by large scores (though they also had a 21-0 win over the Pirates in that span, go figure). They had taken two of the first three games of a four-game set against the Reds in Cincinnati, and […]
about 16 hours ago | 0 reads
MLB players have been adamantly against a salary cap in baseball for decades, for good reason: In general, it would depress salaries. I’ve noted briefly here, mostly in comments, that a salary cap system might be palatable to players if it were combined with a salary floor. That would mean that all teams would have […]
about 20 hours ago | 0 reads
Happy Monday, friends. It’s been a hectic weekend around the old offseason hot stove. The Mets, who tried their hand at signing Kyle Tucker, needed to rebound quickly after he signed his spendy contract with the Dodgers, so they turned their buying power towards free agent Bo Bichette. We also learned that Elly De La […]
about 22 hours ago | 0 reads
On Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, Bleed Cubbie Blue is pleased to present a Cubs-centric look at baseball’s colorful past. Here’s a handy Cubs timeline, to help you follow the various narrative paths. “Maybe I called it wrong, but it’s official.” — Tom Connolly, HoF Umpire. Ernie in the Hall, The Penguin comes to Chicago, Dexter Fowler* arrives, and other stories for the […]
about 23 hours ago | 0 reads
In the past, the Cubs Convention used to have a session with President of Business Operations Crane Kenney. That, along with a session with Executive Chairman Tom Ricketts, have been eliminated from the convention agenda. Kenney did have a wide-ranging conversation with Meghan Montemurro of the Tribune, and in her article she wrote that the […]
2 days ago | 0 reads
Matt Shaw says he has spent a good deal of time in the outfield in college and he’s up for the challenge of being a supersub. I’m not going to discourage him. Nico Hoerner opined that it was a good thing to have a quality player as a sub, and that time off isn’t a […]
2 days ago | 0 reads
Day 2 of the 2026 Cubs Convention started out the same way it always does, with Cubs President of Baseball Operations, Jed Hoyer and General Manager Carter Hawkins taking the stage, followed by a session with Cubs manager Craig Counsell. Both sessions were moderated by Cubs play-by-play man Boog Sciambi. But the one thing that […]
3 days ago | 0 reads
BCB’s Sara Sanchez will have a wrap of some of the key Cubs Convention sessions later today or tomorrow. For those of you not attending the convention but following the live coverage on Marquee Sports Network (and the channel is streaming all the sessions), this is an open thread for you to discuss what’s happening […]
3 days ago | 0 reads
Bo’s a Met. Bo Bichette, that is. Kyle Tucker joined the Dodgers, who offered him a cool $240 million for four years, with opt-outs after the second and third years. More power to him. If you can get that kinda money, get right on it. This even though I’ve hated the Dodgers from the git-go. […]
3 days ago | 0 reads
Chicago Cubs Executive Chairman Tom Ricketts announced at Friday night’s Cubs Convention Opening Ceremony that former Cubs catcher Jody Davis and pitcher Jon Lester will be inducted into the Cubs Hall of Fame this year. Also, former broadcaster Vince Lloyd will be inducted into the Chicago Cubs Hall of Fame and given a “Lifetime Achievement […]
3 days ago | 0 reads
The makeshift 2021 Cubs, after a bad run for most of August, won 10 of 13 late that month and early September, then went on another long losing jag, losing 10 of 13 entering a doubleheader date with the Cardinals on Sept. 24. In 2021, as was the case in 2020, doubleheader games were limited […]
4 days ago | 0 reads
By now, of course, you have heard that Kyle Tucker signed what was initially reported as a four-year, $240 million deal with the Dodgers, with opt-outs after 2027 and 2028. Via MLB Trade Rumors, here are more precise financial details of the deal: The deal includes $30MM in deferrals and will come with an approximate […]
4 days ago | 5 reads
Good morning.
4 days ago | 1 read
On Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, Bleed Cubbie Blue is pleased to present a Cubs-centric look at baseball’s colorful past. Here’s a handy Cubs timeline, to help you follow the various narrative paths. “Maybe I called it wrong, but it’s official.” — Tom Connolly, HoF Umpire. , and other stories for the discerning reader. Today in baseball history: Cubs Birthdays: Jim Murray, Dizzy Dean HOF*, Bob […]
4 days ago | 0 reads
Today was International Signing Day, the first day of the 2026 cycle for free agent signings. Because most of these players have come to an informal and non-binding agreement with teams long before today, almost all of the major signings will be formalized today. The Cubs are talking a different approach to free agency this […]
4 days ago | 1 read
It was a foregone conclusion that the Cubs were not going to bring back outfielder Kyle Tucker. For whatever reason, they showed little interest in bringing him back. The Cubs instead pivoted to a major signing of third baseman Alex Bregman, which you know all about by now. But it is a minor surprise that […]
4 days ago | 2 reads
This is a transaction you did not expect to read about. The Cubs have made a waiver claim on infielder Ben Cowles. This transaction fills the 40-man roster, for now. Cowles came to the Cubs, along with Jack Neely, in the Mark Leiter Jr. trade July 30, 2024. Neely pitched in six games for the […]
5 days ago | 1 read
After the Cubs’ trade deadline selloff in 2021, the team was left pretty much bereft of talent. The roster resembled a waiver wire list (and, in fact, quite a few had actually come via waivers). They had lost 10 of 12, including being swept by the White Sox, entering the last of a four-game series […]
5 days ago | 0 reads
Alex Bregman was signed to a five-year, $175 million deal (with $70 million of that money deferred) by the Cubs this week, officially announced by the team on Wednesday. He made some appearances in town on arriving, attending Blackhawks and Bulls games, and the team introduced him at a press conference at Wrigley Field Thursday […]
5 days ago | 1 read
The Washington Nationals have shared MASN (Mid Atlantic Sports Network) with the Baltimore Orioles since the team moved to DC from Montreal in 2005. The Orioles own the channel and so that relationship has been contentious at times. Lawsuits regarding this relationship were finally resolved last year, but this week the Nationals announced they were […]
5 days ago | 0 reads
I understand that the Cubs and the Giants are or have been ‘engaged’. I wish them long happy lives together. But I don’t think Nico Hoerner will be the ring-bearer. The idea has mileage because reputable people have talked about it, but the season was pretty silly before the meetings. I doubt Jeff Passan or […]
5 days ago | 0 reads
It’s Wednesday evening here at BCB After Dark: the hippest hot spot for night owls, early risers, new parents and Cubs fans abroad. It’s good to see you. Everyone is welcome here. Come in out of the cold. We can check your coat for you. The hostess can seat you now. Bring your own beverage. […]
5 days ago | 1 read
It was about as big a weekend in Chicago sports as any of us have experienced since 2016. With all due respect to four playoff teams the Cubs have had since 2016 and the 2020-21 White Sox, they didn’t quite ignite the same frenzy in Chicagoland we saw on Saturday. First the Bears came back […]
6 days ago | 2 reads