Chicago Cubs

The San Diego Padres outfielder Juan Soto has already been in trade rumors as his team's offseason has gotten underway, and it appears the Chicago Cubs could be in the mix.

Bruce Levine of 670 The Score reported that the Cubs "will be involved in the trade sweepstakes for Padres star outfielder Juan Soto" and that the team is prioritizing the addition of a big bat to the middle of the lineup.

Soto has one year of arbitration remaining before he hits unrestricted free agency, but the Cubs are exactly the type of big-market team that would be a contender for Soto during that period, so solidifying his services a year early could be a huge incentive for the franchise.

The Cubs currently have a total payroll of $189 million, per Spotrac, and notably gave a lucrative contract to shortstop Dansby Swanson in the 2022 offseason. That shows that the team is willing to spend on the right player, and Soto's potential with the team could be huge.

The 25-year-old has a career .284 average with 160 home runs and 483 RBIs. He hit .275 with 35 home runs and 109 RBIs on an underachieving Padres team in 2023, so he is a pretty safe bet for solid production. His career totals also match up quite well with others who have had success with the organization.

Chicago appears to be a team on the rise, going 83-79 and just missing out on the final Wild Card spot in the National League. This was a surprise as the team was expected to be a season or two away from contention, but strong performances from players like Cody Bellinger, Justin Steele and Nico Hoerner showed the team's potential going forward.

Bellinger's future with the team seems in doubt as he nears unrestricted free agency, but his performance specifically fuels how Soto could thrive at Wrigley Field. The left-handed Bellinger had a resurgent year in 2023, and the younger Soto could be a breakout candidate if he played 81 games at the hitter-friendly ballpark.

The Cubs also have the pieces to make a trade happen as the team has a top-ranked farm system and an intriguing roster player in outfielder Christopher Morel, who Levine reported the Padres are interested in.

The Cubs could make a splash by acquiring and extending Soto to stay competitive in the NL Central going forward, and that decision could be one that serves the team very well.

As he heads into a contract year in 2024, New York Mets slugger Pete Alonso will be the subject of trade speculation this offseason. However, there's at least one team that he's reportedly not interested in landing with.

According to Jon Heyman of the New York Post, "no one around the Mets believes" Alonso "has a craving for" the Chicago Cubs.

Earlier this week, Chicago baseball analyst Bruce Levine said during a radio appearance that the Cubs will aggressively pursue Alonso this winter. Heyman noted that Chicago tried to acquire him at the trade deadline this season.

"The mumbling out there is the Cubs are going to do everything they can to trade for Pete Alonso from the Mets," Levine said.

While Alonso was "upset" about the firing of manager Buck Showalter, Heyman stated "that shouldn't kill the Mets' chances" of retaining him this offseason. Also, new president of baseball operations David Stearns said during his introductory press conference that he's confident Alonso will be on the roster next season.

"I expect Pete to be the Opening Day first baseman next year," Stearns said on Monday. "Pete's an important member of this team. He's an important member of this organization. And I think we're really fortunate to have him."

Alonso appeared in 154 games this season and recorded team highs of 46 home runs and 118 RBI. However, his .217 batting average was the lowest of his five-year career, and his 151 strikeouts were his second-highest single-season total.

Still, the 28-year-old is one of the faces of the Mets, so it would be a significant team reset if he's traded this offseason.

New Mets President of Baseball Operations David Stearns may have committed to Pete Alonso being on the roster for the opening day of the 2024 season during his introductory press conference but if the heavy-hitting first baseman has any say in it, he may be smacking dingers in Chicago for the Cubs.

670 The Score's Bruce Levine reported that the Cubs "are going to do everything they can" to trade for Pete Alonso.

Furthermore, the team would love to pair the three-time All-Star with Cody Bellinger, assuming they can bring the former National League MVP back next season.

It is not particularly surprising that a potential contender who was as close to the postseason as the Cubs were in 2023 would want to acquire a slugger like Alonso. What is, though, is that the face of the Mets organization wants to make the move, per Jesse Rogers of ESPN Chicago.

"From what I've been told…is he's surveyed now that the Mets have been broken up, and saw that the Cubs don't have a first baseman ready to rock and roll. They have a pretty good team and a great market. I think that he wants to come here as much as they want him," the report states.

Alonso smacked 46 homers, 118 RBIs, and had an OPS of .822, despite a sub-par batting average of .217. He was the one shining light for a Mets team that woefully underperformed. Not only would he bring those numbers at the plate to Chicago, but he would also bring stability to first base, something the Cubbies did not have this season.

With Bellinger, Alonso would form a one-two punch in the middle of the order.

The former NL MVP, Bellinger enjoyed a career renaissance in 2023, looking like the guy who was an integral part of the Los Angeles Dodgers' World Series win a few seasons ago. He blasted 26 homers, tallied 97 RBI, and added 20 stolen bases.

Throw in Dansby Swanson and, potentially, Jeimer Candelario, and you have a Cubs offense that could put them in contention to score right alongside the Braves and Phillies in the National League.

Alonso's explosive hitting, his above-average play at first base, and what he would mean to a Cub fan base that just watched the team narrowly miss the postseason are enough for the organization to at least investigate what it would take to bring one of the most visible stars in the sport to Wrigley Field.

Sure, he faced some criticism earlier in the season amid reports of him having a "toxic" effect on the locker room, but everyone from current coaches like Eric Chavez to Mets legend Mike Piazza was quick to defend him and call the reports false.

A player who knows what it takes on the field and, perhaps most importantly off it, Alonso is exactly the type of player, teammate, and clubhouse presence Chicago needs to get over the proverbial hump and begin the pursuit of its first World Series since 2016.

Whether the Mets are willing to give up a player that valuable, with as many intangibles as Alonso, and for how much, is the real question.

Chicago Cubs manager David Ross found himself needing to apologize to Pittsburgh Pirates skipper David Shelton after the former took a shot at the Pirates earlier this week.

Following a three-game series in which Pittsburgh took two games, Ross—clearly frustrated by a 8-6 loss Thursday—said that the Pirates were "not a good team."

Shelton quickly hit back, calling Ross' comments "unfortunate" before the latter reached out to apologize.

"I texted Shelton last night, like, 'Hey, just frustrated after a game,'" Ross told reporters before Saturday's game against the Colorado Rockies. "I've got a ton of respect for every team we play, not just Pittsburgh. Every team can win. I thought I corrected myself within the context of talking to you guys."

On the one hand, Ross wasn't completely wrong. While the Pirates have certainly exceeded expectations this season after losing 100 games in 2022, they still aren't what'd you call a high-caliber team.

And they haven't been for a while.

Pittsburgh hasn't made the postseason since 2015 and posted back-to-back 100-plus loss seasons in 2021 and 2022.

However, the Cubs haven't been too much better as of late either, particularly under Ross.

As a matter of fact, the Cubs are only seven games ahead of the Pirates in the NL Central standings. Since Ross took over in 2020, Chicago has only made the playoffs once and that came in a COVID-shortened 2020 campaign.

Ross comments about Pittsburgh may also have to do with the fact that his squad is currently involved in a tight wild card race with just about a week remaining in the regular season.

The Cubs are holding on to the final NL Wild Card spot by just one game with the Miami Marlins right on their heels. So, every game and series matters more than ever now.

The Chicago Cubs are calling up star minor-leaguer Pete Crow-Armstrong, according to ESPN's Jeff Passan.

MLB.com ranks the outfielder as the No. 12 prospect in baseball. Passan reported the Cubs are looking to activate him ahead of Tuesday's game against the Colorado Rockies and would consider him a potential contributor in the postseason assuming they get there.

Crow-Armstrong was the biggest piece that came back from the Javier Báez trade in 2021 with the New York Mets. That he's already on his way to the majors speaks to how well he has performed across multiple levels within Chicago's farm system.

In 107 games between Double-A and Triple-A in 2022, he has 20 home runs, 82 RBI and a .283/.365/.511 slash line.

Depending on where manager David Ross intends to play Cody Bellinger, Crow-Armstrong might become an immediate fixture in the starting lineup.

Bellinger primarily patrolled center field to open the season but shifted to first base immediately after returning from the injured list in June. Over the last few months, Ross has cycled between Bellinger and Mike Tauchman as the center fielder.

Considering Crow-Armstrong's defense has the highest rating (80) by MLB.com on the traditional scouting scale, you'd assume he'd acquit himself nicely in center. The fact he has produced so well on offense has been an added bonus.

But Ross might want to give the 21-year-old a more gradual adjustment to major league pitching, especially when the stretch run raises the stakes of each individual game.

In the midst of a fantastic rebound season for the Chicago Cubs, Cody Bellinger is likely to cash with a huge contract in free agency.

Per USA Today's Bob Nightengale, the New York Yankees, San Francisco Giants and San Diego Padres figure to be the most aggressive suitors with the Cubs for Bellinger this offseason.

Nightengale noted Bellinger will likely be seeking a deal worth more than $200 million.

A deal of that magnitude would represent a huge reversal of fortune for Bellinger. His career had fallen off a cliff after winning NL MVP as a member of the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2019.

Over his final three seasons in Los Angeles, Bellinger hit .203/.272/.376 with 41 homers in 1,032 at-bats in 295 games from 2020 to '22. He was dealing with shoulder injuries throughout the 2020 season that were made worse during his celebration after hitting a go-ahead home run in Game 7 of the NLCS against the Atlanta Braves.

The Dodgers announced shortly after the 2020 season ended that Bellinger had surgery to repair his right shoulder and would require 10 weeks to recover.

After his struggles in 2022, the Dodgers decided to non-tender Bellinger even though he had one more year of team control. He signed with the Cubs on a one-year deal worth $17.5 million that also includes a mutual option for 2024.

Scott Boras, Bellinger's agent, recently blamed his client's struggles during the 2021 and 2022 seasons on the Dodgers for how they handled his recovery.

"He was hurt, plain and simple," Boras told Nightengale on Aug. 27. "He has surgery, and the Dodgers asked him to play with a 35% strength deficiency, and then with COVID, he was deprived of the expert medical treatment. He didn't have the shoulder strength. You don't just go from a .900 OPS to a .500 OPS without understanding the impact of an injury. So, when he became a free agent, Cody told me, 'I want to go to teams that know me the best, and I want go go where people understand me."

Amid pushback to his comments from Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman to Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times, Boras walked back his comments by telling Harris there was "no wrongdoing" by the team.

While the Cubs would jump at the opportunity to pick up the mutual option, there's no way Bellinger opts in. He's hitting .319/.365/.546 with 22 homers, 19 stolen bases and 81 RBI.

After Shohei Ohtani, Bellinger is probably going to be the top free agent available. He just turned 28 on July 13 and has a generally high track record of success over the course of his seven-year MLB career.

Sister Jean brought the heat at The Friendly Confines Monday night.

The famous nun from Loyola Chicago turned 104 this August and got a chance to show off at Wrigley Field as she threw the first pitch before the Chicago Cubs matchup against the Milwaukee Brewers.

Sister Jean wound up and fired the ball to Cubs Mascot Clark the Club and it appeared to be a solid strike.

This isn't her first rodeo with throwing out the first pitch at Wrigley as she also celebrated her 103rd birthday in similar fashion.

She came to fame during the 2018 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball tournament as a supporter of the Loyola Chicago basketball team that reached the Final Four.

It appears that Chicago Cubs pitcher Marcus Stroman may have an uncertain future on the North Side.

Bob Nightengale of USA Today reported that the organization will not offer their star pitcher a contract extension following the season.

"The Chicago Cubs say they have no intention to offer starter Marcus Stroman a contract extension after the season, and now wonder if Stroman will opt out of his contract, after all," Nightengale wrote. "He is sidelined with fractured cartilage in his right rib cage and may not return this season. He is owed $21 million in 2024 in the final year of his three-year, $71 million contract. "

Stroman is 10-8 with a 3.85 ERA for the Cubs in 2023 and has not pitched since July 31 as a result of the injury.

His statistics took a hit following the All-Star break as he let up one, four, seven and six earned runs in his four starts. His 10 wins are still second on the team despite the missed time, and he has been crucial for a team that currently sits in the third NL Wild Card spot..

The right-hander went 6-7 with a 3.50 ERA in 2022.

Coming off an injury, his player option would give him financial security for 2024. However, Stroman's performance earlier in the season, which had him record nine wins and an All-Star nod, showed that he could have been a top arm in free agency.

Stroman has expressed appreciation for the organization and a desire to remain a Cub going forward, so taking a chance with the option to prove his worth may be intriguing for him nonetheless.