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The Consolation Roster

In Commentary And Analysis by Rice Cube11 Comments

For reasons that generally come back to the Dodgers being a really good team with lots of money, the Cubs lost out on a couple of would-be realistic targets that chose LA as their preferred destination. I suppose not coincidentally, the folks at MLBTR started pondering a salary cap (as are many folks in various discussions), not to mention rules …

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Gearing Up For 2025

In Commentary And Analysis by Rice Cube73 Comments

Figured we could use a new post, what with not having written anything since last year (technically). First item of business is the arbitration exchange deadline, which is on the 9th (Thursday as of this posting). Most of the arbitration-eligible guys on the Cubs have either been shipped out or settled with, but Justin Steele, Nate Pearson, and the newly …

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Team-Building Exercise

In Commentary And Analysis by Rice Cube32 Comments

Today is a pretty important day, whether you want to help preserve whatever this democracy is now or you want to try to burn down Parliament (don’t do that last one, didn’t work out so well for the last guy). I already did my civic duty but since it’ll be a while before we know what happens, I thought I’d …

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The Quest to Exceed Mediocrity

In Commentary And Analysis by Rice Cube28 Comments

The Dodgers overcame their bajillion injuries thanks to the talent they amassed with a very enviable and ludicrous payroll. We can’t even poo poo that because it’s kind of what we wish the Cubs would do, and while the Cubs aren’t the Pirates or the A’s, there is a gulf between their payroll and those at the top. Granted, a …

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All is Lost

In Commentary And Analysis by Rice Cube90 Comments

I’ve been diligently looking for work and have some interviews here and there, hopefully something sticks soon. And I guess the timing is good for when I start an eventual new job because the Cubs’ season is over: The Cubs now sit at 79-76 on the season. The Diamondbacks and Mets currently hold the last 2 National League Wild-Card spots …

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The Ever-Diminishing Odds

In Commentary And Analysis by Rice Cube86 Comments

It’s a Cubs off day, so that’s about time to check in on our favorite squadron’s slim chances of making a difference this season… Given all this, I guess we continue to be thankful that most of the National League still blows and the Cubs haven’t been mathematically eliminated yet, unlike certain neighbors to the south. The road to the …

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Trade SZN

In Commentary And Analysis by Rice Cube8 Comments

Thought this was an interesting note, one I don’t think I’ve ever seen before from the Cubs or any other team in season: I think I fully expected the Cubs to sell, but maybe, given their not-atrocious record and the window being open just a crack, they are really just trying to facilitate a build up even if it’s gradual. …

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Random Thoughts On a Saturday

In Commentary And Analysis by Rice Cube101 Comments

I chose the Craig jpg by berselius mostly because it’s funny, not because the Cubs are bad. In fact, if we take a look right now (before they play the second game of their series at Fenway as of this writing), the Chicago North Side Baseball Club is actually the fourth best team in the majors, albeit third best in …

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Cubs Spring Training Pre/Postmortem

In Commentary And Analysis by Rice Cube24 Comments

As of this writing, today marks the final official Cactus League game for the Cubs. They’ll do a two-game exhibition against the Cardinals, who are traveling west to face the Dodgers amidst all their drama, before the Cubs themselves head a tad east to deal with the defending World Series champion Texas Rangers. Opening Day is just a few days …

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New Cuts, New Roster Projections

In Commentary And Analysis by Rice Cube48 Comments

One week until Opening Day, and we have another set of cuts that helps us clarify the roster situation: Of note, and I don’t remember where I read this now, the emergency catcher situation is clarified as the two non-roster catchers won’t make the team anyway. Various outlets have reported that Jordan Wicks and Javier Assad will make the rotation. …