The Chicago Cubs find themselves in a bit of a tough spot right now. After a brilliant start of the season which saw them put up two ten-game winning streaks, they suffered through a brutal May-early June fall from grace that saw them go from first place to fourth place in the NL Central Division.

More News: Floundering Chicago Cubs rotation to make changes as Cabrera, Boyd return

But as Thursday’s thrilling 7-6 walkoff win over the Athletics clearly shows, there is still a tremendous upside to what this team can do.

The rest of June will probably decide whether the Cubs are all in the way in, destined to be aggressive buyers at the August 3 trade deadline, or if they’ll hold back in favor of minor moves to just get them into the playoffs.

Ideally, the front office would like to acquire an impact pitcher who also has years of team control ahead rather than a three-month rental. Although, if the team is cooking and seen as a real postseason threat, they may bite the bullet and give up some prospect capital for a stellar short-term arm.

A ‘best of both worlds’ acquisition?

More News: Exploring the Chicago Cubs as sellers at the deadline—who goes, who stays?

The cautious, pragmatic Cubs, however, could opt to make a deadline compromise of sorts. They could eschew the big rentals like Tarik Skubal and Freddy Peralta in favor of a lesser impact arm who could be an important part of the team through next season and beyond.

Jordan Campbell of Cubbies Crib brings up the name Reid Detmers of the Los Angeles Angels as one possible target.

Per Campbell:

“It might be closer to a doomsdays scenario for the front office, but it’s fair to wonder if the team rolls back the strategy they had at the 2024 trade deadline. Sell-off some pieces, the Cubs have a number of impending free agents, but add major league talent under control beyond this season.

If that is the approach, Skubal isn’t wrapping up the 2026 season at Wrigley Field. Instead, someone like Reid Detmers could be a target for the Cubs. The former Los Angeles Angels first-round pick is under control through the 2029 season, and is striking out over 28% of the hitter he’s faced in 68 innings pitched this season. He does have an ERA of 4.63, but his 2.98 FIP speaks to the success he has had in his return to the rotation.”

Reid Detmers as a target?

Detmers hasn’t been consistently “lights out” by any stretch of the imagination, with his 4.63 ERA this season and 4.75 career mark. He is, however, a 26-year-old work in progress with high upside potential and under team control through 2028. Acquiring him probably wouldn’t drain Chicago’s reserve of prospect capital either.

The young lefty isn’t the only pitcher the Cubs could target for both immediate need as well as future depth. With Matthew Boyd, Jameson Taillon, and Shota Imanaga eligible for free agency at the end of this season, the front office will have to figure out a way to bring in starting pitching that doesn’t break the bank all at once.

Someone like Detmers could help do that, as well as help the team right now.

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The Chicago Cubs are not at all where they imagined themselves being at this point in the season—just three games above .500 and in fourth place in the NL Central Division.

More News: Exploring the Chicago Cubs as sellers at the deadline—who goes, who stays?

There are several reasons for this not-so-great 2026 run so far, but a full-on collapse of the starting rotation has to rank among the biggest fails of the young season. Coming into the year, the thought was that Chicago would have a pretty good rotation, deep in options and with some ace upside in the 24-year-old Cade Horton, who was one of baseball’s best pitchers over the second half of his 2025 rookie season. They also had Justin Steele as an ace in the hole, expected back from 2025 elbow surgery at some point in May or June.

Things haven’t turned out as anticipated.

Not at all as anticipated

More News: Chicago Cubs: Craig Counsell comes under fire for controversial pitching decision

Horton suffered an elbow injury in just his second start of the season and is lost for this year and beyond after having to undergo the second Tommy John surgery of his young career.

Last year’s ace Matthew Boyd has been on the IL more time than he’s been on the active roster and is currently finalizing a rehab assignment in Triple-A Iowa following surgery to repair meniscus damage.

Steele, meanwhile, has suffered a setback in his recovery and the team’s only hope right now is that he makes it back before the end of this season.

Even new acquisition Edward Cabrera had been forced to miss two weeks with a blister issue.

And while those physical problems have hurt the Cubs, healthy starters Shota Imanaga, Jameson Taillon, and Colin Rea have not consistently performed up to snuff. Actually, Taillon and Imanaga, specifically, rate among the worst starters in all of baseball right now.

Needless to say, the fall of the starting rotation has been a big problem, although the team managed to succeed for about five weeks or so early in the season despite the staff’s issues. Eventually, though, the stress and strain of a failing rotation helped pull the rest of the team down with it.

Emergency fill-in Ben Brown has been the best pitcher on the staff by far, posting a 1.73 ERA through five starts.

But excluding Brown, Cubs’ starters have an ugly -2.4 combined WAR. The rotation as a whole is currently ranked 18th in MLB ERA (4.18), but that is deceptively positive given the staff’s very early success rated against recent failures.

Good news?

The tentative good news is that Cabrera is now officially back in the rotation following his IL stint and no matter what he does upon return, it’ll be better than what Jordan Wicks gave them.

Boyd is also due back after one more rehab start in Iowa.

Then, some decisions will have to be made.

Somebody will have to be dropped from the rotation and put in the bullpen. Rea is the most likely candidate given his status as a swingman who can work as a starter or reliever. But Rea has also been their most effective starter recently, other than Brown.

Whatever the case, it looks like the rest of the way might be a struggle for Cubs starting pitching. And with the trade deadline still two months away, no outside help will be coming anytime soon.

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The Chicago Cubs have not had much to celebrate over the last several weeks. Sure, they had two different ten-game winning streaks earlier this season, but they followed that up with a ten-game losing streak and just an abysmal run of inconsistent baseball.

And while they had snapped their losing streak, they had not won at home in Wrigley Field for a while. Entering play on Thursday, they had lost seven straight games in Chicago, and for a while it appeared they were headed for an eighth consecutive home loss.

The Chicago Cubs make history in comeback win over the Athletics

The Athletics jumped out to an early 4-0 lead, helped by a defensive miscue in centerfield by Gold Glover Pete Crow-Armstrong. But the 2025 NL All-Star hit a solo home run in the bottom half of that inning, and later capped off what was an epic comeback in the bottom of the ninth.

Entering the bottom of the ninth, the Cubs trailed the Athletics 6-3. The bottom half of their order was due up, and hopes of a comeback were low. However, the team rattled off a series of hits, capped off by Crow-Armstrong’s walk-off RBI single that gave Chicago a 7-6 victory.

The Cubs are the only MLB team in the last 50 years to have 7 different players who came into the inning batting .250 or worse get hits in the bottom of the 9th in the same game:

Busch (.242)
Happ (.233)
Hoerner (.250)
Ballesteros (.231)
Suzuki (.239)
Swanson (.180)
PCA (.242) pic.twitter.com/bvczizBn8Q

— OptaSTATS (@OptaSTATS) June 5, 2026

As one can see from the post above, no MLB team in the last 50 years had sent seven players with batting averages .250 or worse all come up in the ninth inning and get hits.

This stat shows two things. First, Chicago’s hitters have been struggling mightily for a while. But second, it shows just how tough the Cubs can be when their players meet their potential.

If they can keep hitting regularly, Chicago will be right back to where they were in April, fighting for a spot atop the NL Central.

More Chicago Cubs news from ChiCity Sports

• Cubs already botching their trade deadline with one ridiculous decision
• Exploring the Cubs as sellers at the deadline
• Did Carter Hawkins reveal flaws in Cubs pitching development?

For More Chicago Sports

Follow me on Twitter at @theotherRobin19, and follow us @ChiCitySports23. You can also reach out to Robin Adams via email at robadams14@gmail.com. To read more of our articles and keep up to date on the latest in ALL of Chicago sports, click here! Chicago Bears, Chicago Bulls, Chicago Cubs, Chicago White Sox, Chicago Blackhawks

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The Chicago Cubs got back in the win column in dramatic fashion on Thursday night. After falling behind 4-0 to the Athletics thanks to another defensive blunder by Pete Crow-Armstrong, the 2025 Gold Glover made up for it by slugging a home run and getting the walk-off hit in the bottom of the ninth inning.

Now Chicago is 33-30 on the season, but still in fourth place in the ultra-competitive National League Central Division. Fortunately, all the teams in the division are separated by just a few games. If the 2026 season has shown anything, it is that a team can move up and down the NL Central standings quickly.

The Chicago Cubs need to figure out the MLB trade deadline

The MLB trade deadline is not until the end of July, but teams are already trying to figure out what players they will be able to possibly acquire. Additionally, many teams are trying to determine whether they will be buying or selling at the deadline.

Right now, the Cubs fall into the latter category. While they still are within a handful of games of the division lead, Chicago’s play over the last several weeks is not inspiring. If that kind of inconsistent play continues, they may be trading players away rather than bringing notable players in.

On the other hand, if they turn it around, they could be in the market for a big-name starting pitcher.

Recently, Bleacher Report posted the following:

“It’s tough to know what to make of the Cubs, who followed up an 18-12 month of April by going 13-16 in May. They’re not going to be sellers, but how the Cubs perform over the next two months will determine the extent at which president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer buys at.

“Edward Cabrera (blister) and Matthew Boyd (partially torn left meniscus) will soon return from the injured list, but both of them are injury-prone. It’s unclear if Justin Steele will pitch at all this season.

“So adding another starter would make sense for the Cubs. It’s just a matter of how big of a name we are talking. Do they play well enough for the Cubs to go all-in for someone like Skubal, Peralta or Alcantara, or are the Cubs more in the market for a rental like Ray?”

More Chicago Cubs news from ChiCity Sports

• Cubs already botching their trade deadline with one ridiculous decision
• Exploring the Cubs as sellers at the deadline
• Did Carter Hawkins reveal flaws in Cubs pitching development?

For More Chicago Sports

Follow me on Twitter at @theotherRobin19, and follow us @ChiCitySports23. You can also reach out to Robin Adams via email at robadams14@gmail.com. To read more of our articles and keep up to date on the latest in ALL of Chicago sports, click here! Chicago Bears, Chicago Bulls, Chicago Cubs, Chicago White Sox, Chicago Blackhawks

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The Chicago Cubs definitely need to make some moves before the MLB trade deadline if they want to seriously contend for a World Series this season. I don’t think anyone would argue that.

But do the Cubs actually have enough ammunition to swing a couple of big move?

Chicago has moved some of its top prospects over the last couple of years, thinning out what was an incredibly deep farm system. Yes, the Cubs do still have some very enticing pieces, but they aren’t quite as loaded with organizational depth as they had been previously.

One name that has regularly been floated in trade speculation is outfielder Kevin Alcantara, a former top prospect who fell off most top-100 lists heading into 2026 and was called up to the big-league club back on May 23.

However, since being promoted two weeks ago, Alcantara has received a grand total of eight plate appearances. What exactly is Chicago doing here, and is Alcantara’s lack of playing time sabotaging his trade value?

What are the Chicago Cubs doing with Kevin Alcantara?

Alcantara had been lighting it up at Triple-A Iowa, owning a .242/.339/.567 slash line with 15 home runs and 32 RBI over 180 plate appearances this season. Last year, he managed an .818 OPS across 430 trips to the dish.

Honestly, if the Cubs weren’t going to play Alcantara, they should have just left him down in the minor leagues where he would have continued to receive regular at-bats.

This is the third time Chicago has elevated the 23-year-old to the big leagues since 2024, and yet, he has amassed a grand total of 30 major-league plate appearances. That simply isn’t enough, and if he can’t find playing time with the Cubs, other clubs might wonder if he is worth pursuing as a centerpiece in a trade.

Chicago needs a whole lot of things before Aug. 3. It desperately needs starting pitching. It could use a big bat. The Cubbies could also afford to patch up its bullpen. You would have to think Alcantara’s name would be mentioned in many trade packages, but how much has his value dipped at this point?

The problem now for the Cubs is if they send Alcantara back down, it doesn’t look very good. So they need to find a way to get him into some games in an attempt to build — or repair — his value prior to the trade deadline. Otherwise, he will be in no-man’s land.

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The Chicago Cubs are a disappointment so far this season. There’s just no sugarcoating it.

Expectations were high as the regular season approached. The team had acquired free agent third baseman Alex Bregman, the man of their dreams over the last couple years. They finally pulled the trigger on the Edward Cabrera trade with the Miami Marlins. They also rebuilt their depleted bullpen with four veteran free agent acquisitions.

More News: Chicago Cubs: Craig Counsell comes under fire for controversial pitching decision

Add to that returning ace Justin Steele, plus a team that seemed swimming in depth all around, and, well, things looked really good. There was even some World Series chatter swirling around.

Then, the season started.

Cubs are collapsing in real time

More News: Chicago Cubs: Matt Shaw’s frustration at bench role may have peeked out in latest quote

Emerging ace Cade Horton went down with a season-ending elbow injury in just his second start. Matthew Boyd has been hurt more than healthy so far. Cabrera was lost for a couple weeks with a blister issue. The bullpen was brutalized by injury early in the season. Steele suffered a setback in his recovery and his return is now much further down the road.

Maybe worst of all, the offense as a whole has been a big disappointment.

The Cubs now sit in fourth place in the NL Central Division, just two games above .500 with a 5-18 record in their last twenty-three games, dangerously close to falling into a deeper funk that pulls them out of contention entirely.

And what would happen if they DID fall out of contention by the trade deadline? Previously thought to be big-time buyers at the August 3 deadline, they may turn out to be sellers instead.

But what would a Cubs team selling at the deadline actually be selling?

The Cubs as sellers at the trade deadline

That’s a really good question because there don’t appear to be many big, tradeable assets on the roster right now.

The team finds a lot of its veteran core eligible for free agency at the end of this season. Guys like Ian Happ, Seiya Suzuki, Matthew Boyd, Shota Imanaga, Jameson Taillon, Carson Kelly, Caleb Thielbar, Hoby Milner, and Jacob Webb, among others, could all be gone next season and, therefore, could conceivably be moved.

Honestly, though, who would trade for most of these players as they are now? And what would the Cubs even be able to get for them?

Happ and Suzuki could have some value, but neither is a tide-changer and both have “no trade” clauses. The Cubs should be talking extension with Kelly, not trade. And as for Boyd, Imanaga, and Taillon? Unless they turn things around, dramatically, what could they even bring in via trade? Probably, next to nothing. The Cubs have a team option on Webb at an affordable $1.5 million price, so it’s not likely they’d offer him up for what they could realistically get in return.

Chicago also isn’t going to touch their core remaining talent because they are most definitely not in full rebuild mode after signing Bregman and extending Pete Crow-Armstrong and Nico Hoerner.

The ugly truth may be that the Cubs are stuck with who they have and with where they find themselves to be on August 3. If they’re still deep in the race at the deadline, deals might get made and things should get fun. If they’re out of contention by then, it’s going to be a long, sad road to the end of the season.

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As the Cubs continue to struggle and are nearing the NL Central’s last place following a 5-4, 10-inning loss to the Athletics on Tuesday, Cubs general manager Carter Hawkins went on “Spiegel and Holmes Show” on 670 The Score and delivered the kind of quote that perfectly captures why the Cubs’ pitching pipeline keeps lagging behind the rest of the division.

When Matt Spiegel asked Hawkins about the organization’s lack of velocity and swing‑and‑miss arms, Hawkins said something that did not sit well with many fans.

He said, “I’d take 17 Kyle Hendricks all day.”  

Carter Hawkins explains the Cubs' mindset after @MattSpiegs asks him why the club hasn't measured up at the big league level in terms of velocity from its pitching staff. pic.twitter.com/rwGWcInff8

— 104.3 The Score (@thescorechicago) June 3, 2026

Hawkins probably meant it as praise for ex-Cubs star Kyle Hendricks’ command and longevity despite his fastballs barely topping 90 mph in his entire career. But this isn’t about Hendricks himself. He’s a Cubs legend and deserves every ounce of respect. But building a modern pitching staff around the idea of replicating him sounds like an organizational malpractice.

Part of their logic comes from the fact that the Cubs’ defense is legitimately one of the best in baseball. The infield of Alex Bregman, Dansby Swanson, Nico Hoerner, and Michael Busch all make highlight plays on defense. And the outfielder Ian Happ won multiple Gold Gloves, and Pete Crow-Armstrong makes spectacular catches like catching regular flyballs. That’s a credit to the front office.

But defense doesn’t help when the ball is leaving the yard. And it doesn’t help when the Cubs have surrendered MLB-worst 84 home runs as of June 3rd. Jameson Taillon has given up league worst 20 homeruns following his start on Tuesday. And Shota Imanaga, who was off to a strong start, has given up 13 home runs. He is going to pitch on Thursday with a wind blowing out. Imanaga’s four-seam fastball averages 92.2 mph, while Taillon’s four-seamer sits around 91.7 mph. 

To be fair, the Cubs may have finally unlocked Ben Brown’s potential as the injuries have hit their staff hard. After being moved into the rotation, he has been one of the few bright spots for the Cubs this season. He added a sinker (two-seam fastball) to his arsenal.

Meanwhile, they had high hopes for Cade Horton coming into this season. But his season was cut short on April 3rd when he left just after 17 pitches against Cleveland. He underwent a revision repair of his ulnar collateral ligament(UCL) and is expected to miss 15-16 months. And Edward Cabrera, their prized addition in the off-season, has been inconsistent. Before he went on the IL on May 24th, he had a blister on his right middle finger.

To add more misery for the Cubs fans, the Milwaukee Brewers have two frontline starters in Jacob Misiorowski and Kyle Harrison, who are big reasons why the Brewers are ahead of the Cubs by 6.5 games in the NL Central as of this writing. Milwaukee isn’t just ahead. They’re operating in a different mode. And Hawkins’ “17 Kyle Hendricks” line sounds both arrogant and strategically outdated.

So the Cubs are trying, but they have been beset by injuries just like every other team. But if the Cubs want to compete for the World Series, they need to modernize their pitching pipeline. That means embracing risks by drafting high school pitchers with velocity early in the draft. This applies even if they have college commitments.

Until that shift happens, the Cubs will continue to risk falling further behind the Milwaukee Brewers.

The post Did Carter Hawkins reveal flaws in Cubs’ pitching development? appeared first on ChiCitySports.

For the struggling Chicago Cubs, losers of eighteen of their last twenty-three games, every single mistake or miscalculation is now taking on an exaggerated level of importance.

More News: Chicago Cubs: Matt Shaw’s frustration at bench role may have peeked out in latest quote

And when it comes to mistakes and miscalculations—as well as disappointing underperformance—there’s been plenty to point out in this recent stretch of games.

On Wednesday night at Wrigley Field, against the Athletics, one disputed tactical error may have meant the difference between a solid win and a gut-wrenching extra innings loss.

Second-guessing Counsell’s Colin Rea call

More News: Chicago Cubs’ struggles linked to the same front office blind spot

Up 4-2 in the fifth inning, Cubs manager Craig Counsell made the decision to remove starter Colin Rea despite the veteran having thrown just 69 pitches and not looking to be in any particular trouble. The Cubs bullpen would proceed to give up three runs over the next 4.2 innings, including the game-winning run in the top of the tenth.

Counsell’s decision to remove Rea was a source of extreme second-guessing following the game and into the next morning.

The Mully & Haugh show on 104.3 The Score was one of those places where a “why did he do that” rang out.

“[Counsell] ran out a bullpen that is not a very good bullpen,” declared co-host Mike Mulligan. “You finally gave up the game-tying home run late in the game, and then you ended up losing that game. You had no business losing that game when you scored four runs.”

Mulligan then turned to MLB insider and veteran Cubs beat writer Bruce Levine for his insight on the matter.

“He [Rea] was asked directly afterwards, ‘is that too early to come out?’ He said, ‘No, I was starting to get hit harder. It was the right time for me to come out.’” Levine said. “So, is that a guy being a tremendous teammate and protecting his manager and his coaches or is he the most honest guy on that team? He knows his own limitations, He felt he was getting hit harder and they took him out…What Mike said was true. The bullpen has to protect that win, and trying to get wins right now is a precious commodity that they haven’t been able to do.”

Levine would also acknowledge that during rough patches like this, every move taken by the manager will be under a microscope.

Frustration all around

There is no doubt a lot of scrutiny focused on this Cubs team right now, and deservedly so. After beginning the season with ambitious deep-playoff aspirations, the team now sits in fourth place in the NL Central Division, two games above .500 and already 6.5 games behind the first place Milwaukee Brewers.

There have been legitimate reasons for the flatlining performance, above and beyond just general lack of execution. Notably, injuries plaguing the starting rotation as well as the bullpen have created a very slim margin for error with everything.

As a whole, though, this Cubs team is in a bad place because hardly anyone is playing up to snuff. And while it could be argued that Counsell also isn’t performing up to expectations, it’s ultimately the responsibility of each and every player on the roster to execute.

It’ll be interesting to see how the Cubs as a whole respond to this ugly stretch of disappointment.

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The Chicago Cubs have lost three games in a row following their late-inning collapse against the Athletics on Wednesday night. What is worse, they have now lost eight consecutive games at home in the friendly confines of Wrigley Field. At one point, they had won 15 consecutive home games; but now, winning has become a rare thing on the north side of Chicago.

Since winning their tenth-consecutive game back on May 8 (for the second time this year), the Cubs have the worst record in Major League Baseball at 5-18.

Starting pitching has been a major concern, mostly due to the plethora of injuries the staff has suffered. And while many presume they will add a big-name at the MLB trade deadline, fans should not expect it to happen.

The Chicago Cubs do not like giving up prospects in mid-season trades

Matthew Boyd is currently on rehab assignment and expected back soon. Edward Cabrera is returning from the injured list this weekend, too. But the fact remains that Chicago is going to be without Cade Horton for the rest of this season, and most of next year too. Additionally, Justin Steele had a set-back in his recovery and is going to be out longer.

Unfortunately, Shota Imanaga has struggled following his solid start the season. Colin Rea has been good, but for some reason Counsell does not allow him to stay in games for very long.

All this to say that the Cubs are consistently named as a team that will be looking to add a big name starter at the MLB trade deadline. However, ESPN’s recent power rankings, which saw Chicago ranked 12th, warns that a big mid-season addition is not something the Cubs are known for:

“Manager Craig Counsell’s rotation ranks 24th in ERA, 29th in average fastball velocity and 20th in strikeouts per nine innings. The production has been greatly affected by injuries to Cade Horton and others, of course, but the clear need for the Cubs leading up to the trade deadline will be starting pitching.

“Presumably, they’ll be sorting through the names emerging in speculation: Tarik Skubal, Sandy Alcantara, Freddy Peralta, Joe Ryan, Robbie Ray, etc. It’s worth noting: The Cubs’ recent history shows that they aren’t willing to make acquisitions high in prospect cost midseason.”

As one can see above, there is doubt among baseball insiders that the Cubs will part with the top prospects necessary to land a big-name starter during the season. This past off-season, they landed Cabrera in a big trade by sending out several of their best prospects, but that was before Spring Training.

Tarik Skubal is coming off of surgery to remove floating bodies in his arm and will be a free agent at the end of the year. While many fans would love to see him in a Cubs uniform, the bidding war for the two-time AL Cy Young winner will be intense.

Freddy Peralta makes some sense given his history with Counsell, but he too will be a free agent at the end of the year and probably would be nothing more than a rental.

That being said, he won’t demand the same kind of prospect return as Skubal.

More Chicago Cubs news from ChiCity Sports

• Cubs trade price for Tarik Skubal revealed by MLB insider
• Matt Shaw does not seem happy with bench role in 2026
• Cubs struggles linked to same front office blind spot

For More Chicago Sports

Follow me on Twitter at @theotherRobin19, and follow us @ChiCitySports23. You can also reach out to Robin Adams via email at robadams14@gmail.com. To read more of our articles and keep up to date on the latest in ALL of Chicago sports, click here! Chicago Bears, Chicago Bulls, Chicago Cubs, Chicago White Sox, Chicago Blackhawks

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The Chicago Cubs, a month ago, were in the midst of what would become their second ten-game winning streak of the season. They were atop the National League Central Division and looked like one of the best teams in Major League Baseball. But the bottom has fallen out quickly.

When they won their tenth straight game on May 8, the Cubs improved to 27-12. Now, following their 5-4 loss to the Athletics on Wednesday night, they are 32-30, having gone 5-18 over the last few weeks. That is the worst record in the Majors over that time frame.

Indeed, there is a great deal going wrong in Chicago, but do not expect manager Craig Counsell to make any significant changes.

Chicago Cubs manager Craig Counsell is allowing himself to be uncomfortable

At one point on Wednesday night, Chicago was winning 4-2. However, they ended up collapsing in the eighth inning and gave up the go-ahead run in the tenth without being able to answer in the bottom half of the inning.

For weeks, fans have been calling on Counsell to do something, anything, to spark the team. Based on what he told reporters after the game, though, no such changes are coming.

“It’s one of the challenging things about our game,” Counsell said according to The Athletic. “Sometimes, you do have to wait for things to happen. As much as you want to put your finger on it and say, ‘Change it,’ the game makes you wait. It makes you sit in discomfort for a little while.”

Obviously, Counsell is not panicking. While his team has amassed the worst record in baseball over the last month (approximately), he is content being uncomfortable while his players try to fight their way out of their slumps.

Meanwhile, his former team, the Milwaukee Brewers, are 17-6 in the same span and have taken over first place in the NL Central… again.

More Chicago Cubs news from ChiCity Sports

• Cubs trade price for Tarik Skubal revealed by MLB insider
• Matt Shaw does not seem happy with bench role in 2026
• Cubs struggles linked to same front office blind spot

For More Chicago Sports

Follow me on Twitter at @theotherRobin19, and follow us @ChiCitySports23. You can also reach out to Robin Adams via email at robadams14@gmail.com. To read more of our articles and keep up to date on the latest in ALL of Chicago sports, click here! Chicago Bears, Chicago Bulls, Chicago Cubs, Chicago White Sox, Chicago Blackhawks

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The Chicago Cubs were one of the best teams in baseball about a month ago and seemed like the most prominent threats to dethrone the Los Angeles Dodgers. My, how things have changed.

Since stringing together their second 10-game winning streak of the season, which between April 28 and May 8, the Cubs have gone just 5-18, falling into fourth place in the NL Central division. They are now six-and-a-half games behind the Milwaukee Brewers — eight in the loss column — for first place, and even their Wild Card hopes are in distress.

A litany of problems have plagued Chicago over the last four weeks, but the most notable of all has been its starting pitching.

The Cubs have one of the worst rotations in baseball, and while injuries have certainly played a role, Chicago’s staff isn’t overly impressive even when healthy.

A trade deadline move is expected, and the Cubs could potentially zero in on one big fish: Detroit Tigers star Tarik Skubal. But what would be the cost to acquire the two-time Cy Young award winner? ESPN’s Jeff Passan has revealed what it may take.

Chicago Cubs’ trade package for Tarik Skubal revealed

Because Skubal is slated to hit free agency next winter, the Tigers can’t expect to get the king’s ransom they would have received had they moved him during the offseason. But they will still likely get quite a bit in return, and Passan feels Chicago may have to part with a pair of its top young players.

“So, yeah, if Skubal costs Matt Shaw, it’s the price to pay. If Detroit would prefer Moises Ballesteros, so be it. If the Tigers want both, it shouldn’t be dismissed outright,” Passan wrote.

Shaw has been a super-utility man for the Cubs this season, spending time as an outfielder and at second base, third base and even third base. Now in his second big-league season, Shaw hasn’t hit like Chicago hoped, owning a .691 OPS through 104 plate appearances in 2026. That’s nearly identical to his .690 OPS across 437 trips to the dish last year.

However, Shaw is still just 24 years old and has plenty of value, so Detroit may ask for him in a Skubal package.

Meanwhile, Ballesteros got off to a red-hot start this season but has cooled off considerably and is now batting just .229 with a .709 OPS. That being said, he clearly has significant potential with the bat and may be of interest to the Tigers.

Jaxon Wiggins and Kevin Alcantara are certainly other names to watch, as well.

You just have to wonder if the Cubs have enough juice to win the Skubal sweepstakes.

The post Chicago Cubs’ trade price for Tarik Skubal revealed by MLB insider appeared first on ChiCitySports.

The Chicago Cubs are not in a great spot right now. Coming off a ten-game losing streak that battered their morale, the team is now 3-3 in its last six games with their first place standing now diminished to a lowly fourth place in the NL Central Division and a half-game out of a Wild Card spot.

More News: Chicago Cubs’ struggles linked to the same front office blind spot

But a cavalry—of sorts—may be on the way, at least that’s what the team hopes with two months still to go before trade deadline and a lot of question marks plaguing them. Starting pitchers Matthew Boyd and Edward Cabrera will be back in the rotation shortly. Utility asset Matt Shaw will also be back in the majors before too long.

Matt Shaw begins rehab assignment

More News: Chicago Cubs: Pressure will really mount in make-or-break June

The 24-year-old Shaw played the first game of his rehab assignment for the Iowa Cubs on Tuesday, going 0-for-3 as he started in center field for the Cubs’ Triple-A affiliate. He got his first at bat against the rehabbing Justin Verlander, pitching for the Detroit Tigers affiliate Toledo Mud Hens.

The Cubs’ 2023 first round draft pick was placed on the 10-day IL May 22, retroactive to May 20, with mid-back tightness.

The sophomore Shaw has played well for the big league Cubs despite what had to be a disappointing turn of events that saw him lose his starting third base gig to incoming free agent pickup Alex Bregman. Switched to a super-utility role off the bench, he’s played every position but shortstop, pitcher, and catcher so far this season.

On the surface, he’s received the new role maturely and has been an asset on the Cubs’ fortified bench. Although he’s hitting at about the league average at .242, his versatility has helped provide added depth and roster flexibility for manager Craig Counsell.

Beneath the surface, though, there has to be a bit of frustration.

A touch of frustration with Cubs role?

Some of that frustration may have surfaced, ever so slightly, in a recent interview with the Des Moines Register in talking up the start of his rehab assignment.

“It’s not like my role was necessarily every day anyway in the big leagues, so I definitely feel good and obviously have some rest and am getting my back in a good place,” Shaw said after the game, referring to his current physical state. “But I feel great.”

“It’s definitely a lot easier to play one position than to move around a lot,” Shaw added. “I’ve realized that playing six, seven different positions, I think the best thing I can do is just kind of be average at all those positions. You just don’t have enough time in the day to be trained at seven positions like it is when you play there every day and you’ve got your routine and all those things. I’m figuring it out.”

Realistically, no young player sets out to be a bench asset. It’s probably especially hard to see his team flounder as he sits idly by, believing that he could contribute to a greater degree. Career-wise, it’s also not great to be a utility man instead of an every day player.

The Cubs will have to decide how they want to use Shaw or they may lose some of the mental edge that made him a great prospect to begin with. Does he have more value as trade bait or as a role player/insurance, especially ahead of a year where Ian Happ and Seiya Suzuki may be gone via free agency?

A decision will have to be made soon.

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The Chicago Cubs are probably one good losing streak away from having to really assess whether their lofty postseason aspirations are realistic. Then, decisions will have to be made regarding a partial rebuild for a roster that seemed already set for the most part as it rolled into this 2026 season.

More News: Chicago Cubs: Pressure will really mount in make-or-break June

Now in fourth place in the NL Central Division—and 6.5 games behind the first place Milwaukee Brewers—the Cubs would miss the playoffs if the season ended today. Luckily for them, there’s still about four months to go for a turnaround from recent poor form.

The question, though, is how to fix what’s broken on this team with not much depth coming internally and long shot options down the road when it comes to trades.

What Chicago really needs is a time machine.

Changing the Cubs’ player acquisition focus

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Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer and his entire operation need to go back in time and change their entire outlook on scouting and selecting young talent. Rather than hyper-focus on multi-tool stud position players, they should’ve focused on strong, talented—and healthy—arms.

Hoyer’s philosophy has always been to gravitate towards position players, likely because of the inherent greater risk involved in drafting and developing young pitchers. That would certainly fit into his decision-making profile as someone who works analytics and charts probability.

Unfortunately, high-level success often requires high-level risk.

The Brewers are the perfect example of a front office that has excelled at pitcher development and won’t stop reaping the benefits because of it.

The latest example of this is Jacob Misiorowski, who’s been dominant this season, but who also came with some major risk earlier in his career as a high-ceiling prospect with question marks concerning control. The safe draft pick for Milwaukee would’ve been a position player with a more chartable developmental trajectory. And that’s probably where Hoyer and his front office would’ve gone.

The Cubs’ history of drafting and developing young pitchers has been abysmal for a team with an otherwise sound player development system. At the moment, there are zero healthy high-end young arms anywhere near the top of the organization.

Always bargain hunting

Cade Horton and Jaxon Wiggins, who ARE top-level talents, are—not surprisingly—injured and surrounded by uncertainty. They were actually drafted by the Cubs coming right off Tommy John surgery, presumably because their injury status made them a better draft bargain.

Even when acquiring pitchers via trade or free agency, Hoyer gravitates towards bargains. The oft-injured Matthew Boyd was signed to a budget two-year deal prior to the 2025 season. Edward Cabrera, who also has a significant history of injury in his young career, was acquired via trade with the Miami Marlins prior to this season. Reliever Hunter Harvey, who’s seemingly spent more time on the IL over the course of his career than on active rosters, was signed this past offseason on a one-year deal.

Rolling the dice on budget pitchers looks like absolute brilliance when the gamble pays off. They are disastrous, however, when they don’t. And, right now, the Cubs are dealing with some of that disaster. Horton, Boyd, Cabrera, and Harvey—who were all counted on to be valuable assets on a playoff-bound Cubs team—have combined to throw 89.1 innings so far.

But, seeing this mess they’re in this year, will the Cubs and Hoyer ever start investing in young power arms?

They better.

Pitching has become a bigger and bigger key to building any winning organization. It gives teams dominance at the major league level as well as tradeable assets to acquire other puzzle pieces down the line.

Without healthy young stud pitchers, we get the team we see today from the North Side—a fractured mess that gradually falls to pieces trying to compensate for their crucial pitching weakness.

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The Chicago Cubs are not playing good baseball. At 32-29, they have the same record as the cross-town White Sox, who are seemingly emerging from a long rebuild. Meanwhile, the Cubs are supposed to be the cream of the crop in the National League. Many predicted them to not only win the NL Central, but to make it all the way to the World Series.

For a brief moment or two, it certainly looked like they would. Early in the year, Chicago put together two different 10-game winning streaks. But since then, they are 5-17 and floundering.

If things do not turn around in June, they could become sellers at the trade deadline.

The Chicago Cubs have time to turn it around, but can they?

Bleacher Report recently released their grades for each MLB team through the first 60 games of the season. If this had been written about the first 40 games of the year, Chicago would have gotten one of the highest grades in the league. Now, though, they have been given a C-, and a warning that tough trade deadline decisions could be coming:

“Can they turn things back around?

“With this injury-riddled pitching staff, and both Dansby Swanson and Alex Bregman hitting worse than ever before in their careers?

“There’s certainly no time like the present to do so.

“Tuesday’s series opener against the A’s was Chicago’s first of 22 consecutive games against opponents who are presently below .500—six each against the Rockies and the Giants, four against the Mets and three each against the A’s and Blue Jays.

“If the Cubs are still sputtering after that scheduling gift, it’ll be time to start talking about the trade deadline and the 14 impending free agents on this roster.”

More Chicago Cubs news from ChiCity Sports

• Cubs starting pitcher to return on Saturday
• Cubs promote reliever from Triple-A before series with former team
• Pressure will really mount for Cubs in make-or-break June

For More Chicago Sports

Follow me on Twitter at @theotherRobin19, and follow us @ChiCitySports23. You can also reach out to Robin Adams via email at robadams14@gmail.com. To read more of our articles and keep up to date on the latest in ALL of Chicago sports, click here! Chicago Bears, Chicago Bulls, Chicago Cubs, Chicago White Sox, Chicago Blackhawks

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To say that the Chicago Cubs are in freefall would be putting it lightly. Since achieving their second 10-game winning streak of the season early last month, the Cubs have lost 17 of their last 22 games to drop to 32-29 and fourth place in the NL Central, and a litany of problems have caused the collapse.

Of course, the most commonly identified issue with Chicago has been its starting rotation, which has been nothing short of disastrous in 2026.

Not a single Cubs starter has lived up to their billing this year, and it doesn’t help that the rotation has been ravaged by injuries, either.

As a result, Chicago is expected to heavily pursue pitching help before the MLB trade deadline, and the Cubs have already been linked to numerous big names such as Sandy Alcantara, Robbie Ray and Freddy Peralta. But will Chicago actually be able to swing a move for any of them?

Patrick Mooney of The Athletic provided an update on the Cubs’ trade hunt this week, and it wasn’t incredibly encouraging.

Chicago Cubs might have to wait a long time for a trade

Because the trade deadline isn’t until Aug. 3, Chicago may not be able to complete any deals right now, and Mooney feels that a delay may be inevitable.

“While the Chicago Cubs have engaged in preliminary trade conversations, a team source described those check-ins as standard due diligence,” Mooney wrote. “With two months until the Aug. 3 deadline, and a pitching staff dragged down by injuries, the expectation remains that the club will first have to find internal solutions.”

Essentially, no teams are willing to trade any of their big fish at this point, which isn’t too surprising.

Because six teams from each league make the playoffs, just about everyone is still in contention, and even those teams that are falling out of it may want to wait to make a move. The closer we get to the deadline, the more prices increase because of bidding wars.

So for now, the Cubs may have to try and find answers from within their own organization, and the good news is that pitchers like Edward Cabrera and Matthew Boyd appear to be nearing returns from their IL stints.

But does Chicago have enough pitching overall to stay afloat in the loaded NL Central? We’re about to find out.

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A month ago, the Chicago Cubs were in the midst of their second ten-game winning streak of the year and sitting pretty in first place of the National League Central Division. Since then, though, they have seen their fortunes turn for the worse. Their 2-1 loss to the Athletics on Tuesday night dropped them to 32-29 on the season, and they currently sit in fourth place in the NL Central.

Since winning their tenth consecutive game on May 8, Chicago is just 5-17. They have not won a single series in almost a month, though they did split four games at home with the Pittsburgh Pirates last week.

Despite these struggles, it appears many MLB analysts still consider them to be one of the best teams in Major League Baseball.

Chicago Cubs star Pete Crow-Armstrong predicted to win Gold Glove as team is ranked 7th

On Tuesday, The Athletic released their weekly Major League Baseball power rankings. Despite the fact that the Cubs have not played good baseball in over a month, they had Chicago ranked seventh. What is more, they also predicted that Pete Crow-Armstrong will win his second consecutive Gold Glove:

“By season’s end, PCA is unlikely to live down the “Little League homer” he allowed against the Milwaukee Brewers and David Hamilton, a player with a 76 wRC+.

“However, let’s try and shift the narrative.

“PCA leads all outfielders in Outs Above Average with 12. The next closest, Boston’s Ceddanne Rafaela, has 9. Those 12 OAA are second to just Bobby Witt Jr.’s 15 for the MLB-wide lead. Among all position players, PCA is tied with Cody Bellinger for the Defensive Runs Saved lead with 13.

“Crow-Armstrong’s 2.4 fWAR is good enough for 13th in baseball, almost all of it attributed to his defense, though the bat is picking up.

“When the 24-year-old called his defensive miscues ‘genuinely laughable,’ he was correct.”

Crow-Armstrong’s defense certainly has been his saving grace this season. Aside from his baffling errors against the Milwaukee Brewers a couple of weeks ago, he has been the best centerfielder in baseball, as described above.

Offensively, though, he has been wildly inconsistent. To date, he is hitting .237/.325/.388 with seven home runs, 26 RBI, and 12 stolen bases.

On a positive note, though, PCA is hitting .273/.389/.477 in his last 12 games played, and .346/.433/.577 in his last six. If he can really turn a corner offensively, he could help spark the lineup. This, of course, would go a long way towards winning more games.

More Chicago Cubs news from ChiCity Sports

• Cubs starting pitcher to return on Saturday
• Cubs promote reliever from Triple-A before series with former team
• Pressure will really mount for Cubs in make-or-break June

For More Chicago Sports

Follow me on Twitter at @theotherRobin19, and follow us @ChiCitySports23. You can also reach out to Robin Adams via email at robadams14@gmail.com. To read more of our articles and keep up to date on the latest in ALL of Chicago sports, click here! Chicago Bears, Chicago Bulls, Chicago Cubs, Chicago White Sox, Chicago Blackhawks

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The Chicago Cubs are working through some struggles as the calendar has flipped to June. At one point in May, the Cubs had the lead in the NL Central and completed their second 10-game win streak of the early season.

But then it all took a turn starting in Atlanta.

After the Cubs lost a series to the Atlanta Braves, they dropped another one to the Chicago White Sox. From there, they had a 10-game losing streak and now they sit in fourth place in the NL Central. It didn’t help that the starting pitching rotation suffered two injuries to key starters. But some help is on the way according to multiple reports.

Edward Cabrera set to start for Chicago Cubs on Saturday

Manager Craig Counsell told the media on Sunday that Matthew Boyd had a good rehab start in Iowa and will join the team on Monday. But he’s not the only one set to return this week.

Per Taylor McGregor, Edward Cabrera is set to make his return this week and will start Saturday’s game against the San Fransisco Giants:

Edward Cabrera will start Saturday for the #Cubs. He’s been on the IL since 5/21.

— Taylor McGregor (@Taylor_McGregor) June 2, 2026

Cabrera has been sidelined since May 21st when he went on the IL. Prior to that, he made 10 starts on the year and was off to a strong start. But he was trending in the wrong direction before he went on the IL. He’s posted a 4.00 ERA so far this season.

The additions of Cabrera and Boyd will hopefully provide a boost to the rotation. However, it’s the bats that have been sluggish as of late for the Cubs.

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The Chicago Cubs are looking for a spark this season as they are struggling right now. They have the talent to be successful, but are currently tied for the final spot in the NL Wild Card. This is not the position many people expected the team to be in right now, but they have made a roster change heading into their upcoming series. Let’s take a closer look at what roster move they made and what it means for Chicago going forward.

The Chicago Cubs select Tyler Ferguson, send down Jordan Wicks

The Cubs have announced that they have made a roster update ahead of Tuesday’s game at home against the Athletics. They have called up pitcher Tyler Ferguson from Triple-A Iowa and sent down Jordan Wicks. Chicago traded for Ferguson last month, and he has been pitching in Triple-A until now. He has not been pitching well since the trade though.

In six relief outings for the Iowa Cubs, Ferguson posted a 3.52 ERA and a .154 opposing batting average in 7.2 innings. He needs to improve his control, though, allowing five walks and striking out five as well. Sending down Wicks makes sense after he threw 49 pitches on Sunday and has struggled in his two MLB outings this season.

Ferguson will likely see the mound at some point during this series against his former team. Chicago’s bullpen has been pitching well throughout the season, ranking ninth with a 3.46 team ERA for the relievers. Ferguson has only pitched once this season in the big leagues as a member of the Athletics, but in three years, he has a 4.47 ERA in 110.2 innings.

With the Cubs using four middle relievers on Sunday and an off-day Monday, this decision makes sense. It will be intriguing to see how manager Craig Counsell uses his bullpen going forward.

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The Chicago Cubs started the month of June with a much-needed day off. May was a rough one for the North Siders as they rode a roller coaster of emotions, zooming high at the beginning of the month and then plummeting into some bad, ugly days the rest of the way.

More News: Chicago Cubs: What? Ben Brown is one of the best pitchers in baseball

As things stand right now, though, the Cubs wouldn’t even make the playoffs if the season ended today. Their first place spot in the NL Central Division is a significantly less prestigious tie for third place.

But now, unfortunately, the pressure will really amplify as June tends to be one of those months that helps set a team’s realistic expectations for the rest of the season. In the Cubs’ case, there were high expectations in the offseason, with even some World Series chatter being tossed about.

Lots of issues heading into June

More News: Chicago Cubs: Why Matt Shaw starting rehab soon really matters now

Chicago, frankly, has a lot of work to do before anyone revisits the lofty possibilities they once held.

The starting rotation, for example, is an absolute mess and it’s going to need much more than some simple tweaking to get it right.

As noted by Tony Andracki of Bleacher Nation, the Cubs’ starting rotation ranked 28th in the majors with a combined 5.33 ERA—and that’s even including Ben Brown’s outstanding 1.86 ERA run.

Matthew Boyd and Edward Cabrera will be back in the rotation shortly and that can only help. But there’s not much other help on the horizon. Jameson Taillon has been banged around all year and would’ve probably been shelved on any other team with serious postseason aspirations. The Cubs, however, simply didn’t have any suitable replacements for the veteran. Shota Imanaga, meanwhile, has fallen deeply into the dumpster after an excellent start to the season. Colin Rea has been subpar, Jordan Wicks was a disaster, and Javier Assad is still in Iowa. Also, Justin Steele won’t play the role of cavalry to save Chicago’s starting pitching as his setback in recovery from elbow surgery seems more serious than previously implied by the team.

The offense is also struggling, with several high-profile players delivering inconsistent or just flat-out weak production. With a couple of exceptions, everyone struggled at the plate in May—Dansby Swanson, with his .183 batting average on the season, is almost to the point of having to be benched for lack of offense

And just like in the case of the starting pitching, there’s no cavalry riding in to save the day for the offense. The struggling Cubs will have to turn things around on their own.

Mounting pressure

Zachary Rotman of Fansided, to back up this mounting-pressure reality, recently named the Cubs as one of the three teams feeling the most pressure headed into June:

“It looked as if the Chicago Cubs were sitting pretty when they won each of their first eight games in May, part of a 10-game winning streak overall. That run brought their record to 27-12, good for first place in the NL Central. But they ended the month with a 32-28 record, meaning they went 5-16 the rest of the way. The Cubs haven’t won a single series since they swept the Reds on May 7.

Chicago isn’t in a bad spot — they’re still four games over .500 — but the pressure is on them to turn it around because of how poorly they’re playing right now. I mean, the Cubs went from a team that was 15 games over .500 to one that’s now in fourth place in the NL Central and would miss the playoffs if the season ended today. That’d be an unacceptable result.

With a light schedule to begin June, the Cubs have a golden opportunity to claw their way back into the NL Central race, even with an unfortunate injury situation. Here’s hoping they don’t blow it.”

The Cubs aren’t “out of it” by a long shot. But June will definitely determine how serious their run for the rest of the season will be.

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When the Chicago Cubs signed Alex Bregman to a five-year, $175 million contract over the winter, some immediately called it an overpay.

Paying $35 million annually for a player who hadn’t really had an elite season since 2019 definitely seemed a bit sketchy, but the Cubs needed to do something, and Bregman was unquestionably one of the top players available.

Unfortunately, the early returns haven’t been good for Chicago, as Bregman is slashing .259/.341/.364 with five home runs and 18 RBI over 270 plate appearances thus far in 2026. He has been hitting the ball a bit better lately, but the power still isn’t there.

So, what’s the issue for the three-time All-Star? Is it mechanics? Is it adjusting to a new city? Or is the 32-year-old simply declining?

Bregman recently spoke to Sahadev Sharma of The Athletic, and he specifically fired back against one narrative that has been plaguing Bregman: bat speed.

Chicago Cubs’ Alex Bregman sets the record straight

When Sharma brought up the topic of bat speed and how Bregman has seen a dip in that area this season, the star third baseman made it clear that he doesn’t think that has much of anything to do with his struggles at the dish.

“I really don’t think bat speed has anything to do with it,” Bregman said. “I think mechanics are everything, to be honest. I actually think I can move the bat faster and I’m stronger now than I’ve ever been in my entire career. The year I focused on bat speed in 2024 was the worst of my career.”

Bregman is referencing his final season with the Houston Astros, where he managed a .768 OPS and got off to an absolutely dreadful start, quite similar to the one he has gotten off to with the Cubs this spring.

The former No. 2 overall pick seems to believe that mechanics are the primary issue right now. Whatever the case may be, Bregman needs to get it squared away, and fast. Chicago has gone just 5-16 over its last 21 games, and while the team’s poor starting pitching has been the primary source of contention, its offense hasn’t exactly been lighting it up, either.

The sooner Bregman can get going, the sooner the Cubs can re-assume their position as legitimate contenders.

The post Cubs’ Alex Bregman fires back at frightening narrative amid painful start appeared first on ChiCitySports.

The Cubs lost 5-1 to the St. Louis Cardinals on Sunday Night Baseball, which felt like a national embarrassment to many Cubs fans. Pitcher Jordan Wicks once again bombed in his second start, and the offense struggled, collecting just seven hits with a single walk, finishing 0-for-8 with runners in scoring position. Their only run came from Alex Bregman’s solo shot.

But the fans’ frustration has now shifted towards shortstop Dansby Swanson. Swanson had a rough series, where he struck out with bases loaded on Saturday and went 0-for-4 with a strikeout on Sunday.

Swanson also misplayed a ground ball that went underneath his glove in the third inning, the kind of routine play he’s supposed to make in his sleep. Instead of ending the inning, it extended it, opened the door for more damage, as they scored 3 runs, effectively ending any hope of a comeback.

But Swanson’s struggles at the plate have become a nightly storyline that is hard to ignore. Every time he has struck out, he is late, passive, and overwhelmed. His strikeouts have sent Cubs fans into a full‑blown rage spiral.

Even more alarming about Swanson’s struggle, according to Sahadev Sharma of “The Athletic”, is that he is unable to see the ball well because he is right‑eye dominant, and that’s his back eye in the batter’s box. Therefore, he hasn’t been consistently getting that eye on the ball.

His production has cratered from March/April to May:

• 124 wRC+ → 30 wRC+
• Walk rate: 16.4% → 6.8%
• Chase rate: 21.5% → 32.1%
• Breaking balls faced: 36.5% → 47.9%

But as he works on vision, pitch recognition, and getting his dominant eye on the ball earlier, is it too late for him to reinvent himself at the age of 32?

The Jason Heyward comparison is no longer avoidable

The Cubs fans have been through this before. Outfielder Jason Heyward signed an eight-year, $184 million contract before the 2016 season. But his offensive numbers fell off immediately after joining the Cubs. Eventually, the Cubs granted his unconditional release in November 2022 while eating the final $22 million left on his contract.

Heyward was beloved for everything except his bat. And you don’t throw around the Jason Heyward comp lightly. But the parallels are getting harder to ignore:

• Big contract
• Defensive reputation
• Offensive black hole

The only thing keeping Swanson in the lineup is the contract and his stellar defense. But the Cubs are drowning offensively, and Swanson is one of the anchors tied to their ankles.

Manager Craig Counsell is running out of ways to justify Swanson’s spot in the lineup. He needs to put Nico Hoerner at short and rookie Pedro Ramirez at second more often while Swanson figures out his swing in the foreseeable future.

As the comparisons are getting louder, Swanson needs to respond fast, or he might end up with a similar fate as Heyward.

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Chicago Cubs center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong has fallen short of his All-Star level talent this season. Crow-Armstrong had what seemed to be a breakout season in 2025, where he hit .247 with a .768 OPS (career-high) and was third on the team in home runs (31).

His performance helped earn him the six-year ($115 million) contract extension that he signed in the offseason. Through 60 games after earning his pay raise, Crow-Armstrong has not lived up to the billing.

He is batting .237 with a .713 OPS and has mashed seven home runs in 219 at-bats. For the first two months of last season, Crow-Armstrong mashed 15 home runs and batted .447 with a .921 OPS.

Crow-Armstrong put together a better May — posting a .233 with a .761 OPS, four home runs, 13 RBI, six stolen bases (caught once) and was hit by a pitch five times — the Cubs hope that June will be the month the Gold Glove winner will go off.

The Chicago Cubs hope that Pete Crow-Armstrong’s strong May will be a precursor to a better June

Over a third of the way through the Major League Baseball season, June is a time when hitters and teams show you whether they can turn things around or not. According to MLB.com’s Manny Randhawa, Crow-Armstrong is one hitter that needs to get going, as the team itself tries to get back on track. The Cubs went 13-16 in May after finishing 17-9 in April.

More Cubs News: Chicago Cubs continue to fall in MLB power rankings after series loss to Cardinals

“At this time a year ago, Crow-Armstrong was an early MVP candidate — entering June, PCA had produced a .272/.306/.557 slash line with 15 home runs and 17 steals. Compare that to his numbers entering Sunday — .237/.327/.391 with seven homers and 12 steals,” wrote Randhawa. “Not only is PCA’s offensive production crucial to the Cubs’ success, but so is his electric style of play, which is enhanced exponentially when he’s hot at the plate. We saw that on Saturday against the Cardinals, when PCA recorded four hits, including a home run, and made yet another highlight reel grab in center.”

Crow-Armstrong enters June with a six-game hitting streak and had a four-hit performance against the St. Louis Cardinals on Saturday, so the signs that he’s heating up are there.

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A month ago it looked like the Chicago Cubs were going to be one of the teams to beat in the National League this season. Chicago was in good shape and on top of the NL Central.

They have had two separate 10-game win streaks this season. But then it all went downhill with their trip to Atlanta and then the Crosstown Classic with the White Sox. The Cubs suffered a 10-game losing streak to drop them in the NL Central standings, that’s where they stand now.

The Cubs are looking up at Milwaukee Brewers, St. Louis Cardinals and Pittsburgh Pirates, sitting five games out of first place. A big reason why has been the struggles of the starting pitching and the injuries that came with it. But there appears to be some good news on the horizon as they begin a critical week.

Matthew Boyd set to return to Chicago Cubs

Matthew Boyd hit the injured list on May 6th after suffering a freak knee injury, hurting his knee while sitting down on the ground to play with his kids. He’s missed most of May with the injury but now, he’s ready to return.

Per manager Craig Counsell, Boyd made a rehab start for the Iowa Cubs on Sunday and will now join the team in Chicago on Monday:

“Everything went good, he did well,” Counsell said to reporters after Sunday’s game. “We will see him tomorrow in Chicago.”

Matthew Boyd made a rehab start today with Triple-A Iowa and will return to Chicago tomorrow, Craig Counsell said. pic.twitter.com/KPoQg1H4Ub

— Marquee Sports Network (@WatchMarquee) June 1, 2026

Boyd is coming off a breakout season in 2025 and so far in 2026, he’s 2-1 with a 6.00 ERA in 24 innings pitched in five starts. He struggled in his first start but got better in each start after that.

Getting Boyd back will help the rotation and Chicago’s also expected to get starter Edward Cabrera back as well sometime soon.

Chicago begins a home series against the Oakland Athletics on Tuesday night before hosting the San Francisco Giants over the weekend. It’s unknown when Boyd will make his next start.

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The Chicago Cubs are just 6-16 in their last 22 games. After sweeping the Cincinnati Reds back on May 7, they have not won a single series against any other team that they have played. On Sunday night, their struggles continued as they fell to the St. Louis Cardinals by the score of 5-1.

Saturday night saw Ben Brown throw a gem as the Cubs defeated the Cardinals by the score of 6-1. For a brief moment in time, fans in Chicago believed they had finally figured it out.

But Sunday’s loss brought back a glaring reality: the Cubs do not have the pitching required to be a legitimate contender.

The Chicago Cubs need better pitching as June begins

Bleacher Report recently released a list of each MLB team’s biggest concerns as the calendar turns from May to June. While the Cubs have several hitters all going through slumps at the same time, it is easy to see that Chicago’s biggest concern is their pitching:

“As of Saturday morning, Chicago Cubs hitters had amassed a combined total of 13.9 bWAR, good for the second-highest mark in the majors, trailing only the Dodgers at 14.7.

“But Cubs pitching? It had a combined bWAR of 0.5, which would’ve been dead last if not for the Giants at a slightly worse 0.2.

“Shota Imanaga got out to a great start to the year, but he has come crashing back to earth with 20 earned runs allowed in his last three outings. And with Edward Cabrera recently joining Cade Horton, Justin Steele and Matthew Boyd on the IL, it’s little wonder that wins have become difficult to come by.”

More Chicago Cubs news from ChiCity Sports

• Bears QB Caleb Williams reacts to what Pete Crow-Armstrong did in Cubs game
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• Cubs’ Ben Brown is one of the best pitchers in baseball

For More Chicago Sports

Follow me on Twitter at @theotherRobin19, and follow us @ChiCitySports23. You can also reach out to Robin Adams via email at robadams14@gmail.com. To read more of our articles and keep up to date on the latest in ALL of Chicago sports, click here! Chicago Bears, Chicago Bulls, Chicago Cubs, Chicago White Sox, Chicago Blackhawks

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For a brief 24-hour period, Chicago Cubs fans believed their team had turned it around. Pete Crow-Armstrong went 4-5 at the plate with a home run and sealed a 6-1 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals with an amazing diving catch in center field. A day later, though, the Cubs dropped the series finale in St. Louis, scoring just one run on an Alex Bregman solo shot.

Indeed, the Cubs have been one of the coldest teams in baseball for almost a month. While they snapped their ten-game losing streak by splitting a four-game set with the Pittsburgh Pirates, they have not won a series since May 7. Since that win, which saw Chicago improve to 26-12, they are just 6-16 and now in fourth place in the National League Central Division.

The Chicago Cubs fall out of the top-15 in latest MLB power rankings

The good news for the Cubs is that this past week saw them snap that aforementioned ten-game losing streak. However, the bad news is that they still split the series with Pittsburgh 2-2 and then lost their series to the Cardinals 2-1.

After a 3-4 week, Bleacher Report knocked Chicago down a spot in their MLB power rankings, from 15th to 16th:

“The Cubs snapped a 10-game losing streak with a win over the Pirates on Wednesday, with that rough patch serving as an unfortunate counterpoint to the two 10-game winning streaks they rattled off earlier in the year. Right-hander Ben Brown tossed seven innings of three-hit, one-run ball on Saturday, and he now has a 1.73 ERA in 26 innings over five starts since joining an injury-plagued rotation.”

Ben Brown certainly has been one of the few bright spots on the Cubs roster over the last couple of weeks. Unfortunately, it does not appear like any other pitchers are ready to step up with him. Matthew Boyd should return this week, which might help, but he was not exactly pitching well when he went down with [another] injury.

The fact of the matter is that the Cubs currently do not have the pitching necessary to make a deep run in the postseason even if they make it as they are currently constructed. In order for them to turn this season around and make some noise, they have to add pieces to both their starting rotation and bullpen.

More Chicago Cubs news from ChiCity Sports

• Bears QB Caleb Williams reacts to what Pete Crow-Armstrong did in Cubs game
• Cubs star Pete Crow-Armstrong silences doubters with 4-5 night
• Cubs’ Ben Brown is one of the best pitchers in baseball

For More Chicago Sports

Follow me on Twitter at @theotherRobin19, and follow us @ChiCitySports23. You can also reach out to Robin Adams via email at robadams14@gmail.com. To read more of our articles and keep up to date on the latest in ALL of Chicago sports, click here! Chicago Bears, Chicago Bulls, Chicago Cubs, Chicago White Sox, Chicago Blackhawks

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Caleb Williams forged close friendships with other athletes playing for Chicago professional teams. The Chicago Cubs star quarterback spent a lot of time hanging out with Chicago Bulls forward Matas Buzelis earlier in the offseason. They watched baseball and soccer games, and also had dinner together recently with Chicago Cubs center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong.

It showed how much the young QB embraced the city and his appreciation for his fellow athletes. All three do their best to give Chicago fans more reason to cheer for them and their teams. Williams led the Bears to an 11-6 record last season, capturing the NFC North title and reaching the Divisional Round. Buzelis comes off a strong campaign, averaging 16.3 points, 5.8 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.5 steals per game. 

Meanwhile, Crow-Armstrong and the Cubs are currently tied for third in the NL Central with a 32-28 record. They are 5.0 games behind the Milwaukee Brewers for first place in the division.

Caleb Williams posts reaction to Pete Crow-Armstrong’s home run

St. Louis Cardinals fans chanted “overrated” when Crow-Armstrong was at the plate during Saturday’s game. He responded by silencing the crowd at Busch Stadium with a homerun in the eighth inning. Williams reposted the clip on X and reacted with two laughing emojis.

😂😂 https://t.co/pz9hkCQVEs

— Caleb Williams (@CALEBcsw) May 31, 2026

The 2025 All-Star recorded four hits on the night to guide the Cubs to a 6-1 win. Nico Hoerner and Ian Happ backed him with two hits each. However, they lost the three-game series decider on Sunday, 5-1. The team will head home to start a series against the Athletics. Crow-Armstrong has 52 hits and seven homers so far this season.

Williams, on the other hand, impressed during the Bears’ OTAs. He turned heads with some of his passes, showing he’s raring to start the 2026 season. Next up for him and the Bears is mandatory minicamp from June 9-11, giving head coach Ben Johnson and his staff a chance to run more plays with the squad.

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The Chicago Cubs bounced back from a disappointing series opener against the St. Louis Cardinals on Friday by dismantling them 6-1 on Saturday night. Ben Brown was absolutely electric on the mound, stepping up in a big way as the Cubs’ starting rotation continues to take hit after hit.

But the star of the night was center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong, who had a huge night at the plate and flashed the kind of defense that won him a Gold Glove in 2025.

Chicago Cubs star Pete Crow-Armstrong on silencing the doubters

Entering play on Saturday, Crow-Armstrong was not performing well as Chicago’s lead-off hitter. Prior to his performance last night, he was hitting  just .192/.333/.269 at the top of the lineup.

But on Saturday, he was 4-5 from the plate with a home run, two RBI, and two runs scored. He also ended the game with a highlight reel catch in centerfield.

Afterwards, he talked about silencing the doubters and complimented the Cardinals and their fans:

“They got like hundreds of shirtless guys out in right field. Interesting theme for the year, but they’re rowdy and they’re showing up, like they’re buying into something, so I can appreciate it.

“We love playing against the Cardinals too, like in division rivals, always fun. And it’s nice that they got a really good squad this year, and they’re playing good.”

More Chicago Cubs news from ChiCity Sports

• Ben Brown is one of the best pitchers in baseball
• Cubs’ mysterious injury is reaching a boiling point
• Why Matt Shaw starting rehab really matters now

For More Chicago Sports

Follow me on Twitter at @theotherRobin19, and follow us @ChiCitySports23. You can also reach out to Robin Adams via email at robadams14@gmail.com. To read more of our articles and keep up to date on the latest in ALL of Chicago sports, click here! Chicago Bears, Chicago Bulls, Chicago Cubs, Chicago White Sox, Chicago Blackhawks

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The Chicago Cubs, just like that, have now won three of their last four games after an ugly ten-game losing streak that had fans and pundits wondering if they were a broken team.

More News: Chicago Cubs: Why Matt Shaw starting rehab soon really matters now

One bit of consistency through these recent worst of times and the current best of times is Ben Brown.

The 26-year-old, since being put into the starting rotation due to an injury to Matthew Boyd, has been pitching like an ace. In his five starts this season, he’s 1-1 with a 1.73 ERA. On the season, he’s got a 1.92 ERA through seventeen appearances and is averaging more than one strikeout per inning.

On Saturday, against the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium, Brown delivered another stellar outing, allowing one earned run on three hits through seven innings in a 6-1 win over the Cubs’ division rivals. Except for one brief moment in the fourth inning, the 6-foot-6 right-hander was in command throughout, showing maturity and confidence along with a pitch arsenal boasting a new sinker and changeup.

“I thought the last at-bat to Gorman was just a maybe a little symbolic of how Ben’s changed,” Cubs manager Craig Counsell told reporters. “He threw four changeups to Gorman, and that’s just something that couldn’t happen last year, right? It wasn’t going to happen, and just tip of the cap to how he’s improved, and that was a real sign in there.”

Brown is one of MLB’s best

More News: Chicago Cubs: PCA’s poise has been a bright spot during tough times

On paper, as well as on the field, Brown’s excellence so far this season has been noted.

Writer Matt Clapp recently dug through the numbers to highlight exactly how good the young pitcher has been and how his execution this year actually places him among the best in MLB.

Per Clapp:

Ben Brown ranks among MLB pitchers with at least 50 IP…

ERA: 7th
FIP: 4th
xERA: 7th
xFIP: 9th
AVG: 3rd
GB%: 8th
HR/9: 2nd
GB/FB: 8th

That’s pretty impressive stuff from someone who came into spring training without any guarantee that he’d even break camp with the big league Cubs.

Becoming his best self

Brown had shown flashes of brilliance throughout his young career, but had been unable to deliver consistently good work. Still, the Cubs kept him on the roster for those flashes of brilliance and for the promise that he’d eventually be able to put everything together for a grab at his full potential. The new pitches perfected over the offseason, along with the confidence that comes along with a more fully-developed arsenal, might have pushed him to that next level of development.

No matter the reason, Brown’s rise has come at exactly the right time for a Cubs staff reeling from injury and inconsistency. Without any exaggeration, he’s become the linchpin for the team’s rotation.

But Brown, himself, seems to be taking this all in stride.

“That was exciting,’’ Brown said of Thursday’s outing. “This is something to build off, but you’re never as good as you think you are and never as bad as you think you are.’’

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Pete Crow-Armstrong did not hold back when rounding the bases after his 444-foot bomb in St. Louis on Saturday night. The Cubs’ lightning rod centerfielder had a huge day, going 4-5 with a homer, double, two RBI, and reaching five times. He also added a sliding catch to end the game for good measure.

TARPS OFF. BALL GONE. pic.twitter.com/4oW1AuryUG

— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) May 31, 2026

Crow-Armstrong’s solo blast in the top of the eighth landed into the now famous “Tarps Off” fan section at Busch Stadium. The ball was hit as the Cardinal faithful were chanting “Overrated” at him. He made celebratory gestures towards his dugout while rounding the bases as the heckles turned to boos.

A much more effective way to respond to heckling.

It was just a few weeks ago when Crow-Armstrong made national headlines for his controversial interaction with a White Sox fan during the Crosstown series. He left Rate Field with a loss that day and eventually a fine. It’s a moment he seems to wish he had back, and one that will be remembered forever, regardless of how one feels about it.

In St. Louis, he did the best thing one could do to hecklers: beat them in the box score.

Worth noting the masses chanting at Crow-Armstrong at Busch Stadium was not quite the same as the 1-on-1 interaction on the South Side. It was more personal that time. Still, having a night like that to back up the lightning rod personality on the field is how to come out on top.

This will be a new normal for Crow-Armstrong

Crow-Armstrong has established himself as a lightning rod. It feels safe to say, regardless of how much he ends up growing as a player, many baseball fans have made up their minds about him. He’s going to get booed and heckled in a lot of parks, especially in rival parks and Dodger Stadium.

If he can further grow as a player, then he can have more of these moments to shut down hecklers without barking back. It obviously won’t work every time, as every player will fail in many games. With that said, it was hard when he was really struggling. That just fueled the flames for the people not so fond of him.

One can easily argue it’s good to have a “villain” on a team. Even if they are not harming others and are good citizens, players like Crow-Armstrong, who are emotional and speak their mind, tend to be naturally off-putting for opponents. Regardless, the villains need to produce and win battles on the field to reign over the jeers.

The post Pete Crow-Armstrong’s responds to heckling in the best way appeared first on ChiCitySports.

The Chicago Cubs could use reinforcements across the board right now, as they have gone just 5-15 over their last 20 games and are on the verge of getting swept by the St. Louis Cardinals this weekend.

Nothing is going right for the Cubs at the moment. Their starting rotation is a complete mess, their bullpen is shaky and they aren’t hitting consistently. So while acquiring another starting pitcher should be at the top of their priority list, they have other holes to fill, as well.

The problem for Chicago is it doesn’t have many internal answers, and one player we thought could represent a potential impact solution for the Cubs isn’t even currently playing: Tyler Austin.

Chicago signed Austin over the winter after the 34-year-old spent the last six seasons in Japan, slashing .293/.377/.568 over the course of 1,491 plate appearances in the NPB. The Cubs could certainly use his bat right now, but he has been sidelined with a knee injury since Spring Training, and now, Chicago fans are wondering what’s going on.

Chicago Cubs have provided no updates on Tyler Austin

Jordan Campbell of Cubbies Crib spoke for many Cubs fans in a recent piece, questioning why exactly we have not heard any updates on Austin’s status.

“Two months into the season, as Craig Counsell has provided daily injury updates, Austin hasn’t been mentioned. Looking at the Cubs’ injury update on their website, Austin’s status was last updated on March 24. It’s around the time that an update on Austin should be expected, but that hasn’t been the case,” Campbell wrote.

Austin underwent surgery to repair his knee issue back in late February, but Campbell notes that Chicago has not even elaborated on what type of procedure he had.

The Conyers, Ga. native began his big-league career with the New York Yankees back in 2016 and spent parts of three seasons in the Bronx. He has also spent time with the Minnesota Twins, San Francisco Giants and Milwaukee Brewers.

Austin owns a career big-league slash line of .219/.292/.451, but the hope was that his time in Japan revitalized him and would result in better major-league at-bats. Unfortunately, we haven’t gotten the chance to see that this season, and who knows when we actually will.

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The Chicago Cubs may or may not be out of the deep end of a major funk which has recently cost them ten games in a row and their spot atop the NL Central Division.

More News: Chicago Cubs: An update on top pitching prospect Jaxon Wiggins

Either way, though, some serious planning has to currently be in play for the immediate future.

Assuming the Cubs are still buyers by the August 3 trade deadline, the front office needs to decide how deep they want to go when it comes to acquisitions. Assuming starting pitchers Matthew Boyd and Edward Cabrera return to the rotation healthy and productive, the decision will have to be made regarding what type of player they want to add.

Do they want to spend the trade capital on a high-end, front-of-rotation starter or can they make due with a more back-of-rotation workhorse? Do they want to go big on relievers to help stabilize an inconsistent bullpen? Do they want to pick up a reliable bat to give a boost to an offense that has gone through spells of flatlining?

Why Matt Shaw’s return is a big deal

More News: Chicago Cubs: How the MLB cap proposal and labor dispute would affect the Cubs

Matt Shaw, in one way or another, figures heavily into these future plans. That’s why the 24-year-old about to start his rehab assignment at Triple-A Iowa is taking on an exaggerated level of importance.

The sophomore utility player was placed on the IL on May 22 (retroactive to May 20) with mild back tightness and is right on track for a comfortable return to the big league Cubs.

“Matt’s doing super well,” Cubs manager Craig Counsell told reporters on Friday in St. Louis. “The plan kind of remains intact that we think he’s going to be able to start a rehab assignment on Tuesday in Iowa. So, assuming everything progresses like it progresses, he’s going to have basically a full weekend of kind of normal pregame stuff. He should be good to go on Tuesday in Iowa.”

Shaw’s status as a pivotal player in this team’s trajectory—despite not having a full-time starting spot—comes directly from his value as an underutilized talent with a high ceiling and a whole career ahead of him.

Trade bait or building block?

If the Cubs chose to shop him around, they’d find takers. He’s a guy who could be plugged right into a lineup and begin to contribute immediately, especially at third base or second base. He would be doing so with Chicago if they hadn’t acquired third baseman Alex Bregman in the offseason. His current .242 batting average doesn’t fully reflect how far he’s come along, offensively, since his rookie 2025 season and he’ll probably keep getting better.

The Cubs are taking a good long look at no. 2 prospect Pedro Ramirez who was brought up to replace Shaw as the super utility man on the 26-man roster. If Ramirez pans out as everyone seems to expect, Shaw could be valuable yet expendable trade bait.

The front office, however, may find Shaw’s presence more valuable than his trade worth. With Ian Happ and Seiya Suzuki eligible for free agency at the end of this season, Shaw could be converted to a full-time corner outfielder to take one of those spots. He also has big-time value as a backup in case of injury to guys like Bregman or Nico Hoerner.

All of this is why it’s noteworthy that Shaw will be back to the team soon. From there, it’s anyone’s guess as to whether he’ll be used as a super sub or as trade capital.

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The Chicago Cubs have been riding a roller coaster of emotions and fortunes this season. After a 20-3 run that included two 10-game winning streaks, the team fell into the deep doldrums with a confidence-testing 10-game losing streak.

More News: Chicago Cubs: PCA’s poise has been a bright spot during tough times

Through the tail end of the winning streak and the entirety of the losing streak—where wins have been big and losses have been equally big—there really hasn’t been much use for a closer to lock down games. As such, hard-throwing right-hander Daniel Palencia has mostly been just hanging around doing nothing.

The 26-year-old has only logged one inning since May 20—with his last appearance to date being on May 26—and hasn’t had a save opportunity since May 14. On the year, he has just 10.2 innings pitched and has posted a 2.53 ERA with 3 saves.

Part of the inactivity issue is due to Palencia’s lat strain in mid-April which cost him about three weeks of potential playing time. But the perhaps the biggest culprit for his lack of work is just the fact that the Cubs have been so “feast or famine” this season.

Big expectations hit a roadblock

More News: Chicago Cubs: How the MLB cap proposal and labor dispute would affect the Cubs

Palencia, coming into this 2026 campaign after his utter domination for the WBC-winning Team Venezuela earlier in the spring, expected big things for his first full-season run as the Cubs’ closer. Those expectations have been dashed a bit by how this year has played out so far.

Palencia, himself, has acknowledged his frustration at having so few opportunities to showcase his abilities.

‘‘I would love to have more saves,’’ Palencia told reporters on Thursday before the Cubs’ 7-2 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park. ‘‘I want to be an All-Star; I want to be a great closer. So, yes, it’s kind of frustrating for me to keep my mind clean.’’

‘‘Things happen,’’ he added, referring to how things have panned out. ‘‘Sometimes you spend six days without throwing and then you may throw five days in a row.’’

Palencia needs to pitch

Whatever the case, Palencia needs work and manager Craig Counsell needs to find him some innings, even when the game is not on the line. If not, he may be put into high-leverage situations when he’s not at his sharpest, something which could rock his confidence or even lead to injury from over compensating.

The Cubs pitching staff as a whole has been rocked with injury this year. Three of the projected top five rotation arms are on the IL (Cade Horton, Matthew Boyd, and Edward Cabrera—with Horton out for the season) and the bullpen has been hobbled by injury and inconsistency as well. This team cannot afford to also cross their closer off the list of reliable, contributing arms.

Palencia clearly wants the ball and Chicago needs to find a way to give it to him more than once every ten days or so.

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The Chicago Cubs fell to the St. Louis Cardinals by the score of 6-5 on Friday night. Now, fans are holding their breaths, hoping that it will not be the start of yet another long losing streak. Entering play on Friday, Chicago had won two games in a row, but those had come on the heels of a ten-game losing streak.

In April and early May, the Cubs were considered one of the more elite teams in Major League Baseball. They had two separate ten-game winning streaks and had an early lead in the National League Central Division.

Outside of those winning streaks, though, Chicago is just 11-27. They have not been able to win series consistently, and multiple everyday players in their lineup have or are currently going through offensive slumps.

Pete Crow-Armstrong is one of them.

Pete Crow-Armstrong should not hit lead-off for the Chicago Cubs

In 2025, Crow-Armstrong got off to an electric start to the season. In the first half of the year, he hit .265/.302/.444 with 25 home runs, 72 RBI, and 27 stolen bases. He was named to the National League All-Star team for the first time as a result.

But in the second half, he struggled mightily at the plate. After the All-Star break, he hit just .216.262/.372 with six home runs, 24 RBI, and eight stolen bases. He ended up with a 30-30 season, but his second half drought at the plate was concerning.

And this year, so far, he has not been anywhere close to matching the production he had in the first half of 2025. Through the first 58 games of 2026, Crow-Armstrong is hitting .226/.314/.362 with six home runs, 24 RBI, and 12 stolen bases.

Cubs manager Craig Counsell recently moved his star center fielder to the lead-off position to help him break out of his prolonged slump. The problem, though, is that Counsell may have already had him where he should be.

As a lead-off hitter this year, Crow-Armstrong is hitting just .192/.333/.269. Clearly, that is not good enough.

Prior to being moved to the lead-off spot, PCA was hitting .321/.387/.357 as the number nine hitter. As far as sample sizes go, he has 33 at bats leading off, and 31 at bats as the nine hitter.

Furthermore, the Gold Glove winner is hitting just .189/.283/.302 when leading off any inning at all. Not only that, he is also hitting .174/.258/.261 when the bases are empty.

However, when there are men on base, PCA is hitting .284/.378/.484. He is also better with runners in scoring position, hitting .296/.371/.463.

And as far as these splits go, PCA has had 115 official at bats with the bases empty, and 95 with runners on base.

It is clear, therefore, that he should not be hitting lead-off, but further down in the order. His best numbers come from the ninth-spot, but he could be moved up in the order too.

One has to wonder, given the sample sizes and their results, why Counsell continues to have PCA bat lead-off when it is clearly obvious that he does not belong in that role.

More Chicago Cubs news from ChiCity Sports

• Cubs connected to unthinkable trade for star pitcher
• PCA’s poise has been a bright spot amid tough stretch
• How MLB cap proposal and labor dispute could affect the Cubs

For More Chicago Sports

Follow me on Twitter at @theotherRobin19, and follow us @ChiCitySports23. You can also reach out to Robin Adams via email at robadams14@gmail.com. To read more of our articles and keep up to date on the latest in ALL of Chicago sports, click here! Chicago Bears, Chicago Bulls, Chicago Cubs, Chicago White Sox, Chicago Blackhawks

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The Chicago Cubs entered their series against the St. Louis Cardinals, having won each of their past two games. For the first time in almost two weeks, Chicago was feeling confident. Of course, this was because these last two wins came on the heels of a brutal 10-game losing streak.

Indeed, the game got off to a good start for the Cubs, too. Ian Happ hit a three-run home run in the top of the first inning. It was the third consecutive game in which he hit a home run, signaling that the struggling left fielder maybe has found his groove.

Unfortunately, starting pitcher Shota Imanaga could not keep the lead.

Chicago Cubs manager Craig Counsell calls out Shota Imanaga for home run issues

For most of the season thus far, Imanaga has been one of the only Cubs starting pitchers that has been able to stay healthy. Early on in the year, he was an anchor and performed exceptionally well.

Over this last three starts, though, he Imanaga has been anything but. In the loss, he surrendered a three-run home run in the bottom of the first; a solo home run in the fourth; and a solo home run in the fifth.

Needless to say, May has not been his month:

Shota Imanaga’s April/May stats:

April – 2.15 ERA, 0.75 WHIP, 2 HR allowed, 31 K

May – 5.80 ERA, 1.26 WHIP, 10 HR allowed, 31 K

— Jacob Zanolla (@jacobzanolla) May 30, 2026

Imanaga has given up a combined eight home runs in his last three starts, and his ERA is up to 4.37 on the year.

After the loss, manager Craig Counsell was not subtle in his criticism for Chicago’s $22 million pitcher, saying, “We’re not going to stop Shota giving up home runs; he’s gonna give up some home runs. The first inning, that’s part that I think he definitely can control. And that’s the part that can’t happen.”

When reminded by the media that Chicago leads all Major League Baseball with 82 home runs allowed, and that the starting staff has allowed 54 of them, Counsell responded, “Yeah. That’s bothersome.”

With so many starting pitchers on the injured list, the Cubs current starters need to figure it out quickly. Otherwise they may be in for another long losing streak.

More Chicago Cubs news from ChiCity Sports

• Cubs connected to unthinkable trade for star pitcher
• PCA’s poise has been a bright spot amid tough stretch
• How MLB cap proposal and labor dispute could affect the Cubs

For More Chicago Sports

Follow me on Twitter at @theotherRobin19, and follow us @ChiCitySports23. You can also reach out to Robin Adams via email at robadams14@gmail.com. To read more of our articles and keep up to date on the latest in ALL of Chicago sports, click here! Chicago Bears, Chicago Bulls, Chicago Cubs, Chicago White Sox, Chicago Blackhawks

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The Chicago Cubs have certainly kid the skids, as they have gone just 4-15 since their 10-game winning streak. They actually put together a pair of double-digit winning streaks earlier this season, only to see everything come apart at the seasons the last few weeks.

The Cubs have a plethora of issues that need to be addressed, but the most prominent of all is their starting rotation, which has been among the worst in baseball this year.

Injuries have played a significant role in the struggles of Chicago’s pitching staff, but regardless, Jed Hoyer needs to go out and land at least one legitimate arm between now and the MLB trade deadline. At this point, it would be surprising if he didn’t.

But could the Cubs actually get in the mix for Detroit Tigers superstar Tarik Skubal? It’s looking very likely that the Tigers will move Skubal by Aug. 3, and there will be one heck of a sweepstakes to acquire him.

Jake Misener of Cubbies Crib has put together a trade package that he thinks will be competitive in the race for the two-time Cy Young award winner.

Chicago Cubs linked to huge trade for Tarik Skubal

Misener’s proposal features Ben Brown, Matt Shaw, Josiah Hartshorn and Grant Kipp.

“With a farm system that lacks any healthy high-upside arms, that means Hoyer may have to do the unthinkable: include Ben Brown in the package, just as he finally seems to be living up to his potential,” Misener wrote. “… In this trade, the Cubs package Brown with utilityman and former first-rounder Matt Shaw, along with Josiah Hartshorn, the organization’s #8-ranked prospect and Grant Kipp, their #28 prospect, per MLB Pipeline.”

Yeah, I’m not sure that a trade package bereft of any top-five prospects will be enough for Detroit to fork over Skubal, even if the left-hander is hitting free agency this offseason.

Misener himself admits that while he thinks the proposal would “get the Cubs’ foot in the door,” he doesn’t feel it would be enough to beat what some other contenders — such as the Los Angeles Dodgers — could offer.

Chances are, Chicago won’t be landing Skubal and will have to settle for lesser candidates like Freddy Peralta, Sandy Alcantara and Robbie Ray.

The post Chicago Cubs connected to ‘unthinkable’ trade for star pitcher appeared first on ChiCitySports.

The Chicago Cubs pitching staff has gone through some real struggles so far this season. It’s easy to look at the injuries as the main culprit, and they’re definitely a factor, but the healthy big-money arms have had their issues too.

Three guys that stick out right now are Jameson Taillon, Shota Imanaga, and Phil Maton. They are all currently healthy, among the top in their respective position’s payroll, and struggling.

The numbers vs. the pay

Taillon and Imanaga are the two highest-paid starting pitchers on the team, and Maton is the highest-paid reliever (under contract for two years). To look at the stats vs. the pay:

Shota Imanaga: 4.37 ERA, 4.41 FIP, 13 HR given up in 70 innings – $22.025 million salary in 2026

Jameson Taillon: 5.37 ERA, 6.56 FIP, 19 HR given up in 60.1 innings – $18 million salary in 2026

Phil Maton: 7.64 ERA, 5.10 FIP, 5.09 BB/9 in 17.2 innings – $5.5 million salary in 2026

Totaling that up, that’s $45,525,000 worth of salary going towards a combined 5.17 ERA and 35 home runs given up so far between the three pitchers. If we wanted to expand on this, Matthew Boyd (injured) has a 6.00 ERA (though a 2.32 FIP) in 24 innings this year at $14.5 million, and Hunter Harvey is making $5 million while having pitched only 4.0 innings.

Putting it in perspective.

While still fairly early in the season, these numbers are just way off from what the money these guys are making. Unfortunately, the home run issues for Taillon and Imanaga are part of their game. Something has to be done about the frequency of those home runs, though, it won’t be easy with warm weather arriving.

These are also just not overpowering pitchers. Imanaga and Maton can generate whiffs via spin, location, and offspeed, but the fastballs or hanging breakers in the heart of the zone get pounded. Taillon has never been a big whiff pitcher, even when he was efficient. Velocity is a big part of modern baseball, and the team continues to have few active flame throwers.

All three of these guys have a recent track record of success. Taillon posted a 3.45 ERA and 1.1 WHIP from 2024-2025; Imanaga was an All-Star in 2024 and got off to a great start this year; and Maton pitched to a 2.79 ERA and 81 strikeouts in 61.1 innings last year. It’s hard to know with relievers like Maton, as they are fickle, and it’s a matter of whether Taillon and Imanaga can do a better job keeping the ball in the park more efficiently and with fewer guys on base.

Hopefully, there is improvement, but concern is valid. This just cannot continue.

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The Chicago Cubs managed to stop their ugly skid at ten games and are actually on a mini two-game winning streak.

More News: Chicago Cubs: How the MLB cap proposal and labor dispute would affect the Cubs

Admittedly, that’s not much of a streak, but it’s been enough to go from last place to second place in the ultra-competitive NL Central Division.

One of the main reasons for the team pulling out of its losing funk is the reemergence of the offense, which has posted seventeen runs versus Pittsburgh Pirates pitching over their last two games.

Cubs center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong has not been at the forefront of this offensive surge, but it’s not for lack of trying or for lack of doing the right things.

PCA is doing everything right, but…

More News: Chicago Cubs: Update on Justin Steele is yet another gut punch for team

Over his last five games, “PCA” has posted an average exit velocity of 99.5 mph, but is officially 3-for-17 (.176). On the season, the 24-year-old has delivered some underwhelming numbers, registering just six home runs with a .224 batting average and an OPS of .677.

But end-result numbers are clearly not telling Crow-Armstrong’s full story, at least not for the last month or so.

Per Brett Taylor of Bleacher Nation:

“You can go all the way back over a month and find that PCA is hitting a solid-but-unspectacular .214/.339/.408/117 wRC+ since April 26. But he’s posted a whopping .389 xwOBA in that time (against a .337 actual wOBA), with a 12.9% BB rate(!), a 21.8% K rate, a .194 ISO, a 50.6% hard hit rate, and an 11.7% barrel rate. If you didn’t know the slash line, you’d guess that a guy doing all that was having a MONSTER month.”

Jake Misener of Cubbies Crib added to the PCA “things aren’t as bad as they seem” assessment:

“Since May 6, he’s been a top-20 player in the league in terms of fWAR, even as a team-wide slump took center stage as the Cubs saw a multiple-game lead in the Central quickly evaporate. During that stretch, his .197 average left much to be desired, but he’s bandaged that up with an impressive .341 OBP, driven by a 13.4 percent walk rate.”

Poise and maturity

And through doing all the right things without getting the right results—and through a rough mental patch stemming from an altercation with a female White Sox fan in mid-May—he’s been remarkably poised. With the exception of a couple uncharacteristic defensive miscues, one wouldn’t know that he was under stress at all.

“One of the hard things is sticking with it when you’re not getting the hits.” Cubs manager Craig Counsell told reporters on Thursday. “Do you feel better when you hit a bloop double or when you line out? Right? So, I think that’s the baseball question…That’s what’s hard about it sometimes…And I think he’s improving…and he’s going to continue to do that…but sticking to things, that’s important.”

While hard-hit balls aren’t resulting in hits for him, he’s still running the bases like a fiend and doing his thing in center field, showcasing the multi-tool capabilities that made him a safe gamble for the six-year extension he got with the team earlier in the season.

If he continues to work the bat as he’s been doing—with a greater willingness to take walks and an increased ability to hit left-handed-pitching—the hits will come. But the lessons learned in patience and maturity through this rough patch will be invaluable.

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Chicago Cubs fans—as fans do—are already talking about ideas and concerns for 2027. But if the labor-management conflict keeps escalating the way it seems to be escalating, there may not even be a 2027 season.

More News: Chicago Cubs: An update on top pitching prospect Jaxon Wiggins

On Thursday, owners revealed their initial economic proposal ahead of negotiations to renew the MLB labor agreement. Their opening proposition—and the central idea to their whole play—is already a full-stop deal-killer right off the bat.

MLB owners have proposed a salary cap of $245.3 million for all teams, as well as a salary floor of $171.2 million guaranteeing minimum spending. There’d also be a 50-50 revenue split across the board.

“The biggest issue we need to solve next to continue to grow the game off the field is fixing the payroll disparity unseen in any other major U.S. sport,” league spokesman Glen Caplin said in a statement issued to media. “Ultimately the game is about hope and competition and too many fans in too many markets have too little hope their team has a fair chance to win.

“Our salary cap and-floor proposal levels the playing field while sharing baseball revenue with the players 50-50 as we grow the game together.”

Labor war talk is escalating

More News: Chicago Cubs: Has Alex Bregman already aged into decline?

The players association has long fought the idea of a salary cap and has been utterly unbending in their opposition. The 232-day strike of 1994-1995 was primarily over a cap proposal. Another long-term strike was averted in 2022 when the owners caved on their insistence on a cap.

This time, however, management seems willing to dig in and fight this one out.

The players also appear to be ready for a long, ugly fight.

“For generations, our members have fought against cap systems because they harm players at all levels, erode or eliminate contractual guarantees, pit player against player, lead to more work stoppages, not less, and get worse for players over time,” players union interim director Bruce Meyer responded in a statement.

“Baseball is experiencing unprecedented momentum and owners are enjoying record viewership, revenues and franchise values. Billionaire owners are not seeking to cap their profits or asset values, only player salaries. This isn’t out of generosity or a desire to protect the game’s well-being. It’s a play to control costs, increase profits and maximize franchise values — all at the expense of players past, present and future.”

How this would affect the Cubs

So, how would this directly affect the Cubs, other than missed games in 2027?

According to payroll estimates posted by CBS Sports, the Cubs, with total spending of $249.7 million, would need to trim just about $4.4 million to comply with the proposed payroll cap.

Twelve teams, including division rivals Milwaukee Brewers, Cincinnati Reds, Pittsburgh Pirates, and St. Louis Cardinals, would have to spend more to meet the proposed minimum spending threshold. In the case of the Brewers, specifically, they’d have to spend about $31.5 more in 2027 and beyond to comply with the new proposed minimum spending requirement.

This upcoming labor battle and a possible cap will clearly have an impact on how Chicago conducts its business this offseason as several veteran assets—such as Ian Happ, Seiya Suzuki, Matthew Boyd, Seiya Suzuki, Jameson Taillon, and Carson Kelly—could become eligible for free agency at the end of this 2026 season.

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The Chicago Cubs have quickly put the negativity of their 10-game losing streak behind them. After dropping the first two games against the Pittsburgh Pirates this week, Chicago defeated that same team two times in a row on Wednesday and Thursday.

Additionally, the Cubs climbed up from last place in the National League Central Division all the way up to second. Currently, they sit four games behind the Milwaukee Brewers, who have won three games in a row, having just swept the St. Louis Cardinals.

Throughout the course of their losing streak, the Cubs were obviously missing some quality starting pitching depth. Fortunately, one of their starters is nearing return.

Matthew Boyd could rejoin the Chicago Cubs next week

The Cubs have had some awful luck in terms of their starting pitching depth. Justin Steele started the year on the injured list and suffered a set-back in his rehab. Cade Horton is out for the rest of the season and probably part of next year (if there is a season) due to requiring Tommy John surgery.

Edward Cabrera was the latest to end to the IL with a blister. Meanwhile, Matthew Boyd has had to go on the injured list twice.

The first time Boyd, who was Chicago’s Opening Day starter, went on the IL was in early April due to a bicep strain. Then, earlier this month, he suffered a fluke knee injury when playing with his kids at home. The result was a torn meniscus and he needed surgery to repair it.

According to The Chicago Sun Times, Boyd is close to a return:

“Left-hander Matthew Boyd, who has been out since May 4 after having arthroscopic surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his left knee, is scheduled to make a rehab start Sunday at Triple-A Iowa.

“Boyd will be checked out Monday, but if all goes well, he could return to the Cubs’ rotation in time for the series against the Giants next weekend at Wrigley Field. In his last start for the Cubs, Boyd gave up two runs and four hits in six innings and was the winning pitcher in an 8-4 victory against the Diamondbacks at Wrigley.”

In five starts this year, Boyd is 2-1 with a 6.00 ERA.

More Chicago Cubs news from ChiCity Sports

• Cubs top trade target comes with screaming red flags
• Cubs give update on top pitching prospect Jaxon Wiggins
• Has Alex Bregman already aged into decline?

For More Chicago Sports

Follow me on Twitter at @theotherRobin19, and follow us @ChiCitySports23. You can also reach out to Robin Adams via email at robadams14@gmail.com. To read more of our articles and keep up to date on the latest in ALL of Chicago sports, click here! Chicago Bears, Chicago Bulls, Chicago Cubs, Chicago White Sox, Chicago Blackhawks

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The Chicago Cubs snapped their 10-game losing streak on Wednesday by defeating the Pittsburgh Pirates 10-4. It was a major relief to the players and fans, who had become beyond frustrated with the performance on the field. Of course, winning the first game after a losing streak is just the initial step. Winning the second game is a bigger indicator that things are turning around.

Fortunately, Chicago did win their second consecutive game. On Thursday, Colin Rea, of all people, out-dueled Paul Skenes as the Cubs defeated the Pirates again, this time by the score of 7-2.

Colin Rea says the Chicago Cubs really needed that second win

Rea and Skenes both pitched 5.1 innings yesterday. Rea allowed four hits, three walks, and two runs (all earned) while striking out five. Skenes, on the other hand, allowed four hits, three walks, and three runs (just one earned) while striking out 10.

After the game, Rea had the following to say about Chicago’s second-straight victory:

“We needed this. After you win one game, you want to win another. You always have to take it one day at a time in this game, but when you go through the stretch we did, you can’t help but wonder what the next couple of weeks will look like.

“We still have to take it one day at a time, but you’d like to think we can string some more wins together.”

More Chicago Cubs news from ChiCity Sports

• Cubs top trade target comes with screaming red flags
• Cubs give update on top pitching prospect Jaxon Wiggins
• Has Alex Bregman already aged into decline?

For More Chicago Sports

Follow me on Twitter at @theotherRobin19, and follow us @ChiCitySports23. You can also reach out to Robin Adams via email at robadams14@gmail.com. To read more of our articles and keep up to date on the latest in ALL of Chicago sports, click here! Chicago Bears, Chicago Bulls, Chicago Cubs, Chicago White Sox, Chicago Blackhawks

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Don’t look now, but the Chicago Cubs have actually won back-to-back games. After losing 10 consecutive games and falling all the way to last place in the National League Central Division, the Cubs looked to be desperately short on answers.

Throughout their losing streak, there would be games when the offense scored plenty of runs, but the pitching did not hold any leads. Other times, the pitching would allow minimal damage, but the offense failed to plate any runs.

Fortunately, Chicago has been able to climb back up into second place by winning their last two games.

The Chicago Cubs fall to 10th in ESPN’s MLB power rankings

Last week, ESPN had the Cubs ranked as the seventh-best team in baseball despite their losing streak. Now, though, they have them slotted in at number 10:

“The Cubs dropped their 10th consecutive game Tuesday night (before picking up a win Wednesday) and amazingly fell to last place in the NL Central, a division they led just eight days earlier. For much of this season, the Cubs seemed to possess one of the sport’s most prolific offenses. But in those 10 games, they slashed just .185/.288/.293, a massive problem when considering their badly injured starting rotation.

“At this point, their best, most consistent performer has probably been Nico Hoerner, whose solid defense and contact-heavy approach makes him one of the game’s best second basemen. But others need to step up on offense.”

Nico Hoerner has, indeed, been Chicago’s most consistent hitter, and it is no surprise that their last two wins have come with others stepping up around him.

The NL Central is so competitive that with their last two victories over the Pittsburgh Pirates have elevated the Cubs out of last place and into second.

They currently are four games behind the Milwaukee Brewers.

More Chicago Cubs news from ChiCity Sports

• Cubs top trade target comes with screaming red flags
• Cubs give update on top pitching prospect Jaxon Wiggins
• Has Alex Bregman already aged into decline?

For More Chicago Sports

Follow me on Twitter at @theotherRobin19, and follow us @ChiCitySports23. You can also reach out to Robin Adams via email at robadams14@gmail.com. To read more of our articles and keep up to date on the latest in ALL of Chicago sports, click here! Chicago Bears, Chicago Bulls, Chicago Cubs, Chicago White Sox, Chicago Blackhawks

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The Chicago Cubs are actually on a winning streak now, having won two straight following their 10-game skid. They are still right in the thick of the NL Central race, and they will almost certainly be very active between now and the MLB trade deadline.

The Cubs need help pretty much everywhere, but their primary source of concern all season long has been their starting rotation, which has been among baseball’s worst.

Injuries have certainly played a role in Chicago’s pitching woes, but the staff has also underperformed as a whole.

Fortunately for the Cubs, there should be plenty of intriguing starters available before Aug. 3, and it would be surprising — and beyond frustrating — if Chicago did not come away with at least one of them over the next couple of months.

One potential target that has regularly been floated for the Cubs is Miami Marlins right-hander Sandy Alcantara, who has been on the radar since last summer. But would pursuing the former NL Cy Young award winner actually be the best idea?

Chicago Cubs cannot ignore red flags on Sandy Alcantara

Alcantara has shown glimpses of the pitcher he once was before undergoing Tommy John surgery, like at the beginning of the season when he didn’t allow a run over his first 24 innings. Things have unraveled a bit since then, though.

The 30-year-old owns a 4.66 ERA on the campaign as a whole and has given up six or more runs four times. That included his most recent outing in which he was shelled for eight runs on 10 hits in 5.2 innings against the Toronto Blue Jays.

Alcantara’s 4.23 FIP and 3.78 xERA indicate that he has gotten a bit unlucky thus far. His 6.5 percent barrel rate is actually the same as his career average, and his hard-hit rate of 37.1 percent is below his lifetime mark of 39 percent.

The problem, however, is strikeouts.

Alcantara has never been a big strikeout guy, but he is averaging just 6.2 punchouts per nine innings in 2026, which is just far too low. That’s especially considering his ground-ball rate (45.6 percent) is his lowest since 2019.

The Marlins would surely ask the Cubs for quite a haul in return for Alcantara, who is making $17.3 million this season and has a $21 million club option for 2027. Would it be worth it for Chicago to trade such a significant package for an arm who clearly seems to be on the decline?

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The Chicago Cubs desperately need starting pitching, but they probably won’t be getting it anytime soon from their top pitching prospect Jaxon Wiggins.

More News: Chicago Cubs: Has Alex Bregman already aged into decline?

Back in early April, the 24-year-old Wiggins was pulled after his second start of the 2026 season for the Iowa Cubs with what was initially labeled a “sore arm.” Later, the diagnosis was a more concrete “right elbow inflammation” and the Cubs’ 2023 second round draft pick has been on the shelf ever since, limited to just a few recent bullpen sessions.

An update on Wiggins’ injury status

More News: Chicago Cubs: Update on Justin Steele is yet another gut punch for team

Chicago Cubs beat writer for the Chicago Tribune Meghan Montemurro recently offered up a minor update on Wiggins’ injury status and where he may be headed in terms of his recovery:

“Cubs top pitching prospect Jaxon Wiggins (elbow inflammation) is throwing a bullpen in next day or so in Arizona, which he’s had a few of, but president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer said there’s nothing beyond that to report.

Wiggins has not yet ramped up to game situations”

The update coincides with Cubs president Jed Hoyer’s comments regarding Wiggins’ recovery.

“He’s working his way back, he’s doing a lot of work, he’s throwing bullpens, and obviously that’s a good sign,” Hoyer told the Chicago Tribune. “But he hasn’t really ramped up to the game situations.”

Back in April, when Wiggins was first sidelined, just days after emerging young ace Cade Horton was lost for the season with an elbow injury, Hoyer offered his take on the rash of injuries hitting young pitchers in general.

“Guys are throwing 96, 97 (mph) with great stuff,” Hoyer said. “You have to let them go pitch.”

The last of the homegrown pitching talents

For now, Wiggins isn’t pitching, though, and there’s no real timeline for when he could be expected back. The only guarantee is that the Cubs organization is going to be careful with him as he is, pretty much literally, the last of the system’s homegrown high-end pitching prospects. This year is not as much of a concern as is the career that follows.

The hard-throwing 6-foot-6 righty made the climb from Double-A to Triple-A last season, amid concerns regarding his recovery from a 2023 Tommy John surgery and just general fatigue. The Cubs made a concerted effort in 2025 to limit his innings pitched and keep an eye on the general condition of his arm.

He excelled under those watchful eyes, posting a 2.19 ERA in 78 innings across three levels, registering a total of 97 strikeouts along the way. He was, however, rested for about a month, mid-season, as he dealt with arm soreness and an inability to recover between starts.

But headlines were made last season when Wiggins was rested for a spell of about a month at Double-A, mid-season, as he dealt with arm soreness and an inability to recover between starts.

Last year’s issues and this year’s have raised many questions regarding Wiggins’ long-term durability as a starter.

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When the Chicago Cubs signed third baseman Alex Bregman to a 5-year, $175 million contract this past offseason, there were hardly any voices of dissent.

More News: Chicago Cubs: Counsell’s comments hint at real, seething frustration amid continuing skid

After all, Bregman had earned a reputation as a lineup linchpin and a top-tier defender throughout his ten-year big league career—a ten-year career, by the way, that has featured an impressive degree of consistency throughout.

The Cubs probably weren’t expecting “full” Bregman, who turned 32 just days after Opening Day, through the five years he’d be with the team. But three peak or near-peak years and two sub-peak years would be fine.

Bregman already in quick decline?

More News: Chicago Cubs: Update on Justin Steele is yet another gut punch for team

However, as things sit right now, there’s a distinct feeling among many that Bregman may have already initiated his decline.

Although he’s been hitting significantly better in recent days (.345 through his last seven games), the overall picture being painted this year is that he’s lost his power game and the ability generate big, successful swings.

Nick Selbe of SI.com recently crunched the numbers and put cold, hard facts behind the feeling that something’s been off:

“The three-time All-Star is showing some concerning signs that his age was creeping up on him. Entering Wednesday, his 17.1% strikeout rate, while well below league average (22.1%), is his highest since his rookie season. What’s most concerning is that it’s being fueled by a decrease in zone swing rate, an increase in chase rate and an uptick in swinging strike rate. That decline in swing decision-making and contact rate has not come as part of a tradeoff for more power—Bregman’s slugging percentage (.356) and ISO (.097) are both easily career lows.

Anchoring all of this is the fact that Bregman’s average bat speed has dwindled beneath 70 mph for the first time in his career.”

Brian Kelder of North Side Baseball also talked about the Cubs’ troubling recent model that leans heavily on veterans:

“The Cubs are filled with reliable veterans with a solid track record. But there is a hidden regression in older players that models can’t always predict. As players age, they can go from ‘good’ to ‘declining’ quickly…

Dansby Swanson and Alex Bregman are locked in for years. If their decline this year is real, this will age quite poorly.”

Cubs need a complete Bregman

Bregman can certainly contribute beyond what he does at the plate. That’s why the Cubs were willing to offer him an extended contract at his age. He’s still defensively sound and is well-known to be an exceedingly positive clubhouse presence.

But this Cubs team needed a steady bat to replace the lineup hole left by Kyle Tucker and the ones that may need to be filled if/when Seiya Suzuki and Ian Happ are lost via free agency.

With just a .360 slugging percentage and a .703 OPS overall, Bregman isn’t that guy right now—and the fear is that he may have already aged past being that guy.

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The past few weeks haven’t been too kind for the Chicago Cubs. Despite having two 10-game win streaks this season, the Cubs now find themselves looking up in the NL Central standings.

After suffering a 10-game losing streak, Chicago’s lead in the NL Central is gone. They are also battling injuries, mainly to the pitching staff which has caused some inconsistency with the staff early on this season. While the Cubs should get Matthew Boyd and Edward Cabrera back sooner than later, they could use another big arm.

But would they make a big trade for one? An MLB analyst believes they would be a potential suitor for a Cy Young winner at the trade deadline.

Would Chicago Cubs pursue Tarik Skubal?

The hottest name at the MLB Trade Deadline this Summer could be Detroit Tigers’ ace Tarik Skubal. While he’s currently on the Injured List, Skubal could be the prize at the deadline due to the Tigers not wanting to give him a big extension. The Tigers will certainly have a decision to make on Skubal’s future.

But if they move him, one MLB analyst believes the Cubs would be a potential suitor.

“My No. 1 team to trade for Skubal is the Cubs,” Jon Heyman said on Wednesday. “Certainly hitting is their No. 1 issue but they lost Cade Horton, obviously a No. 1 pitcher, their No. 1 pitcher. To me, that makes the most sense for a trade with Skubal. I’ve heard that they are team that has floated around a bit. Not going to say how much they have talked to the Tigers. Scott Harris used to be with the Cubs, so he certainly knows Jed Hoyer well, he knows their system probably better than most. Their system is pretty good.”

He also named Padres, Yankees, Dodgers, and Blue Jays as teams in order of likelihood.

With the Cubs likely being buyers at the deadline, they should have the pieces to get Skubal if they really want him. If they are in contention ahead of the deadline, a move like this can’t be ruled out. It will certainly be something to watch moving forward.

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The Chicago Cubs made one of the biggest signings of the MLB offseason, inking Alex Bregman to a five-year, $175 million contract. It was widely seen as a counter to losing Kyle Tucker, and at the time, the move was viewed with excitement.

That being said, some did feel it was a bit of an overpay for Bregman, especially considering he had only been good — not great — for the preceding six campaigns.

Well, the early returns on the Bregman deal have not been good, as the veteran third baseman is slashing .259/.343/.356 with four home runs and 16 RBI over 245 plate appearances. His defense has been decent, but he has been less than stellar at the dish.

This isn’t what the Cubs were expecting from a man making $35 million annually, and the fact that they just lost 10 games in a row made the contract that much less palatable.

And somehow, some way, the Milwaukee Brewers managed to one-up Chicago yet again.

Chicago Cubs got hoodwinked by the Milwaukee Brewers

Bregman spent the 2025 campaign with the Boston Red Sox, so after losing Bregman to the Cubs, the Red Sox had to find a solution at third base.

They scrambled and ended up trading for Brewers infielder Caleb Durbin, sending pitcher Kyle Harrison to Milwaukee in exchange. Boston had previously acquired Harrison — a former top prospect — in the deal that sent Rafael Devers to the San Francisco Giants last year.

Needless to say, Durbin has bombed in Beantown, managing a .479 OPS across his first 164 plate appearances of 2026. Harrison? He has developed into a star in Milwaukee, owning a 1.57 ERA and 1.026 WHIP through his first 10 starts.

So by snatching Bregman away from the Red Sox, Chicago opened the door for the Brewers to bamboozle Boston with the Durbin-Harrison trade, and now, the NL Central has become that much more difficult for the Cubs as a result.

Pat Murphy and Milwaukee have managed to upstage Chicago regularly in recent years, and while it has become beyond irritating (as is Murphy’s smug demeanor), at some point, you kind of have to respect it.

The Cubs are four-and-a-half games behind the Brewers — six in the loss column — for first place in the NL Central, and the addition of Harrison has played a big role in Milwaukee’s success.

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The Chicago Cubs have a lot of talent in their minor league system. As a result, we are seeing a lot of movement as players continue to get called up through the minor league levels. While no players are being called up to the big leagues, they are getting one step closer to doing so. Let’s take a deeper dive into who it is and what they have done thus far.

The Chicago Cubs are promoting Josiah Hartshorn to High-A

MiLB Central’s Chase Ford is reporting that the Cubs are calling up two prospects to High-A South Bend. The first name is outfielder Josiah Hartshorn. Hartshorn has gotten off to a hot start as he has a .893 OPS with five homers, 27 RBI, 26 runs scored, and four stolen bases this year. He has played multiple positions at first base and center field. However, he has primarily been playing in right field thus far. It is clear that Chicago has high hopes for him, being the eighth-ranked prospect in their organization right now.

The 2025 sixth-round pick has been an all-around solid player as a switch-hitter. However, his swings as a lefty hitter need some more polish as he’s predominantly a right-handed hitter. Of course, that is what the minors are for, but the southpaw has the ability to be a future star at Wrigleyville for years to come. This is a great first step for him to see how he does at the next level of his progression.

The Chicago Cubs are promoting Mason McGwire to High-A

Not only one prospect has been called up to High-A South Bend, but two. This one is not a prospect that is in the top 30 for the Cubs, but it has some significant name value. They have also called up right-handed pitcher Mason McGwire, the son of legend Mark McGwire. He has been seen as more of a project and comes with some risk of going elsewhere.

He is Rule 5 Draft eligible following the 2026 season due to his time in the minors. However, it is not too likely for that to happen. McGwire has looked better this season as he is 2-2 with a 2.40 ERA and 45 strikeouts over 30.0 innings. He has done a bit of everything as he has made five starts and also five relief appearances this year in Low-A.

McGwire has arm talent, but he needs to continue improving and staying healthy to continue climbing the minor league system. It will be intriguing to see how he pitches and if he’s an option in 2027 for a bullpen appearance or a spot start.

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The Chicago Cubs are pushing all the buttons they can to correct their season. As they are currently in the midst of a 10-game losing streak, they have made an addition to the organization via free agency. Let’s take a closer look at who it is and what his role could be for the 2026 Cubs.

The Chicago Cubs sign reliever Aaron Bummer

USA Today’s Bob Nightengale is reporting that the Cubs are making an addition to the franchise in veteran reliever Aaron Bummer. Bummer is no stranger to Chicago, spending from 2017-23 with the White Sox. However, he has been with the Atlanta Braves for the last three seasons.

He was released by the Braves on May 19 and now spends a little more than a week as a free agent before agreeing to this deal. Bummer has struggled this season as in 19 games, he is 1-1 with a 7.63 ERA and a 10:13 walk-to-strikeout ratio in 15.1 innings. The .281 opposing batting average Bummer has is the worst since 2022 for him.

It appears that a change of scenary was necessary for the veteran reliever, but the Cubs have not officially announced the move. It is expected that he will be pitching in Triple-A for the Iowa Cubs, but that is unofficial. Chicago has had some pitching woes and injuries, but the bullpen has been one of stronger aspects of the team thus far. Whether it is for depth as there are almost double-digit pitchers currently on the injured list, or for a middle reliever role, this is a smart signing for the Cubs.

If he begins in the minors, Bummer can help some players as they adjust to preparing for the big leagues themselves. This also could be a sign of a possible trade coming soon and the Cubs adding some reinforcements .It will be intriguing to see another righty reliever possibly joining the Cubs’ 26-man roster soon.

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The Cubs’ losing streak has reached a stunning ten games, following a pathetic 12-1 blowout loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates on Tuesday. The frustrated Cubs fans are openly starting to vent their frustration towards manager Craig Counsell. Now, one of the long-time Chicago media members is starting to openly question Counsell.

 “What exactly has Craig Counsell brought to the Cubs?”

That was the tone on ESPN Chicago on Tuesday, where host Marc Silverman from “Waddle and Silvy” openly questioned Counsell’s impact on the Cubs since he became their manager. This comes after the Milwaukee Brewers swept the Chicago Cubs last week and have overtaken the NL Central division.

This isn’t just noise. This is the first real sign that Counsell is openly facing questions about the job he has done. And when Silvy starts raising eyebrows, you know the frustration has reached a new level.

Counsell is facing serious heat for the first time

When the Cubs convinced Counsell to leave the divisional rival Milwaukee Brewers to join the Cubs, it shocked many in the baseball world. After finishing 83-79 in 2024, the Cubs finished 92-70 and made the wild-card. Entering this season, many experts picked the Cubs to win the NL Central and to challenge the Los Angeles Dodgers for the National League.

Despite a slow start to the season, two 10-game winning streaks gave them a 29-16 record. After losing on Tuesday night, they are now 29-26 and last in the NL Central.

The losing streak has tested fans’ patience like never before. They are getting sick and tired of Counsell’s monotone voice and nonchalant attitude. His calm demeanor has also become a subject of ire, as many feel the rest of the team has shown no fire and no sense of urgency, much like Counsell.

And Counsell is desperately trying to change the mojo by benching struggling veterans like Ian Happ, Nico Hoerner, Seiya Suzuki, and Dansby Swans

on. But nothing seems to be working. Even worse, no one seems to be responding.

Counsell’s contract doesn’t protect him from criticism and accountability. His reputation doesn’t protect him from scrutiny. When a manager becomes the topic of conversation, that’s the first stage of a hot seat forming.

And now, the media is starting to change its tone.

Let’s make one thing clear: Counsell isn’t getting fired anytime soon. The season is not over just yet. The Cubs are too talented to keep losing like this. But if the Cubs continue to spiral and the postseason hope is in jeopardy, the question won’t be “Is Counsell on the hot seat?” It will be “How hot can a seat get for a manager making $40 million?”

He is residing over another collapse that has put the Cubs behind the eight-ball, much like his two previous seasons. Meanwhile, the Milwaukee Brewers continue to thrive despite the limited resources, and the NL Central is theirs to lose again in 2026. That is not a good look on Counsell.

And now, for the first time since he arrived, one of the long-time respected Chicago media members is asking whether the man who was supposed to elevate the Cubs is actually part of the problem.

“What has Counsell done that has made any difference?”

Right now, the only honest answer is: not enough.

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The Chicago Cubs can’t do anything right at the moment. There’s been no offense at all. And, when it comes to the pitchers, even when one has a quality outing, it’s usually for naught as a struggling pitcher comes up right behind him to cancel out the performance.

More News: Chicago Cubs: Update on Justin Steele is yet another gut punch for team

It’s ugly. It’s ten losses in a row, fourteen losses in sixteen games ugly. And there’s no one player to single out for blame. Pretty much everyone has been lousy.

The flatlining offense has been a source of special frustration, however.

Counting their ugly 12-1 loss on Tuesday to the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park, the Cubs have only scored eleven runs in their last seven games and, throughout their current losing streak, are posting a team batting average of just .181. Obviously, scoring just over 1.5 runs per game is just not going to cut it.

Also on Wednesday, a specific weak spot was highlighted as the team went 1-for-13 with runners in scoring position.

Counsell: “It’s time for us to deliver”

More News: Chicago Cubs: PCA inadvertently confirms team’s ugly reality

The frustration was enough to almost make manager Craig Counsell come out of his even-keeled demeanor to start holding some feet to the proverbial fire.

“It doesn’t matter what they’re doing,” Counsell said, when asked by a reporter if the team is pressing too hard now. “You don’t deliver every time, but we gotta have some level of production. Pressing? I don’t know. I’m not sure what the answer is to that. The answer is it’s a big-league at-bat with men on base. It’s the at-bat you want in a game. It’s the at-bat you can make a difference for your team. It’s the at-bat you can flip the course of a game. And it’s time for us to deliver.”

Yes. Of course. And while Counsell’s comments were a blanket statement regarding the entire team, they were an appropriately blanket statement because this Cubs offense has been awful as a whole.

All hitting below the Mendoza line

Still, there are some negative standouts in this mass slump.

Dansby Swanson, for example, is hitting .183 on the year and is at the point where even a stellar glove can’t justify a sure out every time up.

Seiya Suzuki, Ian Happ, Moises Ballesteros, and Nico Hoerner are all batting below the .200 Mendoza line in the month of May. Pete Crow-Armstrong is right at the Mendoza line. Even the once red-hot fourth outfielder Michael Conforto has become ice cold, going 0-for-16 in his last six games played.

Of the entire offense, only Michael Busch and Carson Kelly are really pushing their weight and, obviously, that’s not even close to being enough.

The worst part of this Cubs slump is that there doesn’t seem any real way out of it. It’s not a matter of just replacing one or two faltering pieces. The entire crew, almost literally, needs an overhaul. And that’s a pretty tough assessment for a team that was thought to be complete, swimming in depth, and in a position to contend for a championship at the beginning of the season.

As things have developed, one can completely understand the hint of seething frustration underneath Counsell’s comments, even if he’s trying his best to be even-tempered and diplomatic about it all.

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The Chicago Cubs are currently working through a nightmare scenario. If one had predicted things as they currently are, that person would’ve been accused of being exaggeratedly pessimistic.

More News: Chicago Cubs: PCA inadvertently confirms team’s ugly reality

Really, just imagine the bad mojo involved in losing your three projected top starters to injury (Cade Horton for the season, Matthew Boyd twice—with a comeback slated for around mid-June—and most recently Edward Cabrera with a 15-day IL stint due to a blister), as most of the rest of the rotation struggles to tread water. Add in the loss of a good chunk of your bullpen early on, also due to injury. Now, cover that mound of fetid misfortune with an extended—and ugly—team-wide offensive slump.

The recipe above gets you the current 2026 Cubs, losers of ten in a row and fourteen of their last sixteen who have now completed the downward-bound journey from first to last place in the NL Central Division.

But, on Tuesday, amid a 12-1 shellacking at the hands of the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park, the news somehow got worse.

Justin Steele update is bad news for struggling Cubs

More News: Chicago Cubs will not make the playoffs, per MLB analytics system

Lefty ace Justin Steele, who recently suffered a setback in his recovery from last year’s elbow surgery, is still weeks away from even beginning to throw a baseball again. The official update from the team is now significantly less optimistic as the target has shifted from the May-June return mentioned in early April to a more vague and ominous “by the end of the year.”

“So we’re at the start of making progress in terms of moving forward,” Manager Craig Counsell told reporters before Tuesday’s game. “No timelines created from it. He’s not going to be throwing a baseball for multiple weeks still, but we’re going to progress to active strengthening and then to plyo balls…Until he starts throwing, it’s just hard to put that in an accurate timetable.”

Counsell termed the update “good news,” but that’s clearly only in a human ‘he’ll get better’ sense. Because, in a baseball sense, this is horrible news for a Cubs team that has never needed reinforcement and a shot in the arm more than right now.

A late summer return, maybe

Current talk has him, maybe, coming back around mid-August, but only if everything goes absolutely perfectly in his rehab and recovery the rest of the way.

“We’re just hopeful to get him back,” Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer told The Athletic. “Obviously, there comes a point where you run out of days, but I don’t think we’re there yet. I know Justin wants to come back more than anything…Obviously, our hope is that we can get him back by the end of the year and he can really help us.”

The 30-year-old Steele has been the Cubs’ most consistently effective starter over the last few years prior to his injury. Through 82 starts and four years as a full-time Cubs rotation piece, Steele has posted a 3.18 ERA.

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The Chicago Cubs have now lost 10 games in a row and have fallen into last place in the NL Central as a result. It has been a catastrophic collapse for the Cubs, who put together a pair of 10-game winning streaks prior to the losing skid.

Chicago is just 2-14 over its last 16 contests and has a litany of problems. We already knew the Cubs needed help with their starting rotation, but their offense has gone completely silent, as well, which was on full display during their 12-1 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates on Tuesday evening.

Chicago appeared to be a legitimate World Series contender just a few weeks ago, but things have changed rapidly. The question is whether or not the season is actually salvageable.

Considering the Cubs still own a respectable overall record of 29-26, you would think general manager Jed Hoyer would get aggressive in trying to swing some trades to bolster the roster, but whether or not Chicago is actually able to find any answers remains to be seen.

What about Detroit Tigers star pitcher Tarik Skubal? Bleacher Report’s Zachary D. Rymer offered up a prediction on that front.

Could the Chicago Cubs trade for Tarik Skubal?

Skubal is in the final year of his contract, and the chances of him re-signing with the Tigers are slim to none.

As a result, the general expectation is that Detroit will move Skubal by the trade deadline, which could create quite the frenzy between now and Aug. 3. Will the Cubs get involved? Rymer unfortunately does not think it’s in the cards.

“A combination of injuries and poor performances has quickly turned the Cubs’ rotation into a real problem. It’s produced -0.9 rWAR, worst of any team outside of the San Francisco Giants,” Rymer wrote. “It’s too bad the Cubs don’t line up with what the Tigers would need to move Skubal. They have all of one top-100 prospect in their 25th-ranked farm system.”

Skubal has not pitched since April 29, as he underwent surgery to remove loose bodies from his left elbow. He is making incredible progress in his recovery, however, and should be back on the mound sooner than anyone anticipated.

The 29-year-old has logged a 2.70 ERA in seven starts this year and has captured back-to-back AL Cy Young awards, leading the league in ERA each of the past two campaigns.

Obviously, acquiring Skubal would comprise a massive splash for the Cubs, but they would need to sell the farm to do so, and Chicago would then have to risk losing him to free agency. So, yeah: a Skubal deal probably isn’t happening for the Cubbies.

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During their 6-game home stand at Wrigley Field against the Brewers and Astros, they were not only swept, but they looked lifeless, flat, and out of answers. As the Cubs continue their freefall, the fans are becoming impatient and livid. And their wrath has turned to manager Craig Counsell. He finally shuffled the lineup. He’s benched veterans. He’s moved pieces around like a man desperate for answers. But the losing streak continues.

At some point, the conversation has to shift away from the manager and toward the man who built the roster that keeps collapsing the same way, year after year.

This is a Jed Hoyer crisis.

Every year of the Hoyer era has featured a slump so catastrophic that it derails the season:

• 2023: The September collapse cost them the division.
• 2024: 21-34 record in May and June.
• 2025: 27-12 record by May 8, followed by a 2–13 stretch that knocked them out of contention.
• 2026: Now a nine‑game losing streak with no end in sight.

But nothing is working right now because the problems aren’t tactical. They’re structural. And Hoyer is responsible for them.

Hoyer deserves more criticism than Counsell

Let’s start with the Cubs’ pitching. Their depth has evaporated under a wave of injuries, and there are no pitchers in their farm system who are available. Even worse, the relievers he has signed, Phil Maton, Hunter Harvey, and Ryan Rolison, have been inconsistent, and Harvey is now on the 60-day IL.

Their best pitching prospect, Jaxon Wiggins, has been hurt all season, and even Hoyer does not know when he is healthy enough to pitch.

This is the cost of poor drafting and the development of pitchers by the front office. The Cubs are stuck with veterans like Jamison Taillon, Matthew Boyd, and Shota Imanaga, who lack velocity. Meanwhile, the Brewers have developed Jacob Misiorowski and Kyle Harrison, who have tormented the Cubs even with the departure of Freddy Peralta.

Meanwhile, the offense has been the biggest downfall during their slump. Hoyer’s offensive philosophy has been clear: safe college bats, high‑contact hitters, and veterans who project as steady but with limited ceiling.

The result? The Cubs don’t have enough hitters who can change a game with one swing like Aaron Judge, Kyle Schwarber, and Shohei Ohtani. They have plenty of defensive stalwarts like Alex Bregman, Ian Happ, Dansby Swanson, and Nico Hoerner. But when the pressure rises — like during their current game losing streak — the entire offense folds.

When Milwaukee continues to thrive without Counsell and limited resources, it is no longer an accident. It is a poor reflection on the entire Cubs organization. It is a serious indictment against Hoyer. And until he changes his philosophy, the Cubs will keep reliving the same nightmare every year. And no manager, no lineup shuffle, and no motivational speech will save them.

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The Chicago Cubs are looking to get back on track as they are on a nine-game losing streak. They have been trying to shake things up with some lineup changes and call-ups. However, one of the players who were sent down have seen where they will wind up. Did they clear waivers? Let’s take a closer look at who it is and where they will be playing going forward.

Nicky Lopez outrighted by the Chicago Cubs to Triple-A

According to the MLB transactions page, Cubs infielder Nicky Lopez was outrighted to Triple-A Iowa. He was the corresponding move from outfield prospect Kevin Alcantara being called up on May 23.

Lopez has played 15 games in Triple-A this season for the Albuquerque Isotopes (Colorado Rockies Triple-A). He posted a .333/.387/.519 slash line with one homer, eight RBI, 11 runs scored, and two stolen bases. Lopez has also shown an ability to identify the strike zone with a 6:7 walk-to-strikeout ratio.

At the major-league level, he has not been able to produce as he is 0 for 5 with two strikeouts and a run scored across four games. He has posted a career .619 OPS across eight seasons in MLB. With Lopez being a versatile defender at multiple positions, he can fill a void for the Cubs if they need to call up a player for a bench role or spot starts. He has logged innings at every position outside of catcher, center field, and right field thus far.

Lopez is still just 31 years old, so there is a chance for him to improve at the plate. He has shown the ability to step up and hit in the minors, so it won’t be too long until he returns to the majors. It will be intriguing to see how long until Lopez gets back to the majors with the Cubs or another team.

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The Chicago Cubs are in the midst of a terrible stretch of action and need to figure out ways to win. They are dealing with some injuries on the starting pitching front. However, the team received some news regarding that aspect of the team. Let’s take a closer look at who it is regarding and what it means for Chicago.

Matthew Boyd to get a rehab start for the Iowa Cubs this weekend

Ahead of Tuesday’s game for the Cubs, manager Craig Counsell provided a positive update regarding Boyd. He revealed that Boyd will be making a rehab start on Sunday for the Iowa Cubs. Counsell mentioned that he will have two rehab starts before returning to Chicago’s rotation. Boyd suffered a freak injury when he suffered a torn meniscus in his left knee while going to sit down to play with his children. He suffered the injury on May 4 and recovered from surgery in only a few weeks.

Boyd has been struggling throughout the season, so maybe the chance to reset would help him. He has already pitched off a mound as he threw a 52-pitch simulated game on Tuesday. He has made five starts this season, but is 2-1 with a 6.00 ERA and a 1.292 WHIP across 24.0 innings. Boyd is coming off his best season in 2025, when he made his first All-Star team, but has failed to replicate that in 2026.

The Cubs could certainly use Boyd to eat innings in the starting rotation. Edward Cabrera, Cade Horton, and Justin Steele are all also on the injured list, so this is a chance for a veteran to help the pitching staff. It looks like Boyd will be returning during the team’s road trip in the second week of June against the Colorado Rockies and San Francisco Giants. It will be intriguing to see how Boyd looks with a few weeks off from pitching every fifth day.

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The Chicago Cubs are in the midst of a nine-game losing streak and are looking for any type of spark as they continue to slide in the NL Central standings, and over the weekend, they recalled outfielder Kevin Alcantara with the hope that he could jumpstart their offense.

Or so we thought.

Since being promoted from Triple-A on May 23, Alcantara has logged just one plate appearance, which came on that first Saturday. The Cubs have not sent him to the dish since, so what exactly was the point of bringing him back to the big leagues?

Alcantara made his MLB debut in 2024, going 1-for-10 over three games. He then appeared in 10 contests last year, managing four hits over 11 at-bats. He was tearing it up in Triple-A this season, slashing .242/.339/.567 with 15 home runs and 32 RBI, so recalling him made sense for a struggling Chicago offense.

Except the Cubs are actually sabotaging him rather than utilizing him.

Chicago Cubs are undermining Kevin Alcantara before the trade deadline

We really don’t know what the future holds for Alcantara in Chicago. He turns 24 years old in July, so at some point, the Cubs will need to make a decision on the slugger. Will they keep him as part of their long-term core? Or will they move him at the trade deadline?

Considering outfielders Ian Happ and Seiya Suzuki are both slated to hit free agency after the 2026 campaign, you would think Chicago would view Alcantara as a critical piece moving forward, but it certainly isn’t treating him like one.

And if the Cubs do plan on floating Alcantara around in trade packages between now and Aug. 3, they aren’t exactly doing a great job showcasing him by not playing him.

Chicago is in win-now mode, so it’s entirely possible that Jed Hoyer will entertain the possibility of jettisoning Alcantara over the next couple of months. The Cubs are in dire need of starting pitching, and they may need another big bat, as well.

In that event, you can bet just about every team Chicago contacts will be asking about Alcantara, who owns a lifetime .814 OPS over seven minor-league seasons. Not only that, but the 6-foot-6 prospect also possesses terrific defensive capabilities.

So what exactly is Craig Counsell doing by allowing him to rot on the bench?

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Ben Brown has given the Chicago Cubs exactly what they needed in starting rotation

On May 14 against the Atlanta Braves, Brown made his first start of the season. With his workload still being monitored, Brown threw four scoreless innings with seven strikeouts while reaching what was then a season-high 65 pitches. He followed that outing with a five-inning performance against the Milwaukee Brewers in which his pitch count climbed to 82.

Most recently, Brown took the mound against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Memorial Day and delivered six innings of one-run baseball while striking out seven and throwing a new season-high 83 pitches. Altogether, since rejoining the rotation, Brown has logged 19 innings with a 1.89 ERA, 0.95 WHIP, .171 batting average against, and 23 strikeouts compared to just six walks.

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The Chicago Cubs signed Craig Kimbrel to be their closer back in 2019. At the time of his signing, he was already an eight-time All-Star with 333 career saves and a career ERA of 1.91. Obviously, Chicago expected that he would continue to be an automatic save machine in a Cubs uniform and help them return to World Series contention.

Unfortunately, that did not happen. Kimbrel struggled in his first two seasons with Chicago and when he finally did start to figure it out again, the Cubs traded him to the White Sox.

Since leaving the Cubs, Kimbrel has pitched for seven different Major League teams, and is about to join his eighth.

Former Chicago Cubs closer Craig Kimbrel has signed with the Tampa Bay Rays

Kimbrel had originally signed to pitch for the New York Mets this season. However, he posted a 6.00 ERA in 14 games and was designated for assignment. When he cleared waivers, he elected free agency instead of accepting an assignment to the minors.

Now, he has signed a Major League deal with the Tampa Bay Rays:

Rays in agreement with reliever Craig Kimbrel on major-league deal, source tells @TheAthletic. Became free agent when he refused minor-league assignment with Mets.

— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) May 26, 2026

In his two-and-a-half seasons with Chicago, Kimbrel was 2-8 with a 3.22 ERA and 38 saves. However, his final half-season with the Cubs made these numbers look better than the majority of his time with the team was.

In 2019, he was 0-4 with a 6.53 ERA and 13 saves in 23 appearances. In 2020, which was a shortened season, he was 0-1 with a 5.28 ERA and two saves in 18 games.

Finally, in 2021, he started to throw like the potential Hall of Famer that he is. In 63 appearances with the Cubs that year, he was 2-3 with a 0.49 ERA and 23 saves in 39 games.

After being traded to the White Sox, though, he was 2-2 with a 5.09 ERA in 24 appearances. He only recorded one more save for the rest of the season.

Since leaving the city of Chicago altogether following the 2021 season, Kimbrel is 21-21 with a 4.06 ERA and 68 saves.

More Chicago Cubs news from ChiCity Sports

• Craig Counsell sounds alarm again as Cubs continue to struggle
• Cubs call up Jordan Wicks to start on Tuesday
• Were the Cubs broken by the Milwaukee Brewers?

For More Chicago Sports

Follow me on Twitter at @theotherRobin19, and follow us @ChiCitySports23. You can also reach out to Robin Adams via email at robadams14@gmail.com. To read more of our articles and keep up to date on the latest in ALL of Chicago sports, click here! Chicago Bears, Chicago Bulls, Chicago Cubs, Chicago White Sox, Chicago Blackhawks

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The Chicago Cubs have pretty much stopped trying to put any semblance of a positive spin on this current mass funk of theirs.

More News: Chicago Cubs will not make the playoffs, per MLB analytics system

Realistically, what could they say anyway?

With nine losses in a row and thirteen in their last fifteen games, any positivity would come across like an “all is well, get back to your rooms” message from the captain of the Titanic as it’s half-submerged in freezing waters.

The best the Cubs can give right now is a weakish, sheepish ‘we’re better than this’ followed by a ‘we’ll be better than this.’

PCA accidentally touches on harsh reality

More News: Were the Chicago Cubs broken by the Milwaukee Brewers?

Star center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong recently offered some comments to media that could be construed as the expected ‘we’ll be better,’ but also as an admission that this 2026 Cubs team has not been as consistently dialed in as many expected them to be, despite their two well-publicized 10-game winning streaks.

‘‘I mean, it’s kind of felt like that all year, even with the 10-game winning streaks, like no one’s been hot at the same time, you know?’’ Crow-Armstrong told reporters. ‘‘Like, we’ve relied on Nico for a good bit here. We relied on Ian [Happ] earlier in the year. [Busch] has been the one who is kind of solo-driving the bus. He changed today’s game with one swing.

‘‘We’ve got a lot of guys that are capable of doing that, but it’s kind of felt like that all year. Once every guy in this lineup is feeling like themselves, yeah, it’s a dangerous team…We’re always on the verge of clicking at any moment.”

“PCA” hit the ball hard in the Cubs’ 2-1 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park on Monday, but still finished with a 0-4 day in the leadoff position.

With the team’s flatlining offense right now, there’s no use in pointing fingers at any one or two players. Everybody is doing poorly, with the exception of first baseman Michael Busch, who got the team its only run via solo home run.

The Cubs are mentally out of it

Manager Craig Counsell has tried strategically benching starters and switching around the lineup, but nothing has worked, likely because the Cubs are now deeply in their own heads.

‘‘It’s all mental,’’ Crow-Armstrong said. ‘‘It’s always starting upstairs. A lot of the time, it doesn’t have to do with the game itself, as you saw [last week] with me. I think that’s an example of all of the outside factors that can affect somebody in the box that are just really naturally hard to battle with when you’re trying to hit 95 [mph] every at-bat.

‘‘But everybody in this clubhouse has a real strong mentality, and that’s just another reason we’re not ever far off from just being our true identity at its whole, at its best, at its fullest form.’’

Meanwhile, the fans keep waiting for the ‘real’ Cubs to come forward and play as their true self-actualized selves. And while the wait continues, the team falls further down the standings.

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Chicago Cubs first baseman Michael Busch has not been the same level of player this season as he was last year. In 53 games this season, Busch has hit .230 with a .750 OPS and six home runs, the opposite of last year, when he hit .261 with a .866 OPS and 34 home runs in 155 games.

The good thing for Busch and the Cubs is that it appears the 28-year-old is starting to come out of his rut. Busch has had an outstanding May compared to April. In 96 at-bats in April, Busch batted .188 with a .553 OPS, two home runs and 28 strikeouts, whereas in 77 at-bats so far this May, Busch has batted .286 with a .998 OPS and four home runs.

More Cubs News: Cubs receive strong Freddy Peralta warning they simply cannot ignore

This resurgence by Busch is a good sign, as the Cubs, too, are in the midst of a rough patch, losing nine straight games.

Chicago Cubs Michael Busch is seemingly putting his early-season struggles in the “rear-view mirror”

According to MLB.com’s Brian Murphy, Busch was listed as one of 10 hitters whose early-season struggles need to be put in the “rear-view mirror.” Murphy listed Busch’s strong performance in May as well as ranking third in hard-hit rate (61.1%) and second in barrel rate (20.4%).

“Busch had to be feeling good about himself after his three-hit showing on Opening Day against the Nationals,” wrote Murphy. “Unfortunately, he would collect the same number of hits over his next 13 games and 47 at-bats. He started to heat up in the back half of April but still ended the season’s first full month with a lackluster 71 wRC+. In May, Busch has a 179 wRC+, sixth-best among qualified batters. That includes his game on Monday, when he drilled a solo homer to center field for Chicago’s only run against the Pirates. Heading into Memorial Day, Busch ranked third in hard-hit rate (61.1%) and second in barrel rate (20.4%) among all hitters with at least 50 batted balls this month.”

With Busch slowly starting to figure out his struggles at the plate, the Cubs also need center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong to get out of the slump he’s in. Crow-Armstrong is batting .223 with a .674 OPS in 54 games.

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The Chicago Cubs continue their freefall and are quickly putting themselves into a deep, deep hole from which they may not be able top emerge.

More News: Chicago Cubs: Call-up Jordan Wicks to get the start on Tuesday

On Monday, the struggling North Siders could only muster one run in a 2-1 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park. The defeat was the team’s ninth in a row and their thirteenth in their last fifteen games.

Team slumps happen and it IS early in the season, but the Cubs are now starting to put themselves in a place where this run of poor play will most definitely matter. The standings show that, as does the real-time projection of the playoff picture.

Sinking in the standings

More News: Were the Chicago Cubs broken by the Milwaukee Brewers?

As things sit now, they are in third place in the NL Central Division—behind the Milwaukee Brewers and St. Louis Cardinals—holding on to a half-game lead over the third place Cincinnati Reds and a one game lead over the Pirates. With a loss on Tuesday, they could be tied for last in the division. And while they’d still be less than five games out of first, they’d have to crawl over every other team in the division to get there. That’s not a great spot to be in. If the season were to end today, the Cubs wouldn’t even be a playoff team.

This wouldn’t be as much of an issue if the team displayed signs of snapping out of this funk and/or had some firm prospects for turning things around down the line. But as the offense flatlines collectively and as the injury-rocked starting rotation fails before our eyes (except for Ben Brown), the realization also begins to set in that there is no cavalry riding in to save the day. Except for the hope that injured pitchers will come back and be productive, the Cubs have to rely entirely on these same flatlining players to turn things around on their own.

Cubs not projected to make playoffs

And the projected playoff odds reflect this rough reality.

Per Fangraphs, Chicago, with a projected 49% probability of making the playoffs, is now more likely NOT to see postseason play. When it comes to winning their division, the respected baseball statistics and analysis site is even more pessimistic, giving the team just a 16.8% chance of taking the NL Central, behind the Brewers (52.9%) and Pirates (18.6%). Fangraphs, by the way, gave the Cubs a 48.2% probability of winning the division right before the start of the season.

Yes, these are only projections skewed heavily by recent poor performance and they will change when/if the Cubs get out of this extended slump. But they do give a good indication of where the team stands right now in comparison to the rest of the division/league. It’s not a pretty picture.

So, what’s the answer to turning things around?

Heck if anyone knows.

Even manager Craig Counsell seems to be stumped, only able to offer generalities.

“We gotta play better,” Counsell told reporters following yet another loss on Monday. “We gotta swing the bats better, we gotta pitch better, we need more guys contributing to good stuff. As a coaching staff, we gotta figure out a way to get the players there. Offensively, we are equipped to be way more consistent than this and way better than this. We need to show it.”

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The Chicago Cubs have fallen on tough times. After putting together two separate ten-game winning streaks earlier this year, they have seen the rug pulled out from under them. Currently, the Cubs are on a nine-game losing streak as many of their most high-profile players are going through prolonged hitting slumps.

One of these is four-time Gold Glove left fielder Ian Happ. So poorly has Happ been performing at the plate this season that manager Craig Counsell gave him two full days off over the weekend.

When he returned to the lineup on Monday, Counsell decided to have him bat second, the spot reserved for the team’s best hitter.

The results were predictably disastrous.

Chicago Cubs manager Craig Counsell has blunt admission about Ian Happ

Happ went 0-3 on Monday with a walk and a strikeout. His struggles at the plate continued, and he is now hitting .211/.348/.422 with 10 home runs and 20 RBI.

After the game, Counsell discussed Happ’s struggles, saying, “I mean, he’s, it’s it’s, Ian goes through phases of hot and cold like every other hitter does. Um, you know, I think he’s just, but his strength is the ball-strike recognition and then being able to handle that part of it.

“And he’s just really caught in between, and looks a little bit, looks really caught in between. The fastball is kind of beating him, the breaking ball he’s way out front. Um and he’s, they’re throwing a lot of strikes and he’s behind in the count kind of constantly. Feels like he’s facing 0-2, 1-2 every at bat.”

Of course, fans have observed this as well from Happ. His poor performance at the plate is clear evidence that he is not seeing the ball well.

Which begs the question: why bat him second?

Perhaps Counsell was hoping to give his struggling left fielder a confidence boost by putting him in a high-profile spot in the lineup.

It didn’t work, and Happ’s struggles continued.

At this point, no one is really sure of what to do.

More Chicago Cubs news from ChiCity Sports

• Craig Counsell sounds alarm again as Cubs continue to struggle
• Cubs call up Jordan Wicks to start on Tuesday
• Were the Cubs broken by the Milwaukee Brewers?

For More Chicago Sports

Follow me on Twitter at @theotherRobin19, and follow us @ChiCitySports23. You can also reach out to Robin Adams via email at robadams14@gmail.com. To read more of our articles and keep up to date on the latest in ALL of Chicago sports, click here! Chicago Bears, Chicago Bulls, Chicago Cubs, Chicago White Sox, Chicago Blackhawks

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The Chicago Cubs have been the most polarizing team in all of baseball this season, as they put together a couple of 10-game winning streaks earlier in the campaign only to come apart at the seams the last couple of weeks.

The Cubs have lost nine straight and have gone just 2-13 over their last 15 games and are now just one game in front of the Pittsburgh Pirates for last place in the NL Central.

A litany of problems have plagued Chicago recently, ranging from its shaky starting rotation to its suddenly anemic offense, but the former is definitely seen as the bigger issue for the Cubs moving forward.

As a result, Chicago is expected to add at least one starter between now and the trade deadline, and New York Mets pitcher Freddy Peralta has regularly been floated as a possibility with the Mets sitting in the basement of the NL East heading into June.

But would Peralta actually represent the best option for the Cubs? Nick Deeds of Cubbies Crib doesn’t think so.

Chicago Cubs hit with stern warning on Freddy Peralta

On the surface, Peralta’s numbers look solid. He owns a 3.52 ERA and has allowed just 51 hits over 61.2 innings of work. However, the right-hander’s other statistics are cause for concern.

Peralta is suddenly surrendering four walks per nine innings, his highest mark since his rookie year back in 2018. His 9.2 strikeouts per nine innings are a career low, as is his 2.33 K/BB. Additionally, Peralta’s 4.13 FIP is an indication he has gotten a bit lucky.

Deeds finds himself worried about Peralta’s peripherals, and deservedly do.

“A downward trend in strikeouts with an upward tick in walks is a recipe for disaster, and while Peralta has been able to hold it together so far, teams pay for confidence when buying an ace,” Deeds wrote. “There’s little reason at this point to have more confidence in Peralta than another veteran mid-rotation arm like Boston’s Sonny Gray or even Kansas City’s Kris Bubic, and trading for one of them is unlikely to be nearly as costly as paying for Peralta’s pedigree.”

To be quite frank, Peralta has never been a true ace. Yes, he posted a 2.70 ERA during his final season with the Milwaukee Brewers in 2025, but he owns a lifetime 3.58 ERA. He’s been generally good, not great, so the Cubs will definitely have to be careful in trade discussions.

Perhaps Chicago should look elsewhere when it comes to adding a top-end arm.

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The Chicago Cubs do not have much to feel good about at the moment. On Monday, they fell 2-1 to the Pittsburgh Pirates for their ninth consecutive loss. At one point in time, not long ago, they had won ten games in a row for the second time already this season. Chicago was atop the National League Central Division and everything seemed to be clicking.

Sure, there were injuries; but the Cubs kept on finding ways to win. Michael Busch was mired in a slump, but the rest of the lineup was able to pick up the slack.

Now, multiple Chicago hitters are slumping, but Busch is one of the offense’s only bright spots.

Chicago Cubs slugger Michael Busch could be a sign of positive things to come

MLB.com recently published their list of 10 high-profile hitters who have put their slow starts behind them. Busch was among them with the following explanation:

“Busch had to be feeling good about himself after his three-hit showing on Opening Day against the Nationals. Unfortunately, he would collect the same number of hits over his next 13 games and 47 at-bats. He started to heat up in the back half of April but still ended the season’s first full month with a lackluster 71 wRC+.

“In May, Busch has a 179 wRC+, sixth-best among qualified batters. That includes his game on Monday, when he drilled a solo homer to center field for Chicago’s only run against the Pirates. Heading into Memorial Day, Busch ranked third in hard-hit rate (61.1%) and second in barrel rate (20.4%) among all hitters with at least 50 batted balls this month.”

More Chicago Cubs news from ChiCity Sports

• Craig Counsell sounds alarm again as Cubs continue to struggle
• Cubs call up Jordan Wicks to start on Tuesday
• Were the Cubs broken by the Milwaukee Brewers?

For More Chicago Sports

Follow me on Twitter at @theotherRobin19, and follow us @ChiCitySports23. You can also reach out to Robin Adams via email at robadams14@gmail.com. To read more of our articles and keep up to date on the latest in ALL of Chicago sports, click here! Chicago Bears, Chicago Bulls, Chicago Cubs, Chicago White Sox, Chicago Blackhawks

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The Chicago Cubs entered a new week with hopes of ending their losing streak. Facing a week where they will take on two NL Central foes in the Pittsburgh Pirates and St. Louis Cardinals, the Cubs need to get on track.

But this week started off how last week went.

Chicago fell to Pittsburgh 2-1 on Monday afternoon, losing nine-straight games and falling to 29-25 overall. The Cubs are now third in the NL Central and are looking up to the Milwaukee Brewers. While it’s only May and there’s panic just yet, things are getting a little murky for the team. Not only have they had two 10-game win streaks already but they could face a 10-game losing streak now.

The hope is that it won’t reach that part and Craig Counsell is sounding the alarms again.

Craig Counsell sounds the alarm, again

A day after Counsell sent a message to his pitching staff, the manager is addressing everything in his postgame comments from Monday. Counsell pointed to hitting, pitching and coaching as to what the team needs to improve on.

“We’ve gotta play better, we gotta swing the bats better, we gotta pitch better, we need more guys contributing to good stuff,” Counsell said on Monday afternoon.  and as a coaching staff we gotta figure out a way to get the players there. Offensively, we are equipped to be way more consistent than this and way better than this. We need to show it.”

Counsell isn’t wrong.

If the pitching isn’t struggling, then the hitting is. And vice-versa. While the pitching was better on Monday, they couldn’t hit and managed just one run in the game. That home run by Michael Busch tied the game but the bullpen gave it up in the eighth inning.

The Cubs just can’t put together a complete game to end this losing streak and it’s starting to bury them in the standings. Tuesday presents another opportunity in Pittsburgh to get a win.

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The Chicago Cubs are in rough shape and on the verge of spiraling to a point where there may be no return to the hopes they once had for postseason glory.

More News: Were the Chicago Cubs broken by the Milwaukee Brewers?

Losers of their last eight in a row and twelve of their last fourteen, the team now finds itself in third place in the NL Central Division behind the rival Milwaukee Brewers and St. Louis Cardinals.

And, apparently, when it rains, it pours for the North Siders.

To go along with a mass of pitching injuries and an offense that is flatlining, starter Edward Cabrera was just placed on the 15-day IL with a blister issue that needs to be sorted out.

Jordan Wicks gets the start on Tuesday

More News: Chicago Cubs’ feeble run has forced a change in trade deadline targets

Coming up to replace Cabrera is Jordan Wicks who, himself, just barely returned from the IL for Triple-A Iowa. On a team that boasted its starting pitching depth prior to the start of the 2026 season, the lefty call-up pretty much represents the last man standing when it comes to possible rotation replacements right now.

According to Cubs beat writer Bruce Levine, the 26-year-old will get the start on Tuesday against the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park.

Wicks has had three stabs at sticking on the major league roster since being brought into the organization—and has shown glimpses of quality stuff—but he has yet to show consistency in being able to deliver quality performances. Through 26 big league games (17 starts) and 95 innings, the Cubs’ 2021 no.1 draft pick has a combined 5.21 ERA. He’s currently posting a 4.44 ERA in seven starts for Triple-A Iowa, although his last two post-injury appearances have been gems (1 earned run in 11 innings).

The Cubs rotation has been decimated

For those keeping score, Chicago now has four of their projected top five starters on the IL, with serious question marks surrounding the return of three of them.

Cade Horton, of course, was done for this season and beyond after an elbow injury requiring surgery took him out in just his second start of the season. Matthew Boyd has had two IL stints this season and is currently on the shelf following surgery to repair a meniscus issue. Justin Steele, coming back from elbow surgery last year, has suffered a setback in his recovery and is back on the shelf. Now Cabrera, who came to the Cubs via high-profile offseason trade with the Miami Marlins, is out for a bit.

To make matters even worse, veteran starter Jameson Taillon has been miserable this year, currently ranking as the worst pitcher in MLB according to fWAR, and the once-dominant Shota Imanaga has now had two horrible starts in a row.

The Cubs’ current rotation of Imanaga, Taillon, Ben Brown, Colin Rea, and now Wicks is most definitely not a postseason crew, even if everyone turns things around and pitches to the best of their abilities.

Right now, though, with the trade deadline still over two months away and nobody but Javier Assad left to bring up from the minors, there’s nothing the Cubs can do but cross their fingers and hope Wicks plugs up one of the many rotation holes.

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The Chicago Cubs can’t catch a break and, seemingly, can’t get a win, either. And just when one thinks that the team has hit rock bottom, things keep getting worse.

More News: Chicago Cubs’ feeble run has forced a change in trade deadline targets

As of this writing, the Cubs are on an eight-game losing streak, posting a feeble 2-12 record over their last fourteen games. They’ve also fallen to third place in the NL Central Division, behind the Milwaukee Brewers and St. Louis Cardinals.

Worst of all, it may have been the rival Brewers who touched off this extended funk which has buried the once high-flying squad under layers of dark cloud.

Did the Brewers ruin the Cubs’ confidence?

More News: Chicago Cubs: Counsell may still be too conservative in dealing with losing streak

In a recent edition of FOX Major League Baseball, the topic of the Cubs’ slump came up and the two on-air analysts were blunt in how Milwaukee may be living rent free in the collective minds of the North Siders.

“I’m very concerned because I think, no matter how well they play, the Brew Crew is still in the back of their minds and they showed that just a couple days ago,” said Dontrelle Willis, a former MLB pitcher and one-time Cubs prospect.

Studio host Kevin Burkhardt followed that up with his own analysis of the situation.

“I think they’re still reeling from the Brewers series,” Burkhardt pointed out. “You know, you’re flying high. They won fifteen straight at home. They were looking good. And then the Brewers come in and wipe them out at Wrigley, and I don’t think they’ve recovered from it.”

The Brewers’ sweep of the Cubs at home had to register some serious impact, of course. It was not only a confidence-rattling drubbing through three not very competitive games, it also made way for Milwaukee to officially replace Chicago atop the division.

And, as Burkhardt mentioned, it came as the Cubs were viewed as all but invincible at home.

Milwaukee is not going to slow down

The especially sobering part of this tough situation is that the Cubs have to know by now that the Brewers are not going away. It’s most likely that they’re going to be just as sharp and effective throughout the rest of the season as they are right now. A case could be made that this year’s Brewers team is even better than last years, despite having lost Freddy Peralta via trade and Brandon Woodruff via current IL stint.

MLB Network analyst Joel Sherman, when asked about whether this 2026 Brewers squad is better than the 2025 crew, his answer should give Cubs fans a collective queasy feeling.

[Yes]. I’m not even sure it’s close,” Sherman dead-panned.

If Chicago is going to keep pace—and exceed pace—they’re going to have to get their stuff together and start playing up to their on-paper promise. The Brewers won’t be beating themselves like the Cubs are doing right now.

“We’ve struggled as a team for two weeks here,” Manager Craig Counsell told reporters after losing the seventh in a row on Saturday. “While frustrating, it’s still two weeks, you know? We’re going to come out of this. It’s going to be fine. We’re a good baseball team. It’s all going to happen, but while you go through it, you got to sit in some discomfort.”

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The Chicago Cubs faced a massive decision this past off-season. They could try to re-sign outfielder Kyle Tucker, or they could try to replace his offensive production with someone else on the free agent market.

In the end, Tucker signed a massive four-year $240 million contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers, a deal that both shocked and angered many fans from multiple bases. To help replace his offense, the Cubs went out and signed Alex Bregman to a five-year $175 million deal, expecting that he would be just as good offensively as Tucker.

So far, both players have failed to live up to the contracts they signed.

Chicago Cubs gets a C- re-grade for Alex Bregman signing

Bleacher Report recently re-graded the biggest free agency signings of this past off-season. The Dodgers received a D for the Tucker signing, as he is hitting just .251/.355/.412 with four home runs and 26 RBI.

Unfortunately, Bregman has not been much better, if at all, and Chicago received a C- for his signing:

“Bregman has been one of the weakest links of the lineup, sitting on a .684 OPS after 10 consecutive seasons at .768 or better. All four of his home runs have been solo shots, and two of those came back in March. He has just four extra-base hits in the past month.

“Meanwhile, Chicago’s starting rotation has been equal parts underwhelming and injury-prone and is the area that they really ought to have improved upon if they had this $175M burning a hole in their pocket.”

More Chicago Cubs news from ChiCity Sports

• Cubs being criticized for trade they didn’t make amid brutal swoon
• Craig Counsell puts pitching staff on notice as struggles continue
• 3 most disappointing Cubs players through one-third of 2026 season

For More Chicago Sports

Follow me on Twitter at @theotherRobin19, and follow us @ChiCitySports23. You can also reach out to Robin Adams via email at robadams14@gmail.com. To read more of our articles and keep up to date on the latest in ALL of Chicago sports, click here! Chicago Bears, Chicago Bulls, Chicago Cubs, Chicago White Sox, Chicago Blackhawks

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It has been over one week since the Chicago Cubs last won a baseball game. Last weekend, they lost their series against the Chicago White Sox, and they followed that up by losing six straight games at home. Enter last week Monday, they had won 15 straight games at Wrigley Field.

Earlier in the year, the Cubs had two separate 10-game winning streaks. They rode those streaks to a first place standing in the National League Central Division, too. Now, however, they have lost eight games in a row and sit in third place.

The Chicago Cubs plummet in the latest MLB power rankings

Prior to the start of the season, many picked the Cubs to win the National League Central. When they were on their second 10-game winning streak, many also ranked them as one of the top-two or top-three teams in baseball.

Even after losing their series to the White Sox, many publications still had them ranked in the top-five.

But now that they have lost eight games in a row, Bleacher Report dropped them all the way down to 15th:

“The Cubs are 2-12 in their last 14 games, and they have been held to three or fewer runs a whopping 11 times during that stretch, including four shutouts. They had won 15 straight at Wrigley Field prior to Monday’s loss to the Brewers, but this looks like a completely different team than the one that was 27-12 just a few short weeks ago. Can they steer out of the skid?”

“Can they steer out of the skid” is the question everyone is asking. Of course, the Cubs players and coaches will affirm that they can.

But there is so much going wrong in Chicago right now. They had to put yet another starting pitcher on the injured list and multiple players are mired in slumps.

Fortunately, there is still plenty of baseball left to play, and a lot can happen between the end of May and the beginning of October. But what the Cubs are doing right now is not working. Hopefully the lineup shuffles eventually work and the team adds a starting pitcher (or two) that can provide stability.

More Chicago Cubs news from ChiCity Sports

• Cubs being criticized for trade they didn’t make amid brutal swoon
• Craig Counsell puts pitching staff on notice as struggles continue
• 3 most disappointing Cubs players through one-third of 2026 season

For More Chicago Sports

Follow me on Twitter at @theotherRobin19, and follow us @ChiCitySports23. You can also reach out to Robin Adams via email at robadams14@gmail.com. To read more of our articles and keep up to date on the latest in ALL of Chicago sports, click here! Chicago Bears, Chicago Bulls, Chicago Cubs, Chicago White Sox, Chicago Blackhawks

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The Chicago Cubs are 29-24 through their first 53 games, roughly one-third of the 2026 season. Currently, they are in third place in the National League Central Division, though they did lead the division for several weeks. This, of course, was thanks to their two 10-game win streaks earlier in the season.

Now, however, the Cubs are on an eight-game losing streak and desperately searching for solutions to their woes. Offensively, they have been horribly inconsistent. That being said, four of their five preferred starting pitchers are currently on the injured list. Most teams with that kind of bad luck are going to struggle at some point.

All this being said, there are three players who have been pleasant surprises for Chicago so far this season.

1. Michael Conforto

Last season, Michael Conforto hit .199/.305/.333 with 12 home runs and 36 RBI for the Los Angeles Dodgers. Chicago uses him almost exclusively against right-handed pitchers, and that protection has paid off for him.

As of right now, Conforto is hitting .302/.408/.571 with three home runs and 11 RBI in 31 games.

While he is limited due to how awful he hits against left-handed pitchers, Conforto gives Chicago some production against righties when he faces them, which is more than what can be said about many other players on the roster right now.

2. Ben Brown

Last season, Ben Brown appeared in 25 games (15 starts), and was 5-8 with a 5.92 ERA. Initially, he did not make Chicago’s starting rotation out of Spring Training, but did make the Opening Day roster.

Due to the numerous injuries the starting rotation has endured, though, Brown has found himself used more often than he was last year. Fortunately, he has responded well.

Brown is currently 1-2 with a 2.09 ERA in 15 games (three starts).

3. Hoby Milner

Last season, Hoby Milner was 3-4 with a 3.83 ERA in 73 games for the Texas Rangers. While this ERA is not terrible, per say, he certainly was not dominant.

He has been dominant for the Cubs this year, though.

In 23 appearances, Milner is 1-0 with a 1.93 ERA.

More Chicago Cubs news from ChiCity Sports

• Cubs being criticized for trade they didn’t make amid brutal swoon
• Craig Counsell puts pitching staff on notice as struggles continue
• 3 most disappointing Cubs players through one-third of 2026 season

For More Chicago Sports

Follow me on Twitter at @theotherRobin19, and follow us @ChiCitySports23. You can also reach out to Robin Adams via email at robadams14@gmail.com. To read more of our articles and keep up to date on the latest in ALL of Chicago sports, click here! Chicago Bears, Chicago Bulls, Chicago Cubs, Chicago White Sox, Chicago Blackhawks

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The horrific stretch for the Chicago Cubs continues; they just lost their eighth straight to the lowly Houstros Astros on Sunday afternoon. They are 3-12 over their last 15 games, after the epic 20-3 stretch they had prior.

It has entered 2021-2022 levels of bad in terms of the length of the losing streak.

Last time Cubs swept in 6 game or more home series was 2021. Last 9 game loss streak in 2022. ( Also a ten game streak in 2022)

— Bruce Levine (@MLBBruceLevine) May 24, 2026

Not even lineup shakeups over the past few days helped. Their bats are cold, the banged up starting pitching has unraveled, and even some bad defensive miscues have made these past two weeks a living hell for Cubs fans.

Is it time to panic about the Cubs?

There is a line between panic and concern being put in this context. Panic is feeling the season is doomed, while concern is more about uncertainty, but you are willing to let it play out knowing things can rebound. It’s hard to feel full-on panicked on Memorial Day weekend with a long way to go, but being concerned is valid.

One thing is for certain: they were not 20-3 good (nobody sustains winning 87% of games over 162), but they should not be this bad. There was going to be some regression from the 20-3 stretch, call it “self-correction” within baseball nature. The regression was likely not envisioned by many to be this ugly, however. It has gone from an inevitable cold stretch to a jumbled mess.

The long-term concern can be related to the starting pitching. Yes, the offense has been the main talking point lately, but these hitters are notoriously streaky. The rotation however is now down Edward Cabrera (blister), Matthew Boyd, Justin Steele, and Cade Horton (out for the season). Things get hard when you just don’t have the horses, especially paired with the two recent troubling starts from Shota Imanaga. It all adds up, and we have started to see that.

Looking ahead for the Chicago Cubs

To state the obvious, this team needs to play a heck of a lot better and ideally sooner than later. The Cubs have a big seven-game road trip against Pittsburgh and St. Louis up next. This team does not want to dig down deep and then need to burrow out of a hole they fell into.

It feels like it’s beyond just flipping a switch. Although they were riding high and then suddenly it all flipped in the blink of an eye. Baseball is funny (or in this case, not so funny) that way.

The next few weeks feel big. They can either right the ship, continue to sink, or, at the very least, stay afloat. It might not be panic time yet, but this continued stretch can make that a reality fairly quickly. Now we see how they respond on the road against the Pirates elite rotation.

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The Chicago Cubs knew they had to address their pitching staff during the offseason, so they went out and swung a trade for Miami Marlins right-hander Edward Cabrera, a player they had been seeking since last year’s trade deadline.

Cabrera got off to a strong start with the Cubs but has since faltered, surrendering three or more runs in seven straight starts before exiting his last outing due to a blister. He is now on the 15-day injured list as a result. The 28-year-old owns a 4.00 ERA on the campaign, and his strikeout rate has plummeted.

It’s still early, so there is plenty of time for Cabrera to turn things around. He is also under affordable club control through 2028.

But is it possible Chicago traded for the wrong Marlins pitcher?

Jordan Campbell of Cubbies Cribs thinks so it’s a possibility, questioning whether they should have acquired Ryan Weathers instead.

Did the Chicago Cubs get the wrong pitcher in Edward Cabrera?

To be fair to the Cubs, Cabrera was the far more highly-touted pitcher of the two. Weathers — who was traded to the New York Yankees back in January — had only made 24 starts over the last two years for Miami due to injuries, and while he was decent when he was on the mound, Cabrera appeared to be the superior talent.

But based on what we’ve seen thus far in 2026, Campbell wonders if that’s the case.

“At the time, some Yankees fans questioned why New York was more eager to get Weathers than they were Cabrera, and it would appear that we’re finding out why in real time. The hope is that Cabrera eventually returns to the ascent he was once on, but as Weathers finds success with the Yankees, Hoyer’s biggest trade from last offseason may not look all that great in comparison,” Campbell wrote.

Weathers has pitched to the tune of a 3.14 ERA while registering 10.2 strikeouts per nine innings over his first 10 starts of the year. He was never much of a swing-and-miss guy before, so he has absolutely come into his own in the early stages of 2026.

The Yankees also paid a much cheaper price to acquire Weathers. They did send four prospects back the Marlins’ way, but none were neither as valuable as Owen Caissie, whom Chicago gave up in return for Cabrera.

It’s still too early to judge, but it’s entirely possible the Cubs made a mistake here.

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The Chicago Cubs are officially in a skid. After losing a series to the Chicago White Sox last weekend, the Cubs have now lost eight-straight games and were swept for the second-straight series this weekend.

Following a sweep to the Milwaukee Brewers, the Cubs dropped three more to the Houston Astros.

Now, they find themselves reeling and sit at 29-24 overall and in third place in the NL Central. Nothing is going right for Chicago as they are struggling to score runs as well as struggling to pitch. Following Sunday’s loss to Houston, manager Craig Counsell sent a message to the pitching staff.

Craig Counsell sends message to pitching staff

When meeting the media on Sunday after the game, Craig Counsell didn’t hold back on the pitching struggles overall for this team.

“Look, on the pitching side, we’ve gotta prevent homers better. If you give up the number of homers you’re giving up it’s a problem,” Counsell said. “When the disparity is that much, it’s not wind blowing out and it’s kind of an offensive juggernaut type day. That hasn’t been the case. Tough to win games when we are giving up the number of homers we are giving up.”

The Cubs have allowed a total of 67 home runs this season, second most in the league behind the Washington Nationals. On Sunday, they allowed three home runs to the Astros, helping them get the 8-5 win. All three came off of Shota Imanaga with the big one in the fifth-inning when Christian Walker hit a three-run shot.

That home run was a part of a five-run inning that gave the Astros the lead and eventually the win. Home runs have been a big problem for Imanaga, dating back to last season. Imanaga has given up seven this season already. It’s carried over this year, and now Counsell isn’t shying away from talking about it more.

Let’s see if the Cubs staff can now get the message and execute it as they head to Pittsburgh for an NL Central matchup.

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The Chicago Cubs are 29-24 through the first 53 games of the season. Throughout the early days of 2026, Chicago already has put together two different 10-game winning streaks. For a while, they were leading the National League Central Division by a healthy margin.

However, the Cubs are currently in the midst of an eight-game losing streak and currently sit in third place. Even during their win streaks, but especially now, multiple players struggled at the plate, far more than anyone expected them to.

1. Pete Crow-Armstrong

Earlier this year, Chicago gave Pete Crow-Armstrong a five-year $116 million contract. Already a Gold Glove winner and All-Star, it still might be the correct decision.

But so far this year, Crow-Armstrong has been nothing but a disappointment at the plate. Currently, he is hitting .228/.316/.370 with six home runs and 23 RBI.

Of course, his defense is still among the best in Major League Baseball, but the Cubs will want a lot more from him at the plate for what they are paying him.

2. Ian Happ

Four-time Gold Glove winner Ian Happ was always best known for his defense, but also hit 20+ home runs in four the previous five seasons.

To be fair, Happ still does lead the Cubs in home runs with 10. However, he is also just hitting .214/.350/.429. His numbers are even worse with men on base. They are even worse with runners in scoring position.

So poorly has Happ been playing that Craig Counsell gave him two days off over the weekend in an effort to give him a mental reset.

Hopefully it pays off. The team desperately needs him to start producing more in the middle of the lineup.

Dansby Swanson

Speaking of players getting a mental reset, shortstop Dansby Swanson has been hitting so poorly at the plate that Counsell moved Gold Glove second baseman Nico Hoerner to the position on Sunday and gave the former a day off.

To be sure, Swanson has not ever hit as well as a Cub as he did when he played in Atlanta. Still, he was reliable enough and averaged 23 home runs a season through his first three years in Chicago.

This season, though, Swanson is hitting just .189/.289/.349 with seven home runs and 27 RBI. Of course, this level of futility at the plate is borderline unplayable, even though Swanson is Gold Glove-caliber shortstop.

More Chicago Cubs news from ChiCity Sports

• Cubs starter now ranks as the worst in Major League Baseball
• Cubs feeble run has forced change in trade deadline target
• Cubs already slammed with bad news ahead of trade deadline

For More Chicago Sports

Follow me on Twitter at @theotherRobin19, and follow us @ChiCitySports23. You can also reach out to Robin Adams via email at robadams14@gmail.com. To read more of our articles and keep up to date on the latest in ALL of Chicago sports, click here! Chicago Bears, Chicago Bulls, Chicago Cubs, Chicago White Sox, Chicago Blackhawks

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The Chicago Cubs are desperate for solutions as they dropped their eighth straight game on Sunday. Despite lineup shuffling from manager Craig Counsell, the Cubs have either not had adequate pitching or have not put enough runs to win any of their games this week.

After losing the last two games of their series against their cross-town rival Chicago White Sox, the Cubs got swept at home by the Milwaukee Brewers, and then were swept again at home by the Houston Astros.

Obviously, losing streaks like these have coincided with multiple players going through slumps at the plate. One of them, Alex Bregman, believes he holds the key to Chicago turning it around.

Chicago Cubs star Alex Bregman owns up to eight-game losing streak

On Sunday, Bregman was 1-4 with a strikeout. Over his last six games entering the series finale, the three-time All-Star is hitting just .208/.296/.208 with two RBI.

After signing a five-year $175 million contract this off-season, Bregman is performing below expectations. A year ago, he hit .273/.360/.462 with 18 home runs and 62 RBI. Thus far in 2026, he is hitting. 250/.336/.348 with four home runs and 16 RBI.

Following Chicago’s loss on Sunday, Bregman told the media, “We gotta do a better job still. It starts with me obviously, too many empty plate appearances. Gotta be better and execute better.”

While it is admirable that Bregman is owning up to his struggles, the fact of the matter is that he is not the only one going through it right now. As a veteran leader, he is setting the example for his younger teammates on how to respond to questions about the team’s struggles as a whole.

And while he does need to be better, others need to be as well. That being said, if he can get himself going at the plate, it could be a much-needed spark to Chicago’s offense.

More Chicago Cubs news from ChiCity Sports

• Cubs starter now ranks as the worst in Major League Baseball
• Cubs feeble run has forced change in trade deadline target
• Cubs already slammed with bad news ahead of trade deadline

For More Chicago Sports

Follow me on Twitter at @theotherRobin19, and follow us @ChiCitySports23. You can also reach out to Robin Adams via email at robadams14@gmail.com. To read more of our articles and keep up to date on the latest in ALL of Chicago sports, click here! Chicago Bears, Chicago Bulls, Chicago Cubs, Chicago White Sox, Chicago Blackhawks

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Prior to their game on Friday, the Chicago Cubs placed Matt Shaw on the injured list and called up infielder Pedro Ramirez to take his place. Of course, Chicago lost that game and manager Craig Counsell promised some lineup changes on Saturday.

While those changes were, indeed, made, they did nothing to stimulate the offense. The Cubs lost again, and Ramirez was not in the starting lineup.

On Sunday, Counsell decided to give Ramirez his first career Major League start. He moved Gold Glove second baseman Nico Hoerner to shortstop and gave the struggling Dansby Swanson the day off. Ramirez was given the start at second and hit ninth in the batting order.

Chicago Cubs manager Craig Counsell had high praise for Pedro Ramirez

Unfortunately, the lineup changes on Sunday did not lead to a Cubs victory. Shota Imanaga gave up seven runs in six innings of work, and Chicago lost 8-5, bringing their losing streak up to eight games.

Ramirez was 1-3 on the day with a double, run scored, RBI, and a walk.

Afterwards, Counsell had high praise for the organization’s second overall prospect. “He came up in a number of big spots,” Counsell said. “(I’m) proud of Pedro. (He) had some big moments, came through in them in my eyes, and had a really nice game.”

It will be interesting to see if Ramirez’s performance on Sunday will lead to more playing time in the immediate future. Happ was recently given two consecutive games off, so it stands to reason Counsell may decide to do something similar with Swanson.

Truth be told, the Cubs have no shortage of struggling players, especially on the infield, and Ramirez could be used to give any one of them some prolonged time off.

More Chicago Cubs news from ChiCity Sports

• Cubs starter now ranks as the worst in Major League Baseball
• Cubs feeble run has forced change in trade deadline target
• Cubs already slammed with bad news ahead of trade deadline

For More Chicago Sports

Follow me on Twitter at @theotherRobin19, and follow us @ChiCitySports23. You can also reach out to Robin Adams via email at robadams14@gmail.com. To read more of our articles and keep up to date on the latest in ALL of Chicago sports, click here! Chicago Bears, Chicago Bulls, Chicago Cubs, Chicago White Sox, Chicago Blackhawks

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The Chicago Cubs, at two different points in the season, were the hottest team in baseball. By the time the calendar hit May 9, the Cubs had already had two different 10-game win streaks early in the season and were in control of the National League Central Division.

Since their last 10-game win streak was snapped, though, Chicago has gone 2-10 and are currently on an eight-game losing streak.

Embarrassingly, the Cubs followed up being swept at home by the Milwaukee Brewers by being swept at home by the Houston Astros, the owners of the highest ERA in Major League Baseball.

Ian Happ, Chicago’s four-time Gold Glove left fielder, was not in the lineup for their last two losses.

Ian Happ will return to the Chicago Cubs lineup on Monday

Happ is hitting .214/.350/.429 with 10 home runs and 20 RBI this season. These numbers, aside from his on-base percentage, are well below his career slash line of .2446/.343/.446 and has averaged 25 home runs and 79 RBI per 162 games played.

A huge problem this year for Happ, as has been common all through the Cubs lineup, has been his inability to hit with runners on base or in scoring position. With any runners on, he is hitting .178/.339/.311, and with runners in scoring positing he is hitting .143/.314/.268.

And so, manager Craig Counsell decided to give Happ a couple of days off, sitting him on both Saturday and Sunday against the Astros.

However, he will be back in the lineup on Monday:

Ian Happ is out of the lineup for the second straight game for a mental breather. Craig Counsell said he told him to take Saturday off completely, and today he’s been hitting and doing other typical pregame work.

Plan is to have him in Monday’s lineup in Pittsburgh.

— Jared Wyllys (@jwyllys) May 24, 2026

There is still plenty of time left in the season for Happ and the Cubs to turn the tide, but right now things are not looking very promising in Chicago.

More Chicago Cubs news from ChiCity Sports

• Cubs starter now ranks as the worst in Major League Baseball
• Cubs feeble run has forced change in trade deadline target
• Cubs already slammed with bad news ahead of trade deadline

For More Chicago Sports

Follow me on Twitter at @theotherRobin19, and follow us @ChiCitySports23. You can also reach out to Robin Adams via email at robadams14@gmail.com. To read more of our articles and keep up to date on the latest in ALL of Chicago sports, click here! Chicago Bears, Chicago Bulls, Chicago Cubs, Chicago White Sox, Chicago Blackhawks

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The Chicago Cubs have lost seven games in a row and are scrambling to turn their fortunes around. Pedro Ramirez will make his first Major League start on Sunday as Craig Counsell continues to shuffled Chicago’s lineup in search of an answer.

Unfortunately for the Cubs, though, they have not been able to catch any breaks in terms of the health of their starting rotation. Indeed, many of their recent losses could have been avoided had they been able to have their preferred starters healthy and on the mound.

The reality, though, is that they do not have them, and Edward Cabrera is joining three other notable starting pitchers on the injured list.

The Chicago Cubs place Edward Cabrera on the injured list

Cabrera was only able to get through three innings in his previous start, a 5-0 Cubs loss to the Milwaukee Brewers. He was removed from the game due to a blister on his throwing hand, and on Sunday was placed on the injured list with the same injury:

Today’s transactions pic.twitter.com/WfYfYJX42W

— Milwaukee Brewers (@Brewers) May 24, 2026

Cabrera is currently 3-2 with a 4.00 ERA in 10 starts this season. He was acquired by Chicago to boost their starting lineup during the off-season in a trade headlined by former top prospect Owen Caissie.

He will join fellow Cubs starters Justin Steele, Cade Horton, and Matthew Boyd on the injured list.

To make up for Cabrera’s absence, Chicago has called up Jordan Wicks to take his place on the roster. He is 0-2 with a 4.44 ERA in seven starts for Triple-A Iowa so far in 2026. In 26 Major League games (17 starts), Wicks is 6-6 with a 5.21 ERA and one save.

Clearly, the Cubs are even more desperate for starting pitching now and have to be making calls around the league for who might be available.

More Chicago Cubs news from ChiCity Sports

• Cubs starter now ranks as the worst in Major League Baseball
• Cubs feeble run has forced change in trade deadline target
• Cubs already slammed with bad news ahead of trade deadline

For More Chicago Sports

Follow me on Twitter at @theotherRobin19, and follow us @ChiCitySports23. You can also reach out to Robin Adams via email at robadams14@gmail.com. To read more of our articles and keep up to date on the latest in ALL of Chicago sports, click here! Chicago Bears, Chicago Bulls, Chicago Cubs, Chicago White Sox, Chicago Blackhawks

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The Chicago Cubs are looking to snap a seven-game losing streak and turn around a feeble run where they’ve lost eleven of their last thirteen games. They’re also looking to keep from falling further in the standings of the NL Central Division, where they’ve fallen to third place, behind the always tough Milwaukee Brewers and the surprising St. Louis Cardinals.

More News: Chicago Cubs’ feeble run has forced a change in trade deadline targets

And while yesterday’s lineup from Cubs manager Craig Counsell was deemed a “shake up,” today’s lineup probably offers the bolder moves.

Veterans Ian Happ and Dansby Swanson, for example, are on the bench.

Happ, Swanson benched

More News: Chicago Cubs: Counsell may still be too conservative in dealing with losing streak

Happ is in the midst of a 1-for-24 slump and is hitting .188 since May 1 with just 6 RBIs in 20 games played this month. On the year, he’s hitting .214, but still posting a respectable OPS of .779, mostly due to his walk rate and early-season power numbers.

Swanson, meanwhile, has posted an ugly .155 batting average in May with just one home run and 4 RBIs. He’s got a respectable 27 RBIs, but is slashing an ugly .189/.289/.349 on the year.

Happ and Swanson DO need some time to reset, but Counsell could sit just about everyone on his starting roster right about now. Nobody is doing well and everybody is struggling through serious doldrums. Chicago has managed just 9 hits—with only 2 runs scored—over their last 3 games.

With the two Cubs vets sitting today, Michael Conforto gets another start in left field for Happ and Nico Hoerner gets moved over to shortstop to sub for Swanson.

Pete Crow-Armstrong is again leading off. He went 1-for-4 in yesterday’s game in the no. 1 slot, delivering a single. Hoerner has been moved from cleanup to the more appropriate no. 2 slot. Moises Ballesteros, meanwhile, gets maybe one last vote of confidence as the DH, batting seventh amid an ugly 3-for-51 stretch (.058) over his last 17 games.

The one point of excitement in Sunday’s lineup is that the Cubs’ no. 2 prospect Pedro Ramirez will be getting his first major league start and playing second base. The 22-year-old Ramirez had been tearing up Triple-A this season after impressing everyone in the organization with an outstanding spring training for the big league Cubs. He got the call up from Iowa on Friday when Matt Shaw was placed on the 10-day IL due to mid-back tightness.

Lefty Shota Imanaga (3.38 ERA), coming off a season-worst outing against the Milwaukee Brewers, will take the mound, facing off against Astros starter Peter Lambert (3.57 ERA).

The full lineup

Here’s the full lineup for Sunday’s game against the Astros at Wrigley Field:

1. Pete Crow-Armstrong, CF
2. Nico Hoerner, SS
3. Michael Busch, 1B
4. Alex Bregman, 3B
5. Michael Conforto, LF
6. Seiya Suzuki, RF
7. Moisés Ballesteros, DH
8. Carson Kelly, C
9. Predo Ramírez, 2B

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The Chicago Cubs are just bad right now. And the “badness” hits harder because of just how good they were not that long ago, when they reeled off two ten-game winning streaks, almost back-to-back, despite battling through a wave of pitching injuries.

More News: Chicago Cubs: Counsell may still be too conservative in dealing with losing streak

That plucky, defiant team is not the same one that meekly limped off the field Saturday afternoon after losing 3-0 to the Houston Astros in what was their seventh loss in a row and their eleventh loss in their last thirteen games.

In their last two outings against the Astros—the team with the highest ERA in MLB—they’ve managed just two runs and seven total hits. This stat highlights just how awful the Cubs’ offense has been and how much more they’re responsible for the team’s decline than the oft-lamented state of the pitching staff.

Cubs must now, also, focus on hitting at the trade deadline

More News: Chicago Cubs starter now ranks as the worst pitcher in MLB

And that complicates matters significantly when it comes to trade deadline targets—if, of course, they’re still even in the race for postseason play by August 3. But assuming they’re buyers and not sellers at the deadline, the obvious offensive needs of the team make a dependable impact bat a “must have.”

That reality flies in the face of the “pitching first” focus Chicago was predicted to have when it comes to trades.

There’s no point to even pointing the finger at any single Cub when it comes to offensive doldrums. They’re all struggling and underachieving. So, it would be hard to find just one guy to replace in the lineup, although the DH spot might be a nice place to start.

Getting a bat, however, would take up some of the trade capital reserved for picking up a very much-needed high-end starting pitcher to take a stab at putting together a playoff-worthy starting rotation. Frankly, the Cubs just don’t have the kind of prospect reserves needed to swing two high-profile trades like that.

Counsell’s ‘all will be well’ message

Manager Craig Counsell was as frustratingly even-tempered as usual on Saturday when talking about his team’s struggles.

“We’ve struggled as a team for two weeks here,” Counsell told reporters. “While frustrating, it’s still two weeks, you know? We’re going to come out of this. It’s going to be fine. We’re a good baseball team. It’s all going to happen, but while you go through it, you got to sit in some discomfort.”

“This is the great thing and the crushing thing about our game,” Counsell added. “All the guys know that they’re going to go through this, right? But when you’re going through it, it just hurts, right? And you don’t understand how you got there. You don’t understand how you’re going to get out of it. It feels worse than it is.”

That all sounds pragmatic enough, but it reads a little like an “all is fine, get back to your rooms” from the captain of the Titanic as it began taking water.

The truth is that this team, in pretty much this same configuration, always goes through these deep, dark funks. Last season, this team character quirk pretty much cost them their postseason run.

Additions have to be made and a re-cooking of the team chemistry has to be done. Unfortunately, the Cubs may not have the prospect resources necessary to make such moves.

The post Chicago Cubs’ feeble run has forced a change in trade deadline targets appeared first on ChiCitySports.

The Chicago Cubs are in absolute free fall right now, as they have lost seven straight games and 11 of their last 13 to fall to third place in the NL Central.

It has been a tumultuous first couple of months for the Cubs, who put together a pair of 10-game winning streaks earlier in the season only to see things completely come apart at the seams.

Just about everything is going wrong for Chicago right now. Not only has the pitching been subpar, but the Cubs have also seemingly forgotten how to hit and have been shut out in two of their last three contests.

In spite of Chicago’s poor offense, though, the team’s biggest need is still starting rotation help, which is why Jed Hoyer is largely expected to add at least one other arm between now and the MLB trade deadline.

The Cubs have already been connected to numerous big names, and they certainly have the ammo to acquire one. However, Robert Murray of FanSided has delivered some pretty bad news on one potential target for Chicago.

Chicago Cubs receive bad news on Joe Ryan

Minnesota Twins right-hander Joe Ryan has long been viewed as a possible trade target for the Cubs and could very well be the best pitcher on the market before Aug. 3, but Murray doesn’t seem to believe Chicago will pull the trigger on him.

“Listen, do I think the Cubs will have interest in Ryan? What contending team wouldn’t have interest in him? It’s the same thing the Minnesota Twins faced last season when they had their epic trade deadline sell off and held onto Ryan. The asking price this year will be extreme, and I have a hard time seeing the Cubs meeting that price, especially after trading Owen Caissie to the Miami Marlins for Edward Cabrera,” Murray wrote.

The Cubs still have some terrific prospects they can move for Ryan, but to Murray’s point, how much more do they want to replete their farm system? Not only did they move Caissie for Cabrera during the offseason, but two winters ago, they also dealt Cam Smith in the Kyle Tucker trade.

Through 11 starts this year, Ryan has logged a 3.02 ERA while allowing 41 hits and registering 61 strikeouts over 56.2 innings of work. He owns a sparkling 0.971 WHIP and boasts an impressive 4.36 K/BB ratio, so he will definitely be sought after should the Twins make him available.

The 30-year-old is under club control through 2027, so whoever acquires him (if he is moved) will have him for one more year before he hits free agency.

It just might not be Chicago.

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The Chicago Bears plugged their hole at safety during the 2026 NFL Draft. The team used its No. 25 pick in the first round to select former Oregon Ducks star Dillon Thieneman.

Chicago added him after losing Kevin Byard III, Jaquan Brisker and Jonathan Owens in free agency. The veterans signed with the New England Patriots, Pittsburgh Steelers and Indianapolis Colts, respectively, leaving the team with a clear need at the position.

Thieneman impressed during his collegiate career. He played two seasons for the Purdue Boilermakers before entering the transfer portal and moving to Oregon. The 21-year-old appeared in 15 games in 2025, recording 96 combined tackles, one sack, two interceptions and five pass deflections. His efforts earned him a first-team All-American selection.

Bears fans look forward to seeing Thieneman in action next season. He is expected to start and play opposite Coby Bryant, helping the team make a deeper postseason run.

Chicago Bears rookie Dillon Thieneman throws first pitch at Cubs game

Thieneman was in attendance at Wrigley Field on Saturday. He threw the first pitch ahead of the Chicago Cubs-Houston Astros game, and the Cubs’ Instagram account posted photos and a video of him on the mound.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by cubs (@cubs)

Chicago’s 2026 rookie class accompanied Thieneman. They all posed for pictures on the field, along with Clark the Cub.

Thieneman is expected to participate in OTAs starting on Wednesday, or the team’s minicamp from June 9-11. ESPN projects him to have a strong rookie season and finish fourth among rookies in combined tackles. The Bears will rely on his production as they face the toughest schedule, coming off a Divisional Round loss to the Los Angeles Rams in 2025.

Meanwhile, the Cubs are in the middle of their season. They are third in the NL Central with a 29-22 record and will look to bounce back after they lost 4-2 to Houston on Saturday.

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Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson enjoyed a strong 2025 season. He led the team to the Divisional Round in his maiden campaign and garnered significant attention across the country. The 40-year-old proved that he can guide the team to success despite being a first-time head coach.

The franchise hired Johnson on Jan. 21, 2025. He spent the previous six seasons with the Detroit Lions in different capacities. The 2024 AP Assistant Coach of the Year served as the team’s offensive quality control coach, tight ends coach and offensive coordinator.

Johnson established himself as one of the top head-coaching candidates last year. Several teams interviewed him before he ultimately signed with Chicago.

Ben Johnson attends Cubs game with Bears rookies

The incoming second-year head coach made the trip to Wrigley Field on Friday with the Bears’ 2026 draft class, including Dillon Thieneman. The safety threw the first pitch ahead of the Chicago Cubs’ matchup against the Houston Astros.

Johnson approached the rookies with his three children. He quickly drew attention among the fans on social media. 

 

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A post shared by Bearsszn (@bearsszn)

Supporters had mixed reactions to Johnson appearing at the ballpark.

“Poor Ben Johnson had to go watch the fraudulent Cubs,” a fan wrote.

“Ben johnson would be a better manager than counsell,” one reaction read.

“Best coach!” posted a user.

“I’m sorry Mr Johnson, I am for real. Never meant to make your daughter cry. Cubs apologize a billion times,” reacted another.

“Not bad but the best I think I’ve ever seen was none other than Ben Johnson!” one fan said.

“BEN JOHNSON PLEASE WORK YOUR MAGIC ON THIS OFFENSE,” another user wrote.

Cubs fans gave Johnson and his players a huge ovation. However, the team lost 4-2 but will have a chance to bounce back in the second matchup of the three-game series on Sunday.

On May 14, the NFL released its full schedule of games for next season. Chicago will have a big campaign ahead, playing seven primetime matchups. Johnson and Co. will be in action on Thanksgiving Day to face the Lions and on Christmas Day in a rivalry game against the Green Bay Packers.

The post Ben Johnson turns heads with Chicago Cubs move appeared first on ChiCitySports.

The Chicago Cubs, to put it bluntly, stink right now.

They’ve lost ten of their last twelve and have fallen to third place in the NL Central Division amid a six-game losing streak.

More News: Chicago Cubs starter now ranks as the worst pitcher in MLB

And the sad reality is that there’s not a single player to blame—because just about everybody is struggling at the moment.

Well, there might be someone singularly to blame, if you think about it.

Manager Craig Counsell is, beyond question, a savvy baseball guy with a strong track record of success. It’s hard to argue that he isn’t the right man for the Cubs manager gig. But it seems that every season the offense collapses under his watch, almost all at once, and it takes an excruciatingly long amount of time to get things back on track.

Is Counsell too conservative?

More News: Chicago Cubs: Top prospect traded in Kyle Tucker deal is bottoming out with the Astros

Could Counsell be too much of an analytics guy, unwilling to move from what SHOULD work, even after it becomes clear that it ISN’T working? That certainly would explain some of the frustrating non-movement as certain players languish in extended slumps and/or the team, as a whole, flatlines.

Putting Pete Crow-Armstrong in the leadoff spot for Saturday’s game against the Astros is bold by Counsell standards, but it’s still a “safe” bold as Houston Starter Kai-Wei Teng is markedly less effective against lefties.

Giving Ian Happ a day off is also a right move. But replacement Michael Conforto is, again, a “safe” bold because of the lefty-righty matchup.

Meanwhile, as Counsell’s lineup “shake-up” is being touted, recently streaking call-ups Kevin Alcantara and Pedro Ramirez have been left on the bench—presumably because of analytics.

Evan Altman of Cubs Insider recently touched on the same general issue when it comes to the Cubs’ manager:

“I’m a fan of Counsell and I think there are some things he does really well, particularly when it comes to knowing his players as people. At the same time, however, he seems to provide far too long a leash to veterans while at the same time giving too little leeway to young players. Moisés Ballesteros was quickly banished to the bench in favor of Michael Conforto, yet Ian Happ has remained in the cleanup spot despite batting .122 with a 43 wRC+ over his last 59 plate appearances.”

Counsell needs to throw analytics out the window

Happ, of course, is out for today. But it’s a guarantee that he’ll be back before anyone else really gets much of a shot to see what they can do in left field.

At some point, people are just who they are. Counsell’s not changing and there’s plenty of evidence to suggest that, maybe, he has every reason to stay “as is.”

But this Cubs team clearly needs a big, bold, and analytics-defiant shakeup that puts the focus on hard-to-qualify intangibles like fire and hunger. It definitely wouldn’t hurt to throw the stats sheets into the trash bin for a few days and do things the old school way. At this point, there’s nothing to lose.

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The Chicago Cubs are in a really bad place right now. Unfortunately, this current funk of theirs seems to be of the “when it rains, it pours” variety.

More News: Chicago Cubs: What to do about Dansby Swanson?

There are many focuses for blame at the moment. Actually, just about everything is going wrong. But the cold, hard truth is that the team has lost ten of its last twelve and is in freefall down the NL Central Division standings, tumbling from first place to third.

The offense has flatlined. Their elite defense has even broken down at times. And, of course, there’s the pitching, which has been stressed and strained due to injury, but isn’t doing very well right now, regardless of health status.

“Worst pitcher in MLB?”

More News: Battered Chicago Cubs pitching may force call-up of last man standing

To put a face to the general fail, starter Jameson Taillon—after yesterday’s four-earned run, 4.2 inning performance against the Astros—has now earned the dubious distinction of being the worst pitcher in all of baseball.

Cole Bair of Bleacher Nation pointed this out on Saturday’s roundup of Cubs news and notes:

“Meanwhile, Jameson Taillon remains embroiled in his funk. Look no further than his fWAR dropping to -0.7 after yesterday’s start — good for last among qualified MLB pitchers.”

The fWAR measurement is a tool created by Fangraphs to measure a pitcher’s value independent of the defense behind him, measuring stats the pitcher controls directly, such as home runs, walks, and strikeouts. It’s generally considered the truest barometer of a pitcher’s actual ability.

Jameson Taillon is in a bad place

The 34-year-old Taillon, who’s in the last year of his 4-year, $68 million contract with the Cubs, is definitely a glass-half-full kind of guy, though. Maybe to the point of delusion.

“I thought I made a lot of good pitches today and I thought some of the things I worked on are trending, but not completing even five innings is disappointing,” the right-hander told reporters after Friday’s loss. “The game’s a little hard right now for a lot of us…When the game punches you a little bit you gotta punch back and find a way. That’s kind of where I’m at…I need to punch back. I can say I thought I made good pitches all I want, but it comes down to results and it wasn’t good enough today.”

Not good enough is an understatement.

Back in spring training, there were legit concerns over a sudden loss in velocity and some rough outings that came from that. Those concerns have become blaring alarm sirens just ten starts into the year as he carries a 5.20 ERA. In his last two starts, he’s allowed 12 earned runs in 9.2 innings pitched.

The rough part for the Cubs is that they pretty much have no choice but to keep putting him out there every fifth day. Injuries to Cade Horton and Matthew Boyd, as well as the rehab setback of Justin Steele and what may be a lingering blister issue with Edward Cabrera, make Taillon a “must use” starter.

He’ll just have to figure things out or go down with the Cubs ship.

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After losing their sixth-straight game on Friday night, Chicago Cubs manager Craig Counsell said he was going to shake up the lineup. Pete Crow-Armstrong hit a two-run home run on Friday, but otherwise has been mired in a slump that dates back to the second half of last year. Ian Happ has hit 10 home runs, but only has 20 RBI has he has struggled to hit with runners on base (as have the rest of the Cubs regulars).

Dansby Swanson, who has never hit as well as he did in Atlanta, is having his worst season at the plate, hitting .187.

Clearly, change was needed. Counsell has indeed made some changes for Saturday’s game, but perhaps not the ones fans were expecting or wanting.

Craig Counsell does not have Pedro Ramirez or Kevin Alcantara in the Chicago Cubs lineup

Prior to Friday’s game, the Cubs placed Matt Shaw on the injured list and called up infield prospect Pedro Ramirez, to replace him. On Saturday morning, it was reported that they had called up outfield prospect Kevin Alcantara. Both are considered Chicago’s top-two hitting prospects.

But they are not in the starting lineup on Saturday. Counsell has shaken the lineup up, but he is not starting their top-two minor league hitters.

The Cubs’ lineup for Saturday is as follows:

• Pete Crow-Armstrong
• Alex Bregman
• Michael Busch
• Nico Hoerner
• Michael Conforto
• Seiya Suzuki
• Moises Ballesteros
• Miguel Amaya
• Dansby Swanson

Hoerner has typically been batting lead-off, but is now hitting cleanup. PCA, who has been hitting eighth or ninth in the order, will now bat first.

Happ is getting the day off.

Meanwhile, Chicago will have its two best hitting prospects on the bench, waiting for a pinch-hit opportunity. If this lineup shift does not work, Counsell will almost have to start them for the series finale on Sunday.

More Chicago Cubs news from ChiCity Sports

• Craig Counsell to shake up Cubs lineup
• Craig Counsell slams Cubs lineup, vows change
• Top prospect traded to Kyle Tucker deal is bottoming out with Astros

For More Chicago Sports

Follow me on Twitter at @theotherRobin19, and follow us @ChiCitySports23. You can also reach out to Robin Adams via email at robadams14@gmail.com. To read more of our articles and keep up to date on the latest in ALL of Chicago sports, click here! Chicago Bears, Chicago Bulls, Chicago Cubs, Chicago White Sox, Chicago Blackhawks

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The Chicago Cubs are mired in a miserable slump right now, having lost six straight games and 10 of their last 12. Just about nothing is going right for the team at the moment.

While pitching is obviously a big issue for the Cubs, their offense has also suddenly become a major sticking point, having scored just four runs in the last three games. Taking it a step further, Chicago has managed more than three runs just once during this six-game skid.

You can throw a dart and find a struggling Cubs player at this point, but one of the biggest culprits is outfielder Ian Happ, who had gone hitless in the first five contests of this losing streak before finally going 1-for-5 with a double against the Houston Astros on Friday night.

Happ is also hitting a paltry .143 with runners in scoring position this season, and with the former All-Star hitting free agency at the end of the season, it’s looking more and more like he may be playing himself out of Chicago.

Is Ian Happ in his final days with the Chicago Cubs?

Happ broke into the big leagues with the Cubs back in 2017, and the hype surrounding him was palpable. A former first-round pick and top prospect, Happ was expected to make an immediate impact and he did, slashing .253/.328/.514 with 24 home runs and 68 RBI during his rookie campaign.

Since then, however, the 31-year-old has actually proven to be a disappointment, owning a lifetime .789 OPS and making just one All-Star appearance. Yes, he has won four consecutive Gold Gloves and has certainly been a good player for Chicago, but he hasn’t fully materialized like the Cubs hoped, and Sahadev Sharma of The Athletic outlined Happ’s 2026 struggles in a recent piece.

“Happ, in particular, seems to be searching for it. After becoming more contact-oriented over the years, his strikeout rate has skyrocketed this season, sitting at 33.2 percent after two more on Friday, the fourth-highest rate in baseball,” Sharma wrote.

Happ is slashing .214/.350/.429 with 10 homers and 20 RBI on the season as a whole, which isn’t terrible. But his lack of contact is concerning, especially now that he is into his 30s. With Chicago having Kevin Alcantara ready to contribute now, it stands to reason that the Cubs might already be preparing to let Happ walk.

Paying an aging player big money over multiple years is always dangerous, so Chicago should just let someone else take that risk with Happ.

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The Chicago Cubs are desperately searching for answers amid their current six-game losing streak. After being swept by the Milwaukee Brewers earlier this week, manager Craig Counsell said he did not yet see a need for any lineup changes.

After an off-day on Thursday and yet another loss on Friday night, though, the Cubs manager is all of a sudden ready to shake things up. He told reporters last night that he was going to shake up the lineup a bit in an effort to jump-start the Cubs’ stagnant offense.

On Saturday morning, news broke that Chicago has recalled one of their best offensive prospects: Kevin Alcantara.

The Chicago Cubs have recalled Kevin Alcantara

On Friday, Chicago placed Matt Shaw on the injured list and called up Pedro Ramirez to take his spot on the roster. Despite the fact that Ramirez is hitting .312/.375/.547 with nine home runs, 40 RBI, and 19 stolen bases this year, he did not play last night.

One might expect that he will be in the lineup tonight after Counsell promised changes, though. Additionally, Cubs fans could expect to see Alcantara in the lineup soon, as he was just recalled by Chicago on Saturday morning:

#Cubs have called up Kevin Alcantara to the big leagues 👀 pic.twitter.com/jGqain30UM

— 104.3 The Score (@thescorechicago) May 23, 2026

At Triple-A this season, Alcantara is hitting .242/.339/.567 with 15 home runs and 32 RBI. In 13 career Major League games, he has hit .238/.273/.238.

An outfielder, it will be interesting to see where Counsell slots Alcantara in. All of Chicago’s starting outfielders, though, are going through some significant struggles at the plate, so Alcantara could be used to give them each rotating days off.

A week ago, the Cubs were in first place in the National League Central Division. Now, thanks to their six-game losing streak, they are in third. They appear to be willing to try just about anything to break out of this funk.

More Chicago Cubs news from ChiCity Sports

• Craig Counsell to shake up Cubs lineup
• Craig Counsell slams Cubs lineup, vows change
• Top prospect traded to Kyle Tucker deal is bottoming out with Astros

For More Chicago Sports

Follow me on Twitter at @theotherRobin19, and follow us @ChiCitySports23. You can also reach out to Robin Adams via email at robadams14@gmail.com. To read more of our articles and keep up to date on the latest in ALL of Chicago sports, click here! Chicago Bears, Chicago Bulls, Chicago Cubs, Chicago White Sox, Chicago Blackhawks

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The Chicago Cubs have long maintained strong ties to Japanese baseball, but following the 2026 season both Shota Imanaga and Seiya Suzuki are set to reach free agency. After passing on Munetaka Murakami, a decision shared by 29 other teams before he ultimately landed with the crosstown Chicago White Sox, another power-hitting star is beginning to emerge in Japan as a potential future MLB target, and the Cubs are already reportedly keeping close tabs on him.

Chicago Cubs scouting Japan slugger Teruaki Sato

At 27 year old, it is widely expected that the left-handed hitting outfield/third baseman Teruaki Sato will be posted next winter for MLB teams to sign. A long time member of the Hanshin Tigers, Sato is coming off a 40 home run and 102 RBI season in 2025 where he also slashed .277/.345/.579 and is following that up with 12 home runs and a .737 slugging percentage through 43 games this year.

Sato has a mild amount of swing and miss to his game, coming in at 27% last year and 25% so far this season. He doesn’t draw a lot of free passes, but the power is hard to ignore. As a result, he’s also caught the attention of nine other clubs, with of course the Los Angeles Dodgers being one of them.

Scouts from 10 MLB teams — including the Dodgers, Cubs, Yankees, Cardinals, Mets, Angels, Diamondbacks, Reds, Tigers, and Rangers — were reportedly in attendance at Koshien Stadium to watch 3B Teruaki Sato last night, but the game was rained out.https://t.co/yYXQjwEoCS

— Yakyu Cosmopolitan (@yakyucosmo) May 22, 2026

Of course the Cubs got a first hand look, as did the Dodgers, during the Toyko Series in 2025 when both clubs played the Tigers. Sato picked up an RBI single against Porter Hodge in what was a 3-0 Tigers win during the exhibition match.

It will be interesting to see if Sato is posted next winter or not, especially with the looming collective bargaining negotiations and a possible lockout on the horizon. However, if history tells us anything, if Sato is available, then the Cubs will likely be involved in his market, as a another slugger from Japan looks to make their way to Major League Baseball.

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The Chicago Cubs are not playing good baseball right now. On Friday night, Chicago lost its sixth consecutive game and fell to 29-22 on the season. Not long ago, the Cubs were at the top of the National League Central Division. Now, they are in third and 2.5 games back of the Milwaukee Brewers, who swept them over the weekend.

Chicago’s recent struggles have been the result of multiple factors, but their offensive drought right now is the most pressing concern.

After falling 4-2 to the Houston Astros on Friday night, manager Craig Counsell finally said it may be time for him to shake up the lineup a bit. If he follows through on this, here are three things that could help give the offense a boost.

1. Give Pete Crow-Armstrong a day off

Chicago’s two runs on Friday night did come from a Pete Crow-Armstrong two-run home run. That does not change the fact, though, that the 24-year-old centerfielder could probably use a day off.

At this point in the season, Crow-Armstrong has been, overall, abysmal at the plate, continuing his poor offensive output from the second half of last year. He is currently hitting just .228/.311/.375 with six home runs and 22 RBI.

Crow-Armstrong has also played in every game the Cubs have had so far this year, which is admirable. But after the incident with a Chicago White Sox fan on Sunday, and two just downright embarrassing errors against Milwaukee this past week, he could use a mental reset.

2. Actually play Pedro Ramirez and bat him lead-off

Before the game on Friday, the Cubs placed Matt Shaw on the injured list and called up one of their best prospects, Pedro Ramirez, to take his spot on the roster.

He did not, however, play in the game despite Chicago’s offensive woes.

An infielder that can play second, third, and shortstop, Ramirez can give numerous Cubs players a break for a day or two. Down at Triple-A, he has hit .312/.375/.547 with nine home runs, 40 RBI, and 19 stolen bases.

A crystal clear option at the moment is to play him at shortstop and give Dansby Swanson a day off. The two-time Gold Glove winner is currently hitting .189/.289/.349 with seven home runs and 27 RBI.

Counsell could then move Nico Hoerner down in the lineup at bit and have Ramirez hit lead-off ahead of him.

3. Move Seiya Suzuki and Ian Happ in the lineup

There is no questioning the fact that both Seiya Suzuki and Ian Happ simply are not able to hit with runners in scoring position this year. For whatever reason, their batting averages plummet when runners are on base. Happ leads the Cubs with 10 home runs, but he only has 20 RBI.

However, the two players also have two of the highest on-base percentages among Chicago’s regular players. Suzuki has an OPB of .361 while Happ’s is .350 despite the fact he is hitting just .214.

Since both players cannot seem to hit with runners on but get on base themselves more than one-third of the time, perhaps putting them somewhere in the lineup where they can hit ahead of run producers would be a better idea.

The problem, though, is that the entire team is struggling with hitting with runners on base right now. Still, neither Suzuki nor Happ have been producing where they have been placed in the lineup, and any shake up must include moving them out of those spots.

More Chicago Cubs news from ChiCity Sports

• Craig Counsell to shake up Cubs lineup
• Craig Counsell slams Cubs lineup, vows change
• Top prospect traded to Kyle Tucker deal is bottoming out with Astros

For More Chicago Sports

Follow me on Twitter at @theotherRobin19, and follow us @ChiCitySports23. You can also reach out to Robin Adams via email at robadams14@gmail.com. To read more of our articles and keep up to date on the latest in ALL of Chicago sports, click here! Chicago Bears, Chicago Bulls, Chicago Cubs, Chicago White Sox, Chicago Blackhawks

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Boos rained down from the stands at Wrigley Field on Friday afternoon as the Cubs dropped six straight and their 10th in 12 games due to another lackluster offensive performance. Their 4-2 loss to the Astros followed a common theme, stranding runners on base, going 0-9 with RISP on the day.

There has been much outcry for Cubs manager Craig Counsell to change the lineup during this recent slide. Their 3-4 hitters, Ian Happ and Seiya Suzuki, have struggled so badly with RISP that the stats don’t look real. Happ is hitting .143 on the year in that department, while Suzuki is hitting .130. With that said, they are not the only culprits, as the likes of Dansby Swanson, Moises Ballésteros, and Nico Hoerner have been ice cold as well.

Counsell then said postgame he would shake up the lineup a bit.

Counsell said he will shakeup the lineup a bit

— Bruce Levine (@MLBBruceLevine) May 22, 2026

Making some changes to the Cubs order

Cubs fans will get a new look lineup on Saturday, it seems. While most emphasis is on the 3-4 hitters, there is more to it than that.

Cubs manager on team losing streak-“I think we have to do something different” said Craig Counsell after 6th straight loss” it feels like some at bats and confidence is shaken.Maybe a different look in the lineup, or a day off is needed.I think we are at point absolutely “

— Bruce Levine (@MLBBruceLevine) May 22, 2026

As indicated before, this team as a whole is slumping big time. It makes it harder to shake things up when so many hitters are cold. Happ and Suzuki moving from 3-4 makes sense in a vacuum, but they have to be replaced by reliable bats right now. Michael Busch is an option, as he has been one of the better hitters recently. Michael Conforto has also been one of the more productive hitters as of late; he hit fifth on Friday.

One also has to consider moving Hoerner down from leadoff with his recent struggles. He’s hitting just .164 with three RBI over his last 15 games. It could potentially be a better place for Happ since he can draw walks, and it would not be in the middle of the order spot. Unless Counsell goes with Busch (which he has done before) or does something wild like Pete Crow-Armstrong leading off with his speed. Time will tell.

Turning to the youth?

The Cubs called up Pedro Ramirez on Friday morning to replace the injured Matt Shaw on the roster. One has to feel this is the perfect opportunity for him to get a look. He is versatile up the middle and is a switch-hitter who showed a lot of power in the Minors this year.

Again, would this be an automatic cure? No, nothing is for certain with a kid who has never played in the Majors before. With that said, something has got to change, and it feels like one or two of the regulars could use a day or two on the pine. We have seen resets work before.

There are a lot of ways one can spin the lineup around, but these hitters ultimately have to hit at the end of the day.

The post Craig Counsell to shake up the Cubs lineup appeared first on ChiCitySports.

Amid a six-game losing streak, Chicago Cubs manager Craig Counsell is done defending a stagnant offense.

The final straw came after a 4-2 loss to the Houston Astros in front of 37,332 fans at Wrigley Field on Friday. The Cubs earned just four hits against the Astros, who have the worst ERA in the MLB.

In the bottom of the third inning, the Cubs had bases loaded with no outs. Ian Happ struck out swinging. Seiya Suzuki hit a pop-up. Michael Conforto grounded out.

It was a wasted inning for the Cubs, who have done a lot of that in the last week, losing their series to the Chicago White Sox, being swept by the Milwaukee Brewers, and now starting their series against the lowly Astros with a loss.

Following the game on Friday, Cubs manager Craig Counsell finally took issue with the sputtering lineup, suggesting changes were coming, including the possibility players would be benched.

“I think we have to do something different,” Counsell said, via Bruce Levine of “The Score”. “It feels like some at-bats and confidence are shaken. Maybe a different look in the lineup, or a day off is needed. I think we are at (that) point absolutely.”

Chicago Cubs’ Craig Counsell to make changes

More News: Battered Chicago Cubs pitching may force call-up of last man standing

Left fielder Ian Happ could be one of the players needing a day off. He’s earned just two hits in 23 at-bats in the last seven days.

Counsell had been more patient in recent days, saying that some of his hitters can be streaky, and believing the bats would come around. After earning four hits against a bad Astros pitching staff, he knows it’s time for an immediate change.

The clubhouse needs to be uncomfortable.

Chicago won’t look to Matt Shaw to start. He’s on the injured list with back tightness.

The Cubs have fallen to third place in the National League Central. They’re two games back from the Milwaukee Brewers for first place.

The lineup should look different on Saturday when the Cubs host the Astros in Game 2.

For More Chicago Sports:

Follow me on Twitter at @JordanSig, and follow us @ChiCitySports23. You can also reach out to Jordan Sigler via email at jordanmsigler@gmail.com. To read more of our articles and keep up to date on the latest in ALL of Chicago sports, click here! Chicago Bears, Chicago Bulls, Chicago Cubs, For more on the NCAA, head to Newsweek Sports.Chicago White Sox, Chicago Blackhawks

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When the Chicago Cubs traded for right fielder Kyle Tucker prior to the 2025 season, there was some significant rumbling from fans and media about one of the key pieces in that deal with the Houston Astros—Cam Smith.

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Smith was the Cubs’ first round draft pick in 2024 and was considered by many as a “sure thing” major league impact player. Brought in as a third baseman, there was also belief that his skill and talent set could eventually put him in the outfield as well.

After going to Houston, alongside third baseman Isaac Paredes and pitcher Hayden Wesneski, the Astros did just that. He broke spring training with the big league team and became their every day right fielder.

The vibe was generally favorable for the young talent, who settled into his new position and played remarkably well from a defensive standpoint. Offensively, he was a bit up and down, but he offered enough glimpses of next-level production to keep him in the lineup. On the year, Smith hit .236 with 9 home runs and 51 RBIs.

Cam Smith has fallen apart

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This season, however, things have gone all the way sideways for the 23-year-old.

Smith has struggled mightily over the course of the entire year so far. As of this writing, he’s slashing a weak .197/.293/.312 with a .605 OPS.

The defense is still there, but posting a 77 wRC+ is not good and neither is a strikeout rate that has now climbed to about 28%.

This extended bad run has some in Houston even talking about sending Smith back down to Triple-A where he can work on some of the finer details of his offensive game.

Drew Koch of Houston Astros blog Climbing Tal’s Hill recently made the case for a tactical demotion:

“Sending Smith back to the minors could be the best case scenario for the young Astros outfielder. It’s worth remembering that he has never even played a minor league game since joining the Astros organization during the 2024-25 offseason. His tireless work during spring training last year earned Smith a spot on the Astros Opening Day roster, and he’s never been sent down.

Moreover, Smith only spent 32 games (and 134 plate appearances) in the Chicago Cubs minor-league system before he was traded to Houston. To put that number in perspective, we’re not even two months into the 2026 season, and Smith has already surpassed those numbers.”

Cubs fans breathe a sigh of relief

For the Cubs fans seeing this, there has to be at least a bit of a sigh of relief that we didn’t get fleeced in the Astros deal, which definitely had its ups and downs as Tucker languished through a frustratingly long second-half-of-season slump that, ultimately, he never broke out of.

Smith is only 23, though, so there’s still plenty of time for the Cubs to rue the day they dealt him.

Meanwhile, by the way, another one-time Cubs top prospect traded away, Owen Caissie, is also failing spectacularly after being sent to the Miami Marlins.

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The Chicago Cubs depleted their farm systems over the offseason after they acquired right-hander Edward Cabrera from the Miami Marlins. This was a season after the Cubs traded prospect, infielder/outfielder Cam Smith, to the Houston Astros for outfielder Kyle Tucker.

Still having some prospects to deal at this season’s trade deadline (Aug. 3), the Cubs will have to be strategic with how they use these prospects. Given the depletion of the farm system, the Cubs’ minor league ranking took a hit, dropping four spots.

The Chicago Cubs’ farm system ranking drops due to a lack of high-quality prospects

According to Joel Reuter of Bleacher Report, the Cubs, a little over a quarter of the way through the season, have the 25th-best farm system in Major League Baseball. Before the season, the Cubs ranked 21st.

More News: What has been missing from Alex Bregman so far?

Reuter ranked each prospect on a “Tier system” from one to four, with Tier 1 being the best. For the Cubs, they currently have no Tier 1 or 2-level prospects, with infielder Pedro Ramirez the highest-ranked (Tier 3).

The rest, outfielders: Josiah Hartshorn, Ethan Conrad and Kane Kepley, along with shortstop Jefferson Rojas, and right-hander Jaxon Wiggins are Tier 4 prospects.

The highlight of Reuter’s rankings for the Cubs is outfielder Josiah Hartshorn, who was a sixth-round draft pick of the Cubs last season.

“The Cubs gave Hartshorn a $2 million signing bonus last year, a record-setting payday for a sixth-round pick and the equivalent of second-round money,” wrote Reuter. “He was sent straight to Single-A for his pro debut, where he is hitting .269/.425/.454 with 13 extra-base hits and more walks (33) than strikeouts (25) in 36 games.”

An outfielder who can play first base, Hartshorn is an interesting player for the future of the Cubs. Left fielder Ian Happ and right fielder Seiya Suzuki are both pending free agents and could be on other teams in the next few seasons.

Having depth in the organization, like Hartshorn, who could be a quality big leaguer one day, will help the Cubs if their current stars leave.

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The Chicago Cubs have a number of issues to deal with as they languish through a 2-9 record over their last eleven games and find themselves in second place in the NL Central Division after being swept by the Milwaukee Brewers at home.

More News: Battered Chicago Cubs pitching may force call-up of last man standing

A battered and strained pitching staff is a problem, of course. Pete Crow-Armstrong’s mental disengagement is another problem. Then, there’s just the general doldrums of the offense, which cannot seem to get runners on base—and, when they do, they leave them stranded.

But nobody has been as consistently “off” with the bat as Dansby Swanson.

Dansby Swanson is flatlining

More News: How the Chicago Cubs can get everything they need in just one big trade

On the season, the 32-year-old shortstop is hitting an ugly .291 with an OPS of .653. In May, though, his numbers have been especially feeble as he’s slashing .156/.206/.234 through May 21. His 4 home runs and 27 RBIs projects to about 14 homers and 90 ribbies over the full 162-game season, which would be excellent, but things aren’t trending that way. In the month of May, he’s only hit one home run with 4 RBIs so far.

Robert Murray, MLB Insider for Fansided, recently rubbed salt in an open Dansby wound by pointing out just how much money the Cubs still owe the veteran on his 7-year contract:

Breakdown of Dansby Swanson’s seven-year, $177 million contract with the Chicago Cubs, per source:

Signing bonus: $7 million.
2023: $13 million.
2024: $25 million.
2025: $27 million.
2026: $27 million.
2027: $27 million.
2028: $26 million.
2029: $25 million.

The practical question when it comes to Swanson, though, centers around what to do about his struggles.

What to do about the Swanson funk?

Trading him is not an option since his contract is so fat relative to his offensive stats being so thin. It would also be morally disastrous to have him be a $25-$26 million bench reserve.

It could be possible to switch Nico Hoerner to shortstop and then have Matt Shaw or Pedro Ramirez take up second base. That would require some big-time roster reconfiguration and, again, a realization from the Cubs that they’re paying an average AAV of $26 million for a bench-riding defensive replacement.

At this point, and probably for the remainder of his contract, the Cubs pretty much have to play him and just hope for the best. Thankfully, his defense is still top notch and there’s still a chance that this deep funk he’s currently in is just another, albeit longer than normal, slump for a notoriously streaky hitter.

Swanson garnered headlines this past offseason for adapting a new and more instinctual approach to the plate in hopes of providing more consistent offensive output. It may be time to stop that and go back to what was working only marginally well, at times.

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The Chicago Cubs keep taking hits, even though they’re not currently getting hits at the plate. Most of those hits have come against their pitching staff.

More News: How the Chicago Cubs can get everything they need in just one big trade

The latest blow to Cubs pitching was suffered Wednesday when Edward Cabrera was taken out of his start at the very beginning of the fourth inning with a blister issue.

The Cubs have been noncommittal when it comes to placing the hard-throwing righty on the IL and Cabrera has basically said that he’s not expecting any lost time. But the team has also hinted that the blister issue may be something Cabrera has been dealing with for a bit. So, as painful as it may be to but him on the shelf—along with Cade Horton, Matthew Boyd, and Justin Steele—a stint on the IL might be the most prudent choice right now, at least for a short ten-day period.

Cubs pitching reserves are depleted

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The problem is that the Cubs have torn through their emergency stockpile of arms at the Triple-A level due to all of the injuries and the recently demoted Javier Assad may need more time to stretch out before being brought back as a full-time starter.

So, actually, Jordan Wicks may be the last man standing when it comes to Cubs pitching reserves.

The bad news is that Wicks started the year injured and struggled his way through rehab outings. The good news is that he’s suddenly become lights-out in Iowa.

Jordan Wicks has turned things around

In his last two starts, he’s allowed just one earned run in 11 innings pitched. This past Thursday, he threw an especially brilliant gem in shutting out the Memphis Redbirds over 5 innings with just one hit allowed.

“I think he’s really talented,” Hoyer said in a recent interview with 104.3 The Score in Chicago, when asked about Wicks. “Yeah, he’s had some ups and downs and some injuries. Obviously, he had the injury in spring training, so he wasn’t really a part of spring training at all for us. And he had some struggles in his early rehab, but threw well in his last time out. He needs to help us. He’s a talented pitcher.”

The 26-year-old 2021 first round draft pick has shown flashes of excellence throughout his young career, even in his three cups of coffee in the majors. He hasn’t, however, been able to deliver consistently over the long haul.

The truth is that even if Cabrera doesn’t miss any starts with his blister, the Cubs may soon have to call Wicks into major league duty. With more than two months to go before the trade deadline, there’s nobody else they can count on as rotation reinforcement.

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The Chicago Cubs’ injury list continues to grow. Infielder/outfielder Matt Shaw is the latest to land on the injured list with mid-back tightness.

According to ESPN’s Jesse Rogers, the Cubs are calling up their No. 2 prospect in the system, infielder Pedro Ramirez. Ramirez has been playing in Triple-A Iowa this season and has performed well enough to receive a call-up. In 43 games in Iowa, Ramirez was hitting .312 with a .942 OPS and nine home runs,

Signed to a minor league contract in 2021, Ramirez showcased his skills in spring training to deserve a call-up out of the gates. In 15 games during spring training, the 22-year-old hit .367 with a 1.065 OPS and two home runs.

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Ramirez’s stint with the Cubs won’t likely be long unless he absolutely goes off at the plate. Once Shaw returns, Ramirez will likely find his way back down to Iowa until another injury happens or until September.

The Chicago Cubs will need Pedro Ramirez and others to step up in Matt Shaw’s absence

After putting together a solid April, where he hit .323 with a .938 OPS, Shaw has cooled off in May, hitting .045 with a .170 OPS. The Cubs have used Shaw as their Swiss Army Knife this season, with the 24-year-old playing six out of the nine positions in the field as well as designated hitter (nine games).

The position that Shaw has played the most this season is right field, making 12 starts (14 games), with the bulk of his playing time coming when Seiya Suzuki was on the injured list. With Shaw down, the Cubs are down their best utility player and don’t have another player on the roster who can move around the diamond like Shaw did.

Ramirez is a primary infielder, playing mostly third base (25 games) and second base (15 games) this season, with one game played in left field.

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Prior to the start of the 2026 MLB season, Chicago Cubs centerfielder Pete Crow-Armstrong was named one of the best and brightest young stars in the league. After all, before turning 24 this year, he had already won a Gold Glove, was named a National League All-Star, and posted a 30-30 season.

The thing, though, about players as young and talented as Crow-Armstrong is that their talent is not fully recognized and oftentimes is overshadowed by mistakes and immaturity.

Unfortunately for both the Cubs and their centerfielder, it is a situation they currently find themselves in.

Chicago Cubs star Pete Crow-Armstrong needs to mature

Early this year, the main concern with PCA was the fact that he is struggling at the plate. However, the fact of the matter is that his struggles offensively date back to last year, when he hit .216/.255/.357 after the All-Star break. Through 50 games this season, he his hitting .229/.302/.357.

However, over the span of the last few days, Crow-Armstrong’s maturity has been called into question. He got into a verbal altercation with a Chicago White Sox fan on Sunday, and was filmed yelling obscenities at her. Crow-Armstrong was fined for it.

This incident caused many to go back and highlight all the times he lost his cool on the field, most notably how he sometimes will slam his bat on the ground after making an out.

In the series following the incident with the White Sox fan, Crow-Armstrong made two dumb fielding errors. For a Gold Glove defender, the mistakes were inexcusable, but also were an indication of a true both he and the Cubs need to realize.

His mind is not right.

It is not uncommon for Major League players to go through prolonged slumps. That being said, how they react to them says a lot about what kind of player they are. Right now, Crow-Armstrong is showing he is not a mentally strong player. If he cannot mature and get his mind right, he could be in danger of making Chicago’s $115 million contract with him an absolute waste.

More Chicago Cubs news from ChiCity Sports

• Cubs’ Seiya Suzuki draws intense criticism in latest MLB power rankings
• Cubs’ emergency trade proposal lands pitcher who leads MLB in 2 categories
• Cubs’ biggest regret of 2026 off-season revealed

For More Chicago Sports

Follow me on Twitter at @theotherRobin19, and follow us @ChiCitySports23. You can also reach out to Robin Adams via email at robadams14@gmail.com. To read more of our articles and keep up to date on the latest in ALL of Chicago sports, click here! Chicago Bears, Chicago Bulls, Chicago Cubs, Chicago White Sox, Chicago Blackhawks

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The Chicago Cubs are mired in an absolutely miserable slump, having lost nine of their last 11 games to fall down to third place in the NL Central.

Oddly enough, this recent skid came on the heels of two 10-game winning streaks, so it has certainly been a strange season for the Cubs thus far.

All hope is not lost, though. Not by any stretch. Chicago is still a solid 29-21 heading into its three-game series with the Houston Astros beginning on Friday, and all it really needs is the right moves between now and the trade deadline to bolster its playoff chances and World Series hopes.

Because the Cubs’ starting rotation has been absolutely decimated by injuries, Chicago is expected to pursue at least one starting pitcher before Aug. 3, and luckily for Jed Hoyer, there should be plenty of them available.

On that note, Ryan O’Rourke of Cubbies Crib has linked the Cubs to a wild trade with the Boston Red Sox featuring Matt Shaw as the centerpiece.

Chicago Cubs connected to wild Matt Shaw trade

The Red Sox have quite a few pitchers that may interest Chicago, and while veteran Sonny Gray is the most obvious candidate, O’Rourke shockingly mentioned youngsters Connelly Early and Payton Tolle as potential targets for the Cubs.

“Infield help appears to, once again, be something they could use, and that’s where Shaw could come in,” O’Rourke wrote. “The fit isn’t quite as obvious as it once was, but it’s still worth checking to see how willing [Craig] Breslow would be to do a challenge trade. In a perfect world, Shaw would be the centerpiece for a deal involving one of Connelly Early or Payton Tolle, giving the Cubs a controllable, high-end young arm they can continue working with for years to come.”

Now, it should be noted that O’Rourke qualified his statement by saying a Tolle trade would be unlikely, but he thinks Boston would be more willing to move one of its young hurler than one might expect because of the amount of pitching talent the Red Sox have within their organization.

Early would be a more likely piece for Boston to trade, although he was ranked as the 52nd-best prospect in baseball by Baseball America heading into 2026 and has pitched to the tune of a 3.33 ERA and 1.185 WHIP thus far. So would the Sox really move him at this point?

Shaw seems like an obvious trade candidate for Chicago given that there really isn’t room for him in the infield, and the Red Sox have expressed interest in him in the past. But I’m not so sure Boston would include either of its top two young pitchers in such a deal.

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A week ago, the Chicago Cubs were at the top of the National League Central Division. Now, they have lost four series in a row and sit 1.5 games out of first place. Their two 10-game win streaks earlier this season now seem like a distant memory. Losing two out of three to the Chicago White Sox and being swept at home by the Milwaukee Brewers have the team floundering.

Of course, it is only May and a lot can change between now and the end of the season. That being said, Chicago is not trending in the right direction and, unless something changes, they could see their fierce rivals take the division once again.

The Chicago Cubs must catch the Milwaukee Brewers again

Chicago has had the unfortunate luck in seeing multiple starting pitchers go down with injuries. For weeks now, many have wondered when the Cubs will finally make a move or two in an effort to boost their beleaguered rotation.

Until they do, MLB.com believes they will be stuck looking up at Milwaukee in the standings:

“The Cubs and the Brewers look like the class of this division, yet again. The issue with the Cubs has been their rotation, which has been absolutely ravaged by injuries and was hit with another one on Wednesday, when Edward Cabrera had to leave his start early with a blister on the middle finger of his pitching hand. The Cubs have the 19th-best starter ERA in the Majors, and some of that is boosted by pitchers no longer available…

“You don’t want to be a prisoner of the moment here, but that three-game sweep at Wrigley didn’t look like an outlier; it looked like the future of this division. Again.”

If the Cubs cannot get their pitching figured out, they are going to have their hands full retaking the NL Central from the Brewers, who have won it in each of the past three years.

Chicago also needs to see their multiple offensive stars break out of their slumps. Indeed, when they are clicking offensively, they are among the best teams in baseball.

But, right now, they look like the exact opposite.

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