Ben Zobrist’s Back is Getting Better, but Return Uncertain

The Chicago Cubs and Houston Astros reportedly have a deal in place for 36-year-old closer Ryan Pressly, just as Bob Nightengale sort of reported last night. And although there was some initial pushback on how "done" that deal was, we've officially arrived at the inflection point. Per Jon Heyman, the deal is reportedly agreed to by both the Cubs and Astros (UPDATE: Tigers also have a deal in place, see...

Off he goes. One of the more fun Chicago Cubs players in recent memory, done in by his elbow, Adbert Alzolay is off to join another organization. Per Will Sammon of The Athletic on X, Alzolay is signing a two-year minor league deal with the New York Mets. Because of his late-season Tommy John surgery, he'll be rehabbing for most of the year, and now the Mets will have the...

Listen, I still wouldn't get your hopes up for Alex Bregman. For however much the Cubs could benefit from (1) his bat in the middle of the lineup (2) from sliding Matt Shaw to a more comfortable defensive home at second base, and (3) from whatever return you could get from Nico Hoerner on the trade market to accommodate such a move, any deal for Bregman remains wholly unlikely in...

With his posting window expiring today, Japanese lefty Shinnosuke Ogasawara has found a deal, signing a two-year contract with the Washington Nationals. The financial particulars for the deal aren't out just yet, and even when they are, it'll be challenging to evaluate the "value" of the signing (he's a tough one to project in MLB). The Cubs were reportedly among the teams interested in Ogasawara at some point, though we...

MLB Network is doing its rankings of the various positions, and they dropped right field with a bit of a fun note: two of the top five right fielders in baseball are Chicago Cubs players. And the placements are both pretty surprising. You had Seiya Suzuki coming in all the way up at number five: And you had Kyle Tucker coming in at number two, and yes that's on a...

Yesterday's hopeful update on Nico Hoerner's recovery from after-season surgery had me wondering if there was an update on midde-infield-mate Dansby Swanson during the Convention (a lot of stuff comes and goes very quickly during that time, so we don't always see it at the moment it drops). Sure enough, there was a little update, and it's all good stuff on Swanson's recovery from surgery this past fall. For one...

Long-time MLB starter and future Hall of Famer Max Scherzer wants to keep his career going into his age-40/41 season, looking to bounce back from a 2024 season that saw him make just nine starts for the Rangers due to recovery from back surgery, a shoulder issue, and a hamstring strain. He was generally effective as a mid-rotation type when he could take the mound, but obviously it was not...

The Oscar crowd definitely seems thin this year, doesn't it? I guess part of that is the after-effects of the strike and the limits it imposed on the movie slate in 2024, but still. Not more than a handful of the Best Picture nominees are ones I have watched/want to watch. If you missed the big rumor(?) last night, the Cubs were reportedly on the "verge" of trading for Astros...

Ryan Pressly, New Cubs Closer? — After coming up short in their efforts to sign Tanner Scott and balking at the asking price of Kirby Yates, the Chicago Cubs are reportedly close to finding their new ninth-inning man. Turning back to the trade market - and back to the Astros, no less - the Cubs are reportedly close to acquiring 2024 set-up man and former closer Ryan Pressly. But naturally,...

It's not too often that a guy puts up a .280/.380/.459/139 wRC+, 4.3-WAR season and then has a completely silent free agency. But Jurickson Profar's situation was a bit unique, given how uneven his performance had been before 2024, his age going into 2025 (32), and his lack of a good defensive home. It was just hard to know exactly which teams were going to be in on him, and...

Nothing like some breaking Friday night Bears news! We got a nice little nugget of information this evening from ESPN's Adam Schefter that Lions wide receivers coach Antwaan Randle El is close to finalizing a deal with the Bears. Randle El would become the team's new wide receivers coach and assistant head coach. The assistant head coach tag will be a promotion from his role in Detroit as wide receivers...

The Chicago Bears hiring Ben Johnson to be their new head coach was just the first step in a larger journey. Because now that he is settling in, the time has come for him to build out a staff. Optimism is high. Not only because the Bears were able to hold off Tom Brady (and other possible suitors) and reel in Johnson, but also because one NFL insider reported that...

Maybe the Hank Fraley dream isn't dead. I thought this exchange featuring ESPN NFL and Chicago Bears reporter Courtney Cronin was interesting: https://twitter.com/benjohnsontime/status/1882808333666816026 https://twitter.com/CourtneyRCronin/status/1882853074034884723 Earlier in the week, it sounded like Hank Fraley won't be joining Ben Johnson in Chicago. But maybe things are changing to the point where there is still a sliver of hope it can happen. UPDATE (4:11 p.m. CT) — It's over: https://twitter.com/RapSheet/status/1882913670826713370 Part of me is...

Now that Ben Johnson has got his feet under him as the new Chicago Bears head coach, it is time for him to fill out a staff. We have already begun seeing some departures from the old regime. And while the Matt Eberflus staff might've had some OK coaches, it makes sense for the Bears to usher in a new era in as many different ways as possible. Frankly, splitting...

In another twist in the NFL coaching cycle this morning, the Houston Texans fired offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik after two seasons. After yesterday's Liam Coen roller coaster, it's hard to call this shocking, but Houston's decision to move on from Slowik is undoubtedly surprising. ESPN's Adam Schefter was the first to report the news today: https://twitter.com/AdamSchefter/status/1882856463489704134 As Schefter mentioned, the most surprising aspect of this move is that just one...

The nightmare that was the 2024 Chicago Bears season is over. Before the transactional period starts and the roster changes begin, we will recap the seasons of most of the 53-man roster. Next up: We're looking at the 2024 season of offensive lineman Larry Borom. Larry Borom's 2024 Snapshot The 2024 season wasn't necessarily one to write home about for Larry Borom. In his fourth year with the Bears, Borom...

Day 19 of the Chicago Bears offseason. Somehow ... my headache returned. I'll gut it out today because I have dinner plans that I can't cancel. A quick reminder at the top that you can follow all your favorite BN friends on BlueSky. We're here, but you can also find BN Bulls, BN Blackhawks, and the OG BN Cubs where the skies are blue. Seeing how the bizarre Liam Coen...

After coming up empty in the Ben Johnson Sweepstakes, Tom Brady gets his guy — and it happens to be the coach whose team his New England Patriots beat in Super Bowl XLIX. Pete Carroll, who was once a candidate for the Chicago Bears head coaching position, is returning to the NFL after a one-year hiatus to coach the Las Vegas Raiders in 2025. No, seriously. This is a thing that...

The NFL's head coaching carousel is generally a wild ride, but what's transpired in Florida over the past 48 hours is a notch above what we typically see. According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, Liam Coen has informed the Tampa Bay Buccaneers that he intends to accept an offer from the Jacksonville Jaguars to become their next head coach, putting a bow on a crazy couple of days. On Wednesday, Coen...

For the second consecutive day, the Chicago Bears sent out a request to a team that made the playoffs for permission to speak with an assistant coach regarding the vacant defensive coordinator position. On Wednesday, it was Los Angeles Rams assistant Aubrey Pleasant. One day later, Chicago's football team has reportedly put out a request to interview Daronte Jones of the Minnesota Vikings. NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport has the...

The Nikola Vucevic smoke is starting to billow. As the February 6 trade deadline approaches, the big man's name continues to come up in conversations. We heard earlier this week that there is "optimism" within the Chicago Bulls' organization that they can find a deal for the starting center over the next couple of weeks. Likewise, reports continue to surface that say the Bulls have received numerous calls on both...

While a report surfaced on Friday morning that said Zach LaVine hopes to ride things out in Chicago, that is not going to stop the rumors. Arturas Karnisovas ultimately holds all the cards, and the Bulls have made clear in recent weeks that they are open for business. Could this change as the trade deadline approaches? It's always a possibility with this front office, which has sat out three consecutive...

The Chicago Bulls have presumably answered a lot of phone calls over the last couple of weeks, but it doesn't sound like any have come from the Klutch offices. Despite the seemingly endless trade rumors surrounding Zach LaVine, he reportedly has little interest in leaving Chicago. Check out our post from earlier today for more on that rumor. https://www.bleachernation.com/bulls/2025/01/24/zach-lavine-chicago-stay/ Do I think Zach LaVine wants to play winning basketball? Of...

Zach LaVine has been one of the most talked about players on the NBA trade market for well over a year. The Chicago Bulls front office was the first to get the ball rolling, as rumors emerged that they would be willing to move LaVine only months after signing him to a max contract. To little surprise, this led to plenty of internal and external drama, especially as the organization...

The Chicago Bulls' veterans looked well-rested after two off days in the sun. Lonzo Ball got the ball rolling (dribbling?) at the Chase Center on Thursday night, scoring or assisting on the Bulls' first 8 points. He splashed a three, connected with Patrick Williams for the alley-oop jam, and nailed another 27-footer. Nikola Vucevic picked up where he left off, scoring the team's next seven points with ease. The big...

Nikola Jokic is a magician. The three-time MVP is known to do something jaw-dropping on a nightly basis, and that moment came at the end of the third quarter on Thursday night. In a matchup against the Sacramento Kings, Nikola Jokic quickly asked for the inbound from Aaron Gordon with 1.7 seconds left in the frame. He immediately turned and sent the ball flying down the floor with one hand....

The Chicago Bulls head to The Bay! Game Info Chicago Bulls (19-25) at Golden State Warriors (21-22) – 9:00 p.m. CT on Chicago Sports Network (TV) and 670 The Score (Radio) Lineups Chicago Bulls Josh Giddey Ayo Dosunmu Zach LaVine Patrick Williams Nikola Vucevic Golden State Warriors Stephen Curry Buddy Hield Gary Payton II Andrew Wiggins Kevon Looney (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images) Odds Chicago comes into today’s game as a 1.0-point...

Less than a month away from All-Star Weekend in San Francisco, the NBA has officially announced the 2024-25 All-Star starters. TNT's Inside the NBA crew did the honors ahead of their Thursday night doubleheader, which features the Miami Heat visiting the Milwaukee Bucks and the Boston Celtics battling the Los Angeles Lakers. To no surprise, both games will feature All-Star starters. Giannis Antetokounmpo will make his ninth-straight All-Star appearance and...

A lot is up in the air ahead of the Chicago Bulls' meeting with the Golden State Warriors on Thursday night. According to the latest official injury report, both Coby White and Ayo Dosunmu are questionable for the late-night matchup. White missed the Bulls' previous meeting against the Clippers with ankle soreness, which led to the team having him examined by a foot doctor. Head coach Billy Donovan told K.C...

Most trade talk for the Chicago Bulls has revolved around the availability of Zach LaVine and Nikola Vucevic. And rightfully so. The two multi-time All-Stars have put together remarkable seasons, averaging some of the most efficient scoring numbers of their respective careers. Unfortunately for Chicago, they aren't in a place to make use of that as they attempt to keep their 2025 first-round pick, which was previously sent to San...

Want a little drama on a Friday night? The Blackhawks scratched Taylor Hall (healthy -- then traded!!) and Seth Jones (illness?) just as the team was coming out to warm up. The Blackhawks got completely overwhelmed for about 15 minutes but then started to chip away. And then Colton Dach scored his first career NHL goal. And then Frank Nazar scored his first goal of the season (NOT the first...

The first big bang of the Blackhawks' trade season arrived before the end of January. Taylor Hall was announced a healthy scratch just as the team was taking the ice to warm up on Friday night. Then the buzz started... and it looks like he's headed to Carolina. UPDATE: the Blackhawks are reportedly receiving their own 2025 third-round pick back from Carolina. https://twitter.com/PierreVLeBrun/status/1882987863450472576 Earlier on Friday, Carolina announced forward William...

I mentioned in my bullets this morning that Blackhawks general manager Kyle Davidson was at a couple Avalanche games this week. According to Frank Seravalli, Davidson and Norm Maciver took advantage of the days between Blackhawks games to stop by the University of Denver -- something the guys also mentioned on Friday's "32 Thoughts" Podcast episode as well. According to those reports, the Blackhawks are keeping tabs on forward prospect...

Who's ready for a Brandon Hagel Revenge Game on a Friday night at the United Center? In all seriousness, the Blackhawks come in having played well enough to win in their last three games, but have only one victory to show for it. Tampa's a good team, so this is another strong test. The Blackhawks made a couple roster moves on Thursday, placing Craig Smith on IR and recalling Ethan...

It's Friday and we're nearing the end of January, which means trade buzz is flying around the National Hockey League. As we've talked about previously, this is stacking up as a potential premium market for sellers because the playoff races in both conferences are a hot mess. Throw in the two-week break in February for the 4 Nations Face-Off and the action is percolating. Here are three trade candidate hot...

Fan voting for the 2025 Hobey Baker Memorial Award (college hockey’s Heisman Trophy) is now open, and there are four Blackhawks prospects who are nominees from their respective universities. Nominees were voted on by the coaches and fans at their respective universities. Here are the five Blackhawks prospects who are nominees this year: Aidan Thompson, Denver Sam Rinzel, Minnesota Ryan Greene, Boston University Sacha Boisvert, North Dakota UPDATE: Dominic James,...

Some significant NHL news dropped on Thursday from Michael Russo and Chris Johnston at The Athletic: the NHL is preparing for the retirement of Commissioner Gary Bettman -- although that won't happen for a couple years. According to the report, the NHL "has started the process of finding a successor for the longest-tenured commissioner in North American sports." From the story: Bettman, 72, said he has not decided when to...

The Blackhawks made a few roster moves on Thursday that were both exciting and interesting. First, let's talk about the signing of forward prospect AJ Spellacy to his three-year, entry-level contract. Spellacy got everyone's attention during the prospect camp and then NHL training camp and preseason games. He's a big boy who can absolutely fly and has no fear of throwing the body. He's played both center and the wing...

When the Blackhawks recalled Ethan Del Mastro on Thursday, it was intriguing because they had eight healthy defensemen on the blue line. The move also left Rockford with only seven defensemen on their roster, some of whom are dealing with being banged up. The Blackhawks solved the logjam in the NHL (at least for now) on Thursday afternoon, announcing Wyatt Kaiser has been assigned to the IceHogs. With Craig Smith...

The Blackhawks made a couple roster moves on Thursday. Defenseman Ethan Del Mastro has been recalled from the Rockford IceHogs. To make room for Del Mastro on the NHL roster, the Blackhawks placed veteran forward Craig Smith on IR (retroactive to Jan. 8). https://twitter.com/NHLBlackhawks/status/1882467190164849107 Del Mastro, who turned 22 on Jan. 15, appeared in two games with the Blackhawks last year. He has eight assists in 38 games with Rockford...