Series Preview: Pirates at Cubs, April 21 – April 24, 2022

The Chicago Cubs have finally added a big league contract to their bench, signing veteran utilityman Jon Berti to a one-year deal. https://bsky.app/profile/bastianmlb.bsky.social/post/3lgerio63nk2l Berti, whose 35th birthday is today, was something of late-arriving big leaguer, not establishing himself as a bench guy until he was already 29. But, since then, he has usually been a nice contributor: A split-neutral righty, Jon Berti has a 95 wRC+ for his career, is...

There's some additional catching depth. Glad to see it, as I'd mentioned mild concerns about what would happen for the Cubs in a multiple-injury situation. Long-time big league back-up catcher Reese McGuire is coming to the Cubs on a minor league deal, per Aram Leighton of Just Baseball on X. The 29-year-old backstop won't supply much offense, but he's long been very good defensively, and has loads of experience. His...

Among a number of notes today over at The Athletic, Sahadev Sharma and Patrick Mooney collected a list of POSSIBLE reliever targets still remaining for the Chicago Cubs, while noting that the list is almost certainly NOT exhaustive. Many are guys we've discussed here at length - several as recently as yesterday - so it's not necessarily going to blow your mind, but since these two reporters are well-plugged-in, I...

Chicago Cubs owner and chairman Tom Ricketts made some mild waves this weekend at Cubs Convention for a handful of financial comments that, although not out of the ordinary, weren't entirely well received. Speaking on 670 The Score, here are the comments that seemed to bother a number of folks: “Obviously, the Dodgers have a lot more resources, naturally, from smart business moves they made years ago," Ricketts said. "I...

As expected, the Chicago Cubs have signed another pitching prospect from the recent Tread Athletics Pro Day. Righty Cole Reynolds joins Jordan Goldmann as new prospects joining the system from Tread, where the org’s new pitching exec, Tyler Zombro, came from. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Cody Whitten | Performance Coach (@shmodezzthrowz) Reynolds, 22, played college ball at Elon and UNC-Charlotte, though he did so in...

Today, Baseball America unveiled its pre-season top-100 prospects list, complete with updated scouting reports and some connected content. If you’re a prospect hound, it’s a good day to do some reading. For the Chicago Cubs, it is a bit of a mixed bag. On the one hand, five top-100 prospects is always nice, with a sixth just outside. Good showing. But when you consider where the Cubs have been, and...

The kids have been off school for two days due to the sub-zero temperatures, and what with MLK Jr. Day on Monday, it has become a mini winter break fresh on the heels of the other one. So that's ... well ... it's a lot of close-quarters extra family time with everyone out of routine and dad still trying to get work done. If they want to open up the...

The results of this year's National Baseball Hall of Fame voting were revealed tonight, as the BBWAA announced there will be three members of the 2025 class: Ichiro Suzuki, CC Sabathia, and Billy Wagner. We all knew that Ichiro and Sabathia would get in this year in their first try, and they'll be joined by Wagner, who gets in on his 10th and final try. Pretty cool. You know what's...

Presumably because of the brutal cold gripping the Midwest, the folks at Marquee decided to share a clip of one of the greatest regular season games I've ever seen (thankfully from the warm confines of a bar): that ungodly cold, massive come-back win over the Braves in April 2018. I love everything about that game. So, I'll spare the narrative - in case you've forgotten any of the game and...

The Chicago Cubs - I must reiterate! - would be looking at reclamation reliever options no matter what else they were doing on the big league roster. So just as the Trevor Richards signing was not a "response" to missing out on Tanner Scott, this latest report has absolutely nothing to do with the whole eye-rolling Kirby Yates thing. (And there are some good late-inning arms still available.) The Cubs...

The Chicago Bears have sent in a request to interview one of Sean McVay's top assistants for the team's vacant defensive coordinator position. Aubrey Pleasant, who has been coaching with the Los Angeles Rams since 2023, is a candidate to be the Bears' next defensive coordinator. And while I do understand that there is a presumption that the gig will ultimately go to Dennis Allen, the Bears should (1) do...

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 wide receiver Keenan Allen. Keenan Allen's 2024 Snapshot Keenan Allen finished the season with 70 receptions, 744 yards, and seven touchdowns on 117 targets. Despite being the Bears' second-leading...

New Chicago Bears Head Coach Ben Johnson put on a show while meeting with the media on Wednesday at Halas Hall. I've highlighted some of my favorite parts from his introductory press conference and added some fords for proper framing, depth, and context. I hope you enjoy! Ben Johnson wastes little time throwing shade at the Packers The first zinger of the new-look Bears-Packers rivalry was thrown by Ben Johnson....

The Chicago Bears don't traditionally disclose contracts or money figures for coaches or general managers. But the buzz in league circles is that the team emptied the bag in order to secure Ben Johnson as its new head coach. Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio shares what he has heard about the contractual status of the new leader of Chicago's football team: We set the over/under at $14.5 million per year....

I can go on and on about how impressed I was with Ben Johnson in his introductory press conference today. He sounded like a man with a plan, and a clear vision of how to execute it. He came off as a fantastic communicator who knew exactly what he wanted to say and how he wanted to say it. When Johnson spoke, he commanded the room like no one I...

Better late than never? Probably not, but it's about time the Jacksonville Jaguars have come to terms with reality and moved on from GM Trent Baalke. According to NFL insider Ian Rapoport, Baalke is out in Jacksonville, but it comes as a "mutual" parting of ways, despite knowing what that really means. The reality is, keeping Baalke employed was keeping head coaching candidates away from Jacksonville. Rapoport shared a statement...

While today has been a massive win thus for for the Chicago Bears, we did get a bit of potentially unfortunate news. This morning, Ben Johnson was introduced as the new head coach of the Bears and his introductory press conference couldn't have gone much better. From his opening statement to his direct answering of all questions asked, Johnson flourished and showed off his ability communicate clearly - a welcome...

Before the Washington Commanders eliminated the Detroit Lions from the NFC playoffs last weekend, there was a time when many thought Ben Johnson would be their next head coach, not Dan Quinn. Johnson was the betting favorite to take the Commanders' job last offseason after the Lions were eliminated in the NFC title game. A new owner, a new front office, a top pick in the draft, and plenty of...

NEW BEARS HC BEN JOHNSON PUT ON A SHOW — Generally speaking, I try to refrain from reading or crafting opinions on who won or lost a given press conference. I'm not saying you can't glean any information from these events, but at the end of the day, it's just a dude answering questions. However, I can confidently say that what we saw today from Ben Johnson at Halas Hall was...

New Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson said many impressive things during his introductory press conference at Halas Hall today. Still, perhaps the most impressive was the sneak peek he gave us into the plan for his playbook and how it will impact Caleb Williams' development moving forward. Johnson was asked what level of impact Caleb Williams being in Chicago had on his decision to take the job as the...

The race to the NBA trade deadline could feature one giant obstacle. Jimmy Butler remains at the center of the league discourse. Requesting a trade from the Miami Heat, the veteran forward just received his second suspension of the month due to conduct detrimental to the team. Both he and the organization appear motivated to find him a new home sooner rather than later, and there is one team that...

As trade rumors continue to swirl, the Miami Heat have no time for distractions. According to Shams Charania of ESPN, the Heat have suspended Jimmy Butler for two games. The announcement comes only three games after Butler returned from a seven-game suspension due to conduct detrimental to the team. Charania shares that Butler missed the team's flight to Milwaukee on Wednesday and had plans to join them later in the...

While it may not be a partiucalrly exciting update, Chicago Bulls fans will take anything they can get with the trade deadline quickly approaching. ESPN's Shams Charania gave a wide-ranging update on the state of the trade market this week. The NBA insider didn't connect any specific teams to the Bulls' top talent, but he did share that the front office has received interest in their Top 2 trade chips....

If Matas Buzelis is the only Chicago Bulls representative at All-Star Weekend, I will hand-write a letter to Adam Silver requesting a suspension for all 30 NBA head coaches.  Zach LaVine deserves to be in San Francisco. Considering the sheer irrelevance of the Bulls this season, I'm not necessarily surprised that LaVine has struggled to rank within the Top 10 of Eastern Conference guards in fan voting. Chicago isn't gracing...

While pretty much everything is a first for rookie Matas Buzelis this season, his trip to All-Star Weekend in February will be anything but. The 20-year-old has felt the bright lights of the NBA's annual extravaganza before. Playing for the G League Ignite during the 2023-24 campaign, he was one of several pre-draft players invited to the league's Rising Stars Game. And, boy, did Buzelis make the most of the...

As the Feb. 6 trade deadline inches closer, all indications are that the Chicago Bulls are open for business. A report last week stated that the organization would be "sellers" at this year's deadline. Since then, we have seen Nikola Vucevic continuously connected to the Golden State Warriors and Patrick Williams name-dropped as a change of scenery candidate. To be sure, it will be impossible to believe front office leader...

Chicago Bulls fans needed something to look forward to, and they got that something on Monday night. Matas Buzelis confirmed on Instagram that he will be the fifth Bulls player in franchise history to compete in the NBA's iconic Slam Dunk contest. He joins Orlando Woodridge (1984), Michael Jordan (1985, 1987, 1988), Scottie Pippen (1990), and Tyrus Thomas (2007) on the shortlist. While we're still waiting for the NBA to...

After failing to score a single point on Sunday night in the Chicago Bulls' loss to the Portland Trail Blazers, Josh Giddey came out looking like the energizer bunny. The lead guard attempted to set the tone early with his uptempo play and decision-making. He ended up scoring or assisting on 14 of the team's first 17 points, paving the way for Chicago to go up by double digits midway...

Matas Buzelis is headed to All-Star Weekend! According to ESPN's Shams Charania, the Chicago Bulls' rookie has committed to participating in this season's Slam Dunk Contest! The No. 11 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, he is expected to join Spurs lottery selection Stephon Castle in the iconic competition. This will mark the second straight year that Buzelis is part of the NBA's All-Star festivities. He competed in the Rising...

If the Chicago Bulls want to snap a five-game skid, they will have to slow down James Harden and a well-coached Los Angeles Clippers team. BRING ON THE HOOPS AFTER DARK! Game Info Chicago Bulls (18-25) at Los Angeles Clippers (24-17) – 9:30 p.m. CT on Chicago Sports Network (TV) and 670 The Score (Radio) Lineups Chicago Bulls Coby White Josh Giddey Zach LaVine Patrick Williams Nikola Vucevic Los Angeles Clippers James...

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 four Blackhawks prospects who are nominees this year: Aidan Thompson, Denver Sam Rinzel, Minnesota Ryan Greene, Boston University Sacha Boisvert, North Dakota Fans can vote...

Below is the GameScore Impact Card for the Blackhawks' loss on Monday night. You'll find at the very bottom a line that's dramatically worse than anyone else on the roster. TJ Brodie had a tough night. Again. https://twitter.com/hockeystatcards/status/1881556036902944930?s=51&t=ESwYjOKcGL_TWWx-NV4tsw I know he got a two-year deal. And I know I did my best to justify the deal by considering the organ-I-zation was looking for a left-handed defenseman who could play the...

We're getting closer to the NHL's trade deadline (March 7), but the rumors are hot already. A big reason for that is the fact that 15 of the 16 teams in the Eastern Conference can plausibly argue they have a shot at making the playoffs. Which is great news for sellers this year -- including the Chicago Blackhawks. A couple good pieces this week on the subject that I recommend...

The Blackhawks played a really good team last night and almost mirrored the script from the Vegas game perfectly -- until they gave up a tying goal in the third period and lost in overtime. The difference between the two teams: Carolina's speed. The Canes are one of the fastest teams in the league and have speed from top to bottom in the lineup; you saw it on Seth Jarvis'...

I know the product the Blackhawks have put on the ice at the NHL level this season has left a lot to be desired at times, but we need a frequent reminder that this is a rebuild, and those things take time. It's about stockpiling draft capital and using picks on quality players who can help the NHL roster at some point. The Blackhawks have done the first part --...

As was the case against Vegas on Saturday night, the Blackhawks wanted to get off to a fast start. The volume of shots were heavily in favor of the Canes early in the first period, but the Blackhawks were getting really high quality chances when they got it on net. Eventually the pace of play picked up in both directions and, at the end of a first period in which...

We'll see if the Blackhawks can string together two straight good games with a very good -- but struggling -- Carolina Hurricanes team in town. And you know who could probably give the Blackhawks an in-depth scouting report? Teuvo Teräväinen. A couple notes on the lineup you're going to read below: Pat Maroon is dealing with a back issue so he gets the night off and Philipp Kurashev will draw...

Michael Russo of The Athletic reported on Monday evening that the Blackhawks are hiring former Minnesota Wild assistant general manager Chris O'Hearn as the new vice president of hockey operations. From Russo's tweet: "An attorney, O'Hearn's expertise is contract negotiations and CBA." According to EliteProspects, O'Hearn spent six years in the front office of the Coyotes, starting as the director of hockey administration in 2012 and moving up to assistant...

The game between the Canucks and Oilers got physical this weekend. And then it crossed the line -- a few times. On Monday, the NHL had to hand out punishments to a couple players who got launched from the game for dirty, dangerous hits. Among those sitting out: superstar Connor McDavid. McDavid and Canucks defenseman Tyler Myers each received a three-game suspension from the NHL Dept. of Player Safety for...

So let's take a minute to chat about this whole top line situation the Blackhawks have going on right now. I think a lot of us really like the idea of Frank Nazar being a second-line center behind Connor Bedard when he initially came up, and he was doing a really nice job at the dot and playing a good, defensively-responsible game. Then the Hawks threw him on the wing...