Spring Training Miscellany: Cubs Homer Away, Cooper, Wisdom, Wesneski, Howard, More

The Cubs bombed away on the Guardians today, homering four times and winning 8-3.

  • No broadcast of this game means I can’t really comment on Kyle Hendricks’ start, though I doubt I would say much anyway. He’s an established veteran who is just getting himself ready for the regular season. As long as his arm didn’t fall off, today was a success.

  • Similarly, the fact that Hector Neris gave up another homer doesn’t really bug me much (especially since it was Jose Ramirez – even if Neris were really trying, sometimes that’s going to happen).

  • Hayden Wesneski threw the final three innings, scoreless with three strikeouts (two hits, no walks). He wasn’t facing the tip-top players that the Guardians had available since he got the end of the game, but still, probably felt good to pitch three clean innings. I think Wesneski is likely to open the season either in the big league bullpen, or optioned to Iowa to keep starting. Of course, with Jameson Taillon out and the Cubs wanting to protect Shota Imanaga a bit, I won’t completely rule out the possibility that Wesneski takes a start or two to open the season (even if Jordan Wicks and Drew Smyly also make starts), and then the Cubs figure out what to do from there.

  • Garrett Cooper continues to really want a job on this team, homering as part of a three-hit game:

  • … the problem, of course, is that he might be in direct competition with a guy who is healthy again:

  • Sometimes I think people forget how productive Wisdom can be for long stretches. And in a part-time, match-up protected role (1B v Lefties, occasional DH), he’ll probably put up great numbers. As of right now, I would absolutely have him on the team.

  • That said, it’s going to be very difficult for the Cubs to carry both Wisdom and Cooper, much less coordinate that with other NRIs like Dom Smith and David Peralta, if they want to carry either of those guys. It’s a good problem to have, as all of these guys are legit big-league-bench-caliber players, but the 40-man is going to be an issue unless there are a bunch of injuries (which, hey, nobody wants that!).

  • And I feel bad that these conversations never involve David Bote, who remains under contract (at Iowa), and also homered today. I think I may have to write more about his situation soon.

  • A little bit from the back fields:

https://twitter.com/BKingSports/status/1768030004389314812
  • It might be a make-or-break year for Howard to stay on the radar. You can kinda throw away last year as he was returning from the major hip injury and surgery, but this is the year he would have to take a big step forward. Only 22, so you can’t rule it entirely out.

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Chicago Cubs
Feb 19, 2025

South Dakota State vs. North Dakota State: Free Live Stream, TV Channel, How to Watch

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Chicago Cubs
Brett Taylor
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Officially Official: Shōta Imanaga Will Start the Chicago Cubs’ Season Opener in Japan

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Chicago Cubs
Brett Taylor
Feb 18, 2025
Tom Ricketts smiles as he thinks about the Cubs payroll flexibility

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Chicago Cubs
Brett Taylor
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Chicago Cubs
Michael Cerami
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The New ZiPS Top-100 Prospect List LOVES Owen Caissie

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Chicago Cubs
Brett Taylor
Feb 18, 2025
MLB Prospects Cade Horton

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Chicago Cubs
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Chicago Cubs
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Chicago Bears
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Here’s How the Bears Can Create Even More Cap Space By Cutting Some Notable Players

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Chicago Bears
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Bears franchise tag

The Franchise Tag Window Opens TODAY — Here’s What It Means For the Chicago Bears

Tuesday marks the first day teams can start giving Franchise and Transition Tags. And when it comes to the Chicago Bears, there is much to monitor when it comes to tag situations — even if the team does not have an obvious tag candidate. What is the Franchise Tag? If you'll recall, quarterback Caleb Williams reportedly wanted a no Franchise Tag commitment from the Bears as part of his rookie deal....

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Chicago Bears
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bears Darnell wright

Tag Time, Building a Dream Offensive Line, Netflix Wants More NFL, and Other Bears Bullets

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Bears Coleman Shelton

How Are the Bears Going to Fill the Gaping Hole at Center?

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Chicago Bears
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Caleb Williams Should Use These QB Rankings as Bulletin Board Material

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ESPN Insider Gives Out Just *TWO* First-Round Grades to 2025 NFL Draft Offensive Line Prospects

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Chicago Bears
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ben johnson Ryan Poles halas hall bears

Free Agency Countdown, NFL Trade Candidates, Honoring Virginia, and Other Bears Bullets

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2025 NFL Mock Draft: Travis Hunter Slips, Bears Add On The Edge

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By Keeping Nikola Vucevic Past the Deadline, the Bulls Risk History Repeating Itself

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The NBA Only Created More Problems in Latest All-Star Game

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Chicago Bulls
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Dunk Contest Thoughts, Front Office Called Out, Lonzo Ball at All-Star Weekend, and Other Bulls Bullets

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Matas Buzelis Fails to Make It Out of First Round at NBA Slam Dunk Contest

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Chicago Bulls
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Mac McClung Jumps Over a Car for Insane First Jam at NBA Dunk Contest (UPDATE: THREE PEAT!)

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Chicago Bulls
Elias Schuster
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NBA Mad at Chris Paul & Victor Wembanyama After Trying to Hack Skills Challenge

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Chicago Blackhawks
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Frank Nazar Chicago Blackhawks

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Blackhawks Not Alone in Disappointment with 2019 NHL Draft (But There’s a Silver Lining)

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Chicago Blackhawks
Tab Bamford
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Sam Rinzel U of Minnesota

Let’s Compare Some Recent Blackhawks Prospect Ranking Updates

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HUGE 4 Nations Success, Prospect Rankings, a Lost Generation, More Goals, and Other Blackhawks Bullets

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Nick Lardis Talks Scoring Record, Development, Mentality, More

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It's been a while since the Blackhawks played in emotionally charged, meaningful hockey. It had been a decade since the US and Canada faced each other in an international best-on-best tournament. The good people at Disney opted to put the 4 Nations Face-Off on ABC in prime time last night, and lemme tell you the viewing audience got their money's worthy. With all due respect to the hot garbage the...

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Hat Tricks for Lardis and Vanacker, More Prospect Goals, and Other Blackhawks Bullets

I would absolutely love to have a whole lot of exciting, earth-shattering Blackhawks content for you on a Saturday morning but... they haven't played in a full week. However, tonight we get the big one: USA vs Canada in Montreal with the top spot in the 4 Nations Face-Off on the line. It's on ABC and ESPN+ and the puck drops shortly after 7 PM CT. I can't wait! Now...

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Chicago Blackhawks
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Feb 14, 2025
Connor Bedard Chicago Blackhawks

USA Blowout Win, Prospect Talk, Rockford Injuries, and Other Valentine’s Day Blackhawks Bullets

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Chicago Blackhawks
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2025 NHL Draft James Hagens Porter Martone Matthew Schaefer Michael Misa

2025 NHL Mock Draft: Mid-February Full Two-Round Projections

Since the NHL is taking a couple weeks off in the middle of February for the 4 Nations Face-Off, why not take advantage of no Blackhawks games to chase and update our full two-round 2025 mock draft! With the calendar flipping to 2025, we're getting an increasing number of draft rankings and projections from folks who spend a great deal of time digging into take and profiles. Lots of things...

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Chicago Blackhawks
Tab Bamford
Feb 13, 2025

Around the NHL: World Cup Coming Back, CBA Update, Timing Changes Coming? More

The NHL world is on pause for a couple weeks while we enjoy the 4 Nations Face-Off, but that doesn't mean there isn't news being made around the game. Indeed, there was some important news that came from the NHL/NHLPA press conference before the game on Wednesday night that's notable. The World Cup of Hockey is coming back, the CBA negotiations sound like they're in a good place, there might...

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Brett Taylor is the Lead Cubs Writer at Bleacher Nation. You can find him on Twitter at @BleacherNation, on Bluesky at @Brett-Taylor, and on LinkedIn here. Brett is also the founder of Bleacher Nation, which opened up shop in 2008 as an independent blog about the Chicago Cubs. Later growing to incorporate coverage of other Chicago sports, Bleacher Nation is now one of the largest regional sports blogs on the web.

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MAC action on Wednesday will see the the Buffalo Bulls (20-4) host the Kent State Golden Flashes (16-9) at Alumni Arena, beginning at 6:00 PM ET.In its most recent game, Buffalo beat Ohio on Saturday, 79-67. Chellia Watson scored a...

How to Watch Lehigh Mountain Hawks vs. Bucknell Bison Women’s Basketball: Live Stream or on TV

The Lehigh Mountain Hawks (21-4) bring a 10-game winning streak into a home matchup with the Bucknell Bison (14-10), who have won three straight.In its previous game, Lehigh topped Holy Cross on Saturday, 69-59. Ella Stemmer scored a team-high 16...

UMass vs. Loyola Chicago Women’s Basketball: Start Time, Streaming Live, TV Channel, How to Watch

The Loyola Chicago Ramblers (11-15) aim to break a three-game road losing streak when they visit the UMass Minutewomen (14-12) on February 19, 2025.In its most recent game, UMass fell to George Mason on Sunday, 76-66. Yahmani McKayle scored a...

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