Cubbies Crib

It was an up-and-down first half for the Cubs, but they managed to enter the All-Star break in a rather solid position. They're 54-42 on the year, leaving them five games back of the Brewers for the NL Central crown but offering them a 3 1/2-game cushion in the NL Wild Card race. With the All-Star break wrapping up, it's almost time for the team to get back to work for the stretch run.

As the MLB trade deadline gets closer, there should be a more defined group of targets for the Chicago Cubs. Most of the talk up until now has been speculation, and that largely speaks to the parity that exists across Major League Baseball. There's been some surprise contenders this season, and that can make life difficult for the Cubs finding a trade partner before August 3. One team the Cubs may want to the circle is the Washington Nationals.

The Chicago Cubs' latest rebuild bore some really impressive fruits, like Pete Crow-Armstrong and Cade Horton. Others, like Matt Shaw and Moises Ballesteros, should soon join them as obvious long-term building blocks for the franchise. However, one of the more bizarre aspects of this rebuild is just how long some prospects have been gestating in the minor leagues. Kevin Alcantara was considered a top-10 prospect in the system for five years, only just graduating from the list.

Chicago Cubs baseball is back - and unfortunately, that means updates on the latest Cubs injuries, which plagued the team throughout the whole first half. Craig Counsell spoke with reporters ahead of Friday night's game against the Minnesota Twins, and it was a mixed bag. Hoby Milner is progressing well from his emergency appendectomy and should return to the Cubs in early August. In his first year with the team, the veteran lefty has a 3.53 ERA in 38 appearances and last pitched back on June 25.

There's excitement surrounding Chicago Cubs' 2026 first-round pick Cade Townsend, considering there's already belief he's one of the organization's top prospects. Given his pitch-mix, not only does Townsend project as a starting pitcher, but he has the impression of someone who could move quickly through the system. The Cubs aren't wasting any time, less than a week after they selected Townsend, they signed him to his contract. As it turns out, with the deal, the Cubs are saving around $800K.

It’s a cool November day in Cleveland; the Chicago Cubs and Cleveland Indians just battled through one of the most iconic World Series in history, and a rain delay postponed an already chaotic Game 7 with a 6-6 tie in the 10th inning. Many Chicago and Cleveland fans can close their eyes and replay everything that happened next like it was yesterday.

The Milwaukee Brewers got an early start on their trade deadline shopping this week, adding Lance McCullers Jr. and Colton Gordon in a trade with the Houston Astros. The impression was the Brewers were trying to get ahead of the Chicago Cubs, who also have a need for pitching. Conventional wisdom would point to the Cubs as being the biggest threat to the Brewers for the rest of the season. The Cubs are 12 games above .500 exiting the All-Star break, and trail Milwaukee by five games.

Given that Liam Hendriks was stringing together scoreless outing for the Iowa Cubs over the past week, conventional wisdom pointed to him soon getting an opportunity in the Chicago Cubs bullpen. The Cubs bullpen has been a revolving door for most of the season, and it was only fitting that the former All-Star get a look. It turns out the Cubs may have had other plans.

Talk of the Chicago Cubs and Tarik Skubal have largely felt like speculation throughout the last several months. The Detroit Tigers had the appearances of selling at the deadline, moving Skubal made sense, and the Cubs have a clear need for pitching. It's not a stretch to suggest the Cubs as a fit for Skubal. Even now, the conversation is layered. The Cubs obviously still have a need for pitching and yes, trading for Skubal would squash any idea of the front office once again punting on the season.

Although the Chicago Cubs' 2026 campaign has been a bit of a roller coaster, it's undeniable that they started things out on a high note. April was shaping up to be a brutal month with a streak of games including an improved Pirates team, seven games against the Phillies, a west coast road trip featuring three against the Dodgers and Padres; and a Diamondbacks set back home to cap off the stretch.