Chicago Cubs News

On this date in 2016, Aroldis Chapman recorded the final eight outs in Game 5 of the World Series, sealing a 3-2 Cubs win over Cleveland. Chicago scored three off Trevor Bauer in the fourth and stayed alive. ⚾

Chicago Cubs history unpacked — October 30

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Free agency opened with the Cubs prioritizing pitching after Milwaukee won the division and the World Series. Imanaga, Gausman and Peterson are free agents, and all five 2026 rotation starters could leave. Hoyer: "double down" on pitching. 🎯

Cubs eager to target pitching market as free agency kicks off

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Pete Crow-Armstrong's 2026 MVP-caliber, 40-40 season landed right after his six-year extension, which averages under $20 million a year. Cubs timing: impeccable. Cincinnati, meanwhile, faces a costly Elly De La Cruz decision. 💰

Cubs have a Pete Crow-Armstrong advantage Reds may envy with Elly De La Cruz

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Cubs lost assistant GM Jared Banner to Baltimore, where he's now GM. The speculation: that new Orioles connection to Jed Hoyer's front-office network could help the Cubs facilitate a trade, though nothing is reported or agreed. 🔍

Cubs could turn Jared Banner hire into a surprising Orioles trade opportunity

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Pete Crow-Armstrong says the mental game is his "last piece to the puzzle," even after a 2025 with 31 homers, 35 steals, an All-Star nod and a Gold Glove. The swing may come and go, but the headspace is the next upgrade. 🧠

Cubs’ Pete Crow-Armstrong Reveals Next Career Step

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Ian Happ, a four-time Gold Glove winner, hits free agency for the first time after hitting .218/.326/.412 with 24 homers in 2026. Speculation has the champion Brewers as a possible suitor at three years, $55M, with Jed Hoyer saying everything's on the table. 🔎

Chicago Cubs Could Lose Star Player to Hated Rival

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Hot Stove season opens with the Brewers as World Series champs, and the Cubs' offseason outlook looks short and busy. The column pokes at Jed Hoyer's bargain-bin habits, with Tarik Skubal and Michael King likely out of reach and the bullpen a question mark. 🔥

The Rundown: Welcome to a Possibly Busy but Short Hot Stove Season, Brewers Win World Series -

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Cubs kept assistant hitting coach John Mallee from the Mets by reworking his contract, and he withdrew from their hitting coach search. Pete Crow-Armstrong called him his "baseball dad," so the move protects Craig Counsell's staff. 🔒

Cubs protect Craig Counsell's coaching staff with a timely move against Mets

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Michael King declined his $28M player option with the Padres and hit free agency, and the Cubs are viewed as a potential fit. With Imanaga, Gausman, Holmes and Boyd also out, the rotation needs help. His 3.21 ERA over 185 innings helps his case. ⚾

Cubs Get Good News on Rumored MLB Free Agency Target

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Michael King opted out of his Padres deal, hitting free agency and giving the Cubs another look. With Clay Holmes and Matthew Boyd also gone, the rotation needs help. King logged a 3.21 ERA over 185 innings in 2026; Bowden projects four years, $118M. 🎯

Cubs get a second chance to fix Michael King mistake after Padres opt out

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Clay Holmes and Matthew Boyd declined their player options, so the Cubs' entire end-of-season rotation is now free agent, joining Gausman, Peterson and Imanaga. Pitching is Hoyer's top priority, and the Cubs hold a five-day exclusive window. 🔍

Clay Holmes, Matthew Boyd Free Agents After Declining Player Options -

cubsinsider.com

Cubs reportedly reworked John Mallee's contract to keep him after the Mets showed interest, and he withdrew from consideration. Losing him would have meant a second hitting-staff departure to the Mets after Rachel Folden, and Mallee is credited with Pete Crow-Armstrong's rise. 🔒

Cubs Reportedly Reworked Hitting Coach John Mallee's Contract to Keep Him -

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Brewers closer Trevor Megill, fresh off Milwaukee's World Series win over Tampa Bay, told fans to "have fun talking shit to Chicago next year. We have a ring." The Cubs, who were swept in the Wild Card Round, apparently rent space in his head. 🏆

Cubs living rent-free in Brewers’ star’s mind after winning World Series

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Pete Crow-Armstrong swept the Players Choice Awards, taking both NL Outstanding Player and Player of the Year, voted on by his peers. The Cubs center fielder just opened what's expected to be a busy award season. 🏆

Chicago Cubs news — PCA, Suzuki, Happ, Suarez, Tseng

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Pete Crow-Armstrong's 40-40 season tops the Cubs' 2026 performances, and his April extension through 2032 makes the superstar look affordable. Alex Bregman's rebound from a rough first half ranks next, easing worries about his contract. 🔥

3 best Cubs performances from 2026 and why they mattered

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Pirates blogger Kody Duncan floated a realignment idea that would ship the Cubs to the AL East with the Yankees, Red Sox, Blue Jays and Orioles. It's pitched as "fairness" if the new CBA lacks a salary cap, but it mostly clears the Pirates' path to a division title. 🎯

Radical MLB realignment suggestion would pit Cubs, Yankees, Red Sox as division rivals

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Jed Hoyer's 2026 grade lands as a mixed bag: the PCA, Hoerner and Bregman moves landed, but Cabrera flopped and the bullpen spending fizzled. Deadline adds were inconsistent, and 89 wins ended in a Padres sweep. 📉

Giving Jed Hoyer an end-of-season grade as Cubs look ahead to a chaotic winter

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Ex-Cubs outfielder Nelson Velázquez was released by the Astros, freeing the 27-year-old to pursue a chance in Asia. The 2021 AFL MVP hit .188 with six homers in 52 games across the Cardinals and Astros in 2026. The Cubs' 2023 trade call looks sound. 📉

Former Chicago Cubs Bust Gets Dumped by Current MLB Team

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Jim Bowden lists the Cubs and White Sox among the "best fits" for free-agent lefty Foster Griffin, his No. 14 free agent. Griffin went 12-3 with a 3.06 ERA for Washington, then had a 5.19 ERA (3.54 FIP) in Cleveland. Chicago overlap, anyone? ⚾

Chicago Cubs, White Sox Both After Guardians' Free Agent Pitcher

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Cubs may need to move fast: roughly a month of free agency precedes a likely lockout. Hoyer calls pitching the top priority for 2027, and Morejon is floated as a fit. Short, cheap deals could come first, as with Stroman in 2021. 🧊

Morejon Makes Sense as Cubs May Jump Market with Multiple Pre-Lockout Deals -

cubsinsider.com