Cubbies Gazette

 Unfortunately, I cannot report on the Cubs signing any MLB free agents, due to the lockout I mentioned in a previous article:  Is the 2022 MLB Season in Jeopardy?  but the Cubs have signed five IFAs, some of which seem like pretty good signings. SS Alexis Hernandez Hernandez is the brother of current Cubs' prospect Cristian Hernandez and seems like he also has some good talents. Jesse Sanchez from MLB gives the following description on him:  " The athletic Hernandez has a chance to be a five-tool player and shows lots of potential. He is going to play in the middle of the field, but whether that’s at shortstop or in center is still to be determined because he can play both.  What’s more, the 17-year-old has the ability to be a plus runner and has a plus arm. He shows emerging raw power and a high baseball IQ. He has developed into an exciting player with solid makeup." He ranks No. 18 on MLB's Top 50 International Prospects, and I'm excited he gets to join his ...

  In light of Jon Lester's retirement, and the fact that the Cubs would probably have not won the World Series without him, I thought I'd share this video of his 2016 highlights, a year that was arguably his best, and definitely most rewarding. Hope you enjoyed, and also brought back some memories of how good Lester was. Plus, the fact that the Cubs won the World Series.

 I like avoiding the lockout topic as much as I can, and just focus on the Cubs and what will happen when there is baseball, but at this point it's kind of unavoidable. And it's also not good news. Going into the lockout I naturally expected it to be as aggravating as possible, with the possibility of Spring Training games or even regular season games being canceled. But I looked at the optimistic side that said that MLB and MLBPA would reach an agreement peaceably and before Spring Training starts. There are a million reasons why I want the lockout to end now, or at least before ST, including wanting to see how the new Cubs' team looks and all the endless possibilities to the success of prospects and players. But I'll start with the news first, and then discuss it from there. Baseball labor update: There is no deal. There never was going to be one today. MLB made a proposal. The reaction among the players was not positive. Few on either side expected it to be. The que...

 First off, I want to thank everyone who watched my interview with James Triantos, and I'm glad that you enjoyed it. Hopefully we'll have some other ones in the coming weeks, and I definitely enjoy getting to know these prospects and it makes me even more excited for their future. I'll mention a couple more things on Triantos in just a minute. The biggest news in the baseball world right now is Jon Lester's retirement, as he announced that he would be retiring just yesterday. Raising a glass to Jon Lester in celebration of a legendary career. 200 wins, 3 rings, a 2.51 postseason ERA and countless lives touched by your generosity. We are so fortunate to have you in the Cubs family. Enjoy retirement! pic.twitter.com/WvxTkn8Afx — Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) January 12, 2022 Long story short, the Cubs would not have been 2016 World Series Champions if they didn't have Lester. Here's some really neat things about his time with the Cubs: A career 3.64 ERA in 1002.2 IP in 6...

I had the special opportunity of interviewing Cubs' prospects, James Triantos. Enjoy watching it!  

 At this point in a lockout, I've discussed a ton of different stuff in relation to the Cubs, and I really hope this lockout ends soon so we can get back to baseball activity and Spring Training doesn't get cancelled. But fortunately, there are still some things for me to go over, including the Cubs' third base problem. The Cubs had a combination of Wisdom, Bote, Duffy, and Bryant at third in 2021. Wisdom got the most time there, with the Cubs utilizing Bryant's' outfield capabilities and Duffy and Bote both taking over second base. In 2022, without Duffy and Bryant, that leaves only Wisdom and Bote to take over the third base duties. Elite? Nope. Capable of having third base taken care of? I think so. I'm going to discuss the pros and cons of Bote and Wisdom, and also look at the remaining third base free agent and trade options and try to decide what the Cubs will be doing with third base. I'll start with Wisdom. I've talked about him a lot in the past...