https://diamondcentric.net/news-rumors/north-side-baseball/page/40/?d=1News: Newsenhttps://diamondcentric.net/news-rumors/north-side-baseball/ian-happ-the-2026-chicago-cubs-surest-thing-r5909/  It may not always feel like it outside, but spring training is coming soon. We're just a few days away from pitchers and catchers officially reporting to the Cubs' complex in Mesa, Ariz., and we're less than two months from regular-season Chicago Cubs baseball. Between now and then,...5909Wed, 04 Feb 2026 12:45:00 +0000https://diamondcentric.net/news-rumors/north-side-baseball/ian-happ-the-2026-chicago-cubs-surest-thing-r5880/  It may not always feel like it outside, but spring training is coming soon. We're just a few days away from pitchers and catchers officially reporting to the Cubs' complex in Mesa, Ariz., and we're less than two months from regular-season Chicago Cubs baseball. Between now and then,...5880Wed, 04 Feb 2026 12:45:00 +0000https://diamondcentric.net/news-rumors/north-side-baseball/can-nico-hoerner-and-alex-bregman-hold-onto-the-improvements-they-made-in-2025-r5874/As any veteran of the baseball industry will tell you, the hardest tool to scout is the feel to hit. There's so much reactivity, so fragile a balance in it, that it's hard to gauge what a hitter can do over just a few games. It's hard to project how a player who can dominate at one level might d...5874Tue, 03 Feb 2026 23:17:08 +0000https://diamondcentric.net/news-rumors/north-side-baseball/michael-busch-deserves-the-importance-of-no-2-hole-in-cubs-lineup-r5870/Despite the rest of the division jockeying for pole position in the NL Central, the Chicago Cubs have one of the most lethal offenses in professional baseball, capable of setting the tone in the Senior Circuit. Michael Busch, the North Side's powerful yet underrated first baseman, impressed insi...5870Tue, 03 Feb 2026 20:06:01 +0000https://diamondcentric.net/news-rumors/north-side-baseball/who-will-be-the-cubs-main-slugger-in-2026-r5861/Six different Chicago Cubs hitters smacked 20 or more home runs in 2025. Now, with recent offseason transactions considered, who deserves to be the team's main slugger for the 2026 season? We review the various cases for Pete Crow-Armstrong coming off a 30-30 season, Seiya Suzuki after his caree...5861Tue, 03 Feb 2026 15:13:00 +0000https://diamondcentric.net/news-rumors/north-side-baseball/chicago-cubs-2026-opening-day-roster-projection-v-30-r5854/  It’s officially the final month without regular season baseball, and thus, it’s time for another Cubs opening day roster projection. Besides, there have been important changes lately. The North Siders have made a pair of seismic moves for Edward Cabrera (trade) and Alex Bregman (free agen...5854Tue, 03 Feb 2026 12:50:00 +0000https://diamondcentric.net/news-rumors/north-side-baseball/justin-steeles-eventual-return-to-health-will-present-cubs-with-good-problem-to-have-r5843/He doesn't have to answer this question for a while, but at some point, Craig Counsell will need to make the call: Who will be bumped from the Chicago Cubs' rotation when Justin Steele is ready to come back from elbow surgery? Steele is, in his words, "ahead of schedule" and moving "full st...5843Mon, 02 Feb 2026 19:02:02 +0000https://diamondcentric.net/news-rumors/north-side-baseball/chronicling-the-1918-cubs-part-8-the-great-hippo-vaughn-r5833/  Welcome to part eight of North Side Baseball’s offseason series covering the 1918 Chicago Cubs. You can find the first seven parts here: Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Today, we’ll be doing another player profile,...5833Mon, 02 Feb 2026 12:58:41 +0000https://diamondcentric.net/news-rumors/north-side-baseball/chronicling-the-1918-cubs-part-7-the-national-league-pennant-world-series-plans-r5800/Welcome to part seven of North Side Baseball’s offseason series covering the 1918 Chicago Cubs. You can find the first six parts here:   Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Last time, we left off with the World Series in question. The Cubs began Augu...5800Fri, 30 Jan 2026 23:08:02 +0000https://diamondcentric.net/news-rumors/north-side-baseball/breaking-down-the-cubs-bullpen-battle-the-lefties-r5765/  Earlier this week, we discussed the many, many candidates for not-so-many spots in the Cubs' Opening Day bullpen, focusing on the right-handed hurlers in the mix. Today, let's tackle the lefties vying for the few open spots, and the way the team will utilize those who don't make the cut....5765Thu, 29 Jan 2026 16:31:02 +0000https://diamondcentric.net/news-rumors/north-side-baseball/these-3-cubs-who-need-to-step-up-in-2026-r5761/While Chicago was just a game away from getting back to the NLCS for the first time since 2017, there's still plenty of margin to catch up to the Dodgers and Phillies of the world, never mind the Brewers in their own division. Dansby Swanson can make a few offensive adjustments that we cover; Ju...5761Thu, 29 Jan 2026 14:40:01 +0000https://diamondcentric.net/news-rumors/north-side-baseball/the-absurdity-of-nico-hoerners-mlb-top-100-exclusion-r5756/Over the weekend, MLB Network announced their annual list of the Top 100 players in Major League Baseball. The Chicago Cubs were well-represented on the list, with their four names — Alex Bregman, Pete Crow-Armstrong, Michael Busch, and Seiya Suzuki — tied for the fourth-most on a given roster....5756Thu, 29 Jan 2026 14:02:01 +0000