Watkins, McNutt and Cabrera Among Second Round of Cubs Spring Roster Cuts

The Cubs announced the second round of spring roster cuts on Monday morning. The Cubs cut six players and reduced the Spring Training roster to 53 players. The Cubs optioned Logan Watkins, Trey McNutt, Brooks Raley and Alberto Cabrera to Triple-A Iowa. Robert Whitenack was optioned to Double-A Tennessee and non-roster invitee Nick Struck was [...]

Cubs Can’t Cash ‘Em In – Cubs 2, Rangers 3

Spring Training Game Thirteen – Cubs 2, Rangers 3 WP – Robbie Ross (1-0) LP – Hisanori Takahashi (0-1) Save – Johan Yan (1) Dale Sveum finally received a solid performance from his pitching staff, but the offense could not come up with a hit late in the game and the Cubs lost for the [...]

Cubs Renew Contracts of 21 Players and Other News Bits

The Cubs announced Monday that they reached agreement on contracts for all of their 21 pre-arbitration eligible players (0-3 men, automatic renewal) for the upcoming season. Five of the 21 players will receive more than the Major League minimum of $490,000 for the 2013 season. Travis Wood ($537,000), Anthony Rizzo ($498,000), Darwin Barney ($562,000), Welington [...]

Cubs Held in Check by Brewers’ Pitching – Cubs 3, Brewers 4

Spring Training Game Ten – Cubs (ss) 3, Brewers 4 WP – Marco Estrada (1-0) LP – Edwin Jackson (0-1) Save – Alfredo Figaro (1) The Cubs dropped the second game of the split squad day to the Brewers in Mesa on Sunday afternoon. Edwin Jackson had a rough second outing of the spring, and [...]

Cubs Cannot Dodge a Long, Sloppy Loss – Cubs 7, Dodgers 11

Spring Training Game Five – Cubs 7, Dodgers 11 WP – Aaron Harang (1-0) LP – Trey McNutt (0-1) Save – None A Spring Training game that lasts for nearly four hours is never a good sign, and that was the case on Wednesday afternoon at HoHoKam Park. The Cubs and Dodgers played a sloppy [...]

Cubs Begin the Spring with a Win – Cubs 11, Angels 2

Spring Training Game One – Cubs 11, Angels (SS) 2 WP – Travis Wood (1-0) LP – Nick Maronde (0-1) Save – None The Chicago Cubs took the field for the first time in 2013 on Saturday afternoon at Tempe Diablo Stadium and pounded an Angels’ split squad in their spring opener. Brett Jackson (2-for-2 [...]

Video from the Cubs First Cactus League Game of 2013

The Cubs made the short trip from Mesa to Tempe on Saturday afternoon to face an Angels’ split squad team … and the Cubs came out on top in the Cactus League opener 11-2. There were plenty of positives for the Cubs in the exhibition game. Brett Jackson showed off his new swing and went [...]

Day Eleven of Cubs Camp: Rainy Days and Spring Training

The Cubs received a little breathier on Wednesday when rain and bad weather in the Phoenix area shortened practice. Wednesday was the big league team’s last full day of Spring Training at Fitch Park. The Cubs moved down the street to HoHoKam Park to prepare for the start of the Cactus League schedule. The organization [...]

Cubs Storylines of the Spring: The Pitchers

With the Cubs’ Cactus League opener just around the corner, it is time to breakdown the storylines of the spring. This is the final spring for the Cubs at Fitch Park and HoHoKam Park. The Cubs are scheduled to cut the ribbon on their new spring home, currently called Riverview Park, in November. It will [...]

The CCO’s Top 20 Cubs Prospects for 2013

The CCO’s off-season look at the Cubs’ farm system concludes with our list of the top 20 prospects in the Cubs’ organization. The Cubs system as a whole is coming off a good year, the first under the new regime. Theo Epstein, Jed Hoyer, Jason McLeod and Tim Wilken were able to add projectable talent [...]