Answer quickly... who was the last Cubs pitcher to win 20 games? more ›

Well, that was fast! Barely 24 hours ago, Japanese outfielder Kosuke Fukudome announced that he would leave Japan to play in the major leagues. Fukudome and the Cubs have already reached an agreement on a four-year deal, supposedly for between $48 and $50 million. By signing the outfielder, the Cubs beat out the Padres, White Sox and a couple other clubs rumored to be interested. more ›

Japanese outfielder Kosuke Fukudome finally declared his intentions to play in the major leagues next season. Considered to be one of the best outfielders in Japan's top professional league, he's expected to draw interest from a number of team. Among the teams most interested are both the Cubs and White Sox, as well as the San Diego Padres. Will the latest Japanese sensation land in Chicago? “It’s no secret we’d like him to come to... more ›

The Cubs finally traded maligned outfielder Jacque Jones on Monday, sending him along with $2 million to Detroit for utility infielder Omar Infante. A slow start to the 2006 season after signing a 3-year, $16 million deal to join the Cubs caused the fans to sour quickly on Jones. He became the next "Corey Patterson" -- which Chicagoist predicted the day he signed -- and the target for relentless taunting by the fans in the... more ›

Is that a goat we hear bleating? Because no sooner do the Cubs climb into a tie with the Brewers for the NL Central lead, they lose one of their top sluggers to injury. Alfonso Soriano landed on the disabled list on Monday, after tearing his right quadriceps in Sunday night's game against the New York Mets. Attempting to run from first to third on a Ryan Theriot single in the third inning, he came... more ›

In a trade that was surprising in its swiftness, the Cubs traded embattled catcher and "good guy" Michael Barrett (or "number 8" for those of you who don't visit Wrigley Field for the baseball) and cash to the San Diego Padres for backup catcher Rob Bowen and minor league prospect Kyler Burke. The trade closes the book on Barrett's three-plus years as a Cub, a time marked by emotional outbursts, an uncontrollable temper, suspect defensive... more ›

This is not a fun time to be a baseball fan in Chicago. Whether a White Sox or Cubs fan, you no doubt have that sinking feeling about your team's prospects for the postseason after they were swept this week. The Cubs lost 9-0 to the Florida Marlins on Wednesday, following a day full of meetings. The players held one. So did management. Didn't help, at least on Wednesday. The players felt they needed to... more ›

Chicagoist can be lazy sometimes. We feel like we just keep writing, and writing, and writing about injury woes and the Cubs. So we recently decided that it'd be well worth our while to write a fill-in-the-blank post we can simply re-use each time somebody else goes down. How fitting that Mark Prior gives us the first opportunity to utilize our new time saving bit of prefab journalism: Cubs former pitching phenom Mark Prior, who... more ›

For the Cubs, every silver lining seems to have its cloud. While the offense and pitching came together and led the team to a 12-4 victory over the San Diego Padres Monday night, the victory may cost the Cubs the services of Alfonso Soriano for a while. Soriano left the game in the fifth inning after straining his hamstring, which could land the Cubs' 136-million-dollar man on the disabled list. Soriano injured his hamstring trying... more ›

For a company in financial trouble, the Cubs' parent company sure has been quick to open up the wallet this off season. Following last week's re-signing of Aramis Ramirez to a rich new deal, the Cubs made the biggest splash of baseball's free agency period by signing Alfonso Soriano to an 8-year, $136 million deal on Monday. Soriano batted .277 with 46 home runs, 95 RBIs, 41 doubles and 41 stolen bases -- becoming the... more ›

So is Dusty Baker on the hot seat or not? Recently, comments from Cubs GM Jim Hendry made it sounds like the Cubs skipper might not be returning from the All Star Break. more ›

Remember a few weeks back, when the Baseball Prospectus ran an article quoting an anonymous source who reported that the Cubs' Mark Prior looked to be suffering from shoulder problems? And remember how Cubs GM Jim Hendry strongly denied that there was anything wrong with Prior? If you're like Chicagoist, you figured then it could be a while before we saw Mark Prior pitch in an actual game. Either Baseball Prospectus's anonymous tipster is psychic,... more ›

We all know Spring Training is officially under way for the Cubs when the first denials about Mark Prior's injuries start coming from the Cubs brass. Yesterday, Cubs GM Jim Hendry issued a strong denial to reports in Baseball Prospectus from an anonymous source that Prior looked to be experiencing shoulder problems and looked "weak and sick.'' While one could try to belittle info from an anonymous source, it's supposedly the same one who first... more ›

Throughout Florida and Arizona, players begin reporting to Spring Training to begin preparation for the 2006 season. However, it's looking like one play who won't be reporting to any camp is former Cubs outfielder Sammy Sosa, who turned down an offer from the Washington Nationals. The only Major League offer Sosa received, the Nats deal only offered a non-guaranteed 1-year, $500,000 deal. Having already turned down offers from teams in Japan and overtures from the Dominican team to play in the upcoming World Baseball Championships, Sosa's agent said, "... I can say, with reasonable certainty, that we've seen Sammy in a baseball uniform for the last time." more ›

Prodded by unmet expectation in '05 and a World Series title across town, Cubs GM Jim Hendry has been on a bit of a pre-holiday spending spree. more ›

Today is a day of significant changes for the Cubs, and it'll be interesting to see which direction the team goes in coming weeks as a result. more ›

Baseball's non-waiver trading deadline is less than two weeks away, and teams are starting to make some moves to either bolster their rosters for a playoff run or shipping out expensive and/or expiring contracts. more ›

To most baseball fans, among the sweetest words in the English language are "Pitchers and Catchers Report." As in Spring training. Forget Punxatawney Phil or Windy City Woodie, the surest sign spring is around the corner is when baseball players begin descending upon Florida and Arizona to get back into shape for the upcoming season. more ›

After months of bickering between Cubs management and Sammy Sosa, it's looking like a deal sending the fading superstar to the Baltimore Orioles will be completed sometime in the next couple days. A number of hurdles have to be crossed before the deal is official, but none likely to kill the deal. more ›

A week after their South Side rivals held theirs, the Cubs kick off their convention this weekend. Held at the Hilton downtown, the Cubs Convention will feature over 60 current and former players, broadcasters, coaches and management, as well as "autograph and photo sessions, question-and-answer seminars, baseball clinics, hard to find Cubs paraphernalia and much more." more ›

Neither Chicago baseball team is doing very well lately. In recent days, both have been left at the altar when a more attractive suitor came calling. more ›

Sosa claimed he left Wrigley Field during the 7th inning of Sunday's season finale, but stadium security camera show he actually left the park at 1:35pm, 20 minutes after the game began. more ›

Major League Baseball conducted a series of coin flips on Wednesday to determine host cities for potential tie-breaker games to determine the NL wild card winner among the five teams still in contention. more ›