It has been 27 years since Harry Caray passed away on this day in 1998. He remains such a singular part of the Cubs fan experience for so many of us, and that probably won’t change in another 27 years. A pretty incredible legacy when you think about it that way.
The Chris Flexen minor league signing is not exciting and I will thus not try to get you excited about it. It’s extra starting depth after a couple injuries, and he can opt out of his minor league deal five days before Opening Day if he’s not going to make the team, or on May 1 if he stays that long, or on June 1 if he stays that long. Odds are better than 50% we never actually see him in a Cubs uniform. … but! I couldn’t help but notice that Flexen is an extreme cut-ride four-seamer guy, of the type the Cubs really, really like. There’s at least some small chance that they believe they can get more out of him than most other orgs, and at 30 years old, there’s at least some small chance that Flexen chose the Cubs specifically so that they could improve him before he runs out of opportunities to land another meaningful contract. It’s easy to forget, given how bad he was in 2023 and how obscure (because White Sox) in 2024, that Flexen was pretty good in 2021 and 2022 (and good in Korea the year before). I still don’t think there’s a whole lot here to really dig in on – it’s starting depth, that’s just what it is – but you never rule out the possibility of a return to success for a guy who has shown it before. We have also seen, by the way, how helpful it can be to have veterans available on minor league deals who – meaning no offense to any such player – can easily be bounced from the roster after a fill-in start or two, without feeling a whole lot of pain. Maybe you need a fill in on short notice and you don’t want to push a prospect, or maybe it’s not lined up just right for your preferred guy to start that day, or maybe there’s a particular match-up fit, or maybe you don’t want to have to DFA/waive some other guy just yet, or whatever. Even if a guy helps you win just one single game, then it was clearly worth a minor league deal. It’s extension season, and the Diamondbacks are extending infielder Geraldo Perdomo on a four-year, $45 million deal, with a team option for a fifth year (two arbitration years, two free agent years, and potentially one more free agent year). The deal is a pretty classic win-win, as Perdomo, 25, gets life-changing money and can still hit free agency around age-30, while the Diamondbacks get a chance at a bargain if Perdomo takes another step forward. He has been about a league-average bat and a solid shortstop defender the last couple years – valuable, but not a star – but just a little improvement in either area and suddenly that contract is stellar. Feels like a good call from Perdomo to sign it, and a good risk for the Diamondbacks. In recent years, the Cubs have signed Ian Happ and Nico Hoerner to extensions, though they were shorter-term types. We’ll see if they seriously engage anyone this spring, with Justin Steele getting a lot of that type of attention (but with no talks as of last month). Speaking of extension season, is that a wrap for Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and the Blue Jays? He had previously set a deadline of Spring Training for getting a new deal done, and Spring Training has started without a deal in place, so … ? Now, we’ve seen this kind of thing before, and then boom, a deal comes together before – or even shortly after – Opening Day. But it’s possible that no extension is happening, and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. will join Kyle Tucker as monster bats in the next free agent class. Not that we’ve been given great reason to expect the Cubs to participate in those markets, le sigh … Doesn’t sound like Luke Little is likely to make the Opening Day roster, as he’s on a slower ramp-up following last year’s shoulder injury (The Athletic). That makes it all the more noticeable how little lefty reliever depth the Cubs have behind Caleb Thielbar right now. The Cubs get a ‘B’ from The Athletic for their offseason, which sounds right to me – I might go B+, if pressed – and they came up one big move short of an ‘A’:“Chicago made its most aggressive move in years by picking up Kyle Tucker from the Astros — probably the second-best player to change teams this winter. Plugging a healthy Tucker into Cody Bellinger’s old spot in the lineup is an upgrade that should push the Cubs beyond the 83-win plateau and toward the top of the NL Central. Another trade with Houston for Ryan Pressly helps the back end of the bullpen.
An outright A is within reach with maybe one more significant move. The Cubs were in on Alex Bregman late in the winter, and after coming up short there’s still some cash on hand to use. A homecoming for Dylan Cease, a veteran bat to add to the lineup mix or a bolstering of the bullpen are on the table, which could lift Chicago into serious contention in the National League as a whole.”
Joe Buck is back on the baseball horn:NEWS: Joe Buck to call Opening Day between the Yankees and Brewers for ESPN, The Athletic has learned.Full details …www.nytimes.com/athletic/614…
— Andrew Marchand (@andrewmarchand.bsky.social) 2025-02-18T12:12:14.655Z More than two-thirds of the league will now be available in local markets over-the-top via a streaming app:SportsNet New York will launch a subscription streaming service on Tuesday that allows cord-cutting fans to watch games without paying for a TV bundle.The move continues an MLB trend that hopes to combat blackouts, writes @evandrellich.bsky.social.More: www.nytimes.com/athletic/614…
— The Athletic (@theathletic.bsky.social) 2025-02-18T13:38:59.399Z Love to see this:This is cool, Ian Happ and PCA stepping up during outfield drills to give other teammates advice pic.twitter.com/FGucf0ja59
— The Setup Man – Chicago Cubs YT Channel (@SetupManKyle) February 17, 2025 It really is so beautiful:How can you not be romantic about baseball?Hang it in the Louvre. ?️? pic.twitter.com/qOXHIF3faA
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) February 18, 2025MORE FROM BLEACHER NATION: Check Out BN Fantasy | Subscribe to The BN Newsletter
Caleb Williams Should Use These QB Rankings as Bulletin Board Material
— Bleacher Nation Bears (@bn-bears.bsky.social) 2025-02-17T21:38:50.555ZThe Bulls can't make the same mistake they did last offseason.
— Bleacher Nation Bulls (@bn-bulls.bsky.social) 2025-02-17T17:04:34.765ZLet’s Compare Some Recent #Blackhawks Prospect Ranking Updateswww.bleachernation.com/blackhawks/2…
— Bleacher Nation Blackhawks (@bn-blackhawks.bsky.social) 2025-02-17T16:49:49.804Z Read More Details
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