Chicago Sports

With the trade deadline approaching, who will the Chicago Cubs trade?

The Chicago Cubs have not had a good 2022 season up to this point. After 86 games, they sit at 34-52 and in fourth place in the National League Central division.

It would be wise for president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer to re-assess the roster and trade away players who don’t have a future with the team to get younger prospects in return. That will speed up the process for this rebuild and hopefully bring winning baseball back to the friendly confines sooner rather than later. Hoyer and the front office will have some big decisions to make on players that are fan favorites but when rebuilding, these are those tough decisions the front office has to make.

Here are 5 players who are most likely to be traded by the August 2nd deadline.

Willson Contreras

The biggest name on the team and arguably the entire trading block, Contreras is almost certainly going to be dealt by the deadline. The Cubs aren’t going anywhere currently and don’t seem interested in re-signing him, so a deal should happen. I could see the Astros, Mets, and Guardians as potential suitors for his services. It would look bad for the face of the franchise to be traded away, but Hoyer needs to get valuable assets for his star if he won’t re-sign him.

David Robertson

Robertson has quietly had a superb season as the Chicago Cubs closer, recording a 1.86 ERA in 26 games pitched. Unfortunately, closers on bad teams usually aren’t needed much due to a lack of team wins. With his performance this season, Robertson should have a variety of suitors looking for late-inning bullpen help to win in the playoffs. The Twins are a team that could use a closer to help win games, as they have blown a few leads late in games recently.

Mychal Givens

Another bullpen arm for the Chicago Cubs having a quality season, Givens could pay dividends for a team looking for middle relief help. His 3.45 ERA is 3rd among bullpen arms on the team. Teams in the playoff hunt such as the Angels, Phillies, and Twins would welcome his services as a solid late inning pitcher to help get the ball to the closer.

Ian Happ

The Chicago Cubs second-best position player this year, Happ has flown a bit under the radar as a result of being on a bad team even though he was named an All-Star. However, he has managed to put up his best statistical season so far and should be traded if the Chicago Cubs don’t envision him as part of their future outfield. It would be wise to sell high on his performance and hopefully get a good prospect or two in return. Happ is hitting .280 in 2022 and would be a nice left or right-handed bat for a team while also providing defensive versatility. The White Sox would be a good fit for Happ as they need both a corner outfielder and left-handed hitting.

Kyle Hendricks

Finally, Kyle Hendricks is my last Chicago Cubs player who is likely to be traded by the deadline. He was a key part of the World Series winning team in 2016 but has started to show signs of slowing down over the past couple of years. However, he can still post okay numbers and would be useful for a team in need of starting pitching. This season, he has a 4.76 ERA but has only allowed 2 runs over his last 2 starts covering 13.1 innings pitched. Teams looking for pitching will certainly have their eyes on Hendricks soon and hoping for continued success.

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4 Cubs are on Baseball America’s midseason Top 100 Prospects List

There has been some serious upset this season for the Cubs. They currently hold the 5th worst record in baseball. But when we look toward the future, that disappointment turns to hope. Baseball America, the authority on MLB drafts and MLB prospects, released its midseason top 100 prospects list on Monday, and four Cubs are on it.

The players are:

Pete Crow-Armstrong – ranked 34thBrennen Davis – ranked 47thCristian Hernandez – ranked 78thCaleb Kilian – ranked 82nd

Baseball America had this to say about the players:

PCA: After dealing with injuries during his first professional season Crow-Armstrong has made up for lost time, impressing across both levels of Class A. He’s a standout defender with bat-to-ball skills and projectable power.

Davis: After a meteoric rise up to prospect stardom, Davis has struggled with health and the ability to make contact in the last year. When he’s healthy Davis has the upside of an everyday outfielder who can fit in all three outfield spots with plus power and on-base ability.

Hernandez: Hernandez earned plaudits as an amateur for his potential for both average and power. He’s shown both in spurts in the Arizona Complex League and the Cubs believe the power will begin to show up more consistently in games. He’s likely to stick at shortstop as well.

Kilian: Kilian combines an excellent arsenal — his fastball has peaked at 99 mph in Triple-A this season — with offspeed pitches that get plenty of swings and misses. Now he needs to achieve more consistency and work to be more efficient with his arsenal.

Each of these players is dynamic and youthful. They possess serious talent and have an exponential amount of room to grow. Pete-Crow Armstrong’s exit velocities are up 2 to 3 miles an hour from last year, which is a huge jump. And in 60 games, he has hit 10 homers and 37 RBIs. Brennen Davis, named MVP at the 2021 All-Star Futures Game after smashing a pair of home runs, has made incredible strides since recovering from a back injury. He is expected to deliver at bat and in the outfield.

Cristian Hernandez, considered the Cubs’ best international prospect in a decade, has incredibly advanced offensive skills and has been compared to Manny Machado and Alex Rodriguez. And Caleb Kilian, who had nine ups, nine downs, and four strikeouts in his first three innings in the big leagues, has shown us just how formidable he already is as a pitcher.

All this to say, things are looking good for the future of the Cubs.

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Chicago Bears RB David Montgomery is looking for a new contract but will there be a carries split with Khalil Herbert?

In a perfect world new Chicago Bears head coach Matt Eberflus would follow through on the concept of open training camp positions battles, and let running backs David Montgomery and Khalil Herbert go head-to-head for the starting job.  Herbert would undoubtedly win the starting job, supplanting fan favorite Montgomery as the lead ball carrier for the Bears in 2022.  Herbert is simply the better running back for the Bears despite all of the good things that Montgomery has done as the start.

In his first four games as a starter behind a makeshift offensive line, Herbert put together a four-game stretch that Montgomery has only come close to once in his career.  Herbert racked up games of 18 carries for 75 yards, 19 for 97, 18 for 100 and 23 for 72 right out of the gate.  Montgomery has yet to show that level of consistency in his career and Herbert did it in the first games he started. Herbert was already dubbed a sleeper fantasy football choice in 2022.

In terms of overall talent Herbert shows better ability in the open field, better overall speed and break away ability and explosiveness through the hole.  Montgomery struggles to consistently make headway typically needing to break tackles and get yards after contact rather than avoiding contact all together.  Montgomery is exactly the type of running back that Bears fans covet, he’s humble, he works hard, he knows his Bears history and he loves contact and has a strong ability to break tackles.  ProFootballFocus rated Herbert 10 points better than Montgomery.  

Can Chicago Bears get an explosive threat at position?

All of those qualities that Montgomery possesses while admirable are not what the Bears need at RB.  They need a RB that is capable of the big play, and is a threat to take it the distance on every play.  Herbert’s 4.4 40-yard dash speed gives him the leg up over Montgomery’s 4.6 40-speed.

The Bears need a big-play threat, a player who can get those explosive plays of 20 yards or more on a game to game basis rather than twice a season.  A player who gets you yards after contact is admirable but it hurts his overall health as it did Montgomery.  Herbert will make places miss more often than Montgomery and as a result get bigger plays.

Herbert better fits the outside zone scheme that new offensive coordinator is implementing in Chicago.  Stretching a defense with speed and exploding through the hole is exactly the skills that Herbert possesses that make him the best runner within the Bears’ system.  That vision to cut back and explode through the hole is another example of what gives Herbert an edge in this training camp battle.

Herbert’s emergence is so beneficial that the Bears may be able to undermine Montgomery’s value on the free agent market.  So often it’s hard to overcome the stigma of replacing a player who has done everything right.  Montgomery is a grinder, the consummate professional who works hard to be a better player.

However all of that simply can’t make up for his lack of talent that holds him back from making teams take him seriously as a threat.  Herbert is the clear choice to be the Chicago Bears starter now and into the future.  Montgomery is the fourth quarter back that can wear a defense down if the Bears are in the lead.  Montgomery is the idea four minute offense back.  But in order to get to the lead, the Bears need to better utilize the threat that Herbert represents.

The question is, will Eberflus and Getsy make the obvious choice with their starting running back and not undermine the overall success of the offense with the feel good work hard player in Montgomery?  Montgomery has done nothing wrong to lose his starting job. However, in terms of overall value towards the Chicago Bears winning games in 2022, the choice is clear, Herbert should be the starter.

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Three people were injured in a fire in Little Village early Tuesday, including an 89-year-old man and a 12-year-old boy.

The fire broke out in the 3500 block of West Cermak Road around 2 a.m., according to the Chicago Fire Department.Fire crews rescued the man and a 59-year-old woman from the home while the boy was able to escape on his own.

The man was taken in critical condition to Stroger Hospital and the woman was taken in critical condition to Mount Sinai Medical Center, fire officials said.

The boy was also taken to Stroger with injuries that were not life-threatening, officials said.

The cause of the fire was under investigation.

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Kevin Korchinski plays the same position — defenseman — as most of the Blackhawks’ upper-tier prospects.

But the Hawks see Korchinski, the highest of their three first-round picks in the 2022 draft, as unique in their prospect pipeline.

“He’s different than a lot of the defensemen we’ve drafted the last few years,” scouting director Mike Doneghey said. “He’s puck-friendly. He’ll be a first-unit power-play guy. [He] projects to be a first-pairing defenseman. [He] can eat minutes.”

The final years of ex-scouting director Mark Kelley’s tenure did feature a heavy focus on big, physical, defensive defensemen. Alex Vlasic (2019 second round), Isaak Phillips (2020 fifth round), Nolan Allan (2021 first round), Taige Harding (2021 third round) and Ethan Del Mastro (2021 fourth round) roughly fit that description. So does Alec Regula, acquired in 2020 from the Red Wings.

The only exceptions in the system are Ian Mitchell, Jakub Galvas and Wyatt Kaiser, but those guys are more undersized two-way defensemen than true offensive defensemen.

Korchinski is different. He’s already 6-2 and 185 pounds and is expected to continue growing. He just turned 18 in June. A fantastic skater, Korchinski has really blossomed lately in that category.

And he has the offensive instincts to become an elite puck-moving, playmaking defenseman in the NHL one day, along the lines of Dougie Hamilton, Zach Werenski or his idol, Shea Theodore.

“The defensemen we’ve taken, they’re big guys, they can skate, they can make a good first pass, they can handle the puck [and] they defend well, but none of them project as . . . Bowen Byram-type defensemen, like that type of player,” Doneghey said. “[They’re] good pieces. But Kevin, he screams top-unit power play, up top of the umbrella. He moves so well. His vision [is so good].”

Korchinski described himself Monday: “I’m always trying to create offense. That’s kind of my thing. In the offensive zone and in transition, [I’m] just using my feet and using my vision to make good passes.”

He and fellow first-rounders Frank Nazar and Sam Rinzel are this week’s main attractions among the 37 prospects at development camp, which began Monday.

Less than a week ago, however, Korchinski had never met the Hawks’ front office. With the Hawks not holding a first-round pick until Thursday afternoon and Korchinski projected to land in the first half of the round, he never expected he’d end up in Chicago.

The Hawks had nonetheless prepared for all scenarios, and after acquiring the seventh pick, they focused on Korchinski and forwards Cutter Gauthier and Marco Kasper. Gauthier went fifth to the Flyers, and Korchinski ultimately won out over Kasper, who went eighth to the Red Wings.

“[We] had the mindset that if that type of defenseman was going to be available to us . . . the value was there to take him,” Doneghey said.

In 2021, as an awkward first-year player for the Seattle Thunderbirds, Korchinski hardly stood out. But this past season, the Saskatchewan native — having smoothed out his skating stride — emerged as a star. He had 84 points (10 goals, 74 assists) and a plus-42 rating in 93 regular-season and postseason games.

“[I worked on] adapting and realizing what kind of player I had to be,” he said. “As the year went on, I progressed and I matured a lot [about knowing] when to jump up in the rush, when to pick my spots.”

He’s still a year or two away from NHL readiness, and the Hawks will be careful not to rush him.

But as the process of weeding through their mass of young de-fensemen to determine their future corps begins, the Hawks view Kor-chinski as driving in a different lane on the highway to the NHL.

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Zach LaVine recently signed a 5-year, $215.2 million contract to return to the Chicago Bulls. There was a lot of talk around the league about where the former unrestricted free agent would end up signing. Many speculated that he could want to play in his former home and college town of Los Angeles. Some even went as far as to say that he could reunite with his former teammates on the Minnesota Timberwolves. Some rumors are more far-fetched than others, but LaVine leaving the Bulls would’ve come as a shock to Chicago.

Today, Zach LaVine revealed that his mind was always set on Chicago. In fact, during free agency, he never even met with any other teams.

This may not come as a surprise to Bulls fans. Especially because Zach LaVine is on a path toward becoming one of the greatest Chicago Bulls of all time. The 27-year-old has 2 All-Star appearances with the Bulls and already ranks third in franchise history for 3-pointers made. By the time this new contract expires he’ll likely be top 5 in nearly every major statistical category. (Fans can view the Bull’s complete list of franchise leaders here) I don’t believe fans were surprised to see him come back to Chicago, and I don’t think they should be surprised if his jersey is in the rafters someday.

LaVine was happy to sign back in Chicago. The “unfinished business” that LaVine mentions in this video must have been another deciding factor for him. The Bulls got off to an impressive start last season before injuries derailed what looked like a promising season.

Zach LaVine and the Bulls will be back with some reinforcements this October to deal with some of that unfinished business. Keep an eye out for the 2023 NBA Schedule to be released sometime next month.

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CLEVELAND — In perhaps the biggest series and road trip of the season, the White Sox needed to get off to a good start.

And of course, they didn’t in an 8-4 loss to the Cleveland Guardians Monday night.

It’s been that kind of year.

Coming off two Sox wins at home against the Tigers to garner a split of a four-game series for, Tim Anderson, Yoan Moncada and Luis Robert were retired on six pitches in the first inning. Sox right-hander Lance Lynn then gave up five runs in the bottom of the first.

Lynn, who was victimized by soft contact but effective contact nonetheless in a six-hit, strikeout-free first that gobbled up 39 offerings on his pitch count, got back in the game on Yoan Moncada’s three-run homer against Cal Quantrill in the third and AJ Pollock’s RBI single in the fourth.

“The score tells you all you need to know,” Lynn said. “If you give up eight runs, you’re horse [bleep].”

Lynn (1-2, 6.97 ERA) pitched a perfect second and third but had to work out of a jam in the fourth, then gave up two more in the fifth on Nolan Jones’ double, the second run scoring when second baseman Leury Garcia’s relay throw bounced through catcher Seby Zavala.

It was Lynn’s 100th pitch, and he was running low on fuel after that labor intensive first, as well as the fourth.

“We have two games [Tuesday] and to be honest I have to get through six innings,” Lynn said. “I let the team down.”

Franmil Reyes led off the fifth with a single and Lynn hit Andres Gimenez to open the inning, and manager Tony La Russa allowed Lynn to face Jones for the third time, and Jones lined a 110-mph rocket to the right-center field gap, the hardest hit ball of the night.

“Watched him in the fourth when he had first and third, got the heart of the lineup out,” La Russa said. “We checked him and he said, ‘I’m ready to go.’ ”

Myles Straw’s comebacker off reliever Matt Foster caromed into right field and scored Jones to make it 8-4.

The young Guardians (42-42), losers in eight of their previous 10 games and a team that’s not expected to contend in the division, beat the Sox for the fifth time in six games. The Sox have three more against Cleveland and four against the Twins going into next week’s All-Star break. After the break, they have another four against Cleveland at home.

It seems whenever the Sox string together a couple of wins or enjoy an important win, they can’t follow up with a meaningful streak.

Lynn allowed eight runs on nine hits in four-plus innings. The first three singles allowed were at exit velocities of 83.6, 68 and 92 mph.

“That’s part of the game,” Lynn said. “When you give up five runs with two outs, that hurts. But I have to be better early on. There’s no other way to put it. Make better pitches, get in better counts and when I do put people away.”

NOTES: Dylan Cease, on not being selected for the All-Star team despite having the fifth lowest ERA among AL qualified starters and second best strikeout rate: “You can only just pitch better, play better. I can make a good case with some of my numbers, but it’s out of my hands so I’m not going to lose any sleep over it. But it’s a little bit disappointing.”

Cease will pitch the second game of the day-night doubleheader Tuesday, and is lined up for Sunday at Minnesota. Davis Martin will be called up to pitch the day game Tuesday.

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CLEVELAND – The White Sox opened a vitally important road trip heading into the All-Star break Monday with a game against the Cleveland Guardians two games under .500, pushing toward a much needed recovery after a poor first half and pushing back against reported issues in the clubhouse.

“You always wonder who the sources are, where the information came from,” manager Tony La Russa said of a USA Today report of whispers of unrest, cliques and lack of player leadership inside the clubhouse. “Not really worth much unless you know that. I’m closer to it than to whoever the sources are.”

La Russa said playing below expectations puts the team under the microscope. The issue for his team, he said, is playing better and winning games.

Closer Liam Hendriks, saying the report “couldn’t be further from the truth,” agreed.

“People are trying to find chinks in the armor,” Hendriks said Monday. “They’re trying to understand why we haven’t been doing what we’re supposed to be doing this year. I don’t think it’s anything tangible, we just haven’t been able to fire. We’ve had the spark but haven’t been able to turn the flame into an inferno.

“That was something we did last year. But we can catch fire at any point in time and be one of the most dangerous teams in this league, I have no doubt about that.”

The Sox have been one of the worst defensive teams all season, have made multiple baserunning blunders and rank in the bottom tier of offenses after being a top-tier team last year when they won the AL Central. They’re 12th in the American League in home runs. Those would be the causes of concern above all else.

Hendriks said there’s too much “talent, pride and passion” in the clubhouse for the Sox to be playing this way.

“That’s why we have no doubt what can happen and God willing will happen in the next couple of months,” he said.

Clubhouse chemistry became a talking point when a video released by the Sox showing coach Joe McEwing telling the team Tim Anderson made the All-Star Game as a starter was a stark contrast to last season’s video of McEwing doing the same when Anderson was named an All-Star for the first time.

Elated players, led by Jose Abreu jumped up and down and surrounded Anderson at his locker in Baltimore last season. This year, the scene was more subdued with players seated at their lockers.

The Sox were coming off a rough stretch, which is why Anderson steered his feelings in the moment toward the team. Anderson was subdued but he hugged everyone in the room, including training staff, which was not on the video.

In any event, the Sox celebrate wins and personal achievements in the clubhouse with player of the game honors, and in the case of pitchers and hitters achieving personal firsts, beer showers and the like.

After losses, the atmosphere can be intense — players are upset after losses and have let it be known before media are let inside.

That said, not everything is seashells and ballons within the team. Mainly because it can’t get on a sustained run of success.

Right-hander Dylan Cease, who will face the Indians in the second game of a day-night doubleheader Tuesday, said the clubhouse is close.

“Oh yeah. Oh, definitely,” Cease said Monday. “It honestly makes coming into the clubhouse and to the park a lot more enjoyable. I consider this a pretty close-knit group, so, yeah it’s definitely not an issue on this team.”

“My comment would be if you haven’t been in this clubhouse don’t talk about this clubhouse,” Hendriks said. “You don’t know what’s going on. The people he’s talking to are obviously ill informed and don’t know what’s going on in here.”

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Success at bat has been Tim Anderson’s ticket to becoming the White Sox’ first American League All-Star starter at shortstop in 52 years.

That hasn’t always been the case for Sox shortstop stars. The main asset for Hall of Famer Luis Aparicio, the last Sox shortstop to start the All-Star Game, is that he was one of the best defensive shortstops in history.

With a nod toward National League All-Star starter Willson Contreras and other Cubs catchers, let’s focus this week on All-Star starters among Sox shortstops.

Anderson: In his seventh season with the Sox, Anderson leads AL shortstops with a .318 batting average (through Sunday). Taking extra bases, walks and other factors into account, his weighted runs created plus (wRC+) of 126 signifies offensive production 26% higher than average.

Defense is another matter. He is at minus-1 defensive runs saved, as tracked by Baseball Info Solutions. An average shortstop has 0. The difference is narrow enough and the sample small enough to say Anderson has been an average defensive shortstop.

At the beginning of his career, Anderson had wRC+ of 98, 79 and 85. But he turned on the offense starting in 2019, with star-level 128, 141, 120 and now 126.

Aparicio: Defensive runs saved aren’t available for older players. But by defensive WAR at Baseball-Reference.com, Aparicio’s 31.9 — 20.1 for the Sox and 11.8 for the Orioles — is fifth at short behind Ozzie Smith (44.2), Mark Belanger (39.5), Cal Ripken Jr. (35.7) and Joe Tinker (34.3).

Offensively, Aparicio is remembered as the man who put the ”go” in the 1959 AL champion ”Go-Go White Sox.” He led the AL in steals nine times, with a high of 56 in 1959. Overall, offense was not his strength. He hit .262/.311/.343 for a .653 OPS and 83 wRC+.

It was defense and baserunning that made ”Little Looie” an All-Star starter in 1958, 1959 and 1970 and an All-Star reserve three times for the Sox and twice for the Orioles.

Chico Carrasquel: The first in a line of Sox from Venezuela who include Aparicio, Ozzie Guillen, Magglio Ordonez and many more, Carrasquel arrived in 1950, stayed through 1955, then played four seasons for three other teams.

Third in Rookie of the Year voting when he hit .282/.368/.365 for a career-best .733 OPS, Carrasquel was an All-Star starter in 1953 and 1954 and a reserve in 1951 and 1955. His wRC+ was a nondescript 87 in his Sox years and 85 overall.

On defense, Carrasquel sparkled. His 13.9 dWAR with the Sox is fifth among South Side shortstops after Guillen (21.3 in 13 seasons), Aparicio (20.1 in 10), Luke Appling (19.1 in 20) and George Davis (15.2 in seven).

Appling: As mentioned above, Appling is third among Sox shortstops in dWAR. Offensively, he’s the leader with 115 wRC+ off .310/.399/.398 hitting.

Appling’s 72.6 Fangraphs WAR tops not only Sox shortstops, but it also beats Frank Thomas’ 68.1 for the Sox’ best at all positions.

The AL starting shortstop in 1936 and 1940 and a reserve five more times, Appling is a serious contender for the best player in Sox history.

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