Chicago Cubs: Adbert Alzolay important to the team’s plansJordan Campbellon October 9, 2020 at 1:00 pm

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - SEPTEMBER 10: Starting pitcher Adbert Alzolay #73 of the Chicago Cubs throws the baseball in the first inning against the Cincinnati Redsat Wrigley Field on September 10, 2020 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Quinn Harris/Getty Images) — CHICAGO, ILLINOIS – SEPTEMBER 10: Starting pitcher Adbert Alzolay #73 of the Chicago Cubs throws the baseball in the first inning against the Cincinnati Redsat Wrigley Field on September 10, 2020 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Quinn Harris/Getty Images)

The 2020 Major League Baseball season proved that Chicago Cubs prospect Adbert Alzolay should be a mainstay in the starting rotation.

If there has been a knock on the development and consequent deconstruction of the Chicago Cubs farm system, it has been their inability to develop cost-controlled starting pitchers.

That would be the reason why the Cubs have been forced to sink money into free-agent starting pitching over the course of the past five years. It worked with Jon Lester and is beginning to pay off with Yu Darvish but Tyler Chatwood was a disappointment.

Lester, Chatwood, and Jose Quintana are all scheduled to be free agents this offseason. Prior to the start of the season, those three made three-fifths of the Cubs’ starting rotation. Injuries to Quintana and Chatwood, however, limited their appearances during the 2020 season.

The Chicago Cubs are going to need to address the starting rotation once again this season. At this point, Yu Darvish and Kyle Hendricks are the only known commodities in the projected 2021 starting rotation for the Cubs. Alec Mills could also factor into the Cubs’ rotation but he seems to be a better fit in the bullpen.

Chances are, given the limited amount of financial resources available to the Cubs, that the team will not be re-signing all three of Lester, Chatwood, and Quintana. There is an even stronger chance that one of those three starting pitchers will be replaced in the Cubs’ starting rotation by an internal option.

That internal option should be Adbert Alzolay.

Alzolay is one of the few pitching prospects that the Cubs have that has been talked about in high regard. During the 2020 season, Alzolay flashed potential to be an effective starter for the Cubs in the rotation.

Alzolay appeared in 6 games (4 starts; 21.1 innings pitched) for the Cubs during the 2020 season while posting an ERA of 2.95, 3.05 FIP, and 1.172 WHIP. Even more impressive is that Alzolay averaged 12.2 strikeouts per 9 innings during the 2020 season.

Alzolay, albeit in a small sample size, appeared to prove during the 2020 season that he is worthy of a spot in the Cubs’ starting rotation. Alzolay being ready for the Cubs’ starting rotation would be a huge relief for the front office this season.

To say that the Cubs’ front office will be penny-pinching this off-season would be an understatement. Between the shortened season, the loss of revenue by not having fans in Wrigley Field, the loss of revenue from not having a full season of games airing on Marquee; it’s likely that Tom Ricketts will not be flushing the front office with cash to spend this offseason. With the Cubs having a dramatic need for improving the offense, it stands to reason that a majority of the resources available should be spent in that direction. Meaning, the Cubs may not have the resources to truly address the starting rotation needs with an external option.

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Chicago Cubs: Adbert Alzolay important to the team’s plansJordan Campbellon October 9, 2020 at 1:00 pm Read More »

Chicago Bears: Tom Brady experiences a few firsts in prime timeRyan Heckmanon October 9, 2020 at 12:28 pm

Chicago Bears (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)

Tom Brady looked human against the Chicago Bears on Thursday night.

This was by far the most impressive performance by the Chicago Bears defense over the course of the 2020 season. It’s been just five weeks, but Khalil Mack and his unit made a statement that will be hard to match going forward.

Coming off a 5-touchdown performance last week, Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady looked like he and his offense were finally coming together. Without a preseason, Brady needed a few games to get accustomed to his new teammates. Tossing five touchdowns in a comeback victory sure made it seem like he was comfortable.

Thursday night, though, Brady was anything but comfortable. The Bears sacked him three times but were all over him throughout the game.

The Bears got to Brady throughout the entire night, putting pressure on him regularly. He was hit, knocked down and pressured more and more as the game went on. Mack ended up putting on a clinic with two sacks, and had a third one taken away from him due to a penalty.

While Chicago came away with a dramatic 20-19 victory, Brady experienced a few things he had never experienced over his two decades in the NFL. At 43 years old, he still had room for a few firsts.

Over his career, Brady was 7-0 on Thursday Night Football before this loss to the Bears. This was also the first time Chicago had ever beaten Brady, with the Hall of Fame quarterback boasting a 5-0 career record against the Bears before losing Thursday night.

Aside from those two records finally being tarnished, we saw something from Brady in the final seconds that we had never seen before — and he’s going to want to forget this one.

On the Bucs’ final drive with just over 30 seconds remaining, Brady tossed an incomplete pass on fourth down to tight end Cameron Brate. That ended up being the final play for Brady and the offense before Nick Foles and the Bears ran out the clock.

The hilarity that ensued saw Brady hold up four fingers as though he thought it was supposed to be fourth down.

He forgot what down it was.

Tom Brady thought it was 3rd down. It was not. It was 4th down. And the Buccaneers just lost. pic.twitter.com/P3OX2KTXFF

— The Ringer (@ringer) October 9, 2020

It was indeed a turnover on downs. Brady had forgotten what down it was and thought his incompletion to Brate was on a third down. The Bears had just sealed the game, while Brady may have been showing his age.

For the first time to anyone’s knowledge, Brady had forgotten the down — and in the most important moment of the entire game. On the same night, he lost to the Bears for the first time while also experiencing his first Thursday Night Football loss.

It was an unforgettable night for Brady. Let’s just say he’ll hope most do forget it, though.

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For the Bears, they move to 4-1 and look forward to some extra time off before a Week 6 tilt with the Carolina Panthers. Meanwhile, Brady is likely going to be a little extra motivated and angry going into his Week 6 battle with none other than the Green Bay Packers.

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Chicago Bears: Tom Brady experiences a few firsts in prime timeRyan Heckmanon October 9, 2020 at 12:28 pm Read More »

Chicago Cubs: Could Jake Arrieta return to the North Side?Jordan Campbellon October 9, 2020 at 12:00 pm

Chicago Cubs (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)

With the Chicago Cubs having holes in their starting rotation as they enter the offseason, Jake Arrieta could be an intriguing option for the team.

The focus for the Chicago Cubs as they enter the offseason has been on improving the offense, but there should also be attention paid to their starting rotation.

Outside of Kyle Hendricks and Yu Darvish, the rest of the Cubs’ starting rotation was plagued with inconsistency beginning with veteran Jon Lester.

In 12 starts during the 2020 season, Lester posted a 5.16 ERA (5.14 FIP) with a 1.328 WHIP. Lester is a free agent this offseason and at the age of 36, the veteran has expressed a desire to return to the Cubs for at least one more season. While there is no doubt that Lester is the most important free-agent signing in the history of the Cubs’ organization, this time does mark the ability for the team to have a clean break from the veteran as they begin their transition to their next contending window.

Another impending free agent in the Cubs’ rotation is Jose Quintana. Quintana was the Cubs’ big-ticket acquisition at the 2017 Major League Baseball trade deadline. It was the trade heard around all of Chicago as the Cubs sent top prospect Eloy Jimenez to the White Sox as part of a multi-prospect package for Quintana.

Unfortunately, for the Cubs, Quintana has yet to evolve into the front-line starting pitcher that the team believed they were acquiring in 2017. 2020 was more of the same for Quintana. Quintana was only limited to 4 appearances for the Cubs in 2020 due to a thumb injury and posted a 4.50 ERA (2.99 FIP) through 10 innings pitched.

With Quintana and Lester free agents this offseason and question mark at the Cubs’ fifth starter’s spot in their rotation, it stands to reason that the team will be in the starting pitcher market this winter.

One option that the Cubs should consider is former friend Jake Arrieta.

Arrieta signed a three year, $75 million contract with the Philadelphia Phillies after the 2017 season. It was the off-season where the Cubs essentially elected to sign Darvish instead of re-signing Arrieta to a lucrative contract.

The Phillies do hold a team option for Arrieta in 2021 but early indications are that the option will not be picked up. Especially when looking at the struggles that Arrieta had in 2020.

In 9 starts with the Phillies during the 2020 season, Arrieta posted a 5.08 ERA (4.66 FIP) and 1.511 WHIP. The 2020 season marked the third consecutive season of regression for Arrieta and likely will be the reason why he hits the market this winter.

While Arrieta certainly is not the same pitcher that won the National League Cy Young Award with the Cubs in 2015, he still could bring value to the north side as the third or fourth starter in their starting rotation.

What needs to be considered is would Arrieta be a better option for the Cubs than any in-house options they have?

The first in-house option that the Cubs have is Alec Mills. Like all of the Cubs’ starting pitchers in 2020 outside of Darvish and Hendricks, Mills had his ups and downs with the team during the shortened season. Mills did toss a no-hitter during the 2020 season but his 4.48 ERA (5.44 FIP) through 11 starts speak to the inconsistencies that he had. Mills may be best suited as the swingman in the Cubs’ rotation with the occasional spot start.

The next in-house option that the Cubs have is prospect Adbert Alzolay. Given the injuries to the Cubs’ rotation during the 2020 season, the team turned to Alzolay as a fill-in for the rotation. Alzolay did not disappoint. In 6 appearances (4 starts) with the Cubs in 2020, Alzolay posted a 2.95 ERA (3.05 FIP) while averaging 12.2 strikeouts per 9 innings. Given his success in 2020, Alzolay likely will get an opportunity to start for the Cubs in 2021.

With Alzolay likely starting, the question becomes would the Cubs rather Arrieta or Mills in the starting rotation? Arrieta is the answer to that question.

Next: Chicago Cubs have been pathetic since 2016 World Series

Should the Chicago Cubs pursue Jake Arrieta this offseason? Sound off in the comment sections with your thoughts on the potential reunion.

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Chicago Cubs: Could Jake Arrieta return to the North Side?Jordan Campbellon October 9, 2020 at 12:00 pm Read More »

Chicago Blackhawks: Three free agent goalies to considerVincent Pariseon October 9, 2020 at 3:00 pm

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(Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)

The Chicago Blackhawks could look to free agency for a goaltender.

The Chicago Blackhawks are not bringing back Corey Crawford, according to general manager Stan Bowman. They aren’t being clear about whether or not they are rebuilding or not so that makes it tough to predict what they are going to do. They say they are trying to win but then let Corey Crawford go so it just all makes no sense because he is the number one reason that they had a chance to win games.

They didn’t agree to terms with Robin Lehner before the trade deadline so they moved him to the Vegas Golden Knights. He went there and continued to be awesome so they wanted to extend him themselves. He signed a very team-friendly deal to stay there so it doesn’t look great for the Blackhawks. Now, they don’t have much ready to go at the NHL level for the next few seasons.

They drafted Drew Commesso with the 46th overall pick of the 2020 NHL Draft a couple of days ago and he might be in the future plans but he is a long way away. He is going to attend Boston University so you know he will have good development there.

We can be excited about what Commesso might bring one day but they are lost right now. They have Malcolm Subban, Collin Delia, and Kevin Lankinen that can make starts next season but none of them feel like guys who will get the job done. If they start, they might as well truly start to rebuild. If they want to keep trying to win (you never know with Stan), they might look to add one of these free agent goalies:

Next: Braden Holtby

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Chicago White Sox: Fans should be both disappointed and excitedRob Schwarz Jron October 9, 2020 at 2:00 pm

Chicago White Sox (Photo by Duane Burleson/Getty Images)

Expectations for the Chicago White Sox shifted throughout the season

When it comes to the Chicago White Sox, it is okay for us to be both disappointed and excited about this team. Before the 2020 season started, fans’ expectations for this team was that of improvement. Most thought the team would push for a Wild Card spot, not necessarily compete for the division. Expectations may have shifted a little with a shortened season, but this is a young team, and if you thought they’d dominate you were not being honest with yourself.

That said, it is okay to be disappointed with how the season finished. As the season progressed, so did the expectations. As the team started winning 20 games in a span of 25, expectations soared. When Jose Abreu once again proved his worth by pushing for AL MVP, expectations sky-rocketed. When it comes to the team’s bats, no one can question that this team has plenty of run potential. However, the starting pitching was more suspect.

Outside of Lucas Giolito and Dallas Keuchel, the starting rotation had plenty of question marks. I think it is safe to say the Carlos Rodon experiment has not worked out as planned. Dylan Cease and Dane Dunning look to have some strong potential, but neither are good enough to be the third pitcher in the rotation. Right now, Dunning has looked better than Cease in my opinion. Maybe if Michael Kopech turns out to be the guy people hope he can be he can slot into the third spot?

The Chicago White Sox should have made a key trade

Speaking of Kopech, I would have traded him this season for a sure-handed pitcher. Kopech has not proven anything at this point and they were one strong pitcher away from pushing for a World Series. This is not a slight on Kopech either, I just think they could have traded for a guy like Mike Clevinger (although the Indians might not have traded within the division).

Archie Bradley was another guy who was moved before the trade deadline I would have been okay bringing in. Not as good as Clevinger and Kopech could wind up being better, but I would have been okay with them making a move to try and make a push in the playoffs.

Next: Chicago White Sox must sign this pitcher in 2021

Now, all of the negative aside, the Chicago White Sox have plenty to be excited about. The young nucleus of this team is fantastic. When it comes to the 2021 offseason this team needs to go hard after a pitcher like Trevor Bauer or Marcus Stroman. Then they need to bring in another outfielder. Adding Kopech back to the rotation and the starting pitching would look scary in 2021. This team has a strong window of opportunity and I for one cannot wait to see this play out.

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Chicago White Sox: Fans should be both disappointed and excitedRob Schwarz Jron October 9, 2020 at 2:00 pm Read More »

Chicago Bears: Khalil Mack was clearly the MVP last nightPatrick Sheldonon October 9, 2020 at 5:00 pm

The Chicago Bears game MVP was clear.

For the first time in his career, the Chicago Bears defeated Tom Brady and it was largely due to the incredible play of the game’s undisputed MVP, Khalil Mack.

During the first half, the Bears offense struggled to move the football. Fans likely said to themselves “here we go again” as they watched the team go down 10-0 in the first quarter. Judging from some of the comments on Twitter, Bears fans were not happy with the performance.

However, the offense turned it around at least somewhat, manging to go into halftime with a 14-13 lead, and set to receive the second-half kickoff. They would tack on two more field goals in the second half to push their total to 20 which was just barely enough to stave off the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 20-19.

The reason only 20 points were enough was because of the Bears defense. And the reason the Bears defense was once again outstanding, was the play of Mack.

The defense amazingly pressured Brady on 43.2 percent of his dropbacks, which was his highest rate since 2017, according to ESPN’s Next Gen Stats. Mack personally pressured Brady on 17.6 percent of his 34 pass rushes (for 6 total pressures) and got home twice for 2 sacks.

Mack has unjustifiably taken some heat this season for “not producing enough.” However, more than a casual observer of the game would see how disruptive Mack has been this year and how often he gets pressure on the quarterback, even if not finishing the sack. His impact on the game should be clear and obvious even without the sacks.

However, last night he was rewarded with a couple of doozies, including one that will show up as highlights and GIFs for the foreseeable future.

Khalil Mack makes his presence felt. ? @FiftyDeuce

?: #TBvsCHI on NFLN/FOX/PRIME
?: https://t.co/W5bCPYgMfo pic.twitter.com/52IN9hCVxP

— NFL (@NFL) October 9, 2020

It came on 1st and 10 with 11:34 left in the third quarter with the Bears clinging to a one-point lead. Mack was lined up opposite rookie Tristan Wirfs, who had been playing really well to start the season. However, Mack gave him a quick reality check and then some.

Mack simply powers around the 6-foot-5, 320 pound Wirfs, and takes Brady down. Wirfs, seemingly feeling guilty about giving up the sack (or worried about facing Tom’s rath back in the huddle) continues to try to block Mack after the sack and the play was blown dead.

Mack, having none of it, casually flip-tosses the 320 pounder with one arm. It was the Mack fans have grown accustomed to seeing during his time in Chicago. And if that version of Mack shows up every week, this Bears defense will go from above average to dominant very quickly.

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Chicago Bears: Khalil Mack was clearly the MVP last nightPatrick Sheldonon October 9, 2020 at 5:00 pm Read More »

Chicago Blackhawks: Corey Crawford era was nothing but excellentVincent Pariseon October 9, 2020 at 4:00 pm

The Chicago Blackhawks have mostly had Corey Crawford in net for the better part of a decade. He was brilliant all that time but now it is over.

The Chicago Blackhawks are not bringing back Corey Crawford. Stan Bowman is doing a terrible job as a general manager because he keeps backtracking. He keeps saying that they are trying to win but then makes moves like this and then says they are going in the direction of younger players. If they are going to rebuild then letting Crawford go is smart but if they are trying to win it is a disaster of an idea.

They really aren’t going to find anyone better in free agency at this point. They traded Robin Lehner at the deadline and he is now extended long term with the Vegas Golden Knights. With all of that said, now is a time for praising what Corey Crawford has meant to the Chicago Blackhawks organization. He is one of the best players to ever play for the organization and certainly one of (if not number one) best goalies to ever play for the Hawks.

This is a player that took an unusual route through his development. He was drafted in 2003 but he didn’t become a full-time starter until 2011. It took him a while for him to get his chance and it wasn’t easy at first. He had to pay his dues and wait for a chance and he took it and ran.

Crawford was the backstop for them on the way to two Stanley Cups in 2013 and 2015. That all came after some questions on whether or not he can be that guy for them. He proved everyone wrong and got it done. There are 52 playoff wins to go with those two Cups so he absolutely was a very successful playoff goaltender with Chicago.

The regular season was kind to him as well. He was good enough to make it to the all-star game twice in a league with lots of great goaltenders. He posted a 260-162-53 record with a .918 save percentage and 2.45 goals-against average with 26 shutouts. He has six seasons in his career where he had 30+ wins and won the Jennings Trophy twice.

All of these numbers make you wonder if he is going to be in the Hall of Fame. There is a decent chance but he will definitely have his number 50 retired by the Chicago Blackhawks. It has been a great ride for him that probably isn’t over yet.

He should be able to find a starting gig in the NHL as he is now one of the top available goalies. It will be interesting to see which team he signs with but he should know that Blackhawks fans will always appreciate him. Wherever he goes, he deserves success. Chances are, he will have a better chance to win in a new market.

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Chicago Blackhawks: Corey Crawford era was nothing but excellentVincent Pariseon October 9, 2020 at 4:00 pm Read More »