The Chicago Cubs were rumored to be in on prized free agent shortstop Carlos Correa for a long time and when the lockout ended, some even expected him to end up in the Windy City.

But it didn’t happen. Instead, Correa signed a three-year deal worth $105,300,000 with the Minnesota Twins to join the AL Central. The Cubs struck out and couldn’t add the free agent shortstop and now we may know the reason why.

MLB Network’s Stephen Nelson of Intentional Talk was on 670 The Score on Wednesday with host Laurence Holmes and he talked about the Correa situation. Nelson revealed that the Cubs offered Correa a 7-year deal worth more than $30M/year. The problem?

It never got to Correa….

Ouch.

If that’s true, then that is a tough thing to hear if you’re a Cubs fan especially with the prospects of Correa joining that lineup and making an immediate impact.

Make sure to check out our Cubs forum for the latest on the team.

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Chicago White Sox Opening Week: 4 Things to Watch

The Chicago White Sox start their season this weekend against the Detroit Tigers as they open up what they hope is a very exciting year. The ceiling for the team is a World Series while the floor is failing to make the playoffs which would result in a chaotic offseason. The opening week particularly isn’t going to be about whatever the White Sox win per se.

Rather, if there are any glaring issues within the roster or players look poised for a breakout season.

The White Sox have a roster built to compete for the World Series but there are more than enough questions with this roster. What will the bullpen look like with Craig Kimbrel gone? Who will step up in the middle of the starting rotation? There is a lot to focus on in the first few games of the season and manager Tony La Russa will have a lot to work on in a still maneuvering roster.

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AJ Pollock’s Role in the Outfield

AJ Pollock was the major acquisition ahead of the 2022 season, helping secure outfield depth and finding a replacement for the injured Andrew Vaughn. Pollock initially is going to play in right field, playing alongside left fielder Eloy Jimenez and center fielder Luis Robert.

Pollock is one of the better fielders in the game and gives the White Sox a fielding advantage in the outfield. However, it should be noted that Pollock by trade is a center fielder and has been throughout his 10-year career with the Arizona Diamondbacks and the Los Angeles Dodgers. Moreover, the 34-year-old hasn’t played right field since 2013 when he briefly moved over from center in his early years with the Diamondbacks.

The transition will be relatively easy for the rangy fielder but as the season progresses, the question should be if Pollock will eventually move around in the outfield. Robert is the White Sox’s best fielder but on off days, Pollock will likely slide over and play center field. Moreover, the veteran outfielder can play left field to replace Jimenez throughout the season. The outfield movement will happen a handful of games into the season but watching where Pollock plays early on will be telling of how the White Sox use the versatile fielder.

White Sox Backend of the Rotation

Lance Lynn is out to start the season and won’t make his first start until at least May. This is a tough blow to the White Sox rotation as they lose last season’s American League Cy Young Award finalist. However, the effect might truly test the later part of the rotation. Lynn was the ace last season, but Lucas Giolito, Dallas Keuchel, and Dylan Cease look poised to step up as the top three starters in the rotation early on.

The fourth and fifth spots in the rotation and possibly the sixth spot are up in the air. The signing of Johnny Cueto to a minor league deal can eventually help secure the rotation. Considering Cueto signed late in spring training, it’s likely going to take time for the 36-year-old right-hander to integrate himself as a regular. Likewise, 25-year-old Michael Kopech has the ceiling to become one of the best pitchers in the rotation. However, Kopech is expected to be on an innings count early on in the season, even as a starter.

This leaves the backend of the rotation in question. The first few games will particularly give us a glimpse at what the starting pitching situation is going to look like. A few promising starters are available but likely in limited roles.

(Photo by Jamie Sabau/Getty Images)

Who Replaces Kimbrel in the Bullpen

The Pollock for Kimbrel trade helped the White Sox, giving the team a viable option in the outfield. Unfortunately, the trade subsequently opens up a hole in the bullpen.

Liam Hendriks remains one of the best relievers in the game and is building off a season where he pitched 71 innings with a .169 expected opponent Batting Average .320 expected opponent Slugging Percentage with 38 saves. Moreover, Hendriks was a surefire closer for the ninth inning but also gave the White Sox two strong innings at any point if need be.

The question is who gets the ball to Hendriks. Kimbrel was a trade deadline acquisition last year and the White Sox have the familiarity of life without the veteran reliever. However, this team was anticipating a bullpen duo that could secure a victory from the seventh inning onward. Aaron Bummer is still expected to play a major role in the bullpen. Otherwise, there’s still a lot in the air about who comes into the game and when.

White Sox Lineup Alignment

Yoan Moncada starts the season on the injured list with a strained oblique. Moncada slashed .263/.375/.412 with 14 home runs in 144 games last season and the White Sox will start the season without the emerging valuable hitter in the middle of the batting order. For the most part, the lineup is set. Tim Anderson leads off while Jose Abreu, Eloy Jimenez, and Yasmani Grandal carry the middle of the order. However, the depth of the lineup is going to take a hit. Watching how La Russa juggles the back half of the lineup early on will be telling of how the White Sox can score runs with the depth their roster possesses.

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After a very good start to the season, the Chicago Bulls have faded a bit despite still making the NBA playoffs. If there’s one thing this season has taught us, it’s that the Bulls need another big man in the paint as Nicola Vucevic hasn’t proven to be reliable down the stretch.

But one option the Bulls may have is a Chicago native in Anthony Davis.

Following the Los Angeles Lakers loss to Phoenix that eliminated them from the playoffs on Tuesday, Davis was asked about his future with the franchise. He offered up a simple, yet truthful answer about potential trade rumors:

“I can’t control those things,” Davis told ESPN after the Lakers’ loss to the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday, which eliminated L.A. from play-in tournament contention. “That’s an upstairs thing. A Klutch, Rich Paul thing. My agency.

“I mean, my job is to go out and play basketball. Obviously I love it in L.A. If that’s something that they’re considering, then we’ll have a conversation about it. I don’t know what they’re talking about, what’s the plan.”

As ESPN notes, there is no indication that the Lakers will trade him but the franchise is at a crossroads going into the offseason. How long will LeBron James stay in Los Angeles? How will they rebuild with no draft capital?  Is there young talent they can build around? And what are they going to do with Russell Westbrook?

The Lakers need to acquire young and talented players which is something the Bulls may not want to offer up in terms of someone like Patrick Williams. It’s at minimum an option for the Bulls to explore the trade for Davis but the injury history has to factor in as well.

Whatever happens, it feels like the Bulls will be involved in a lot of rumors moving forward this offseason as they continue to construct their roster for the future.

Make sure to check out our Bulls forum for the latest on the team.

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The Chicago Bulls played their final home game of the regular season on Friday night, a 133-117 loss to the Charlotte Hornets. Earlier this season, the Charlotte Hornets had been a team that the Bulls handled with ease, but that was not the case on Friday.

At halftime, the Bulls trailed 79-51, setting the record for the most points the Bulls have allowed in the first half this season. Frustrations that have been building throughout the second half of the season seem to have boiled over in this game. The boos rained in from disapproving fans at the United Center as the team shuffled into the locker room at halftime. Both fans and players have become incredibly frustrated with the team’s performance of late. In his post-game press conference, guard Zach LaVine addressed the booing:

In their last 20 games, the Bulls are 6-14. Fans have seen a stark difference in the team’s performance in the second half of the season compared to the first half. With only one regular season game remaining, the team has little time to try and correct things before the playoffs. There have been plenty of blowout losses that could have served as wake-up calls for the Bulls. An optimist may suggest that this monumental loss to the East’s 10th seeded Hornets could be what they needed, but don’t get your hopes up.

The Bulls conclude their regular season on the road on Sunday, taking on LaVine’s former team, the Minnesota Timberwolves. The NBA Playoffs begin on Saturday, April 16th, with the Play-In Tournament that the Bulls were fortunate to avoid.

Make sure to check out our Bulls forum for the latest on the team.

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Chicago Cubs pitcher Justin Steele is a player that is projected to be a bright spot in the team’s rotation this year and on Saturday, he got his 2022 campaign off to a good start.

The 26-year-old Steele went five strong innings, giving up just 4 hits, walking 1 and striking out 5 Brewers in his season debut. He did get into one jam but managed to get out of it not allowing a run. It was Steele’s best start of his young career and gives the franchise some hope for their rotation moving forward.

Steele is expected to be a key component for the Cubs’ pitching staff this season and doing this against a good Brewers lineup is a good building block.

Let’s see if he can keep it up in his next start.

Make sure to check out our Cubs forum for the latest on the team.

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Two officers were hospitalized and a woman was critically injured Sunday morning in a fire in South Chicago on the Far South Side.

Officers responded to the fire inside a house in the 3000 block of East 79th Place about 1:20 a.m. and found a woman unresponsive, Chicago police said.

She was carried outside by officers, where they began chest compression, police said.

She was taken to Trinity Hospital, where she was in critical condition, officials said.

Two responding officers were taken to a local hospital for smoke inhalation, police said. Both were in good condition, authorities said.

No other injuries were reported.

Fire officials extinguished the blaze and were investigating.

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