Jesse Rogers is reporting that Drew Smyly is on the verge of finalizing a deal with the Cubs

The Chicago Cubs are on the verge of bringing back a key member of last year’s starting rotation. It sounds like a deal is as good as done, but potential terms have yet to be reported. Chicago’s pitching depth appears to be getting a little deeper with Drew Smyly.

With Drew Smyly returning, the Cubs are going to have numerous options when it comes to starting pitchers. It’s been well-documented that starters across the league are beginning to have shorter and shorter outings. Thankfully, the Cubs will have numerous players in their bullpen who can go several innings. That also means that the team should be well covered when it comes to spot starts.

The Cubs’ rotation found great success in the second half of last season. With so many options, it’s difficult to project the Cubs’ rotation. Last season, the Cubs had 18 different players make starts for them. 

After signing Dansby Swanson, it’s clear that Cubs are committed to adding major pieces via free agency. Be on the lookout for the team to target corner infielders and catchers as free agency continues.

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Bears’ inactive list has a lot of offensive players on it

The Chicago Bears added a couple of pass catchers to their active roster Saturday. It hinted at who would be available for Sunday’s game against the Philadelphia Eagles. The Bears had several players doubtful or questionable for their Week 15 game. The Bears’ inactive list clarified the team’s plan for the game against the Eagles.

Chase Claypool’s status was known Friday afternoon. He had been ruled out. According to a statement by the Bears Sunday, wide receiver N’Keal Harry and tight end Trevon Wesco will be out against the Eagles. Offensive tackle Larry Borom is out as well.

Bears’ inactive against the Eagles

WR N’Keal HarryWR Chase ClaypoolQB Tim BoyleDB Justin LayneOL Ja’Tyre CarterOL Larry BoromTE Trevon Wesco

With Borom out, it’s assumed Alex Leatherwood and Riley Reiff will rotate Sunday. With his limited snap count, Leatherwood did well against the Green Bay Packers in Week 13. But the Bears appear to be easing him into having more playing time for the Bears.

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The Bears’ already-thin receiving corps got even worse Sunday morning when the team ruled out former first-round pick N’Keal Harry because of a back injury. Harry practiced all week but was ruled questionable for the Eagles game on Friday.

The Bears ruled out Chase Claypool on Friday because of a knee injury suffered against the Packers. Saturday, they promoted receiver Nsimba Webster from the practice squad. Equanimeous St. Brown, Byron Pringle, Dante Pettis and Velus Jones will play against the NFC’s top team.

Cornerback Kindle Vildor will play after being questionable because of an ankle injury. He’ll be part of an upgraded defensive backfield. Safety Jaquan Brisker and cornerback Kyler Gordon, both rookies, missed the Packers game but were cleared from concussion protocol on Monday.

The Bears ruled out tackle Larry Borom (knee), tight end Trevon Wesco (calf), quarterback Tim Boyle, guard Ja’Tyre Carter and cornerback Justin Layne.

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Andrew Benintendi is the White Sox’ top free agent prize this offseason, a $75 million addition for five years that should shore up the outfield for 2023 and beyond.

But the Sox also added two experienced outfielders to the potential mix for 2023 in Billy Hamilton and Victor Reyes, who have been signed to minor league deals with invitations to spring training.

A career .239 hitter with 324 stolen bases, Hamilton, 32, had one hit in 20 at-bats in 2022 and was 10-for-11 in stolen bases for the Marlins and Twins. He batted .220/.242/.378 in 71 games for the Sox in 2021, providing occasional spark off the bench for a team that won the AL Central Division. Hamilton and Reyes can play all three outfield positions.

Reyes, 28, batted .264/.294/.379 in 394 games over five seasons with the Tigers. A switch-hitter, he batted .254/.289/.362 with three homers in 93 games in 2022.

The Sox’ 40-man roster currently lists four outfielders — Luis Robert, Eloy Jimenez, Andrew Vaughn and Gavin Sheets. But Vaughn is expected to play first base in 2023 following Jose Abreu’s exit, and Jimenez figures to be used primarily as a designated hitter. Benintendi will be added when his signing is announced.

Benintendi’s contract is the largest in Sox history, surpassing the $73 million, four-year deal Yasmani Grandal signed before the 2020 season.

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Curie coach Mike Oliver was embarrassed by his team’s performance at his shootout last weekend. The Condors lost to Mount Carmel by 15 points and Oliver lit his players up after the game, publicly questioning their toughness and claiming his team didn’t have a leader.

“No one likes to read that in the newspaper,” Oliver smiled and said after his team responded to the drubbing by knocking off No. 19 Oswego East 65-52 at Triton in River Grove on Saturday.

The No. 12 Condors started hot, draining five three-pointers in the first quarter to build a 25-10 lead.

“He’s the kind of coach that says exactly what he feels and I agree with what he was saying,” Curie’s Jeremy Harrington said. “Before games we would be joking around in the locker room. Today we were all serious. All business. We knew we had to come out and start with a lot of energy.”

The Condors expanded their lead to 21 points in the third quarter. Oswego East (10-2) charged back late, pulling to within seven points on a three from Ryan Johnson with 1:48 left but that was as close as it would get.

Both teams were without their point guards. Curie junior Carlos Harris was out sick and Oswego East senior Bryce Shoto twisted his ankle at the end of a win against Plainfield North on Friday.

“Carlos is a big piece of our team so we knew everybody had to step up,” Barrett said. “We really showed our camaraderie to come together after [Oliver] called us out and we played without Carlos.”

Harrington, Kros Barrett and Chikasi Ofoma each scored 15 points for the Condors (8-3) and Mason Minor added eight points.

“This is what I thought we would look like at the beginning of the year,” Oliver said. “We are deep. I wasn’t surprised. This is what I’ve been waiting on.”

Harrington, a 6-5 senior, has been one of the most productive players in the Public League for several seasons. He’s an unorthodox player, capable of shooting from three and playing in the post. It creates major matchup problems for opponents, but college coaches have yet to offer him a scholarship. He’s received some interest from Division 3 schools.

“I definitely have a chip on my shoulder,” Harrington said. “I’m just going to go out and prove every game that I’m one of the best seniors in Illinois. I’ll show the college coaches that I deserve those offers. I really don’t know what the coaches don’t like about me.”

Towson recruit Mekhi Lowery stepped in and handled the ball in place of Shoto and also dominated in the post. The 6-7 senior was everywhere, finishing with 13 points, 20 rebounds and four assists for the Wolves.

Johnson scored 20 and senior Tyler Jasek added nine points for Oswego East.

“This is a learning opportunity for us,” Wolves coach Ryan Velasquez said. “That’s a good team and it was a physical game. We didn’t play our best in the first half but a bunch of guys responded in the second half.”

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Caleb Jones has endured a chaotic holiday season.

The spotlight burned a hole in him during brother Seth Jones’ absence in November, and a stretch of several games with brutal turnovers tested his confidence. Then Seth returned but a hip flexor injury cost Caleb himself three games.

But now both Jones brothers are finally healthy, and they produced two of their better outings of the season Thursday and Friday against the Golden Knights and Wild, respectively — even though the Blackhawks still predictably lost. Coach Luke Richardson praised both of them Friday.

“Seth looked good,” Richardson said. “He never was beaten. And then he added a little bit of offense. [He] wasn’t racing up and down 200 feet all game. We don’t need him to do that. We just need him to look for the right opportunity to dive in there and take advantage of a breakdown.

“Caleb is a pretty responsible guy, and he’s a good skater. Really, he doesn’t need to cheat and get up on the offense; he just needs to be a good second-wave guy. Same thing [as Seth].”

Richardson has been asking his defensemen to be more mindful — and generally more conservative — about jumping into rushes up-ice, and the Joneses have been perhaps the most frequent recipients of that message.

It might be finally getting through, though. Since Nov. 23 against the Stars — the game in which Seth returned — Caleb Jones’ expected goals ratio at five-on-five is an impressive 57.7%, which leads the team. And while Seth sits in the middle of the pack at 41.0% over that span, he finished above 59% against both Vegas and Minnesota, representing his best two-game stretch this season.

Switching Seth’s first-pair partner from Jack Johnson to Jake McCabe has made a significant difference. McCabe has quietly enjoyed a bounce-back season, and he has been especially reliable over the past month.

Johnson, meanwhile, has settled into a more appropriate workload on the third pairing with Caleb, who experienced similar improvement when Seth’s return previously bumped him from the first to third pairing.

Caleb’s hip injury popped up out of nowhere and knocked him out of rhythm briefly. The speed of the NHL always catches him “off-guard for a second” when he returns from any absence. But maybe he’s better when off-guard, because this week he has avoided many of the poorly timed errors that occasionally plague his game.

“I’ve felt pretty good,” Caleb said Friday. “I’ve been trying to really get up the ice and push the issue — sometimes maybe even a little too much and sacrificing a little bit [of defense], and that can’t happen, for sure. But I look at the year as a total, and I’m on pace to maybe have a career year and break some old numbers. All in all, it has been positive.”

He is correct about his stats. He set career highs in games played (51) and points (15) last season; he’s currently on pace to play 65 games and tally 25 points this season.

And he and Seth have also spent time talking to each other about heeding Richardson’s words and not “trying to force things” offensively.

Now if only the Hawks could make it a little easier on them — and everyone — by, for once, scoring a game’s first goal. The Rangers, who they’ll host Sunday in a potentially feisty rematch, are the only team they’ve scored first against in their last 16 games (and the only team they’ve beaten in their last 15).

“It’s tiring when you’re chasing games like we’ve been, because…you’re trying to get up and do so much, and then you don’t really have a lot of energy left when you come back,” Caleb said. “If you can play with the lead, it gets a little easier.”

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