Tag: Chicago Cubs

Kyle Tucker trade grades: Who won the Astros and Cubs deal?

Who won this deal?

It’s been quite a Friday for MLB trades, and this one involves a true star.

Kyle Tucker, the Houston Astros outfielder coming off of a shorter year due to injury, is off to the Chicago Cubs, who get an elite, young left-handed bat. The Cubs might think they’re contenders in the NL Central given this move between a pretty good rotation and a bolstered lineup.

As for the Astros? They got a decent return, but if they lose Tucker and free agent star Alex Bregman, it’s going to be a really rough offseason.

So who won or lost this trade? As we do all the time, we’re handing out grades for each side:

Astros and Cubs trade details

Astros get: 3B Isaac Paredes, SP Hayden Wesneski, 3B Cam Smith

Cubs get: OF Kyle Tucker

Astros grade

So here’s the thing: Kyle Tucker is on his way to getting PAID next year. And if you’re the Astros and you’re not sure if you can retain a young slugger like Tucker and you just saw Juan Soto sign with a new team, you might not love to lose him for nothing.

That’s why they’re acting now. Paredes has knocked in runs in his young career even if his batting average isn’t great. Wesneski has shown some effectiveness on the mound. And Smith is a top-10 prospect in the Cubs’ organization.

But … could they have done better elsewhere? Is this really the best deal for a name like Tucker? It doesn’t feel like the greatest of returns, even though their leverage was capped by Tucker’s impending free agency.

GRADE: B-minus

Cubs grade

WOW. If the Cubs think they’re contenders in 2025 with this move, then it’s intriguing. Or if they’re grabbing Tucker thinking they could sign him long term, then it’s also intriguing.

That said, I’m not sure Chicago is good enough to do either. But when a superstar of this caliber is available and you don’t have to give up THAT much, you roll the dice.

GRADE: B-plus

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Former Notre Dame QB Jimmy Clausen is having himself a weekend

The former Irish QB has been all over the Midwest this weekend

While former Notre Dame football quarterback [autotag]Jimmy Clausen[/autotag] never quite lived up to his recruiting hype, he still played major college football and made it to the NFL.

He spent five seasons with the Carolina Panthers, Chicago Bears and Baltimore Ravens and endeared himself to those fan bases. Clausen on Friday returned to Chicago and was seen attending the Chicago Cubs game as they hosted the Cincinnati Reds.

That wasn’t all the festivities of the weekend for the California native, as he made the short trip from the Windy City over to South Bend. Clausen was spotted walking by the Grotto, one of many former players making a return to campus as the Irish prepare to take on the Louisville Cardinals.

This is a big recruiting weekend for Notre Dame, as they are welcoming in multiple prospects, committed and uncommitted. Hopefully the alumni paint a good picture and the Irish come out on top where it matters, on the field.

Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes and opinions.

Follow Mike on X: @MikeFChen

An umpire called a historically bad strike while Pirates position player Rowdy Tellez pitched

This was DEFINITELY not a strike.

Maybe home plate umpire Scott Barry just wanted to end the Chicago Cubs and Pittsburgh Pirates. Or … he needs to get his vision checked.

Those are the only two reasons I can think of for this strike call that has gone very, very viral for all the wrong reasons.

The Cubs ended up beating the Pirates 18-8 on Monday, and Barry — who has made a bad call before — decided to call a 42 MPH pitch from Pittsburgh position player Rowdy Tellez a strike … even though you can see just how far off the plate it was.

Per Umpire Auditor, that’s the worst call in their history:

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The Cubs’ Patrick Wisdom oddly got ejected without even saying a word to the umpire

He didn’t even say anything.

A majority of big-league umpires give players and managers a high threshold for what they’d tolerate before an ejection. They understand that emotions can run high in pro sports, and it usually takes a few magic words or personal attacks to send someone back to the clubhouse.

Umpire James Jean is clearly an exception to that rule.

During Sunday’s game between the Cubs and Marlins, Cubs infielder Patrick Wisdom was frustrated after striking out for the second time in the game. The strikeout call was correctly ruled a strike by Jean. But Wisdom reacted by tossing his helmet to the ground as the inning came to a close.

Jean took that personally and ejected Wisdom right there on the spot.

Now, umpires do hate when players try to show them up, but Wisdom pretty clearly was reacting out of frustration with himself. He didn’t look at Jean or even say a word to the umpire. Yet, it was enough to get him ejected.

Jean needs to have more awareness than that.

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Stephen Colbert tosses baseballs, beers and hot dogs to fans at Wrigley Field while in Chicago for DNC

Stephen Colbert using a fishing reel to pass beers down to the street is not a typical Friday afternoon at the ballpark sight.

The spotlight is about to be on the city of Chicago next week as the 2024 Democratic National Convention is set to be held at the United Center from Monday to Thursday.

With media flocking to Chicago ahead of the event, Stephen Colbert caught a game at Wrigley Field as the Cubs faced off against the Toronto Blue Jays on Friday. While in the concourse, the host of “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” on CBS made his presence known to fans outside the stadium by bearing gifts.

Colbert first tossed down baseballs to a few lucky fans, ultimately dumping an entire bag.

That wasn’t all, however, as he also used a fishing reel (?) to precariously send beers and hot dogs down to the fans below.

Now there’s something you don’t see on your typical Friday afternoon at the ballpark.

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Cubs’ Dansby Swanson absolutely airmailed a throw to first in an error he’d like to forget

Just a bit off line from Dansby Swanson.

Committing a throwing error in the game of baseball is never an ideal outcome, but some are certainly worse than others.

Dansby Swanson found that out the hard way on Friday in a game against the Toronto Blue Jays. With the Cubs leading 2-0 in the top of the fourth, Swanson attempted to field a single from Ernie Clement, but the star shortstop’s throw to first wasn’t even close as he sent it soaring toward the dugout.

The clip of the error went viral, though while it ultimately allowed a run to score and the game went to extras, Chicago rallied to win with a walk-off single in the 10th.

Yeah, I think that’s one he’d probably like to have back.

It was an uncharacteristic mistake for Swanson, who is typically lights out in the field. He’s a two-time defending Gold Glove Award winner, and his .987 fielding percentage in 2024 is even better than his final mark in each of the last two campaigns.

But even the best fielders in baseball are capable of making mistakes, and this was quite a significant one.

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Watch: Former Notre Dame football star Cole Kmet throw out 1st pitch for the Chicago Cubs

Kmet still has a great arm

It’s not just Notre Dame football head coach Marcus Freeman that gets to throw out first pitches, former Irish star tight end [autotag]Cole Kmet[/autotag] has had his chances too.

On Wednesday, the current Chicago Bears player got the opportunity to throw out the first pitch for the Chicago Cubs. As we all know, Kmet loves baseball, having played some in South Bend before giving it up and focusing on football.

Since he has that background, it was not surprising to see Kmet throw a very solid pitch, even if he may not have picked up a baseball in a very long time.

We hope to see Kmet hit some home runs, I mean score touchdowns this fall for the Bears. If he does, we get to see his patented home run celebration.

Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on X (Formerly Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes, and opinions.

Follow Mike on X: @MikeFChen

Texas A&M closer Evan Aschenbeck signs his deal with the Chicago Cubs

Evan Aschenbeck’s Texas A&M career as ended

With any good news, bad news may be on the horizon, but that’s just how life works. On Wednesday, Texas A&M baseball head coach Michael Earley received great news ahead of his first season leading the program, as ace pitcher Ryan Prager has opted to return to Aggieland for a final season.

However, just hours later, it was revealed that star closer Evan Aschenbeck, who the Chicago Cubs drafted in the 6th round of the 2024 MLB Draft, did not hear back from the NCAA after applying for a final waiver to return next season and will instead sign his deal with the Cubs as his Texas A&M career comes to a close.

Aschenbeck’s incredible career in College Station culminated in Texas A&M’s first appearance in the College World Series Finals, as the senior lefty finished with ten saves and an NCAA-leading 1.78 ERA while recording 88 strikeouts on the year. Aschenbeck posted his final farewell on X on Wednesday night:

“Aggieland, I am forever grateful for the love I have received over the last two years. After not hearing back from the NCAA about additional eligibility, it’s time for me to pursue my dream of playing professional baseball. I will be back as often as I can, Aggieland is my home.”

Per Instagram, Aschenbeck signed his rookie deal with Chicago.

Congratulations, Evan!

Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes, and opinions. Follow Cameron on Twitter: @CameronOhnysty.

Former Notre Dame tight end throws out first pitch for Chicago Cubs

Dude still can throw off a mound.

Former Notre Dame tight end [autotag]Cole Kmet[/autotag] is entering his fifth season with the Chicago Bears. He’ll look to add to his 15 career NFL touchdowns with rookie quarterback Caleb Williams added to the mix. Training camp definitely will help with that.

But Kmet and the Bears had a day off, so Kmet, who grew up in nearby Lake Barrington, Illinois, decided to have some fun. Specifically, he decided to say yes to throwing out the first pitch before the hometown Chicago Cubs battled the Milwaukee Brewers. Luckily for us, the whole thing was captured on video:

As you can gather, Kmet threw it a little outside to Clark the Cub. Here’s a closer view of the pitch:

If he looks like he could have gone for a baseball career, it’s true. Many Irish fans probably know that Kmet also was on Notre Dame’s baseball team. In two seasons with that team, he recorded 10 saves and accumulated a 2-7 record along with a 4.43 ERA over 34 games.

Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes, and opinions.

Follow Geoffrey on Twitter: @gfclark89

Cardinals announcer Jim Edmonds unnecessarily ripped Christopher Morel for a home run celebration

This really didn’t deserve all the criticism.

St. Louis Cardinals analyst and former MLB outfielder Jim Edmonds did NOT like what he saw from Chicago Cubs slugger Christopher Morel on Sunday.

But let’s be serious here: home runs are awesome and should be celebrated as such. Morel’s celebration was relatively tame compared to others, too! He tossed his bat, trotted around gleefully and that’s it.

But here’s what Edmonds said: “This kid’s celebration is a joke. I don’t mind saying it at all. I’ve never seen anything like it. I just don’t get it. You’re a .229 hitter in the big leagues and you’re running around like you’re Barry Bonds.”

Come on!

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