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<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb/chicago-cubs/why-cubs-must-make-phillies-trade-offer-for-bryce-harper');   ga('set', 'title', 'Why Cubs must make Phillies trade offer for Bryce Harper');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Why-Cubs-must-make-Phillies-trade-offer-for-Bryce-Harper.jpg"></figure><h1>Why Cubs must make Phillies trade offer for Bryce Harper</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-10-27T07:32:52-07:00">October 27th, 7:32am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-10-27T08:09:53-07:00">October 27th, 8:09am</time><address><a>Garrett Kerman</a>Garrett Kerman also goes by the name of The Fight Analyst. He covers all combat sports, from MMA, to boxing, to even bare-knuckle. He is also very well-versed in all American sports when it comes to news and betting analysis. Whether you want betting advice or some breaking news, Garrett is your guy.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Chicago Cubs</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Chicago Cubs stand at a crossroads this offseason. With <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/chicago-cubs/cubs-rumors-kyle-tucker-exit-one-season">Kyle Tucker likely commanding a $400 million contract in free agency</a>, the front office faces a critical decision about how to replace one of baseball’s elite talents. While conventional wisdom suggests promoting top prospect Owen Caissie to fill the void, the Cubs have a unique opportunity to capitalize on an unexpected situation brewing in Philadelphia.​</p><p>Bryce Harper, the two-time MVP and Phillies cornerstone, has become an uncomfortable superstar following Dave Dombrowski’s public questioning of whether he can return to elite form. Despite Harper’s full no-trade clause and public commitment to Philadelphia, the combination of declining production, ongoing wrist concerns, and organizational uncertainty creates a narrow window for the Cubs to pounce.​</p><h2>Why Harper Makes Perfect Sense for Chicago</h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Sep-10-2025-Philadelphia-Pennsylvania-USA-Philadelphia-Phillies-first-base-Bryce-Harper-3-watches-his-ball-clear-the-wall.jpg"><figcaption>© Bill Streicher-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>The Cubs need more than just an outfield replacement—they need a proven superstar who can anchor their lineup for years to come. Harper, despite a down 2025 season, still posted a respectable .844 OPS with 27 home runs while battling wrist inflammation that sidelined him for significant time. At 33 years old, he remains in the prime years of his career with six years and $144 million remaining on his contract.​</p><p>Harper’s contract structure actually works in the Cubs’ favor. His $27.54 million annual salary through 2031 is manageable for a team with relatively clean books beyond 2026. Unlike pursuing Tucker on the open market at potentially $40-45 million per year, acquiring Harper provides cost certainty while adding a first baseman who won a Silver Slugger in 2024. This allows the Cubs to allocate resources toward their primary need: elite starting pitching.​</p><p>The psychological element cannot be ignored. Harper expressed feeling “confused and upset” by Dombrowski’s comments and admitted the trade speculation made him “feel uncomfortable”. When a player of Harper’s caliber explicitly references his disappointment with management, it creates an opening that didn’t exist before. His mention of hating trade talk in Washington suggests he’s not immune to considering a fresh start if the right situation presents itself.​</p><h2>The Phillies’ Motivation to Deal</h2><p>Philadelphia faces significant roster challenges heading into 2026. With a payroll already exceeding $300 million when factoring in luxury tax implications, the Phillies have limited financial flexibility. They have nearly $40 million in departing free agents and need to address critical needs in the outfield, bullpen, and potentially catcher if J.T. Realmuto doesn’t return.​</p><p>The Phillies’ window is closing faster than anticipated. Key veterans like Realmuto (turning 35), Nick Castellanos, and Aaron Nola are aging, and the team needs an infusion of youth and athleticism. Trading Harper would accomplish multiple objectives: clearing significant payroll space, acquiring young talent to reload the system, and allowing top prospect Justin Crawford to take over a corner outfield spot.​</p><p>Most importantly, the Phillies’ president of baseball operations has already demonstrated his willingness to move on from franchise cornerstones when the situation dictates. Former GM Rubén Amaro Jr. hinted that one of the team’s major no-trade clause contracts could be moved this offseason, specifically mentioning contracts like Harper’s and Trea Turner’s. While Dombrowski publicly denied trade interest, his initial comments questioning Harper’s elite status suggest internal discussions have already occurred.​</p><h2>Building the Perfect Trade Package</h2><p>For Harper to waive his no-trade clause, he needs to see a contending team with a clear championship window. The Cubs, fresh off their first playoff series win in eight years, fit that profile. Chicago’s young core—led by Pete Crow-Armstrong’s breakout season and rising stars like Nico Hoerner and Dansby Swanson—provides exactly the supporting cast Harper needs.​</p><p>The Phillies, meanwhile, need impact prospects who can contribute immediately while also providing long-term value. Here’s the ideal trade structure that addresses both teams’ needs:</p><p><b>Chicago Cubs Receive:</b></p><ul><li>1B Bryce Harper (six years, $144 million remaining)</li></ul><p><b>Philadelphia Phillies Receive:</b></p><ul><li>OF Owen Caissie</li><li>RHP Jaxon Wiggins</li><li>C/DH Moisés Ballesteros</li><li>RHP Cade Horton</li></ul><p>This package gives the Phillies exactly what they need to reload while remaining competitive. Caissie, who posted a .937 OPS with 22 home runs at Triple-A Iowa in 2025, provides immediate outfield help and slots perfectly into the corner spot Philadelphia needs to address. The 23-year-old has the offensive profile to replace Harper’s production at a fraction of the cost.​</p><p>Wiggins and Horton provide the starting pitching depth Philadelphia desperately needs after inconsistent seasons from their rotation. Wiggins, recovering from Tommy John surgery but showing promise at 24 years old, offers controllable rotation insurance. Horton, who logged 147 innings between Triple-A and the majors in 2025, gives the Phillies an immediate fifth starter option with upside.​</p><p>Ballesteros represents the wildcard that makes this trade work. The 23-year-old switch-hitting catcher/DH posted nearly identical numbers in Triple-A (.858 OPS) and the majors (.868 OPS) during his September call-up, demonstrating he’s ready for full-time duty. With questions about Realmuto’s future, Ballesteros provides positional flexibility as either a catching replacement or a powerful DH option to replace Harper’s production.​</p><h2>Why the Cubs Pull the Trigger</h2><p>From Chicago’s perspective, this trade accomplishes several critical objectives. First, it replaces Tucker’s production without entering a bidding war that could exceed $400 million. Harper’s track record of durability (when healthy) and consistent production makes him a safer investment than paying premium dollars for Tucker’s age-29 through age-35 seasons.​</p><p>Second, it addresses the first base position for the long term. While the Cubs have pieces at every position, solidifying first base with an elite hitter allows manager Craig Counsell to optimize the rest of the lineup. Seiya Suzuki can move to right field full time, his natural position, where he excelled in September and October.​</p><p>Third, it sends a clear message that the Cubs’ championship window is now. After years of prospect development and careful roster construction, trading four high-end prospects for a proven superstar demonstrates commitment to winning immediately. This move would energize a fanbase eager for sustained postseason success beyond first-round exits.​</p><p>Most importantly, Harper’s leadership and championship pedigree elevate the entire organization. His willingness to move positions, play through injuries, and embrace his role as a franchise cornerstone mirrors the culture Cubs president Jed Hoyer has tried to build. Adding that veteran presence alongside a young core creates the perfect blend of experience and emerging talent.​</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Why Cubs must make Phillies trade offer for Bryce Harper

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb/chicago-cubs/cubs-rumors-kyle-tucker-exit-one-season');   ga('set', 'title', 'Cubs rumors: MLB consensus predicts Kyle Tucker bolting 1 season after blockbuster trade');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Cubs-outfielder-Kyle-Tucker-vs-Brewers-in-Game-4-of-NLDS.jpg"><figcaption>David Banks-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Cubs rumors: MLB consensus predicts Kyle Tucker bolting 1 season after blockbuster trade</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-10-22T09:18:15-07:00">October 22nd, 9:18am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-10-22T09:18:15-07:00">October 22nd, 9:18am</time><address><a>Yasmin Edañol</a>Yasmin D.G. Edañol is a PhD candidate in Chemistry at the University of the Philippines Diliman, with a background in scientific research and publishing. He brings a data-driven perspective to sports storytelling as an Associate Editor at ClutchPoints, with a focus on the NBA. Whether it's breaking down a clutch play or a stat line, he believes every great moment has a deeper layer waiting to be uncovered.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Chicago Cubs</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/chicago-cubs/cubs-news-chicago-land-kyle-tucker-massive-astros-trade">Chicago Cubs made one of the boldest moves of the past offseason</a>, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/houston-astros/astros-news-gm-message-owner-kyle-tucker-trade-cubs">landing All-Star outfielder Kyle Tucker in a blockbuster deal</a> with the Houston Astros. In exchange, the Cubs gave up infielder Isaac Paredes, right-hander Hayden Wesneski, and top prospect Cam Smith. Smith ranks as MLB Pipeline’s No. 73 overall talent. The Cubs made the trade to push Chicago over the hump in the National League. However, the latest <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/chicago-cubs/cubs-news-kyle-tucker-doesnt-know-future-2026-free-agency">Cubs rumors now suggest Kyle Tucker may not stay in Chicago for long</a>.</p><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/chicago-cubs/cubs-news-kyle-tucker-all-star-half-extra-impressive-craig-counsell">After producing a strong season for the Cubs, Kyle Tucker lived up to the hype</a>. He made his fourth straight All-Star team, hitting 22 home runs and driving in 73 RBIs. He also posted an impressive .841 OPS across 136 games. Tucker played a key role in leading the team to the postseason. The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/chicago-cubs/cubs-news-jed-hoyer-names-mvp-nl-wild-card-series-padres">Cubs defeated the Padres in the NL Wild Card Series</a> but <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/chicago-cubs/cubs-news-fans-down-dumps-after-nlds-loss-brewers">fell to the rival Brewers in a tight five-game NLDS</a>. Tucker ended the playoffs with a .259/.375/.370 line, one home run, and one RBI in eight games.</p><h2>One Year and Done? Kyle Tucker’s Cubs Fate Looms</h2><p>Even with his steady play and leadership, many around the league believe Tucker’s time in Chicago <a href="https://www.mlb.com/news/mlb-executives-on-tarik-skubal-potential-trade" rel="noopener">may soon end</a>. Several rumors surrounding the Cubs claim that MLB executives expect Kyle Tucker to test free agency. They believe he will seek a deal that goes beyond what the Cubs can afford. Analysts project Tucker to become one of the most sought-after free agents this winter. Big-market teams plan to line up and spend big to land him.</p><p>For the Cubs, it’s a difficult situation. They parted with premium talent for what now looks like a one-year rental. While the front office knew the risks, there was optimism that success in Chicago might convince Tucker to stay. However, with his price tag expected to skyrocket, the odds are slim.</p><p>If Tucker does move on, his lone season will still be remembered for helping the Cubs reclaim their place among contenders. But as free agency looms, one question echoes louder than ever: was one year of Kyle Tucker worth the price?</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Cubs rumors: MLB consensus predicts Kyle Tucker bolting 1 season after blockbuster trade

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb/chicago-cubs/cubs-perfect-trade-offer-for-cardinals-nolan-arenado');   ga('set', 'title', 'Cubs’ perfect trade offer for Cardinals’ Nolan Arenado');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Cubs-perfect-trade-offer-for-Cardinals-Nolan-Arenado.jpg"></figure><h1>Cubs’ perfect trade offer for Cardinals’ Nolan Arenado</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-10-19T13:40:05-07:00">October 19th, 1:40pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-10-19T13:40:05-07:00">October 19th, 1:40pm</time><address><a>Garrett Kerman</a>Garrett Kerman also goes by the name of The Fight Analyst. He covers all combat sports, from MMA, to boxing, to even bare-knuckle. He is also very well-versed in all American sports when it comes to news and betting analysis. Whether you want betting advice or some breaking news, Garrett is your guy.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Chicago Cubs</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>As the Chicago Cubs look to solidify their roster and contend for an NL Central title, the glaring weakness at third base calls for a bold solution. Enter Nolan Arenado: the veteran All-Star, elite defender, and proven power bat who could transform the Cubs’ lineup overnight. With the Cardinals embarking on a rebuild and <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/st-louis-cardinals/cardinals-news-nolan-arenado-offers-thoughts-future-st-louis">Arenado openly considering his future</a>, the conditions are set for one of the most stunning intra-division trades in recent memory. This article explores how the Cubs can craft the perfect proposal to persuade St. Louis to part ways with Arenado—addressing financial hurdles, offering premium prospects, and respecting the complexities of player movement between heated rivals.​</p><h2>Why Nolan Arenado is the Answer to Cubs’ Third Base Woes</h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Nolan-Arenado-during-Cardinals-Giants-game.jpg"><figcaption>Eakin Howard-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Despite efforts to patch the hot corner, the Cubs have cycled through options like Matt Shaw and Gage Workman with limited results, leaving a cavernous hole both offensively and defensively. Arenado, even as his numbers dip amid age and injuries, remains one of baseball’s most reliable gloves—his 10 Gold Gloves and eight All-Star nods speak for themselves. He’s posted a .285 career average, 341 home runs, and 1,132 RBIs.​</p><p>Though 2025 has seen his lowest OPS as a Cardinal (.669), the environment in Chicago could offer Arenado a fresh start for a contender. Cubs President Jed Hoyer has emphasized the club’s Major League-ready pipeline, positioning Chicago to absorb the financial and prospect cost of a superstar addition without gutting its future. Arenado’s contract ($27 million in 2026, $15 million in 2027, plus deferred payments and Rockies offsets) is sizable but not prohibitive for a win-now team.​</p><p>More importantly, Arenado’s shifting stance on his no-trade clause this winter opens the door for Chicago to make a substantial offer. Division rival deals remain rare, but the Cardinals’ leadership transition and looming rebuild push the franchise toward pragmatic big-picture moves.​</p><h2>Keys to Making the Perfect Cubs-Cardinals Trade Work</h2><p>To convince St. Louis, the Cubs must check three boxes: absorb salary, send a premium prospect package, and be sensitive to Arenado’s preferences.</p><h2>Financial Commitment and Optics</h2><p>The Cardinals reportedly expect to pay a substantial chunk of Arenado’s remaining salary—potentially up to $32 million of the $42 million left across the next two seasons—to ensure a viable market. This reduces the net cost for Chicago to roughly $10 million annually for 2026-2027, less than the average starter’s value. Cubs ownership, seeking relevance and postseason exposure, can take on this contract—especially with the Rockies contributing deferred payments.​</p><h2>Blue-Chip Prospect Return</h2><p>Arenado is still a franchise-caliber piece. The Cubs’ loaded farm system allows Chicago to create a powerful, multi-player package. Owen Caissie (OF), Moisés Ballesteros (C), and Kevin Alcántara (OF) headline MLB’s top 100 prospect rankings, with several rising arms like Jaxon Wiggins (RHP) and Jefferson Rojas (SS) offering upside. The perfect proposal merges near-ready impact players—aligned with the Cardinals’ desire to replenish their core.​</p><h2>Arenado’s No-Trade Clause and Incentives</h2><p>While division swaps are rare, Arenado’s recent comments suggest growing openness to a deal. The Cubs would need to offer both a competitive roster guarantee and incentives, potentially including opt-out opportunities or agreed-upon charitable contributions, to win his waiver.​</p><h2>Cubs’ Perfect Trade Offer</h2><p>The ideal proposal for the Cubs to acquire Nolan Arenado would involve:</p><p><b>Cubs receive:</b></p><ul><li>Nolan Arenado (3B)</li><li>Cardinals cover $32 million of the remaining salary on Arenado’s deal</li></ul><p><b>Cardinals receive:</b></p><ul><li>Owen Caissie (OF)</li><li>Moises Ballesteros (C)</li><li>Kevin Alcantara (OF)</li><li>Jaxon Wiggins (RHP)</li></ul><p>This offer balances the Cardinals’ rebuild needs—adding two top 100 position prospects and an advanced pitching talent—while the Cubs secure an instant lineup upgrade and postseason-tested veteran for their next playoff push.</p><p>Moving Nolan Arenado to the Cubs is more than a blockbuster; it’s a signal that both organizations are embracing their competitive timelines. The Cubs’ willingness to pay for superstar impact, plus their unmatched prospect depth, allows Chicago to make a bid few other franchises can replicate. For St. Louis, adding outfield and catching talent accelerates the youth movement, softens payroll burdens, and sets up the next era with flexibility.​</p><p>Arenado, now more receptive to trade scenarios, can chase another ring with a franchise ready to win—while the Cubs create the division’s fiercest left side with Arenado anchoring the hot corner. It may not be the most comfortable rivalry transaction, but it’s the perfect answer for two teams at crosswinds in the National League Central.</p><p>In the end, Cubs fans get their star. Cardinals fans get their future. And Arenado gets his chance to shine where October lights burn brightest.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Cubs’ perfect trade offer for Cardinals’ Nolan Arenado

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb-editorials/why-cubs-must-let-kyle-tucker-walk-free-agency');   ga('set', 'title', 'Why Cubs must let Kyle Tucker walk in free agency');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Kyle-Tucker.5jpg.jpg"><figcaption>Jonathan Hui-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Why Cubs must let Kyle Tucker walk in free agency</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-10-16T03:17:29-07:00">October 16th, 3:17am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-10-16T12:37:27-07:00">October 16th, 12:37pm</time><address><a>Mike Gianakos</a>Mike Gianakos is the former editor-in-chief of High Times magazine, where he also spearheaded the video department and event production. He is a longtime podcaster and even longer suffering NY Jets fan.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Chicago Cubs</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Chicago Cubs swung for the fences over the offseason, landing <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/chicago-cubs/cubs-news-chicago-land-kyle-tucker-massive-astros-trade">Kyle Tucker in a blockbuster trade</a> with the Houston Astros. Tucker helped Chicago reach the playoffs for the first time in five years when the team secured a Wild Card berth. However, the Cubs fell short in the NLDS, losing to their division rivals, the Milwaukee Brewers.</p><p>Now, with Tucker entering free agency, Chicago must resist shelling out a fortune to keep the All-Star right fielder in town. While a down year could <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/mlb-rumors-kyle-tucker-400-million-contract-free-agency-2025">reduce Tucker’s price tag</a> on the open market, the Cubs would be best served avoiding the bidding war altogether.</p><h2><b>Searching for a spark</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Kyle-Tucker6.jpg"><figcaption>Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>The decision to acquire Tucker from the Astros was a gamble but it mostly paid off. Chicago had pieces but the team failed to reach the playoffs for four straight years. After back-to-back 83-79 finishes, president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer needed to provide the Cubs a spark.</p><p>Tucker was Hoyer’s answer. And the marquee addition moved the needle. Chicago improved to 92-70 in 2025, making the postseason for the first time since 2020. The Cubs then won their first playoff series in eight years.</p><p>Before his arrival in Chicago, Tucker had stacked three straight outstanding seasons from 2021-2023. And he could have had the best season of his career in 2024 if an injury hadn’t limited him to 78 games.</p><p>Tucker boasts a rare blend of speed and power. He has 30/30 potential even if he hasn’t yet joined the club. In fact, Tucker has hit 30 home runs and stolen 30 bases, just not in the same season. Although he came close with 29 homers and 30 steals in 2023.</p><p>In addition to his offensive contributions, Tucker is a strong defender with a Gold Glove to prove it. He allowed the Cubs to upgrade their outfield while trading away Cody Bellinger. And <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/chicago-cubs/cubs-news-kyle-tucker-agrees-to-16-5-million-deal-for-2025-after-trade">Tucker’s $16.5 million salary</a> for 2025 was just a little more than half of what Bellinger was due to make. So the acquisition was fiscally prudent as well.</p><p>Still, the move was risky. Tucker entered the final year of his contract in 2025 and the Cubs gave up a haul to bring him to the North Side. Chicago sent the Astros All-Star third baseman Isaac Paredes, promising first-round pick Cam Smith and pitcher Hayden Wesneski. It’s a substantial package for a one-year rental.</p><h2><b>Money talks and the Cubs remain silent</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Kyle-Tucker7.jpg"><figcaption>David Banks-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>But Chicago was likely operating under the assumption that Tucker would only be in town for the 2025 campaign. The Cubs chose not to negotiate a long-term contract with the four-time All-Star during the season. And both sides have been unwaveringly noncommittal when discussing a potential extension with the media.</p><p>Tucker’s expected price tag is clearly the biggest deterrent for Chicago. The veteran outfielder is widely expected to command a $400 million contract. At one point it was rumored that he would match Vladimir Guerrero Jr.’s $500 million extension. And some outlandish insiders had <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/chicago-cubs/cubs-rumors-kyle-tucker-600-million-contract-prediction">Tucker inking a $600 million deal</a>.</p><p>Tucker probably played his way out of the higher end of his estimated free agency market. But he’ll still draw plenty of interest from clubs in need of a strong fielding corner outfielder with power. And if the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/mlb-stories/mlb-rumors-dodgers-yankees-threats-steal-kyle-tucker-cubs">Dodgers and Yankees get involved</a>, the price could soar.</p><p>Massive multi-year deals are not in the Cubs’ comfort zone. Jason Heyward’s eight-year, $184 million deal from 2015 is still the largest contract in franchise history. Since then, only Dansby Swanson’s deal (seven years, <a href="https://www.spotrac.com/mlb/player/_/id/17616/dansby-swanson" rel="noopener">$177 million</a> in 2023) has cracked nine digits, per Spotrac.</p><p>So, Chicago should not be mistaken for Los Angeles or New York or even Philadelphia. The Phillies currently have six $100+ million contracts on the books. And Philadelphia could be <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/philadelphia-phillies/phillies-rumors-kyle-tucker-alex-bregman-insider-urges-roster-overhaul">interested in signing Tucker</a> as well.</p><h2><b>A season-long audition</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Kyle-Tucker.jpg"><figcaption>Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>The question of the Cubs extending Tucker essentially begins and ends with money. But the player’s price isn’t the only factor that should give Chicago pause.</p><p>Tucker began his Cubs tenure on a tear. The 28-year-old outfielder slashed .291/.395/.537 with 17 home runs, 52 RBI and 61 runs in his first 83 games in Chicago. He was leading a dynamic Cubs offense and the team appeared poised to win the division.</p><p>Unfortunately, the strong start was derailed by a second-half slump. Tucker hit just .225 with a .690 OPS, five home runs and 21 RBI over his last 53 games. Manager <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/chicago-cubs/cubs-news-kyle-tucker-dealing-with-hairline-fracture-injury-leads-to-benching">Craig Counsell benched Tucker</a> in an effort to snap him out of the funk. Ultimately, the Cubs discovered a hairline fracture in his hand, which contributed to the downturn.</p><p>When his hand healed, Tucker suffered another setback. A <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/chicago-cubs/cubs-news-kyle-tucker-il-calf-strain">calf strain led to an IL stint</a> that cost him 21 games in September. It was his second lengthy IL trip in two years. During the 2024 season, Tucker missed 84 games after fouling a ball off his shin.</p><p>Both of his 2025 injuries occurred during Chicago’s stretch run as the Brewers secured the division, earning the NL’s top seed. The Cubs were forced to settle for a Wild Card berth.</p><h2><b>Postseason struggles</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Kyle-Tucker.jpg"><figcaption>Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Tucker, however, failed to make much of an impact in the postseason. Still dealing with the lingering calf injury, the Gold Glove right fielder was limited to DH duties. And, still mired in a lengthy slump, Tucker struggled at the plate. The eighth-year veteran had one extra-base hit and one RBI in eight playoff games.</p><p>Of course, the Cubs shouldn’t place too much emphasis on a single postseason performance. But it’s worth noting that Tucker has struggled in the playoffs throughout his career. He has 17 extra-base hits in 245 postseason at-bats. And he’s hitting .233 with a .692 OPS in 72 career playoff games.</p><p>Nonetheless, Tucker will enter his age-29 season in 2026. He’s still in his prime and the ailments he suffered over the last two seasons were all stand-alone occurrences. It would be unfair to view Tucker as injury prone. But the Cubs are no doubt weighing every aspect of performance and durability while contemplating an extension. Especially when the player will cost four times as much as the team’s largest current contract.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Why Cubs must let Kyle Tucker walk in free agency

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb/mlb-stories/mlb-rumors-dodgers-yankees-threats-steal-kyle-tucker-cubs');   ga('set', 'title', 'MLB rumors: Why Dodgers, Yankees are threats to steal Kyle Tucker from Cubs');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Kyle-Tucker_8be6c2.jpg"><figcaption>David Banks-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>MLB rumors: Why Dodgers, Yankees are threats to steal Kyle Tucker from Cubs</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-10-15T17:05:08-07:00">October 15th, 5:05pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-10-15T19:21:22-07:00">October 15th, 7:21pm</time><address><a>Mike Gianakos</a>Mike Gianakos is the former editor-in-chief of High Times magazine, where he also spearheaded the video department and event production. He is a longtime podcaster and even longer suffering NY Jets fan.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Chicago Cubs</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Chicago Cubs went all-in on the 2025 season, trading for Kyle Tucker in the final year of the All-Star right fielder’s contract. While the splashy move helped the team reach the playoffs for the first time in five years, Chicago fell short of the ultimate goal. The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/chicago-cubs/cubs-news-fans-down-dumps-after-nlds-loss-brewers">Cubs were ousted in the NLDS</a> by their division rivals, the Milwaukee Brewers.</p><p>Tucker now enters free agency after a down year by his standards. It’s unclear if the eighth-year veteran will command the massive contract analysts predicted earlier this season. But Tucker is considered the top free agent available. And while the Cubs are interested in retaining him, <a href="https://www.mlb.com/news/kyle-tucker-free-agency-contract-expectations-interested-teams" rel="noopener">they’ll be competing</a> with the Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Yankees, according to Mark Feinsand of MLB.com.</p><p>Tucker’s run with the Cubs got off to a stellar start. The Gold Glove right fielder slashed .291/.395/.537 with 17 home runs, 52 RBI and 61 runs in his first 83 games with Chicago. Tucker earned his fourth All-Star nod with the strong showing and the Cubs looked like legit contenders, with a 2.5-game in the NL Central.</p><h2><b>Can the Cubs compete with Dodgers, Yankees for Kyle Tucker?</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Kyle-Tucker-2.jpg"><figcaption>Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>The blazing start to his Cubs tenure led to speculation that Tucker would ink a <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/chicago-cubs/cubs-rumors-kyle-tucker-600-million-contract-prediction">$600 million contract</a>. However, a brutal second-half slump followed his initial success.</p><p>Tucker hit .225 with a .690 OPS, five homers and 21 RBI over his final 53 games. A hairline fracture in his hand contributed to the sudden downturn. And a <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/chicago-cubs/cubs-news-kyle-tucker-il-calf-strain">calf strain led to an IL stint</a> that cost Tucker 21 games in September. Unfortunately, the skid continued in the playoffs as he managed just one extra-base hit and one RBI in eight postseason games.</p><p>Still, the 28-year-old outfielder produced a 143 OPS+ and 4.5bWAR. Clubs realize that Tucker is elite when healthy. And teams will be vying for his services in free agency.</p><p>The Dodgers figure to be players in a long-term Tucker deal. Los Angeles doesn’t balk at lofty price tags, and the team is in need of a corner outfielder. If the Dodgers sign Tucker, he would play right field and Teoscar Hernandez would shift to left, per Feinsand.</p><p>The Yankees could also make a run for the veteran outfielder. New York figures to lose Cody Bellinger or Trent Grisham – or possibly both – in free agency. Tucker’s left-handed bat would be a good fit in Yankee Stadium, and the team has the resources to make a massive deal.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

MLB rumors: Why Dodgers, Yankees are threats to steal Kyle Tucker from Cubs

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb/chicago-cubs/cubs-news-michael-busch-pete-crow-armstrong-disapointment-nlds-loss-brewers');   ga('set', 'title', 'Cubs’ Michael Busch, Pete Crow-Armstrong share disapointment over NLDS loss to Brewers');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Cubs-center-fielder-Pete-Crow-Armstrong.jpg"><figcaption>© Matt Marton-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Cubs’ Michael Busch, Pete Crow-Armstrong share disapointment over NLDS loss to Brewers</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-10-12T06:54:56-07:00">October 12th, 6:54am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-10-12T06:54:56-07:00">October 12th, 6:54am</time><address><a>Gerard Angelo Samillano</a>Gerard Angelo Samillano is an Associate Editor for ClutchPoints, with his focus primarily on the NBA, NFL, MLB and NCAA Football. When he's not writing for CP, Gerard can often be seen playing VALORANT or playing pick-up basketball.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Chicago Cubs</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Chicago Cubs’ promising 2025 season came to an abrupt end on Saturday night. Facing the Milwaukee Brewers in Game 5 of the National League Divisional Series, Chicago’s batters couldn’t get anything going against Milwaukee’s vaunted pitching. The result is an <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/chicago-cubs/cubs-news-craig-counsell-silver-lining-nlds-game-5-loss-brewers">ugly 3-1 loss that sent the Cubs packing</a> and rethinking their decisions this season.</p><p>After the game, Cubs stars Michael Busch and Pete Crow-Armstrong expressed their disappointment with their early exit from the MLB playoffs. Busch lamented the loss, saying that it’s tough for this team to lose this early, and pointed to their close relationships as a team.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Michael Busch reacts to the Cubs’ season-ending loss in NLDS Game 5. <a href="https://t.co/vTD7m6Jfjh">pic.twitter.com/vTD7m6Jfjh</a></p><p>— Marquee Sports Network (@WatchMarquee) <a href="https://twitter.com/WatchMarquee/status/1977213251848131045?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 12, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://instagram.com/embed.js"></script></p></figure><p>Crow-Armstong was emotional during the post-game interview, too. The Cubs star said that despite the heartbreak of the early exit, he still enjoyed his time with the team and that they did well this year.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Michael Busch reacts to the Cubs’ season-ending loss in NLDS Game 5. <a href="https://t.co/vTD7m6Jfjh">pic.twitter.com/vTD7m6Jfjh</a></p><p>— Marquee Sports Network (@WatchMarquee) <a href="https://twitter.com/WatchMarquee/status/1977213251848131045?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 12, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://instagram.com/embed.js"></script></p></figure><p>The Cubs had a chance at history in Game 5. After starting off the Brewers series 0-2, Chicago clawed their way back to tie the series after Game 4. Had they won in Game 5, they would have been just the 11th team to win a best-of-five series after going down two games. However, facing a gauntlet of pitchers headed by Trevor Megill and Jacob Misiorowski, Chicago just couldn’t get anything going. They got just four hits throughout the game, with the lone run coming off a Seiya Suzuki blast. Busch went 1-for-3 with a hit and a walk, while PCA was held hitless in three at-bats, striking out once.</p><p>The<a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/chicago-cubs/cubs-news-fans-down-dumps-after-nlds-loss-brewers"> Cubs will now head into the offseason with a ton of questions</a>. They had an excellent start to the season, but a slight slip and a resurgence from the Brewers allowed the Brew Crew to take the division lead. That lead proved to make a difference, as the deciding Game 5 of the season was not played in Wrigley Field, but rather in American Family Field.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Cubs’ Michael Busch, Pete Crow-Armstrong share disapointment over NLDS loss to Brewers

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb/chicago-cubs/cubs-news-craig-counsell-silver-lining-nlds-game-5-loss-brewers');   ga('set', 'title', 'Cubs’ Craig Counsell reveals one silver lining in NLDS Game 5 loss to Brewers');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Cubs-manager-Craig-Counsell.jpg"><figcaption>Mandatory Credit: © Jovanny Hernandez / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY Sports</figcaption></figure><h1>Cubs’ Craig Counsell reveals one silver lining in NLDS Game 5 loss to Brewers</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-10-12T06:40:46-07:00">October 12th, 6:40am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-10-12T06:40:46-07:00">October 12th, 6:40am</time><address><a>Rishabh Bhatnagar</a>Rishabh is a seasoned NBA and sports journalist and editor with over seven years of experience working for reputed organizations. A novelist first and foremost, he has written three fiction books. His high threshold of knowledge combined with his writing skills gives him the ability to write uniquely insightful pieces across basketball, soccer, cricket, lawn tennis, eSports, and a variety of other sports.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Chicago Cubs</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/chicago-cubs/cubs-news-fans-down-dumps-after-nlds-loss-brewers">Chicago Cubs lost Game 5 of their National League Division Series</a> against the Milwaukee Brewers 3-1, concluding their 2025 season. In what was a tame loss, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/chicago-cubs/cubs-news-seiya-suzuki-takes-jacob-misiorowski-deep-huge-game-5-blast">the Cubs did not score in the first inning for the first time in the series</a> and were held to just six baserunners through the game.</p><p>However, manager Craig Counsell still managed to find a silver lining.</p><p>“I’m disappointed, I’m sad. I think this team did a lot to honor the Chicago Cub uniform in the big picture. That’s how I feel, but what did we do wrong tonight is what we get stuck on, so it’s hard to get past that right now,” <a href="https://x.com/WatchMarquee/status/1977209290969493911?t=srZhsUzvCxBqFbJHvHJ-KQ&amp;s=19" rel="noopener">he said post-game</a>, per Marquee Sports Network.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">“I’m disappointed, I’m sad. I think this team did a lot to honor the Chicago Cub uniform.”</p><p>Craig Counsell following tonight’s season-ending loss. <a href="https://t.co/0erFpDSKmJ">pic.twitter.com/0erFpDSKmJ</a></p><p>— Marquee Sports Network (@WatchMarquee) <a href="https://twitter.com/WatchMarquee/status/1977209290969493911?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 12, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>William Contreras opened the scoring with a first-inning solo homer as Seiya Suzuki brought things level in the second inning. Contreras’s shot made it five straight games with a first-inning homer in the series.</p><p>Regardless, Milwaukee reclaimed the lead on a go-ahead solo homer and added insurance when Brice Turang homered after what has proven to be a rough series. The Cubs’ best chance came in the sixth when two reached with none out, but Aaron Ashby struck out Tucker and the rally stalled.</p><p>Chad Patrick bridged five outs to Abner Uribe, who secured a two-inning save, allowed only a walk, and finished a nine-pitch ninth.</p><p>“That’s a good baseball team. It’s a team that deserves and earned their way for the right to go to the World Series.” Counsell <a href="https://www.mlb.com/news/brewers-win-2025-nlds-vs-cubs" rel="noopener">said post-game</a>, clearly proud of his team, per MLB.com.</p><p>Regardless, the Cubs end what will be viewed as a successful season. Finishing 92-70, the Cubs produced their first season since 2018 with more than 90 wins and qualified for the playoffs for the first time since 2020. The win snapped Milwaukee’s recent one-and-done October pattern and sent them to the NLCS vs. the Los Angeles Dodgers.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Cubs’ Craig Counsell reveals one silver lining in NLDS Game 5 loss to Brewers

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb/chicago-cubs/cubs-news-kyle-tucker-doesnt-know-future-2026-free-agency');   ga('set', 'title', 'Cubs’ Kyle Tucker ‘doesn’t know’ what the future holds before 2026 free agency');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Chicago-Cubs-outfielder-Kyle-Tucker-3.jpg"><figcaption>Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption></figure><h1>Cubs’ Kyle Tucker ‘doesn’t know’ what the future holds before 2026 free agency</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-10-12T05:41:45-07:00">October 12th, 5:41am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-10-12T05:41:45-07:00">October 12th, 5:41am</time><address><a>Rishabh Bhatnagar</a>Rishabh is a seasoned NBA and sports journalist and editor with over seven years of experience working for reputed organizations. A novelist first and foremost, he has written three fiction books. His high threshold of knowledge combined with his writing skills gives him the ability to write uniquely insightful pieces across basketball, soccer, cricket, lawn tennis, eSports, and a variety of other sports.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Chicago Cubs</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/chicago-cubs/cubs-news-fans-down-dumps-after-nlds-loss-brewers">Chicago Cubs’ season came to an end after losing their National League Division Series</a> against the Milwaukee Brewers. The Cubs fought back from a 2-0 deficit to force a Game 5 but fell short, losing 3-1 at American Family Field.</p><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/chicago-cubs/cubs-news-kyle-tucker-wrigley-field-fans">The Cubs acquired Kyle Tucker from the Houston Astros</a> in December 2024, with the right fielder now set to enter free agency.</p><p>“We’ll see what happens. I don’t know what the future’s going to hold, but if not I want to play with all these guys and I wish everyone best of luck whether I play next year or not for them. It’s really a fun group to be a part of,” Tucker said when asked if the ideal outcome would be signing a long-term deal with the Cubs, per Marquee Sports Network.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">"We'll see what happens. I don't know what the future's going to hold."</p><p>Kyle Tucker on his upcoming free agency. <a href="https://t.co/ZzbDMEK0m0">pic.twitter.com/ZzbDMEK0m0</a></p><p>— Marquee Sports Network (@WatchMarquee) <a href="https://twitter.com/WatchMarquee/status/1977216551213273475?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 12, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>Tucker’s start to life at the Cubs was extremely positive. Until the fractured right hand that he suffered in June, he had a .291/.395/.533 stat line that earned him his fourth consecutive All-Star appearance.</p><p>However, he suffered another calf strain in September, which slowed him down as he finished with a statline of .266/.377/.464 with 22 homers, 73 RBIs, and 25 steals over 136 games. In Game 5 against the Brewers, the 28-year-old went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts.</p><p>“I don’t really know right now. I was more worried about the game tonight and everything. I’ll kind of get through this today and worry about that a little later,” Tucker <a href="https://www.espn.in/mlb/story/_/id/46570358/kyle-tucker-unsure-cubs-return-free-agency-looms" rel="noopener">said post-game</a> about a potential contract, per ESPN.</p><p>“I think this team is really, really talented. A great group of guys. And I can definitely see this team having a lot of success in the future,” he continued, with some estimates claiming that he should command a contract in the region of $300 million in the coming offseason.</p><p>Regardless, as things stand, it is unclear whether the Cubs will truly have an advantage, with multiple other teams expected to show interest in free agency.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Cubs’ Kyle Tucker ‘doesn’t know’ what the future holds before 2026 free agency

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb/chicago-cubs/cubs-news-fans-down-dumps-after-nlds-loss-brewers');   ga('set', 'title', 'Cubs fans down in the dumps after NLDS loss to the Brewers');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Ian-Happ.jpg"><figcaption>Michael McLoone-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Cubs fans down in the dumps after NLDS loss to the Brewers</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-10-11T22:43:37-07:00">October 11th, 10:43pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-10-11T22:59:32-07:00">October 11th, 10:59pm</time><address><a>Mike Gianakos</a>Mike Gianakos is the former editor-in-chief of High Times magazine, where he also spearheaded the video department and event production. He is a longtime podcaster and even longer suffering NY Jets fan.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Chicago Cubs</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Chicago Cubs fell short against the Milwaukee Brewers in Saturday’s winner-take-all NLDS finale. The Cubs came back from an 0-2 hole when the series shifted to Chicago. The crowd at <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/chicago-cubs/cubs-news-pete-crow-armstrong-claims-wrigley-field-crowd-is-like-10th-player">Wrigley Field provided a boost</a> as the team forced a decisive Game 5. But the Brewers are moving on after holding the Cubs to one run in their NLDS-clinching win.</p><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/chicago-cubs/cubs-news-drew-pomeranz-game-5-nlds-brewers">Drew Pomeranz got the start</a> in Game 5 for Chicago. The veteran reliever made an incredible comeback after missing over three seasons following elbow surgery in 2021. But William Contreras put a damper on the inspiring story with a solo home run in the first inning.</p><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/chicago-cubs/cubs-news-seiya-suzuki-takes-jacob-misiorowski-deep-huge-game-5-blast">Seiya Suzuki tied the game</a> with a homer off Jacob Misiorowski in the top of the second. The Cubs then turned to their bullpen, sending Colin Rea in for Pomeranz. Rea worked two strong innings before an Andrew Vaughn solo shot gave the Brewers a 2-1 lead.</p><h2><b>Cubs fall short in NLDS finale</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Cubs.jpg"><figcaption>Mark Hoffman-USA TODAY Network via Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Both teams’ bullpens worked efficiently into the seventh inning as the game developed into a tense duel. But Brice Turang created some breathing room for Milwaukee with the fourth solo home run of the game. Abner Uribe then took the mound and slammed the door on the Cubs, closing out the 3-1 victory and sending the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/milwaukee-brewers/brewers-news-nlds-win-fans-frenzy-sets-up-date-dodgers">Brewers to the NLCS</a>.</p><p>It’s a disappointing finish for a Chicago team that appeared ready for a deep postseason run.  Unfortunately for Cubs fans, the club’s big bats were quiet Saturday.</p><p>The Brewers allowed one run on four hits and one walk while striking out eight batters. Kyle Tucker, Ian Happ and Pete Crow-Armstrong combined to go 0-11 with five strikeouts in Game 5. Tucker, Chicago’s marquee offseason addition, had one extra-base hit and one RBI in eight playoff games.</p><p>After the tough loss, Cubs fans weighed in on the series.</p><p><a href="https://x.com/alexsalvinews/status/1977205387045814598" rel="noopener">Alex Salvi</a> wrote:<br>“The silver lining in that loss is that it makes the decision easy for the front office: Let Tucker walk; move on from Happ. Spend on starting pitching and a couple big bats.”</p><p><a href="https://x.com/hcxk11/status/1977204296954356099" rel="noopener">Hector Campos</a> added:<br>“Ship Happ off to the moon it’s time”</p><p><a href="https://x.com/PackBrewTalk/status/1977206916318101906" rel="noopener">Cheesehead</a> commented:<br>“PCA under the brightest of lights DID ABSOLUTELY NOTHING like a true mvp!!”</p><p><a href="https://x.com/_Nathanstefanov/status/1977207387938283573" rel="noopener">Nathan Stefanov</a> added:<br>“Kyle Tucker is gone. He is one of the worst players on this roster. 500m for what? He deserves absolutely nothing. He is the most non competitive low leverage player in the mlb.”</p><p><a href="https://x.com/mayorofbarlow/status/1977229593791889783" rel="noopener">Mayor of Barlow</a> wrote:<br>“Disappointed? Sure. Proud of our boys? You bet!!! Looking forward to next year and the chapters to be written with this team”</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="qme">😞 <a href="https://t.co/D8JNNLo9Ik">pic.twitter.com/D8JNNLo9Ik</a></p><p>— RavanTheSportsFan52 (@the_fan52) <a href="https://twitter.com/the_fan52/status/1977206236337815697?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 12, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="qme"> <a href="https://t.co/uNCoAP7IWo">pic.twitter.com/uNCoAP7IWo</a></p><p>— 🦇 (@deathstrawberyy) <a href="https://twitter.com/deathstrawberyy/status/1977214618175975871?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 12, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Cubs fans down in the dumps after NLDS loss to the Brewers

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb/chicago-cubs/cubs-news-caitlin-clark-wishes-chicago-good-luck-vs-brewers');   ga('set', 'title', 'Caitlin Clark wishes Cubs good luck vs. Brewers');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Caitlin-Clark_70308c.jpg"><figcaption>Grace Smith/INDIANAPOLIS STAR-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Caitlin Clark wishes Cubs good luck vs. Brewers</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-10-11T19:39:29-07:00">October 11th, 7:39pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-10-11T19:39:58-07:00">October 11th, 7:39pm</time><address><a>Alex House</a>Alex House is a sports journalist who covers the NFL, NBA, and MLB for ClutchPoints. He grew up in a New York sports-heavy region in Connecticut and earned his journalism degree at the University of Rhode Island. His in-depth knowledge of two of the most passionate and raucous fan bases in the country gives him a truly unique writing voice.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Chicago Cubs</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark had a miserable second season in the WNBA, as <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/wnba/indiana-fever/fever-news-indiana-gm-brutally-honest-claim-caitlin-clarks-efforts-return-from-injury">lower-body injuries</a> limited her to only 13 games. She got to watch her teammates dig deep and nearly earn an improbable trip to the WNBA Finals, but she obviously wanted to be on the court with them. Despite all the challenges the 23-year-old sensation endured this year, she is still staying upbeat. Healthy distractions are always good in these times, and Clark has found one in the Chicago Cubs.</p><p>The Iowa native and former Hawkeyes juggernaut <a href="https://x.com/CaitlinClark22/status/1977169500991562028" rel="noopener">expressed support for the North Siders</a> during a <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/chicago-cubs/cubs-fans-will-love-craig-counsells-going-to-la-declaration-before-game-5">winner-take-all Game 5</a> of the National League Division Series. “Come on Cubbies!!!!!” she posted on X, amid the team’s tense battle versus the top-seeded Milwaukee Brewers on Saturday night.</p><p>The Cubs, whose Triple A club is located near Clark’s hometown of West Des Moines, are one of the trickier squads to evaluate this season.</p><h2><b>What do we make of the 2025 Cubs?</b></h2><p>Following four straight years without a playoff berth, a 92-70 record and NL Wild Card Series victory over the San Diego Padres should constitute a success. Losing on the road to the team that dominated the league for a lengthy period of time in 2025 certainly would not seem like a failure.</p><p>But this roster is built for ultimate success. The Cubs, on paper, have the type of lineup that should devastate opposing pitching in the playoffs. Furthermore, there is no telling if Chicago will get this opportunity again next year. Star outfielder <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/chicago-cubs/why-kyle-tuckers-future-with-cubs-will-be-determined-october">Kyle Tucker will be a free agent</a> at the end of the campaign and could be at the center of a fierce bidding war. Fans waited almost a decade to see a championship-caliber team take the field. They know as well as anyone that those circumstances are not guaranteed to pop up again the following season.</p><p>Unfortunately, though, the city may have no choice but to turn its attention to 2026. Chicago trails Milwaukee 3-1 in the ninth inning at time of print. Caitlin Clark and the throngs of Cubs supporters out there will watch intently to see if the historic franchise can channel some October heroics.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Caitlin Clark wishes Cubs good luck vs. Brewers

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb/chicago-cubs/cubs-news-seiya-suzuki-takes-jacob-misiorowski-deep-huge-game-5-blast');   ga('set', 'title', 'Cubs’ Seiya Suzuki takes Jacob Misiorowski deep with huge Game 5 blast');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Cubs-Seiya-Suzuki-hits-home-run-vs.-Brewers.jpg"><figcaption>Benny Sieu-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Cubs’ Seiya Suzuki takes Jacob Misiorowski deep with huge Game 5 blast</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-10-11T18:33:24-07:00">October 11th, 6:33pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-10-11T18:52:09-07:00">October 11th, 6:52pm</time><address><a>Alex House</a>Alex House is a sports journalist who covers the NFL, NBA, and MLB for ClutchPoints. He grew up in a New York sports-heavy region in Connecticut and earned his journalism degree at the University of Rhode Island. His in-depth knowledge of two of the most passionate and raucous fan bases in the country gives him a truly unique writing voice.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Chicago Cubs</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>There was a time during the regular season when the Chicago Cubs looked like the most complete team in baseball. Their pitching staff certainly got the job done, but it was their hard-hitting lineup that had fans feeling ecstatic about their possible World Series chances. The bats froze in the second half of the campaign, however, and the Milwaukee Brewers overtook the North Siders and the rest of the NL. But October offers everyone a fresh start, and the Cubbies are taking advantage.</p><p>Seiya Suzuki, who is slugging like his first-half self this postseason, <a href="https://x.com/ClutchPoints/status/1977169875077660762" rel="noopener">belted a solo home run</a> off Brewers rookie right-handed pitcher Jacob Misiorowski in the second inning. That 390-foot blast tied the score at 1-1 in Game 5 of the National League Division Series. The 101.4 mph four-seam fastball is <a href="https://x.com/JesseRogersESPN/status/1977170021953761686" rel="noopener">the fastest homer</a> the 31-year-old has hit in his MLB career, per ESPN’s Jesse Rogers.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Seiya Suzuki takes Jacob Misiorowski deep on a 101.4 MPH fastball to tie the game 🔥<a href="https://t.co/0Xe1vHhYRn">pic.twitter.com/0Xe1vHhYRn</a></p><p>— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPoints/status/1977169875077660762?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 12, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>If Suzuki and this offense can regain their early-season brilliance, then maybe Chicago can realign the NL Central hierarchy in this series. The No. 4 seed has already showcased elite power in the playoffs, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/chicago-cubs/cubs-news-bonkers-feat-nlds-game-4-not-seen-before">becoming the first team</a> to hit a home run in the first inning in four consecutive games of the same postseason series. The Cubs got a late start on Saturday, but a second-inning shot will do the trick as well.</p><p>Since the Brewers pitched Freddy Peralta on Thursday and do <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/milwaukee-brewers/brewers-news-brandon-woodruff-nlds-manager-100-claim">not have a healthy Brandon Woodruff</a> to turn to in this do-or-die matchup, Chicago may have a prime opportunity to pounce on Milwaukee pitching. Thus far, though, the Seiya Suzuki home run is the only big mistake the 23-year-old Misiorowski has made in Game 5. The Brew Crew leads 2-1 in the fifth inning at time of print.</p><p>Cubs manager Craig Counsell will need the Japanese slugger, Kyle Tucker, Michael Busch, Pete Crow-Armstrong and the rest of this squad to meet the moment in American Family Field.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Cubs’ Seiya Suzuki takes Jacob Misiorowski deep with huge Game 5 blast

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb/chicago-cubs/cubs-news-craig-counsell-drops-best-baseball-take-on-mariners-tigers-alds-classic');   ga('set', 'title', 'Cubs’ Craig Counsell drops ‘best baseball’ take on Mariners-Tigers ALDS classic');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Cubs-manager-Craig-Counsell_dfcd7c.jpg?w=1024"><figcaption>Mandatory Credit: David Banks-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Cubs’ Craig Counsell drops ‘best baseball’ take on Mariners-Tigers ALDS classic</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-10-11T16:09:51-07:00">October 11th, 4:09pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-10-11T16:09:51-07:00">October 11th, 4:09pm</time><address><a href="https://linktr.ee/jordan.llanes">Jordan Llanes</a>Jordan Llanes is a sports writer and reporter based in Florida. In addition to ClutchPoints, he writes for a few other publications covering the NFL, college sports and Tottenham Hotspur. When he's not writing, Jordan enjoys spending time with his fiancée, cats, family and friends, as well as catching the latest TV shows and movies, and traveling.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Chicago Cubs</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>As the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/chicago-cubs/cubs-fans-will-love-craig-counsells-going-to-la-declaration-before-game-5">Chicago Cubs prepare for their</a> NL Division Series (NLDS) Game 5 matchup Saturday evening, manager Craig Counsell took some time to speak with the press. When asked about the 15-inning instant classic played by the Seattle Mariners and Detroit Tigers in ALDS Game 5, Counsell was <a href="https://x.com/BNightengale/status/1977128694524043332" rel="noopener">effusive about the matchup.</a> USA Today’s Bob Nightengale shared Counsell’s praise via X, formerly Twitter.</p><p>“That’s the best baseball has to offer,” Counsell said to Nightengale ahead of Game 5.</p><p>Indeed, it was. Many consider last night’s marathon between the Tigers and Mariners to be one of the best depictions of playoff baseball. During the postseason, the regular season’s extra innings “ghost runner” rule is not in effect. So, each team doesn’t start with a runner on second base during the additional frame(s). The game will be played until a winner is determined, no matter how long it takes. As the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/mlb-stories/3-bold-predictions-cubs-brewers-nlds-game-5">Cubs prepare for their own</a> Game 5 matchup, will they also need 15 innings to complete a historic comeback against the Brewers?</p><h2><b>Can the Cubs complete a comeback, defeat Brewers to capture NLDS?</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Cubs-RP-Drew-Pomeranz.jpg"><figcaption>Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/milwaukee-brewers/brewers-news-nlds-game-5-starter">Counsell and his Brewers counterpart,</a> Pat Murphy, have both elected to start relievers as the openers of Game 5. The Cubs will send veteran lefty Drew Pomeranz to the bump, while the Brewers will counter with Trevor Megill. It’s just a sign of how much baseball has changed in the past 20 years. Since both sides have combined for over 20 runs in the first inning of this NLDS, Counsell and Murphy’s strategies do make sense.</p><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/chicago-cubs/cubs-news-drew-pomeranz-game-5-nlds-brewers">Pomeranz has plenty of postseason</a> experience, pitching for the Boston Red Sox, San Diego Padres, and Brewers in the annual tournament. In 14 playoff games, the 36-year-old is 1-1 with a 3.24 ERA and 19 strikeouts in 16.2 innings. He has the trust of Counsell. The entire Cubs pitching staff, outside of Matthew Boyd, should be available to pitch, according to the manager. How many arms will Chicago need to secure a Game 5 victory on the road in Milwaukee? Knowing Counsell, he’ll do whatever it takes to make sure the Cubbies return to the NL Championship Series for the first time since 2017.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Cubs’ Craig Counsell drops ‘best baseball’ take on Mariners-Tigers ALDS classic

2025 SEASON STATS
IP	ERA	K	WHIP	WINS
478	3.95	127	1.25	11

2025 SEASON STATS
IP	ERA	K	WHIP	WINS
478	3.95	127	1.25	11

Colin
Rea

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