The Cubs Convention is over, the Bears’ fine season is, too, and only the Blackhawks remain standing in the playoff hunt. But there is hope for the 2026 Cubs squad, after a couple of major and quite a few minor signings, with only a couple of roster decisions to make unless something special happens.
Marquee Sports Network has a ton of clips from CubsCon. Those of us who are not in the Chicago area had to follow by proxy.
The Pitch Lab is going to have plenty of experimental subjects.
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- Will Leitch (MLB.com*): 10 years after historic title, are Cubs ready to be back on top? “Even with Tucker gone, this team has leveled up this offseason.“
- Maddie Lee (Chicago Sun-Times* {$}): World Series reunion at Cubs Convention celebrates 2016, ignites ‘itch’ for 2026. “Saturday’s Cubs Convention schedule was headlined by a panel of retired players from the 2016 World Series team.”
- Jordan Bastian (MLB.com*): Newfound pitching depth has Cubs hurlers hyped for ’26. “All these guys just make me feel bad about myself with their velocity and stuff,” Taillon said.
- Mike McGraw (Daily Herald* {$}): Lester likes Cubs’ chances to take another step in 2026. “At the end of the day, it’s kind of like defense in football — starters win you championships,” Lester said.
- Chandler Rome and Ken Rosenthal (The Athletic {$}): Ryan Pressly to retire after 13 seasons as reliever for Twins, Astros and Cubs. “It’s bittersweet, but what a ride it’s been.”
- Sahadev Sharma (The Athletic {$}): Without a spot in Cubs’ infield, what happens to Matt Shaw? “I played outfield growing up a lot. I look forward to running around out there,” Shaw said.
Food For Thought:
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