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One trade, one signing Cubs should make
Miami Marlins starting pitcher Edward Cabrera. Rhona Wise-USA TODAY Sports

One trade, one signing Cubs should make

Making news early in the offseason by hiring new manager Craig Counsell away from their division-rival Milwaukee Brewers, the Chicago Cubs have been quiet as free agency has opened. With Shohei Ohtani finally making his decision to sign with the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Cubs can shift their focus to reality and try to improve a team that won 83 games last season.

Trade: Acquire RHP Edward Cabrera from the Miami Marlins

With a right arm possessing some of the most electric stuff in baseball, 25-year-old Marlins pitcher Edward Cabrera is reportedly a name being floated around on the trade market that would fit perfectly with the Cubs.

Going 7-7 with a 4.24 ERA and 118 strikeouts in 99.2 innings pitched in 2023, the right-hander has yet to throw over 100 innings in the majors in a single season as the Marlins continue to ease him into the rotation.

Under team control through 2028, Cabrera is 13-14 with a 4.01 ERA and 1.34 WHIP while striking out 221 batters over 197.2 innings pitched since his MLB debut in 2021.

While he has battled injuries throughout his young career, the potential to be a top-of-the-rotation type arm still is there and is worth the gamble for a club that is looking for arms to pair with ace pitcher Justin Steele.

With pitchers Kyle Hendricks, Jameson Taillon and Javier Assad all returning, Cabrera would slide into the spot in the rotation vacated by free agent Marcus Stroman.

Signing: Re-sign Cody Bellinger

This one is pretty self-explanatory, as the 28-year-old outfielder experienced a resurgence with the Cubs in 2023 after his career was on a downhill slide. 

After a historic start to his career with the Los Angeles Dodgers that included a Rookie of the Year Award and National League Most Valuable Player Award in his first three seasons in MLB, he struggled to the point that he was allowed to become a free agent last offseason. 

He chose to sign a one-year, $17.5M deal with the Cubs and posted his best season since 2019, slashing .307/.356/.525 with 56 extra-base hits, 97 RBI and 20 stolen bases while playing Gold Glove-caliber defense in center field and at first base. 

After playing such an integral part in the Cubs success in 2023, Bellinger figures to be a top priority as they look to continue building a playoff baseball team in Chicago. 

While there is the risk that he could go back to his previous struggles, Bellinger's gamble on himself paid off as he is projected to secure a contract of around seven years, $150M this offseason according to Sportrac's calculated market value.

A player with as many accolades as Bellinger has hitting the open market again is sure to generate plenty of interest from all of the clubs looking for an offensive upgrade this offseason after passing on him last year.

Michael Carpenter

Michael is a California kid, living in Arizona as a graduate of The Cronkite School of Journalism, Forks Up. He believes Yadier Molina will be in the Hall, and Dez caught it. Michael njoys spending his free time with his amazing wife and two beautiful daughters or playing video games. You can find him on Twitter @_MCSports.

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TODAY'S BEST

ESPN Predicts Mets-Twins Trade One Week Before Deadline
MLB

ESPN Predicts Mets-Twins Trade One Week Before Deadline

The New York Mets are a half-game ahead of the Philadelphia Phillies for first place in the NL East, but their pitching staff is still injury-ravaged despite the recent returns of Sean Manaea and Frankie Montas. Brandon Waddell (hip), Dedniel Nuñez (elbow), Max Kranick (flexor), Paul Blackburn (shoulder), Tylor Megill (elbow), Griffin Canning (Achilles), Drew Smith (elbow), A.J. Minter (lat), Danny Young (elbow), and Christian Scott (elbow) are alll on the Mets' IL. The MLB Trade Deadline is July 31 at 6 p.m. EST, so the front office has one week to add healthy arms from around the league this season. ESPN's David Schoenfield predicted on Thursday that New York would trade for a Minnesota Twins reliever. "One guarantee of the trade deadline: The Mets will add to the bullpen, probably with more than one trade. Though the rotation still ranks fifth in ERA, that was built off a hot start," he wrote. "More importantly, the only Mets starter to complete six innings since June 7 has been David Peterson. As a result, manager Carlos Mendoza has run relievers Reed Garrett, Huascar Brazoban, Jose Butto and Ryne Stanek into the ground. The bullpen had a 2.78 ERA through May, but that figure is over 5.00 since the beginning of June (ranking near the bottom of the majors)." "The Twins have two high-profile relievers in [Jhoan] Duran and [Griffin] Jax, both of whom are under team control through 2027, so they'll be much more expensive than your usual short-term relievers if the Twins decide to trade one or both," he continued. "Duran would be harder to deal -- but bring more in return -- so we'll say Jax will go. Don't be fooled by his 4.09 ERA: He has 68 strikeouts and 12 walks in 44 innings with a 97-mph heater. He's an elite strikeout reliever, the type you want on the mound in October." The Mets are hot despite their injuries, as they're on a four-game winning streak and just swept the Los Angeles Angels. Next up is a road trip against the San Francisco Giants and San Diego Padres. New York right-handed pitcher Clay Holmes (8-5, 3.48 ERA) will face Giants right-hander Logan Webb (9-7, 3.08 ERA) on Friday.

‘In What World Does This Make Sense?????’: Oilers and $63M Forward
NHL

‘In What World Does This Make Sense?????’: Oilers and $63M Forward

According to some, throw out the idea that the Edmonton Oilers should pursue Max Pacioretty. A veteran forward who has earned over $63 million over the course of his NHL career has yet to sign an NHL contract and was recently mentioned in a post by David Staples as a possible fit. In a recent post, the Journal noted, “All of the top NHL unrestricted free agents have already signed contracts, but there’s one big name player still available that makes good sense for the Edmonton Oilers to pursue.” Responses have been varied, with a few quite vocal about the Oilers not following Staples’ advice. “In what world does this make sense?????” writes a commenter on a recent post for The Hockey Writers. Another commenter wrote, “Pacioretty is a good journeyman player but he is injury prone now, late in his career. Oilers might be lucky to get 40 games out of him. They should look elsewhere instead of taking a chance on Patches.” Tyler Yaremchuk of Oilers Nation chimed in and said, “He scored five goals in 37 games last year with the Toronto Maple Leafs. Can’t stay healthy, very old, very slow.” Yaremchuk then went on a rant, listing several Oilers forwards who would be better than Pacioretty. What About Pacioretty on a PTO? Is there any reason that a team that is looking to get younger and faster, and move out depth pieces that were older and less productive than expected, would revert back to last summer’s strategy? It seems like an odd choice on the surface. Something would have to happen that would make giving Pacioretty a look risk-free. That means only a PTO. Even at that point, should he agree, it would require him to be willing to sign a two-way contract for the league minimum.

Bengals finally reach agreement with first-rounder Shemar Stewart
NFL

Bengals finally reach agreement with first-rounder Shemar Stewart

The Cincinnati Bengals have finally reached an agreement with first-round pick Shemar Stewart, putting an end to what became the story of the offseason for the team. Stewart, drafted 17th overall in this year's draft, has finally agreed to a four-year, fully guaranteed $18.97 million deal that includes a $10.4 million signing bonus, according to his agent Zac Hiller of LAA. Now with this deal done, every first-round pick is signed. The road to this deal was a bumpy ride. For months, negotiations between Stewart’s camp and the Bengals front office stalled due to disagreements over contract language, particularly around guarantees. The team pushed to include contract language that could void the deal under certain off-field circumstances, but since other Bengals first-round picks did not face similar terms, Stewart stood firm and refused to sign. Both sides remained firm throughout the offseason, leading to a long standoff and a lot of reports of frustration from both sides. Despite the frustration and disagreement, the Bengals and Stewart’s group continued to engage in conversations, trying to find a resolution to the issue. And finally, after weeks of back and forth and weeks of controversy surrounding what Stewart may be forced to do, both parties appear to have met in the middle and found common ground. For the Bengals, getting Stewart signed and ready for training camp is a major win. Stewart was viewed as a developmental prospect who needed plenty of on-field reps to reach his full potential. Stewart's absence from earlier camps had slowed a lot of his progress. With the contract dispute resolved, he can now focus entirely on gaining important reps and continuing his development over the coming weeks. Now with this contract done and over with, the team can put their full focus on Trey Hendrickson, who is also seeking a long term deal. If the Bengals can get a deal done with Trey before the season kicks off, they would secure their edge-rushing room for not only 2025, but for years beyond. For a team looking to go all in on making the playoffs, signing Stewart was long overdue. Now it will be vital for the team to get Stewart up to speed with the rest of the roster, and allow him to get as many reps as possible before the 2025 season begins.

Davante Adams discusses time with Jets, Aaron Rodgers reunion
NFL

Davante Adams discusses time with Jets, Aaron Rodgers reunion

The reunion between quarterback Aaron Rodgers and wide receiver Davante Adams in 2024 was brief. After nearly two and a half years apart, the longtime Green Bay Packers duo attempted to rekindle their connection with the New York Jets. Adams worked his way to the Jets early in the 2024 season, dealt from the Las Vegas Raiders in exchange for a third-round pick in October. While the chemistry between them wasn't bad, the results spoke otherwise, as everything spiraled out of control in New York, ending in a 5-12 season. The star receiver was released by the club in March before joining the Los Angeles Rams in free agency, while Rodgers was handed the same fate, signing with the Pittsburgh Steelers in June. Adams was asked about Rodgers being his opponent again during an appearance on the "Up and Adams" show on Friday. “Aaron’s got to be happy. I mean, I’m happy for him. We both, we got to try it again together and gave that another shot. That stone wasn’t left unturned; we did what we had to do, and it just obviously didn’t work. Just like for me, I wish him nothing but luck, and I know he’s going to go out there and ball out too,” Adams said. Adams wound up amassing 67 receptions, 854 yards and seven touchdowns in 11 games as a Jet with Rodgers, per ESPN stats, averaging 77.6 yards per game, much higher than his previous season in Las Vegas. Two of the legendary quarterback's four NFL MVPs were won with Adams being his top target from 2020 to 2022. At their best, they were borderline unstoppable, though postseason shortcomings haunted them in the end. There's no doubting how good a QB-WR duo these two were in Green Bay; however, all that occurred in New York made it obvious that a change was necessary. The Rodgers-led Steelers and Adams and the Rams will have plenty of eyeballs on them in 2025. Unfortunately for fans, the two teams don't play each other this season... unless they find a way to meet up in San Francisco for Super Bowl LX in February.

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