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Buzz Growing That Bears Hope To Do This Early In NFL Draft

By
Erik Lambert
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chicago bears 2017 draft
CHICAGO, IL - APRIL 30: NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell announces that Kevin White of the West Virginia Mountaineers is picked #7 overall by the Chicago Bears during the first round of the 2015 NFL Draft at the Auditorium Theatre of Roosevelt University on April 30, 2015 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)

There are those Chicago Bears fans who revel in not having any clue what their team will do in the NFL draft. Then there are those who can’t stand it. Based on standard protocol under the current regime, the latter group must be feeling ill. At present nobody has the slightest clue what the Bears are planning. All they can do is speculate based on knowing the teams’ needs and structure of the current draft class.

Quarterback, safety, cornerback, tight end and wide receiver all belong on the list of pressing needs. Considering this team just finished going 3-13, odds are there are others the Bears would like to fill as well. Free agency will help with that, but GM Ryan Pace isn’t known for being a splurge kind of guy. He’s always preferred to build through the draft.

In order to do that though he needs picks. He’ll have the standard amount of seven going into next April. That isn’t a bad thing. However, there is a growing rumble that the 38-year old may desire a little more flexibility than that.

Joe Maddon Confirms 2017 Opening Day Starter For The Cubs

By
Aldo Soto
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There wasn’t really much doubt, but Joe Maddon has confirmed the 2017 Opening Day starter for the Chicago Cubs.

On Wednesday, Maddon announced that lefty Jon Lester will be the Opening Day starter for the Cubs, who begin the 2017 season against the St. Louis Cardinals.

Lester had an outstanding second season with the Cubs in 2016, posting a 2.44 ERA and 1.02 WHIP in 202.2 innings. He was the clear-cut ace, even with Kyle Hendricks’ ERA title year, and started Game 1 of the NLDS, NLCS and World Series for the Cubs.

As for Hendricks, he won’t be starting the second game of the season, despite his brilliant 2016 campaign.

Jake Arrieta will be a free agent after the season ends and this may very well be his final year with the Cubs. Arrieta and the Cubs avoided arbitration this year, settling on a one-year deal worth about $15.6 million. Although there have been no reports of any contract extension talks between the two sides, Arrieta said at the start of spring training that he’d like to continue his tenure in Chicago.

We’ll see, as the soon to be 31-year-old has the best agent in the game Scott Boras, who has gotten his pitching clients $200 million contracts in the past.

As for the rest of the rotation after Lester, Arrieta and Hendricks, John Lackey will the No. 4, while Mike Montgomery and Brett Anderson will seemingly each get starts as the fifth starter.

Last quick note, on Opening Day, Lester’s first opposing batter will be Dexter Fowler.

The Cubs and Cardinals start the season on Sunday April 2, on ESPN in St. Louis.

Alshon Jeffery Drops Latest Hint of Unlikely Bears Return

By
Erik Lambert
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alshon jeffery

The Chicago Bears chose not to franchise tag Alshon Jeffery for a second time. GM Ryan Pace knows the decision was a difficult one but stated that sometimes a player has to test his value before reaching a decision. His words were quite logical, stating that it’s much easier to overcome not signing a player than it was signing him at the wrong price.

Put simply Jeffery is going to be a free agent. What nobody knows for sure is whether the Bears still have a chance to keep him. The franchise does have a history of being able to do that. They did it with Olin Kreutz and Lance Briggs. It’s all about determining what other teams will offer and seeing if Chicago can match it.

What nobody has bothered to ask is whether this sequence of events has really been about money. Recent comments by the receiver himself would seem to indicate the desire runs a bit deeper than that.

REPORT: White Sox Named The Favorites To Sign This Top International Prospect

By
Dan Fappiano
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A new report has listed the White Sox as the favorites to land the top international prospect on the market. (Photo courtesy of Charles Norfleet/Getty Images)

After making two major trades earlier this offseason the Chicago White Sox have laid low, holding on to their assets rather than moving them. While many have claimed that the team has been trigger shy, it appears that the South Siders have their eyes set on another bright young star.

Ben Badler of Baseball America has recently been tracking and documenting the status of Cuban prospect Luis Robert.

The 19 year old outfielder is arguably the best international free agent on the market. One American League scout went as far to call Robert, “the best player on the planet.”

Robert showed off his abilities in 2016-17 playing for Cuba’s Serie Nacional. He hit .401/.526/.687 with 12 home runs and 11 stolen bases over 232 plate appearances. He lead Serie Nacional in both slugging and on base percentage when he left the league in November.

Serie Nacional is essentially Cuba’s version of the MLB. It’s important to note that Robert’s impressive stat line came against players who are much older than him.

Badler touched on Robert’s potential in his latest piece, saying:

Robert has the talent of a first-round pick if he were in the draft. After he signs, he should be ready for an assignment to a low or high Class A affiliate. He has a strong, lean frame at 6-foot-3 with broad shoulders, a wide back and quick-twitch athleticism. A righthanded hitter with excellent bat speed and a sound swing, Robert has plus power with room to continue filling out and increase that in the future.

The Cuban prospect seems like the real deal. He needs more time in the minors, but he should be an impact bat in the major leagues. If he continues to build on his already impressive strength he could hit 30+ home runs in the MLB. Add in his growing speed and strength and Robert begins to look like the next great Cuban import.

When it’s all said and done, perhaps he could be the best.

From Cuba To The South Side

The White Sox already have two impressive Cuban players in Jose Abreu and Yoan Moncada. According to Badler the team is looking to add another and are considered one of the favorites to land Luis Robert.

Badler wrote:

The team that comes up the most in discussions of where Robert might land, however, is the White Sox. The Cubs, Dodgers, Giants and Royals are automatically out, since they each exceeded their pool in 2015-16 and as a penalty can’t sign anyone for more than $300,000 in either this signing period or the next one. Then most other teams are unofficially out of the mix because they have millions of dollars committed to players who will sign on July 2 in the 2017-18 signing period. If one of those clubs were to sign Robert before June 15 and blow past its bonus pool, that team wouldn’t be able to sign anyone for more than $300,000 in 2017-18. They can’t sign Robert without those commitments evaporating. And if for some reason Robert isn’t cleared until after June 15, those teams have already tied up a huge chunk of their pool space anyway.

The White Sox, though, are different. They have been laying low for the high-priced talent in the 2017-18 signing period. If Robert is not cleared until after June 15, the White Sox would have more room than most in their bonus pool to sign him. Even if Robert is cleared during the current signing period, the White Sox might just blow through their bonus pool to sign him anyway, since it wouldn’t affect their July 2 plans.

To summarize, the White Sox will have some one of the highest bonus pools during the June 15th signing. If Robert is cleared before June 15, which he is expected to be, the White Sox would be one of the team’s that could offer him the most money.

Badler goes on to say that if by chance Robert isn’t cleared by June 15th, the White Sox are willing to use most of their July 2nd pool towards the Cuban prospect.

Basically, Badler reports that whenever Robert is cleared, the Chicago White Sox will be one of his biggest suitors.

Perfect Fit (For The White Sox)

In the White Sox trades of Adam Eaton and Chris Sale, the team landed top pitching prospects in Michael Kopech, Reynaldo Lopez and Lucas Giolito. Of course Chicago landed Yoan Moncada and Luis Basabe, but overall the team’s farm system is seriously pitcher heavy.

According to MLB Pipeline of the team’s top 10 prospects, only three are hitters. Now obviously a pitching surplus is a good problem to have, but the White Sox need to work on balacing their young core.

A lineup featuring both Moncada and Robert with a pitching rotation of Kopech, Lopez, Giolito, Rodon and Fulmer could make the White Sox a deadly force in the American League.

As for Robert’s production, the international prospect would likely hit third or fourth in the lineup. With players like Moncada, Tim Anderson and Charlie Tilson ahead of him, Robert should be able to be a run producer for the Sox. Robert is an offensive juggernaut and would be quite the weapon in the middle of the team’s lineup.

Perfect Fit (For Luis Robert)

Robert should have plenty of suitors, but it should be hard for him to pass on an opportunity with the White Sox.

For one, Chicago offers him the best opportunity to make the most money. If the White Sox are serious about their interest they’ll pay whatever it costs to land him. Robert could make serious dough on the South Side.

The team also has two Cuban born players in place with Abreu and Moncada. Abreu’s presence was a big reason Moncada was brought in. Having two players of Cuban decent would help Robert’s acclimation to the MLB easier. His comfort level should be a big factor when he is picking his team.

Furthermore, at just 19 Robert will be spending atleast the next few years in the minor leagues. Let’s say he is ready for the MLB by the 2019-2020 season. The Chicago White Sox should be contenders by 2019 if they continue to rebuild properly. If Robert wants to play for a winner, the South Side could be his best bet.

Tons of cash, familiarity and a chance for a World Series ring may be too good to pass up for Robert.

Overall

The Chicago White Sox are considered one of the favorites to land top international free agent Luis Robert.

If he is deemed a free agent prior to the June 15th deadline, Chicago will have the ability to sign him for close to the highest amount possible. Regardless of when Robert is cleared by the MLB, the White Sox seem willing to spend what it takes to sign him.

The Cuban prospect has legit power and could hit 30+ home runs in the MLB. He would be an impact bat and a massive contributor once he reaches the MLB. Pairing him with Yoan Moncada and Jose Abreu could give the White Sox the most dominant 3-4-5 hitters in the MLB.

The White Sox seem like a logical fit for the 19 year old. While it would be a few years before he reached the MLB, there’s a good chance that the South Side ends up being Luis Robert’s MLB home.

 

Feel free to continue the conversation on Twitter: @DFappiano14

Patrick Kane Strikes Again With Second Hat-Trick In 3 Games As Blackhawk Beat Pittsburgh

By
Matt Barbato
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Patrick Kane went full “Hatrick” Kane mode once again during the third period of Chicago’s impressive 4-1 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins Wednesday night.

Kane worked his hat-trick magic late in the third period and scored two goals in the final 3:08 to net his second hatty in three games and his fourth-career regular season hat-trick. And boy, did he do it in style.

Kane’s third goal might’ve been his best. After barely missing an empty net shot from center ice, Kane tracked down the puck as Pittsburgh tried to exit its own zone and flung a casual no-look, no-angle backhander at the empty net from the right corner. The puck snuck inside the far post and somehow crossed the goal line, sparking a barrage of hats onto the United Center ice.

But his second goal was pretty too and it wouldn’t have happened without Nick Schmaltz, who made a great move with the puck and slipped a back-handed pass that split two defenders and found a waiting Kane, who buried it past a sprawled out Marc-Andre Fleury.

Kaner’s first goal was no slouch either. He beat Fleury through the five-hole using a brilliant head fake to freeze the goaltender.

Now, you’d think Kane would have the highlight(s) of the night and earn the No. 1 star, right? Nope! Scott Darling was named the No. 1 star of the game, out-dueling Fleury and making 36 saves in the process. And Kane’s empty-net goal was only the second-best goal of the night.

Richard Panik’s ridiculous goal late in the second period was ultimately the game-winner and also the filthiest.

Nonetheless, Kane will be happy with having his second hatty since Feb. 23 against Arizona. It’s also Chicago’s third hat-trick as a team in four games. Jonathan Toews scored three goals during a 5-3 win over the Minnesota Wild Feb. 21.

Richard Panik Snipes A Silky Smooth Goal To Put Blackhawks Up 2-1

By
Matt Barbato
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Richard Panik might’ve just scored the silkiest, smoothest and downright filthiest goal of the 2016-17 season for the Chicago Blackhawks.

Even more importantly, Panik gave the Hawks a 2-1 advantage over the Pittsburgh Penguins late in the second period of Wednesday night’s game.

The most sophisticated vocabulary won’t do this goal justice, you just have to watch for yourself as Panik deked through first Evgeni Malkin and then Carl Hagelin before ripping a shot perfectly placed past Marc-Andre Fleury’s blocker side.

Panik came up large and did so in style to put the Hawks ahead with just 24 seconds left in the period. Wednesday’s tilt at the United Center certainly has the feel of a Stanley Cup final preview.

Matchup With Penguins Will Test Whether Blackhawks’ Fantastic February Was For Real

By
Matt Barbato
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CHICAGO, IL - APRIL 05: Richard Panik #14 of the Chicago Blackhawks is congratulated by teammates after scoring a first period goal against the Arizona Coyotes at the United Center on April 5, 2016 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)

The calendar has shifted from February to March, but the Chicago Blackhawks might be sad to see the shortest month of the year end.

The Blackhawks went 9-1 during the month, with the lone blemish being a 3-1 loss to the Edmonton Oilers in their first game back from the ludicrous bye week.

But the Blackhawks face a stiff test as the calendar flips to the final full month of the regular season. They’ll host the Pittsburgh Penguins Wednesday night at the United Center for what truly is a pivotal showdown and that has nothing to do with it being promoted by NBC as a “Wednesday Night Rivalry,” (it’s not).

Obviously, this team values games in April, May and June over matchups in the beginning of March. But hear me out, because this one’s really important. And yes, it could be a preview of a potential Stanley Cup final.

We now know what the Hawks will look like for the duration of the season. After acquiring forward Tomas Jurco and bringing back Johnny Oduya, Chicago’s roster is set in stone for the stretch run. While Oduya won’t play Wednesday, he’ll likely be in the lineup Friday against the Islanders.

Once Niklas Hjalmarsson comes off injured reserve (upper-body injury) and Corey Crawford gets back in the crease after being sick this week, what you’ll see is what you’ll get the rest of the way.

The February frenzy was extremely impressive and might’ve been enough to dissuade general manager Stan Bowman from making a more aggressive move before the NHL’s trade deadline passed on Wednesday.

Just think about all the Hawks accomplished last month: They scored at least four goals in each of their nine victories. That production was spread out across all four lines. Jonathan Toews found his stride and was named the NHL’s First Star of the Month with seven goals and 18 points in those 10 games. Youngsters Nick Schmaltz, Ryan Hartman and Tanner Kero have found their own after experience growing pains throughout the first half of the season.

There’s a lot going well for Chicago, no doubt. But keep in mind that of Chicago’s nine wins, only four came against teams currently in the playoffs. Two of them came against Minnesota and one of them came against a Blues team hanging on for dear life.

That’s not to detract from what Chicago has done. The Hawks don’t control how the schedule plays out. However, Wednesday’s game could be viewed as a barometer gauging just how good the Blackhawks really are. After Pittsburgh, Chicago will play a desperate Islanders team, the improving Predators and Anaheim before hosting Minnesota March 12.

After that, the Hawks will travel to Canada for three games in five nights against Montreal, Ottawa and Toronto. Each of those teams are jousting for playoff position in the Atlantic Division.

March will be a more important month for the Blackhawks than it has been in years past. They can start to prove that it’s February surge wasn’t a fluke by beating the defending champs on home ice.

ESPN’s Jim Bowden Must Have Been Drunk When He Came Up With This Cubs Trade Proposal

By
Aldo Soto
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Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

At this point, I think it’s pretty fair to say that ESPN’s Jim Bowden is trolling everyone. He’s paid to be an MLB analyst for the biggest sports entertainment company in the world and somehow he keeps coming up with the stupidest ideas. He’s not even annoyingly bad like Stephen A. Smith. Bowden flat out has given up on caring about his credibility with some of the shit he smears around the Internet. That includes one (probably all of them) trade proposal he’d like to see between the Chicago Cubs and Cincinnati Reds.

Lucky for most of you, this putrid vomit of words was an ESPN Insider article, so you probably didn’t bother to open the link. Yet, if you’re in for a good laugh check out what Bowden thought would be a great trade for the Cubs and Reds.

Cubs get: CF Billy Hamilton

Reds get: OF Albert Almora Jr. and 2B Ian Happ

Seriously? Jim are you OK? Do you need some help?

This was the funniest line of the breakdown.

Why it works …

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

No. Under no scenario does that trade work. Theo Epstein could be held hostage, a gun to his head and he still wouldn’t make that deal. He wouldn’t bother to spend one second thinking about it. He’d prefer to just end it all before giving a Billy Hamilton for Albert Almora Jr. AND Ian Happ trade proposal to process in his head.

But let’s see, maybe I’m being too cruel here. Why does it work for the Cubs, Jim?

… for the Cubs: The Cubs need a leadoff hitter after Dexter Fowler departed for the St. Louis Cardinals as a free agent, and Hamilton could fill that void. As shown by his improvement with his .321 on-base percentage last season — he projects to .340 this season — he’s finally starting to develop at the plate.

He has stolen 55 or more bases for three straight seasons, and at 26 years old, he is just entering his prime. Hamilton’s blazing speed gives him the potential for 70-plus stolen bases. This will force pitchers to throw more fastballs to Kris Bryant, Anthony Rizzo & Co. Ben Zobrist could help Hamilton learn to better work counts and draw more walks, and when Hamilton does that, watch out.

Hamilton also has great range in the outfield. Put him with Gold Glove right fielder Jason Heyward, and they will save a lot of hits and runs in the gaps. Almora would be expendable because of Hamilton, and Happ is blocked by Zobrist, Javier Baez and Kyle Schwarber.

  1. The Cubs have a leadoff hitter, his name is Kyle Schwarber.
  2. According to the projections provided by FanGraphs, Hamilton projects nowhere near a .340 OBP for 2017

3. The Cubs don’t care about stealing bases

Hamilton is 26-years-old and I mean, it’s not like he’s a bum. He obviously brings something to the table, compiling an 8.8 fWAR during the last three seasons with the Reds. Exceptional speed, covers a lot of space in the outfield and he can steal bases. Fantastic and who knows maybe he has figured it out at the plate, but c’mon he had a slash line of .260/.321/.343 in 2016.

4. The Cubs already a great outfielder to put next to Heyward, his name is Albert Almora Jr.

5. Albert Almora Jr. is with the Cubs.

6. The Cubs could always use Happ in a different trade instead of just throwing him in to this dumbass trade for a player, who the Cubs already have – Almora.

Just take a step back and take a breath. OK.

In this train wreck of a proposal, the Cubs would be sending two of their top three prospects to a division rival for Billy Hamilton. What the fuck has Jim Bowden been drinking?

Again, I think he’s trolling Cubs fans because here’s his reasoning for why it works for the Reds.

… for the Reds: The Reds control Hamilton’s contract for only three more years, but they would be able to control Almora’s and Happ’s deals for six major league seasons. Hamilton is also arbitration-eligible next offseason, which means he’ll start getting expensive, while Almora and Happ won’t be eligible for three more years, at least. The Reds get significant financial and control savings in this deal, and that should help their long-term rebuilding process.

Almora is a plus defender in center field, while Happ would be the key to the deal for the Reds. He’s ranked as high as the Cubs’ second-best prospect behind Eloy Jimenez, and he profiles to a 20-home-run, 20-stolen-base-type producer, who has special on-base skills, which most scouts think will end up at around a .380 OBP. Happ also has versatility, as he can play second or any of the outfield positions.

Yeah, no shit Jim. Especially the team control part over the next SIX SEASONS, might give you a clue that the Cubs wouldn’t want to do this trade. But no, for Jim Bowden, trading two 22-year-old prospects, one of which is already being groomed as the future center fielder, makes complete sense to get Hamilton, who has a career .297 OBP.

HOLY FUCK!

Bowden has to be pulling a Skip Bayless here. And similar to Skip, he’s spewing so much unbelievable shit that Bowden is starting to believe in it.

Jim Bowden might literally be insane. Someone please check up on him.

If you need to throw up for any reason, here’s the link to his entire article.

Ryan Pace and John Fox QB Comments All Point To One Name

By
Erik Lambert
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bears deshaun watson

This is it. For the first time in eight season the Chicago Bears are on the precipice of making a franchise-altering change at the quarterback position. One can say they may have mishandled the Jay Cutler era. Fair enough. However, one can never say they didn’t give the 33-year old an honest chance to prove he was one of the best in football. In the end it didn’t work. Now the team is finally ready to accept that and move on.

The question is how? To who? No doubt it’s one of the toughest in all of professional sports to answer. There is a fundamental divide everybody knows. There are teams that have quarterbacks and teams that don’t. Those that have one are almost always competing in the playoffs and challenging for Super Bowls.

Chicago hasn’t been in that position for decades. This new regime is trying to change that. In order to do so they have to get their guy. Somebody they feel is right not just in talent but in terms of fitting the culture they’re trying to build. After consistent examination of the known facts, one name has begun to rise above the rest.

Jonathan Toews Caps Off An Amazing February With NHL Honor

By
Marc-Louis Paprzyca
-

Oh how things have turned around for Jonathan Toews this February. Before the month began, fans were moaning about his contract and him being named an all-star. I wonder if they still feel that way?

The Captain amassed 18 points (7g, 11a) in ten February games. Of those 10 game he recorded five multiple point games. One was even a five point game when he recorded his fourth career hat trick on February 21. It was the second five point game of his career and the first for the Blackhawks since… guess who? Toews did so on November 25, 2011.

Someone of Toews’ stature doesn’t have to prove his value to anyone, but he can do it anyway. Captain Serious put the team on his back and led the Blackhawks to a 9-1 record during the month. All of this earned Toews the NHL’s First Star Of The Month.

He’s no stranger to great February runs as he was the First Star in February 2011. He had 21 points in that run but the Blackhawks only went 8-3-2. Less points for him this time around but more wins for the boys, I would say this is his best regular season month ever.

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