Latest news with #PatrickMooney
New York Times
29-07-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Live trade deadline Q&A with Cubs writer Patrick Mooney on Tuesday at 10 a.m. CT
Chicago Cubs beat writer Patrick Mooney will answer subscribers' questions about the team and organization during a live Q&A from 10 to 11 a.m. CT on Tuesday. Questions can be submitted ahead of time or during the Q&A.
Yahoo
12-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
MLB Insiders Reveal Cubs' Trade Deadline Plans, Options
MLB Insiders Reveal Cubs' Trade Deadline Plans, Options originally appeared on Athlon Sports. The Chicago Cubs have started 2025 very strong to the tune of a 55-38 record, good for first place in the National League Central and the second-best record in the NL. That means the Cubs will likely be one of the most active teams at the MLB trade deadline, looking to make the moves necessary to prepare for a World Series run. Advertisement Chicago's main need is starting pitching, but there are other spots throughout the roster that the Cubs could also look to improve. The Athletic's Patrick Mooney and Sahadev Sharma recently compiled a list of the Cubs' options and potential plans for the deadline. Mooney and Sharma started by noting that the Cubs, financially, are in a good place. In addition, the president of baseball operations, Jed Hoyer, is in the final year of his contract and has made it clear he's ready to put all the chips on the table. "The Cubs' financial books are generally clean after 2026. Club officials view this season and next year as clear opportunities to make deep postseason runs," Mooney and Sharma wrote. "With that in mind, rental players won't be their lone focus." Advertisement The two teams in the National League that have a lot to offer are the Pittsburgh Pirates and Miami Marlins. Pitchers Mitch Keller, Andrew Heaney, David Bednar, Sandy Alcantara, and Edward Cabrera all look to be available at the deadline. However, many of those names will come at a high price. With many teams in the hunt for the wild card and still 14 days from when teams get back from the All-Star break and the trade deadline hits on July 31, the Cubs will have to monitor which teams become sellers. "The Cubs will be paying attention to how certain bubble teams perform coming out of the All-Star break," Mooney and Sharma wrote. "Knowing that Merrill Kelly and Seth Lugo would be intriguing fits if the Arizona Diamondbacks and Kansas City Royals, respectively, elect to reload for the future." Looking at the American League, the Cubs could be monitoring a couple of pitchers recovering from injuries in Boston Red Sox starter Tanner Houck and Texas Rangers' starter Jon Gray. Advertisement Chicago Cubs manager Craig Counsell (11) talks with reporters before a game against the Colorado Rockies at Wrigley Field. David Banks-Imagn ImagesDavid Banks-Imagn Images "The Texas Rangers, yet another team in baseball's vast middle, might be more inclined to move Gray, who has not yet thrown a major-league pitch this year due to a fractured right forearm. While Gray will become a free agent this offseason, the Boston Red Sox can keep Houck under club control through 2027," Mooney and Sharma wrote. "Assuming he's fully recovered from a right flexor pronator strain, Houck would be one of many pitchers the Cubs see as open to both short- and long-term adjustments, leveraging what they believe is a strong pitching infrastructure." They also mentioned Washington Nationals pitchers Michael Soroka and Mackenzie Gore as potential targets. Many teams would highly tout Gore if he became available, but Soroka could be a cheaper target for the Cubs that might benefit from a change of scenery and pitching with the Cubs' elite defense behind him. Advertisement Lastly, the Cubs could target an added bat with versatility for their bench. Throughout the season, they've tried guys like Jon Berti, Vidal Brujan, Nicky Lopez, and Justin Turner, but none have provided much production besides Turner's veteran clubhouse presence. "If the Red Sox and Twins decide to sell — again, if is the key word there," Mooney and Sharma wrote. "A pair of relevant names would be Rob Refsnyder and Willi Castro." As we approach the All-Star break, there is still plenty of time before the trade deadline at the end of July. The Cubs will likely be active, and it will be interesting to see what kind of balance Hoyer uses in terms of star acquisitions and under-the-radar players. Related: Cubs Predicted to Land Award Winner to Solve Infield Issues This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 12, 2025, where it first appeared.
New York Times
11-07-2025
- Business
- New York Times
MLB trade deadline watch: Bubble teams have execs prepared for slow-developing market
MLB trade deadline watch is a collection of news and notes from our reporting team of Patrick Mooney, Will Sammon, Katie Woo and Ken Rosenthal. As major-league executives prepare for the looming July 31 trade deadline, an uncertain market remains a point of frustration. Club officials have lamented the lack of clarity regarding this year's market, pointing towards an influx of bubble teams as the reason. With a weekend of play remaining before the All-Star break, only a handful of teams have emerged as true buyers or sellers. The rest remain mired in gridlock. Advertisement Several teams are hovering right at or above .500. Others are a few games below, but remain in the hunt for a postseason spot. The congestion in the standings has created a logjam. The result? Instead of committing to a direction, many teams remain in a holding pattern. Or, as one executive said to his staff recently: 'Don't count on this being a super exciting deadline for us.' Heading into play Friday, seven teams were separated by seven games in the National League wild-card standings. The American League is a bit more spread out, but multiple sub-.500 teams are fewer than five games out of the final two spots. Either way, the sentiment remains. The number of teams hovering near contention will make for a slow-developing market, multiple executives said. 'I do think it's going to be late,' one AL official said. 'It's going to be challenging. The bunch of teams is why you're not seeing much discussions taking place right now.' Some of the established buyers know what they need. The Philadelphia Phillies will again target bullpen help and a right-handed bat, but unlike years prior, they could be willing to move bigger prospects to net a better return. New York Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said he'll be 'going to town' at the deadline and will look to add a starting pitcher and perhaps some help at third base. The Chicago Cubs need starting pitching as well. The Tampa Bay Rays need relief help, as advertised by their acquisition of Bryan Baker from the Baltimore Orioles — a team that could emerge as a more serious seller. But the already-established sellers don't have much to offer, lament multiple executives. The Colorado Rockies are fairly picked over. The Washington Nationals likely won't make any franchise-altering moves with an interim general manager. The Chicago White Sox could once again dangle Luis Robert Jr., but it's hard to maximize the return for an oft-injured player who's hitting .185. The Miami Marlins have desirable pitching in starters Sandy Alcantara and Edward Cabrera, but they own the leverage in what is always the most coveted area at the deadline. Advertisement For the market to be fully defined, bubble teams will have to commit. The Cincinnati Reds and the Arizona Diamondbacks (despite being ravaged by injuries) have hung around .500 for most of the year. The Kansas City Royals, Los Angeles Angels, Minnesota Twins and Texas Rangers are all under .500, but they are all fewer than four games out of a wild-card spot. The St. Louis Cardinals have been one of baseball's more surprising teams, and president of baseball operations John Mozeliak said he'd be willing to head into the final 72 hours before making a decision. He's far from the only executive willing to wait. 'I think that's why the trading deadline has become so much fun,' Mozeliak said. 'In the past, those bubble GM types would just stay put. Now, you're seeing a lot of moving parts. Part of that is because they are kind of in, kind of out.' Fun is one way to describe it. Complex is another. Multiple officials floated the idea that acquiring 'rentals' might not be as prominent this year, citing that teams will instead have to be creative due to a lack of options. Some bubble teams will declare themselves over the next couple of weeks. The timing of MLB's annual amateur draft on Sunday and Monday also pauses discussions. 'The way the calendar is set up with the draft, there's sort of this awkward (break),' Mozeliak said. 'But right after the draft, there will start to be a much more feverish pitch.' Just how feverish remains to be seen. The Royals are in the market for a bat and likely won't deviate from their starting-pitching surplus, but they probably won't be as aggressive at this deadline compared to last season. Their division counterparts, the Twins and Cleveland Guardians, look like holders, for now. The Orioles and Atlanta Braves, two teams expected to be contenders this year, might be headed in different directions. The Braves could be inclined to view their disappointing season as a one-off and hold on to talent, while Baltimore's trade of Baker could signify a sell-off that the team did not envision at the start of the season. Advertisement St. Louis is another club that could alter the outlook of the market, should it decide to sell. 'The Cardinals can be a linchpin for a lot of teams,' one executive mused. 'They have a lot of players teams are interested in.' Once the second half begins, the outlook on most fringe teams will hinge on performance. Officials believe the final week of the deadline will bring much more clarity to the market and expect a frenzy to occur. Until then, don't expect much traction. 'There's three or four teams that think they're going to buy,' one league source said. 'They're going to sell. There's a lot of teams at that margin that are going to flip.' (Top photo of Arizona Diamondbacks first baseman Josh Naylor: Chris Coduto / Getty Images)
Yahoo
27-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Ken Rosenthal drops Kyle Tucker truth bomb on future
The post Ken Rosenthal drops Kyle Tucker truth bomb on future appeared first on ClutchPoints. The Chicago Cubs are one of the hottest teams in MLB. They are currently 40-25 and leading the National League Central by four games. Advertisement A significant factor for their dominance has been the dominating performance of Kyle Tucker. At this point, he is batting—278 with 67 hits, 12 home runs, and 40 RBIs. All the while, a multi-million contract extension hangs over Tucker's head. Arguably, if he continues to play as well as he is, the Cubs will try to bring him back. As for the future, MLB analyst Ken Rosenthal acknowledged reality by stating it is in the Cubs best interest to keep Tucker, per MLB Network. 'Kyle Tucker has been transformative for this team,' he said. 'Patrick Mooney wrote a good story about this in The Athletic over the weekend. There's an aura to this guy. He is one of the top players in the game, and without him, the Cubs weren't what they are now, even with PCA (Pete Cross-Armstrong), in your imagination, playing the same way last year without Kyle Tucker. Kyle Tucker has made a huge difference, and that's gonna be an ownership call whether they resign him. So, if they don't (Jet), Hoyer's gonna have to put this together again. Granted, PCA Pete Crow-Armstrong has emerged as an MVP candidate. They are getting some excellent work out of their other offensive players as well. But the future of this team beyond this season depends upon, in my opinion, whether they have Tucker or a player like him. If they don't, they are sort of back to square one.' In addition to Crow-Armstrong, the Cubs do have additional offensive weapons in veteran outfielder Ian Happ. But Tucker adds a new dimension of power and experience to their lineup. The Cubs before and after Kyle Tucker Before acquiring Tucker, the Cubs were lacking in star power. They did have a trifecta of Crow-Armstrong, Ian Happ, and Cody Bellinger in the outfield and at the plate. Advertisement But that wasn't enough to overcome a 3rd place finish at 83-79, falling short of the playoffs. Now, with Tucker in the mix, the Cubs have an additional proven all-star who can come through. Plus, the team is in a better position than they had been in years. At this point, the Cubs are getting the most out of him, considering he is under a one-year contract. But if he keeps this up and the Cubs continue to do well, they would objectively be foolish not to bring him back. Related: Tigers savagely trolls Cubs with IG post after series win Related: Cubs' Matthew Boyd sends classy Tigers message after shutout loss
Yahoo
04-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
MLB insider to Pete Crow-Armstrong: Don't sign extension with Chicago Cubs right now, ‘your price will only increase'
The Chicago Cubs are reportedly interested in signing 23-year-old Pete Crow-Armstrong to an extension, but a top MLB insider advises against PCA putting pen to paper right now. The Athletic's Patrick Mooney reported the Cubs are open to an in-season contract extension with the young center fielder. The two sides exchanged proposals ahead of Chicago's season-opening Tokyo Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers but tabled discussions. Advertisement Crow-Armstrong is having a breakout season for the first-place Cubs and has emerged as a National League MVP contender. He's playing Gold Glove-caliber defense in center, while posting 14 home runs, 13 doubles, three triples, an .856 OPS, 139 OPS+, and an NL-leading 3.1 bWAR. There's plenty of time to get a deal done as Crow-Armstrong won't be a free agent until after the 2030 season when he's 28. But The Athletic's MLB insider Ken Rosenthal doesn't think it's wise for the rising star to sign an extension now. 'If I'm PCA, I'm not signing anything right now,' Rosenthal said on the 'Foul Territory' podcast. 'I'm establishing myself as an elite player.' Rosenthal explained that there's less injury risk for position players compared to pitchers when it comes to extensions. He also pointed to Atlanta Braves superstar Ronald Acuna Jr., who has suffered two torn ACLs during his career but returned both times. Advertisement 'My point is, PCA is on the upswing and if you're PCA, I am quite sure you believe in yourself and you don't believe this is a fluke and you believe that your price will only increase over time. 'Maybe at some point you sign an extension but I can't imagine, right now, the Cubs putting forth an offer that would be tempting enough for him to say, 'You know what? OK, I'll give up a couple years of free agency and I'll take my security now.' No, he's becoming a star. He is becoming potentially a huge star. And if I'm him, I wait.' The Cubs originally acquired Crow-Armstrong from the New York Mets at the 2021 trade deadline for two-time All-Star infielder Javier Baez and pitcher Trevor Williams.
