Tag Archives: Chicago Cubs

The Padres Making Huge Moves for 2021 Season

This MLB offseason has been far from a ‘Hot Stove’ as teams took a financial beating from the COVID-19 shortened season. Teams have been looking to cut payroll, but many haven’t found any takers.

The Padres made two huge moves this week when they traded for Rays starting pitcher Blake Snell and then pulled the trigger on a trade for Cubs starting pitcher Yu Darvish. They managed to complete both trades without giving up their best pitching prospect, starter MacKenzie Gore.

The Rays will receive a nice load of prospects in return for Snell. The package is headlined by pitcher Luis Patino, with catcher Blake Hunt, pitcher Cole Wilcox and the former highly-touted prospect (and now possible reclamation project) catcher Francisco Mejia rounding out the deal. Patino is a steep price, but the Padres still have some great pitching prospects in their farm system.

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6 Most Tragic Career-Ending Injuries in Sports

Every time an athlete laces their shoes, they know that the risk of injury is always right around the corner. There have been many young talents that were never the same after just one ill-timed twist of the knee or pop in their shoulder.

Jay Williams – Williams was a standout point guard at Duke and was the second player taken in the 2002 NBA Draft. He was all set to be the centerpiece in what many assumed could be the start of a new dynasty for the Chicago Bulls. He had an average rookie season, but did show promising signs that he could turn into a star. After his rookie season, Williams wrecked his Yamaha R6 motorcycle into a streetlight. He suffered major injuries including never damage in his leg, fractured pelvis and a completely dislocated knee. It was a single vehicle crash and didn’t need to consult a personal injury lawyer, but the Bulls were able to collect on an insurance policy to cover Williams’ contract. Williams did attempt a basketball comeback in 2006, but he was just a shell of himself. He has stayed in the limelight as a college basketball analyst for ESPN.

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Sweetbob’s Fantasy Baseball F/M/K – July 8th

We are now fourteen weeks into the 2018 fantasy baseball season.

We are almost at the All-Star Break and the trade deadline is right around the corner. Teams will be going through some changes and you may need to make a few tough decisions. Roles will change and a reliable fantasy player could find less at-bats.

Which hot pitchers are we suggesting to pick up this week?

We look at some players who started out hot, some who are struggling and maybe a couple young guys who should be targeted in your free agent pool on July 8th, 2018.

I’ll be posting a weekly fantasy baseball F/M/K every Sunday this baseball season…so keep coming back!

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Sweetbob’s Fantasy Baseball F/M/K – July 1st

We are now thirteen weeks into the 2018 fantasy baseball season.

There are some elite bats on the disabled list. Kris Bryant, Carlos Correa, Josh Donaldson and A.J. Pollock still occupy many fantasy owners’ DL spot. It could be time to make a few tough decisions on long-term DL guys.

Which hot hitters are we suggesting to pick up this week?

We look at some players who started out hot, some who are struggling and maybe a couple young guys who should be targeted in your free agent pool on July 1st, 2018.

I’ll be posting a weekly fantasy baseball F/M/K every Sunday this baseball season…so keep coming back!

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Sweetbob’s Fantasy Baseball F/M/K – April 15th

We are just over two weeks into the 2018 baseball season.

You’re just starting to really get your lineup dialed in, but recent injuries probably threw a wrench into things. Middle infielders will start to be scarce on the waiver wire if they keep getting injured at this rate. Recent injuries to Rougned Odor, Jonathan Schoop and Elvis Andrus have left fantasy owners hurting for solid replacements.

We look at some players who started out hot, some who are struggling and maybe some guys who should be targeted in your free agent pool on April 15th, 2018.

I’ll be posting a weekly fantasy baseball F/M/K every Sunday this baseball season…so keep coming back!

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2018 MLB Season Preview: Chicago Cubs

The Chicago Cubs couldn’t repeat as World Series champions last year, but they still had a very good year. They ran into a better Dodgers team in the NLCS and were eliminated in five games.

This Cubs didn’t stand pat this offseason. They made some moves and cut some of the fat by deciding to not re-sign a few starters and let a few bullpen arms walk. They spent wisely by signing starter Yu Darvish to a pretty team-friendly contract. The Cubs did spend $126 million, but many thought Darvish could command a contract near $200 million at the start of the offseason.

Anthony Rizzo and Kris Bryant are perennial MVP candidates for the Cubs. Kyle Schwarber could be a guy on their level, but he has a rough year at the plate. He focused on his fitness this offseason and dropped weight. Will his power still be there?

Here is the 2018 MLB season preview for the Chicago Cubs.

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2017 MLB Season Preview: Chicago Cubs

The Cubs finally did it. They curse was officially broken. If something bad happens during the season, we can no longer blame some supernatural force.

This season will be a weird one. As a Cubs fan, I usually come into the season with a little optimism, but mostly waiting for the impending doom and gloom to arrive. Even if the team gets off to a slow start in April, these guys basically have a lifetime pass, right?

Jason Heyward played with a broken swing for the entire season. He spent the offseason rebuilding it from scratch. How long will the Cubs stick with him if he struggles again?

I usually mess with all the MLB team preview photos in MS Paint as a joke, but this photo of David Ross getting carried off is just too damn perfect.

Here is the 2017 MLB season preview for the Chicago Cubs.

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Get Ready for MLB Team Season Previews on AmericasWhiteBoy.com

We are about a month away from having real baseball taking the field (sorry, not counting Spring Training).

I love this time of the year! After a Winter of hot stove dealings, rosters start to materialize, but aren’t quite set in stone. Usually fourth and fifth spots in the starting rotations are up for grabs and at least one starting position on every team could change from now until Opening Day.

The Chicago Cubs come into the season as defending champs for the first time since the start of the 1909 season.

How will they perform without all the pressure of trying to win their first World Series championship in over a century? Will they be even better or did pressure turn them into diamonds last year?

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2016 MLB Season Preview: Chicago Cubs

First off, let me tell you that I’m a huge Chicago Cubs fan. There arecertain things Cubs fans aren’t comfortable doing, one of them is boasting how this is finally the year they will win the World Series. We know better than that and are often more critical about the team. We don’t like to get our hopes up since they have always been shattered in laughable fashion.

The Cubs made some huge moves this offseason. The newly-signed veterans will allow some of their younger players to platoon.

Here is the 2016 MLB season preview for the Chicago Cubs.

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How Did We Do?: 2015 MLB Team Win Over/Under

It’s time to pop the champagne, guys!

Before the season began, we wrote a team preview for each MLB team. We broke down all the new players, former players, possible fantasy sleepers and (most importantly) picked an over/under win total.

We’ve always done really well with our MLB Over/Unders in the past and we kicked ass in 2015.

We went 18-11-1 on the year. We hit on all the sleepers, but missed horribly on the Houston Astros (we thought they were still a year away). Vegas definitely cleaned house on the Angels and Nationals. I don’t know many who picked their under win totals.

We list all the teams and what their over/under win totals were at the beginning of the 2015 MLB season. See which ones we hit and missed on this year.

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2015 MLB Team Preview: Chicago Cubs

The Chicago Cubs are nearing the end of a long-term rebuilding plan. It feels like Theo Epstein has been working on this plan for a decade. Many of Chicago’s young, homegrown players will be called up by the end of the year.

The Cubs made a big splash this offseason by signing Jon Lester to a long-term deal and by hiring Joe Maddon after he opted out of his contract with Tampa Bay. He turned around that franchise and is one of the smartest managers in the game.

Kris Bryant, Javier Baez and Jorge Soler have Cubs fans drooling. The trio make up the corps of young talent Chicago has been developing in the minors.

Can Chicago be a real contender this season or is it a year too early?

Here is the 2015 MLB season preview for the Chicago Cubs.

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Baseball America’s 2015 Top 100 Prospects

Baseball America just released their yearly list of Major League Baseball’s top 100 prospects.

I’m a huge baseball fan and I love reading about prospects. I look forward to Baseball America’s list. I always buy Baseball America’s Prospect Handbook as well as the annual book by Baseball Prospectus.

If you play fantasy baseball, reading about baseball’s next generation is essential in both yearly draft leagues and keeper leagues.

Many of the top prospects will see time in the Majors at some point this season. General managers have fallen in love with draft picks since they implemented a luxury tax and revenue sharing.

He is Baseball America’s 2015 list of Top 100 Prospects.

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