Chicago Cubs manager Joe Maddon defended himself Saturday after Aroldis Chapman criticized his usage in the World Series.
"Would I do it differently? No," Maddon said in an interview with the New York Post's Kevin Kernan. "There is no Game 7 without winning Game 6. And there is no Game 8 if you don’t win Game 7. That’s why you do what you have to do."
Chapman appeared in Games 6 and 7 of the Fall Classic. His inclusion in Game 6 was surprising considering the Cubs were up 7-2 at the time. The four-time All-Star had also thrown a season-high 42 ...
Months after acquiring him in a trade with the Cincinnati Reds, the New York Yankees shipped closer Aroldis Chapman to the Chicago Cubs on Monday.
The Cubs announced they had parted with Gleyber Torres, Billy McKinney, Adam Warren and Rashad Crawford in exchange for Chapman. Jon Heyman of Today's Knuckleball first reported the deal.
Torres and McKinney are the most notable inclusions in the deal. Torres ranked first in both Baseball Prospectus' and Baseball America's top-10 rankings of the Cubs' minor league organization. McKinney, meanwhile, was fourth on BP and seventh on BA.
Sports on Earth commended the work of Yankees general manager Brian Cashman:
Bob Nightengale of USA ...
Chicago Cubs outfielder Jason Heyward suffered an injury to his right torso and abdominal region against the San Francisco Giants on May 20. Heyward spread out to make a diving catch, landed hard on his shoulder and then made contact with the wall, staying down and rolling in pain while clutching his side.
However, he has been cleared to return to the lineup.
Continue for updates.
Maddon Comments on Heyward's Playing Status
Tuesday, May 24
Joe Maddon said Heyward will return against the St. Louis Cardinals on Tuesday, per Jesse Rogers of ESPN Chicago.
Heyward Comments on Injury
Monday, May 23
Heyward admitted to "dull soreness" on his side, but remained optimistic, per Carrie ...
Chicago Cubs outfielder Kyle Schwarber will miss the remainder of the 2016 season after suffering a torn ACL and LCL on Thursday, per Jesse Rogers of ESPN.com. Rogers reported Schwarber also suffered a severe ankle sprain.
MLB.com's Carrie Muskat reported the Cubs called up infielder Munenori Kawasaki to take Schwarber's place on the 25-man roster Friday.
The 23-year-old exited in the second inning of a 14-6 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks on Thursday following a collision with teammate Dexter Fowler:
Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo reacted to the news, per Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times: "It's just tough man. He did everything to prepare to break out ...
The Chicago Cubs shored up their outfield Monday with the addition of Austin Jackson, confirmed the team.
According to CBSSports.com's Jon Heyman, the Seattle Mariners will receive a player to be named later and the Cubs' last international slot, which equates to $211,000, per Drayer.
In 445 plate appearances for the Mariners, Jackson is hitting .272 with a .312 on-base percentage and a .387 slugging percentage. He also has eight home runs, 38 runs batted in and 15 stolen bases.
Fox Sports' Jon Morosi reported last week Jackson cleared waivers but that teams remained interested in working out a trade for the 28-year-old. ...
Chicago Cubs starting pitcher Jake Arrieta is no stranger to flirting with no-hitters, losing two in the eighth inning last season. On Sunday night, he finished the job, holding the Los Angeles Dodgers hitless in a 2-0 victory.
Arrieta struck out 12 at Dodger Stadium, including the final three batters of the night. The lone blemish on his pitching line was a walk to Jimmy Rollins in the bottom of the sixth. Second baseman Starlin Castro had previously committed an error in the bottom of the third that wiped out any shot of a perfect game, though.
The only support for Arrieta came ...
On the same day the Chicago Cubs officially announced they signed Jon Lester, the team is reportedly shoring up the bullpen.
According to MLB.com's Carrie Muskat, the Cubs agreed to a one-year deal with veteran reliever Jason Motte:
Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports reported on the financial details of the deal:
Yahoo Sports' Jeff Passan reported that the nature of the potential contract might signify Motte getting a chance to close in Chicago:
Closer has been a sore spot for the Cubs over the past few years. It's seemingly become an annual tradition for the franchise to switch closers midseason.
While the 32-year-old has only ...
A week after the Cubs hired Joe Maddon to be its manager—a move almost universally lauded—Chicago and Maddon's agent, Alan Nero, are under investigation by Major League Baseball for tampering.
Continue for updates.
Tuesday, Nov. 11
Theo Epstein: 'There Was No Tampering"
Carrie Muskat of MLB.com provides Epstein's comments discussing the investigation from Monday night at the general manager meetings in Phoenix:
We welcome the MLB investigation. As we said last week, there was no tampering whatsoever. I’d rather they investigate, so we can clear our names and move on from this quickly. We’re giving our full cooperation.
Monday, Nov. 10
Investigation into Maddon Hiring Revealed
The Chicago Cubs still ...
