Bleacher Bunch Network: A Chicago Cubs Podcast

Sara and Danny are back and the Cubs got Danny a series win for his birthday! We're talking about Nick Madrigal's struggles at the plate, how the Cubs took two of three from the Padres, the return of Dr. Hendo and Willson Contreras' hot streak. After the break we are looking ahead to a three game set with the Diamondbacks that includes a matchup with old friend Zach Davies and a chance for the Cub...

Sara and Danny are back looking at a woeful series sweep by the Dodgers that saw two TOOTBLANS in a Kershaw start, the Cubs giving up four runs on a single hit and the quickest AAA stint ever by Frank Schwindel. After the break they are wondering how long the Cubs think they can have the most expensive MLB experience in the game with an uncompetitive team and try to look ahead to a Padres series w...

Sara and Danny are trying to find silver linings in the Cubs getting swept by the Sox at Wrigley, and look Jake Burger made us laugh, Nico Hoerner has pop and Bleacher Jeff caught a ball, but really that's about where the good news stops. The Cubs dropped two to the White Sox and the Dodgers are coming to town. They are also looking at matchups for the weekend series with the Dodgers, plus schedul...

Sara and Danny look back at yet another series loss, this time with the Cubs dropping two out of three at Wrigley North. They are worried about Kyle Hendricks who currently has a career high hard hit rate and will be facing the White Sox at Wrigley this week. They also take a closer look at Marcus Stroman's birthday gem that resulted in the Cubs only win of the series and Alfonso Rivas' still hot...

Sara and Danny are back looking at a disappointing series loss to Atlanta where the Cubs dropped two of three. The lone victory did give us an all-time great Seiya GIF and Willson Contreras reminded all of us why he's such a great guy with a touching moment with his brother. After the break they are looking at the Mets v. Cardinals benches clearing incident, diving into some research on the baseba...

Sara and Danny are back talking about a series that saw the Cubs outscore the Pirates 29-12 but lose three of four games. We'll talk about what's up with that, plus why there are signs this retooled Cubs offense might just be sneaky good. After the break were are talking about Anthony Rizzo doing good things as Yankees' fans behave terribly, why Kyle Schwarber (and really all of MLB and its fans)...

Sara and Danny look back at the Cubs first series loss of 2022, dropping two of three miserably cold games to the Tampa Bay Rays at Wrigley Field. They are also talking about news and notes from around the league where Albert Pujols rounding the bases in slo motion is clogging up our social media feeds while Kyle Schwarber hits bombs in Coors. They reminisce about the awesomeness of Jake Arrieta f...

The Cubs went .500 over a four game set at Coors Field, which Sara and Danny are happy about, but can the team just put a stop to these TOOTBLANs? Sara and Danny are also looking at Ross' bullpen management despite some guys struggling, it appears KB's eyes really do sparkle more in purple and a hot series for Jonathan Villar which could cause a playing time crunch for Nick and/or Nico. After the...

Sara and Danny are back recapping a lackluster series that saw the Cubs split two games against the Pirates. They are wondering if Kyle Hendricks is okay and not worried about Seiya Suzuki at all. They recap history made in the Padres v. Giants series as Alyssa Nakken took the field, why Bob Castellini still sucks and why MLB's streaming deals will have us reaching for our radios before adding new...

The Cubs are back and tied for first place in the division with the Cardinals after taking two of three from the Milwaukee Brewers in their first series. Sara and Danny are recapping that series including an ideal start from Kyle Hendricks, a gem from Justin Steele and Keegan Thompson, the continuation of the bean bag wars between Milwaukee and Chicago, plus why none of this looks completely unsus...

With Opening Day is just a few days away Sara and Danny are joined by Craig Calcaterra to discuss his new book "Rethinking Fandom: How to Beat the Sports-Industrial Complex at Its Own Game." There is a sportsbook mid-construction at Wrigley Field less than one year from trading the World Series core, so this is a timely conversation about the sports business and how fans interact with it. We talk...

Sara and Danny take a look at how the #NoToRicketts campaign may have thrown a wrench in the Ricketts' bid to buy the Chelsea Football Club and the latest Forbes team valuations that show the Cubs are currently worth $3.8 Billion. They are also pretty bummed that it doesn't look like any of that money is going to be used to extend Willson Contreras. Harold Ramirez (we hardly knew ye) has been trad...

Sara and Danny are back breaking down the flurry of deals that saw Carlos Correa go to the Twins and Trevor Story sign with Boston, plus the Cubs own mega deal -- signing Japenese superstar Seiya Suzuki to a five year deal with the Cubs. After the break Sara and Danny take a closer look at the Cubs roster and who they expect would make the team and who the Cubs might lose if Opening Day was tomorr...

Sara and Danny are back and the Cubs are signing shortstops, but maybe not the one you thought they were. Sara and Danny talk through the implications of the Andrelton Simmons signing, they are also looking at the dismantling of the Reds and owners who might be "forced to sell" their teams if players like Carlos Rodón keep getting fair contracts. After the break they are trying to figure out why W...

Baseball is back and so are Sara and Danny with everything you need to know about the successful CBA negotiations. They are looking at all the new rules from the CBT thresholds to the new and improved league minimum, how new rules like a pitch clock could be implemented and why the international draft became such a big deal. If you're excited for the return of MLB you will not want to miss this sp...

Sara and Danny are looking at the possible impacts of the rule changes MLB wants to institute with 45 games notice including larger bases, a pitch clock and potentially banning the shift. After the break they take a closer look at the four owners who wouldn't even agree to the CBT threshold going up at all, let alone meeting the players halfway. Closer to home, Sara and Danny take a closer look at...

Sara and Danny are discussing how baseball wound up in a spot where the MLB owners appear ready to miss their own Monday deadline and lose regular season games rather than take the team friendly deal the MLBPA is offering them. They are also looking at the expanded playoff options and why those likely hurt competitiveness in MLB. After the break they look at MLBs never ending campaign to gain more...

Sara and Danny are back looking at some of MLB's more ludicrous conditions in the ongoing CBA negotiations with the MLBPA. They are also talking about the chaos that is likely coming when dozens of free agents get rapidly signed between a deal and the start of Spring Training. Finally, they take a look at why PECOTA hates the Cubs, and, frankly, it's probably not wrong. Learn more about your ad ch...

Sara and Danny are frustrated by the lack of movement in the CBA negotiations and to be clear this falls pretty squarely on the mantle of some delusional billionaires who think the only cost that shouldn't go up these days is their payroll. After the break they are talking about the most recent top 100 prospect lists from various outlets and how the Cubs much-improved farm system shapes up.  Learn...

Sara and Danny break down the latest from the CBA negotiations where MLB has gone from taking a six week Christmas break to requesting a federal mediator with very little in the way of offers or concessions. Meanwhile, the players have rejected the offer of mediation and have taken to social to request actual negotiations. After the break Sara and Danny are also looking at developments around Wrig...

Sara and Danny are looking at how exactly we wound up in a place where David Ortiz is a first ballot Hall of Famer while Sammy Sosa, Barry Bonds, and others fall off the ballot for the final time due to steroids and/or character issues. Meanwhile, the commissioner who oversaw it all, Bud Selig, is already in the Hall. After the break they are also looking at the CBA negotiations that actually appe...

Sara and Danny are back and really bummed that they aren't at Cubs Convention for the second year in a row. They are also looking at the latest lockout and Hall of Fame news. After the break they take a closer look at the Yankees' historic decision to name Rachel Balkovec their first woman MiLB manager and what that could mean for the future of women in baseball. Learn more about your ad choices....

Sara and Danny are back looking at Sammy Sosa's career numbers in what is likely his tenth, and final, year on the BBWAA Hall of Fame ballot. They are also full on Carlos watch with rumors that the Cubs are in on both Rodón and Correa. Finally, they are looking at the MLB minimum salary and arbitration. Drawing on research from Travis Sawchik and Eno Sarris they discuss why changing MLB's minimum...

Sara is joined by Danny Rockett and they kick things off celebrating the long overdue elections of Buck O'Neil and Minnie Miñoso to the Hall of Fame. They are also talking Cubs minor league signings and rumors. After the break they discuss the news that MLB knowingly used two different baseballs in 2021 and how that could impact stalled CBA Negotiations as the MLB Lockout continues. Learn more abo...

Sara is joined by friend of the show and host of the Son Ranto podcast (might be a TV show now?) Danny Rockett to discuss the surprisingly optimistic Cubs offseason so far including the pickups of Wade Miley, Clint Frazier, Yan Gomes and Marcus Stroman. After the break they are also analyzing the MLB lockout, how we got here and a few of the key issues facing MLB and the MLBPA. You will absolutely...