Image via @Cubs

The Rundown: Sammy Sosa Returns, Kyle Tucker Signs Pre-Arb Deal, Cubs Unveil Slick Alternate Jerseys, Bob Uecker Passes Away

Photo of Michael Canter Michael CanterJanuary 17, 2025

Happy CubsCon Day to all who celebrate. I will not be attending, nor I will not be able to watch since I no longer subscribe to Fubo. Heck, maybe I’ll resubscribe. Sammy Sosa is returning to the organization, and I think it’s time the Cubs retired his number. You wouldn’t be wrong to say that Sosa and Harry Caray are two big reasons why the Cubs became a global phenomenon.

Sosa has been estranged from the team for more than 20 years, but he and Tom Ricketts finally made nice. I wonder if Sosa and Kerry Wood will be able to patch things up as well. The Cubs should have gone to the World Series in 2003 riding the coattails of both stars plus Mark Prior. It’s still excruciating to remember just how close they came.

Fans will also get their first glimpses of Kyle Tucker and Matthew Boyd, Chicago’s biggest acquisitions of the offseason. Matt Shaw will be received quite well by the Cubs faithful, as will top prospects Owen Caissie, Cade Horton, and Moises Ballesteros. I do hope somebody asks Jed Hoyer how he mismanaged Chicago’s payroll last season.

Best of all? Once the weekend is complete, we are just three weeks shy of pitchers and catchers reporting to Arizona.

Cubs News & Notes

  • Tucker and the Cubs avoided arbitration after the two sides agreed on a one-year contract worth $16.5 million.
  • Sosa’s homecoming should help keep some of the heat off of Hoyer and Ricketts this weekend.
  • Shaw’s path to the majors will be one of the more compelling stories this weekend.
  • Hoyer said yesterday the Cubs couldn’t afford to keep Kyle Schwarber, which is why he was non-tendered in 2020. Hoyer also traded Yu Darvish that winter and broke up his core at the deadline. Now you know why he rostered Frank Schwindel and Rafael Ortega.
  • Hoyer will focus on improving the bullpen and his bench while finalizing the team’s 2025 roster.
  • Chicago dipped into the IFA pool yesterday to sign top infield prospects Juan Cabada and Wilfri De La Cruz. They then added Juan Tomas (SS, Dominican); Tadeo Gamez (RHP, Mexico); Elerick Gomez (SS, Venezuela); Julio Acosta (OF, Dominican); and Luis Santos (SS, Dominican).
  • Important upcoming dates: Pitchers and catchers report on February 9, with the rest of the squad reporting a few days later. The Cubs start Cactus League play on February 20 with a tilt against the Dodgers at Camelback Ranch. They’ll start the regular season on March 18 and 19 with two games against Los Angeles in Tokyo. The Cubs then resume the regular season on March 27 in Arizona against the Diamondbacks, and the home opener this season is April 4 against the Padres. What are the chances that Chicago will face Rōki Sasaki before this year’s first 70-degree day?

Odds & Sods

The biometric bras Shaw and Pete Crow-Armstrong are sporting are a nice touch.

 

Central Intelligence

Godspeed Harry Doyle

Uecker was as popular in Milwaukee as Caray was in Chicago. The social media tributes have been endearing, and I have a pair of Uecker stories of my own to share.

When Bud Selig owned the Brewers and subsequently served as MLB Commissioner, he was wildly unpopular everywhere except in Milwaukee. Each year, Selig would hold a family gathering at a banquet facility in Thiensville and he’d tip each of the workers $100. Uecker was often in attendance, and one year he donned an apron and a hair net to try to squeeze a hundo from Selig. All in good fun, of course.

I also live down the road from a riverside establishment called Barnacle Bud’s. Uecker owned a yacht that he sailed twice per year: Once when he docked it in the spring at Bud’s and again when he had to store it after Labor Day. I have a friend who used to bartend there, and she said Uecker was the kindest and most generous tipper she had ever met. I saw him there twice in six years, and he always had a handshake for anybody who wanted to meet him.

Most fans outside of Milwaukee know Uecker as Harry Doyle, the fictional broadcaster for the Cleveland Indians in the Major League movies. Almost all of his lines were ad-libbed. His Hall of Fame speech left everybody in stitches, including Billy Williams. Rest in peace, Bob. No .200 hitter was more beloved and revered than you. I sure hope there’s baseball in Heaven.

Friday Stove

It was reported earlier this morning that Sasaki had eliminated the Padres and will choose between the Dodgers and Blue Jays. Raise your hand if you think Toronto has a snowball’s chance in hell.

Jack Flaherty is still waiting on Sasaki’s decision to help determine where he’ll next pitch. Flaherty could return to the Dodgers if Sasaki signs with the Blue Jays. The Cubs are one of 5-6 teams said to still be in the running to sign the 29-year-old righty.

Nick Pivetta is also available, though he is attached to a qualifying offer.

The Mets reportedly made a last-ditch effort to sign Pete Alonso but failed.

There are still about 60-70 players available on the open market who should get guaranteed deals. There are 156 free agents who spent time in the bigs last season and are still seeking contracts.

The Yankees would like to move starter Marcus Stroman and the Diamondbacks are trying to trade Jordan Montgomery.

Extra Innings

The Cubs unveiled their new alternate jerseys, which are pretty spectacular. You can see them on the players for the first time on April 5 when Chicago hosts the Padres. By the way, the Wrigleyville jerseys are being retired, so get one before they’re all gone.

If you’ll be at the Cubs Convention this weekend, and if they’re selling the new jerseys, please pick one up for me in 2XL. I’ll make it worth your effort because I can’t find them anywhere online.

They Said It

  • “We appreciate Sammy releasing his statement and for reaching out. No one played harder or wanted to win more. Nobody’s perfect, but we never doubted his passion for the game and the Cubs. We are all ready to move forward together.” – Ricketts
  • “The obvious one, as I look back, was non-tendering Schwarber. We just didn’t have any money after Covid. I had to cut money, and that was the move we had to make. I look back on that one, and it just feels like we were right about the player. In the end, we were right. We ran out of time, patience, and money. I feel like he should be a Cub.” – Hoyer

Friday Walk-Up Song

Welcome back, Sammy!

Photo of Michael Canter Michael CanterJanuary 17, 2025
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