Good morning, Bleacher Nation. They didn’t change the locks (or in this case, passwords) on me, so I’m back with weekend Cubs bullets. Thanks for the warm welcome last Sunday. A lot has unfolded since then, with the World Baseball Classic starting while spring training games continue. On top of that, NFL free agency begins Monday, the NHL trade deadline was this week, and some college basketball conference tournaments have already begun (shoutout to the Missouri Valley Conference for delivering March Madness yesterday).
A wonderful stretch of the annual sports calendar we’re in. That said, let’s get to the Cubs.
Team USA won its World Baseball Classic opener Friday night, 15-5, against Brazil at LoanDepot Park in Miami. Aaron Judge hit a two-run homer, Brice Turang had three hits (yay?), and Alex Bregman reached base five times with four walks and one hit by pitch. Even more impressive, the Cubs new third baseman saw 28 pitches, 23 of which were balls, and demonstrated veteran poise in an environment that could easily provoke players to want to be the guy with the big hit. Meanwhile, Pete Crow-Armstrong didn’t start, but entered the game in the top of the 5th after Byron Buxton got hit in the elbow by a pitch. PCA went 0-2 with an RBI walk, and for what it’s worth, there wasn’t a helmet or bat throw in disgust from him after his groundout or strikeout. In fact, I thought he looked particularly calm and composed when he drew the bases-loaded walk. PCA has talked about having better control of his emotions this spring, and it looked to be on display last night.USA SIGUE SUMANDO. ?? Alex Bregman recibe base por bolas e impulsa la carrera de Bryce Harper. #WBCenFOX pic.twitter.com/miWPofBB4Z
— FOX Deportes (@FOXDeportes) March 7, 2026 While Bregman’s first WBC performance wasn’t flashy, Seiya Suzuki’s this morning against Korea sure was! Seiya hit two home runs in Team Japan’s dramatic 8-6 win against Korea. His first dinger in the 1st inning got Japan back within one run, while his 3rd inning homer gave Japan a lead. Nice to see last season’s power surge pick right back up here in March in the WBC. Here’s to it continuing later this month when the regular season starts.SEIYA SUZUKI HOMERS AGAINTeam Japan leads! #WorldBaseballClassic pic.twitter.com/oCTPVNc4rJ
— World Baseball Classic (@WBCBaseball) March 7, 2026 Last but not least of the Cubs that are cooking in the WBC, Daniel Palencia got the save for Venezuela in its WBC-opening 6-2 win over the Netherlands on Friday. In true Palencia fashion, he was showing off a 100mph fastball, and doing a good job elevating the pitch, which is important to its success. Great to see so many Cubs having success early in the WBC, even better that their successes have displayed the sort of positives we’d be otherwise looking for in spring training games.100+ mph from La Gasolina for Team Venezuela ? #WorldBaseballClassic pic.twitter.com/gCbAAKFNpQ
— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) March 6, 2026 Not to be overlooked, the Chicago Cubs played a spring training game last night against the Padres and lost 3-0. It was the first time the Cubs have been shut out this spring. That said, they did out hit the Padres 7-5 with Moises Ballesteros and Matt Shaw both going 2-3. Ben Brown got the start and struggled with his command, finishing with a line of: 2.2 IP, 3K, 3BB, 3H, 3ER, bringing his spring ERA to 4.05. Don’t see any reason to over-analyze Brown’s night, as it could be as simple as him working on pitches that were going to leave him susceptible to being behind in counts. What I will look into in last night’s 3-0 loss was Moises Ballesteros’ performance behind the plate. He did a good job blocking several of Brown’s power curveballs that were in the dirt, had another excellent ABS performance (3-for-3 with ABS challenges) and threw out a runner trying to steal. Yes, his path to the opening day roster is still the bat, but demonstrating he’s more than capable of catching once a week and that only helps his chances. I haven’t given up on Moises’ development as a catcher, and it sure doesn’t look like the Cubs have either.Moises Ballesteros did a solid job behind the plate tonight.Ben Brown throws a lot of chase curves in the dirt, and Ballesteros handled them well. Made several good blocks — only one got by him. pic.twitter.com/lqL3VZ5S0R
— Carson Wolf (@TheWrigleyWire) March 7, 2026 Speaking of development, Jefferson Rojas’ spring sure has been a treat to watch. The 20-year old shortstop is hitting .280/.333/.640 with two home runs. Prior to last night’s game, he was the only player with an average exit velocity of 97+ MPH coupled with a whiff rate below 23-percent. Rojas tapping into his power potential has largely been what’s held him back from the next level of prospect hype. He looks like he’s been living in the weight room this off-season, and the swing appears compact and clean. I particularly enjoyed this swing comp from Brendann Miller of CHGO…Jefferson Rojas home run comparison: Justin Upton (left) vs. Rojas (right) pic.twitter.com/KY1yjsR8uu
— Brendan Miller (@brendan_cubs) March 5, 2026 Edward Cabrera data from his start Wednesday against the Brewers…Edward Cabrera (CHC) made his second spring training start, throwing 2.2 innings with a pair of strikeouts pic.twitter.com/QoqF0unvEa
— Pitcher List Stats (@PitcherListPLV) March 4, 2026BLEACHER NATION: Go Ad Free | Subscribe to the BN Newsletter
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