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Trailers for the Dune finale and the new Spider-Man dropping at basically the same time this week? That was fun.
Edward Cabrera, who’d otherwise been cruising through his Spring Training starts with the Cubs, got knocked around by the Diamondbacks yesterday (3.0 IP, 7 ER, 7 H, 1 BB, 4 K, 2 HR, 74 pitches). We have talked about how, in that second-to-final spring start, you might be happier to see some dominance with everything really getting opened up (before guys sometimes throttle it back for the final warm-up start), but obviously that goes only so far (it’s still only Spring Training, things are still being worked on, it’s still a sample size of one game, etc.). A bad outcome like that in a spring game is not especially concerning, even as we want guys to be firing on all cylinders at this point. What is far more interesting to me about the outing is that Cabrera’s velocity was considerably down in the appearance (1 to 2 mph, across the board), which may also be a meaningless fluctuation, but was at least a little surprising. A number of pitchers on both sides were down, though, so it could be a matter of the near-100-degree temperatures taking a little extra toll. For his part, Cabrera could not possibly have been less bothered by the results from the appearance, during which he said he felt fine: Matt Shaw played right field in the game for the first time in a little while, and had two(!) fielding errors in four(!) innings. Without a broadcast, I can’t really tell you exactly the nature of the errors or how concerning they are, but an outfielder making two in four innings is … well, if that happened in the regular season, let’s just say it would be the kind of thing you might see once in 162 games, if that. I have plenty of leniency for it in terms of beefing with Shaw – he’s learning a new position while bouncing all around and trying to develop at the plate – but it does nothing to change my suspicion that, if Seiya Suzuki were to miss more than a day or two, it won’t be Shaw out there as an everyday guy. To that end, Michael Conforto played left field in the game, as he continues to get a lot of run lately, and is my best guess at the starting right fielder on Opening Day if Suzuki is expected to be out for a week or so. Kevin Alcantara, who can’t be ruled out if it’s a long-term injury situation either, started in center field in the game and went deep:Kevin Alcantara hit his first HR of the spring today:106.5 mph, 422 ft.He went 3-for-4, raising his slash line to .355/.412/.516 with a 92.8 mph average EV. pic.twitter.com/sAvFEhC8hi
— Carson Wolf (@TheWrigleyWire) March 19, 2026 Odds are best, given the options situation, that Alcantara heads to Iowa to open the season regardless, with two of Conforto, Dylan Carlson, and Chas McCormick making the big league roster. But, like I’ve said before, we can’t forget that this is a top prospect with tremendous offensive upside and a plus outfield glove. The Cubs parted with Owen Caissie, in part, because of Alcantara’s presence, and we know the Cubs may have to make a full-time decision on Alcantara after this season anyway (i.e., if Suzuki and Ian Happ depart in free agency, the Cubs will need to know how aggressive to be in free agency to replace them that way, or let Alcantara run). So if there is ever a LONG-term injury to any of the three starting outfielders, that’s when I do think we might see Alcantara get the nod over the reserve outfielders. Jonathon Long is fully back from his elbow injury, and hit his first homer of the spring:Jonathon Long – Chicago Cubs (1)* pic.twitter.com/eNxVrjg5Sb
— MLB HR Videos (@MLBHRVideos) March 19, 2026 Long is likely ticketed for Iowa to open the season, where he will probably continue to start mostly at first base, while occasionally working in time in left field. It would probably take a Michael Busch injury or a combination of other injuries for Long to get a big league starting run this year, and his future with the Cubs is at least a little murky given the presence of Busch and, if he continues to take most of the DH opportunities, Moises Ballesteros. No long-term decisions have to be made just yet – Long isn’t even on the 40-man – but it’s possible Long is going to go to Iowa, keep on raking, and the Cubs are going to have to decide if they can figure out a way to incorporate him. The best near-term possibility for Long? The Cubs determining that Ballesteros needs to sit against a lot of lefties this year, and Busch still needs some very occasional protection. In that instance, the Cubs might also determine they don’t have a better righty-versus-lefty option for DH/1B than Long. One addition on Long: if Seiya Suzuki starts the season on the IL, although Long wouldn’t factor into the right field question, the open spot on the roster COULD create an opportunity for him to be on the bench for that first week (just in terms of the Cubs literally having another open 26-man roster spot, and having lost a righty bat). Look, I understand that the point of these things is engagement, and I’m feeding the beast by sharing and commenting on something that has OBVIOUS flaws, but I can’t help it:Do not sleep on the Orioles lineup pic.twitter.com/A2qYK7P6sS
— BetMGM ? (@BetMGM) March 18, 2026 The Cubs had the 6th best offense in baseball last year by wRC+. In runs scored, they were 5th. Heck, even by xwOBA they were 4th! I understand that the Cubs lost Kyle Tucker, but, what, the downgrade from Tucker to Alex Bregman, offensively, turns the Cubs into a borderline average offense? I may not believe they will repeat as a borderline top-five offense, mind you, but there’s just no way they don’t project to be in that 6-7-8-ish range. Fun fact:The only Cubs player to debut since 1970 to be more productive by bWAR across his age 25-to-28 seasons than Nico Hoerner (19.6) is Anthony Rizzo (20.0 from 2015-18).
— nugget chef (@jayhaykid) March 18, 2026 We’re still waiting on the ratings from the WBC Final, but it’s a good bet that it’ll be one of the larger non-World Series baseball numbers in a long time:The World Baseball Classic was a home run for FOX and FS1 this week, securing 6 spots in the Top 25 (including the first 2 slots) of Nielsen's Top 25 sporting event telecasts for the week of March 9 – March 15. Overall, the #1-ranked live sports event of the week was FS1’s…
— Maury Brown (@BizballMaury) March 19, 2026 MORE CUBS FROM BLEACHER NATION: Go Ad Free | Subscribe to the BN NewsletterChicago Bears 7-Round Mock Draft: 3.0 t.co/k1H9RGASg5
— Bleacher Nation Bears (@BN_Bears) March 19, 2026Frank Nazar and Connor Bedard Have Been HOT for the Blackhawks #blackhawks t.co/0AUpejOgcb pic.twitter.com/ka5gGfKwsl
— Bleacher Nation Blackhawks (@BN_Blackhawks) March 18, 2026Was Artis Gilmore a Snub From the NBA’s 75th Anniversary Team? Sam Smith Weighs In (BN Exclusive) t.co/ispnvMVfWy pic.twitter.com/kFwpQS96fj
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