We do a lot of debating in the baseball world about whether “clutch” is a real thing, and, if so, the extent to which we can measure and quantify it.
I won’t resolve that debate for you this morning. But I will tell you that, when it comes to QB1, clutch is ABSOLUTELY a thing, and Caleb Williams has it in spades. That throw-and-catch is going to be remembered and celebrated for a very, very long time.
Feelin Good ?? pic.twitter.com/xlNQ62M57u
— Justin Steele (@J_Steele21) December 20, 2025 I keep thinking about how, if Steele returns healthy and effective (not at always a guarantee in that first year back from surgery), the Cubs could have a serious opportunity to maximize how and when he actually contributes. That is to say, if the Cubs have enough starting pitching to open the season well, and that carries on into mid-year when Steele is ready to return, then Craig Counsell and the Cubs will be able to be EXTREMELY judicious about Steele’s starting schedule and the usage around him. Do that right, and you could have a guy down the stretch in September and into the postseason whose arm feels like it’s midseason, rather than feeling ground down by an urgent rehab-and-return and immediate pedal down. And a bonus: if you do it right, Steele’s return can actually help lighten the collectively load of the guys who’ve been full-go from the jump. Not that you’d WANT any guy to be out to open the season, but, if it’s happening anyway, might as well look at the possible upsides. It’s the kind of thing we saw from the Dodgers this past season, actually, with the way they handled Shohei Ohtani’s return to the mound, and also Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow’s returns at midseason. All three of those guys more or less missed the whole first half, but they were very carefully managed upon their return, and then were at their very best in the postseason. It requires a little bit of a willingness to risk not maxing out your chances of winning every midseason game, and also requires a very deep roster of optionable swing starters (which, hey, the Cubs actually do project to have). It also requires a very deep and effective bullpen group overall (which is still TBD). All that said, we can’t really predict or project much about Justin Steele’s timeline until at least the end of Spring Training. We’ll all have a better sense – including the Cubs – of what kind of path is plausible toward in-game competitive throws. In the meantime, the Cubs just need to do their part to help byyyyyy adding at least one more starting pitcher, with the front half of the rotation being the priority. We can all hope for a strong Steele return, but the Cubs cannot make their offseason pitching plans EXPECTING that they’re going to get 100+ strong innings from Steele. This is not a comment about any kind of pitcher pursuit for the Cubs; just something I noticed and found funny about Zac Gallen and Zach Eflin. Both are coming off bad seasons, both are 30/31, and over last 5 years, both have FIPs that are about 10% better than league average. One guy gets talked about in the higher-tier of free agent options and figures to get $80+ million; the other guy doesn’t get talked about at all by anyone ever. There are differences, of course. For one thing, Gallen’s highs have been higher, and results have generally been better. And Eflin is coming off of back surgery, so there could be more trepidation about what his return looks like. Gallen is attached to a Qualifying Offer, though. Again, this isn’t an “argument” about anything. I just found it funny. Another of the lower-tier starters has signed, by the way, with the Yankees re-signing Paul Blackburn (a Cubs prospect many years ago!) to a one-year, $2 million deal. Thing is, he was a multi-inning reliever for the Yankees in the second half last year for the first time in his career, so I expect he’s something of a swing guy for them going forward, especially with so many starters due to return from injury mid-year or otherwise operating on limited workloads. Tomorrow is the posting deadline for Munetaka Murakami, and we finally have one of those reports that kinda-sorta has the feel of maybe a deal being worked out. It’s in Chicago, but across town:The White Sox are among the teams currently engaged in talks with Munetaka Murakami, sources tell me and @scottmerkin. Murakami’s posting window to sign with a Major League club expires on Monday at 5pm ET.
— Mark Feinsand (@Feinsand) December 21, 2025 That would seem a pretty obvious fit for both sides, especially if there’s some prove-it element to the deal. For the White Sox, who are maybe on the 50-yard-line of a rebuilding phase, they can afford to take a big risk on a guy who might totally flame out. But if he does hit, maybe it accelerates things for them with a bunch of young players close to emerging. For Murakami, he should have plenty of runway on a club like the White Sox to take as long as necessary to adjust to MLB pitching. Not to say that’s definitely happening. Some team is going to sign Murakami by tomorrow evening’s deadline, but it’s possible we don’t even have a clue what team it’ll ultimately be – and at what price – until the bell rings. Emmanuel Clase was reportedly breaking the league’s cell phone rules, and had been admonished for it, even before the whole betting scandal arrived. Those rules were in place because of the prior sign-stealing scandals, but obviously there are multiple potential impacts, as we’ve since learned. PCA was back at Soldier Field for a good one:PCA is back at Soldier Field for Bears-Packers ?⬇️ pic.twitter.com/CKtIS2KLeR
— Marquee Sports Network (@WatchMarquee) December 21, 2025 MORE CUBS FROM BLEACHER NATION: Go Ad Free | Subscribe to the BN NewsletterInstant Bears Player Grades: Bear Down. t.co/XkiYYim7Sb
— Bleacher Nation Bears (@BN_Bears) December 21, 2025Bears Nightcap: Caleb Williams Erased the Boogeyman — and Announced a New Era t.co/Puu0ji9ehH
— Bleacher Nation Bears (@BN_Bears) December 21, 2025OMG t.co/PajldtqZM7 pic.twitter.com/s75mGknA85
— Bleacher Nation Bears (@BN_Bears) December 21, 2025Hence then, the article about steele s return and cubs plans murakami and the sox and other cubs bullets was published today ( ) and is available on Bleacher Nation ( Middle East ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
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