Bears Finish An Undefeated Preseason

Good morning Chicago fans! My daughter celebrated her 1st birthday yesterday 🥳🎉 It was a fun weekend with family as she was spoiled with attention and presents!

I probably looked just like Jaylon Johnson all weekend long 👇

RESULTS

W - Cubs 3, Tigers 1: Javy Baez struck out 4 times in his return to Wrigley 😮

• Javier Assad had his best start in a long time (5.2 IP, 6 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 7 K)

• Cody Bellinger’s 2-run double was the difference as the Cubs only managed 5 hits

• Porter Hodge got the save!

L - Tigers 8, Cubs 2: Brutal loss against an unintimidating Tigers pitching staff

• Jameson Taillon allowed two 2-R HRs in the 2nd inning

• Jack Neely made his MLB debut with a deficit and struggled (1 IP, 4 ER)

• Christian Bethancourt provided the only offense for the Cubs (only 6 total hits!!) with a 2-R HR. He’s a legend!

W - Cubs 10, Tigers 2: Another series win to finish a 4-2 homestand

• Justin Steele threw an absolute gem (7 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 10 K)

• Catchers are carrying the offense! Miguel Amaya hit a grand slam and finished 3-for-4 with 5 RBI

• Craig Counsell gave Jack Neely another look to put his debut behind him. It definitely worked out! (1 IP, 1 BB, 2 K)

W - Cubs 6, Marlins 3: Game 1 win thanks to a late scoring surge

• 3 Cubs hit HRs (Amaya, Ian Happ, Pete Crow-Armstrong)

  • PCA’s HR was an inside-the-parker with the fastest home-to-home time (14.08 seconds) in MLB since 2017 ⚡⚡⚡

• The bullpen threw 4.1 IP of shutout baseball, and Jorge Lopez capped it off with the save

W - Cubs 14, Marlins 2: Where has this offensive juggernaut been all season???

• Cubs hitters had 17 hits, 8 BB vs. 7 K, 4 HR, 3 players with 3 hits, and 5 doubles

  • Seiya Suzuki led the onslaught with a massive day (2 HR, 1 triple, 4 RBI)

  • PCA followed up his inside-the-park magic with a no-doubter 437 ft. HR!

• Shota Imanaga earned his 10th win of the season (7 IP, 2 ER)

L - Marlins 7, Cubs 2: Blink your eyes and the offense dies again…

• Marlins SP Adam Oller started his 2nd game of the season and held the Cubs to 1 run on 4 hits over 5.2 innings

• Only 4 Cubs hitters recorded a hit, and they went 2-for-12 with RISP

WEEK RECORD: 4-2

SEASON RECORD: 65-66 (3rd place, 10.5 GB)

⭐ STAR OF THE WEEK ⭐

Miguel Amaya

His season turnaround has been extremely impressive!

This week: 8-for-16 (.500), 5 R, 2 HR, 7 RBI, 1 BB vs. 2 K

🎥 PLAY OF THE WEEK 🎥

PCA Inside the Park Home Run

ROSTER MOVES

Tuesday: DFA’d and released Hector Neris, called up RHP Jack Neely from AAA

• Despite a much better stretch as of late (only 2 ER allowed between June 18th and August 10th), Neris was released after a disappointing season

• Jed Hoyer stated that the move was not for financial reasons, but it had to be a factor, right? Neris had a $9M vesting option for next season that could have occurred if he accumulated enough appearances over the next month. Looks like the 2025 Cubs dodged a bullet by letting him go now.

• Neris was an accomplished reliever, a helpful teammate, and a key veteran presence in the bullpen. However, his sparkly 1.71 ERA in 2023 did not carry over into what may have been his worst season as a pro (3.89 ERA, 1.52 WHIP, 5.3 BB/9, 9.4 K/9)

• This move makes sense today and for the future. The bullpen has been strong since the end of June as a whole unit, and young guys can now take the vacant innings after letting Neris walk.

• One guy who will get an important look is Jack Neely! He has dominated in AAA after being acquired in the Mark Leiter Jr. trade and now gets his shot in the big leagues.

• Neris signed with his former team, the Astros, later in the week

Friday: DFA’d and sent David Bote to AAA, recalled INF Luis Vazquez from AAA, claimed RHP Gavin Hollowell off waivers from the Arizona Diamondbacks and optioned him to AAA

NEWS & NOTES

PCA and the catchers have really stepped it up at the plate! Huge reasons for the (slightly) better overall offense lately.

2024 1st round draft pick Cam Smith hit SIX (6!!!) straight homers with Low-A Myrtle Beach this week. He’s getting moved up to High-A South Bend already and will go for 7 in a row there!

Still 5.5 games back in the Wild Card 😢

TROPHY TRACKER (6/10 ➡ 🏆)

RESULTS (PRESEASON)

W - Bears 34, Chiefs 21

• Battle of the backups! Neither team played their starters in the last preseason matchup

• Bears QBs continued to look poised and played efficient football (Bagent: 3/6 for 57 yards, Rypien: 9/13 for 106 yards, Reed: 8/10 for 63 yards and 1 TD)

• Undrafted rookie CB Reddy Steward had 2 INTs, including a pick 6

• Velus Jones Jr. entered the game after Travis Homer and Ian Wheeler…does that make him the 6th running back on the depth chart??? Whatever the case, he took advantage of the opportunity with 13 carries, 111 yards, and 1 TD.

• WR Tyler Scott (6 rec, 99 yards), DE Daniel Hardy (4 tackles, 1 TFL), S Tarvarius Moore (6 tackles, 1 TFL), and DE Austin Booker (1 tackle, 1 QB hit) all continued their strong efforts from the entirety of the preseason

Bears finish the preseason 4-0 🏆

The last 4-0 preseason for the Bears? 1994 - they won a playoff game that year!

HARD KNOCKS

Episode 3 was the best iteration yet! It was definitely the most football-focused episode, which might be why I enjoyed it so much. We saw a full walk-through of the week: starting with the morning after the Bills preseason game and ending with the Bengals preseason game.

🏈 Xs and Os: The opening scene captured a 1-on-1 meeting between Caleb Williams and Matt Eberflus in the head coach’s office. They talked big picture about Caleb’s development and the little details from the Bills preseason game film.

😎 Favorite Scene: Hard Knocks captured live scoops on the Bears’ pursuit of DE Matthew Judon in trade conversations with the Patriots. I’m a sucker for the team-building aspect of sports, and we saw Ryan Poles go through this process with detail and stress. We saw Poles mention his “guardrails” that he must stay between when making moves, the analytics showing Montez Sweat 14th in Wins Added for DEs and Judon 50th, and Poles requiring a contract extension to be signed prior to the trade going through.

🤢 Disturbing Scene: The first team offense struggled against the Bengals because…Caleb Williams’ helmet wasn’t working??? This was not talked about on game day, and this footage made it seem like Caleb could only hear every other word from OC Shane Waldron. Try running an offense effectively with partial play calls in your 2nd preseason game of your rookie year.

😂 Funny Scene: Caleb Williams was interviewed for Pardon My Take and was asked an interesting question. Would he push a button that would kill a Bears fan but guarantee 10 Super Bowl championships? He clearly didn’t want to answer the question, but he gestured a button push as they all cracked up.

💲 Showoff: Simone Biles attended the preseason game with a custom Jonathan Owens…Packers…jacket. And the whole city then pleaded with her to get a new jacket.

❌ I’m Done: We got our first glimpse at the new stadium planning process, and it was strange to say the least. There was some dialogue in a meeting with President Kevin Warren about which style of seats to use in a specific part of the stadium, and COO Karen Murphy mentioned talking to rapper Lil Durk (who had been at training camp) about the best option. I don’t really want stadium content, but this was not a good look.

NEWS & NOTES

🚨 Trades!!! 🚨

Traded a 2025 6th round pick to the Seattle Seahawks for DE Darrell Taylor

• After missing out on Matthew Judon, Ryan Poles looked at cheaper targets to add to the rotation at DE opposite Montez Sweat

• Taylor has 21.5 career sacks in 3 seasons with the Seahawks

• Taylor is excited to move to a 4-3 defense where he can attack and rush the passer

• The Bears praised his play style and high motor

Traded a 2025 6th round pick to the Cleveland Browns for DT Chris Williams and a 2025 7th round pick

• This 6th round pick was from the Chase Claypool trade that sent him to Miami

• Williams adds depth to the DT position group, especially since Zacch Pickens is injured

• Williams was an undrafted free agent in 2020 and played for Matt Eberflus’ defense with the Colts for 2 seasons

The final 53-man roster will be set on Tuesday!

Two players were placed on IR as roster cuts began: WR Nsimba Webster (groin) and RB Ian Wheeler (ACL)

Former Bears GM Ryan Pace received another promotion in the Falcons front office. He is now the vice president of football operations/player personnel. He must be fired up!!

TROPHY TRACKER (6/10 ➡ 🏆)

NEWS & NOTES

No news this week!

TROPHY TRACKER (2/10 ➡ 🏆)

NEWS & NOTES

Old friend Javonte Green signed a 1-year contract with the New Orleans Pelicans. I’ll miss Javonte in Chicago! He always brought energy, was a great teammate, and had an insane run of games this past season (look back at Windy Conditions 4/8).

TROPHY TRACKER (1/10 ➡ 🏆)

Kiran Amegadjie

He went 10 months without playing football.

Amegadjie recently returned to practice for a ramp up period after recovering from his quad injury suffered at Yale.

At a press conference this week, Amegadjie answered the media’s questions with maturity and selflessness.

He intentionally praised his teammates and coaches multiple times and shared how appreciative he was of his support system.

He shouted out:

• Training Staff: For a seamless rehab transition starting on day 1

• Coaches and veterans: For helping him with the playbook and giving him the necessary mental reps to learn while rehabbing

• Fellow OL Theo Benedet, since Amegadjie volunteered to play mini cymbals for Benedet’s rookie karaoke performance (as seen on Hard Knocks)

Watch his press conference here:

Two Cubs prospects need to play every day in the majors next season.

All of their top prospects are now in AAA and performing well despite quick ascensions through the minor league system.

Matt Shaw, Owen Caissie, Moises Ballesteros, James Triantos, Kevin Alcantara

All 5 players are in the MLB Pipeline Top 100 prospects list and are knocking on the door of the big league club. We may even see one or two of them with September callups as rosters expand in a week.

The Cubs offense clearly needs to be reshaped, and with the full diamond currently being filled by solid major league players, they need to make room for these prospects. They are the future. They are the treasure of the rebuild that began in 2021. They have to make the final step in their move through the organization so everyone can see how they will develop in MLB.

Matt Shaw could make the team next season, and Owen Caissie might be the other player who could get a solidified role.

If any of them pan out and become elite hitters, the Cubs would get the huge boost they have desperately needed for a stagnant offense that has been wildly disappointing this season.

I think trades are on the horizon, and Jed Hoyer will have to be extremely creative. I want him to ship out proven talent to clear out spots for promising prospects. It’s about as risky as it gets. I also want him to trade for a superstar.

Why not a mix of both? Whether the Cubs know their offseason plans or not, these prospects will soon force the team’s hand and get a real look at Wrigley.

Kevin Fishbain - Watching film with Matt Eberflus (The Athletic)

Sahadev Sharma - Four Cubs bullpen stars (The Athletic)

Tommy Birch - How Matt Shaw became a great hitter (Des Moines Register)

Sahadev Sharma - Cubs takeaways (The Athletic)

Tony Andracki - Nate Pearson’s fresh start (Marquee Sports Network)

Scott Wheeler - AJ Spellacy’s recent hockey focus (The Athletic)

Mark Lazerus & Scott Powers - Blackhawks fan survey results (The Athletic)

Hoge & Jahns Podcast - Ryan Poles interview (YouTube)

Chicago Bears - Rookie Diaries: Austin Booker & Tory Taylor - Week 5 (chicagobears.com)

Thanks for reading! I hope your week is 💯 just like the White Sox loss total this season!

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