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3 questions for the Chicago Cubs to address in the 2nd half, including if Ian Happ is a player to build around

Less than three months to go.The Chicago Cubs roster could look very different by the time they close out the season Oct. 5 in Cincinnati. At just past the midpoint of the season, the Cubs are trending toward a 96-loss campaign — though that is before they likely move key pieces leading up to the Aug. 2 trade deadline.AdvertisementAs the Cubs chug along during a four-game set at Dodger Stadium, there are questions the organization must answer during the second half with an eye on the future.Chicago Cubs outfielder Ian Happ rounds second base as he advances to third in the fifth inning against the San Diego Padres at Wrigley Field, June 15, 2022. (Chris Sweda / Chicago Tribune)This could be answered within the next three weeks if the Cubs opt to trade Happ, who will be a free agent after next season. The 27-year-old switch hitter has lived up to this potential this year in a career season. Happ’s offensive production is the most consistent of his six big-league seasons, and it notably comes as the offense is heavily relying on him to produce.AdvertisementPerhaps his past offensive inconsistencies make the Cubs wary of giving him the type of money it would take to ink Happ to a contract extension. But combined with his sizzling final two months of the 2021 season, he has shown carryover and an important ability to move past his awful first four months last year.Sticking — and keeping — Happ in left field has yielded improvement in his defense too. He’s respected in the clubhouse and has grown in a leadership role. He’s striking out less than ever while still drawing walks at his career rate. While there are a couple underlying numbers that might raise concern — a high Batting Average on Balls in Play (BABIP), a lower home run rate and a small uptick in ground balls — Happ has given the Cubs a needed presence.The last two years have shown that the organization is comfortable going into the final year before free agency with their key players. The Cubs need core players to come out of this rebuild, but Happ appears to be the next one to face uncertainty with his Cubs future.Chicago Cubs pitcher Justin Steele delivers to the St. Louis Cardinals during the second inning at Wrigley Field, June 5, 2022. (Armando L. Sanchez / Chicago Tribune)Chicago Tribune SportsWeekdaysA daily sports newsletter delivered to your inbox for your morning commute.The future of the Cubs rotation looks a lot brighter if right-hander Keegan Thompson and left-hander Justin Steele are the real deal. Their first-half performance was encouraging. Both own an ERA+ above 100, which is league average, while left-hander Drew Smyly represents the only other Cubs starter to hit that mark.The next three months will be a good test for Thompson and Steele as they work through their first full big-league season and push through the most single-season innings they have pitched in their professional careers. The Cubs, though, need more than them.Right-hander Caleb Kilian is expected to get another opportunity in the majors this year after command issues and walks plagued him through three first-half starts. The Cubs are optimistic right-hander Adbert Alzolay will return from his right shoulder strain at some point. Depending on when he returns, perhaps the Cubs look at him in a multi-inning relief role that Thompson thrived in earlier this season. Alzolay got a taste of it late last season when the Cubs were managing his workload.Development in the minors is important too, though their top starters are still at the lower levels: left-handers Jordan Wicks and DJ Herz and right-hander Kohl Franklin have shown good stuff at High-A South Bend this season. There is potential in the Cubs system, but part of the long-term vision relies on guys like Thompson and Steele being quality big leaguers.Chicago Cubs manager David Ross looks out from the dugout during the second inning against the San Diego Padres at Wrigley Field, June 15, 2022. (Chris Sweda / Chicago Tribune)The Cubs have a knack for fighting until the last out, which is a good quality for any team. Too often, though, they have come up short with a feel-good rally. Entering Friday, they have played 25 one-run games, which is tied for 10th most in the majors. And only one team has played more extra-inning games than the Cubs (11).AdvertisementThe Cubs, however, are 3-8 in extras and 10-15 in one-run games. At some point, they need to take advantage of being in games and learning how to either complete a comeback or hold off the other team. And it might not happen until next year. Some of that is a lack of big-league experience. It also involves the caliber of talent. While the Cubs’ average age of their hitters is a league-average 28.5 years old, a lot of their regulars are in their first year or two of playing every day in the majors.The Cubs only have five position players and three pitchers who remain from the organization’s last postseason team in 2020. Moral victories don’t exactly mean much in majors, especially for a Cubs fan base that carries high expectations. Learning to win in the majors can be a process and, so far, the Cubs have been coming out on the wrong side of close games. Finding a way to change that over the final three months could help their next contending team.

Sports

Column: The Chicago Blackhawks may look unrecognizable next season without Alex DeBrincat — but will it be worth it?

The Chicago Blackhawks may have a better idea of their starting lineup for the 2025-26 season opener than for the Oct. 12 opener at the Colorado Avalanche.Perhaps a bit of hyperbole, but with any luck, 2022 first-round picks Kevin Korchinski, Frank Nazar and Sam Rinzel will all be in that future lineup.Advertisement“Coming into today (Thursday), if I figured we would add Kevin Korchinski, Sam Rinzel and Frank Nazar I wouldn’t have believed you,” general manager Kyle Davidson said on draft night in Montreal. “Sitting where we are right now with the prospects we just picked up I’m pretty damn happy.”But to get them, the Hawks had to trade fan favorite Alex DeBrincat (Ottawa Senators) and Kirby Dach (Canadiens), kicking off what could be a mass exodus of the current roster.Advertisement“It’s difficult to trade any young player, especially young contributors like we did today is not easy,” Davidson said.With their leading scorer in DeBrincat gone, there’s little reason to bring back linemate Dylan Strome, a restricted free agent with arbitration rights — or fellow RFA Dominik Kubalík, for that matter. Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews could be weighing whether they want to stick around for the tear-down.If last season’s 28-42-12 campaign was a drain on the three-time Stanley Cup-winning duo, this season could leave them feeling empty.Anyone else is fair game, particularly veterans (Tyler Johnson? Jake McCabe?) Davidson could ship off to contenders before next year’s trade deadline.“Going through a rebuild is not fun. Doing things you have to do to get to where you want to go is not fun,” Davidson said. “So there’s going to be tough days like this where you see familiar faces and faces that we in management and the fans know and love, but it’s necessary.”“It’s all about the process. It’s our job to make sure that the assets that we bring in make the decision the right one and make it justified.”That’s the quibble many fans had (based on the social media uproar) with Davidson’s draft-day wheeling and dealing — at least in DeBrincat’s case.Blackhawks left wing Alex DeBrincat (12) handles the puck under pressure from Oilers defenseman Evan Bouchard (75) at the United Center, March 3, 2022. (Terrence Antonio James / Chicago Tribune)But Davidson defended his move.Advertisement“I did feel that this was his maximum value today,” he said. “I didn’t feel the need to do it but when we got a top 10 pick on the table, I thought that was something that, if we could build a package around that, I thought it was really important to do. The value of those top 10 picks are far more valuable and great than multiple picks later on in the first round.”Rebuild or not, giving up a 24-year-old All-Star winger for the seventh overall pick (Korchinski), a second-round pick Friday and a 2024 third-rounder feels as underwhelming as Brandon Hagel’s haul — two conditional first-round picks in 2023 and 2024 and two prospects from the Tampa Bay Lighting — felt pleasantly impressive.In fact, when you take a step back, the DeBrincat trade looks even worse.When the dust settled, the Hawks essentially swapped DeBrincat for defenseman Seth Jones — and moved down a slot in the first round to do it.Perhaps it’s a bit of oversimplification, but the Jones deal with the Columbus Blue Jackets on draft day a year ago for multiple high-round Hawks picks created a domino effect that greatly contributed to DeBrincat’s departure, a case of general manager malpractice by Stan Bowman.Bowman mortgaged the future for a player he couldn’t pass up.Advertisement”You’re trying to put yourself in a position that when a player of Seth’s ability and caliber becomes available, that you’re in a position to, No. 1, have the assets that it would take, and No. 2, have the cap room to be able to do it,” Bowman said on draft night last year.“Not too often do those things always line up. There’s a lot of luck in the timing.”Doesn’t feel so lucky in hindsight, and the vacuum Bowman created couldn’t be more ill-timed.Jones’ addition, along with a couple of other acquisitions last summer, not only didn’t help push the Hawks into playoff contention, but Bowman’s hasty retool attempt cratered and created Davidson’s impetus for the Hawks to launch a rebuild.In the final tally, the Hawks gave up DeBrincat, Adam Boqvist, the No. 12 pick of the 2021 draft (which became Cole Sillinger), the No. 44 pick in 2021 (Aleksi Heimosalmi) and this year’s No. 6 pick (David Jiříček).In return, the Hawks netted Jones, the No. 32 pick in 2021 (Nolan Allan), the Nos. 7 (Korchinski) and 39 (Paul Ludwinski)picks this year and a 2024 third-rounder.AdvertisementHow the rest of this sad saga shook out is squarely on Davidson, who stepped into the role of personnel boss after Bowman stepped down in October in the wake of the Kyle Beach scandal.If Davidson coaxed two conditional first-rounders from Tampa Bay in the Hagel package, certainly DeBrincat would draw a king’s ransom, right?What the Hawks received, however, was not that.The first-time GM came off like he played a savvy, patient poker hand in the Hagel deal, but it looks as if he folded on this one.Davidson said earlier this year that “it would be nice” to recover a first-round pick, but “we’re not going to force anything.”Does trading DeBrincat for a first and second in a so-so draft, along with a distant third-rounder, sound forced?AdvertisementThe Hawks might say their hands were tied because a trade partner would have to have the present and future cap space to handle a monster extension for DeBrincat, but that kind of reasoning sounds as if you’re trying to force something.And you can draw a straight line from Bowman’s malfeasance last summer to Davidson’s desperation in this draft.What’s so puzzling is that the Hawks didn’t acquire one of the Senators’ prized prospects, such as defenseman Jake Sanderson or center Ridly Greig, who ranked second and 18th on TSN director of scouting Craig Button’s top 50 NHL-affiliated prospect list in April.“Ottawa to me (has a) terrific prospect pool,” Button said on TSN.ca. “You talk about Tim Stutzle and Josh Norris as your top two centermen. Ridly Greig is an outstanding third-line center.”Davidson said the Hawks “considered” acquiring prospects but ultimately opted not to.“We didn’t really push too hard because their second (rounder) was rather high,” he said. “That’s why we leaned toward that second pick so we could put our own stamp and our own philosophy into that player.”AdvertisementNor did Davidson hold out for a first- or second-round pick in 2023, which is widely considered to possess a better talent pool than this year.Hawks amateur scouting director Mike Doneghey told the Tribune last week this year’s draft is “deficient in the amount of franchise or generational players.”“There are some good players,” Doneghey said. “I don’t know that there may be defining franchise players right now, i.e. the (Cale) Makars, (Nathan) MacKinnons, Patrick Kanes.”Next year’s draft appears to have a deeper talent pool.Doneghey looks at Connor Bedard, Adam Fantilli and Matvei Michkov as no-brainer franchise players at the top of 2023 draft and expects a few others to force their way into the conversation.For the 25th slot, which the Hawks used to select Rinzel, all Davidson gave up was a second-rounder (38th overall) and the space to take on goalie Petr Mrázek’s salary, giving the Toronto Maple Leafs the cap relief they needed.AdvertisementAnd the Hawks don’t have to tread into free agency to find a starting netminder.Blackhawks center Kirby Dach handles the puck during the first period against the Florida Panthers, Feb. 20, 2022, at the United Center. (Erin Hooley / Chicago Tribune)But Davidson appears to have gotten the better of the Dach trade.Nabbing 13th and 66th overall picks for the former 2019 No. 3 pick somehow feels like thievery given the lackluster start to Dach’s career.Canadiens GM Kent Hughes said he checked within the Hawks organization and around the league and dug into Dach’s game and character, “and we were comfortable with everything we heard.”Oh well, it’s Hughes’ headache now. Maybe he thinks faceoffs are overrated.Still, there’s a void DeBrincat and Dach will leave in the Hawks locker room.AdvertisementChicago Tribune SportsWeekdaysA daily sports newsletter delivered to your inbox for your morning commute.First-year coach Luke Richardson is trying to bring order to a team that lost its top offensive weapon and a well-respected teammate in DeBrincat, who was selfless enough to pitch in on the penalty kill when asked.Toews grumbled about the Hawks’ direction when they traded Hagel, so you only can imagine his reaction to this development.Even Kane has to question if staying in Chicago is worth enduring this dismantling.TSN analyst Pierre LeBrun asked agent Pat Brisson about Kane, but Brisson said they’re not “going to make any decisions or comments at this point.”Asked agent Pat Brisson about his client Patrick Kane and his NHL future in lieu of today’s trades by the rebuilding Blackhawks. Brisson said they’re not “going to make any decisions or comments at this point.”— Pierre LeBrun (@PierreVLeBrun) July 8, 2022

Bottom line: The Hawks’ decisions, past and present, put a lot of pressure on their 2022 rookie class to pan out. That’s at a minimum.The hockey world will tally all that the Hawks gained in the long run from giving up DeBrincat, Dach and cap space and judge whether the Hawks should’ve demanded more.AdvertisementMake it make sense.

Sports

Chicago Blackhawks go heavy on forwards on Day 2 of the NHL draft, selecting Paul Ludwinski and Ryan Greene

The Chicago Blackhawks loaded up on centers in the second round, adding Paul Ludwinski and Ryan Greene in the second round.Both had been on amateur scouting director Mike Doneghey’s wish list.AdvertisementDoneghey sees Ludwinski as a two-way center, “very competitive, very smart.”He described Greene as “fast – he’s not like a super burner – but he’s a very good skater, very powerful skater.”AdvertisementThe Hawks have made acquiring speed their top priority in the rebuild.At the top of the third round, the Hawks selected winger Gavin Hayes, then added fellow winger Samuel Savoie 15 slots later. Center Aidan Thompson rounded out the team’s third-round picks.The Hawks traded the 94th overall pick to the Arizona Coyotes for a 2023 third-round pick. The Coyotes took defenseman Jeremy Langlois.

Sports

WNBA players balance activist roles as political turmoil hangs over All-Star weekend

Like any other milestone in the WNBA, the 2022 All-Star Game will be about much more than basketball.Players rarely stay on the sidelines when it comes to a fight for human rights. As the league converges on Chicago for All-Star weekend, players carry with them the burden of a tumultuous year of advocacy for trans children, reproductive rights and gun control.AdvertisementBut the foremost issue for the league and its players is the imprisonment of Phoenix Mercury star Brittney Griner, who pleaded guilty to drug possession charges in Russia earlier this week in an effort to possibly secure a prisoner exchange with the U.S. government.After assembling a letter co-signed by nearly 1,200 prominent Black women including Bernice King and Dawn Staley, the Women’s National Basketball Players Association will continue to plead with the Biden administration to negotiate for Griner’s release throughout the weekend.Advertisement“With a 99% conviction rate, Russia’s process is its own,” the WNBPA said in a statement Thursday. “You can’t navigate it or even understand it like our own legal system. What we do know is that the U.S. State Department determined that Brittney Griner was wrongfully detained for a reason and will continue negotiating her release regardless of the legal process. We’ll leave it at that.“The administration needs to know that this powerful collective is behind them and supports whatever needs to be done to get BG, Paul Whelan and other detained U.S. nationals home right away.”Griner’s absence will leave a gaping hole throughout All-Star weekend as the league plans to use the platform to hold attention to her imprisonment. But the scope of player activism will be wide-ranging as mass shootings and attacks on abortion and transgender rights swept through the country this season.In the wake of mass shootings in an Uvalde, Texas, elementary school and a Buffalo, N.Y., supermarket, players enacted media blackouts and used social media to demand stricter gun control legislation. Now the league’s All-Stars arrive in Chicago to a community still reeling from a mass shooting in Highland Park on the Fourth of July.“We have an issue in this country,” Washington Mystics guard Natasha Cloud said after the team announced a media blackout following the Uvalde shooting. “Not only white supremacy — we also have a gun violence issue. … We’re talking about our kids not being safe to go to school, and our government is still not implementing sensible gun laws.“This isn’t about taking people’s rights away from bearing arms, this is about putting sensible gun laws in so this doesn’t happen again.”The same political fervor spilled over following the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade last month, sparking protests that likely will continue this weekend.The Seattle Storm released a statement declaring the team was “furious and ready to fight.” The WNBPA echoed league-wide uproar against the decision in a statement on June 24.Advertisement“Are we in a democracy where guns have more rights than women?” the statement read. “This ruling provides a treacherous pathway to abortion bans that reinforce economic, social and political inequities and could lead to higher rates of maternal mortality while eviscerating rights to reproductive freedom for everyone. To protect our democracy, we must vote like our lives depend on it. Because they do.”In a league predominantly represented by Black and queer women, it never has been a surprise that WNBA athletes take their platforms seriously.But this year’s All-Star Game highlights a continued shift in the power given to the voices of women’s athletes.“For people that are standing up and being the voice — I think it’s really important,” Sky guard Courtney Vandersloot said on WGN in June. “The fight’s not over. People need voices and I think the WNBA and the Chicago Sky is a great platform.”