👋 Good morning!

A quick tip of the hat and wag of the finger from yesterday’s ballgame on the south side:

What a moment for Chase Meidroth to break up a no-hitter in the eighth inning in his third major league game. Meidroth, 23, has a hit in each game, too. Nice start.

And it’s storybook that the base hit comes off of the guy he was traded for in December.

As for Garrett Crochet’s utter dominance, is anybody really surprised? It would’ve been an unbelievably poetic return to Rate Field for the lefty fireballer, but it just wasn’t meant to be on Sunday.

Don’t be shocked when he sends 27 up & 27 down someday.

– Patrick Norton

Bears lock down Kyler-Man

Kyler Gordon is sticking around in Chicago. The Bears and the nickel corner have agreed to a three-year contract extension that’ll keep the 2022 2^nd round pick in town through 2028.

• Worth up to $40 million, the deal makes Gordon the highest-paid nickel corner in football. Per ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the contract includes $31.25 million guaranteed.
   

• Gordon, 25, becomes the first Bears player selected as the first pick by a new GM to make a second contract since TE John Allred came back for a fourth year under GM Mark Hatley in 2000.
   
  Confused? That’s my fault, but it’s neat to break down. Ryan Pace’s first pick (Kevin White, 2015), Phil Emery’s first pick (Shea McClellin, 2012), and Jerry Angelo’s first pick (David Terrell, 2001) did not receive a second contract in Chicago after the expiration of their rookie deals.
   
  Gordon was Ryan Poles’ first draft pick as GM in Chicago.

Gordon’s offseason extension shouldn’t strike anybody as a surprise. Both he and Jaquan Brisker entered the offseason eligible for extensions, but Gordon was always the clear choice to prioritize for the future.

Both players have performed well, but Brisker’s health is a significant concern. Five concussions in five years (two in college), including one suffered in Week 5 last year that knocked him out for the season, makes it awfully difficult to justify committing any future resources to the safety.

Despite also missing time throughout his career for various injuries (concussion in ‘22, hand fracture in ‘23, hamstring strain in ‘24), Gordon’s story is different. His deep metrics don’t jump off the page, but it’s mostly due to the position he plays and inconsistent snap counts.

The only logical reason Chicago wouldn’t have been willing to extend him this offseason would’ve stemmed from having an entirely new coaching staff. But those fears were quickly put to rest when Ben Johnson referred to Gordon as “a phenomenal nickel” back in January after being introduced as head coach.

Who’s next? T.J. Edwards sure makes a lot of sense as an extension candidate this offseason, especially with Tremaine Edmunds’ deal set to expire at the end of the 2025 season.

GO DEEPER: The CHGO Bears crew recorded an emergency pod after the news broke last night!

Where do Steele-less Cubs pivot?

Cubs ace Justin Steele will miss the remainder of the 2025 season and require left elbow reconstructive surgery, per manager Craig Counsell.

• Steele was added to the 15-day injured list on Wednesday with what was originally believed to be left elbow tendinitis, which Steele has dealt with on multiple occasions in the past.
   

• It’s not currently known whether Steele will undergo a full Tommy John surgery or a less invasive “primary repair.”
   

• Chicago employed Colin Rea out of the bullpen for the start against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Sunday in Steele’s normal spot in the rotation. Rea threw 3.2 IP and allowed just one run while striking out five and touching 96 mph on the gun.

But Rea isn’t a long-term solution, and if the NL Central-leading Cubs want to build on their two-game lead with tough series against the Padres, Diamondbacks, Dodgers and Brewers looming, Chicago’s going to need a legitimate arm capable of performing at even half of Steele’s expected value.

As CHGO’s Brendan Miller put on X, the Cubs essentially need to replace a 3 WAR player, and unfortunately, Rea and Javier Assad almost certainly aren’t capable of providing that.

That leaves Chicago with four realistic options:

Conservative: Platoon the hot arm. Whether it’s Jordan Wicks, Assad or Rea, Chicago could run the best available option out every fifth day. This is likely in the short term while the Cubs regroup and figure out what’s next, but risky for hopes of sustained success.

Mildly Aggressive: Trade for a mid-rotation arm. Maybe it’s somebody like Germán Márquez from the Colorado Rockies. Márquez was a guy on the verge of blossoming into an ace before elbow surgeries stripped him of all but five games between 2023 & 2024.

Aggressive: Call up Cade Horton. Horton, 23, is the Cubs’ top pitching prospect (soon to be top prospect overall once Matt Shaw is removed from the list) and is likely to make his big-league debut at some point in 2025.

However, Chicago’s front office might be hesitant to let him make the jump until he’s completely ready, as Horton lost the second half of his 2024 season due to a shoulder issue.

Going All In: Sandy Alcantara. Maybe Dylan Cease. Acquire a top-end arm on the trade deadline. But Cease’s San Diego Padres are scorching hot to begin the season, and Alcantara’s Miami Marlins haven’t thrown in the towel, either. It’ll be a tough move to pull off, but one Jed Hoyer might feel forced to make in a contract year.

Caleb Kilian, who was the last piece in the Cubs’ organization from the Kris Bryant deal in 2021, won’t be an option, as the recently DFA’d pitcher cleared waivers and was released by the club on Sunday.

Quick Hits

• Draft Day: The 2025 WNBA Draft kicks off tonight on ESPN at 6:30 p.m. The Sky hold the No. 10, No. 11, No. 16, and No. 22 picks in the draft after acquiring the No. 11 pick from the Minnesota Lynx last night in exchange for next year’s first-round pick.
   

• Play-In with Fire: The regular season is finished, and a date with destiny awaits Chicago. The Bulls will host the Miami Heat in a win-or-go home play-in tournament game on Wednesday night at 6:30. Miami has eliminated Chicago each of the last two seasons in the play-in tournament.
   
  The winner of Wednesday night’s affair will hit the road to take on the loser of Tuesday night’s Atlanta Hawks-Orlando Magic showdown for a chance to secure the No. 8 seed in the East.
   

• We just got a letter; let’s see who it’s from: I’ll be posting one final pre-draft CHGO Bears mailbag this Friday! Have any questions for me? Reply to this email or hit me up on Twitter. There is a catch. Anybody can ask a question, but this mailbag will only be accessible to CHGO Diehards when it’s published.

Ban in-game on-field interviews…

Today!

• 📺 CHGO Bears - 12:00 on YouTube

• 📺 CHGO White Sox - 4:00 on YouTube

• 📺 CHGO Bulls - 4:00 on YouTube

• 📺 CHGO Blackhawks - 5:30 on YouTube

• ⛸️ Blackhawks @ Canadiens - 6:00 on CHSN

• 📺 CHGO Blackhawks POSTGAME on YouTube

• ⚾️ Cubs @ Padres - 8:40 on Marquee

• 📺 CHGO Cubs POSTGAME on CHGO Cubs YT

Talk to you tomorrow!