Cubs Rumors: Michael Fulmer heads to 15-day IL with forearm strain

The Chicago Cubs called up southpaw Jordan Wicks from Triple-A Iowa to pitch in Saturday's win over Pittsburgh. It was a historic debut, with Wicks striking out nine batters in five innings. He surrendered only two hits, one earned run, and one walk — all of which came in the first inning.

Not shabby. Wicks is the Cubs' No. 10 prospect and he looks like a legitimate rotation cog for a Chicago team on the precipice of the National League playoffs. That said, the reason Wicks was called up dampens the excitement a little bit.

Chicago placed RHP Michael Fulmer on the 15-day injured list with a strained forearm. His absence comes at the worst possible time for the Cubs. The postseason is just within reach and Chicago will need a full accompaniment of talent to reach the promised land. Even if the 23-year-old Wicks continues to show out, Fulmer's arm will be sorely missed in the bullpen.

Fulmer has posted an ERA of 4.47 with a 1.331 WHIP in 56.1 innings across 57 appearances. His situational value in the pen cannot be overlooked. Fulmer has been dealing with soreness in his arm "for a while," Cubs manager David Ross told MLB.com.

The Cubs will hope two weeks is enough time for Fulmer to recuperate and return to full strength.

Cubs Rumors: Ian Happ extension looks dicey in hindsight

Ian Happ put together the best season of his career in 2022, batting .271/.342/.400 with 17 home runs and 72 RBIs en route to his first All-Star appearance. He won the Gold Glove, too. It was the kind of year that gets a player paid, and Happ was indeed paid.

The Cubs rewarded Happ with a three-year, $61 million extension that runs from 2024-26. For better or worse, Happ is locked in Chicago for the foreseeable future. At the moment, it feels like it's for worse.

Happ has been unable to follow up last season's success with a similar stretch at the plate. He's a talented defender out in left field, but that can only take a player so far when he's struggling to the extent Happ is at the plate. He's batting .241/359/.411 for the season. While there have been faint flickers of hope, Happ is in the middle of a monumental slump.

Since June 1, Happ has hit .213/.323/.391 with seven homers in 198 plate appearances (h/t Cubbies Crib). Chicago has been riddled with shaky outfield play all season, but Happ takes the cake for negative play right now.

Perhaps, in hindsight, the Cubs shouldn't have pushed all their chips in based on one consistent two-way season. Happ has been able to mix quality defense with flashes of power and contact in years past, but 2022 was the only year where it all converged at the same time. If he can't get back to that form in the near future, the Cubs will live to regret that pricey extension.

Cubs Rumors: Cody Bellinger is going to get paid in free agency

Cody Bellinger won the MVP after a remarkable 2019 season with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Since then, it has been a rocky road. Bellinger dealt with a shoulder injury, COVID, and a constant stream of setbacks that kept him either off the field or at half-strength.

The Dodgers let him walk last winter and the Cubs scooped him up on a one-year, $17.5 million "prove-it" contract. Well, he proved it. Bellinger has looked more like his MVP self with the Cubbies, taking his batting average from .210 to .317 with a .905 OPS, 20 home runs, 70 RBIs, and only 62 strikeouts in 414 plate appearances.

"He's just must-watch television at this point," Cubs pitcher Justin Steele told Bob Nightengale of USA Today. "Everybody saw what he did in the past. We know what he did. Winning the MVP is not easy, what he did with the Dodgers is nothing short of amazing."

The Cubs weren't really expected to contend in 2023, but a late-season surge has Chicago firmly in the wild card race with an ocean of momentum behind them. Bellinger has been the star of the show, and he's going to get paid accordingly in free agency.

"Demand is often created by rarity," said Scott Boras, Bellinger's agent. "When you have the rarity of age, the skill level, a five-tool player, a Gold Glove center fielder and first baseman who can run, throw, hit, and hit for power, that's a rare commodity in baseball."

It's hard to argue with any of that. Bellinger is versatile in the field, effective on the base paths, prolific at the plate — he checks every box right now. Boras wouldn't divulge a specific asking price to Nightengale, but he cited the weakness of the upcoming free agent market.

Bellinger isn't going to win MVP with the likes of Ronald Acuña Jr. and Freddie Freeman atop the leaderboard, but he's one of the few players who has operated on that level within the last five years. Now, there's reason to believe he can do it on a regular basis when he's healthy.

Be it with the Cubs or somewhere else, Bellinger is about to sign a very lucrative new contract in the winter months.