The Rundown: Drawing Parallels Between Cubs and IU Football, Bellinger Mulling Multiple Offers, RIP Wilbur Wood

Shortly after the Cubs began celebrating the 10th anniversary of the longest title drought in professional sports, the Indiana Hoosiers captured a national football title with the first 16-0 record in modern history. With all due respect to those who said the Cubs winning is all was the last great American sports story, I think Curt Cignetti and his team might have something to say about that. The Hoosiers entered the season as the losingest program in college football history and concluded it with an improbable title.

There are other parallels with the Cubs, like bringing in a new coach/manager who immediately changed the culture. After one year as upstart contenders, both teams jumped out to fast starts and ended up with hardware. The Cubs had the aw-shucks, golly-gee Kris Bryant leading the way; IU had Fernando Mendoza. Both groups had a strong mix of veterans who had learned to win elsewhere and passed that down to younger players. Cignetti and Joe Maddon stood in the spotlight to keep it off their players and let them perform without undue pressure.

It’s also a little ironic that Mark Cuban, who was reportedly frozen out of MLB’s boys club when he wanted to purchase the Cubs, was instrumental in filling IU’s coffers with NIL funds. What’s more, Mendoza is of Cuban heritage and was playing in his own backyard in a city known for its strong Cuban culture. That’s kinda like Northbrook native Jason Kipnis leading the charge for Cleveland, just with a better result for the hometown kid coming back.

Looking forward, I see similarities in how the Cubs are mimmicking IU’s approach to building a competitive roster among traditional bluebloods. We have seen how Jed Hoyer and Carter Hawkins got Tom Ricketts to be more comfortable with deferred salaries, and how culture and leadership count for nearly as much as statistical output. Basically, I’m saying the Cubs are going to go 162-0 this season.

Alex Bregman has already begun putting his stamp on the roster, pulling in scouting reports on all his new teammates and spurring Pete Crow-Armstrong in particular to get better. Bregman is like if Justin Turner was nearly a decade younger and still capable of playing every day, but with maybe a little more of an edge. That’s where I go back to the Jon Lester vibes as well.

I just can’t get over the fact that I’ve gotten to cheer for a Cubs World Series and an IU national title in football(!) over the last decade. Can imagine what kind of odds you’d have gotten if you could have been that long-gestating parlay? I’m sure Darren Rovell would have let his baby boy lay that bet, and then he’d have spent the rest of his life doubling down on the decision.

Bellinger Fielding Multiple Offers

Cody Bellinger has reportedly received an offer of five years and $160 million from the Yankees, but Bob Klapisch of the Newark Star-Ledger said on Sunday that they have decided not to engage in a bidding war. If another team can beat that figure, the Yanks are willing to let Bellinger walk. Jim Bowden of The Athletic tweeted Tuesday that Bellinger is “mulling over multiple offers from multiple teams” and that a decision could come soon.

The Blue Jays and Mets are known to be interested in Bellinger’s services, and both could be willing to pony up in a big way after whiffing on Kyle Tucker. The Cubs have also been lurking at the periphery, but it’s hard to see them going from okay with exceeding the first CBT penalty level to dropping at least $32 million AAV on their former right fielder over more than five years.

After doing the short-term thing and opting out, Bellinger is said to be seeking at least seven years. The Jays are probably the most willing of the teams in question, especially after offering a 10-year deal to Tucker. Getting Belli down to 3-4 years might take something in excess of $40 million AAV with early opt-outs, so it’s hard to see that fitting in Chicago. Then again, I thought there was no way the Cubs would beat the $170 million being floated by the Red Sox for Bregman.

More News and Notes

• This year’s Hall of Fame class will be announced at 5pm CT.
• Former Cubs reliever Ryan Pressly has retired and will work in a player development role with major and minor leaguers in the Twins organization.
• Isaac Paredes has emerged as a Red Sox 3B target, with Jarren Duran possibly going to Houston in return. It doesn’t seem like anything is close, and The Athletic’s Chandler Rome says other teams have checked in on Paredes. Interesting that Paredes being traded to Houston opened the door for Matt Shaw, who could also be on Boston’s radar.
• Many believed the potential for a lockout in 2027 would stifle the free agent market, but that doesn’t appear to be the case at all. Ken Rosenthal believes the likely implementation of a salary cap will come with a high enough floor that “stingy owners” will be forced to either spend or sell. Getting rid of Pirates owner Bob Nutting and others of his ilk would be a boon for players.
• Former White Sox knuckleballer Wilbur Wood passed away Saturday at the age of 84. The soft-tossing southpaw accumulated 30 fWAR from 1971-75 while averaging nearly 45 starts and 336 innings per season during that time. He faced at least 1,245 batters in each of those five campaigns, nearly 400 more than 2025 MLB leader Logan Webb (856). Wood’s 376.2 innings pitched in 1972 are the most in MLB over the last 55 years.
• The knuckleball is a very tough pitch to master and it’s very difficult to catch, so I understand why you don’t see young players picking it up. That said, I’m a little surprised we don’t see more guys try it as a last resort.
• Marquee broadcaster Alex Cohen was in Miami to celebrate his alma mater doing something he would not have believed possible during his time in Bloomington (when he still had hair).
• Per Jeff Passan, the Marlins have acquired righty Bradley Blalock — no relation to either Mookie Blaylock or Pearl Jam — for a minor league pitcher. Blalock was DFA’d last week and should get a good shot with a team that recently traded away two other starters.
• The White Sox signed lefty reliever Ryan Borucki to a minor league deal with an invite to spring training, where he has a very good shot of making the roster. The Mundelein native pitched very briefly for the Cubs in 2023, making one appearance before being cut loose. His father played in the Phillies organization, where he became great friends with one Ryne Sandberg. The elder Borucki was actually a groomsman in Ryno’s first wedding.
• My son’s travel organization was founded by a former Blue Jays and Rangers scout who signed Borucki out of HS in 2012, and they’ve stayed close. The lefty was released by the Pirates on August 18 and got picked up by the Jays again a week later. Borucki pitched in Indianapolis with Triple-A Buffalo on August 27, then stayed behind because the Jays had a series in Cincinnati the following week and might need reinforcements. As my son and I were getting some work in at his baseball facility, I got a call from the director asking if he’d mind serving as Borucki’s catch partner so he could stay warm.
• What was a pretty cool moment all on its own was made better knowing Borucki’s ties to my son’s namesake.
• On that same note, it’s wild how much these guys’ stuff really moves. Borucki is a fringy dude who most have never heard of, but trying to play catch with him was an adventure because of how much run he gets on his sinker.

Trailer Time

I watched Bone Lake on Monday because the director appeared on The Kingcast, one of my go-to pods, but it was pretty contrived and unmemorable. As such, I figured I’d share a clip from the natty that features one of the guttiest plays you’ll ever see. Leading 17-14 with 9:27 left in the fourth quarter and facing a 4th and 5 from the 12-yard line, Cignetti pulled back his field goal team and put the ball in HeisMendoza’s hands.

What happened next will probably be immortalized in bronze outside Memorial Stadium before long. What a play, what a team, what a season. Go IU!

FERNANDO. MENDOZA.

THE PLAY OF A LIFETIME ‼️ pic.twitter.com/g3o5nNNslr

— ESPN (@espn) January 20, 2026