Cubs News

MESA, Ariz. — There's a very large man over there screaming at the Chicago Cubs. He's Lou Ferrigno-esque, with bulging biceps and a bellowing voice. He's pacing back and forth in front of them, shouting words of encouragement.

But when don't they look hot?

Jason Heyward drove in two runs and Jorge Soler belted a two-run homer in a four-run fifth to power the Cubs to a 5-2 victory Sunday over the Royals in front of a Spring Training record crowd of 15,523 at Sloan Park. The previous high was 15,446, which the Cubs set March 4 in their Cactus League home opener.

If you only looked at the boxscore, Cubs relievers Justin Grimm and Neil Ramirez both had rough outings Saturday night. Manager Joe Maddon saw much more.

Chicago White Sox chairman Jerry Reinsdorf said Sunday he met with players and staff over Adam LaRoche's sudden retirement and that the organization will no longer discuss the situation publicly. LaRoche retired last week when executive vice president Kenny Williams sought to limit the amount of time LaRoche's 14-year-old son, Drake, was spending around the team. The way Williams handled the decision ruffled feathers among the White Sox players and ace left-hander Chris Sale referred to Williams as a liar on Friday.

Cubs manager Joe Maddon didn't know Jon Lester has bone chips in his left elbow. Not many people were aware, but a new book revealed that detail about the left-hander and that Cubs president of baseball operations Theo Epstein knew before signing him to a six-year, $155 million contract.

MESA, Ariz. (AP) -- Jerry Sands hit a pair of homers and drove in three runs to lead the Chicago White Sox past the Oakland Athletics 6-2 on Sunday.

Can a baseball team have too much talent? Impossible. Astros skipper A.J. Hinch speaks for managers everywhere when he says, give him the options and he'll take the sleepless nights. But Cubs manager Joe Maddon's not likely to turn into an insomniac at this point.

Jon Lester allowed one earned run in five innings and Jorge Soler hit a two-run home run Sunday and the Cubs beat the Royals 5-2. Joe Maddon managed against Lester for a long time and now that he has had him in spring for the second time on his side, he says he's impressed. It closed the scoring on a four-run inning in which Royals starter Ian Kennedy didn't record an out.

"I was like, 'Whoa, I'm about to use Kyle Schwarber's glove today.'"

Manager Joe Maddon met Sunday with about a dozen hand-picked Cubs players who he has dubbed the "lead bulls" to discuss travel, clubhouse decorum and dress code. What does Maddon want players to wear? "If you think you look hot, you wear it," Maddon said. "That's the dress code."

MESA, Ariz. — Joe Maddon and his Chicago Cubs can often be seen wearing T-shirts that read "Try Not To Suck," so it's not a huge surprise that Maddon isn't particularly conservative when it comes to the team's dress code.

Editor's Note: With the arrival of baseball season we're previewing each MLB team, from worst to best. We'll look at their key offseason moves, projected lineup, best and worst possible outcomes plus examine the team's fantasy implications with the help of friends from Roto Arcade. Our daily series continues with No. 11: The Pittsburgh Pirates. The Pittsburgh Pirates are expected to win now. That's a pretty positive development following an unthinkable stretch of 20 straight losing seasons that ended in 2013. Unfortunately, the urgency to capitalize on that success and turn it into something greater simply hasn't been there, and that's why Pittsburgh will struggle to keep up in a tough NL Central. [ 2016 Yahoo Fantasy Baseball is open for business. Sign up now ]

Miguel Montero first worked with Cubs top prospect Willson Contreras last summer during the veteran catcher's rehab stint at Double-A Tennessee. This spring, Montero saw nothing but positives from the 23-year-old catcher.

MESA, Ariz. — Jose Alvarado was preparing for a trip of a lifetime. He was one of a handful of young baseball players being flown from Chicago to Arizona to meet the Chicago Cubs and play an exhibition game on their spring-training field.

DUNEDIN, Fla. (AP) -- Relief pitcher Rafael Soriano has announced his retirement from baseball after 14 seasons in the major leagues.

Former All-Star closer Rafael Soriano has called it a career. Soriano, an All-Star in 2010 with the Rays, retired Saturday while attempting to earn a roster spot with the Blue Jays.

Michael Brantley homered and threw out Ben Zobrist at home in his first game of spring training and the Cleveland Indians beat the Chicago Cubs 10-5 Saturday night. Brantley flied to the warning track in center his first at-bat but cleared the right-field wall with a man on in the fourth against Justin Grimm. ''Good for him, besides the fact he took some good swings, you saw how everyone reacted,'' Indians manager Terry Francona said.

One day after being sent to the Minor League camp, Pierce Johnson had his best outing this spring. Jake Arrieta would be proud.

Michael Brantley went 1-for-3 with a two-run homer and an outfield assist in his spring debut as the Indians beat the Cubs 10-5 Saturday night. Pierce Johnson pitched four strong innings for Chicago.