{"id":132526,"date":"2025-12-31T15:53:42","date_gmt":"2025-12-31T15:53:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=132526"},"modified":"2025-12-31T15:53:42","modified_gmt":"2025-12-31T15:53:42","slug":"cubs-coaching-bombshell-debunked-the-truth-behind-the-prior-return-rumors-separating-wild-speculation-from-cold-hard-reality","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=132526","title":{"rendered":"CUBS COACHING BOMBSHELL DEBUNKED: The Truth Behind the &#8220;Prior&#8221; Return Rumors \u2013 Separating Wild Speculation from Cold, Hard Reality"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>As of Wednesday, December 31, 2025, the &#8220;shocking&#8221; rumor of Mark Prior returning to the North Side has reached a fever pitch.<\/p>\n<p>While social media is indeed &#8220;ablaze&#8221; with the idea of the 2003 phenom returning to Wrigley Field to redefine the Cubs&#8217; pitching strategy, a look at the current 2026 coaching rosters reveals a story of organizational stability rather than a dramatic &#8220;comeback.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Here is the &#8220;surgical&#8221; breakdown of why this rumor is captivating fans\u2014and where the Cubs&#8217; coaching staff actually stands as the new year begins.<\/p>\n<p>1. The Current Reality: Tommy Hottovy Remains at the Helm<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.si.com\/.image\/t_share\/MTY4MjU4Njg1MzA3NzkxMjYx\/image-placeholder-title.jpg\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Despite the excitement surrounding a potential Prior return, the Chicago Cubs\u2019 official 2026 coaching staff, led by manager Craig Counsell, is already locked in.<\/p>\n<p>The Incumbent: Tommy Hottovy is entering his eighth season as the Cubs\u2019 pitching coach. He has been a staple of the organization\u2019s &#8220;run prevention&#8221; philosophy and has the full backing of Counsell and the front office.<\/p>\n<p>The Staff Support: The Cubs recently finalized their 2026 staff with Casey Jacobson serving as the assistant pitching coach and Mark Strittmatter as the bullpen coach.2 There are currently no vacant &#8220;high-level&#8221; pitching positions on the major league roster.<\/p>\n<p>2. Mark Prior\u2019s Current Status: A Dynasty in LA<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/ca-times.brightspotcdn.com\/dims4\/default\/52ee0cc\/2147483647\/strip\/true\/crop\/1198x674+1+0\/resize\/1200x675!\/quality\/75\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fd7%2F45%2F53351408c6311f3577a7eb72ce20%2Fla-1514945341-762u2rey8x-snap-image\" \/><\/p>\n<p>The reason this rumor &#8220;shocks&#8221; the baseball world is because Mark Prior is currently arguably the most successful pitching coach in the game\u2014just not in Chicago.<\/p>\n<p>The Dodgers Anchor: Prior has served as the Los Angeles Dodgers&#8217; pitching coach since 2020.3 Under his guidance, the Dodgers just won their third World Series title (2020, 2024, 2025) since he joined the staff.4<\/p>\n<p>A &#8220;Lifetime&#8221; Connection: While Prior will always be a &#8220;legendary figure&#8221; at Wrigley, he has built a coaching dynasty in Los Angeles. There has been no official indication from the Dodgers or Prior himself that he is looking to leave a perennial championship contender for a lateral move to Chicago.<\/p>\n<p>3. 2026 Cubs Pitching Leadership<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/ca-times.brightspotcdn.com\/dims4\/default\/831ff8c\/2147483647\/strip\/true\/crop\/2000x1319+0+0\/resize\/1200x791!\/quality\/75\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Ffd%2F0b%2Fccfa69a24f1fb50b0cf682776e6a%2Fcubs-mariners-baseball.JPEG\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Role Coach Status<\/p>\n<p>Pitching Coach Tommy Hottovy Returning (8th Season)<\/p>\n<p>Assistant Pitching Coach Casey Jacobson Returning (Promoted in 2025)<\/p>\n<p>Bullpen Coach Mark Strittmatter Returning<\/p>\n<p>Manager Craig Counsell Signed through 2028<\/p>\n<p>The Verdict: Nostalgia vs. Strategy<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/img.mlbstatic.com\/mlb-images\/image\/upload\/ar_16:9,g_auto,q_auto:good,w_1536,c_fill,f_jpg\/mlb\/tbz1mnqnktmzdcxx4deh\" \/><\/p>\n<p>While the idea of Mark Prior returning to mentor rising stars like Cade Horton and Ben Brown is a &#8220;dream scenario&#8221; for many fans, it remains\u2014for now\u2014an offseason fantasy. The Cubs have prioritized continuity under Craig Counsell, and Prior remains the architect of the Dodgers&#8217; pitching dominance.<\/p>\n<p>The &#8220;spark&#8221; that propels Chicago back into playoff contention in 2026 is more likely to come from their recent acquisitions\u2014like the return of Shota Imanaga and the trade for Kyle Tucker\u2014than from a change in the coaching dugout.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>As of Wednesday, December 31, 2025, the &#8220;shocking&#8221; rumor of Mark Prior returning to the North Side has reached a fever pitch. While social media is indeed&#8230; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":132527,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-132526","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mlb"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>CUBS COACHING BOMBSHELL DEBUNKED: The Truth Behind the &quot;Prior&quot; Return Rumors \u2013 Separating Wild Speculation from Cold, Hard Reality - NEWS USA<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=132526\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"CUBS COACHING BOMBSHELL DEBUNKED: The Truth Behind the &quot;Prior&quot; Return Rumors \u2013 Separating Wild Speculation from Cold, Hard Reality - NEWS USA\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"As of Wednesday, December 31, 2025, the &#8220;shocking&#8221; rumor of Mark Prior returning to the North Side has reached a fever pitch. 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