Cubs face major Marquee Sports Network change after Taylor McGregor leaves for ESPN

Thursday afternoon's game at Wrigley Field was one to remember for the Chicago Cubs. Not only did the team finally clinch their second postseason berth in a row after two gruelling games with the Miami Marlins, but they did so in their final home game of the year and on the day Pete Crow-Armstrong carved his name into history with his 40th stolen base. Between the champagne popping and 40-40 celebration, however, there was more bittersweet news for the Marquee Sports Network team.

Taylor McGregor, who's been with the Cubs network for the past seven years, announced to the Chicago Tribune that Thursday's game would be her last with the Northsiders. She's now moving on to a full-time role with ESPN, where she has been contributing across college football, baseball, and softball broadcasts when not with Chicago. Her expanded capacity will now include NBA coverage and more opportunities to handle college basketball games and even host SportsCenter. Having worked with the company since 2019, it's a massive chance to grow her career at a national staple.

Ever since Marquee launched in 2020, McGregor has been a fixture of Cubs broadcasts, building up chemistry with Boog Sciambi and Jim Deshaies that's helped the booth become one of baseball's highest-regarded. However, she's also established herself as one of college football's biggest rising stars in that time, even getting playoff assignments the past two seasons.

When she joined, McGregor was a relatively inexperienced reporter, holding jobs at AT&T SportsNet in Denver, THV-11 in Little Rock, Arkansas, and KCWY-TV in Wyoming. Her personality in the booth, energy speaking to fans and players during or after games, and reporting style when sharing news from the team, however, helped make her a key piece of the Cubs' viewing experience in the Marquee era. She credited Sciambi in particular for providing useful knowledge for her broadcasting career, and from his perspective, her growth on and off-camera has been remarkable.

"She’s unique, she’s fun and super likable, and that immediately — whether it’s on the air, off the air — connects her to the audience,” Sciambi said to the Tribune. “When you’re doing it every day, you are trying to find stuff, and she really learned to figure out what’s interesting."

Chicago Cubs must prepare for life without Taylor McGregor

For the Cubs, McGregor's shoes will be awfully big to fill. The rest of Marquee's main crew have all been extended through 2028, but they'll be moving quickly to find someone who can step in and fill her responsibilities. They hope to have someone ready to go by the time spring training rolls around, whenever that may be, given the expected lockout. Still, it's impossible to immediately replace the years of relationships forged. That rapport will take time to rebuild.

It wouldn't be shocking to see Marquee look for another up-and-coming talent who can similarly build a relationship with the rest of the team and learn from the environment of Cubs broadcasts on the fly. Elise Menaker may also have a bigger presence to help fill the hole given how ingrained in the booth she is. However they approach it, though, that job will be in high demand.

The new lead sideline reporter will join a regular team that has become mostly set in stone in recent years, including Sciambi, Deshaies, Menaker, backup play-by-play man Alex Cohen, studio host Cole Wright, and more.

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