Over the weekend, the Chicago Cubs hosted the 38th annual Cubs Convention in downtown Chicago.
The event brought fans, players, and franchise legends together to celebrate their favorite sports franchise.
One of the weekend’s most significant selling points was the return of Sammy Sosa.
Sosa played for the Cubs from 1992 to 2004 before being traded before the 2005 season. Since then, Sosa and the Cubs have been estranged.
In addition to Sosa receiving a hero’s welcome, Cubs chairman Tom Ricketts had a major announcement. Sosa and former Cubs first baseman Derrek Lee would be enshrined in the Cubs Hall of Fame later this season.
Just Baseball’s Ryan Herrera shared Ricketts’s announcement and fans’ reaction on his X account.
Here’s the reaction in the room as Tom Ricketts announced Sammy Sosa and Derrek Lee as the new Cubs Hall of Famers pic.twitter.com/y3AvUkVtZV
— Ryan Herrera (@ryan_a_herrera) January 18, 2025
In his 13 seasons with the Cubs, Sosa hit 545 of his 609 career home runs. He is the franchise’s all-time home run leader and is one of nine Cubs to win National League MVP. Sosa’s slugging prowess, energetic style of play, and larger-than-life personality continue to resonate with Chicago fans today.
“Sammy Sosa was not only one of the greatest home run hitters of all time, but he was a favorite of right field bleacher fans by showing, sprinting out to right field to start each game. His defensive play was All-Star caliber in addition to his impressive all-time slugging stats. We are privileged to have him back at the Cubs Convention so that we can celebrate with him,” Ricketts said in a release.
Sosa also issued a statement, saying, “It’s overwhelming to receive this news,” Sosa said in a statement. “I feel I owe so much to the Ricketts family and the Cubs organization, but also to the fans. It’s so fun to be back here in Chicago and see the fans who have meant so much to me over the years. I’m honored to be in the Cubs Hall of Fame, and I look forward to returning this summer for the ceremony.”
When Lee was traded to the Cubs before the 2004 season, some fans were upset with the move.
Lee was traded to the Cubs from the Florida Marlins. A few weeks earlier, the first baseman helped Florida eliminate the Cubs from the 2003 NLCS. Once Lee donned the Cubs uniform, though, all was forgiven.
The first baseman spent the next six-and-a-half seasons with the Cubs before being dealt to the Atlanta Braves at the 2010 trade deadline.
His Cubs career speaks for itself. Highlighted by a 2005 season that saw Lee flirt with the National League’s triple crown before finishing the year first in batting average (.335), second in home runs (46,) and seventh in runs batted in (107), he slugged 179 home runs and hit .298 in nearly 1,000 games with Chicago.
“The Cubs Hall of Fame Committee selected two of the greatest hitters ever to play for the Chicago Cubs. ‘D-Lee’ started out as a ‘Cubs Killer’ with the Marlins until he became a Cub, where he had some of his best years of his impressive career. Derrek was a rock at first base and one of the most consistent hitters in Cubs history,” Ricketts noted.
“My seven years with the Cubs meant so much to my family and me, both as a person and a player,” Lee said in a statement. “To be included with so many greats in the Cubs Hall of Fame is humbling, something I never dreamed of. Cubs fans are the best in baseball. You guys unconditionally cheered us on and supported us through the tough times. I will forever be grateful to the Cubs fans as well as the entire Cubs organization and the Ricketts family for this honor. I would also like to thank my teammates, coaches and support staff without whom this recognition would not be possible. Wrigley Field is such a special place, and I cannot wait to return this summer,” Lee added.
Sosa and Lee will be honored at Wrigley Field later this season. The date has yet to be announced.