#Cubs, #MLB, and #MiLB news, notes, and commentary, four days a week, rain or shine. The games are about to begin.
WELCOME to today’s episode of Cub Tracks news and notes™, a greatest-hits collection of Chicago-style beat writers and bloggers, ground from #Cubs, #MiLB, and #MLB baseball, overheated, steeped in writers’ tears, and then cold-brewed overnight for maximum flavor. No artificial intelligences were deployed, employed, entranced, or embalmed in the commission of this missive (apparently I might be training some though). Cub Tracks eagerly awaits the advent of robotic umpires and has already amended the three laws. The going is weird. Cub Tracks turned pro a long time ago.
Cub Tracks. Where the great ones run away.
Rob Zastryzny signed with the Yankees. The Cubs will need another lefty to be the fifth or sixth option from the left side.
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- Meghan Montemurro (Chicago Tribune* {$}:Cactus League report: Chicago Cubs and White Sox to face off in a spring training game this week. “Their first Cactus League game comes Thursday against the Los Angeles Dodgers, whom they will face off against at the Tokyo Dome.”
- Jordan Bastian (MLB.com*): Taillon looking to ‘punch back’ for Cubs in ‘25. “One place that can be spotted is in the fact that hitters posted just a .575 OPS against Taillon with runners in scoring position.”
- Matthew Trueblood (North Side Baseball*): The interesting details and complex implications of Cubs’ upcoming Shota Imanaga decision. “The ace of the 2024 Chicago Cubs comes back for 2025 at an affordable price—but the complicated contract he signed last winter finally gets interesting this fall.”
- Eric Longenhaven (Fangraphs*): 2025 Top 100 Prospects. Not so many Cubs in this. Matt Shaw is at #13.
- Patrick Mooney (The Athletic {$}): Cubs’ Matt Shaw, a student of the game, knows to listen to legend Ryne Sandberg. “He just basically said that when he was coming up, he went through something similar,” said Shaw. Andy Martinez has more.
- Mike Petriello (MLB.com*): 3 contenders who improved their defenses — and 2 who didn’t. “Chicago already had a top-10 defense last year, and it was even better as the season went on”.
- Jordan Bastian (MLB.com*): Ryno invigorated by return to Cubs camp. “In a lot of ways,” Sandberg said on Sunday, Meghan Montemurro* {$} has more.
Food for Thought:
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