Cub Tracks’ cubism

#Cubs, #MLB, and #MiLB news, notes, and commentary, four days a week, rain or shine. It’s a round ball, and a round bat. You know the rest.

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.

“There is no way to sugarcoat it – this is not where we planned to finish the season.”

Well, Tom Ricketts had words, and those are reported on, on the front page. But those are just words. Long-suffering Cub fans need deeds. Indeed we do. Some hitter with enough clout to get his neighbors good pitches to hit, and create that domino effect that lengthens the lineup and limits offensive drought. For starters.

The guys that can do that want generational money. The Cubs have that. But they’d rather spend the money on five lesser guys. And they need bullpen and backups and well, it’s tough to say what exactly is the ‘right way’ to do things.

I am not convinced that this management group knows how to get back to the playoffs, let alone the World Series.

So far, it’s been disappointment and it’s getting harder to be optimistic. I’m settling for ‘fair.’

Things to avoid: Sports Illustrated, The Sporting News, BVM Sports, and anything ‘written’ by “Field Level Media.” That is, unless you like A.I. scrivening. These four companies account for 80 percent of the Google returns on the first 10 pages of my searches.

*means autoplay on, (directions to remove for Firefox and Chrome). {$} means paywall. {$} means limited views. Italics are often used on this page as sarcasm font. The powers that be have enabled real sarcasm font in the comments.

• Marquee Sports Network*: Cubs Weekly Podcast: Top storylines of the 2024 season.
• Evan Altman (Cubs Insider*): Cubs should be at least $70M under CBT Penalty Level heading into offseason. “They’ll have enough money to make meaningful upgrades, but the real question is whether Jed Hoyer will pay a premium for difference makers or opt for discount versions with lower ceilings as he has in the past.”
• Patrick Mooney (The Athletic {$}): In an offseason filled with choices, the Cubs will have prospects to trade. “The farm system is promising, which doesn’t guarantee that it will be overpowering.”
• Jacob Zanolla (North Side Baseball*): North Side Baseball’s 2024 Cubs Most Valuable Player – Shota Imanaga. “Even in a season full of disappointments, the Cubs had plenty of talent.”
• Jake Misener (Cubbies Crib*): Old friend of the Cubs, Zach McKinstry, did his best to play hero for the Tigers. “He never did much in Chicago, but he was almost a legend in Detroit during Game 4 of the ALDS.”
• Maddie Lee (Chicago Sun-Times* {$}): Cubs, third base coach Willie Harris part ways: ‘I’m very grateful for the North Side of Chicago’. “Harris, who has been on the Cubs coaching staff for the last four years, becomes a free agent coach.”

Food for Thought:

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