Cub Tracks is MAD about the offseason

#Cubs, #MLB, and #MiLB news, notes, and commentary, four days a week, rain or shine. Developments are developing. More below.

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.

Hey, Rob Zastryzny is back in blue. So the 2016 Cubs are still represented, say Josh, Greg Huff, and Tommy Birch, and rightly so.

Stuff Happening. Ian wins his third Gold Glove, Seiya Suzuki is up for Silver, and the Energizer Bunny has gone over to Duracell.

I think the Cubs are gonna go Artificial Intelligent Spending. It sounds like they want all-analytics, all the time. What, me worry?

*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.

• Sahadev Sharma and Patrick Mooney (The Athletic {$}): Inside the Cubs’ plan to get back into the playoffs: More analytics and fewer scouts. “… most of these recalibrations amount to leaning further into a rational, emotionless strategy that relies on an analytics-based model to evaluate players.” Where the Cubs stand {$}. Evan Altman has more.
• Michael Cerami (Bleacher Nation*): MLB Free Agent projections are out – let’s look at some possible Cubs targets. “A power bat, a mid-to-top rotation starter, and some relief help.” Mark Feinsand has the top 25.
• Tony Andracki (Marquee Sports Network*): Top 10 Cubs building blocks: Honorable Mentions. “Let’s break it down individually:”
• Sahadev Sharma (The Athletic {$}): Cubs’ Ian Happ wins third straight Gold Glove, putting him in rarified air. “When your name is mentioned with some of those guys that are legends and greats of the Cubs organization, those are really special moments,” Happ said.
• Jordan Bastian (MLB.com*): How Bellinger’s return could forge Cubs’ offseason path. “… Bellinger said his family would be his top priority when deciding whether to stay with Chicago or enter free agency again.” Phil Rogers * {$} has more. Andy Martinez has Ian Happ’s thoughts.
• Thomas Domol (North Side Baseball*): Cody Bellinger and Seiya Suzuki are major weapons for Cubs, but only if deployed properly. “… how can Craig Counsell get the most out of his duo of high-profile sluggers on the defensive side of the ball?”
• Tony Andracki (Marquee Sports Network*): Lone Cubs player among finalists for NL Silver Slugger Award. “Seiya Suzuki joined a group of 5 outfield finalists for the award.”

Food for Thought:

Please be reminded that Cub Tracks and Bleed Cubbie Blue do not necessarily endorse the content of articles, podcasts, or videos that are linked to in this series. Thanks for reading!