#Cubs, #MLB, and #MiLB news, notes, and commentary, four days a week, rain or shine. It begins again, and this time, it counts. And it’s real, and it’s spectacular — this year’s model, that is.
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.
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Gage Workman had a better camp than Cam Smith. Let’s tamp down the hysteria, please. Wait until the Cubs let Tucker go FA and Jed Hoyer isn’t sent packing, if and when that happens. Then, yes, panic.
Until then, hey, let’s be positive. It’s Opening Day! Better things are bound to happen. All our dues surely must be paid, right? Mick Ralphs wasn’t in Bad Company when he penned those words.
Cool that Ben Brown made the starting rotation. The upside is tremendous, but of course there are still questions about control and lack of pitches. We shall see what we shall see — let’s hope he’s a roaring success.
“I want to be reliable. I want to go out there and I want my stuff to tick up month by month. I’d love to just be able to just go out there every fifth or sixth day and make really good pitches and navigate through lineups.” — Brown, on his goals for ‘25 — Jordan Bastian
The Cubs might be able to re-acquire Alexander Canario. That is, if they want to. Jim Bowden thinks the Phillies are going to pony up 600+ million for Kyle Tucker, after this season. Here’s the salt shaker. Nicky Lopez is heading west to talk to Angels.
Bold Predictions next time.
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- Evan Altman (Cubs Insider*): Forbes values Cubs at $4.6B, fourth highest in MLB. “It’s important that we don’t go conflating value with liquidity, but I think we can all agree that the Cubs don’t have a great excuse for carrying a payroll outside the top 10.”
- Jon Greenberg (The Athletic {$}): Q&A with Cubs president Jed Hoyer, Part 1: ‘We don’t have a lot of margin for error’. “I think we certainly have to show some improvement this season and I think we’re a much better team.”
- Andy Martinez (Marquee Sports Network*): Cubs face baseball’s toughest test as hunt for October resumes. “They’ll face a stiff test right out of the chute.”
- Sahadev Sharma (The Athletic {$}): How the Cubs are building their pitchers back up after a non-traditional spring. “… we were afraid that the trip to Japan was actually going to de-load guys,” Hottovy said, speaking specifically about the relievers.
- Jordan Bastian (MLB.com*): Brown nabs No. 5 spot to finalize Cubs’ starting rotation. “The initial five-man rotation for Chicago is set to feature Justin Steele, Jameson Taillon, Shota Imanaga, Matthew Boyd and Brown.” North Side Baseball has more.
- Matthew Trueblood (North Side Baseball*): Dansby Swanson and the importance of being early when you’re fast. “The Cubs’ leader and highest-paid player hit the ball hard more often in 2024 than in 2023—but he got much less value from those hard-hit balls.”
- Kyle Williams (Chicago Sun-Times* {$}): For Cubs’ Matt Shaw, two games in Tokyo were tough, but they provided important lessons. “The best advice has been no advice,” he told the Sun-Times. Paul Sullivan has more* {$}.
- Kyle Williams (Chicago Sun-Times* {$}): Consistency is next goal for Cubs’ Pete Crow-Armstrong. “… he said he’s trying to get the extremes out of his game.”
Food for thought:
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