Cub Tracks Is Not Alarmed

Here's the latest from around the web:

From Comcast SportsNet Chicago:

• There was a small frenzy Friday on Twitter when Jon Lester was scratched from his next start with a "dead arm".  Lester insists that there's nothing to be alarmed about. Obviously he doesn't know Cubs fans yet.
• Starlin Castro is currently being listed as day-to-day with right groin tightness. Insert your own joke here.
• Castro is getting a lot of competition in camp from Addison Russell, and for Joe Maddon that's a good thing.
• Remember the Javier Baez that had the swagger to get the Major League Baseball tattoo on the back of his neck? Castro wants to see that guy again.
• Maddon said that there's a chance that Baez may not make the big club out of camp, repeating a point from earlier that there is no entitlement program.
• [VIDEO] Yet another reason why Kris Bryant is awesome: This kind gesture for a young fan.
• Alas, Bryant's still probably heading to Iowa for a couple of weeks. But he'll keep playing in Spring Training with a chip on his shoulder and having fun doing it.
• Anthony Rizzo's message for Bryant: Come summer, Bryant will be laughing about all of this.
• C.J. Edwards will start the year in Iowa, but Maddon firmly believes that he'll be a fine major-league pitcher someday.

From Cubs.com:

• Mike Olt can relate to the frustration that Kris Bryant was feeling from his shoulder issues.
• Jim Callis presents a breakdown of the top 30 prospects in the Cubs system.
• We always hear about Miguel Montero, David Ross and Welington Castillo, but what does Taylor Teagarden think about Cubs camp?
• Joe Maddon came through on his bet with Matt Szczur and donned a Villanova hoodie after their 93-52 win over Lafayette on Thursday.

From ESPN Chicago:

• [VIDEO] Miguel Montero is excited to work with the new rotation.
• Montero's former teammates on the Diamondbacks feel that the Cubs will be getting a player who is passionate about winning and isn't afraid to speak his mind.
• Joe Maddon is looking for a hitter for the second spot in the order. Could it be Starlin Castro?
• [AUDIO] Jesse Rogers spoke with Mark Grace, who believes that the Cubs are coming.
• In a bit of strange irony, David Schoenfield declares that it's time for a moratorium on "What Scott Boras thinks" stories... and then completes his piece by talking about what Scott Boras thinks. Mind, blown.

From the Chicago Tribune:

• Joe Maddon likes a boring defense. He'll keep pounding the fundamentals in Spring Training until he gets there.
• Maddon is also a huge fan of Kyle Hendricks, so much so that he doesn't have long chats with Hendricks to keep from interfering with his routine.
• The Cubs will be in court on Monday in the next chapter of the saga with the Lakeview Baseball Club and Skybox on Sheffield rooftops.

From the Daily Herald:

• With the potential still existing of the Cubs carrying three catchers into Opening Day, Bruce Levine looks at the rest of the roster and the flexibility that it will need.

From Cubs Den:

• If the Cubs do keep both Travis Wood and Edwin Jackson, how would they make it work?  John Arguello has some ideas.
• Arguello also says that Javier Baez should start the season at Triple-A Iowa.

From Bleacher Nation:

• Luis Medina looks at the contract extensions signed this past week by Christian Yelich of the Marlins and Adam Eaton of the White Sox as a possible benchmark for the deals that the Cubs' prospects could expect to get.
• What exactly does a number-two hitter in the batting order look like, anyway?
• Brett Taylor gives his take on the Opening Day roster if Javier Baez was not on it.

From Cubs Insider:

• There have been a lot of prospect rankings lately. Mark Jablonowski sums them all up in one place.
• Drew Brown looks at what he calls the next big prospect: Gleyber Torres.

Miscellaneous:

• The Houston Astros are still looking at what the Cubs are doing, as well as listening to comments made by Theo Epstein and Billy Beane about young players and rebuilding.

Today's food for thought: