Cub Tracks Collects Bargains

Last time around, Cub Tracks Jaywalked. The signing of former Cardinal/Padre centerfielder Jon Jay led off the article, and was followed in the order by op-eds by David Schoenfield and Patrick Mooney, plus reports by Mark Gonzales on Daniel Hudson and Brett Taylor about the pending CBA deal, and random outbursts of opinion and alleged humor.

Let it never be said that Cub Tracks has an agenda. The random outbursts will continue on. Politics will be eschewed. There’s very little possibility of Todd Ricketts or Cuba being subjects for civil discourse. They are both news, but we’ll mention their existence and move on.

Officially, we take the fifth, divide it into 27 individual ounces, put it into little glasses, and offer it up on a first come, first-served basis. I understand that this is how some of the terms of the new CBA were achieved. Mike Petriello explains about the changes the 10-day DL will engender. Grant Brisbee explains What It All Means.

C. Following election of players by fans, the Commissioner’s Office will select seven players from the National League (4 pitchers) and five players from the American League (4 pitchers) to participate in the All-Star Game. Such selections will replace the selections awarded to the managers of the American and National League teams in the prior agreement.

The Commissioner of Baseball has no business picking players for any All-Star team, at any given time, in my admittedly not-so-humble opinion. I do not believe that this is in the best interest of the game. The fans should select who they want to see, and that’s it. Most fans feel that they have little influence in the game as is, and participation develops rooting interest.

There’s also a whole lot of inexact language in the agreement as it has been presented. Lots of ‘will be improved”, “shall be improved”, and “we’ll cover that with a tarp for now”. This is what these guys have been working on for years? If they haven’t been, why not? What have they been doing? I miss Marvin Miller more every day.

I also believe that the Cardinals should be stripped of draft choices and have to stock their team by holding tryouts at local junior colleges. They should also be forced to watch all plays on videotape and to preserve their data on big yellow legal pads and index cards. The NL Central should split their picks, with the determinant being won/loss record. That means the Cubs get the first, and so on. Egalitarianism clearly isn’t a concern in the league office and so it isn’t, here.

Fair is fair, right?

And so, with tongue firmly in cheek, and finger firmly inserted in the grand Selig fashion, I bring you a collection of videos, audios, and links for your Chicago Cubs infotainment needs. As always * means autoplay on (directions to remove for Firefox and Chrome).

David Ross on the MLB Network:

• Douglas Cowie (Somesuch Stories): Flying the W: Returning to Chicago for the World Series. Dr. Cowie is a longtime reader of BCB. This is his tale of whoa!
• Bruce Levine (CBS Chicago*): Cubs, Tyson Ross may be a match. Does Levine read BCB? Straight from the comments section to the ‘printed page’.
• Bruce Levine (CBS Chicago*): Cubs won’t stand pat at winter meetings. Well, he’s a broadcaster. He doesn’t need to be there. Mr. Hughes has better things to do. Jed Hoyer is concerned about pitching depth.
• Mark Gonzales (Chicago Tribune): Cubs expected to shop selectively at winter meetings. "You never stop trying to build depth, but I think the bulk of our heavy lifting is done," Jed Hoyer said.
• Lindsay Berra (MLB.com): Maddon: 'Now we have the experience'. “...Cubs skipper discusses whirlwind season, World Series win, what's next.”
• Ian Browne (MLB.com): Dexter Fowler, Aroldis Chapman keep tabs on talks from afar. Neither has ruled out a return to the North Side.
• Carrie Muskat (MLB.com): Cubs' Meetings to-do list starts with bullpen. “...the front office is assessing what it needs to do to repeat as champions.”
• Adam McCalvy (MLB.com): Jon Jay excited to mentor Albert Almora Jr, join Cubs. They both have roots in Cuba...and work out together in the offseason.
• Jim Bowden (ESPN-Insider {$}): Breaking down all 30 MLB front offices. The Cub capsule goes down easily.
• Jim Bowden (ESPN-Insider {$}): Winter Meetings checklist for all 30 teams. Pitching.
• Jesse Rogers (ESPN): Cubs casting wide net with eyes on pitching upgrades. “We do have an imbalance in our organization hitting versus pitching,” said Jed Hoyer.
• Jesse Rogers (ESPN): Jon Jay on signing with the Cubs: 'I like to win'. “As soon as Chicago called, it was almost a perfect match,” Jay said.
• Luis Medina (Bleacher Nation): Looking at less-discussed Cubs in-house relief options: Felix Pena, Rob Zastryzny, Pierce Johnson. “...depth will play a major role in how the bullpen fares in 2017.”
• Brett Taylor (Bleacher Nation): The New CBA, the Cubs, and the Shohei Otani Problem. “...your Obsessive Otani Watch has not been cancelled just yet.”
• Evan Altman (Cubs Insider): So who’s this Brian Duensing dude the Cubs just signed? “...the Cubs aren’t on the hook for much even if he craters completely.”
• Todd Johnson (Cubs Insider): Cubs Organizational Breakdown: Catchers coming up quickly. Victor Caratini? PJ Higgins? And more...
• Patrick Mooney (CSN Chicago*): How Cubs are setting the expectations for winter meetings. “It will be a quieter winter than last offseason,” said Jed Hoyer.
• Leigh Coridan (Wrigleyville-Baseball Prospectus): Player Profile: Kris Bryant. “...becoming an all-around exceptional player seems to be top priority.”
• Jared Wyllys, Jeffrey Paternostro, Brendan Gawlowski (Baseball Prospectus): Transaction Analysis — Chicago's Miami connection. “Jay’s most important role might be as mentor to Almora’s transition to full-timer.”
• Ken Rosenthal (Fox Sports): Joe Maddon dissects his key World Series decisions in the Cubs' Games 6 and 7 wins. Joe’s been hiding.
• Steve Adams (MLB Trade Rumors): The latest on Dexter Fowler’s market. The Giants, Cardinals and Blue Jays, and 18 million dollars per annum.
• Sean Sears (Sports Mockery): The latest Cubs rumors my sources have confirmed. Sonny Gray? Tampa Bay Rays? Hmm.
• Chicago Tribune: Cubs' World Series win makes World Almanac's Top 10. Behind the UN Climate Accord.

On the road again:

• Jayson Stark (ESPN): The incredible offseason of LHP David Rollins continues. Claimed by the Phillies today. He's now bounced from Seattle to the Cubs to Texas to Philly.

Food for thought:

• Agata Blaszczak-Boxe (Live Science): Lack of sun in teen years linked to nearsightedness later on. A new reason to spend more time at the ballpark.
• Mike McRae (Science Alert): Scientists just discovered there are 'bees' in the oceans. ‘Crab grass’ just took on a whole new meaning.
• Science: Four new elements officially added to the periodic table. Tennessine (Tennessee), Nihonium (Japan) and Moscovium (Moscow) are their names. Oganesson, named for nuclear physics professor Yuri Oganessian, is the fourth.

Thanks for reading. See you Tuesday.