Cub Tracks is fresh out

Come for the quantity, stay for the quality, that’s our current catchphrase here in the Cub Tracks continuum. I do this column later and later at night, hoping to capture some late-breaking fly-bys, but nada. I could talk about the rescued bear cub, or one of Sammy Sosa’s companies being sued, but those aren’t really germane to the field of interest except tangentially...and even I am loathe to go out that far on a limb this early in the year.

It’s starting to form a pattern though. Just saying.

As always * means autoplay on, or annoying ads, or both (directions to remove for Firefox and Chrome).

Cubs News and Notes:

• Evan Altman (Cubs Insider): More to slow offseason than just free agent and trade negotiations. “We haven’t even called on some free agents we actually have interest in,” one top baseball executive told Ken Rosenthal {$}.
• Richard Justice (MLB.com*): Cubs in need of major overhaul? Don’t be silly. “...somehow, in the weeks since the Cubs lost the NL Wild Card Game to the Rockies, the narrative has become that they are broken, that significant change is needed. This is silly.”
• Patrick Mooney (The Athletic {$}): How the Cubs can do Joe Maddon a favor and reshape their bullpen. “I just want to make sure we have a really talented ‘pen with lots of different options and we’ll see how things shake out,” said Theo Epstein.
• Tony Andracki (NBC Sports Chicago*): Jim Hendry recounts the time the Cubs nearly signed Jim Thome in free agency. “...I’m convinced today, if we didn’t have [Choi], would’ve been a Cub.”
• Chris Kamka (NBC Sports Chicago*): Remember that guy? Gary Gaetti. “Gaetti even made an appearance on the mound for the Cubs...”
• Michael Cerami (Bleacher Nation): ESPN picked three of the Cubs’ first five games for a national audience. “The Cubs are popular, and that’s swell.”
• Todd Johnson (Wrigleyville-Baseball Prospectus): Cubs’ AFL prospects give the brass plenty to think over. “Nine Cubs prospects wrapped up their Arizona Fall League season on Thursday the 15th.”

Food for thought:

Thanks for reading. Pass the cream, please.