Cub Tracks shorts out

The bulk of the baseball world still seems to be sleeping off the tryptophan. MLB is a ghost town. But our friends in Cub blogdom are still awake and prowling about...I read them regularly, and you probably should, too...AFTER you finish reading BCB.

Things will pick up eventually, right? — Brett Taylor.

Could the Brewers be a dark-horse candidate for Harper? No. NO THEY CAN NOT. — Michael Cerami.

Here’s today’s Cubs News and Notes. As always * means autoplay on, or annoying ads, or both (directions to remove for Firefox and Chrome).

• Michael Cerami (Bleacher Nation): Joe Girardi wants to see what opportunities are out there next year. “I do think it’s fair to read Girardi’s comments as a signal of his interest in managing the Cubs next season.”
• Evan Altman (Cubs Insider): Cubs aren’t in chaos, they’re just far from perfect. “The real issue with the perception of the Cubs seems to be that they’re the prim-and-proper family at the end of a suburban cul-de-sac...”
• Ivan the Great (Talking Chop): Throwing a plank in the framing-WAR gap. “Thoughts on a tricky frontier of player value.”
• Doug Glanville (NBC Sports Chicago*): Glanville Offseason Journal: Negotiating a contract while trying to fit in with a new team. “When you are traded, especially before you have an established a major league track record, you are starting over.”

Food for thought: