Cub Tracks bounces back

Thursday. Tomorrow a decision must be rendered on the Addison Russell situation. Until then, a smattering of little things. Ryan, Torreyes — are these harbingers of greater things to come, or just jenga pieces? Only time will tell.

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).

• Patrick Mooney (The Athletic {$}): The question that hangs over the entire Cubs offseason: Who should you trade? “...there are no obvious answers if the Cubs want to reimagine their roster without an unlimited budget.”
• Brett Taylor (Bleacher Nation): Even if you think trade is the way to go for the Cubs, the pieces aren’t obvious. “The Cubs would be lucky to even pull off ugly contract swaps or salary dumps.”
• Tony Andracki (NBC Sports Chicago*): The Cubs have a bullpen question this winter: Will Carl Edwards Jr. be the answer? “The only issue is...Edwards has a bad history of fading at the most important time of the year.”
• Tony Andracki (NBC Sports Chicago*): State of the Cubs: Catchers. “...one of the top takeaways is the need for reliable catching depth beyond Contreras.”
• Katherine Acquavella (CBS Sports*): Cubs acquire infielder Ronald Torreyes from Yankees with Addison Russell decision looming. “Torreyes primarily played second base, third base and shortstop for New York.”
• Kazuto Yamazaki (Wrigleyville-Baseball Prospectus): 2019 Player Profile: David Bote. “...Bote is likely to enter 2019 as the top candidate for the infield utility role.”
• Mark Gonzales (Chicago Tribune* {$}): Addison Russell and Tommy La Stella represent the Cubs’ biggest arbitration questions. “...there’s little wiggle room...”
• Jordan Bastian (MLB.com*): Cubs face non-tender deadline with Russell. “By the end of this week, there will be a little more clarity about how the Cubs plan to address the middle of their infield next season.”
• Evan Altman (Cubs Insider): Former Cubs cult hero has ‘emerged as strong candidate’ to join Maddon’s staff. “Chris Denorfia...is seen as a distinct possibility to shift from the front office to the clubhouse.”
• Doug Glanville (The Athletic {$}): For baseball players, the offseason is another world — and a time to take stock. “Although baseball is a serious job in that you must produce to sustain, in-season you also must shun a lot of off-the-field responsibility to stay in focus.”
• Ken Schultz (Wrigleyville-Baseball Prospectus): Drill instructors, whammy men, and senseis: A brief history of Cubs gimmick fails. “These are polar opposite outcomes from the Cubs under Joe Maddon. And every one of these epic gimmick fails serves a reminder that he knows what he’s doing.”

Food for thought: