Cub Tracks adds fuel to fire

I didn’t know my aluminum-foil hat qualified as a silver lining. Wow, Tony Andracki — auditioning for a job with the Trib? Or have you been reading late-season game threads?

{slow doom metal playing]

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).

• Tony Andracki (NBC Sports Chicago*): No matter what Cubs do this Hot Stove season, last year’s failures hang over like a dark cloud. “...last winter is a cautionary tale about the major pitfalls that come with free agency and the Cubs can’t afford any more misses this winter.”
• Ryan Davis (Forbes*): The Cubs’ biggest free agent additions may not be on offense. “...like the offense, the bullpen also failed down the stretch.”
• Michael Cerami (Bleacher Nation): A different look at potential Cubs offseason targets: DJ LeMahieu and Brian Dozier Up, Marwin Gonzalez and Mitch Haniger Down? “...let’s take this new stat and apply it to some of the more interesting names available in free agency or trade.”
• Jeff Burdick (Cubs Insider): Cubs should try to add clubhouse leadership this year. “...Epstein and Maddon seem well aware of the problem.”
• Brendan Miller (Cubs Insider): Metrics show Willson Contreras getting worse behind the plate. “...Contreras hasn’t improved his defensive value over three seasons.”
• Ken Schultz (Wrigleyville-Baseball Prospectus): Player profile 2019: Jason Heyward. “...the only thing in the history of baseball to fare worse on the warning track than a Jason Heyward fly ball is an Italian Sausage running in front of Randall Simon.”
• Mark Gonzales (Chicago Tribune* {$}): Former Cub Matt Szczur selling his World Series paintings for a good cause. “...Szczur’s foundation donated $10,000 to students coping with food insecurity and 50 turkeys to families for Thanksgiving.”
• Gabe Lacques (USA Today*): Bryce Harper and the Cubs: Marriage fueled by cash and camaraderie just waiting to happen. “...the Cubs’ cupboard would overflow with options in 2019.”
• Joe Posnanski (The Athletic {$}): McGwire’s absence from the Today’s Game ballot is a sign — steroid-era stars are never getting into the Hall. “In my mind, the Hall of Fame should be in the business of telling baseball’s big, sprawling, flawed, sometimes beautiful, sometimes ugly but always-fascinating story through the greatest who ever played. There shouldn’t be any whitewashing.”
• TMZ: Sammy Sosa still a Cubs fan...despite beef with team. “Chicago, they’ve been playing for the last few years very, very nice, so I have to give that to Chicago, and I hope they continue to play like that and I hope next year they can go to the World Series!” said Sosa.
• Cubs birthdays: Jim Moroney, Harvey Kuenn, Lee Smith, Jerome Williams. Also notable: Jesse Burkett (HoF):

Food for thought: