Cub Tracks’ home on the range

So the new thing is Florida native Nick Castellanos and his big stick to the Marlins. I’m not sure I see the sense in that for Nick but okay — he’s gonna make a ton of money no matter where he plays. I’d want to be happy and maybe win some games. Counter-intuitive? I think so. We’ll see how that all pans out.

While we’re waiting, news comes in slowly, dribbling out like a point guard with a two-point lead and time to kill. We try to avoid the pyrite here and generally grasp at straws. Occasionally something Rumpelstiltskins and we get a few lines out of it. Mostly I get a crick in my neck from looking sideways at the material. The GM meetings started today in Scottsdale. I hope it rains deals.

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). {$} means paywall. {$} means limited views. Italics are often used here as sarcasm font.

“I’d say this is a ruse by Marlins leadership to act like they’re trying to spend money to improve the team by throwing both remaining fans a bone.” — Evan Altman on Castellanos.

“No one knows how this winter is going to evolve, even us,” said team president Theo Epstein, who has been busy with changes to every part of the organization but the player roster since the season ended six weeks ago.

“We have no idea who will be available to us so taking any name that comes up in a trade rumor with a mouthful of salt is appropriate. Not just a grain.” — Gordon Wittenmyer.

• Joel Sherman (NY Post*): Red Sox, Indians and Cubs face dangerous franchise-player game. “These clubs do not view themselves as rebuilding, as much as reconsidering their rosters.” Evan Altman tackles this one.
• Paul Sullivan (Chicago Tribune* {$}): Baseball’s hot stove league could use an NBA-style spark after the slow pace of the last few offseasons. “... selling hope in the long, cold winter traditionally has been one of baseball’s greatest strengths.”
• Gordon Wittenmyer (Chicago Sun-Times* {$}): Cubs fans should grab their popcorn for the winter trade watch — with ‘a mouthful of salt’. “... not even Theo Epstein knows what players he can or will be willing to trade this winter, he said Monday.”
• Paul Sullivan (Chicago Tribune* {$}): Cubs hope to shield players from offseason trade rumors. Will it work? “Most trade rumors out there are not true,” said Epstein.
• Brett Taylor (Bleacher Nation): Theo Epstein ain’t here to give you juicy rumor fodder. “... you’re just not going to hear much straight from the horse’s mouth.”
• Jordan Bastian (MLB.com*): Cubs’ top 10 moments of the 2019 season. “Reality did not meet expectations, but that does not mean there were no feats to celebrate from the past season.”
• Kelly Twardziak (NBC Sports Chicago*): Watch Yu Darvish practice throwing lefty at home. Yu has jokes — “the control was bad today”.
• Moshe Wilensky (Cubs Insider): Unlikely duo of Kyle Ryan, Rowan Wick helping to prop open Cubs’ competitive window. “Both provided quality relief over a sustained period in 2019...”
• Sahadev Sharma (The Athletic {$}): Why trading Willson Contreras could help the Cubs extend their contention window. “Contreras is the only player in the core group who can both net the type of return they’re craving and also be replaced internally without a dramatic dropoff.”
• Patrick Mooney (The Athletic {$}): So you think it’s a good idea for the Cubs to trade Kris Bryant? Really? “Bryant has been better than advertised, and he might have been the most hyped prospect in the history of baseball...” Scot Gregor {$} addresses both of these ideas.
• Cubs birthdays: Harry DeMiller, Fred Raymer, Gene Lillard, Jody Davis, Jeff Reed, Dave Otto, Sammy Sosa, Aaron Heilman. Also notable: Moonlight Graham.

Food for thought:

Thanks for reading.