Cub Tracks gets real

Some of those days will be very odd, indeed. Christian Yelich is trying on Joey Votto’s shoes, it looks like. Maybe he should grow a pencil mustache, or pencil one in. Yu Darvish has jokes and eleven thousand pitches. I bet he’s handy with a hotfoot too. Good stuff on a slow news day.

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.

• Dan Szymborski (Fangraphs) The Chicago Cubs are in gentle decline. “... the team’s farm system has been weakened from trades and graduations while ownership has increasingly embraced a more frugal financial strategy.”
• Paul Sullivan (Chicago Tribune* {$}): Darvish and Yelich engage in a Twitter spat amid sign-stealing talk: ‘Nobody needs help facing you,’ the Brewers star tells the Cubs pitcher. “Darvish, who has 2.1 million Twitter followers, is no stranger to social media spats.” More on this from Michael Walton (NBC Sports Chicago). And Paul Sullivan.
• Michael Cerami (Bleacher Nation): Drew Pomeranz should be the Cubs No. 1 free agent relief target this winter. “... however, it’s not entirely clear how much he’ll cost to acquire.”
• Sean Holland (Cubs Insider): Cubs 2019 Season Review: Infield performed well before costly injuries took toll. ‘The 2019 Cubs infield boasted four All-Stars...’
• Gordon Wittenmyer (Chicago Sun-Times* {$}): Watch Cubs’ extension talks with Javy Baez, interest in Japanese CF Shogo Akiyama for 2020 insight. “I don’t know what this winter is going to look like,” Theo Epstein said. Tim Stebbins has more about Javy.
• Patrick Mooney (The Athletic {$}): Take it or leave it this winter? Scott Boras on the dynamics between the Cubs and Kris Bryant. ““Look, we’re open to talking with them,” Boras said.”
• Jordan Bastian (MLB.com*): Inbox: Should Cubs target Akiyama for CF? “Epstein told reporters, “You factor in all the available avenues.””
• Brett Taylor (Bleacher Nation): Talk of trouble bringing Nick Castellanos back turns into a huge compliment for Kyle Schwarber. Sahadev Sharma {$} started it here. Let’s just say that “the Cubs were very encouraged by Schwarber’s second half.”
• Cubs birthdays: Joe Quest, Rollie Zeider, Tuffy Stewart, Clay Bryant, Garth Mann, Harry Chiti, Chris Haney.

Food for thought:

Thanks for reading.