Cub Tracks’ if at first Yu succeed...

Yu Darvish and Jason Heyward, to no one’s surprise, are staying with the Cubs, having declined to exercise their opt-outs. Anthony Rizzo won his third Gold Glove. Heyward was a finalist and lost to Cody Bellinger. Cole Hamels was not given a qualifying offer, and several others have been non-tendered. The coaching staff is turning over like line cooks on Black Friday.

All this against a backdrop of labor unrest, skyrocketing prices, and falling viewership. And still no robot umps, even though we’re officially on Blade Runner time. But it’s a Blade Runner alternafuture, where ridiculous anti-trust exemptions still reign like harvest gold, rust, and avocado used to rule the American home. Quis custodiet ipsos custodes, indeed.

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.

• Bruce Levine 670 (The Score*): Cubs’ turnover continues in athletic training staff. “Assistant athletic trainer Matt Johnson won’t return in 2020.”
• Moshe Wilensky (Cubs Insider*): How much money do Cubs have ‘available’ to spend in free agency? “... the Cubs have more money to spend in 2020 than they did in 2019.”
• Jeff Passan (ESPN*): Passan answers 20 big hot stove questions as free agency starts and MLB’s offseason drama begins. “So if the Red Sox, Indians and Cubs are all considering trading stars ... who exactly is trying to win?”
• Tim Stebbins (NBC Sports Chicago*): Why Cubs didn’t tender Cole Hamels a qualifying offer. “His age and second half struggles may work against him in any negotiations...”
• Jordan Bastian (MLB.com*): Cubs decline options on 4 additional relievers. All of the Cubs’ actions to-date. Bastian’s checklist.
• Keith Law (ESPN+ {$}): Law’s top 50 free agents. A bunch of once (and future) Cubs. Fangraphs has a list, too. MLB Daily Dish has an outright assignment tracker. Jim Bowden {$} has 35.
• Jon Greenberg (The Athletic {$}): ‘Just a backup catcher his teammates loved’: How new Cubs manager David Ross got here. “Even before he realized it, Ross has been preparing for this job with every day he spent in a major-league uniform.”
• Paul Sullivan (Chicago Tribune* {$}): Theo Epstein says the Cubs have no ‘untouchables.’ But Rizzo’s bromance with David Ross makes him the closest thing. “I’m financially set, but I do want to stay here. I do want to be a Cub,” said Rizzo. Jeff Arnold extends this conversation.
• Cubs birthdays: Charlie Newman, Bryan LaHair.

Food for thought:

Thanks for reading. Koffie for me, and keep it coming.