Cub Tracks steps up to the plate

I think out of the box. So does my cat Chicken Butt, to tell you the truth — his box could use some attention. So could the 40-man roster, for that matter...

... so much for sugarplums. Sorry. I don’t have enough angries in my blood to channel Peter Finch today. This column is written under the influence of virgin eggnog and possibly one too many biscuits with my gravy at brunch. Thursday I will happily dig around in the muck — today Ima trade the team away, or at least the intelligentsia will. Won’t you join us in pruning the roster?

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.

The Toronto Blue Jays are getting set to name Shane Farrell as their new amateur scouting director, per sources for Robert Murray (via Twitter), previously of The Athletic. Farrell has been the west coast crosschecker for the Chicago Cubs. — MLB Trade Rumors.

Shouldn’t he be in the penalty box?

Shouldn’t I?

• Will Leitch (MLB.com*): One holiday gift for every team. It’s the thought that counts.
• Patrick Mooney (The Athletic {$}): ‘Ultimately, he’s a worker’: Inside the education of David Ross. “You don’t know what it’s like to sit in this seat until you do,” Brandon Hyde said.
• Evan Altman (Cubs Insider): Ranking 10 Cubs players based on likelihood they’re traded this winter. “for entertainment purposes only”
• Tim Stebbins (NBC Sports Chicago*): Why Cubs could look to move José Quintana, a rumored potential trade candidate. “Quintana hasn’t been the same pitcher on the North Side as he was with the crosstown White Sox”.
• Kenneth Nash (Nolan Writin’): Could Willson Contreras be a trade target at catcher? “... for the Rangers he’d be more than just an upgrade at the position, he’d be a complete 180 degree turn.”
• Brett Taylor (Bleacher Nation): Yankees and Joe Panik have mutual interest, so Cubs might miss that boat. “... it is possible it would take a big league contract to get Panik...”
• Jake Meisener (Cubbies Crib*): Chicago Cubs have a Rookie of the Year candidate in Nico Hoerner. “... did everything he could to get the club across the finish line.”
• Martin Hawkins (International Business Times*): MLB Trade Predictions: Dodgers to make huge offer for Kris Bryant, Angels to get Matthew Boyd. “... the Dodgers have a few players who they are willing to move including some great prospects.”
• Joe Rivera (The Sporting News*): Five way-too-early bold predictions for the 2020 MLB season. “Bryant will win MVP — for someone other than the Cubs”.
• Steve Greenberg (Chicago Sun-Times*): A Christmas story, continued: Cancer-stricken Cubs blogger refuses to quit fight. “He doesn’t throw around hashtags like “#BlazekStrong” and “#NVRQT” — the latter borrowed from Cubs pitcher and cancer survivor Jon Lester — loosely.”
• Tate Gunnerson (Architectural Digest* {$}): Fc Studio crafts a cocktail bar inspired by famed Cubs pitcher Mordecai Brown. “The bar outside Wrigley Field riffs on the glory days of baseball...”
• Cubs birthdays: Doc Farrell, Harry Taylor, Dave Rader, J.C. Boscan. Also notable: Carlton Fisk (HoF), Ozzie Smith (HoF).

Food for thought:

Thanks for reading. Happy holidaze.